The Dance of Sympathy on a Planet Gone Mad

Working for peace and justice is not only the moral and right thing to do, but is also a creative expression of what it is to be human, an effort to eliminate war by bringing order to chaos and replacing violence with harmony.


Hundreds took to the streets in 2018 as antiwar and social justice groups organized a demonstration in New York City, with a rally at Herald Square and march to Trump Tower as part of national regional spring actions throughout the country against the US bombing of Syria and opposing endless U.S. wars. 

(Photo: Erik McGregor/LightRocket via Getty Images)


BRAD WOLF

August 25, 2022

In the White Mountains of New Hampshire, I gathered last week with a group of antiwar activists where we talked of the grim issues confronting the globe. Nuclear war, conventional war, drone war, Climate Catastrophe, American Imperialism, our Culture of Militarism. The world is in a dire, cataclysmic state. We are, it seems, a hairsbreadth from annihilating ourselves.

No, it’s just us, random groups of citizens around the world trying to save our species from extinction.

One speaker presented on the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Ukraine that has come under shelling. It has six reactors. Any one of them, if hit by artillery, would explode with more destructive force than ten Chernobyls combined. If they aren’t hit by shelling, the power grid keeping the nuclear rods cooled could be knocked offline by shelling in the area. This would cause a meltdown. Or the workers at the plant could flee the area because they are working in the middle of a deadly war zone, thereby leaving the plant without the necessary technicians to keep it running safely.

This was just one of the issues raised last week.

We also spoke of hypersonic missiles which fly at five times the speed of sound, are low flying and evasive and thus cannot be detected by radar making it a highly destabilizing instrument of war; the deployment of tactical nuclear warheads to be used as part of a conventional attack under the absurd assumption that a limited nuclear war can be fought; and, the $1.5 trillion to be spent on modernizing the U.S. nuclear force rebuilding every leg of the nuclear triad.

Is this not some form of planetary madness?

I looked around the room at our hard-working, well-informed, occasionally disorganized group from various backgrounds and asked myself, It’s up to us to save humanity? Groups like this are to pull us back from the brink? Shouldn’t there be some vast international organization of Nobel laureates with global support and authority doing this? Some world agency with endless resources working every day at this? After all, we had trouble arranging the picnic tables in an orderly fashion.

No, it’s just us, random groups of citizens around the world trying to save our species from extinction. My mind reeled, spun. I eventually found footing in the reassuring fields of art, poetry, music, beauty. I thought of dance.

The dance of sympathy refers to the idea that our bodies feel compelled to move in response to the music we hear. Music evokes a sympathetic connection and our bodies, regardless of where we are from, move as a result. From a waltz to a samba to Afro Dance, we come together on the floor, unknown to each other a moment before but now sharing space, swaying to the tempo, rhyming without words.

The dance of sympathy says our emotions connect us, makes two strangers rise in a room and begin to dance in unison, both responding to the music they hear. Similarly, a poem, a painting, a sculpture causes comparable outbreaks of emotional bonding. Like it or not, we are all connected, sympathetic kin transcending borders, ethnicities, and religions. This group of peacemakers in the White Mountains knew that, lived it, worked to implement it. We did not all rise and dance, thank goodness, but our hearts and minds moved in unison.

Our world is perpetually at war, injustice is rampant, and suffering is too commonly accepted or overlooked. Greed drives this malevolent chaos, corroding the spirit, emptying the heart, distorting the mind. Greed disdains beauty and art, cannot reconcile itself to fellowship, its insatiable appetite inevitably consuming all those within its reach.

Art creates order out of such chaos, brings form and shape to pain, outrage, and injustice. It also affirms love, compassion, and a shared humanity. It says, you are not alone, whether in pain or joy we travel together.

Working for peace and justice is not only the moral and right thing to do, but is also a creative expression of what it is to be human, an effort to eliminate war by bringing order to chaos and replacing violence with harmony. It is to dance in sympathy with all people. Conversely, to be a warrior, to kill, or to ignore the deeds of warriors, requires an act against self, a contraction of spirit, a shutting down. It is an isolating act, self-immolating, burning up any connection to humanity.

One night during my stay in the mountains, a woman from outside our group read from a book of poetry she had recently published. The poems were about things she should have said to her son who lost his battle with drug addiction. The subject was difficult, the poems wrenching and beautiful. One of them had the refrain, “Why did I pour so much love into every bath?” Why, if this was to be the result? She used precise rhyming schemes, sonnets and villanelles, to help order her outrage, give form and shape to her suffering. Her artistry had led her to a personal peacemaking, with herself, with her son, and the world.

As a member of one these scattered, random groups of dissident peacemakers, we try to do the same, practicing our nonviolent art, writing our saving works, using hopeful artistry to bring order to chaos and lead us through these dark, cataclysmic days so that love lurches on, cleansing, healing, restoring. May we all rise, cross our invented borders and meet in sympathetic connection. May we all be poets and peacemakers, ending this planetary madness.
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.

BRAD WOLF  is Executive Director and co-founder of Peace Action Network of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. A former lawyer, prosecutor, professor and community college dean, he writes for various publications.

'Enough Is Enough,' Declares Sanders After NLRB Says Starbucks Targeted Union Workers

"Howard Schultz, the billionaire CEO of Starbucks, must end his war against his employees, recognize the union, and negotiate a first contract," said the Vermont progressive.


Demonstrators hold signs while protesting in front of a Starbucks

 location in New York City on April 14, 2022. 

(Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)


KENNY STANCIL

August 25, 2022


"Enough is enough."

That's how Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) responded after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Wednesday accused Starbucks of unlawfully withholding raises and benefits from thousands of workers at unionized and unionizing shops in an effort to repress a nationwide organizing campaign.

"Howard Schultz's union-busting knows no bounds."

"Howard Schultz, the billionaire CEO of Starbucks, must end his war against his employees, recognize the union, and negotiate a first contract," Sanders wrote on social media.

To date, baristas at 230 of the coffee giant's locations across the U.S. have voted to join Workers United since late 2021, when an initial victory was claimed in Buffalo.

As first reported by the Washington Post, the NLRB complaint "seeks back payments and benefits for unionized workers since May and to require Schultz to read a statement to workers about their union rights. The board, which is tasked with enforcing labor laws that protect union rights, said Starbucks' denial of benefits and raises to union workers was intended to discourage union organizing."

Richard Bensinger, a lead organizer with Starbucks Workers United, said that "this is a historic triumph for democracy and the rule of law that a billionaire CEO must apologize to employees for abusing them and violating their rights as well as mak[e] them whole."

Starbucks disputed the NLRB's latest allegation.

"We've been clear in that we are following NLRB rules when it comes to unilaterally giving benefits," Reggie Borges, a Starbucks spokesperson, told the Post via email.

The corporation argued in a July press release that it is legally prohibited from increasing wages and benefits at unionized or unionizing shops until it agrees to a new contract with Workers United.

"Partners still have access to all Starbucks benefits already in place when the petition was filed, but any changes to your wages, benefits, and working conditions that Starbucks establishes after that time would not apply to you and would have to be bargained," the statement says.

But Schultz has openly refused to work in good faith with Starbucks Workers United and largely prevented collective bargaining from happening. Of the 230 locations that have voted to unionize since December, just three have started contract negotiations with Starbucks.

By denying unionized and unionizing employees access to the higher wages and better benefits now provided to their non-unionized counterparts, Starbucks has violated the National Labor Relations Act, the NLRB contends, referring to the New Deal-era law that protects workers' rights to participate in union activity free from interference, coercion, and retaliation.

In May, Schultz announced that Starbucks would raise pay and expand training at more than 10,000 stores nationwide. However, he said during an earnings call at the time, "we do not have the same freedom to make these improvements at locations that have a union or where union organizing is underway."

As the Post reported Wednesday:

In August, nonunion Starbucks workers who had been employed since May 2 saw their wages increase to $15 an hour or by 3%, whichever was higher. Employees with between two and five years of experience received a raise of at least 5%, or an increase to 5% above the starting rate in their market, whichever was greater. Nonunion baristas with more than five years of experience received raises of at least 7% or 10% above the starting rate in their market, whichever was greater.

This year, Schultz stated that employees who had not sought union benefits would receive access to the chain's relaunched coffee expertise program, known as "Coffee Masters." Nonunion stores would see new investments in equipment and technology and enhanced tipping options for customers. Further communications stated that the dress code would be updated to allow more flexibility on piercings and tattoos, but only for only nonunion workers. According to the labor board, these benefits have been withheld from unionized workers since May.

The complaint alleges that the company has also withheld faster sick time accrual benefits, career growth opportunities, and expanded credit card tips from workers at unionized stores.

If Starbucks does not attempt to settle the case, an administrative law judge is scheduled to hold a hearing on the corporation's potential National Labor Relations Act violation on October 25.

Schultz and other top brass have gone to great lengths to crush the ongoing organizing wave led by workers who make Starbucks' huge profits possible, with Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), co-chair of the House Labor Caucus, saying Thursday that the billionaire CEO's "union-busting knows no bounds."

In addition to implementing a punitive and discriminatory compensation scheme, the coffee giant has fired more than 85 union leaders in recent months, according to Starbucks Workers United. The company has also completely shut down some unionized shops.

Last week, a federal judge ordered Starbucks to reinstate seven pro-union baristas who were fired from their store in Memphis earlier this year, siding with the NLRB's motion challenging the wrongful termination. Schultz has vowed to appeal the ruling.

According to The Guardian, the NLRB "has issued 21 official complaints against Starbucks, encompassing 81 charges and 548 allegations of labor law violations that are currently under review."

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), the other House Labor Caucus co-chair, wrote Thursday on social media that "Starbucks—a multi-billion dollar corporation—is squeezing its workers to stop them from exercising their legally protected rights."

"This is worker intimidation at its worst," he continued. "We must pass the No Tax Breaks for Union Busting Act and fully fund the NLRB."

BIBLE BASED LEARNING

Missouri school district reinstates spanking as student punishment

SPARE THE ROD SPOIL THE CHILD

Sarah Do Couto -



A Missouri school board has reinstated the use of corporal punishment, allowing parents to opt their children in or out of the disciplinary measure.© Getty Images

Parents can now opt-in to have their children potentially experience corporal punishment in a southwest Missouri school district.

Students in the Cassville R-IV School District, less than 25 kilometres from the Arkansas border, were notified of a new policy approved by the school board in June that reinstated spanking as a disciplinary measure.

The policy defines corporal punishment as "the use of physical force as a method of correcting student behavior."

Merlyn Johnson, Cassville school superintendent, told local news outlet Springfield News-Leader the disciplinary punishment will be carried out using a paddle.

The school district's policy claims spanking "shall be used only when all other alternative means of discipline have failed, and then only in reasonable form and upon the recommendation of the principal."

Other students are forbidden from witnessing a peer being punished.

Spanking a student must be done in a way that uses "reasonable physical force" and guarantees "no chance of bodily injury or harm," as per the policy. The guidelines for "reasonable physical force" are unclear, though striking a student on the head or face is not allowed.

All instances of corporal punishment in the school district must be reported to the superintendent.

The decision to reinstate the highly controversial disciplinary action came as a result of an anonymous survey from the school's parents, students and employees, Johnson told Springfield News-Leader.

In the survey, student behavioural issues were reportedly identified as a high concern.

"We started generating ideas on what we could do and corporal punishment was one of the ideas," Johnson told the news outlet.

Corporal punishment was instated along with two other actions: the creation of a Success Academy (which aids students who struggle in traditional classroom environments) and a ban on all cell phones, earbuds, Bluetooth headphones and smart watches in classrooms.

Parents can choose to opt-in or opt-out of having their children experience corporal punishment through a permission form that was distributed to families. Johnson did not know yet how many parents have allowed their children to be paddled.

He did, however, claim many parents have asked for paddling to be brought back.

"We've had people actually thank us for it," Johnson told Springfield News-Leader.

Much of the reaction outside of the school district (especially on social media) has been vocally against the new policy, with several people claiming the reinstating of corporal punishment is a step in the wrong direction.

Johnson told Springfield News-Leader the opinions of those online did not align with the actual local community. "Surprisingly, those on social media would probably be appalled to hear us say these things but the majority of people that I've run into have been supportive," he said.

Corporal punishment has not been used in the Cassville school district since 2001, the outlet reported.

In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court decision Ingraham v. Wright declared the use of corporal punishment in schools a state-decided issue. There are 19 states where the disciplinary measure is legal in public schools, including Missouri.

"My plan, when I came to Cassville, wasn't to be known as the guy who brought corporal punishment back to Cassville," Johnson told Springfield News-Leader. "I didn't want that to be my legacy and I still don't. But it is something that has happened on my watch and I'm OK with it."

In Canada — because the Supreme Court banned corporal punishment of students in 2004 — paddling and spanking children in schools is illegal throughout the country.

Video: Spanking your children may have a negative lasting effect – even 10 years later

Consequences of Corporal Punishment: School Paddling Victim Tells His Story

 

Scientists find ancient forest hidden in newly discovered 192-metre-deep sinkhole in southern China

The sinkhole contained trees that were 40 metres tall and thick “shoulder-height” vegetation

It was discovered using satellite imagery and explored in early May in an expedition


Kevin McSpadden
25 May, 2022

Sinkholes are common phenomenons in China’s karst landscapes. Photo: CGTN

It is not every day that scientists stumble on to a beautifully preserved ancient forest nestled deep inside a sinkhole the size of a large residential complex.

Such a discovery was made in a stunning karst mountain range in Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region in south China when a team of explorers entered the 192-metre-deep sinkhole on May 6 and found a forest that featured trees that were almost 40-metre tall.

The sinkhole also featured other plants that were “shoulder-height”, said Chen Lixin, the leader of the expedition team, in an interview with Xinhua, China’s state-owned wire service. Videos of the exploration reveal a dense plush forest.

Chen added that he would not be surprised if undiscovered plant and wildlife species lived in the sinkhole.

The large sinkhole featured a beautiful forest that had been untouched by human activity.

 Photo: CGTN

Besides being deep, the sinkhole is 306 metres long and 150 metres wide, meaning it qualifies as a large sinkhole.

The scientists said the forest was “a well-preserved” ancient woodland, which means it had probably never been disturbed by human activity. These types of woodlands, also called primitive forests, can be ecological jewels because they showcase an ecosystem devoid of human interference.


Sinkholes, also known as dolines, are created by the above-ground surface collapsing upon itself because of erosion caused by rainwater and groundwater seeping through the cracks in dissolvable rocks like limestone. They are a common feature of karst topography.

In Leye county, where the giant sinkhole was found, there are 29 other similar sinkholes in the nearby area.

This sinkhole took the expedition crew an entire day to explore because they had to abseil about 100 metres down the side of the hole before trekking for several hours through thick vegetation to reach the bottom.

Zhang Yuanhai, a senior engineer with the Institute of Karst Geology of China Geological Survey, told Xinhua that there are three large caves along the sinkhole walls, which he said were likely the scars left from geological degradations that led to the collapse.

He said the sinkhole was found by his friend, surnamed Wu, who used satellite imagery to pinpoint the likely location of the geological phenomenon.

Zhang said he went to the area to confirm Wu’s hypothesis that the area contained a sinkhole and then organised a more official expedition to explore it properly.

He said that it had been “six or seven years” since the last sinkhole was discovered in the area.

Large sinkhole discovered in southern China, the 30th of its kind in the same county

China is home to the world’s deepest sinkhole, Xiaozhai Tiankeng, which measures 662 metres deep and was caused by a massive underground river that still flows below the natural wonder.

Much like the new-discovered sinkhole, it features a full-scale ecosystem, including a stunning cave connected to an underground river found in 2017 by a team based in Hong Kong.

The term tiankeng means “heavenly pit” in Chinese.

According to Nasa, 13 per cent of East and Southeast Asia is karst topography. China’s landscapes are particularly spectacular, with places like the Guilin countryside in Guangxi and The Swords at the Stone Forest in Yunnan province attracting tourists from all over the world.

In the Bahamas, Dean’s Blue Hole is another sinkhole famous for its natural environment, except that it formed in the ocean and is home to a large population of tropical fish, making it one of the world’s top destinations for snorkelling and scuba diving.

Did Pelosi Say the President Does Not Have ‘the Power for Debt Forgiveness’?

The House speaker also allegedly said that debt forgiveness “has to be an act of Congress.”

Madison Dapcevich

Published 25 August 2022

Image via Justin Sullivan/Getty Images


Claim
U.S. House Speaker Pelosi once said: “People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress.”

Rating

Correct Attribution

About this rating


Fact Check

Shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled his plan for student loan forgiveness in August 2022, the right-leaning online publication National Review reported in an article published on Aug. 24 that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president lacks the authority to forgive student debt.

During a weekly news conference held on July 28, 2021 (archived here), Pelosi was asked to explain why the Biden Administration and Democrats in Congress were pushing for student loan debt forgiveness and cancellation, she replied:

Here’s the thing. People think that the President of the United States – is this more on the subject than you ever want to know? Well, you’ll let me know. People think that the President of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not. He can postpone. He can delay. But he does not have that power. That has to be an act of Congress. And I don’t even like to call it forgiveness because that implies a transgression. It’s not to be forgiven, just freeing people from those obligations.

So, the question of who gets forgiven – to use the term of art that is out there – is a debate. Do we use whatever money there is for the broadest base of support of the, those with – more people with even less debt, or fewer people with more debt? That’s a policy discussion.

But the difference between the President – the President can’t do it. So that’s not even a discussion. Not everybody realizes that. But the President can only postpone, delay, but not forgive.

Nevertheless, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he would be using executive action to push forward a student loan forgiveness plan that allowed up to $20,000 in student debt cancellation for qualified borrowers, following up on promises made on the 2020 campaign trail. At the time of this writing, it’s not yet clear how exactly that forgiveness plan would work, and, as The Associated Press reported, it will likely face legal challenges in the months to come. The three-part plan has not officially been executed and specifics haven’t been released.

Because Pelosi did, in fact, state that the president does not “have the power for debt forgiveness,” we have rated this claim as a “Correct Attribution.”


Sources:

“Big Student Loan Forgiveness Plan Announced by Biden.” Snopes.Com, https://www.snopes.com/ap/2022/08/24/big-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-announced-by-biden/. Accessed 25 Aug. 2022.

“Flashback: Nancy Pelosi Said President Lacks Authority to ‘Forgive’ Student Debt.” National Review, 24 Aug. 2022, https://www.nationalreview.com/news/flashback-nancy-pelosi-says-president-lacks-authority-to-forgive-student-debt/

House, The White. “FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most.” The White House, 24 Aug. 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most/

Lieber, Ron, and Tara Siegel Bernard. “What You Need to Know About Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan.” The New York Times, 24 Aug. 2022. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/24/business/biden-student-loan-forgiveness.html

Minsky, Adam S. “Biden Announces Historic Student Loan Forgiveness Of Up To $20,000 And Extension Of Student Loan Pause: Key Details.” Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2022/08/24/biden-announces-historic-student-loan-forgiveness-and-extension-of-student-loan-pause-key-details/. Accessed 25 Aug. 2022.

The Biden-Harris Administration’s Student Debt Relief Plan Explained. https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/. Accessed 25 Aug. 2022.

“Transcript of Pelosi Weekly Press Conference Today.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 28 July 2021, https://www.speaker.gov/newsroom/72821-2

Madison Dapcevich

Published 25 August 2022

U$A

Ask an Expert: How to Connect With Hesitant Voters

Ahead of the midterm elections, People Power volunteer Connie Jeung-Mills tells us how she motivates people to get to the polls and what fuels her activism.

Rotimi Adeoye,
he/him/his,
Communications Strategist, ACLU


August 25, 2022


With the election just around the corner, we are chatting with some of our great volunteers about what issues are most important to them, and how they motivate voters to cast their ballots. We hope these conversations inspire you to vote for your values and join us in this once-in-a-generation battle to protect our nation.

PeoplePower.org
Vote Your Values, Fight for Your Rights

This election, join us by pledging to vote for your values, and fight for your rights by encouraging your friends and family to do the same.

This week we talked with Connie Jeung Mills, a California-based arts activist and team volunteer with the ACLU People Power text team. People Power is the ACLU’s platform for grassroots action. Our volunteer teams help mobilize and organize communities all across the country in defense of our civil liberties by making calls, sending texts, and connecting with prospective voters about the issues that matter most to them.

ACLU: What motivated you to get involved with the ACLU as a volunteer?

CJM: I’ve known about the ACLU since I was a kid and they’ve always done great work. I’ve worked with other voting rights organizations in the past, so I was very inspired to work with an organization that cared about the same issues important to me.

Activist Connie Jeung-Mills persuading people to vote in her community.

ACLU: What experiences have informed your activism?

CJM: I’ve voted my entire life, and my family has been involved in activism since I was young. An important part of my activism is the artwork I do. I remember watching television and seeing political activists at the D.C. Courthouse during the Trump administration holding signs with messages that were so powerful. And after that moment, a light bulb went off in my head, it was just the impetus for me to use my art and passion for activism to fight back.

ACLU: How do you explain to people why voting is important, and persuade them to take part in upcoming elections?

CJM: I find the best way to motivate people is to find out what motivates them. What issues motivate them to want to do something to help their community. And then I try to connect the dots between their passion for that issue and voting by explaining how the electoral process has a direct impact on their lives. Because when they’re voting, they’re voting for people that are going to represent them in government to bring about the change that they seek.

Being an activist and voter is not just one action for an election, it’s a lifelong effort.

ACLU: Sometimes people feel like their vote doesn’t matter, and are really discouraged by the current state of politics. What would you like to say to people who might opt not to vote because they feel powerless?

CJM: I would tell them that I understand how they feel. But especially right now, they can’t give up and change doesn’t come overnight. Although things seem tough right now, as we saw with the Supreme Court recently, too much is at stake in our country. Being an activist and voter is not just one action for an election, it’s a lifelong effort.

ACLU: Do you have any other advice for people who want to encourage people to get to the polls? What else do you want people to know about your experience?

CJM: The biggest piece of advice I could give people when talking to their friends and family about voting this November is it takes one person at a time and to always be authentic. People can tell when you talk to them if you are really listening to what they are saying to you. Also, I’m so happy to be volunteering for the ACLU. The ACLU stands up for me and I want to help them, help other people, not just me.

Interested in working with people like Julia to defend our rights? Find out more about how to get involved here

.
American Civil Liberties Union
Midterm Elections: How These Offices Impact Your Rights | News & Commentary | American Civil Liberties Union
Elected officials don’t have the final say when it comes to our rights — we do. Let the ACLU help you step into your power at the ballot box!

BECAUSE OF COURSE HE DID

Trump-Backed Republican Bragged About Committing Voter Fraud: Report

BY NICK MORDOWANEC ON 8/25/22 

A Donald Trump-backed Republican candidate for Arizona attorney general allegedly advocated for voter fraud and supported former President Barack Obama in the past.

New reporting by the Phoenix New Times alleges that in 2007 Abraham Hamadeh admitted on online forums that he illegally voted at age 16 for then-Senator Barack Obama for president—in response to "Obama getting all of this crap simply cause hes black, he has an Arab name, hes the only senator who is black in the Senate, he is successful, and he is a Harvard Law graduate," one post read.

"No I cannot vote, I just submitted my mothers absentee ballot, she votes who I vote for, she voted for Ron Paul, and I'm saddened that I had to vote for Barack Obama, but it was the right thing I had to do," another post read.

It was one of reportedly 4,163 posts from Hamadeh on a message board called Ron Paul Forums, which focused on former congressman and three-time presidential candidate Ron Paul.

Hamadeh served 14 months in the U.S. Army Reserve and worked as prosecutor in the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. He is running on the issue of what he calls "election protection," to "rebuild the confidence of our elections by prosecuting election fraud to the fullest extent of the law."

The voter fraud allegations from Hamadeh's youth came after former President Trump endorsed Hamadeh partly due to his stance on elections fraud.

"Abraham Hamadeh is a fantastic candidate running for Arizona Attorney General," Trump said in his endorsement. "He is a veteran, a former prosecutor and, most importantly, he's tough and he's smart. Abe Hamadeh knows what happened in the 2020 Election, and will enforce voting laws so that our Elections are Free and Fair again."

Above, a voter places a ballot in a drop box outside of the Maricopa County Elections Department on August 2 in Phoenix. Arizona Republican attorney general candidate Abe Hamadeh allegedly committed voter fraud when he was a teen and has run as a Trump-endorsed candidate who has called out the results of the 2020 election.

JUSTIN SULLIVAN/GETTY IMAGES

Hamadeh has also been endorsed by other prominent Republicans, including Ron Paul's son, Senator Rand Paul; Richard Grenell, Trump's former acting director of national intelligence; Robert O'Brien, Trump's former national security adviser; and Kash Patel, former Department of Defense chief of staff under Trump.

Aside from calling former Republican presidential candidate and longtime Arizona political mainstay John McCain a "radical fascist," Hamadeh's posts also delved into antisemitism, according to the Phoenix New Times.

"If you think Jews arent big in america (2%) how come 56% of them are CEO'S ... Jews are influential and for the most part rich," one post reportedly said. "its good were targetting Arabs now, next will target Jews."

Erica Knight, a spokesperson for the Hamadeh campaign, did not provide a full-fledged denial regarding the posts in question but told the Phoenix New Times that Hamadeh's comments came at a time in his life when he aspired to be a professional wrestler.

"We are entering a new era of political opposition where candidates who have lived through their adolescent years on the internet are being judged and criticized based on comments they made well before their minds were even fully developed," Knight said.

 "It is now our responsibility to be careful where we draw the line."

Hamadeh tweeted on August 24 that "the media hates minority Republicans." Newsweek reached out to the Hamadeh campaign for comment.

Kris Mayes, Hamadeh's Democratic opponent this November, told Newsweek via phone on Thursday that Arizona "has among the best-run elections in this country" yet her opponent has continually attacked election officials and discussed decertifying the results of the 2020 election, which she said is indicative of a candidate "wildly out of step with the people of Arizona and frankly dangerous to democracy."

Hamadeh's website features interview clips in which he makes reference to the film 2,000 Mules, saying that it revealed "real criminal and fraudulent activity surrounding the 2020 election."

"It is incredibly hypocritical for Abe Hamadeh to have spent the last year undermining trust in our elections when it would appear that he himself engaged in voter fraud at one time," Mayes said. "This is just conduct unbecoming of a top law enforcement officer in the state of Arizona. We cannot have an attorney general who not only espoused antisemitic beliefs but also may have committed voter fraud.

"I think the voters of Arizona are going to reject someone who has these antisemitic views, and also appears to be a complete hypocrite on the issue of voter fraud," Mayes added.

Another Arizona election denier backed by Trump, Mark Finchem, won his secretary of state primary.

Trump's secret papers and the 'myth' of presidential security clearance
Devlin Barrett, Ellen Nakashima and Josh Dawsey

, Aug 26 2022

Prosecutors scrutinising former US president Donald Trump for possible mishandling of classified information will have to do so without a key legal and factual element that has long been a staple of such cases, according to intelligence experts.

That's because, unlike the vast majority of federal workers who access secret information, presidents are not made to sign paperwork on classified documents as part of their joining or leaving the government.

Typically, when a person gets access to restricted information, they are "read in" – a process that includes signing documents at the outset, in which they acknowledge the legal requirements to not share information on sensitive programmes with unauthorised people or keep classified documents in unauthorised places.

When they leave such jobs, they are "read out," again acknowledging in writing their legal responsibilities and declaring that they do not have any classified documents in their possession.


READ MORE:
* FBI seized 300 classified documents from Trump at Mar-a-Lago
* Trump seeks special master to review Mar-a-Lago documents
* Donald Trump's turbulent White House years culminate in Florida search


David Priess, a former CIA officer who is publisher of Lawfare, a national security website and podcast producer, said presidents are not read out of classified programmes when they leave office. That, he said, "is because presidents are not formally read in"

Said Priess: "There's a myth out there that presidents have a formal security clearance. They don't."

GERALD HERBERT/AP
Boxes that were moved out of the Eisenhower Executive Office building on the White House grounds on January 14, 2021, before President Donald Trump's departure from Washington.

The "commander in chief has the ability to classify or declassify documents," Priess said, by virtue of having been elected president by the American people.

"A former president might receive access to limited classified material after leaving office to assist with writing memoirs or at the discretion of the current president, but a formal security clearance isn't involved."

In past classified mishandling cases involving non-presidents, the formal paperwork of being read in and out of classified matters has been an important part of the investigation.

When former general and CIA director David Petraeus pleaded guilty in 2015 to a misdemeanour charge of mishandling classified information, for example, the court papers stated that he had repeatedly signed documents saying that he would not improperly share or keep classified material.

Petraeus signed at least 14 such nondisclosure agreements over the course of his career in the military and intelligence work, including a declaration in 2006 that he "shall return all materials that may have come into my possession or for which I am responsible because of such access, upon demand by an authorized representative of the United States Government or upon the conclusion of my employment or other relationship with the United States Government."

JULIA NIKHINSON/AP

The Trump investigation grew out of a dispute in which the National Archives repeatedly pressed the former president to provide material that was considered government property under the Presidential Records Act.

That same declaration says Petraeus understood that if he did not return such materials upon request, that could be a violation of the Espionage Act - the same section of the criminal code cited in the FBI's search warrant for Trump's Mar-a-Lago home earlier this month.

In 2012, as Petraeus left the CIA, he signed a document that declared, "I give my assurance that there is no classified material in my possession, custody, or control at this time". That document later became part of the case against him.

But Trump, like his predecessors, apparently did not sign such paperwork, which could have legal significance for how prosecutors view his case.

The Trump investigation grew out of a dispute in which the National Archives repeatedly pressed the former president to provide material that was considered government property under the Presidential Records Act.

Eventually, Trump advisers turned over 15 boxes of material, including, the agency said, more than 100 classified documents, some of them top-secret.

The return of those boxes from Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club in January set off alarm bells in the government that the former president or his aides had mishandled and kept significant amounts of sensitive national defence information.

But Trump's unique position as a former president means that the criminal investigation may, by necessity, end up more focused on what Trump did starting in May, when he received a grand jury subpoena for any remaining material bearing classified markings, rather than his actions regarding items handed over in January.

If Trump did not fully comply with the subpoena, experts said, he could face legal jeopardy regardless of whether he was read out of classified programmes when leaving office.

"It is yet another reason why criminally investigating and prosecuting a former president has complexities," said Brandon Van Grack, a lawyer in private practice who previously worked classified mishandling cases when he was a federal prosecutor.

"What it highlights is the criminal case is focused on what happened after May, not about what happened before then."

STEVE HELBER/AP

The return of those boxes from Trump's Mar-a-Lago Club set off alarm bells in the government that the former president or his aides had mishandled and kept significant amounts of sensitive national defence information.

A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on how the apparent lack of a read-out or read in for Trump might affect prosecutors' legal analysis of the facts in the Trump case.

John Kelly, a onetime chief of staff to Trump who has said he disliked classification rules and distrusted intelligence officials, said government officials should have given the 45th president some kind of farewell debriefing about classified matters and documents when he left the White House.

"It would have been important to read him out because it would have been in some hopes that he would not violate all these rules on classified materials. The important message would have been, 'Once you're not the president any more, all the rules apply to you,'" said Kelly.

A Trump spokesman did not respond to a request for comment about whether the former president received any kind of exit briefing about classified material. Trump has criticised the FBI for raiding his home, and his defenders have claimed that he declassified the material he took with him before leaving office - though no evidence has been made public that he went through the process for doing that.

On Monday, Trump's lawyers filed court papers seeking to have a special master appointed to review the material seized in the August search - a curious request given that such appointments are generally done to handle matters of attorney-client privilege, not classified information, and the request didn't come until two weeks after the search, meaning law enforcement officials have already been reviewing the seized material for a significant period of time.

DAMON HIGGINS/PALM BEACH DAILY NEWS VIA AP

Donald Trump has criticised the FBI for raiding his home, and his defenders have claimed that he declassified the material he took with him before leaving office

A federal judge in Florida who received that request has asked Trump's legal team to clarify why they made it, giving the lawyers until Friday to respond.

Mishandling of national security evidence is not the only crime being investigated in the Mar-a-Lago probe, and Trump's unique status as a former president may not lesson his legal risk to the other two potential criminal charges listed on the search warrant: destruction of records and concealment or mutilation of government material.

Still, Ashley Deeks, a law professor at the University of Virginia who until recently was deputy legal adviser to the National Security Council, said the laws and practices regarding classified information places the president in a somewhat unique position.

"Because the president himself is the ultimate classifying authority, it makes sense that agencies do not formally read presidents in to classified programmes," Deeks said.

"In terms of former presidents, Congress itself has recognised in statute that former presidents would still have access to at least some of their records, though Congress also has made clear that former presidents do not own those records personally."


The Washington Post

Dominion Voting Systems deposes Carlson, Hannity in suit against Fox News

Dominion brought the $1.6 billion defamation suit after the outlet covered its role in the 2020 presidential election


By Ben Whedon
Updated: August 25, 2022 - 

Fox News anchors Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity will sit for depositions with attorneys representing Dominion Voting Systems as part of the firm's ongoing defamation suit against the cable outlet.

Carlson will face deposition on Friday, while Hannity and former host Lou Dobbs will answer questions from Dominion attorneys next week, according to the New York Times.

Dominion brought the $1.6 billion defamation suit after the outlet covered its role in the 2020 presidential election, suggesting that the company was complicit in voter fraud.

Lawyers for the company have asserted that Fox knowingly aired false coverage about its voting machines and “decided to promote former President Trump’s narrative after Trump’s condemnation of Fox damaged its stock and viewership,” The Hill reported. The network sought to dismiss the suit on First Amendment grounds but a judge allowed the case to move forward.

Dominion voting machines were the subject of intense scrutiny by the Trump campaign and its allies after the 2020 presidential election, with many groups alleging they produced inaccurate vote tallies and were susceptible to the malicious influence of outside code.

REI Workers At Berkeley Store Vote To Unionize In Another Win For Labor

They follow in the footsteps of REI workers in New York City who formed a union earlier this year.

By Dave Jamieson
Aug 25, 2022, 

REI employees in Berkeley, California, have formed the outdoor retailer’s second union, extending a winning streak for organized labor at largely non-union companies.


Workers at the Berkeley store voted 56 to 38 in favor of joining the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union in a mail-in election this month, according to a vote count held Thursday by the National Labor Relations Board. Employees at REI’s store in the SoHo neighborhood of New York City were the first to unionize earlier this year.

The organizing success at REI follows other recent, notable labor victories at Amazon, Starbucks, Apple and Trader Joe’s, all of which have seen their workers unionize for the first time in recent months. Labor officials have reported a surge in election petitions this year as more workers try to come together to bargain collectively.

Bloomberg Law reported new data earlier this week showing that unions won 639 elections between January and June of this year, labor’s best showing for the first half of the year in almost two decades. However, union membership is still hovering near a historic low, with a mere one in ten workers belonging to a union last year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

REI, which is structured as a customer cooperative, has more than 170 stores around the country, many of them in liberal urban centers where union support would be high. Given the success of the first two campaigns, the company may well face organizing efforts at other stores in the near future.

REI's SoHo store in New York City was the first to unionize.
SPENCER PLATT VIA GETTY IMAGES

The workers in SoHo organized with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, an affiliate of the UFCW, which will represent the workers in Berkeley. Both unions have a long history of representing workers in the retail, grocery and meatpacking industries.

Having won their elections, the SoHo and Berkeley workers now face the more daunting task of trying to bargain a first contract. It can take years for workers to secure a collective bargaining agreement after successfully unionizing, and some never manage to do so. Although they are separate unions, the two groups may coordinate their strategies and demands with the company at the bargaining table.

Most companies have been fighting these new organizing efforts, and REI has been no different, despite its progressive reputation. The company produced a widely mocked podcast earlier this year aimed at discouraging employees from unionizing (the episode began with Indigenous land acknowledgments by the speakers).

The Berkeley employees created a petition calling on the company to “stop the union-busting,” saying REI was using “textbook” tactics to “scare” them.

“They’ve told us our relationship with management will have to change, our existing benefits and retirement will go away, and a union representative will be required to attend our reviews,” the petition read. “They even told someone that they would need the union’s approval to go on vacation.”