'No,' Kamala Harris Says to Withholding Arms From Israel

By Jake Johnson

"Harris is saying she will reject 77% of Democrats, 61% of Americans, international law, domestic U.S. law, and basic humanity to continue the flow of weapons to Israel while it stands accused of genocide," said one analyst.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris said in a CNN interview that aired late Thursday that, if elected in November, she would not change the Biden administration's policy of steadfast military support for Israel, rejecting widespread calls for an arms embargo to help bring about an end to the devastating assault on Gaza.

Kamala Harris accepts nomination from Democratic Party National Convention

By Natalia Marques

On Thursday night, on the last day of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, incumbent US Vice President Kamala Harris formally accepted the Democratic Party’s nomination for the presidency, confirming her and running mate Tim Walz as the Party’s ticket for November. 

'Deeply Complicit': US Has Sent Israel Over 50,000 Tons of Weaponry in 11 Months

By Jake Johnson 

On average, the Biden administration has sent Israel "a weapons shipment every 12 hours" since October, noted the IMEU Policy Project.

The Israeli government announced Monday that it has received over 50,000 tons of military equipment—including armored vehicles and munitions—from the United States during its assault on the Gaza Strip, where most of the population is now displaced and at growing risk of starvation.

The IMEU Policy Project, an affiliate of the Institute for Middle East Understanding, noted that according to the Israeli government's figures, the Biden administration has on average sent the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) "a weapons shipment every 12 hours, for nearly 11 months"—arms "that are used to kill Palestinian civilians."

The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement that the U.S. "equipment procured and transported includes armored vehicles, munitions, ammunition, personal protection gear, and medical equipment, which are crucial for sustaining the IDF's operational capabilities during the ongoing war."

Josh Ruebner, policy director at the IMEU Policy Project, wrote that the new shipment numbers underscore that "the U.S. is deeply complicit in Israel's genocide."

"Weapons to Israel violate U.S. laws and policies that are supposed to prevent atrocities," Ruebner added.

Throughout its nearly 11-month assault on Gaza, Israel's military has repeatedly used U.S.-made weaponry to target family homes, crowded markets, and camps of displaced people, prompting global calls for an arms embargo against the country.

In the face of what Amnesty International has called "damning evidence of war crimes," the Biden administration has continued to approve weapons transfers to Israel, including a recent $20 billion sale of F-15 fighter jets and tens of thousands of mortar shells.

"More extraordinary than the price tag of these arms deals is that the White House made them public," Stephen Semler, co-founder of the Security Policy Reform Institute, wrote Monday. "Prior to last week's announcements, it had disclosed just two arms sales to Israel. By March, the Biden administration had already greenlit more than 100 separate weapons deals for Israel."

According to a new Amnesty report, Israeli forces on May 26 used "two U.S.-made GBU-39 guided bombs" in a pair of deadly airstrikes on a makeshift camp for displaced people in Rafah. The strikes killed at least 36 people, including six children.

This article originally appeared in Common Dreams on August 27th, 2024

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Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry bans teaching of critical race theory in schools

By Piper Hutchinson 

CRT is an advanced academic concept traditionally taught in graduate-level courses

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry issued an executive order Tuesday prohibiting the teaching of critical race theory in Louisiana K-12 public schools. 

Critical race theory (CRT) is an advanced academic concept that holds that race is socially constructed, and it examines how legal structures are used to oppress people of color. Most classes that take the theory into consideration are in graduate programs at the university level. There is no evidence these courses are being taught to children and teenagers. 

'Thanks to Citizens United': 50 Megadonors Have Put Over $1.5 Billion Into 2024 Election

By Edward Carver

The top 50 contributors "skew Republican" but the list includes donors to both major parties, an analysis from The Washington Post showed.

Just 50 donors have contributed more than $1.5 billion in total to the 2024 federal elections, The Washington Post reported Monday, based on an analysis of Federal Election Commission data.