For today, links to reports from the Associated Press, Peoples Dispatch, Reuters, ScheerPost, Middle East Monitor, and National Public Radio, and to commentary from Consortium News; others are accessible by click on their initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM
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House’s Ukraine, Israel aid package gains Biden’s support as Speaker Johnson fights to keep his job, by Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro and Kevin Freking | AP WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said Wednesday he strongly supports a proposal from Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson to provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Before potential weekend voting, Johnson was facing . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 16 Google employees lead sit-ins protesting the company’s complicity in genocide. From Peoples Dispatch. Google workers led sit-ins at the office of Google Cloud CEO Thomas Kurian in Sunnyvale, California, and Google’s New York City headquarters on Tuesday in protest against Google’s complicity in the Israeli genocide of the Gaza Strip, through Project Nimbus, the tech giant’s contract with the Israeli government and military. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for Reuters report.
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Google fires 28 workers after office sit-ins to protest cloud contract with Israel. From AP. Google has fired 28 employees involved in protests over the tech company’s cloud computing contract with the Israeli government, according to statements from the company and campaigners. The workers . . . READ MORE . . .
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FROM APRIL 16 Canceling the valedictorian, by Max Jones | ScheerPost The University of Southern California’s cancellation the commencement speech of its 2024 valedictorian, Asna Tabassum, garnered attention from national and international media. Andrew T. Guzman, the provost, announced the university’s decision to cancel the speech on April 15, citing . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israel has arrested more than 5,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October. From Middle East Monitor. The Israeli army has arrested more than 5,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip since last October, the government media office in the enclave said on Wednesday. This brings close to 10,000 . . . READ MORE . . .
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Israel is engaged in conflicts on 3 separate fronts: Hamas, Hezollah and Iran. Reported by A Martínez and Greg Myre | NPR Israel is fighting Hamas in Gaza, with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and now directly with Iran. How are the conflicts linked, and how does it intend to handle all three at once? Click HERE to listen and, later, read.
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FROM APRIL 16 Could the Russians seize Congress? by Patrick Lawrence | Special to Consortium News In late January Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who served as House speaker for far too long, asserted that the F.B.I. should investigate demonstrators demanding a ceasefire in Gaza for their ties . . . READ MORE . . .