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Dear Progressive Reader,
More than 32,000 human beings have been killed ([link removed].) in Gaza in the war launched by Israel following the horrific attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023. In a statement today, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres said ([link removed]) that the blocking of aid trucks at the border crossing at Rafah, while people in Gaza are on the verge of starvation, is “a moral outrage.” In the meantime, the United States continues to send mixed messages. After the United States proposed a ceasefire resolution in the U.N. Security Council that was ultimately vetoed ([link removed]) on Friday, the U.S. Senate voted last night to approve
([link removed]) a funding bill that withholds any money ([link removed]) from UNRWA—the United Nations agency that has proved most effective ([link removed]) in actually delivering relief to Palestinians in the region.
Guterres, earlier today, went on to say, “People around the world are outraged about the horrors we are all witnessing in real time. I carry the voices of the vast majority of the world: We have seen enough. We have heard enough.” The global group Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has stated ([link removed]) that famine is now “imminent” for 300,000 Gazans. Arvind Dilawar writes ([link removed]) this week on our website, “destroying an entire society is a war crime.”
The presidential campaign of Joe Biden continues to suffer from the actions of his administration in continuing funding and supply for the war while being ineffective in pushing for a ceasefire and the delivery of humanitarian aid. As the primary season continues, the number of “protest” votes against the incumbent are growing. As of mid-March, one in ten Americans voting in Democratic primaries had selected ([link removed]) “uncommitted” or its equivalent on their ballot, sending at least twenty delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago later this summer. The main agenda of the national uncommitted movement, according to ([link removed]) Listen to Michigan campaign director Layla Elabed, is to push for “a permanent cease-fire” in the war in Gaza. Many expect
([link removed]) this number of delegates to grow as the war continues, providing the movement the opportunity to have some impact at the convention. In 2016, delegates pledged to Bernie Sanders took a lead role in pushing the Democratic Party platform to the left, making it what the Senator himself called in a July 2016 press release ([link removed]) “the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party.” It remains to be seen if the “uncommitteds” will influence national policy, but it is potentially a very powerful strategy.
Donald Trump is facing a deadline to put up a bond in the judgment against him in New York (one of a plethora ([link removed]) of legal entanglements, and potential convictions, confronting the would-be presidential challenger). However, as cartoonist Mark Fiore illustrates ([link removed]) , the self-proclaimed “rich guy” is having a hard time coming up with the dough. Even putting his social media enterprise “Truth Social” on the block will not generate ([link removed]) the money he needs by the Monday deadline. But perhaps he can still steal it
([link removed]'s%20campaign%20also%20spent%20over,Biden%20on%20fundraising%20and%20organization.) from his campaign donors.
Elsewhere on our website this week, Jeff Abbott reports ([link removed]) on the continued crisis in Haiti, which faces both a vacuum of political leadership and a continued series of attacks by heavily armed gangs. Also, Michael Ray tells his story ([link removed]) from prison, where becoming a peer counselor helped him heal himself; Griffin Dix opines ([link removed]) on the hypocrisy of the anti-crime rhetoric of Republican lawmakers; and Ed Rampell reviews ([link removed]) the new biopic that tells the story of Shirley Chisholm’s legendary 1972 run for the presidency.
Speaking of presidential runs, next month from April 25 to 27 in Madison, Wisconsin, The Progressive (the magazine founded by Robert M. La Follette), will be celebrating the centenary of La Follette’s third-party campaign for the presidency in 1924. We will be holding a conference at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin, the Arts and Literature Lab, and the Barrymore Theatre with scholars and authors, speakers and musicians, and a theatrical performance by La Follette’s great granddaughter, Tavia La Follette. For more information, visit progressive.org/progressive-presidency.
Please keep reading, and we will keep bringing you important articles on these and other issues of our time.
Sincerely,
Norman Stockwell
Publisher
P.S. – Don’t miss a minute of the “hidden history” of 2024 – you can still order The Progressive’s new Hidden History of the United States calendar for the coming year. NOW HALF PRICE – Just $7.50 plus $3.00 shipping. Just go to indiepublishers.shop ([link removed]) , and while you are there, check out some of our other great offerings as well.
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