#Taiwan's military mobilised forces & said it was confident it could protect the island, after #China started 2 days of #punishment drills around Taiwan in what it said was a response to "separatist acts".
The exercises in #TaiwanStrait & around groups of Taiwan-controlled islands…,come 3 days after #Lai Ching-te took office as Taiwan's new #president, a man Beijing detests as a #separatist.
China, which views democratically governed #Taiwan as its own territory, has denounced Lai's inauguration speech on Mon, in which he called on #China to stop its threats & on Tues Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called #Lai "disgraceful".
Lai has repeatedly offered talks w/ China but been rebuffed. He says only Taiwan's people can decide their future, & rejects Beijing's #sovereignty claims.
TFG promised oil execs to get rid of environmental protections if they donate a billion to his legal fund/political campaign.
No word from Republicans on how further tax cuts for corporations and multi-millionaires are not reckless wealth transfers. Republican support for debt bondage is full-throated, however.
@TonyStark Biden is truly the only choice in November if we want our country to remain a #democracy. An easy way to make a difference and help re-elect #Biden — especially if you don’t have free time / or want to volunteer — is to donate to the #BidenHarris2024 campaign, monthly or as a one-off (I’m a monthly donor). #VoteBlue
"Judge Carlton Reeves' latest vivisection of "qualified immunity"—which lets violent & corrupt cops escape accountability—is nested in a broader critique of the SC's cynical & selective reliance on "democracy" to nullify our civil rights.
In the recent update,
Norway, Ireland and Spain recognize Palestinian state saying there would be no peace in the Middle East without it while Israel condemned the move and called it "taking the side of the it's enemy".
Sometimes people take politics too personally, eventually resorting to violence but the question is whether violence is justified during the time of elections?
Nearly half of voters across a group of swing-states said they expect violence around the upcoming presidential election, according to a new poll.
On the publication of Article !('s latest annual report on freedom of expression, executive director Quinn McKew summarises the situation:
'At no point in the last 20 years have so many people been denied the benefits of open societies, like the ability to voice opinions, access a free media or participate in free and open elections' (quoted in The Guardian).
And you'll note that the UK ranks 33rd in their report on freedom of expression.
#FaniWillis#wins#primary
Willis now proceeds to November’s general #election, where she will face Courtney Kramer, a Republican lawyer who interned in the #Trump White House.
#FaniWillis defeated challenger Christian Wise Smith as she seeks another 4yr term as the top prosecutor in the #Atlanta area, acc/to an AP projection.
Another leading figure in the #Georgia#criminal case against #Trump, #FultonCounty Superior Court Judge Scott #McAfee was also on the ballot Tues, seeking his first full term since being appointed to the bench last year. That race has not yet been called.
As expected Lord Walney's report ('welcomed' by James Cleverly) represents an agenda to stifle and criminalise democratic protest.
This is a real and present danger, not so much from the Tories who will likely have too little time to get much of this near any legislative change, but from Labour whose instincts seems to have been becoming less & les permissive of protest over the last few years.
Democracy is in danger of being further constrained
"There is no doubt 'Project 2025' would transform America into a much nastier, much more dangerous, much more hostile place for anyone who dares to deviate from what the Right deems the ;natural order. In a very real sense, that’s what’s on the ballot in November."
"The election isn’t really about Biden vs. Trump; it’s a referendum on whether the effort to finally realize the promise of a truly democratic, pluralistic, multiracial society should be continued or abolished altogether. Those are the stakes."
A lot of Americans are upset that the Presidential election will be between the same two old men. Majority of Americans are also upset about inflation and the housing shortage. Some vow not to vote at all. Others say they won't vote for Biden because of X. And others flagging they'll vote 3rd-party candidate.
Being upset is one thing. Not taking this election seriously enough and recognizing the stark differences between the candidates is quite another.
ICC is seeking an arrest warrant against Netanyahu and the defence minister of Israel. Finally, someone is taking a stand for Palestine and stopping the war!
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said May 20 he is seeking arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, over actions taken during their seven-month war.
David Weiss now says the salacious conspiracies were false. With the indictment yesterday of Alexander Smirnov, the source of those false claims, Weiss confesses he is a direct witness in an attempt to frame President Joe Biden, even as Weiss attempts to bury it.
US Govt is seeking a protective order in the #Smirnov case disclosing what was fairly obvious: that the case involves sources & methods. And if there was an active #FISA order while the nitwit caucus was potting with Comrade Smirnov there's going to be a lot of panic in Dog Patch.
Republicans disseminated disinformation from Russian intelligence to harm President Biden. The Kremlin Hunter Biden Operation is used to gain control of American political outcomes.