Pleasant Politics

The United States is known for the deep polarization between its two major political parties — the right-wing Republicans and left-wing Democrats. Now an analysis of hundreds of thousands of policy documents reveals striking differences in partisan policymakers’ use of the scientific literature, with Democratic-led congressional committees and left-wing think tanks more likely to cite research papers than their right-wing counterparts.

The analysis also shows that Democrats and left-leaning think tanks are more likely to cite high-impact research, and that the two political sides rarely cite the same studies or even the same topics.

Emma is joined by writer, activist and professor Naomi Klein about her new essay The rise of end times fascism. Naomi points out the new form that right wing authoritarianism has taken in finding ways to exit society and Earth itself.

Naomi co-wrote the essay with Astra Taylor, which you can read here in The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/apr/13/end-times-fascism-far-right-trump-musk

Data journalism in the Middle East has been driven by organizations that have produced collaborations and projects that combine innovative techniques with nuanced local knowledge.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/27001446

Generated Summary below:

Video Description:

#berniesanders #sabbysabs #bernierunsaway #berniesandersrallies #mahmoudkhalil #progressivepoliticsexplained

Generated Summary:

This YouTube video analyzes Bernie Sanders's "Fight the Oligarchy" tour, highlighting his criticisms of the wealthy and powerful influencing politics. Key points include:

• The Tour's Purpose: Sanders is targeting districts Biden won in 2020 but Democrats lost in 2024, aiming to regain support within the Democratic party.
• Sanders's Rhetoric: He strongly criticizes billionaire influence and calls for a working-class agenda, drawing large crowds at his rallies.
• AOC's Involvement: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is joining Sanders on the tour.
• Criticism of Sanders: The video criticizes Sanders for not explicitly condemning the Democratic party's ties to the oligarchy, given his past endorsements of figures like Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris, who have accepted contributions from wealthy donors.
• The Gaza Conflict: The video discusses Sanders's reluctance to label the situation in Gaza a genocide, despite acknowledging the horrific events. The YouTuber argues this demonstrates Sanders's tendency to avoid strong stances on controversial issues.
• The Incident with Supporters: The video's main focus is on a recent incident where Sanders abruptly dismissed his own supporters who politely inquired about the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil. The YouTuber interprets this as evidence of Sanders's true nature and his unwillingness to take strong action against injustices, even when directly confronted by his own supporters. The video includes footage of the encounter and the subsequent arrest of Khalil, highlighting the alleged lack of resistance during the arrest.
• Conclusion: The YouTuber concludes that Sanders's actions demonstrate a pattern of avoiding strong stances and ultimately serving to maintain the status quo rather than enacting significant change. The video suggests Sanders is more focused on maintaining the Democratic party's power base than on truly challenging the oligarchy.

About Channel:

Leftist news commentary and interviews. Fighting for political and social change. Sabby Sabs podcast is a part of Revolutionary Blackout Network.

Vlad Vexler is a political philosopher with a solid academic background that does very well rounded, in-depth and considerate videos on world politics. His other channel (Vlad Vexler Chat) is also a very pleasant place for QAs and long form discussions.

When I first encountered his work couple of years ago some of his opinions made me angry. He usually turns out to be right in those cases.

Friday’s economic boycott is a one-day attack on corporate interests. The degrowth movement calls for a broader societal shift.

Future weeklong boycotts targeting Amazon, Nestlé, Target, and Walmart are planned from March until July.

There has been no shortage of news since our last column, giving data teams a wide variety of topics to explore. Aviation accidents and the opening salvos of President Donald Trump’s planned trade warfare made headlines globally. Meanwhile, in Gaza, the next phases of the ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas, as well as the return of Palestinians to the devastated areas, have been widely covered. This edition of our Top 10 in Data Journalism, which considered stories between January 27 and February 14, also highlights an analysis of the ideological positions of German political parties; a cross-border investigation into the shadow fleet transporting sanctioned Russian oil; an analysis of the homes that survived the Los Angeles fires; and a special on the security of four-digit passwords.

Eliminate the pressure to spend money on things you don’t actually value by considering whether purchases you’re making are adding real worth to your life.

If you want to have a no-spend or low-spend 2025, remember you don’t have to embark on this journey alone.

Establish why you want to do a no-spend or low-spend goal.

“Customize the challenge to fit you and what you want to accomplish. You don’t have to go all-or-nothing,”

“Identify and eliminate spending triggers,” Woroch advised. “This could look like deleting shopping apps on your phone, unsubscribing from retail newsletters, and avoiding walking into stores where there are sure to be plenty of spending temptations.”

"They offered us oil, but we don't want oil, we want the institutions and the borders," Abu Qasra said.

I was hoping it wouldn't come to that. They clearly don't like Rojava's federated power, and want it centralized under them. Unfortunately I don't for see a good outcome here.

Some Hashtags are:

• "#berniesanders"
• "#queer"
• "#obama"
• "#voteblue" (#votered remains unaffected)
• "#dnc" (#rnc remains unaffected)
• "#fucktrump" (#fuckbiden remains unaffected)
• "#democrat" (#republican remains unaffected)
• "#kamala"
• "#prochoice"
• "#constitution"
• "#reproductiverights"
• "#jan6th"
• "#insurrection"
• "#14thamendment "
• "#republicans" (with an s)
• "#fascism"
• "#liberal"
• "#rightwing"
• “#georgeconway”
• “#domesticterrorist”
• “#jacksmith”
• “#drumpf”
• “#johnoliver”

Elon Musk waded into controversy on Monday when he gave back-to-back fascist-style salutes during celebrations of the presidential inauguration of Donald Trump.

In a statement posted to social media later on Monday, the ADL said: (...) “It seems that Elon Musk made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute, (...)

Twice?

cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/53101258

Pappe talks to Al Jazeera on ‘neo-Zionism’, ceasefire talks, the second coming of Trump and ‘indoctrination’ in Israel.

Luigi Mangione has drawn lots of defenders on social media. That's a challenge for platforms when it comes to moderation — and for users.

Archived link of the article

A fundamental part of “what to know” about these crimes is egregiously missing from the Times report – the role of the United States:

• $18 billion in military aid to Israel in the first year of the genocidal war on the people of Gaza, surely the most generous provision of military support ever from one state to another for the purposes of ethnic cleansing.

• The sending of 100 US military personnel to Israel to operate an advanced missile defense system there.

• The sending of massive US naval and air forces to the region to protect Israel from regional retaliation for its genocidal war.

• The Biden administration/US Empire blowing though “red lines” beyond which its spokespersons said it would not continue support for the war: Israel’s assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah in May of 2024 (US support continued) and Israel’s blocking of humanitarian assistance to the people of northern Gaza (Biden dropped that “red line” in December of 2024).

• The US Empire blowing off the “Leahy law” – US legislation that says the US can provide “no aid to foreign forces facing ‘credible’ accusations of human rights violations.” (Israel’s US-backed human rights crimes have been so credible that at least a dozen US government officials and personnel have resigned their positions in protest and Israel’s president and top military commander have received indictments and arrest warrants from the International Criminal Court!)

• The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) preventing its staff from reporting on maternal and child mortality in Gaza since the war began

@roberteldersoftware on youtube has started speaking out against Michael Klein, shitty greedy landlord in Canada who is notorious for using the "renoviction" tactic on tenants, many who are low income, after he himself is becoming a victim of this guy. Victims are joining together and trying to put pressure on this guy. I cant do much from the US, so trying to boost awareness. More info: https://acorncanada.org/news/new-report-connects-ontarios-biggest-renovictor-michael-klein-to-renovictions-happening-in-21-buildings-in-7-cities/

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