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Dear John,
Vice President Kamala Harris is in Dubai, [[link removed]] a glittering symbol of oil wealth, for the annual world climate gathering COP28.
One thing the world leaders gathered in the petro-state likely won’t be talking much about? The finding from U.S. and U.K researchers that the oil-guzzling U.S. military owes the world billions in climate reparations.
The bill for climate reparations by the U.S. military? $106 billion. [[link removed]]
Back in the U.S., daily protests of Israel’s renewed assault on Gaza continue.
Meanwhile, the Senate is working on a request from President Biden for weapons and aid for the war in Ukraine, Israel’s assault on Gaza, and even a possible future war with China.
The total war request? Also $106 billion. [[link removed]]
The coincidence is eye-popping. As is the fact that only one of these proposals - the funding for weapons and war - is currently under serious consideration by Congress.
Protesters continue to demand both peace in Gaza, and real solutions on climate. Among those, one of us (Ashik) just returned from a five-day hunger strike at the White House [[link removed]] calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza (see the photo below) .
These movements have had breakthroughs. The weeklong ceasefire in Gaza [[link removed]] and the return of hostages shows what negotiation can do. The next ceasefire can’t come soon enough.
And at COP28, a few wealthy nations agreed on the first contributions [[link removed]] to a brand new and much-needed climate loss and damage fund for poor countries. But the U.S. donation stops far short of what’s needed.
Neither of these breakthroughs are near enough, but they show the way forward. Taking the next steps depends on people around the world demanding better.
In solidarity,
Lindsay, Ashik, Alliyah, & the NPP team
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TRADEOFF: DEPORTATIONS VS. CARE
The holiday season is all about gathering with loved ones, right? Well, that’s the exact opposite of what extra border funds for ICE and CBP will do for immigrant communities. These punitive agencies – already receiving $26 billion in 2023 – are responsible for detentions and deportations that separate immigrant families.
$26 billion could instead fund all of these: 230,000 registered nurses, early childhood education for more than half a million kids, and solar farms to power half the nation’s households.
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From left to right: DE State Rep. Madinah Wilson-Anton, Bita iuliano (activist, grassroots organizer), Ashik Siddique, Sumaya Awad (author/activist, Adalah Justice Project), Rana Abdelhamid (organizer and former congressional candidate), Cynthia Nixon (actor/director), NY State Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh (Founder, Muslim Girl). Photo Credit: Eman Mohammed.
HUNGER STRIKE FOR A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE
Last week, I was proud to join a group of activists and state legislators in a 5-day hunger strike outside the White House [[link removed]] , to demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza. For two months, Israel’s attacks have taken 15,000+ Palestinian lives — with unquestioning support from President Biden and most of Congress. After weeks of massive public pressure, a temporary “pause” was finally announced. But after only 7 days of some reprieve for people on the ground, Israel resumed its assault.
Depriving ourselves of food for almost a week was challenging, but it was a small price to pay [[link removed]] to focus attention on the immeasurably dire conditions faced by people in Gaza at this moment. We had a choice to stop if it got to be too much — Palestinians in Gaza have no choice. Day after day, we stationed ourselves through cold and rain, rallying with Palestinian organizers as well as Jewish, Black and Indigenous allies, labor leaders, actors like Cynthia Nixon, and members of Congress including Rashida Tlaib, Cori Bush, & Jamaal Bowman. We closed each day with a nightly candlelight vigil, reading out the names and ages of Palestinians who were killed.
We ended the hunger strike on Friday [[link removed]] backed up by 541 people fasting remotely in solidarity, and more than 3,000 phone calls made to members of Congress — and a labor solidarity rally where the United Auto Workers (UAW) announced [[link removed]] their support for a permanent ceasefire, along with unions representing 454,000 workers across the US. Very excitingly for NPP, the UAW announcement committed to exploring a just transition for US workers [[link removed]] from war to peace.
We will keep organizing on the streets, pressuring elected office, and all across the country to demonstrate how out of touch this administration is [[link removed]] with millions of Americans who demand a permanent ceasefire— and to organize power against those who aid and abet atrocities, to win the world we need.
—Ashik
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THE PENTAGON'S BIG FAIL
The Pentagon has failed its financial audit for the sixth year in a row. It is the only major federal agency to never pass an audit.
In its most recent try, the Pentagon was only able to account for half of its assets - the weapons, equipment, facilities and other expenses that cost hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars every year. That amounts to $1.9 trillion in unaccounted-for assets - bigger than the entire federal discretionary budget this year.
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“From opposing fascism in WWII to mobilizing against apartheid South Africa and the Contra war, the UAW has consistently stood for justice across the globe.”
— Brandon Mancila, United Auto Workers Director, on the UAW becoming the largest labor union calling for a ceasefire in Gaza [[link removed]]
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RECOMMENDED LINKS
Sending Israel more aid now is a lose-lose proposition [[link removed]]
Lindsay Koshgarian, The Hill
US and UK militaries ‘owe’ combined $111bn in climate reparations – study [[link removed]]
Dharna Noor, The Guardian
The 'Humanitarian Pause' in Gaza Proves Diplomacy Works. Now We Need a Real Ceasefire. [[link removed]]
Khury Petersen-Smith and Phyllis Bennis, Foreign Policy in Focus
On Veterans Day, Let’s Care for Veterans and Our Communities [[link removed]]
Alliyah Lusuegro, National Priorities Project Blog
Biden’s Base Is Sending Him a Wake-up Call On Israel-Palestine [[link removed]]
Peter Certo, Inkstick
Unions and Elected Officials Are Joining the Movement for Palestinian Freedom [[link removed]]
Liza Featherstone, Jacobin
The Problem of the Unionized War Machine [[link removed]]
Jeff Schuhrke, Jewish Currents
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