United Nations General Assembly votes to demand Israel end Palestinian occupation, Australia abstains

By Brad Ryan in Washington DC with wires


The vote in the 193-member general assembly was 124-14 in favour of the resolution, with 43 abstentions. 

The United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favour of a Palestinian resolution demanding Israel end its "unlawful presence" in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year.

The vote in the 193-member world body was 124-14, with Australia one of 43 members states to abstain. The United States voted against it.

Australia's ambassador to the UN, James Larsen, said it had several concerns with the resolution, and was "deeply disappointed" they were not addressed before the vote. He said Australia supported many of the resolution's principles.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong later said Australia had "worked very hard in New York with others, including the Palestinian delegation, to seek amendments that would enable us to support" the resolution.

"We were disappointed the amendments we and many others sought were not accepted," Senator Wong told the ABC's AM program.



The resolution was adopted as troubled efforts to broker a ceasefire deal in Gaza press ahead.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is holding meetings with mediators in Egypt even as attacks elsewhere in the region — including a fresh wave of explosions across Lebanon — raise fears of escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN ambassador, called the vote a turning point "in our struggle for freedom and justice".

But Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said the vote showed the general assembly "continues to dance to the music of the Palestinian Authority, which backs the Hamas murderers".

Mr Larsen said Australia had wanted to vote for a resolution that "directly reflected" a recent advisory ruling from the World Court, which said Israel's occupation of Palestinian territories was unlawful.

Australia also wanted a resolution that "clearly offered the Palestinian people a path to self-determination and gave the world a path to a two-state solution", the Australian ambassador said.

He told the general assembly that Australia was already doing a lot of what the resolution called for. It had not supplied weapons to Israel in at least five years, was sanctioning extremist Israeli settlers, and had doubled funding to the UN's Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, he said.

Human rights groups had been lobbying Australia to support the resolution. "The Australian government has a responsibility to use its influence [in] the general assembly to uphold international law," Amnesty International's Mohamed Duar said ahead of the vote.


Riyad Mansour conceded Israel probably wouldn't pay any attention to the resolution. (Reuters: David 'Dee' Delgado, file)

The UK abstained for similar reasons to Australia. "Not because we do not support the central findings of the [World Court's] advisory opinion, but rather because the resolution does not provide sufficient clarity to effectively advance our shared aim of a peace premised on a negotiated two-state solution," UK ambassador Barbara Woodward said.

Australia has previously voted for a ceasefire at the general assembly.
US opposes 'one-sided' resolution

The resolution is the first put forward by the Palestinian Authority since member states, including Australia, voted to give it new rights and privileges. They include a seat among UN members in the assembly hall and the right to propose draft resolutions.

The US called it "one-sided" because it did not recognise that Hamas still exerted power in Gaza, nor state that Israel had a right to defend itself from terrorism.

"This resolution will not bring about tangible progress for Palestinians," the US mission argued. "In fact, it could both complicate efforts to end the conflict in Gaza and impede reinvigorating steps toward a two-state solution, while ignoring Israel's very real security concerns."
What is Israel's 'Hannibal Directive'?

Photo shows image of Israeli tank operating in Gaza

The controversial "Hannibal Directive" was reportedly enacted after the October 7 Hamas attack, with revelations detailing strikes by IDF tanks and helicopters on homes and vehicles returning to Gaza.

Unlike in the UN Security Council, the US does not have veto powers in the general assembly.

The resolution also demands the withdrawal of all Israeli forces and the evacuation of settlers from the occupied Palestinian territories "without delay". It calls for Israel to pay reparations to Palestinians for the damage caused by its occupation.

Neither the resolution, nor the World Court's advisory ruling, are legally binding. The resolution asks UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres to submit a report within three months on putting the resolution in place.

“We fully abide by the decisions of the International Court of Justice," Mr Guterres told reporters. "I will implement any decision of the general assembly in that regard."

Mr Mansour said Israel probably wouldn't pay attention to the resolution and that the Palestinians would then follow up with a stronger one.

ABC/wires

THAT'S A VOTE FOR TRUMP

Teamsters (SCAB)  union says won’t endorse Harris or Trump in US election

Influential union backed every Democratic presidential candidate since 2000, (1996)

 but declines to make endorsement this year.

Sean O'Brien, president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, speaks during the Republican National Convention in July in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the United States [File: Morry Gash/AP Photo]

Published On 18 Sep 2024

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the largest labour unions in the United States, has said that it will not endorse any candidate in the upcoming US presidential election.

In a statement on Wednesday, the influential union of about 1.3 million members said that it would not endorse either Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris or Republican former President Donald Trump.

“The Teamsters thank all candidates for meeting with members face-to-face during our unprecedented roundtables,” Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien said in the statement.

“Unfortunately, neither major candidate was able to make serious commitments to our union to ensure the interests of working people are always put before Big Business.”

The move breaks with decades of precedent: The Teamsters have endorsed the Democratic candidate in every election since 2000, and the union has not declined to endorse a candidate since 1996.

It also comes as both the Democratic and Republican parties have been courting organised labour ahead of the November 5 election, which is expected to be hard-fought between Trump and Harris

TEAMSTERS RELEASE PRESIDENTIAL ENDORSEMENT POLLING DATA

“For the past year, the Teamsters Union has pledged to conduct the most inclusive, democratic, and transparent Presidential endorsement process in the history of our 121-year-old organization—and today we are delivering on… pic.twitter.com/CnFNN9uosx

— Teamsters (@Teamsters) September 18, 2024


The Teamsters said that polling of its members showed a preference for Trump over Harris by a margin of more than 25 percent, but no “universal support” for either candidate.

The Trump campaign said that the polling shows that the “vast majority” of the group’s members supported the ex-president and wanted to see him return to the White House.

In a statement to US media outlets, a spokesperson for Harris said the Democrat has won the support of Teamsters locals across the US, along with other labour unions.

“While Donald Trump says striking workers should be fired, Vice President Harris has literally walked the picket line and stood strong with organized labor for her entire career,” Lauren Hitt said.

“The Vice President’s strong union record is why Teamsters locals across the country have already endorsed her — alongside the overwhelming majority of organized labor.”
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Labour unions have been a traditional constituency of the Democratic Party in the US, with Republican overtures met primarily with scepticism as the party has historically taken a harsher line on workers’ rights.

Most large US labour unions, such as the United Auto Workers (UAW) and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), have voiced their support for Harris ahead of the upcoming election.

O’Brien — the Teamsters president — has been an exception to that trend, speaking at the Republican National Convention in July.

That decision elicited a mixed response from US labour experts, who were divided over whether it was a smart move taking a pro-labour message to a large audience or a bad one, given traditional GOP hostility to the movement.

The Teamsters also tried to get a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention in August, but said that they were not granted one.
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While the Teamsters have endorsed Democrats over the past two decades, the group has at times also supported Republican presidential candidates, including Ronald Reagan in 1984.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies

Sri Lanka's 2022 'Aragalaya' revolt hangs heavy over presidential vote

Demonstrators protest inside the President's House, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 9, 2022. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File Photo

Sep 18, 2024, 10:47 PM
COLOMBO - Just over two years since Sri Lanka's 'Aragalaya' uprising that deposed the nation's president, the movement that sparked the mass struggle is rallying behind Anura Kumara Dissanayake to lead the fight against corruption and revive a broken economy.

Marxist-leaning Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, will be vying to become the South Asian country's new president as Sri Lankans prepare to vote on Saturday, hoping to draw on the widespread discontent that fuelled the protests in 2022 and toppled former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa, who many blamed for the economy's collapse that led to shortages of essentials such as fuel and medicine, was seen as emblematic of a corrupt political class out of touch with reality and the pulse of the masses.

That opened the door to Dissanayake whose political stock has risen dramatically in the two years since the economic crisis, as his National People’s Power alliance pledged to bring about change that the Aragalaya - Sinhala term for 'struggle' - movement had clamoured for.

The Sri Lanka Opinion Tracker Survey by Institute for Health Policy (IHP) shows Dissanayake leading in voting preferences at 36%, followed by opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) party at 32% while President Ranil Wickremesinghe is third with 28%.

People will vote putting aside their traditional political leanings and more on issues that led to the economic meltdown and subsequently the Aragalaya movement, said Dhananath Fernando, an economist at Colombo-based think tank Advocata Institute.


"AKD is appealing to those who view the crisis as a result of corruption, and they see this election as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the system," said Fernando. "It's a chance to register a protest vote against previous leaders."

Dissanayake, known for his ability to deliver stirring speeches in eloquent Sinhala, declared that he was ready to serve Sri Lankans, calling the election a "perfect opportunity" for them to put behind the pain and suffering of the crisis.

"Now that victorious moment is finally here and we should work together to ensure it is not lost," he said at a recent rally in Thambuttegama, a predominantly farming community about 180 kilometres from Colombo.

Parliament elected Wickremesinghe after Rajapaksa was forced to flee the country during the height of the 2022 protests and later resign. Wickremesinghe has managed an uncertain recovery, anchored by a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme and a $25 billion debt restructuring process.

The 2022 economic crash drove inflation to 70%, power tariffs jumped 65% and the currency depreciated 45%. Inflation and interest rates are currently down to single digits, while growth of 3% is expected in 2024, the first expansion since the economy shrank 7.3% during the crisis.

For Melani Gunathilaka, 37, a climate and political activist who camped with friends during Aragalaya at the protest site near the president's office, the recovery has come at the cost of economic hardship and is driving people to seek political change.

"I don't think anybody thinks it's going to solve all issues but at least there should be leaders who are not insensitive to people," Gunathilaka said, referring to Saturday's vote.

"We are going through an austerity scheme... putting the burden of debt on working people while businesses and banks thrive, and I think people are expecting a change to that."

To be sure, Dissanayake's plans in his manifesto to rework a key debt restructuring programme at the core of the IMF bailout and a pledge to slash taxes that would impact fiscal targets set under it have raised worries about his economic policies.

However, during campaign speeches he has taken a more conciliatory approach, and assured that any changes will be undertaken in consultation with the IMF and he is committed to ensuring repayment of debt.

Dissanayake is not alone in championing the Aragalaya’s goal for political change.

Lawyer-activist Nuwan Bopage, 40, is contesting as a champion of Leftist policies but is not seen as a frontrunner.

"Winning or losing is a different matter. None of these parties have any solution to this crisis. Whoever wins, the people will lose," said Bopage.

Bopage wants Colombo to divest from the IMF programme, reduce taxes and backs stronger state intervention.

"Our polling indicates that overwhelming majorities have a favourable view of Aragalaya and think that the poor-rich gap has been increasing and that this is bad," IHP executive director Ravi Rannan-Eliya said.

For Dissanayake, securing victory over the weekend will only be a job half-done, as he is hamstrung by his party holding just three seats in the 225-member house. All the same, he could be emboldened to call an early parliamentary election on the back of an Aragalaya-inspired quest for change.

"AKD does not claim he is the direct legacy of the Aragalaya, but he is the main beneficiary of it because he comes from the non-elites and the public are fed up with the traditional political elites," said Jayadeva Uyangoda, a political scientist.

 REUTERS

FILE PHOTO: Demonstrators celebrate after they entered into Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe's office during a protest demanding for his resignation, after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka, July 13, 2022. REUTERS/Dinuka Liyanawatte/File Photo

Protestors hold Sri Lankan flags as they stand on top of the office of Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, amid the country's economic crisis, in Colombo, Sri Lanka July 13, 2022. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi/File Photo

Amazon employees slam CEO Andy Jassy's return-to-office mandate: ‘It’s just going backwards’

WHITE, BLUE OR PINK THE COLOR OF YOUR COLLAR  DOESN'T MATTER WE ARE ALL PROLETARIANS NOW

ByTrisha Sengupta
Sep 18, 2024 

"I have worked at Amazon… and can confirm Amazon does not give a s**t," an employee wrote on LinkedIn following CEO Andy Jassy's return-to-office mandate.

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s return-to-office mandate received heavy criticism from the employees. The 56-year-old took over the role of CEO from founder Jeff Bezos in 2021 amid the pandemic when most corporates around the world shifted to a work-from-home (WFH) structure. In his recent lengthy memo to the staffers, the CEO shared about a “couple of changes” the company is set to make to strengthen its “culture and teams," including shift from WFH or Hybrid model to work from office (WFO).

Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon, issued a mandate asking employees to return to office by January 2025. (REUTERS)

Message from CEO Andy Jassy

“We've decided that we’re going to return to being in the office the way we were before the onset of COVID. When we look back over the last five years, we continue to believe that the advantages of being together in the office are significant,” reads a part of the memo by Andy Jassy, highlighting the RTO mandate.
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“We understand that some of our teammates may have set up their personal lives in such a way that returning to the office consistently five days per week will require some adjustments,” he added.

How did the employees react?

Many employees were unhappy with this mandate and did not hold back while expressing their opinions.

"To the BI reporter who will inevitably quote mine this channel today," an Amazon employee wrote on Slack, reported the Business Insider. "Please do note that this is (in a lot of cases) significantly more strict and out of its mind than many teams operated under pre-covid. This is not 'going back' to how it was before. It's just going backwards,” the person added.


Another employee told the outlet, “What ever happened to 'Striving to be Earth's Best Employer," referencing one of the principals of the company.
Outrage on LinkedIn

Many also took to the professional networking platform to show their displeasure with the mandate. Among them is a system development engineer who activated his “#OpenToWork” tag while voicing his opinions against the return the office rule.

“Amazon has announced 5 day RTO, which is unfortunate because I’m interested in working for a living, not live-action role playing and virtue signaling. If you have remote opportunities available, please message me. Nothing is off the table. I’d rather go back to school than work in an office again,” the employee wrote.
Also Read: Bombay Shaving Company slammed for ‘Dear Prachi’ ad on UP Board topper’s facial hair. What CEO said

Reddit reactions

Besides LinkedIn, many flocked to Reddit to share posts claiming they work for Amazon. An individual commented, “I have worked at Amazon corporate in Seattle and can confirm Amazon does not give a s**t about anybody who works for them, warehouse or corporate. All they care about is squeezing as much labor/profit out of their employees as possible before they inevitably burn out.”

More from Andy Jassy:

“Having the right culture at Amazon is something I don’t take for granted. I continue to believe that we are all here because we want to make a difference in customers’ lives, invent on their behalf, and move quickly to solve their problems. I’m optimistic that these changes will better help us accomplish these goals while strengthening our culture and the effectiveness of our teams,” the CEO added in the concluding lines of the memo.

'I guess she’s desperate': Melania Trump's nude photo response spurs immediate mockery

MS. POTUS

Kathleen Culliton
September 18, 2024 

Former first lady Melania Trump spurred confusion Wednesday when she declared her outrage that the press would not stop asking about the nude photos taken of her as a professional model — which she compared to the works of Paul Cézanne and Michelangelo.

Mrs. Trump explained her decision to pose naked in a promotional video (which included a photo array of famous nude portraits) for her soon-to-be released memoirs, and despite her professed frustration with the media's interest.

"Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modeling work?" Melania Trump says via voiceover in a new X video. "The more pressing question is why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot?"

This take confused two political commentators, among them journalist Aaron Rupar, who wrote:

"NOBODY:
"NOT A SINGLE SOUL IN THE WORLD:

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"MELANIA TRUMP: Let’s talk about my nude modeling career."

Everybody: ...
Melania: WHY DOES EVERYBODY TALK ABOUT ME POSING NAKED!!??
Everybody: ... who are you talking to right now?

Melania: HERE IS SOME NAKED ART.
Everybody: okay.
Melania: BUY MY BOOK!
Everybody: Is it... is it a picture book?
Melania: DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT!

Adam Parkhomenko, a Democratic strategist, suggested with sarcasm the promotional video suggested a tight collaboration between the former first lady and her husband, Donald.

"Between Trump’s silly crypto scam and Melania talking about her nude modeling," he wrote, "you really have to appreciate how laser focused they are on the campaign 48 days out."

The political group Republicans Against Trump admitted they did not immediately believe the video was genuine.

"I thought this new video from Melania Trump was fake, but no," they wrote. "She actually posted it on Twitter. I guess she’s desperate to sell as many copies of her new 'book' before the Donald loses in November."

Keith Boykin, former White House aide to President Bill Clinton, took a more serious tone, arguing Melania Trump was held to a different set of standards than former First Lady Michelle Obama.

"Nobody on the left cares that Melania Trump did nude modeling," he wrote. "We do care that Republicans want to police our bedrooms, our doctors, and our books, and ban pornography. We know that if a Black First Lady posed nude, Republicans would lose it. It's the hypocrisy, not the nudity."

Melania Trump explains why she's proud of her 'nude modeling work'

NOT PROUD ENOUGH TO SHOW IT

Kathleen Culliton
September 18, 2024

US First Lady Melania Trump announces her "Be Best" children's initiative in the White House Rose Garden AFP / JIM WATSON

Melania Trump is outraged that the press shamed her for nude photos nearly a decade ago because her fashion photo shoots for Max Magazine and Sports Illustrated were just like Michelangelo's David, the former first lady explained Wednesday.

Art.

Melania Trump's newest ad for her eponymous memoir delivered Wednesday morning a defense against a media attack Raw Story was unable to locate.

"Why do I stand proudly behind my nude modeling work?" Melania Trump says via voiceover in a new X video. "The more pressing question is why has the media chosen to scrutinize my celebration of the human form in a fashion photo shoot?"

Melania Trump's fashion model work received coverage between 2016 and 2020, when her husband Donald resided in the White House, a residence he hopes to reclaim in 2025.

Her nude shoot with another female model received media attention once again Wednesday morning — when Melania Trump decided it was a pressing subject.

The video defense includes sweeping music and a photo montage of historic works of art such as John Collier's 1897 painting of Lady Godiva, in which she appears naked on a horse, Jean-Alexandre-Joseph Falguière's sculpture of Eve, naked next to a tree, and The Bathers by Paul Cézanne — you guessed it, they are naked.

It does not include any images of Melania Trump.

"Are we no longer able to appreciate the beauty of the human body?" Melania Trump asks. "Throughout history, master artists have revered the human shape."

Her post includes a link to the Melania Trump website where readers can pre-order the memoir slated to be released on Oct. 8.

It is one of several such promotional posts from the former first lady which have been described by critics as "cryptic," "nearly normal" and "weird."

"We should honor our bodies," Melania Trump contends. "And embrace the timeless tradition of using art as a powerful means of self expression."

Watch the ad below or click the link.

  

Let's call Springfield what it is: Republican-made terrorism

D. Earl Stephens
September 18, 2024

Donald Trump's and J.D. Vance (AFP)

The Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, is in a helluva lot more danger right now thanks to the convicted felon, Donald J. Trump, than Trump ever was while working hard as always on the campaign trail at a golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Sunday.

Further, AMERICA is in a helluva lot more danger right now, thanks to the America-attacking Donald J. Trump, than it has been in recent memory, because this soulless bully has spent the past nine years sowing violence and spreading lies and distrust in a country he’d rather split in two than unify.

These facts have never needed saying more, because whatever happened in the proximity of that golf course Sunday, and what we know has been happening in Springfield, Ohio, and all over this country the past decade are the direct result of a cruel and callous Republican Party that has shown us time and again it has no respect for the rule of law, the truth, or keeping Americans physically and mentally safe.

The Grand Old Party is once again up to their grand old slimy tactics of trying to divide and conquer us. They are eagerly planting the seeds of discord and hate, poisoning the wells of reason and hope, and then having the unmitigated gall to tell us that they alone can heal the patient they have so clearly tried to sicken.

Too many people will recognize this as a textbook case of abuse. If Americans are hopeful and healthy, the abusive Republican Party will have lost their power and control over their victims.

As usual, the media is having a tough time framing this moment in American history, so I’m here to help drag them out of the mud, while I talk to brave readers who have spent their lives traveling the high ground to a better, safer and more just America for ALL its citizens — readers who have been truly shocked and saddened by what has happened to our country in the nine, terrible years since Trump started polluting it in earnest.

We are tired, but we are righteously marching to toward the light, and will not be once again dragged into the darkness.

Put simply: We are not going back.

After weeks of spreading incomprehensible, repulsive, racist lies that Haitians in Springfield were stealing and eating the dogs and cats of their neighbors — even draining the ponds in town of their geese — word got out late Sunday that the despicable Trump might have been the target of yet another alleged assassination attempt.

I believe the word “assassination” is being used fast and loose here, given the alleged shooter never had line of sight on Trump while he was golfing, but I do take deadly seriously the danger of any man walking around our streets with enough weaponry to take out a company of army soldiers.

I am not for one minute minimizing the terrifying dangers of the thousands of angry men who own these mass-murdering firearms in this country. No, I’ll just leave that to Trump and his despicable NRA-owned Republicans who most certainly are minimizing this danger, and have been for decades ...


They love all these guns. That one might be turned against them is the most predictable thing I’ve ever seen. That one would be time and again turned against innocent little boys and girls in our schools is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen.

This gun violence is a Republican-made problem. PERIOD.

There’s not a Democrat I know who thinks these weapons belong anywhere in this country. Every one of them believe these weapons of mass destruction have no place in the hands of any citizen of the United States. Yet here was a 58-year-old madman in Florida, who needed only present an ID and a few hundred dollars to easily outfit himself with everything he needed to hunt human beings down on our streets.


Republicans, not Democrats, have set the stage for these gruesome events to happen over and over and over again. These loudmouths scream their heads off about securing our borders, when they don’t even have the slightest idea how to secure our damn golf courses or schools.

I mean …

And people better understand this: Nobody wants Trump (or anybody else) shot dead in this country. Sure, I’ll be glad when he’s gone, but first I want him soundly defeated at the polls, and finally put on trial with the fervent hope that a jury of his peers will lock him away forever where he belongs, so America can truly be a safer place to live.


It is Republicans like Trump who have countless times openly threatened the lives of our Democratic leaders, not the other way around.

In 2016, Trump bellowed to a rabid crowd on his scorched campaign trail that if “She (Hillary Clinton) gets to pick her judges, there’s nothing you can do, folks.”

When the crowd booed he added this: “Although the Second Amendment people — maybe there is, I don’t know ...”


I could spend an hour citing more examples of repulsive threats like these, but the point is this: Putting people’s lives in danger through violent rhetoric is a Republican-made atrocity. They see “fine people” in murdering racists, and violent attackers who mean to end our country as “victims” and “tourists.”

While the story in West Palm Beach is still developing, we know for sure that there have been at least 33 confirmed bomb threats in Springfield, Ohio, that have led to the evacuations of schools and city buildings in yet another American city that didn’t deserve this.

State troopers have descended on Springfield, because people are on edge and living in fear thanks to the leaders of the Republican Party who want it this way. This is the America THEY have created, because these ghastly people see it as their only way to win in November.

They actually WANT us living in fear.

Can we stop for a minute and consider this madness?

You know, there is actually a perfectly good word to describe this, and one that our working press really needs to start using pronto.


It is called TERRORISM … And it is Republican-made.


D. Earl Stephens is the author of “Toxic Tales: A Caustic Collection of Donald J. Trump’s Very Important Letters” and finished up a 30-year career in journalism as the Managing Editor of Stars and Stripes. You can find all his work here.

'Dark' Trump rhetoric is 'playing roulette with real human beings': Financial Times column

Brad Reed

RAW STORY
September 18, 2024 


Financial Times columnist Edward Luce believes that former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) are making explicit ethnonationalism the center of their campaign -- and he's not sure that it's a losing bet.

In his latest column, Luce outlines how Trump and Vance have knowingly lied about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio as a means of distracting the public from Trump's disastrous debate performance and forcing the American media to cover immigration, which polls show is Trump's strongest issue.

Luce also notes that Trump, who once insisted he was only opposed to illegal immigration, has now shifted his target to people who are in the country legally.


ALSO READ: New Harris campaign ad features Kentucky rape survivor who became pregnant at 12

"His dark rhetoric masks a calculated bet," he writes. "Trump’s first campaign was based on federal incompetence: the US, he said, should uphold the rule of law by policing its southern border. His revised case is that US lore must be defended from outsiders. American culture needs protecting from unwanted strangers, even if they are legal."

Luce acknowledges that this tactic is morally reprehensible but, given how many times Trump has used racist rhetoric without paying a political price, he's not sure that this will be the time voters finally say enough is enough.

"Trump and Vance are playing roulette with real human beings," he concludes. "But elections are not morality contests. Their cynicism over the stolen pet myth may not be as self-harming as it looks."

Vance vows to deport Haitians despite legal status: 'I'm still gonna call people illegal'

I'M STILL GONNA CALL YOU 

BLUE EYED TALIBAN

David Edwards
September 18, 2024

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance vowed Wednesday to deport Haitians who were in the U.S. legally. (Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

Republican vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance vowed Wednesday to deport Haitians who were in the U.S. legally.

During a rally in Raleigh, North Carolina, a reporter asked about Vance's recent attacks on Haitian migrants in Springfield, Ohio, who were granted Temporary Protected Status, or TPS.

"So I know you talked a lot about how we need to deport illegal aliens, but I wanted to ask you, the majority of the Haitians in Springfield came under TPS, so they are here legally," the reporter said. "If you become the Vice President under a Trump administration, what will you guys do about the migrants that are already there, since they did arrive legally?"

"Well, look, this is a media and Kamala Harris fact check that I want to clarify and clear up right now," the candidate replied. "And what they mean is that Kamala Harris used two separate programs, mass parole and Temporary Protective Status."

"If Kamala Harris waves the wand illegally and says these people are now here legally, I'm still going to call them an illegal alien," he continued. "And illegal action from Kamala Harris does not make an alien illegal. That is not how this works."

Vance accused the media of "gaslighting us and lying to us" about migrants.

"What is fundamentally illegal is for Kamala Harris to say, we're going to grant parole not on a case by case basis," he opined, "but to millions of illegal aliens who are coming to this country that does not magically make them legal because Kamala Harris waved the amnesty wand that makes her border policy a disgrace, and I'm still going to call people illegal aliens."

"So Kamala Harris says you can't deport people, and then she says, you're also now legal instead of illegal," he claimed. "That is completely bogus. That is straight out of George Orwell. None of us buy it."

Watch the video below from Fox News or at this link.

Ohio woman regrets spreading rumours about Haiti immigrants eating pets

A rumour about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, spread rapidly after a Facebook post was amplified by former President Donald Trump and his 2024 running mate JD Vance.


India Today World Desk
New Delhi,UPDATED: Sep 18, 2024 
Written By: Girish Kumar Anshul

In ShortFalse rumour about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, spreads
Erika Lee's unverified Facebook post triggered the controversy
Donald Trump and JD Vance perpetuate claim despite local authorities' debunking

A false rumour about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio, has become a national controversy in the United States after the claim was repeated by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The rumour originated from a Facebook post by Erika Lee, who claimed that a neighbour's cat had been taken by Haitian neighbours. However, Lee later discovered the information was unverified and deleted the post. In interactions with US media, Lee has regretted uploading the post on social media.
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"I was not raised with hate... My whole family is biracial. I never wanted to cause problems for anyone," Lee said.

According to a report in the New York Times, Lee had heard from a neighbour that a cat had disappeared and speculated that one of their Haitian neighbours might have taken it. But upon asking for proof, she found out the cat in question wasn't even the neighbour's daughter's pet.

The rumour gained traction when former President Donald Trump mentioned it during a presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, saying, "In Springfield, they're eating the dogs... They're eating the cats... They're eating -- they're eating the pets of the people that live there."

Trump's running mate, JD Vance, also perpetuated the claim.

Local authorities have confirmed that no pets have been stolen or eaten in Springfield.

Between 12,000 and 20,000 Haitian immigrants are estimated to have settled in Springfield in recent years, attracted by the city's job opportunities and affordable housing, according to The New York Times.

'Smoking gun': Rage mounts after WSJ reports Vance knew Haitian pet story had no basis

Kathleen Culliton
September 18, 2024 

Trump's pick for Vice President, U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) arrives on the first day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum on July 15, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Sen. J.D. Vance faced backlash Wednesday after a Wall Street Journal investigation revealed former President Donald Trump's running mate knew there was no reason to believe Haitian immigrants were eating pets in Springfield, Ohio — but shared the story anyway.

Springfield city manager Bryan Heck told the Journal that he told a Vance staffer "point blank" the claims were baseless on Sept. 9 — the same day the Ohio Republican posted the claim on X, where it remained as of Wednesday morning — and sparked a backlash from critics.

"A smoking gun," Ohio Capital Journal reporter Marty Schladen responded on X. "Despite at least 33 bomb threats, death threats against public officials, terror among Haitians — in a town in the state he represents — Vance kept saying it anyway."

The Wall Street Journal also reported that, on Tuesday, Vance's campaign gave them the name of a woman who claimed a Haitian had indeed taken her cat in August.

The Journal arrived Tuesday evening to find cat Miss Sassy had returned a few days later and her owner Anna Kilgore had apologized to her Haitian neighbors, the report showed.

Conservative commentator Pedro L. Gonzalez vented his frustration over what he described as a poorly mishandled narrative delivered by Vance.

"The Springfield lady who called the police when she suspected Haitians of eating her missing cat found the cat safe in her basement and then apologized to her Haitian neighbors for starting a rumor that became a GOP talking point," Gonzalez wrote.

"'At least we brought attention to what's happening in Springfield' the right says. You did, and you managed to even make people in Springfield who were or are frustrated by the immigration issue apologize or rethink their complaints because of how badly you handled it."

ALSO READ: 'I want Vance to apologize': We went to Springfield and found community hurt — and divided

Washington Post columnist Catherine Rampell condemned Vance in more blunt terms.

"Vance’s team actually did look into the rumor, and was told unequivocally that it was BS," she summarized. "Vance amplified it anyway."

Democratic political strategist Simon Rosenberg raised concerns about what Vance's willingness to amplify untrue stories — sourced to far right activists and neo-Nazis — said about his fitness to lead from the White House.


"If Vance is willing to lie and unleash hell on his own constituents for what he believed was political gain," Rosenberg asked, "what does that say about he would be willing to do to the country?"

David Darmofal, a political scientist at the University of South Carolina, replied, "The Trump-Vance slogan should be Make America Springfield. Because they want to do to this country what they've done to Springfield."