Englisch

In Minnesota, America’s Luck Ran Out

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/06/in-minnesota-americas-luck-ran-out/683194/

Early this morning, a gunman apparently impersonating a police officer targeted two Democratic Minnesota state lawmakers in their homes. First, he shot State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, who were seriously wounded. Law-enforcement officials believe the same gunman then shot Melissa Hortman, who served as Minnesota’s speaker of the House from 2019 to 2024. She was killed, along with her husband, Mark.

In September 2023, shortly after Donald Trump yet again encouraged direct political violence against his opponents, I wrote this: “As a political scientist who studies political violence across the globe, I would chalk up the lack of high-profile assassinations in the United States during the Trump and post-Trump era to dumb luck … Eventually, all luck runs out.”

That luck has now run out, in an idyllic Minneapolis suburb.

Although details are still emerging, law-enforcement officials are searching for a former appointee of Democratic Governor Tim Walz in connection with the killings, which Walz called “politically motivated.” The gunman reportedly had a manifesto and a list of targets that included the names of other Minnesota politicians as well as abortion providers in the state. Law-enforcement authorities intercepted but were not able to arrest the alleged shooter shortly after Hortman was assassinated. Had they not, it’s possible that he would have made his way to the homes of other Minnesota officials, trying to murder them too.

[Read: Stephen Miller triggers Los Angeles]

Political violence—and assassinations in particular—are notoriously difficult to predict, precisely because the violence is often carried out by “lone wolf” attackers. Just one deranged zealot is sufficient to carry out an act of consequential violence. In a country of 340 million people and even more guns, there will always be a small pool of potential killers eager to wreak havoc on the political system.

That’s why researchers who study political violence, including myself, try to understand what elevates or reduces the risk of violence, even if it can never be fully eradicated. In a context such as the United States, three key factors stand out: easy access to deadly weapons, intense polarization that paints political opponents as treasonous enemies rather than disagreeing compatriots, and incitements to political violence from high-profile public figures. When you combine those three social toxins, the likelihood of political violence increases, even as it remains impossible to predict who will be targeted or when attacks might be carried out.

Again, law-enforcement officials still don’t know the attacker’s precise motivations, and trying to draw conclusions from any single act of political violence is foolish. Because they are rare, randomness plays a role in these instances, and many perpetrators are mentally unwell. But consider this comparison. Although we can’t say that climate change caused a specific hurricane, we know that climate change produces stronger hurricanes. Similarly, we may not be able to draw a direct link from rhetoric to a specific act of violence, but we do know that incitements to violence make killings more likely.

The United States has repeatedly refused to do anything about easy access to deadly weapons, despite having, by far, the highest rate of mass killings among developed democracies. As a result, the only feasible levers are reducing polarization and stopping high-profile incitements to commit violence. Instead, during the Trump era, polarization has sharply increased. And over the past decade, Trump himself has been the most dangerous political actor in terms of routinely inciting violence against his opponents, including against specific politicians who could become assassination targets.

Such incitements matter. When a person with a massive public platform spreads information that encourages violence, attacks become more likely.

[From the April 2023 issue: Adrienne LaFrance on America’s terrifying cycle of extremist violence]

From the beginning of his first campaign for president, Trump encouraged supporters to beat up hecklers at his rallies, saying he’d cover their legal bills if they “knock the crap” out of them. He floated the ideas of shooting looters, shooting shoplifters, and shooting migrants crossing the border. Trump also targeted the press, sharing a variety of violent memes involving specific outlets. He endorsed Greg Gianforte, now the governor of Montana, specifically because he violently attacked a reporter. (“Any guy that can do a body slam, he is my type,” Trump said, to cheers.) And, at the end of his first term, Trump’s speech on the National Mall on January 6 doused an already incendiary environment, culminating in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol building.

Trump’s rhetorical incitements to violence extend to politicians too. He has called his political opponents “human scum.” Even more worrying are Trump’s endorsements of violence against specific Democrats. In 2016, he suggested that maybe there was something that “Second Amendment people” could do to deal with Hillary Clinton. In October 2022, when a QAnon disciple who had peddled Trump’s lies about the 2020 election attempted to assassinate then–Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi—and fractured the skull of her husband, Paul, with a hammer—Trump made light of the incident. (His son Donald Trump Jr. posted a photo on Instagram of a hammer and a pair of underwear like the ones Paul Pelosi had been wearing during the attempted murder, with the caption: “Got my Paul Pelosi Halloween costume ready.”) Less than a year later, Trump openly mused that Mark Milley, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, should be killed.

When such language becomes normalized, deranged individuals may interpret rhetoric as marching orders. In 2018, Cesar Sayoc, a die-hard Trump supporter, mailed 16 pipe bombs to people who frequently appeared as targets in Trump’s tweets. (Nobody died, but only because Sayoc wasn’t skilled at making bombs.) In 2020, Trump tweeted that people should “LIBERATE MICHIGAN!” in response to its COVID policies. Thirteen days later, armed protesters entered the state capitol building. A right-wing plot to kidnap the governor, Gretchen Whitmer, was narrowly foiled months later.

It also matters that Trump is one of the biggest vectors for spreading conspiracy theories and misinformation in the United States. When a major political figure disseminates lies about shadowy plots and treasonous acts carried out by the “human scum” on the other side of the aisle, that can increase the likelihood of violence. (Several followers of QAnon, which Trump has repeatedly amplified himself, have carried out political violence based on the conspiracy theory.)

Trump often makes a brief show of condemning political violence—as he has with the killings in Minnesota. While trying to play both the arsonist and the firefighter on social media, his actions in power make clear where his true loyalties lie, sending much stronger signals. One of his first official acts at the start of his second term was to pardon or grant clemency to people convicted for their involvement in the January 6 riots, including those who had violently attacked police officers and were targeting lawmakers. In recent weeks, Trump has floated the possibility of pardoning the far-right zealots who sought to kidnap Governor Whitmer in Michigan. The message is unmistakable: Use violence against my political opponents and there may be a pardon waiting. Joe Biden abused his pardon power to protect his son from tax-evasion charges. Donald Trump abused his pardon power to condone those who attacked cops and hoped to murder politicians. Both abuses were bad. But they are not the same.

Trump, more than anyone, should be aware of the risks of political violence. After all, he narrowly escaped an assassin’s bullet last summer. He would be dead but for a gust of wind or a slightly different tilt of his head. But when that assassination attempt happened, Biden didn’t mock it; Kamala Harris didn’t float the idea of pardoning the assassin; and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries hadn’t previously mused that Trump should be executed, or that he was human scum, or that Jeffries would pay the bills of people who used violence against Republicans.

Neither party has a monopoly on the risks of political violence. Democrats and Republicans in public office are targets who face credible threats in a hyper-polarized political climate. Likewise, supporters of Democrats and supporters of Republicans are both capable of carrying out political violence. (There have also been a small number of statements by Democrats that could be interpreted as incitements to violence, including some by Representatives Maxine Waters of California and Dan Goldman of New York. Goldman apologized for his phrasing the following day.)

The difference is that only one party is led by someone who uses his megaphone to routinely normalize and absolve acts of political violence. There is overwhelming evidence of this asymmetric rhetoric between those in party leadership.

The United States is a fraying society, torn apart by polarization, intense disagreement, and ratcheting extremism. Cheap weapons of mass murder are readily available. And into that tinderbox, Trump adds incendiary rhetoric. We don’t know when or where the deadly conflagration will strike next, but more flames will no doubt come. We may still be shocked by tragic acts of political violence like the assassination in Minnesota, but we can no longer feign surprise.

via Best of The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/

June 15, 2025 at 12:29AM

Live Updates: Senator Is Forcibly Removed After Confronting Noem in L.A.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2025/06/12/us/la-protests-trump-marines-ice

Senator Alex Padilla, a Democrat, briefly interrupted a news conference by the homeland security secretary. A judge will hear California’s request to limit the role of the military in immigration raids.

via NYT > Most Recent Headlines https://www.nytimes.com/timeswire

June 12, 2025 at 12:24PM

Amid LA Protests, Conspiracy Theories and Fake Images Spread Online

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/technology/la-protests-conspiracy-theories-disinformation.html

Misleading photographs, videos and text have spread widely on social media as protests against immigrant raids have unfolded in Los Angeles, rehashing old conspiracy theories and expressing support for President Trump’s actions.

The flood of falsehoods online appeared intended to stoke outrage toward immigrants and political leaders, principally Democrats.

They also added to the confusion over what exactly was happening on the streets, which was portrayed in digital and social media through starkly divergent ideological lenses. Many posts created the false impression that the entire city was engulfed in violence, when the clashes were limited to only a small part.

There were numerous scenes of protesters throwing rocks or other objects at law enforcement officers and setting cars ablaze, including a number of self-driving Waymo taxis. At the same time, false images spread to revive old conspiracies that the protests were a planned provocation, not a spontaneous response to the immigration raids.

The confrontation escalated on Monday as new protests occurred and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced — on X — that he was mobilizing 700 Marines from a base near Los Angeles to guard federal buildings. They are expected to join 2,000 members of the California National Guard whom Mr. Trump ordered deployed without the authorization of the state’s governor, Gavin Newsom, who normally has command of the troops.

The latest deployments prompted a new wave of misleading images to spread — some purporting to show Marines and the military service’s weapons in action. One was a still from “Blue Thunder,” a 1983 action-thriller about a conspiracy to deprive residents of Los Angeles of their civil rights. It features a climatic dogfight over the city’s downtown.

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via NYT > Top Stories https://www.nytimes.com

June 10, 2025 at 12:09PM

Hear What Shakespeare Sounded Like in the Original Pronunciation

https://www.openculture.com/2025/06/hear-what-shakespeare-sounded-like-in-the-original-pronunciation.html

What did Shakespeare’s English sound like to Shakespeare? To his audience? And how can we know such a thing as the phonetic character of the language spoken 400 years ago? These questions and more are addressed in the video above, which profiles a very popular experiment at London’s Globe Theatre, the 1994 reconstruction of Shakespeare’s theatrical home. As linguist David Crystal explains, the theater’s purpose has always been to recapture as much as possible the original look and feel of a Shakespearean production—costuming, music, movement, etc. But until recently, the Globe felt that attempting a play in the original pronunciation would alienate audiences. The opposite proved to be true, and people clamored for more. Above, Crystal and his son, actor Ben Crystal, demonstrate to us what certain Shakespearean passages would have sounded like to their first audiences, and in so doing draw out some subtle wordplay that gets lost on modern tongues.

Shakespeare’s English is called by scholars Early Modern English (not, as many students say, “Old English,” an entirely different, and much older language). Crystal dates his Shakespearean early modern to around 1600. (In his excellent textbook on the subject, linguist Charles Barber bookends the period roughly between 1500 and 1700.) David Crystal cites three important kinds of evidence that guide us toward recovering early modern’s original pronunciation (or “OP”).

1. Observations made by people writing on the language at the time, commenting on how words sounded, which words rhyme, etc. Shakespeare contemporary Ben Jonson tells us, for example, that speakers of English in his time and place pronounced the “R” (a feature known as “rhoticity”). Since, as Crystal points out, the language was evolving rapidly, and there wasn’t only one kind of OP, there is a great deal of contemporary commentary on this evolution, which early modern writers like Jonson had the chance to observe firsthand.

2. Spellings. Unlike today’s very frustrating tension between spelling and pronunciation, Early Modern English tended to be much more phonetic and words were pronounced much more like they were spelled, or vice versa (though spelling was very irregular, a clue to the wide variety of regional accents).

3. Rhymes and puns which only work in OP. The Crystals demonstrate the important pun between “loins” and “lines” (as in genealogical lines) in Romeo and Juliet, which is completely lost in so-called “Received Pronunciation” (or “proper” British English). Two-thirds of Shakespeare’s sonnets, the father and son team claim, have rhymes that only work in OP.

Not everyone agrees on what Shakespeare’s OP might have sounded like. Eminent Shakespeare director Trevor Nunn claims that it might have sounded more like American English does today, suggesting that the language that migrated across the pond retained more Elizabethan characteristics than the one that stayed home.

You can hear an example of this kind of OP in the recording from Romeo and Juliet above. Shakespeare scholar John Barton suggests that OP would have sounded more like modern Irish, Yorkshire, and West Country pronunciations, an accent that the Crystals seem to favor in their interpretations of OP and is much more evident in the reading from Macbeth below (both audio examples are from a CD curated by Ben Crystal).

Whatever the conjecture, scholars tend to use the same set of criteria David Crystal outlines. I recall my own experience with Early Modern English pronunciation in an intensive graduate course on the history of the English language. Hearing a class of amateur linguists read familiar Shakespeare passages in what we perceived as OP—using our phonological knowledge and David Crystal’s criteria—had exactly the effect Ben Crystal described in an NPR interview:

If there’s something about this accent, rather than it being difficult or more difficult for people to understand … it has flecks of nearly every regional U.K. English accent, and indeed American and in fact Australian, too. It’s a sound that makes people — it reminds people of the accent of their home — and so they tend to listen more with their heart than their head.

In other words, despite the strangeness of the accent, the language can sometimes feel more immediate, more universal, and more of the moment, even, than the sometimes stilted, pretentious ways of reading Shakespeare in the accent of a modern London stage actor or BBC news anchor.

For more on this subject, don’t miss this related post: Hear What Hamlet, Richard III & King Lear Sounded Like in Shakespeare’s Original Pronunciation.

Note: An earlier version of this post appeared on our site in 2013.

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Related Content:

Behold Shakespeare’s First Folio, the First Published Collection of Shakespeare’s Plays, Published 400 Year Ago (1623)

3,000 Illustrations of Shakespeare’s Complete Works from Victorian England, Presented in a Digital Archive

Take a Virtual Tour of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London

Josh Jones is a writer and musician based in Durham, NC. Follow him at @jdmagness

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via Open Culture https://www.openculture.com/

June 9, 2025 at 12:00PM

Just how bloody was medieval England? A ‘murder map’ holds some surprises.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2025/06/05/medieval-murder-map-study-violence/

LONDON — A saddlemaker ambushed outside a brewhouse. A man stabbed to death after he stumbled over a heap of dung while trying to flee a fight. And a priest killed by three knife-wielding assailants, possibly on the orders of a noblewoman accused of having an affair with him.

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Each of these attacks took place at the same violent “hot spot” in medieval London, and they were among more than 350 homicides committed across three English cities that have been chronicled in extraordinary detail by a small team of academics and enthusiasts.

via World https://www.washingtonpost.com

June 6, 2025 at 02:06AM

The Biden Investigation Is a Path to Even Greater Lawlessness

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/06/biden-cognitive-decline-investigation/683060/

President Donald Trump’s presidential memorandum ordering an investigation of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline and his use of the autopen is just the most recent step in Trump’s hostile takeover of the Department of Justice. It is also nonsensical fan service, amplifying addled MAGA conspiracy theories that contend, with a straight face, that Biden was really a robotic clone. In these senses, the investigative order was a sign of just another Wednesday in the chaotic, topsy-turvy world of Trump.

On a legal level, one thing is striking about the text of the memo: The order does not explicitly target Biden himself, at least not directly—only the aides who supposedly facilitated Biden’s use of the autopen and suppressed evidence of his decline. Biden’s absence as a direct target is almost certainly the result of last summer’s Supreme Court decision in Trump v. United States granting presidents immunity for “official” acts. That decision was intended to stanch a cycle of retribution. The Biden administration’s investigation of Trump, the argument goes, would beget the vengeful Trump investigation of Biden. And so on, the Court feared, ad infinitum, with each successive turn of the political wheel. By this logic, the decision is what is now protecting Biden from just the sort of retribution the Court hoped to avoid.

But although the decision will have occasional positive impact, its flaws are manifested almost every day. Even on its own terms, the Trump opinion evidently failed to achieve its objective. Far from preventing retaliatory and escalatory criminal investigations, it has enabled them. And now, with this new memo, Trump’s team may be setting the country on a path to further expand the immunity bubble, to protect not just the president but his aides as well—enabling yet more lawlessness.

[Paul Rosenzweig: The destruction of the Department of Justice]

To begin with, the absurd investigation of Biden’s cognitive decline was almost certainly encouraged by the immunity decision itself—in the sense that the grant of presidential immunity frees Trump from any personal responsibility for his own “creative” use of the law. In a rational world, Trump might face legal consequences for his illicit abuse of the criminal-justice system—in the form, say, of a civil suit for malicious prosecution. But thanks to Trump v. United States, Trump is free to undertake any plausibly official act with complete impunity, including ordering nonsensical investigations of those who worked for his predecessor. Even if Biden is protected, the Court’s immunity calculus failed to account for Trump’s obsession and left open the possibility that an opponent’s aides would be targeted.

Which brings us to the final and, perhaps, most insidious aspect of Trump’s order: a possible further expansion of presidential immunity. Following the Trump decision, some defenders of the Court contended that the adverse impact of granting presidents criminal immunity would be minimal. Aides to the president, through whom he acted, would, they argued, remain subject to criminal prosecution and thus be deterred from partaking in criminal activity. And so, the argument went, the grant of presidential immunity was no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

The argument is a comforting one, but other possibilities exist. A nonfrivolous argument can be made that, because a president can act only through subordinates, a faithful reading of Trump would extend presidential immunity to those whose assistance he requires to effectuate his official presidential actions. If we grant the (in my view, ahistorical) Supreme Court premise that immunizing core presidential conduct was, in the Founders’ minds, essential to enable presidential action, then it seems wildly inconsistent to simultaneously prevent the president from acting effectively by denying the same protection to his essential subordinates.

Others have seen this inconsistency and tried to use it to buttress claims that aides should also be immune. For example, as part of its Trump holding, the Court explicitly determined that Trump’s pre–January 6 directions to the Department of Justice to investigate alleged election fraud were absolutely immune acts. Building on that holding, one of Trump’s DOJ allies, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, has argued that he is covered by derivative presidential immunity for what he did at Trump’s request, and that he cannot be prosecuted or disciplined for acting on Trump’s behalf.

This is not the law as of now, and in the present state of affairs, Clark (and his successors in Trump’s current administration) will likely lose a claim of immunity. But one suspects strongly that part of Trump’s motivation (or, more probably, that of his self-interested advisers) in authorizing the Biden investigation is to change the law.

The investigation will, as noted, target Biden’s aides. Those aides may, under the pressure of criminal inquiry, offer the same sort of defense that Clark has—I was working for the president, and I share his immunity. The sheer outrageousness of Trump’s investigation may tempt courts to side with Biden’s aides, shielding them from the time, expense, and anguish of a frivolous investigation.

[Bob Bauer: Trump is poised to turn the DoJ into his personal law firm]

And that temptation may be just what Trump’s team is counting on: using a bogus investigation of Biden to set a precedent to shield their own subsequent criminal activity. Adopting that doctrine would remove the last shred of structural restraint on Trump’s team—the specter of post-Trump prosecution.

Perhaps I’m overthinking this, and the bank shot to derivative immunity for Trump’s aides never occurred to the Trump team (in which case, I apologize for putting it on their radar). Perhaps this investigation is indeed merely fan service.

But I think not. If anything, the Trump team has demonstrated a remarkably sophisticated understanding of how to assert unilateral presidential authority to work an expansion of presidential power. Therein lies the danger. Even if the result of aide immunity is not intended, it may be what lies ahead. The country must avoid this—and thus Biden’s aides must seek to defend themselves against the outrageous investigation of Biden’s cognition on the merits, not on any procedural immunity grounds. That way is more burdensome, to be sure, but in the end, it will be far better for the nation.

via Best of The Atlantic https://www.theatlantic.com/

June 7, 2025 at 01:22PM

untitled

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/06/world/europe/germany-merz-trump-visit.html

President Trump was sitting in the Oval Office on Thursday, trying unprompted to dispel the idea that he was overly friendly with Russia.

“I’m not friends with anybody,” Mr. Trump told reporters gathered for a news conference. Then he half-smiled and gestured to the man sitting beside him.

“I’m friends with you,” he told Friedrich Merz.

Mr. Merz, the new chancellor of Germany, chuckled. By that point, it was clear that he had aced his test with the volatile American president, who has berated other international dignitaries and made no secret in the past of his antipathy toward the leaders of Germany, his ancestral homeland.

On Thursday, Mr. Trump and Mr. Merz seemed chummy from the start. It helps that Mr. Merz fits the profile of other counterparts Mr. Trump has praised during White House visits, like Prime Ministers Mark Carney of Canada and Keir Starmer of Britain.

Mr. Merz is a tall man. His English is excellent. He comes from the business world. He gave Mr. Trump a copy of Mr. Trump’s grandfather’s German birth certificate. The president called it “fantastic” and said he would hang it in a place of honor. He then seemed to cast Mr. Merz as an avatar for his fondest images of Germany.

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“I want to welcome you to the Oval Office. It’s an Oval Office that’s in very good shape,” Mr. Trump said. “We like fixing things up, and having them tippy top, like they have in Germany.”

Mr. Trump went on to praise Mr. Merz’s negotiating stances, his English skills, his agreement with Mr. Trump’s opposition to a natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany that was supported by one of Mr. Merz’s predecessors, former Chancellor Angela Merkel. (Mr. Merz has famously feuded with Ms. Merkel, as has Mr. Trump.)

Mr. Merz knew that Mr. Trump usually does most of the talking with foreign counterparts. He did not fight the trend. He often sat silent for minutes as the president fielded questions.

He welcomed Mr. Trump’s praise of Germany and smiled through minor slights, like Mr. Trump musing about whether it was a good idea for Germany to increase its military spending — as the president has long pushed the Germans to do.

“I’m not sure that General MacArthur would have said it was positive, you know?” Mr. Trump said at one point, referring to the American commander in World War II. “He wouldn’t like it, but I sort of think it’s good. You understand that?”

Mr. Merz said he did.

“He made a statement, never let Germany rearm,” Mr. Trump said. A beat later, he added: “I think that’s a good thing, at least to a certain point. There will be a point when I say, please don’t arm anymore.”

Mr. Merz chimed in mostly to appeal to Mr. Trump’s ego and national pride. He thanked Americans for liberating Europe on D-Day, 81 years ago on Friday. He said Mr. Trump could prove equally consequential by backing Ukraine in its war against Russia. When Mr. Trump interjected to say D-Day was bad for Germany, Mr. Merz waved him off, telling him that America saved his country from the Nazis, too.

German news media reacted with a mix of relief and bemusement. “Merz can hardly get a word in edgewise in the Oval Office,” the flagship public news outlet Tagesschau declared in its live commentary. The left-leaning Süddeutsche Zeitung noted that Mr. Merz flattered Mr. Trump but mostly just let him talk. Der Spiegel, one of the country’s most influential news sources, at one point compared Mr. Merz to a movie extra.

Mr. Merz fielded no hard questions from the president, even on thorny issues White House officials had suggested might come up. That included German speech laws that Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have called undemocratic because they have at times penalized the far-right Alternative for Germany party, or AfD.

On Thursday, Mr. Vance and Mr. Rubio sat largely silent on an Oval Office couch for 45 minutes. Mr. Trump asked about treatment of the AfD over lunch, German officials said later. Mr. Merz warned him that the party has a history of criticizing America, and of fondness for Russia and China.

Mr. Merz also tried privately to persuade Mr. Trump that the European Union was not created to rival America, but to bring peace on the continent. Addressing the president’s trade complaints, Mr. Merz said Europeans buy a large number of cars made in the United States — including Mr. Merz’s own personal vehicle, a BMW X3 that was built in Spartanburg, S.C.

But Mr. Merz did not leave with defined policy victories.

Mr. Trump did not offer more weapons or other further support for Ukraine. There was no trade breakthrough.

The chancellor was delighted anyway. He fielded congratulatory messages from fellow European leaders, who have made their own mixed efforts to court Mr. Trump.

“We have a level of openness and collegiality in our conversations,” Mr. Merz told reporters afterward. “Building on this, we will certainly have very good conversations in the future.”

Christopher F. Schuetze contributed reporting.

via www.nytimes.com https://www.nytimes.com

June 7, 2025 at 09:24AM

Trump's budget calls for a 15% funding cut to the Education Department

https://www.npr.org/2025/06/02/nx-s1-5420677/trump-budget-education-department-financial-aid

New details of the administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 came after a federal judge blocked the president's efforts to close the U.S. Education Department.

(Image credit: Allison Robbert)

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via NPR Topics: Education https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1013

June 2, 2025 at 10:44PM

‘A psychological victory’: 3 writers discuss Ukraine’s drone strikes

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/interactive/2025/ukraine-drone-attack-russia-war-trump/

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On Sunday, Ukraine launched surprise drone strikes that targeted strategic bombers parked deep inside Russian territory. Ukrainian officials claimed the strikes damaged or destroyed dozens of planes. This development feels like a game changer, but how exactly? I sat down with two of my colleagues, Max Boot and Jim Geraghty, to discuss if Ukraine’s sneak attack on Russia could change the outlook of the war. — Damir Marusic, assignment editor

💬 💬 💬

Damir Marusic Do you think the strikes change things, practically, on the battlefield? What lessons, if any, do you think Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken away from them?

Max Boot It probably won’t be a big change on the battlefield but it will certainly hamper Russia’s ability to fire missiles at Ukrainian cities. This is not a game changer but it’s a significant operational and psychological victory for Ukraine. I doubt the message will get through but it should help convince Putin he is not going to win this war.

Jim Geraghty I’m sure any alleviation of Russia’s ability to launch cruise missiles at Ukraine will be welcomed, but I agree with Max, this is primarily a psychological and symbolic blow to Putin and the Russians.

Jim On my second trip to Ukraine, I spoke with Akhmed Zakayev, the prime minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the Chechen government in exile; Chechens are fighting against the Russians in Ukraine. He told me, “Russians like to fight wars on other people’s territory. They hate to fight wars on Russian territory.” Putin won’t feel any pressure to cut a deal until the elites in Moscow and St. Petersburg feel the consequences of the war. Strikes deep in Siberia send a strong signal that no spot in Russia is safe from Ukrainian retaliatory strikes.

Damir Ukrainians have long argued that hitting Russia hard does not lead to further escalation — that the support of the West is enough of a deterrent. Do you expect Russia to escalate after this, or will it just be more of the same grind?

Max Short of nuclear weapons (which I don’t expect) there is not much Putin can do that he hasn’t already done. Russian hard-liners keep demanding carpet bombing of Ukrainian cities. The reason Putin isn’t doing that is not because he’s a closet humanitarian: It’s because Ukrainian air defenses are too strong. Of course, the Kremlin will claim some big air attack on Kyiv as “revenge” but they’ve been mounting air attacks since the start of the war. It’s not like Putin would be going easy if the Ukrainians weren’t hitting back.

Jim Agreed. One of the many problems of fighting a war with maximum brutality is there’s not much room to escalate in response to the enemy’s actions.

Damir The Ukrainians had been planning this strike for more than 18 months, and the United States knew nothing about it. Max, you mentioned there was a message for Putin there. Was there a message for the United States, and specifically the Trump administration, here as well?

Jim That this was the finest operational secrecy since the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Lakers.

Max 😂

Max I think the message is that the Ukrainians don’t trust the United States. They have scar tissue from all of the overly restrictive limitations imposed by the Biden administration on the use of U.S. weapons, so they are using drones not only because they are so effective but also because they are made in Ukraine. Of course, the level of mistrust between Kyiv and Washington has gone up exponentially since President Donald Trump came to office. The Ukrainians know they are dealing with an American president who has a soft spot in his heart for the war criminals in the Kremlin.

Jim Hey, if Trump wants to get back into the inner circle of Ukraine’s operations, I’m sure Kyiv would loop him in on the memos in exchange for some more Patriot missiles.

Damir Max, you wrote a terrific piece over the weekend about what these strikes mean for the future of warfare — that the era of the drone is upon us. Zooming out, what do you guys think this means for the defense of Taiwan, for example?

Max This attack confirms the lesson we’ve been learning for more than three years in Ukraine: Drones are the future of warfare. In the war’s early days, more than 70 percent of the casualties were being inflicted by artillery. Now 70 percent are being inflicted by drones. This is a lesson that every nation in the world, including Taiwan, needs to take onboard. Taiwan needs to crank up drone production to make it too difficult for China to invade. The U.S. also needs to crank up production. As I noted in a recent column, the U.S. can only manufacture about 100,000 drones a year. Ukraine made 2.2 million last year and is aiming to make 4.5 million this year. We’ve fallen behind in the drone revolution.

Jim Like Max, my first reaction was “Wow, this is an amazing accomplishment for the Ukrainians. The Russians must feel like a Ukrainian drone could hit them anytime, anywhere.” My second reaction was, “Whoa, wait a minute, how secure are our air bases from an attack like this?” My guess is: not particularly protected. Although, when I visited Kyiv earlier this year, a lot of European allies were in town, looking for drone warfare lessons and suppliers from the Ukrainians …

Damir Jim, regarding our own security, that’s exactly what popped into my mind. Remember those stories about Chinese entities buying up land near our military installations? At the time, I assumed it was about espionage, but since this weekend, I wonder if there might be other reasons.

Max Counterdrone warfare has to become an urgent priority for every military in the world. The Ukrainian attack revealed the vulnerability of airfields (and other installations) all over the world to similar sneak attacks. It used to be that you needed to build long-range missiles to have long-range strike capacity. No longer. Now you can achieve the same result with ultracheap drones that can be reconfigured to carry explosives in a ramshackle workshop; terrorist groups could easily manufacture them. If we aren’t worried, we aren’t paying attention.

Damir And it’s not just military airfields, right? Civilian defense has to be in the mix — power stations, airports, data centers …

Jim Okay, I wondered if this was a silly thing to bring up, but in the 2013 … er, cinematic classic featuring Gerard Butler, “Olympus Has Fallen,” the North Koreans launch a devastating attack on the White House using machine guns hidden in garbage trucks. It seemed cheesy and implausible at the time, but the scenes at those Russian airfields must have felt like that — ordinary trucks opening up and unleashing an arsenal upon unsuspecting targets nearby. Every military and spy agency around the world is looking at the Ukrainian operation and asking, “If they can pull that off, why can’t we?”

Damir Final question: Do you think that efforts such as Trump’s Golden Dome missile defense project are now less of a priority? Should there be a pivot?

Jim The threat from ballistic missiles isn’t mythical, but I think there will be a lot of fair questions about why we would spend so much on large missile defense and not take action to defend against smaller, lighter, cheaper drones.

Max I’ve long thought that Golden Dome was a monumental boondoggle that will not achieve its objective of space-based missile defenses. We should be spending that money on drones and drone defenses. That is the real future of warfare.

via Opinions https://www.washingtonpost.com

June 3, 2025 at 12:30AM

The bully gets punched in the nose

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/05/30/trump-taco-trade-tariffs-lawsuit/

On Tuesday evening, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on a test mission after two straight failures. The launch went well enough this time, but while the behemoth was on the edge of space, it lost control, started tumbling and eventually broke apart.

Or, as SpaceX put it: “Starship experienced a rapid unscheduled disassembly.”

via Opinions https://www.washingtonpost.com

May 30, 2025 at 02:40PM

King Charles’s visit brings frustration for First Nations amid ‘backslide in reconciliation’

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/30/king-charles-first-nations

King Charles’s speech to Canada’s parliament this week was framed as a subtle rebuke to Donald Trump’s threats of annexation and an assertion of the country’s sovereignty.

But for many Indigenous people, the elaborate spectacle of the royal visit – with its protocol, regalia, thrones and mounties in pith helmets – evoked a model of national identity at odds with ongoing efforts to confront Canada’s own violent history of colonization and dispossession.

The visit came as some Indigenous Chiefs and academics warned that questions of reconciliation with First Nations are being drowned out by the noisy surge of patriotism provoked by the US president.

“There’s only so much oxygen in the room and it gets all sucked up with standing up to Trump. It’s ‘Indigenous people, you’re important – but not right now’. That’s a strategy of settler colonialism too,” said David MacDonald, a political science professor at Guelph University in Ontario from Treaty 4 lands in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Canada was formed to promote unity among British colonial territories and to stop American expansion – and it was created through genocidal violence against Indigenous people, said MacDonald.

“We need to be careful not to fall back into those historical patterns, because it’s pretty easy for a lot of settler Canadians to think that’s the way it has been and should be, especially if we appeal to older historical figures,” he said.

Indigenous leaders also highlighted the irony of such high-profile declarations of Canadian sovereignty when First Nations are themselves forced to make similar assertions to Canada’s own federal government.

Canada’s federal government admits that colonial efforts to forcefully assimilate Indigenous peoples, and the displacement of First Nations on to inhospitable reserves have all contributed to shorter life expectancy, poverty and illness.

First Nations leaders look on before Britain’s King Charles III delivers a speech from the Throne to open the first session of the 45th parliament of Canada, in Ottawa on 27 May. Photograph: Victoria Jones/AFP/Getty Images

Indigenous communities have repeatedly been forced to turn to the courts in order to force the federal government to meet its obligations under centuries-old treaties between First Nations and the Crown.

In one case last year, Canada’s highest court ruled that the crown had made a “mockery” of a 1850 agreement by failing to adequately compensate First Nations for the riches extracted from their ancestral territories.

“We were sovereign. We still are sovereign. And you have to respect that we enter these treaties to make sure that we share land and resources – and therefore Canada, the colonial state, must share revenue as well,” said Chief David Monias, of Pimicikamak Okimawin in Manitoba, at a press conference following the King’s speech.

Grand Chief Kyra Wilson of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs welcomed the King’s decision to mention Indigenous rights, meet and acknowledge that Canada’s parliament building sits on traditional Algonquin territory.

But she added: “There was talk of truth and reconciliation. But … we’ve heard the term ‘reconciliation’ for years now,” she says. “And what we are expecting – and what we’ve been expecting for years – is tangible action.”

National Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak, who is head of the Assembly of First Nations, said that during her meeting with the king she stressed the need for “less colonialism”.

“People don’t like this [US] colonialism that’s happening at the borders,” she said. “But first nations have been feeling that for a long time: colonialism trying to dictate our lives.”

Over the past 20 years, Canada has engaged in a fitful reckoning with its colonial past, with a 2015 report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) concluding that the country had engaged in a “cultural genocide” in which tens of thousands of First Nations children were forcibly removed from their families and incarcerated in residential schools rife with abuse.

A major shift in public discourse also came four years ago this week, when over 200 potential burial sites of children were confirmed outside a former residential school in southern British Columbia.

But that historical reassessment has been drowned out by a surge of nationalism in response to Trump – often invoking the iconography of British colonialism, said Rowland Keshena Robinson, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, who is a member of the Menominee Nation of Wisconsin.

On the day of Charles’ speech, the Ontario government announced that a statue of John A Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister, would be put back on public display, five years after activists threw paint on it to highlight Macdonald’s efforts to eliminate Indigenous people including through starvation.

“There absolutely has been a backsliding in reconciliation in the last five years,” Robinson said.

Robinson argued that Canadians face a unique opportunity to define themselves as different from the US not through loyalty to Britain but through by enacting true reconciliation with Indigenous people.

“What’s the opposite of a dictatorial, authoritarian presidential system? It’s a decentralized system where Indigenous people have control over their own lands, waters and keep large corporations from digging everything up,” he said.

“That would be the most anti-American thing a Canadian could do,” he said. “If the narrative could change Indigenous self-determination could be a central part of Canadian identity.”

This article was amended on 30 May 2025. An earlier version misspelled the first name of Kyra Wilson, and a later quote by Rowland Keshena Robinson was misattributed to “Macdonald”. Also, a photo caption of First Nations leaders incorrectly referred to them as being Inuit leaders. A reference to the 2021 discovery of the remains of 215 children has also been changed to reflect that these were potential burial sites, not remains.

via the Guardian

May 30, 2025 at 09:31PM

RFK Jr.’s MAHA Report Cites Studies That Don’t Seem To Exist, Misinterprets Others

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/29/rfk-jr-s-maha-report-cites-studies-that-dont-seem-to-exist-misinterprets-others/

We recently talked about Donald Trump’s foray into medicine when he declared, sans any actual evidence of course, that autism cannot possibly be caused by anything other than some external source. It was an admittedly odd stance to take for someone who seems to care so deeply about genetics in other areas, but Donald Trump being an inconsistent mess is not remotely newsworthy. The comments were made during a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) event that unveiled RFK Jr.’s “Make America Healthy Again” MAHA report on American health. That report, which RFK Jr. touted as a result of “gold standard” science, identified four major causes of deficiencies in health in America.

The MAHA Commission event unveiled the group’s new report, which pointed to four key factors it says are hurting U.S. children: ultraprocessed foods, environmental chemicals, digital behavior and “overmedicalization.” The report identifies pesticides and other chemicals as potentially having harmful health impacts, but it stops short of recommending actions to limit them.

And, hey, I can get on board with some of that. Though I’ve made a habit of righteously slapping around Kennedy and his HHS Department as of late, not every idea the man has is completely stupid. Do ultra-processed foods probably suck for our health? I can imagine that being the case. Chemicals in our environment and/or food? Sure, that sounds like something worth studying. Digital behavior issues and the vague reference to “overmedicalization” have my spidey-sense tingling, I will admit, but neither strike me as particularly unworthy of attention at first glance.

But the problem is that when you tout your report as “gold standard” medicine and then I later learn that this report’s citations read like an AI hallucination, well, now I have to question everything once more.

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says his “Make America Healthy Again” Commission report harnesses “gold-standard” science, citing more than 500 studies and other sources to back up its claims. Those citations, though, are rife with errors, from broken links to misstated conclusions.

Seven of the cited sources don’t appear to exist at all.

The post over at NOTUS goes into details. The broken links are probably just a result of human error, I suppose. The misinterpretations of other studies could be the result of, well, flat incompetence. But the studies and citations within specific papers and journals that don’t appear to exist? Someone is either flat out lying in this report, or else it was constructed with the help of AI. It’s not like we haven’t seen that sort of thing in the academic and legal realms before.

Katherine Keyes is one author of a supposed study the MAHA report referenced.

Epidemiologist Katherine Keyes is listed in the MAHA report as the first author of a study on anxiety in adolescents. When NOTUS reached out to her this week, she was surprised to hear of the citation. She does study mental health and substance use, she said. But she didn’t write the paper listed.

“The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with,” Keyes told NOTUS via email. “We’ve certainly done research on this topic, but did not publish a paper in JAMA Pediatrics on this topic with that co-author group, or with that title.”

It’s not clear that anyone wrote the study cited in the MAHA report. The citation refers to a study titled, “Changes in mental health and substance abuse among US adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic,” along with a nonfunctional link to the study’s digital object identifier. While the citation claims that the study appeared in the 12th issue of the 176th edition of the journal JAMA Pediatrics, that issue didn’t include a study with that title.

Again, I cannot say for sure that AI was used in this report, but it has all the hallmarks of your typical AI hallucination, where it attempts to build a plausible response to a prompt based on whatever datapoints it can find on the internet. For instance, Keyes does study topics such as in the fictional citation. And Keyes has in fact published work within JAMA Pediatrics. But the specifics here appear to be completely fabricated.

She’s not alone.

A section describing the “corporate capture of media” highlights two studies that it says are “broadly illustrative” of how a rise in direct-to-consumer drug advertisements has led to more prescriptions being written for ADHD medications and antidepressants for kids.

Those articles don’t appear in the table of contents for the journals listed in their citations. A spokesperson for Virginia Commonwealth University, where psychiatric researcher Robert L. Findling currently teaches, confirmed to NOTUS that he never authored such an article. The author of the first study doesn’t appear to be a real ADHD researcher at all — at least, not one with a Google Scholar profile.

In another section titled, “American Children are on Too Much Medicine – A Recent and Emerging Crisis,” the report claims that 25% to 40% of mild cases of asthma are overprescribed. But searching Google for the exact title of the paper it cites to back up that figure — “Overprescribing of oral corticosteroids for children with asthma” — leads to only one result: the MAHA report.

There is more, with cited authors confirming to NOTUS that they never authored the studies or articles in other citations. In other cases, the report simply takes small, targeted studies and broadens them to become nationwide evidence of the very theories Kennedy has been pushing for years and years.

Can we confirm for sure that someone, or multiple someones, used generative AI to produce this report? No, we can’t, but I say that with as much of a literary wink as I can muster through the written word.

But even if that ends up not being the case, a report full of fictionalized and misinterpreted scientific studies is many things, but it sure as shit is not “gold standard science.”

Englisch

via Techdirt https://www.techdirt.com

May 30, 2025 at 05:08AM

A new kind of gentrification is spreading through London – and emptying out schools | Anna Minton

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/26/placemaking-gentrification-london-luxury-apartments-expensive-restaurants-schools

Teachers at Charlotte Sharman school in south London’s Elephant and Castle are on strike this week, protesting against the fact that the primary school will be forced to close at the end of term. It is one of many inner London schools facing closure as a result of a 25% drop in under-fours in some boroughs, according to the most recent census. Charlotte Sharman is just around the corner from the site of the Heygate estate, which was demolished in 2014 and replaced by Elephant Park, a development of thousands of luxury apartments, built by the Australian developer Lendlease. After the Heygate was knocked down, the school roll slumped.

Elephant Park, which has won many awards for “placemaking excellence”, is seen as an exemplar of a new global regeneration industry. In place of lower- and middle-income family housing, the new neighbourhoods are typically created to include luxury apartments set in high-security privatised public space, global retail brands, pop-ups, expensive bars and restaurants, and often a university or art gallery to provide cultural capital.

Today, two-bedroom apartments in Elephant Park are on sale for between £900,000 and £1m, and of the 2,704 new homes, only 82 are for social housing. Twenty-five per cent of the new homes are designated “affordable”, but since the government changed the definition of affordable in 2010 to mean up to 80% of market rent or market value, that is financially far out of reach for the majority of Londoners and their families. Alex Mees, who works for the National Education Union and is on the picket line with the protesters, says: “They’ve got rid of family homes in the area and replaced them with one- or two-bedroom apartments – all the families are moving out, they should have seen this coming.”

The regeneration of so many new districts, from King’s Cross to the Olympic Park, is part of a larger story of the extreme gentrification of cities like London where soaring house prices are leading directly to a decline in birthrates. A study by the Affordable Housing Commission found that 13% of British adults under the age of 45 and in a couple delayed or chose not to start a family because of their housing situation – with nearly 2 million people potentially affected. But the decline is much starker in cities such as London, which are experiencing the most extreme gentrification: research showed that while the capital’s overall population is rising, the numbers between the age of 25–39, the typical age of housebuying and family formation, has recently dropped by 4%, with London Councils, the body representing the city’s 32 boroughs, attributing it to the shortage of family housing.

Deal in Kent has been dubbed ‘Hackney on Sea’ thanks to the influx of millennials from London to the area. Photograph: Richard Milnes/Alamy

The knock-on effects are that across the south-east, millennials are leaving London for Bristol, Brighton and seaside towns along the south coast, such as Hastings, Eastbourne or Deal. The trend for families to leave the capital is pushing up house prices in these areas and is often far from welcome, spawning the derogatory acronym DFL (Down from London), while Deal has been branded “Hackney on Sea”.

Fernanda, an architect and mother of two who lives in Hackney, described how it’s not just schools, but GP surgeries and small businesses – what she calls the “ecosystem of the city” – that are closing. “It is getting emptier and emptier and there is a clear change in demographics happening in front of our eyes,” she says, telling me that she has been invited to two farewell picnics in the next few weeks. “One family bought a house in Nottingham and another family are moving to Kent. It’s mostly people with younger kids because they’re all piled up in a small flat – my son’s class is not full.”

The positive rhetoric and branding of placemaking is that it transforms run-down areas into vibrant and economically successful parts of the city. The reality is that it creates sterile places, emptied of so many of the essential aspects of urban life, except the expensive activities. The city may be emptier than ever of children and families, but tables at sought-after restaurants are still booked up weeks in advance. Another category able to stay put are older people, with the census finding that the proportion of the population in every age group over 50 (except for 80-84 year olds) increased, as many of these people bought property in another era, unwittingly benefiting from huge rises in property values of up to 700%. Today, London boroughs like Southwark and Hackney are a mix of new half-empty neighbourhoods of luxury apartments, round the corner from streets of multimillion pound Georgian and Victorian homes that have soared in value alongside cramped and unaffordable private rental accommodation and a fast declining amount of social housing.

The dictionary definition of sterile is “not able to produce children or young” and children are the canary in the coalmine for what is happening to our cities. When the city is no longer able to cater to children, or the range of other diverse uses that keep communities healthy and vibrant, places don’t die, but neither are they truly alive.

via Business | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk/business

May 26, 2025 at 10:18AM

Thousands remember George Floyd on fifth anniversary of death

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgmjzyp0kwzo

Americans remember George Floyd on fifth anniversary of death

Reuters

Family members of George Floyd gathered this weekend as friends and community members paid their respects at a memorial site for Floyd

Americans across the country are remembering George Floyd five years after he was killed by police, with special gatherings in the city where he grew up and the one where he died.

The murder of Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin led to nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.

On Sunday, Floyd's family gathered in their hometown of Houston near Floyd's gravesite for an event led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, while Minneapolis held several commemorations.

What many hailed as a national "reckoning" with racism after Floyd's death, though, seems to be fading as President Donald Trump starts to roll back police reforms in Minneapolis and other cities.

In Minneapolis, community members planned a morning church service, a candlelight vigil and an evening gospel concert on Sunday to remember Floyd.

The events were a part of the annual Rise and Remember Festival taking place in George Floyd Square, the intersection where Floyd was murdered and which has since been named to honour him.

"Now is the time for the people to rise up and continue the good work we started," Angela Harrelson, Floyd's aunt and co-chair of the Rise and Remember nonprofit, said in a statement about the festival.

Getty Images

Community members and Floyd's relatives gathered around a mural at George Floyd Square in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday.

In Houston, where Floyd grew up and where he is buried, local organisations planned poetry sessions, musical performances and speeches by local pastors.

Floyd was murdered in 2020 during a police arrest in Minneapolis when Chauvin, a white police officer, stood on his neck for more than nine minutes.

The killing - captured on a bystander's phone camera - sparked global outrage and a wave of demonstrations against racial injustice and police use of force.

Chauvin has been serving a 22-year prison sentence after he was convicted of murdering the 46-year-old. Other officers were convicted for failing to intervene in the killing.

In a post on X, Rev Sharpton said Floyd's death had "forced a long overdue reckoning with systemic racism and galvanized millions to take to the streets in protest".

"The conviction of the officer responsible was a rare step toward justice, but our work is far from over," he said.

In the wake of Floyd's death, under former President Joe Biden, the justice department opened civil investigations into several local law enforcement agencies, including Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix and Lexington, Mississippi, where investigators found evidence of systemic police misconduct.

Reuters

Floyd's death sparked a nationwide reckoning on police brutality toward black people in the US in 2020

The department reached agreements with both the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments that included oversight measures like enhanced training, accountability, and improved data collection of police activity.

But last Wednesday, the Trump administration said those findings relied on "flawed methodologies and incomplete data".

Administration officials said the agreement were "handcuffing" local police departments.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, though, said this week that his city would still "comply with every sentence, of every paragraph, of the 169-page consent decree that we signed this year".

Since returning to office, Trump has also taken aim at Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) measures intended to reduce racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. Early in his tenure, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate DEI policies in the federal government, some of which were the result of protests during what is often called "Black Lives Matter Summer", held after the deaths of Floyd and others,

Critics including Trump say such programmes can themselves be discriminatory. Addressing West Point on Saturday, he said that in ending DEI in the military the administration was "getting rid of the distractions" and "focusing our military on its core mission".

Meanwhile, the mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, removed Black Lives Matter Plaza, a strip of road that was emblazoned with the phrase near the White House. This week, a famous mural of Floyd in Houston was destroyed as part of a building demolition, as well, according to Houston Public Media.

Recent surveys suggest Americans believe there have been few improvements for the lives of black people in the US five years after Floyd's passing, including a May survey from Pew Research Center in which 72% of participants said there had been no meaningful changes.

The number of Americans expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement has also fallen by 15% since June 2020, the same survey suggests.

via BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world

May 26, 2025 at 03:09AM

Texas is getting ready to ban social media for anyone under 18

https://www.engadget.com/social-media/texas-is-getting-ready-to-ban-social-media-for-anyone-under-18-180202219.html?src=rss

Texas could become the next US state to lay down the law with social media platforms. A Texas bill that would ban social media use for anyone under 18 recently moved past the Senate committee and is due for a vote in front of the Texas State Senate. The bill has until the state's legislative session comes to an end on June 2, leaving roughly a week for it to be approved by both the Senate and the governor.

Earlier this year, the bill passed the House committee stage and was later voted in favor of by the state's House of Representatives. If made into law, the bill would force social media platforms to verify the age of anyone setting up an account, much like how Texas passed legislation requiring websites hosting porn to implement an age verification system. On top of that, Texas' social media ban proposes to let parents delete their child's social media account, allowing the platforms 10 days to comply with the request or face a fine from the state's attorney general.

Texas isn't the only governing body interested in restricting social media access. Last year, Florida's governor, Ron DeSantis, signed into law a bill that outright bans anyone under 14 from using social media and requires 14- and 15-year-olds to get parental consent to make an account or use an existing account. Notably, Texas' proposed law is much stricter than that.

On a larger scale, the US Senate introduced a bill to ban social media platforms for anyone under 13 in April 2024. After being stuck in the committee stage, Senators Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently made comments that signal a potential second attempt at getting this passed. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/texas-is-getting-ready-to-ban-social-media-for-anyone-under-18-180202219.html?src=rss

Technologie

via Engadget http://www.engadget.com

May 25, 2025 at 08:09PM

How the Trump Administration Has the Upper Hand Against Harvard

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/23/us/politics/trump-harvard-international-students.html

Even against one of the nation’s oldest institutions, the Trump administration holds the levers of power — and it’s using them aggressively.

Schule

via NYT - Education https://www.nytimes.com/section/education

May 24, 2025 at 01:12AM

Trump Is Waging War on the Future

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/21/opinion/trump-maga-movement-future.html

We can contest the dark dreams of those in power.

via NYT > Sustainable Development https://www.nytimes.com/topic/subject/sustainable-development

May 22, 2025 at 04:57PM

Lesson Plan: Understanding the Subtle Body Language of Liars

https://annmichaelsen.com/2025/05/20/lesson-plan-understanding-the-subtle-body-language-of-liars/

Online influencers claim subtle, non-verbal cues expose when a person is lying. But how much do gestures, eye contact and arm positioning really reveal? BBC Science Focus

“Researchers have spent decades trying to identify … a behavioural cue that can help you to separate liars from truth tellers,” says Leanne ten Brinke, an associate professor and director of the Truth and Trust Lab at the University of British Columbia-Okanagan, in Canada. “The short answer to that question is really no. There’s no ‘Pinocchio’s nose’.” BBC Science Focus

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Define body language and distinguish between intentional and unintentional nonverbal cues.

Critically evaluate common myths about detecting lies through body language.

Analyze psychological and neurological research about deception and its indicators.

Identify the cultural and cognitive biases that influence our interpretations of others’ behavior.

Debate the ethical and legal implications of using body language in settings such as courts and job interviews.

1. Warm-Up Discussion: Trusting the Signals

Prompt: “Have you ever felt someone was lying to you? What gave you that impression?”

Facilitate a brief, open discussion that reveals students’ intuitive beliefs about deception. Encourage sharing of cultural sayings or media examples (e.g., crime shows, reality TV). List the students’ common beliefs on the board.

Then pose the central question for the lesson: “Can we really detect lies by reading body language?”

2. Mythbusting Through Media

Play both of the following videos back to back:

Rochester University — Highlights the difficulties of spotting deception and the overreliance on misleading cues.

Can you spot the liar? AsapSCIENCE — Discusses the false assumptions people make about fidgeting, eye contact, and posture.

Ask students to jot down what they learned or found surprising in each video. Prompt students to consider: What myths did the videos challenge?

3. Reading and Analyzing the Article

Distribute or project “How to Crack the Subtle Body Language of Liars” (BBC Science Focus). Read selected sections aloud or assign students to annotate in pairs.

Key Quotes to Discuss:

“There is no universal ‘tell’ – no Pinocchio’s nose that always betrays a lie.”

“Liars may reduce their hand gestures, become stiffer or overly still – but that’s not definitive.”

“Cultural norms influence what’s considered deceptive. For instance, in some cultures, avoiding eye contact is a sign of respect, not guilt.”

Ask: How does this article support or contradict the students’ earlier beliefs? What new complexities did it add?

4. Group Work: Myth vs. Science Comparison

In small groups, students should:

List body language “tells” they believed were signs of lying.

Contrast these with insights from the article and videos.

Identify at least two myths and explain why they’re misleading or harmful.

Each group shares one key insight with the class. Summarize findings on the board.

5. Real-World Implications: Justice, Interviews, and Bias

Facilitate a class discussion on the high-stakes consequences of misreading body language:

Legal Systems: Reference the article’s mention of a Colorado judge who reversed a sentence based on body language interpretation.

Workplace Interviews: How could cultural misinterpretation impact hiring?

Media Trials: How does public perception of a defendant’s demeanor influence public opinion?

Supplementary Source:

Vrij, A. (2008). Detecting Lies and Deceit: Pitfalls and Opportunities. (Summarize key finding: even trained professionals are often no better than chance at detecting lies.)

Pose the question: “Should courts, employers, or security agencies rely on body language to assess truthfulness?”

6. Conclusion and Reflective Writing

Wrap up the lesson with a critical reflection prompt:

Prompt: “What is the biggest myth you believed about body language and lying? How has your understanding changed, and how might this knowledge affect the way you assess people in the future?”

Encourage students to submit this reflection either as an exit slip or via an online discussion platform.

The post Lesson Plan: Understanding the Subtle Body Language of Liars first appeared on The digital classroom, transforming the way we learn.

Schule

via Teaching English using web 2.0 https://annmichaelsen.com

May 20, 2025 at 08:27AM

Five books, movies and TV shows to understand Malcolm X on his 100th birthday

https://religionnews.com/2025/05/19/five-books-and-movies-to-understand-malcolm-x-on-the-centenary-of-his-birth/

(RNS) — A century ago, Malcolm Little, who became the Muslim leader and human rights activist known as Malcolm X, was born.

Members of his family, community leaders, and business owners are marking the birthday of the Nation of Islam leader on Monday (May 19) at the event “The 100th Birthday Celebration of El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, Malcolm X” at the Malcolm X & Dr. Betty Shabazz Memorial and Educational Center. The center is housed in what was once the Audubon Ballroom in New York City, where Malcolm X delivered his last message before being assassinated there 60 years ago.

Earlier in the day, his daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz, and other relatives are set to join the Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network, and New York City Mayor Eric Adams at a centennial commemoration at the NAN House of Justice in New York.

“Malcolm was taken from us 60 years ago, but his legacy has only grown over that time,” Sharpton said in a statement. “He challenged the systems that prevented many Black Americans from accessing basic services, and fought until his final day for Black empowerment. As we mark 100 years since his birth this Monday, it is crucial we keep the torch he lit alive to ensure Black Americans have their seat at the table, the ability to speak and the ability to lead.”

Here are five resources that reveal more about Malcolm X’s life.

RELATED: New York Narratives tour centers Muslim experiences, history in the city

“The Three Mothers: How the Mothers of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, and James Baldwin Shaped a Nation,” by Anna Malaika Tubbs, published by FlatIron Books, 2021

This book chronicles motherhood through the lenses of Alberta King, Louise Little and Berdis Baldwin and provides little-known details about their lives surrounding faith, discipline and sacrifice.

Author Anna Malaika Tubbs researched these women who birthed, influenced and guided Malcolm X and the other two civil rights leaders on paths that led them to become so influential.

At the time of the book’s release in 2021, she told RNS, “There are letters where Malcolm X writes to his brother, when he’s thinking about converting to the Nation, and says his mother was the one who taught him Islam from the beginning.”

“Genius: MLK/X,” National Geographic television series, on Hulu and Disney+, 2024

This eight-part series depicts the lives of Malcolm X, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and their wives and details how faith and family played significant roles for the men known for their work in pulpits and protests.

The cast and crew of the series said their aim was to portray these larger-than-life figures as human beings who grappled with doubt and fear as they faced death threats and other pressures before each was ultimately assassinated at age 39.

“We are telling the story of these two — actually, really four — four great people and icons, and we wanted to go beyond the T-shirt and really get to their humanity,” Gina Prince-Bythewood, who co-produced the series along with her husband, told RNS at a premiere event in 2024. “And the way you do that is to do research and really dig beyond what most people know.”

“Malcolm Lives! The Official Biography of Malcolm X for Young Readers” by Ibram X. Kendi, published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2025

“Malcolm Lives!” — a new book released May 13 — brings Malcolm X’s history to life for elementary and middle school readers. Author Ibram X. Kendi, worried about the erasure of Black history, wrote the book to connect children, particularly young Black readers, to Malcolm X’s racial justice fight and ideas.

“There are a lot of people around the world who read the autobiography of Malcolm X when they were in high school or college, and it really transformed them,” Kendi said in a conversation with Sharpton on MSNBC. “It allowed them to really see racism squarely. … So why can’t our young people learn about Brother Malcolm when they’re in elementary school, or even middle school, and they become transformed then?”

The book draws from notes, letters and exclusive documents lent by Malcolm X’s estate.

“Malcolm X,” a movie directed by Spike Lee, 1992

Starring Denzel Washington, the 1992 biopic retraces the life of Malcolm through his troubled childhood between Boston and New York City, his conversion to Islam in prison and his rise as a Nation of Islam leader in the 1960s.

The movie also captures Malcolm X’s life-changing Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, with scenes shot in Saudi Arabia.

Washington’s performance earned him an Oscar nomination for best actor. “When we were doing that film, we weren’t seeing Denzel, we were seeing Malcolm,” director Spike Lee told Newsweek’s Kevin Powell in a recent interview.

RELATED: 60 years after Malcolm X’s killing, his message can’t be silenced or ignored

“Blood Brothers: Malcolm X and Muhammad Ali,” Netflix documentary, 2021

Through conversations with Muhammad Ali’s and Malcolm X’s relatives, the documentary, directed by Marcus A. Clarke, dissects their brief but consequential friendship.

From their meeting at a Nation of Islam rally to their fallout after Malcolm X left the Nation while Ali remained, the two men influenced each other’s fights. Upon meeting with Malcolm X, the boxing champion became outspoken about racial segregation in the United States.

“They were from two different worlds, but it was destiny that they would meet; three short years, that they would spend in their lives,” said Ilyasah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s daughter, in the movie’s trailer.

The documentary includes conversations with Rahaman Ali, Ali’s brother, and his daughter, Maryum Ali. It also features Sharpton and activist Cornel West.

Religion

via RNS https://religionnews.com/

May 19, 2025 at 07:09PM

'Increasing tuition fees will put people off university'

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3rpdw0e98vo

Students would 'bear the brunt' of proposed tuition fee rises

Robbie Meredith BBC News NI education and arts correspondent

BBC

Ben Friel, president of the NUS-USI, says education is currently seen as "a burden to the budget"

Students in Northern Ireland would "bear the brunt" of a rise in tuition fees of over £1,000, called for by university leaders.

That is according to Ben Friel, the president of the National Union of Students and Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI).

Leaders of Northern Ireland's five universities and university colleges have called for student tuition fees to rise by more than £1,000 a year.

They have written to the leaders of the five main political parties asking for tuition fees to rise to £5,831 a year from the current £4,750.

The joint letter is signed by the heads of Queen's University Belfast (QUB), Ulster University (UU) and the Open University in Ireland (OU).

It has been supported by a separate letter from the principals of St Mary's University College and Stranmillis University College.

Why do the universities want a rise in tuition fees?

The leaders' letter said that about a third of young people leave Northern Ireland to study elsewhere "due to the continued Northern Ireland Executive policy on funding".

The letter said there has been a "real-terms loss caused by a legacy of sub-inflationary uplifts" in funding for higher education.

"Applying an inflation increase from a 2021 baseline alone, which part-recovers the hitherto unallocated inflationary uplifts to the current Northern Ireland fee, would see an inflation-corrected fee of £5,831," the letter stated.

It added that the pressure was "compounded by the reduction in international student numbers and associated income".

"Without urgent intervention, the region's skills pipeline, research capacity, and innovation-led growth are at serious risk-undermining productivity and long-term economic recovery," the letter said.

In an accompanying statement to BBC News NI, the leaders urged the Executive "to acknowledge that tuition fees have not kept pace with inflation, and to rectify this position."

What do students pay in tuition fees elsewhere in the UK and Ireland?

The letter also pointed out that fees in Northern Ireland are lower than those in England and Wales, where students currently pay £9,250. This will go up to £9,535 in the next academic year.

However, students in the Republic of Ireland pay a maximum of €2,000 (£1,695) a year in fees, while Scottish students who remain in Scotland to study do not pay tuition fees.

In Northern Ireland tuition fees have risen from £3,685 a decade ago to £4,750 in 2024/25.

The vast majority of students take out a loan to cover their annual tuition fees and living costs, which they then pay back when they begin working after graduation.

What do students leaders think?

Mr Friel, of the NUS-USI, said the rise in fees called for by the universities meant "asking students to bear the brunt of a broken system".

"It's the fundamental principle of how we fund education and treat it as a country," he told BBC News NI.

"Education is seen as a burden to the budget at the moment, but it needs to be seen as an investment for our future and our young people."

Mr Friel said that students were already facing financial pressures, and skipping meals.

"Nearly one in five students are using a foodbank," he said.

"We can't be putting more burden on students at a time like this."

The NUS-USI said students are facing financial pressures

He said he empathised with some of the universities' concerns about funding.

"They want and need to raise revenues and the only way they have to do that at the minute is off the back of students," he said.

"We can't keep throwing money at a broken system, we're wasting students money, we're wasting public money."

Mr Friel said that any rise in tuition fees could deter students from lower-income backgrounds, especially, from going to university.

He said that while the end of fees should be a "long-term" goal, he was a "realist".

"I know it's not going to happen in the next two, three, four years," he said.

"Long-term I think we should always be aiming for that."

What happens now?

The university letter has gone to the leaders of Sinn Féin, the DUP, UUP, SDLP and Alliance Party.

A tuition fee rise of the amount wanted by the universities would have to be approved by the Stormont Executive.

Higher education is the responsibility of Economy Minister Caoimhe Archibald.

The university letter has received support from a number of business leaders, who said "a tipping point" had been reached.

"We believe that it is time for the funding model to be refreshed, so that it continues to reflect Northern Ireland's distinctive needs, protects access for local students, and enhances the region's economic attractiveness to both domestic and global investment," their statement said.

via BBC News https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education

May 9, 2025 at 01:33PM

RFK Jr.’s Measles Policy: Deaths Are Expected And It’s The Victim’s Fault

https://www.techdirt.com/2025/05/08/rfk-jr-s-measles-policy-deaths-are-expected-and-its-the-victims-fault/

I’ve ranted and raved enough about how RFK Jr. and his Health and Human Services department are completely fucking up the response to the current measles outbreak enough that I’m confident you all don’t need me to rehash the entire thing in this opening. We can leave it at this: we’re probably going to lose our measles elimination status under Kennedy’s watch, Kennedy is an anti-vaxxer no matter how much he attempts to state otherwise, his advice for alternative therapies and/or that everyone should just get measles are bullshit, and he has a habit of victim-blaming those who get measles to boot.

It’s that last bit that’s most important here. The post I linked to is one in which Kennedy claims that malnutrition is to blame for serious outcomes from measles infections. But he’s said so much more on the topic, including in a March interview on Fox News.

“It’s very, very difficult for measles to kill a healthy person,” Kennedy falsely said during a March Fox Nation interview. “We see a correlation between people who get hurt by measles and people who don’t have good nutrition or who don’t have a good exercise regime.” Coupled with his disturbing statements on autism and long-standing belief that vaccinations cause the condition, Kennedy is circling a dark idea: that the value of one’s life can be tabulated in accordance with diagnoses and preexisting conditions. Since his appointment as secretary of health and human services (HHS), he has pursued a brutal vision of American health that several experts liken to a sort of eugenics. Kennedy has made it clear that certain deaths are acceptable or even preferable to a world where every child is vaccinated.

“There’s a sort of Darwin-esque notion that only the fittest survive,” says Paul Offit, a vaccine scientist, virologist, and professor of pediatrics at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “But these viruses can kill anybody, so that’s just wrong.” In the recent deaths, the first from measles in a decade, no underlying medication conditions have been reported. Both of the Texas children were reportedly healthy before they contracted measles. They could have stayed that way.

Now, here’s where I have to be very careful about stating that this is an opinion piece in which I will draw conclusions based on Kennedy’s words and actions, along with the analysis in that post from The Verge. Why? Because of this following statement.

Alluding to survival of the fittest on its own is already a problematic stance to take when we’re talking about a disease that has already resulted in two tiny little coffins made to fit for children. It’s already problematic because it’s also just fucking wrong; otherwise fit people have gotten severely sick and died from this outbreak. But if you couple the “survival of the fittest” stance with the “everyone should just get infected to gain immunity stance,” what you have is a combined policy that is tolerant of many unnecessary deaths and major illness in people whom Kennedy says are deficient in some way, and that is damned close to a policy of eugenics.

The underlying message of Kennedy’s campaign is that measles deaths are expected and admissible, because the people who don’t survive the disease were flawed anyway, says Laura Appleman, a professor of law at Willamette University in Oregon. Kennedy has talked up the “measles parties” of past decades — discounting that sometimes those parties proved deadly. “I think there’s a real subtext here saying that, ‘no, that’s ok, because in the old days the ones who survived were the strong ones,’” she adds.

Appleman has studied and written about the history of eugenics in the U.S., in the context of the criminal justice system, as well as that of public health and the covid-19 pandemic. The current rhetoric coming from Kennedy is an amplification of what’s long persisted in American culture and politics, she says. “I talk a lot about the long tail of eugenics [in the US]. And I think certainly, lately, the tail is not so hidden anymore.”

“He’s pretty much coming out and saying these things,” Appleman says. “Who deserves to live and who is it okay to not mourn? And this is from someone who runs the HHS. This is profoundly disturbing.”

And if you think that is a bridge too far, couple it further with Kennedy’s absolutely ignorant comments on autism, which he has falsely linked historically to vaccinations, particularly the MMR vaccine.

During the press conference, Kennedy asserted that autism “destroys” families and children. He said that children with autism, “will never pay taxes. They’ll never hold a job. They’ll never play baseball. They’ll never write a poem. They’ll never go out on a date. Many of them will never use a toilet unassisted.”

“It doesn’t get much closer, that I can imagine, to ‘useless eaters’ than that,” says David Gorski, a surgeon and oncologist at Wayne State University and prolific health blogger, who cofounded the website Science-Based Medicine. “Useless eaters” was a phrase coined by German eugenicists Karl Binding and Alfred Hoche in a 1920 book that advocated for culling people with disabilities — which the Nazi regime would later use to justify mass murder.

This isn’t to suggest that Kennedy himself is a Nazi or is sympathetic to Nazi ideology, to be clear. But he’s adopting a position that is at least similar to the one the Nazis used to eliminate all kinds of people they claimed were poisoning the gene pool. And when you package all of this in with the current administration’s work to defund or otherwise deprioritize all kinds of research, help, and government programs for certain classes of people, well, the comparison begins to get unavoidable.

Additionally proposed and already enacted cuts within HHS include eliminating the national suicide hotline’s program for LGBTQ youth, ending programs focused on preventing childhood lead poisoning, eliminating domestic HIV prevention efforts and research, and scrapping multiple measures for treating drug addiction and opioid overdoses, including grants for supplying emergency responders with Narcan.

Altogether, the changes fit cleanly with the idea that certain lives aren’t worth investing in or protecting, Fox says. “All of these things could be explained through that lens,” she notes — the lens of acceptable death. Refracted through the looking glass, “a lot of things come into focus,” and the road to an America made “healthy again” looks treacherous.

A healthcare policy in which death is an acceptable outcome. Might as well make that HHS’s motto.

Englisch

via Techdirt https://www.techdirt.com

May 9, 2025 at 05:00AM

Teilwahlen in Großbritannien: Rechter Höhenflug auf Kosten von Labour und Tories

https://taz.de/Teilwahlen-in-Grossbritannien/!6083610/

Berlin taz | Millbank Tower im Londoner Regierungsviertel, nur ein paar Straßen flussaufwärts vom Parlament am Themse-Ufer, ist ein ikonisches Gebäude der britischen Politik. In diesem Glaskomplex organisierte Tony Blair den Labour-Wahltriumph von 1997, nach dem Brexit-Referendum 2016 feierte hier die EU-Austrittskampagne von Nigel Farage, und heute befindet sich hier die Zentrale von „Reform UK“, Farages neuester Partei, die am Freitagabend ihren bisher größten Wahlsieg feierte.

Reform UK gewann bei den englischen Teilwahlen vom Donnerstag nicht nur die Nachwahl für den Unterhaussitz Runcorn & Helsby, bisher ein sicherer Labour-Wahlkreis und jetzt mit knappen sechs Stimmen Vorsprung an „Reform“-Kandidatin Sarah Pochin gefallen. Die Rechtspopulisten holten auch absolute Mehrheiten in 10 der 16 in diesem Jahr zur Wahl stehenden „counties“ (Grafschaften), den Distriktverwaltungen im ländlichen England, und setzten sich insgesamt bei den Teilwahlen mit rund 30 Prozent der Stimmen gegen 20 für Labour, 17 für die Liberaldemokraten und 15 für die Konservativen klar als stärkste Kraft durch.

Vorher hatten die Konservativen alle 16 Grafschaften alleine regiert – jetzt keine einzige mehr. Reform UK regiert 10 mit absoluter Mehrheit, vor allem in Mittelengland sowie Devon und Kent, und stellt auch die Regionalbürgermeister der beiden ostenglischen Küstenregionen Greater Lincolnshire und Hull & East Yorkshire.

Von 1.641 lokalen Wahlkreisen holte Reform UK, das bei der letzten Wahl 2021 noch gar nicht antrat, aus dem Stand 677. Die Konservativen sackten um 676 Sitze ab und haben jetzt noch 317. Labour schrumpfte ebenfalls massiv, 186 Sitze gingen verloren, es bleiben 99. Zugewinne erzielten neben Reform UK auch Liberale (plus 163) und Grüne (plus 45). Die Liberaldemokraten, die die gebildete Mittelschicht ansprechen, regieren nun Oxfordshire und Cambridgeshire.

„Das System ist gestorben“

Je deutlicher sich im Laufe des Freitags der „Reform“-Durchmarsch herauskristallisierte, desto größter wurde der Jubel bei Farage und seinen Getreuen. „Genug ist genug. Genug Tory-Versagen, genug Labour-Lügen,“ hatte die neue „Reform“-Unterhausabgeordnete Pochin, eine Überläuferin von den Konservativen, in ihrer Siegesrede in Runcorn schon Freitagmorgen gesagt und Nigel Farage zum „nächsten Premierminister dieses großen Landes“ ausgerufen.

Farage sieht sich in seiner Strategie bestätigt: erst die Konservativen als Hauptoppositionskraft zu Labour ablösen, dann Labour an der Regierung. In einem Gastbeitrag im Sunday Telegraph schrieb er am Sonntag: „Das System, das dieses Land seit einem Jahrhundert beherrscht, ist am Donnerstag gestorben und wird nie mehr zurückkehren“. Die Konservativen seien „tot“, ihre Wähler sollten sich jetzt ihm anschließen.

Kemi Badenoch, die seit einem halben Jahr amtierende neue Parteichefin der Konservativen, bemühte sich am Wochenende nach Kräften, diesem Eindruck zu widersprechen. „Wir werden kämpfen“, sagte die nigerianischstämmige Politikerin in einem TV-Interview. „Aber wir werden nicht einfach rausgehen und den Leuten Dinge erzählen, die nicht stimmen, bloß um Wählerstimmen zu gewinnen.“ Unterschiedliche Tory-Größen rieten dazu, einen kühlen Kopf zu bewahren und in aller Ruhe daran zu arbeiten, bei den nächsten britischen Wahlen – spätestens 2029 – Labour wieder an der Regierung abzulösen.

Reform UK will nun aber sofort liefern und sich als bessere Alternative inszenieren. Migration und Klimaschutz sind die Politikfelder, auf denen die Rechtspopulisten in ihren neugewonnenen Machtzentren der Labour-Regierung Kontra geben wollen. Die neuen „Reform“-Administrationen sollen die Umwandlung von Hotels in Flüchtlingsunterkünfte und die Ausweisung neuer Flächen für Solar- und Windkraftanlagen verweigern, kündigten „Reform“-Geschäftsführer Zia Yusuf und „Reform“-Vizevorsitzender Richard Tice an.

Die neue „Reform“-Unterhausabgeordnete Sarah Pochin, eine ehemalige Amtsrichterin, erklärte, sie werde Frauenrechte gegen sexualisierte Gewalt durch illegale Migranten verteidigen. Insgesamt lautet die „Reform“-Botschaft, mit einem Ende der Subventionierung von Migration und Energiewende ließen sich sämtliche Probleme Großbritanniens kurzfristig lösen.

Labour kommt Reform bereits entgegen

Im Bereich Migration kommt die Labour-Regierung bereits Reform UK entgegen. Wer ein Sexualverbrechen begeht, soll sein Aufenthaltsrecht beziehungsweise seinen Flüchtlingsstatus verlieren, kündigte Labour-Innenministerin Yvette Cooper vergangene Woche an. Außerdem soll die britische Kriminalitätsstatistik nach Natio­nalitäten aufgeschlüsselt werden.

Um den Klimaschutz tobt bei Labour Streit: Kurz vor den Wahlen regte Expremierminister Tony Blair an, die britischen Klimaschutzziele fallen zu lassen, und erntete Wide­rspruch in der Partei, aber Zuspruch bei manchen Gewerkschaftern.

Mit Reaktionen auf das Wahldebakel insgesamt hält sich Labour jetzt auffällig zurück. Eine Ankündigung von Premier­minister Keir Starmer, man müsse jetzt „schneller und weiter“ gehen, damit die Leute etwas von der Labour-Politik merken, wurde auch aus den eigenen Reihen als dürftig kritisiert.

Verschiedenes

via taz.de - taz.de https://taz.de/!p4608/

May 4, 2025 at 05:03PM

Tag der Pressefreiheit 2025: Wie Trumps Anti-Medien-Strategie Lokalzeitungen trifft

https://taz.de/Tag-der-Pressefreiheit-2025/!6081715/

Den Des Moines Register gibt es seit 175 Jahren. Die Tageszeitung versorgt in Iowas Hauptstadt noch 27 000 Leser. Doch was die Lokalzeitung im letzten Dezember erlebte, gab es in ihrer Geschichte noch nicht: Der frisch gewählte Präsident Donald Trump verklagte den Register, dessen Mutterkonzern Gannett und die Meinungsforscherin J. Ann Selzer. Denn kurz vor der Wahl im November hatte der Register eine Umfrage veröffentlicht, in der Trump drei Prozentpunkte hinter seiner Konkurrentin Kamala Harris lag. Er gewann Iowa schließlich mit deutlichem Vorsprung.

Doch dieser Sieg reichte dem neuen Präsidenten nicht. Seine Anwälte sprachen von einem „falschen Narrativ“ durch die Umfrage und Hilfe für die Demokraten. Trump klagte wegen eines Verstoßes gegen den Iowa Consumer Fraud Act. Der soll Verbrauchertäuschung unterbinden.

Der Register wehrt sich gegen die Vorwürfe und hat die Datengrundlage der Umfrage veröffentlicht. Das Distriktgericht von Polk County hat noch nicht entschieden. Erstmals gerät eine Lokalzeitung in Trumps Visier.

Laut der Chefredakteurin des Guardian US, Betsy Reed, gehören solche Klagen zu Trumps Strategie gegen kritische Medien. Weitere Schritte seien: Zugang einschränken, Redaktionen mit einer Ereignisflut überfordern, mit Regulierungen deren Wirtschaftsmodelle untergraben, Menschen gegen die Medien bis hin zu Gewalt aufhetzen und Journalistinnen und Journalisten die Visa entziehen. „Die Medien zu attackieren, ist das autoritäre Playbook“, sagt Reed. Treffen diese Strategien neben dem Register auch andere Lokalmedien?

Schon die Drohung mit Klagen ist ein Problem

Das Ziel dieser Klagen ist nicht unbedingt Schadenersatz. Es geht Trump darum, dass die Medien hohe Anwaltskosten haben und sich künftig vielleicht einmal mehr überlegen, an welche Geschichten sie sich herantrauen.

Dass dieses Szenario viele Verleger beschäftigt, bestätigt Tim Franklin. Der Professor forscht an der Northwestern University in Illinois zu lokalen Medien. Allein die Drohung mit Klagen sorge schon wegen der angespannten wirtschaftlichen Lage solcher Medien für Probleme, sagt er.

Beilage Tag der Pressefreiheit 2025

Die Beilage der taz Panter Stiftung und Reporter ohne Grenzen zum Tag der Pressefreiheit 2025 finden Sie

Diese Situation kennt Sarah Alvarez nur zu gut. Sie ist Chefredakteurin der lokalen Nachrichtenplattform Outlier Media (OM) in Detroit. Diese Non-Profit-Organisation schreibt vor allem für Menschen mit niedrigem Einkommen. Die anderen Zeitungen kümmerten sich hauptsächlich um reichere Menschen in den Vorstädten, sagt sie. OM stünden jährlich etwa 3,7 Millionen Dollar zur Verfügung.



Die Medien zu attackieren ist das autoritäre Playbook

Betsy Reed,Chefredakteurin Guardian US

Seit Trump an der Macht ist, nähmen Verleumdungsklagen zu. „Wir geben einen signifikanten Betrag für Anwälte aus“, sagt Alvarez. Die Klagen kämen nicht aus der Politik, sondern aus der Wirtschaft.

Trotzdem macht Alvarez den Präsidenten für den Trend verantwortlich. „Trumps Message ist: Wenn du mit Berichterstattung unzufrieden bist, selbst wenn sie stimmt, solltest du klagen“, sagt sie. Das binde neben Geld weitere Ressourcen – und beeinflusse die Arbeit der Redaktion, auch wenn die Klagen alle erfolglos blieben. (Zu diesen so genannten Slapp-Klagen siehe Seite III dieser Beilage)

Die Attacken und Anfeindungen nehmen zu

Von physischen Angriffen seien sie nicht betroffen, so Alvarez. OM sei sehr gut in der Community verwurzelt. Aber Franklin sieht allgemein einen Anstieg solcher Vorfälle. Eine TV-Journalistin in Texas habe etwa nach einem Bericht über die Randalierer des 6. Januar 2020 am Capitol eine wütende Meute vor ihrem Haus gehabt. Das New Yorker Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) berichtet von einer landesweiten Zunahme solcher Attacken. Auch Anfeindungen im Internet werden mehr.

Das Problem des Zugangs zu Informationen betrifft OM aber täglich. Wer Auskunft von Behörden will, muss in den USA oft Anfragen nach dem Informationsfreiheitsgesetz stellen. Die Antwort habe früher schon Wochen gedauert, sagt Alvarez. Heute seien es Monate.

Politiker äußerten sich zudem eher über Social Media, als Interviews zu geben. Und auch wenn lokale Medien nicht wie die Nachrichtenagentur AP zeitweise von Pressekonferenzen ausgeschlossen würden, sei der Zugang zu manchen Events schwierig. So hinderte die Campus-Polizei einen Studentenzeitungsjournalisten an der Berichterstattung über Proteste an der Universität in Wayne County. „Das ist ein Problem für die Pressefreiheit“, sagt sie.

Besonders gefährdet: Reporter ohne US-Staatsbürgerschaft

Gefährlicher wird es, wenn die Reporter keine US-Staatsbürger sind. Mit diesem Problem kämpft Maritza Felix. Sie leitet die spanischsprachige Nachrichtenseite Conecta Arizona (CA). Die liefert Inhalte für die hispanische Community auf beiden Seiten der Grenze zu Mexiko. Bei CA arbeiten rund 40 feste und freie Journalisten. Nur zwei haben einen US-Pass, aber alle eine Arbeitsgenehmigung, so Felix.

Trotzdem überlege sich die Redaktion sehr genau, wen sie zu welchen Terminen schicke. Bei Anti-Abschiebe-Protesten könne es rau zu gehen. Auch Journalisten kämen da schnell in Kontakt mit der Polizei. Sie besprächen intern, was in solchen Situationen zu tun ist. Aber als Nicht-Staatsbürger bleibe immer die Gefahr einer Festnahme – oder gar einer Abschiebung.



Zumindest für eine Zeitung reichte schon die Androhung der Zölle aus, um sie in den Abgrund zu stürzen.

„Wir sind braun, wir haben einen starken Akzent, wir sind das perfekte Ziel“, sagt Felix. Früher sei ihr Ratschlag gewesen, dass sich ihre Mitarbeiter vor so einem Termin gut mit Sonnenschutz eincremen. Heute rate sie dazu, sich die Nummer eines Anwalts auf den Arm zu schreiben. Die Situation sei journalistisch wie auch emotional belastend.

Wie OM basiert auch CA auf einem Non-Profit-Modell. Beide bekommen Spenden, zahlen keine Steuern. Die Inhalte sind kostenlos. Und auch wenn Alvarez und Felix mit dem Problem noch nicht konfrontiert wurden, gibt es laut Franklin die Befürchtung, dass Trump kritischen Non-Profit-Medien diesen Status entziehen könnte, zum Beispiel wegen vorgeblich fehlender Neutralität.

Damit wäre deren wirtschaftliche Basis weg. Zwar gebe es einen verfassungsrechtlichen Schutz, erklärt Franklin. Trump würde mit dem Vorstoß vermutlich nicht durchkommen. „Aber könnte er in der Zwischenzeit Schaden anrichten? Sicher“, sagt er.

Zeitungslose „News Desert“ breiten sich aus

Auf das Non-Profit-Modell setzten in den letzten fünf Jahren viele neue lokale Medien. Mehr als die Hälfte der knapp 260 neuen Plattformen finanzieren sich laut Franklin so. Das liegt auch daran, dass klassische lokale Medien es wirtschaftlich schwer haben: geringere Auflage, niedrigere Abo- und Werbeeinnahmen. Der Des Moines Register verkaufte zu Hochzeiten täglich 250 000 Zeitungen. Heute ist es etwa ein Zehntel davon. Das Non-Profit-Modell schien für manche ein Ausweg aus der Misere zu sein.

Seit 2015 sammeln Susanne Köhler und Gerhard Keller auf wahrheitskaempfer.de Porträts ermordeter und inhaftierter Jour­na­lis­t:in­nen aus aller Welt. Über 800 Bilder, ergänzt durch Informationen zu den Personen, erinnern an Opfer von Gewalt und Repression. So entstand ein einzigartiges Archiv weltweiter Unterdrückung der Pressefreiheit. Hier zeigen wir einige ausgewählte Porträts.

Pawel Grigorjewitsch Scheremet – 28. 11. 1971–20. 7. 2016: Er war ein regimekritischer belarussischer und später russischer Radio-, Fernseh- und Internetjournalist. In Belarus saß er zweimal im Gefängnis, ihm wurde die Staatsbürgerschaft aberkannt, worauf er für russische Medien arbeitete. Er starb in Kyjiw durch die Explosion einer Autobombe mußmaßlich des belarussischen Geheimdienstes.

Kunst: Angelika Bomhard Wey

Rafael Murúa Manriquez – 1985-2019: Der mexikanische Reporter des Radiosenders Kashana in Santa Rosalina (Baja California Sur) berichtete über Menschenrechte, Umweltschutz und Kultur. Am 20. Januar 2019 wurde er entführt. Die Leiche des damals 34-Jährigen wurde bald darauf mit zahlreichen Stichwunden am Straßenrand zwischen Santa Rosalia und San Ignacio gefunden.

Kunst: Johannes Stahl

Hero Bahadin – 1997–23. 8. 2024: Die irakisch-kurdische Videoredakteurin arbeite für Sterk TV, einem der verbotenen Kurdischen Arbeiterpartei (PKK) nahestehenden Sender. Am 23. August 2024 wurde die 27-Jährige durch einen gezielten türkischen Drohnenangriff auf einer Straße östlich von Sulaymaniyyah in der Autonomen Region Kurdistan im Nordirak getötet.

Kunst: Huriye Genc

Nanou Kazaku – Die Radiojournalistin aus Goma, der Hauptstadt der Provinz Nord-Kivu in der Demokratischen Republik Kongo, berichtete am 17. Februar 2021 über die gewaltsame Räumung von illegal besetztem Land und über eine Demonstration vor Ort. Die zum Teil bewaffneten Demonstranten lieferten sich Schusswechsel mit der Polizei, als Kazaku eine Kugel traf. Es blieb unklar, woher die Kugel abgefeuert wurde.

Kunst: Verena Rossow

Adel Zourob -Der freiberufliche palästinensische Journalist arbeitete für mehrere Medien, darunter das der Terrororganisation Hamas nahestehende Al-Aqsa Voice Radio. Am 18. Dezember 2023 traf ein israelischer Luftangriff das Haus seiner Familie in Rafah im südlichen Gazastreifen. Der Journalist wurde zusammen mit 25 Familienmitgliedern getötet.

Kunst: Patrick MacAllister

Maulana Siddique Mengal – Der pakistanische freie Journalist und Präsident des Khuzdar Press Club war in der Provinz Belutschistan auch Funktionär für die den Taliban nahestehende Partei Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam. Mengal wurde am Internationalen Tag der Pressefreiheit, dem 3. Mai 2024, von einer Explosion getötet, als er zur Moschee fuhr. Er ist der dritte ermordete Präsident des Khuzdar Press Club seit 2009

Kunst: CUCULUM (Axel Kuckuk)

Ryan Evans – 1986–24. 8. 2024: Der walisische Brite arbeitet

Farage has declared a new dawn before, but this time things could really be different

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/may/02/farage-has-declared-a-new-dawn-before-but-this-time-things-could-really-be-different

In May 2014, Nigel Farage stood in front of the television cameras and declared his party’s victory in the European elections was “about the most extraordinary result that has been seen in British politics for 100 years”.

A year later, the Conservatives won an unexpected majority at the general election, restricting Ukip to just a single seat, with Farage failing in his attempt to win South Thanet.

The question for Keir Starmer after a bruising set of local, mayoral and parliamentary elections is whether he can pull off what David Cameron achieved 10 years ago and burst Farage’s bubble in time for a general election.

“The big question going into these elections was whether Reform could turn the enthusiasm of their supporters into actual votes,” said Luke Tryl, the executive director of the political research group More in Common. “The early results from both the early council elections and Runcorn suggest they have managed just that.”

By Friday afternoon, Reform had won the Runcorn and Helsby byelection, overturning a Labour majority of more than 14,000, as well as the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty, seven councils and hundreds of council seats.

Farage says he has learned from previous failures, and has spent much of the past few months trying to professionalise his party. His model for this, he says, is the Liberal Democrats, who have long been stronger at the local level than they are nationally.

“The Liberal Democrats build branches, the Liberal Democrats win seats at district, county and unitary levels,” he said last year.

His success at building a grassroots campaign for these elections is one reason why many experts think this time Reform could be a long-term electoral force. Farage’s party delivered so many personalised letters to voters ahead of Thursday’s votes that the Liberal Democrats raised questions over the source of the party’s funding.

Reuters recently estimated that Reform had poached at least 80 former candidates, donors and staff members from the Conservatives since last year’s general election, bolstering its ability to reach voters on the doorstep.

“This time it is quantitatively and qualitatively different,” said the political historian Tim Bale. “Reform seems to be turning its poll performance into seats. Despite Ukip’s 2014 European election win, Farage’s parties have often not been great at local elections, partly because they don’t have boots on the ground.”

However well organised Reform was on a local level before Thursday’s vote, it is likely to be much more so afterwards, with hundreds of councillors to provide much-needed ground troops at a general election.

Another reason this year is different is that the two main parties are watching voters desert them on both flanks – to the Lib Dems and Greens as well as Reform.

The Greens were disappointed to lose the West of England mayoralty, but performed well elsewhere. The Lib Dems prospered by taking votes away from the Conservatives in the kinds of affluent southern areas where they also did well at the general election.

The polling expert John Curtice told the BBC: “This is the first time when the two parties have been challenged from more than one direction at the same time.”

In the Tory ranks, Kemi Badenoch will have to cope with another round of speculation about her leadership after heavy losses just six months into the job, though she is likely to be given time to improve her party’s standing.

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For Starmer, meanwhile, there are reasons for optimism amid the gloom.

Firstl, turnout at a local level was low, suggesting that many Labour voters remained at home rather than voting for another party. Second, there were pockets of resistance.

Labour won three mayoralties: in Doncaster, North Tyneside and West of England. In Doncaster, pollsters say voters were particularly impressed by the reopening of Doncaster airport, suggesting Starmer’s focus on building infrastructure may pay electoral dividends.

The problem for the prime minister is that Doncaster also provides him with some more unpalatable lessons. Ros Jones, the re-elected Labour mayor, told the BBC she had won in part by running against the national party’s policies of cutting winter fuel payments and disability benefits while hiking national insurance.

And unlike Cameron in 2014, who nullified Ukip’s electoral appeal by promising a referendum on Europe, Starmer lacks a similar option for winning back defecting voters.

The more existential worry for the prime minister and Badenoch is that neither Reform’s strong showing on Friday nor Ukip’s victory in 2014 are a blip, but rather part of a long-term trend away from the two major parties.

“The grip of the two main parties has been gradually loosening since the mid 1970s – a process disguised, and to some extent slowed, by the first-past-the-post voting system,” Bale said.

“Famous last words, but I can’t see it ever being restored.”

via The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk

May 3, 2025 at 06:28AM

‘A cocktail for a misinformed world’: why China and Russia are cheering Trump’s attacks on media

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/ng-interactive/2025/may/03/a-cocktail-for-a-misinformed-world-why-china-and-russia-are-cheering-trumps-attacks-on-us-media

As Donald Trump’s executive order in March led to the shuttering of Voice of America (VOA) – the global broadcaster whose roots date back to the fight against Nazi propaganda – he quickly attracted support from figures not used to aligning themselves with any US administration.

Trump had ordered the US Agency for Global Media, the federal agency that funds VOA and other groups promoting independent journalism overseas, to be “eliminated to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law”. The decision suddenly halted programming in 49 languages to more than 425 million people.

It used to be that the US would put pressure on other countries for undermining free expression … no longer

In Moscow, Margarita Simonyan, the hardline editor-in-chief of the state broadcaster RT described it as an “awesome decision”. The Global Times, an English-language Chinese state media publication, crowed that the broadcasters had been discarded by the White House “like a dirty rag”, ending their “propaganda poison”. Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, whose regime has been accused of repressing political opposition, described Trump’s move as “very promising”.

Domestically, Trump has continued to target the media, whether by taking outlets including CBS News and ABC to court, attempting to block political access to the White House by the Associated Press, or defund National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service – institutions he has described as “radical left monsters”.

For many senior media figures around the world, there has been a tipping of the scales as authoritarian regimes are emboldened by a US administration not only attacking the media at home, but also withdrawing from the fight for free information overseas.

As the world marks Press Freedoms Day on May 3, observers are now warning that in countries where free media is weak, America’s withdrawal from this geopolitical balancing act will have far-reaching effects.

Press freedom is in worrying decline in many parts of the world, with widespread attacks on journalists - last year was the deadliest on record - and the shutting down of news outlets due to economic hardship.

We are running a series of pieces exploring the threats and challenges faced by media around World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, created to remind governments of their duty to uphold freedom of expression.

Steve Capus, Radio Free Europe’s head, with photos of jailed RFE staff: Russia’s Nika Novak, Ihar Losik in Belarus and Azerbaijan’s Farid Mehralizada. He feels ‘betrayed’ by Trump. Photograph: AFP

As well as VOA, which was founded in 1942 at the height of the second world war and broadcasts in nearly 50 languages, Trump has withdrawn funding from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which was founded during the cold war and broadcasts to countries including Belarus, Russia and Ukraine.

The head of the US-funded Arabic-language news outlet Alhurra, Jeffrey Gedmin, has said the decision to cut its staff and services would “silence America’s voice in the Middle East”.

At the same time, there are signs that media freedom elsewhere is eroding, with arrests and deportations of journalists in Turkey, including the BBC’s correspondent Mark Lowen, and dire warnings over threats to press freedom in Serbia.

Three-quarters of countries around the world don’t have free media – and that figure is getting worse

Marty Baron, former editor of the Boston Globe and Washington Post, says: “It used to be that the United States would put pressure on countries for undermining free expression and for limiting freedom of the press. It was something that the United States government actually stood for, and it was also seen as a model for free expression.

“Now, it’s not seen as a model at all. Authoritarian leaders, or those who want to be autocrats, have recognised that they’ll receive absolutely zero pressure from the United States. It’s basically given licence to other countries to be far more aggressive in attacking the press.

“I think there is no question that it’s emboldened other leaders around the world. In other countries as well, we’re seeing the rise of authoritarianism,” he adds.

The BBC’s Mark Lowen reporting from Istanbul in March. He was held for 17 hours and deported. Eleven local reporters were among 1,850 people detained in Turkey’s protests. Photograph: BBC

VOA’s chief national correspondent, Steve Herman, points out that VOA was often the only connection to the US in some countries. “In the more repressive societies where there is absolutely no alternative to get news and you can’t get on the internet, I wonder what they think happened in the United States. For them, literally, the United States has disappeared.”

Herman describes the drive to shut down VOA and other media bodies as a “constitutional emergency”, adding that he has heard from former listeners that they have already experienced Chinese broadcasts on some of the frequencies it formerly used.

While a federal judge has blocked the attempt to dismantle VOA, RFE/RL and other related organisations, the uncertainty continues and a government appeal is expected. Meanwhile, the EU has been unable to step in to replace the lost funding.

Sonam Singeri, a Radio Free Asia employee, speaks outside a court in New York in March after a lawsuit was filed accusing the Trump administration of unlawfully closing VOA. Photograph: Getty

The exit of US-funded media has come at the same time as the BBC World Service, which has also played a powerful role in bringing independent media to audiences, faces its own financial squeeze from the erosion of the licence fee.

Jonathan Munro, global director of BBC News , says: “Three-quarters of countries around the world don’t have free media, and that figure is getting worse, not better.

“It’s not just the lack of free media. It’s the proactive and aggressive march of disinformation and misinformation, which arrives on people’s phones 24 hours a day. That’s a cocktail for a very badly informed, or misinformed, global population.”

Munro says authoritarian regimes were already reacting to the withdrawal of the west and growing their own presence.

“There’s a real ambition from China and Russia in particular,” he says. “Iran and Turkey are growing players in this space, the Chinese are very active in African markets, the Russians are very active in the Middle East, as indeed are the Chinese. They’re both increasingly active in Latin America. Some of that is space that we’ve had to vacate over the years because of financial decisions.”

Given Trump’s early determination to push back against media at home and defund US-backed free media overseas, some of the damage being done could be irreversible, says Baron.

“It’s highly destructive, with no good rationale whatsoever and it will be very hard to recover.

“Trump has proven to be really skilled at destroying things, and he clearly is on a campaign to destroy an independent press.”

via The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/au

May 3, 2025 at 08:18AM

Support for Reform has surged – what does this mean for UK politics? Our panel responds | Gaby Hinsliff, John McTernan, Carys Ofoko, Caroline Lucas, Meral Hussein-Ece, Henry Hill and Peter Kellner

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/02/support-reform-surged-local-elections-uk-politics-the-panel

Don’t panic.

Faced with Reform UK winning the Runcorn and Helsby byelection (just), the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty and a likely avalanche of council seats, panic will be a popular option for Labour and the Tories, but a bad one. Instead, it is time to think, hard.

Voting Reform is essentially lashing out, a howl of protest at the state of everything. It deserves an answer, but copying Greater Lincolnshire’s Andrea Jenkyns – who would put migrants in tents because hotels are too good for them – ain’t it. Mainstream politicians miserably echoing things they don’t believe merely tells Reform voters that Reform was right all along, while guaranteeing Tory extinction in the southern shires and repelling Greens or Lib Dems whose tactical votes Labour needs.

Politics in a time of fragmentation is basically the race to build a winning bloc, some stable-ish combination of warring leftwing or rightwing parties, before the other guy. For Labour, that involves doing some things progressives hate (credible action on immigration, endless flag waving) but sticking to its guns on net zero, rebuilding public services, tackling poverty and hopelessness.

If this is 2013 all over again – the last time Nigel Farage triumphed in local elections – in 2015, David Cameron was reelected. Farage is beatable, but not by chucking the baby out with the bathwater.

Former political secretary to Tony Blair and current political strategist for BCW

Two-party politics is back. The election results declared so far this morning show that the future of British politics is a fight between two main parties – Labour and Reform. The opinion polls were right: Nigel Farage is the leader of the right in Britain. The humiliating slump in support for the Conservative party puts Kemi Badenoch’s leadership on life support and means that Reform will dictate the terms of any deal between the two parties of the right. In politics you can never argue with momentum – and Farage certainly has it.

With support slumping, Labour retained mayoralties in Doncaster, North Tyneside, and the West of England, pushing Reform into second place – demonstrating that Labour’s Rolls-Royce election machine is still the best in class and that Green-leaning progressive voters can be turned out for Labour when it matters.

What should be taken from the results? That the electoral contest is now all about change – that was Labour’s slogan last year and is also the message implicit in the name of Farage’s party. But change to what? Reform is clear – being pro-worker and pro-nationalisation, a sort of Labour-lite. That’s a fight Labour can win if it remembers who the party is for.

Communications strategist and co-host of the Over the Top, Under the Radar podcast

There are still many votes to be counted. And, even once they are in, the number of seats being contested this week is too small to tell us anything definitive about the UK’s political future. So far, turnout has been low, and Reform’s surge has mostly harmed the Conservatives. But the results, especially in Runcorn and Lincolnshire, are still a headache for Labour.

They should be a sign that their current strategy isn’t working. There will undoubtedly be some in the party who look to Mark Carney’s recent victory in Canada and say the solution is a change of leader. Switch out Keir Starmer for Wes Streeting and all our troubles will be over.

They are missing the bigger issue. What Nigel Farage and Reform have is momentum and, more importantly, a coherent story about what is wrong with Britain and what must happen to fix it. Until Labour has a competing story that connects with the public on an emotional level it will continue to flounder. Farage launched his local election campaign riding into a rally on a JCB and talking about potholes. He ended his speech with a five-year plan to get Reform into government. Labour needs to be similarly bold in setting out a vision and as effective in communicating it.

Environmental activist and former Green MP

We are celebrating our gains in counties such as Gloucestershire, Devon and Worcestershire, where we have taken seats from both Labour and the Conservatives. And in areas now dominated by Reform, such as Staffordshire and Durham, it falls to us to show robust and principled opposition.

We’re now in an unprecedented era of five-party politics in the UK, yet we’re stuck with first past the post – an electoral system built for a bygone era of two-party dominance. The result is a fundamentally broken relationship between how people vote and who holds power – and, as the outcomes of the byelection in Runcorn and the Greater Lincolnshire mayoralty have just shown, the main beneficiaries are the populist Reform, capitalising on public anger and weaponising it against minorities and against our institutions. Whatever the final results today, one thing is certain: if we’re serious about restoring trust in politics, we have to start by replacing our archaic voting system with a fairer alternative.

There are particular lessons for Labour. Trying to out-Reform Reform doesn’t work. Instead of lurching to the right, the government urgently needs to rethink its approach. It could start by addressing the genuine concerns of working people by taxing wealth so we can rebuild our creaking public services, and reversing its cruel decisions to remove support from sick and disabled people.

As Greens, we understand why people have lost faith in the old, tired parties. As they collapse in popularity, we know we will take votes from both, as we did in the general election, where even under the two-party system we’ve managed to work strategically to break through – often being the only credible alternative to the rise of Reform. And unlike Reform, we have a track record of delivery, having formed part of the ruling administration of over 40 councils, including Bristol city council, where we took control last year. We’ve increased our number of councillors seven years in a row, and we are sure this will be an eighth. We know voters want change, and Greens have that bold and positive vision that stands in contrast to Reform whose politics breed fear and division.

Deputy editor of ConservativeHome

There are bad nights and there are very bad nights, and for the Conservatives last night was the latter.

Reform has performed right at the top end of pollsters’ expectations, winning overall control of Staffordshire and Lincolnshire councils from the Tories, as well as chalking up significant wins against Labour, most obviously in the Runcorn and Helsby byelection.

Most Conservatives had “priced in” a poor performance. While the party has in the past done well in local elections after leaving office (under William Hague it picked up hundreds of councillors in 1998), the circumstances this time were quite different.

Rather than slowly falling apart during a whole parliament, as did the Major government, the last Conservative government fell from grace with extraordinary speed. That meant these elections were last fought at the apex of Boris Johnson’s popularity – and that was never going to be a flattering yardstick.

Kemi Badenoch and her team have also been, from the start, making the case that these elections were simply too soon to count as a real test of the new leader.

But it’s one thing to make these rationalisations to yourself in the abstract, and another not to panic when the real results come in. And Tory MPs have made a habit of panic.

Former president of YouGov

Nigel Farage should enjoy Reform’s triumphs while he can. This may be as good as it gets. In May 2015, his former party, Ukip, gained control of Thanet district council. Before last night, it was the only time any of his parties won the power to run anything. What pointers does it offer to the months ahead?

Ukip’s 10-seat majority in Thanet should have given it four years of power to show what its new brand of politics could achieve. Alas, it turned out, that was very little. Six months later, five of its councillors defected, following internal rows about a local airport. A byelection subsequently restored its majority, but only until another councillor defected, saying Ukip had failed to make “significant change”. The following year, 12 Ukip councillors peeled off to form an independent group. Ukip’s days in charge of Thanet were over. In 2019, it fielded just three candidates. They all lost.

Thanet was not the only place where Ukip struggled. In 2017, seven of its 12 councillors in Great Yarmouth defected to the Conservatives – although to be fair, some defections elsewhere went the other way, including two Tory MPs, Douglas Carswell and Mark Reckless.

Maybe it will all be different this time. After today, Reform will have many more chances to show what it does with power. An era of milk, honey and joyful unity – or arsenic, ashes and destructive divisions? We shall see.

via The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/us

May 2, 2025 at 01:51PM

Robert Jenrick rules out Tory pact with Reform UK

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/apr/25/robert-jenrick-rules-out-tory-pact-with-reform-uk-nigel-farage

Robert Jenrick has ruled out a pact with Reform UK and has said he wants to send its leader, Nigel Farage, “back to retirement” despite leaked comments suggesting he wanted to join forces with the rightwing party.

The shadow justice secretary backed the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, urging critics to “give her a break” and appeared to row back on comments he reportedly made last month about Reform.

Speaking to a UCL Conservative Society dinner in late March, Jenrick, who is seen as a potential replacement for Badenoch if the party’s fortunes do not improve, said he was determined to “bring this coalition together” when discussing the threat Reform UK poses.

But Jenrick struck a different tone on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday. Asked about his earlier remarks, Jenrick said: “Well look, Kemi Badenoch and I are on exactly the same page. Kemi has been very clear there won’t be a pact with Reform and I’ve said time and again that I want to put Reform out of business. I want to send Nigel Farage back to retirement.

“What I want to do, and Kemi feels the same, is bring back those voters that we lost, many of whom we lost to Reform at the last general election, and we lost them because we let those people down. I understand that they feel angry and frustrated with the Conservative party right now. We’re changing that.

“The party’s under new leadership under Kemi. Frankly, I think she’s doing a bloody good job in difficult circumstances. You know, it’s not easy being leader of the opposition when we’ve just lost our worst ever election defeat. Frankly, I think people should give her a break.”

Elections are due to be held in more than 20 councils in England next week and Reform is hoping to make significant gains.

Farage has previously ruled out any deal with the Conservatives even at local level such as council coalitions, saying “the Tories broke Britain nationally for 14 years, and their councils continue to break local communities with the highest taxes ever and worst services”.

On Thursday, Ben Houchen, the Conservative mayor for Tees Valley, urged his party to make some kind of deal with Reform UK before the next general election.

The Tees Valley mayor, who is the Tories’ most powerful elected politician, said he wanted to see a coming together of the two rightwing parties.

He told Politico: “I don’t know whether it’s a merger … [or] a pact of trust and confidence or whatever … But if we want to make sure that there is a sensible centre-right party leading this country, then there is going to have to be a coming together of Reform and the Conservative party in some way. What that looks like is slightly above my pay grade at the moment.”

via The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/uk

April 25, 2025 at 09:55AM

US-Rundfunksender NPR und PBS in Gefahr: Der Störsender

https://taz.de/NPR-in-Gefahr/!6085514/

Alles wie erwartet: Trump will dem National Public Radio die Mittel kürzen. Das wäre ein schwerer Schlag für die Medienlandschaft in den USA.

Washington reuters/taz| US-Präsident Donald Trump geht gegen die Rundfunksender National Public Radio (NPR) und Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) vor.

Trump erließ ein Dekret, mit dem die Finanzierung der beiden nicht-kommerziellen Anstalten gekürzt werden soll. Konkret wurde die Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), die für die öffentlichen Gelder für NPR und PBS zuständig ist, angewiesen, die direkte Finanzierung beider Sender im rechtlich größtmöglichen Umfang einzustellen.

Trump wirft NPR und PBS vor, parteiisch und voreingenommen zu sein. Trumps Erlass gehört zu einer Reihe von Vorstößen des Präsidenten, mit dem Entzug von Bundesmitteln gegen ihm unliebsame Institutionen vorzugehen.

NPR und PBS hatten bereits zuvor gewarnt, dass eine Kürzung der Mittel verheerende Auswirkungen auf die Versorgung der Amerikaner mit verlässlichen Informationen auch in Notsituationen haben würde. CPB wurde 1967 vom Kongress ins Leben gerufen und finanziert mehr als 1500 lokale Radio- und Fernsehsender.

Notwendige Finanzierung

Die Präsidentin und CEO von NPR, Katherine Maher, hatte die Berichterstattung in einem Interview in der Sendung „All Things Considered“ vorab verteidigt und sprach die Notwendigkeit der Finanzierung an.

„Ich denke, dass es für die öffentlichen Medien wichtig ist, weiterhin ihre Relevanz bewahren zu können in einer Zeit, in der es eine Menge Berichterstattung über verschiedene Themen und Interessengebiete gibt“, sagte sie.

Darüber hinaus kommentierte NPR Trumps Vorgehen bislang nicht.

NPR erhält etwa 1 % seiner Mittel direkt von der Bundesregierung und einen etwas höheren Betrag indirekt; die 246 Mitgliedsinstitutionen, die mehr als 1.300 Sender betreiben, erhalten durchschnittlich 8 bis 10 % ihrer Mittel vom CPB.

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via taz.de - taz.de https://taz.de/!p4608/

May 2, 2025 at 11:29AM

Trump Administration Cancels $1 Billion in Grants for Student Mental Health

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/01/us/politics/trump-mental-health-grants.html

Congress authorized the money in a bipartisan breakthrough around addressing gun violence after a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 children and two teachers.

Schule

via NYT - Education https://www.nytimes.com/section/education

May 1, 2025 at 07:27PM

Farage treibt Labour und Tories bei Kommunalwahlen vor sich her

https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/england-kommunalwahl-farage-100.html

Kommunalwahlen in England Farage treibt Labour und Tories vor sich her

Stand: 01.05.2025 02:53 Uhr

Bei den Kommunalwahlen in England drohen den Tories und Labour herbe Verluste. Die Rechtsaußen-Partei Reform UK steht dagegen in Umfragen glänzend da. Parteichef Farage gräbt mit einer sozialkonservativen Agenda Wähler ab.

Im pittoresken Grantham wuchs einst die konservative Premierministerin Margaret Thatcher auf. Und konservativ haben die Engländer hier auch klassischerweise gewählt. Doch vor der anstehenden Kommunalwahl ist die Stimmung anders. Der Anwohner Michael Groves sagt: "Die Leute haben das Gefühl, die Politik lasse sie im Stich. Konservative Wähler sind unzufrieden mit den Tories, Labour-Wähler mit der Labour-Regierung." Einige wollten diesmal aus Protest ihr Kreuz woanders setzen, meint er. Einige bei der Rechtsaußen-Partei Reform UK.

Tories sind in Umfragen abgeschlagen

Zwar gehen die Engländer am 1. Mai nicht in allen Kommunen zur Urne, es sind nur etwa ein Drittel der Wahlberechtigten aufgerufen. Doch die größte Oppositionspartei könnte eine herbe Niederlage einstecken. Die Tories haben mit fast 1.000 Sitzen die meisten zu verteidigen. Bis zu 500 davon könnten sie verlieren, schätzen Experten.

Überraschend käme das nicht. Nach zahlreichen Skandalen, dem Brexit-Fiasko und einer anhaltenden Lebenshaltungskostenkrise hatten die Tories schon bei der Parlamentswahl vergangenen Sommer eine historische Klatsche kassiert. Seitdem ist die älteste britische Partei in den Umfragen hinter Labour und Reform abgesackt. "Die neue Parteichefin Kemi Badenoch ist nicht besonders sichtbar und hat kaum Akzente gesetzt", sagt Politologin Sara Hobolt von der London School of Economics (LSE). "Nigel Farage, der Chef von Reform UK, ist deutlich besser darin, die Schlagzeilen zu bestimmen."

Die Rechtsaußen-Partei um den Brexit-Treiber Farage ist stark in den sozialen Netzwerken präsent. Sie vermeldet Mitgliederzuwächse, mit denen sie die Konservative Partei numerisch überholt haben will. Laut Meinungsforschungsinstitut Yougov liegt Reform UK bei der Sonntagsfrage mit 26 Prozent sogar noch drei Prozentpunkte vor der Regierungspartei Labour. Mit Kulturkampfthemen, Kritik an Klimapolitik und Migration greift sie sozialkonservative Trends auf, ist aber gleichzeitig bemüht, sich nicht zu weit rechtsaußen zu positionieren.

Vorlauf für die nächste Parlamentswahl

"Reform UK ist die wahre Opposition", verkündete Farage im Dezember - auch wenn sie im Parlament in London derzeit mit nur vier Sitzen vertreten ist. Bei der Kommunalwahl jedoch könnte sie laut Meinungsforscher Robert Hayward bis zu 450 Sitze in den Räten gewinnen und von dort ihre Wahlkampfmaschine für die nächste Parlamentswahl 2029 ölen.

Kommentatoren sprechen deshalb von einem bedeutenden politischen Event. So auch Politologe Tony Travers von der LSE: "Labour und Conservatives haben die britische Politik seit 1945 dominiert und als einzige Parteien Premierminister gestellt. Es scheint, als seien wir nun an einem Punkt, wo eine dieser Parteien, die Konservativen, von einer neuen Partei, Reform UK, umzingelt werden könnte."

Aus den Reihen der Tories wird schon vereinzelt von einer Koalition mit Reform UK gesprochen, um 2029 an die Macht zu kommen. Zumindest regionale Bündnisse mit der Rechtsaußen-Partei hat Tory-Chefin Badenoch nicht ausgeschlossen. "Viele der neuen Reform-Mitglieder sind übergelaufene Konservative. Wahrscheinlich haben sie ohnehin schon einmal zusammengearbeitet. Entscheidungen über Zusammenarbeit müssen sie selbst treffen", sagte Badenoch im BBC-Fernsehen.

Reform UK setzt auf linke Wirtschaftspolitik

Reform UK scheint derweil stark daran interessiert, auch Labour die Wähler abzugraben. Parteichef Farage nahm zuletzt einige klassisch linke wirtschaftliche Positionen ein. Er forderte etwa die Verstaatlichung des britischen Stahlherstellers British Steel. Besonderes Augenmerk richten die Engländer nun auf Runcorn im Norden, eine Industriestadt in der "Red Wall", einer Labour Hochburg.

Hier steht am 1. Mai eine Nachwahl an, nachdem der Parlamentsabgeordnete Mike Amesbury wegen Körperverletzung seinen Posten verlor. Letzten Sommer war er mit 53 Prozent gewählt worden. Nun hat Reform UK Chancen auf den Sitz. Es zeichnet sich ein enges Rennen ab. Gewänne Reform UK tatsächlich in einer Labour-Hochburg einen Westminster-Sitz, wäre das für Premier Keir Starmer mehr als ärgerlich.

Von Aufbruch ist wenig spürbar

Es hing weniger mit der Überzeugung der Wähler zusammen als mit dem britischen Wahlsystem, dass seine Partei als großer Sieger der vergangenen Parlamentswahl hervorging. Labours Amtszeit begann zudem mit einem Korruptionsskandal, schlechter Kommunikation und zog sich fort mit unbeliebten Haushaltsentscheidungen, als etwa Rentnern die Heizkostenzuschüsse im Winter gestrichen wurden.

Auch, wenn Starmer mit seiner entschlossenen Verteidigungspolitik punkten kann: Vom erhofften Aufbruch, den er versprochen hatte, ist im Alltag wenig spürbar. Nun treibe Farage Premier Starmer vor sich her, schreibt die Financial Times. Labour bezog zuletzt einige rechtere Positionen als sonst, wenn es etwa um Genderpolitik ging, das Streichen von ausländischen Hilfsgeldern oder das Beschneiden von Sozialausgaben.

Ende des traditionellen Zweikampfes

Wegen des britischen Mehrheitswahlrechts lässt sich schlecht vorhersagen, in wie viele Sitze sich die Meinungsumfragen bei der Kommunalwahl wirklich übersetzen lassen. Klar ist jedoch: Großbritannien entwickelt sich immer weiter hin zu einem Mehrparteiensystem. Dort spielen neben Labour und den Konservativen auch die Liberaldemokraten und die Grünen eine immer wichtigere Rolle.

Auch sie dürften nach Expertenmeinungen ordentliche Zugewinne machen. "Wir sehen diesmal fünf ernste Konkurrenten in einem Wahlkampf, das hat es so noch nicht gegeben", sagt Politikwissenschaftler John Curtice von der Strathclyde Universität.

Verschiedenes

via tagesschau.de - Die Nachrichten der ARD https://www.tagesschau.de/infoservices/alle-meldungen-100.html

May 1, 2025 at 03:02AM