Jim Naureckas on Democratic Primaries, Nina Luo on Decriminalizing Sex Work MP3 Link Reuters (Twitter, 2/11/20) This week on CounterSpin: Remember when Les Moonves declared that Donald Trump's candidacy "may not be good for America, but it's damn good for CBS"? That wasn't a faux pas; it was an operating principle. And we can't be shocked that it's carrying through to coverage of the Democratic primary process, which has foregrounded far more "radical" ideas—and public receptivity to them—than corporate elites are comfortable with. We'll take a look at election coverage with Jim Naureckas, editor of FAIR.org and FAIR's newsletter Extra!. MP3 Link Decriminalizing Survival Also on the show: It's not wrong to say that the movement to decriminalize sex work "divides allies," as the New York Times had it. But recent polls show the idea garnering widespread public support, for perhaps the first time, and the range of groups signed on to a new policy memo—the ACLU and the Women's March, Immigrant Defense Project and Mijente, the Transgender Law Center and Black Youth Project 100—suggest a number of communities looking for a new way forward. The memo, called Decriminalizing Survival, was written by organizer Nina Luo, a fellow at Data for Progress. We'll talk with her about that. MP3 Link

© 2020 Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting. All rights reserved. Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting Our mailing address is: FAIRNESS & ACCURACY IN REPORTING 124 W. 30th Street, Suite 201 New York, NY 10001 FAIR counts on your support to do this work — please donate today.

Matt Taibbi | New Hampshire 2020: In Supreme Irony, the Horse Race Favors Bernie Sanders

14 February 20

---

A Steep Decline in Donations and Funding

We are reacting to a substantial drop-off in the number and size of donations. That equates to a significant slashing of RSN’s budget. Yes we have to address that. No choice.

The readership remains strong. That’s a good thing. If a reasonable number of the people coming to RSN donate we will be fine. So far for this month that hasn’t happened.

In earnest.

Marc Ash
Founder, Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

---

Update My Monthly Donation

---

If you would prefer to send a check:
Reader Supported News
PO Box 2043
Citrus Hts
CA 95611

14 February 20

It's Live on the HomePage Now:
Reader Supported News

WE’RE REALLY TRYING TO MAKE UP GROUND HERE - It’s late in the month and we are a long way from where we would normally be and where we need to be on donations. A huge number of people who come here often are not donating. We’re getting into serious trouble over a few donations. Hit the donation link! / Marc Ash, Founder Reader Supported News

Sure, I'll make a donation!

---

Matt Taibbi | New Hampshire 2020: In Supreme Irony, the Horse Race Favors Bernie Sanders

Matt Taibbi, Rolling Stone
Taibbi writes: "Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary Tuesday night. Second-place finisher Pete Buttigieg earned 24.4 percent of the vote, while Amy Klobuchar, not long ago polling in single digits, came out of nowhere with 19.8 percent, a classic New Hampshire outlier result."
READ MORE

Neither President Donald Trump nor New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced an agreement on expedited entry programs. (photo: Louis Lanzano/UPI)

‘Another Quid Pro Quo’: Trump Accused of Trying to ‘Extort’ NY Governor in Plain Sight
Jerry Lambe, Law and Crime
Lambe writes: "Prior to meeting with Andrew Cuomo Thursday, President Donald Trump said the New York governor must drop the state’s myriad lawsuits against the federal government and Trump personally–one of which is aimed at exposing the president’s tax returns."
READ MORE

People work at a portion of border wall which is under construction in Yuma, Ariz. (photo: Elliot Spagat/AP)

Trump Administration Diverts $3.8 Billion In Pentagon Funding To Border Wall
Brakkton Booker, NPR
Booker writes: "The Trump administration has notified Congress that it plans to divert .8 billion from the Defense Department's budget to build the border wall."
READ MORE

Sen. Bernie Sanders. (photo: Getty Images)

Poll: Sanders Builds Double-Digit National Lead
Jonathan Easley, The Hill
Easley writes: "Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has opened up a double-digit lead over his next closest rivals in a new national survey."
READ MORE

A detainee sits in a holding cell at a detention center in Lumpkin, Georgia. (photo: David Goldman/AP)

ICE Detainees Were Held Without Bond Hearings for Months. Attorneys Worry It Will Get Worse.
Adolfo Flores, BuzzFeed
Flores writes: "Attorneys with clients held at an immigration detention center in New Mexico have found that at least 174 immigrants were held for months without a bond hearing, in some cases despite repeated requests from lawyers."
READ MORE

'AIPAC's language is intended to demonize, not elevate a policy debate,' Congresswoman Betty McCollum said. (photo: AFP)

How AIPAC Is Losing the Support of Democrats
Ali Harb, Middle East Eye
Harb writes: “’A true friend of Israel.’ These were the words Barack Obama used when describing himself to AIPAC, a day after he secured the Democratic party nomination in 2008.”

EXCERPTS:

It was once described as the 'most effective' lobbying group in Washington, but AIPAC is beginning to lose support as it turns on critics - most of whom are Democrats

Standing in front of thousands of attendees in Washington, Obama, who was only 47 at the time, went on to thank the pro-Israel lobby for helping advance "bipartisan consensus to support and defend our ally - Israel".

Those comments were a far cry from the latter stages of his presidency, when the interest group rebuked America's first black president and spearheaded efforts to derail his signature foreign policy accomplishment - the Iran nuclear deal. 

AIPAC, short for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has always presented itself as a bipartisan organisation aiming to maintain support for Israel from across the US political spectrum.

Republican and Democratic presidents have praised the group, and some of the measures it has pushed have gained unanimous bipartisan support in Congress.

But times are changing. Once dubbed "the most effective general interest group" by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, AIPAC was called a "hate group" by a senior Democratic congresswoman on Wednesday.

"Hate is used as a weapon to incite and silence dissent. Unfortunately, this is my recent experience with AIPAC – the American Israel Public Affairs Committee," Congresswoman Betty McCollum said in a blistering statement. 

Her photo had been featured - along with fellow House members Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar - in AIPAC ads accusing "radicals in the Democratic Party" of pushing antisemitic and anti-Israel policies "down the throats of the American people".

The posts, which have since been deleted, went as far as likening Congress members critical of Israel to the Islamic State (IS) group, also known as ISIS.

McCollum, who had introduced a bill aiming to prevent US assistance to Israel from contributing to the imprisonment and abuse of Palestinian children, was having none of it.

"AIPAC wants its followers to believe that my bill, H.R. 2407, to protect Palestinian children from being interrogated, abused, and even tortured in Israeli military prisons is a threat more sinister than ISIS," she said. 

"This is not empty political rhetoric. It is hate speech."

The response came days after AIPAC took down the ads and half-heartedly apologised for them. But the episode highlighted that the erosion of that bipartisan consensus over Israel that Obama cited in 2008.

AIPAC's conundrum

Three months after Democrats assumed the majority in the US House of Representatives last year, their top leaders appeared at the annual conference of AIPAC, assuring the group that Congress will maintain its steadfast support for Israel.

There had been warning signs that the bipartisan consensus in favour of Israel may be eroding. Left-wing progressives had been increasing their clout in Democratic politics, shifting the conversation about Israel and Palestine amongst Democrats in the process.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer have kept their word to AIPAC in pushing pro-Israel measures in the congressional chambers that they control - including a resolution condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

But with President Donald Trump giving the right-wing Israeli government everything that it wants and then some, top Democrats have found it difficult to fully back the White House's policies. 

In fact, many of them forcefully rejected the president's AIPAC-backed plan to end the conflict, which would allow Israel to annex all of its settlements in the West Bank. Meanwhile, progressives' criticism of Israel became more vocal.

That has created a conundrum for AIPAC - how to favour the policies of one political party without alienating the other?

"AIPAC is dealing with a fundamental contradiction. They are promoting a policy of no accountability for Israel - a carte blanche for whatever Israel does; and they want to be bipartisan," said Omar Baddar, deputy director of the Arab American Institute, a Washington-based advocacy group.

"There's a problem here. The reality of our political discourse is that no accountability for Israel is not a bipartisan issue."

The ads against Democrats and McCollum's forceful condemnation of the group expose that contradiction, he added.

"I really suspect it's really a matter of time before we see the next outburst," Baddar told MEE.

Beth Miller, government affairs manager at JVP Action, a political advocacy group linked to Jewish Voice for Peace, echoed Baddar's comments, saying the American progressives are adopting the Palestinian cause as a core issue on their agenda. 

"It used to be true that AIPAC had bipartisan support, but that is strongly waning… As the left progressive flank of the Democratic Party grows, which it clearly is, that means that there's also going to be less support for groups like AIPAC," Miller said.

She added that advocacy for Palestinian human rights is becoming a "natural part" of the push against Trump's agenda.

"The more we as Americans learn about what is happening in Israel, the more people are supporting Palestinian human rights," Miller told MEE.

"And so, we are in a moment where groups like AIPAC that are strongly trying to push anti-Palestinian policies and anti-Palestinian rhetoric are finding themselves in an increasingly partisan space."

The presidential race

With Democrats moving to pick their nominee who will try to unseat Trump, that schism between the pro-Israel lobby and the party is likely to become sharper. 

AIPAC will not merely be torn between unconditionally supportive Republicans and Democrats more critical of Israel. Trump himself will be on the ballot, facing an opponent who will likely draw distinctions with him on foreign policy.

Moreover, Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner in the Democratic race, has called for an even-handed approach to the Middle East conflict, where US policy would not only be pro-Israel, but also "pro-Palestinian". The Vermont senator is also proposing conditioning US aid to Israel if it does not work to end the occupation and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. 

"I imagine that relationship is going to become more and more antagonistic," Baddar said. 

"As time goes on, that contrast will be sharpened. I do envision a scenario in which AIPAC is going all out in attack against candidate Bernie Sanders if his lead continues."

In fact, an AIPAC-linked group has been running negative ads against Sanders, centering on his health and electability - not foreign policy. 

Columnist Jonathan Tobin argued earlier this week that it was no longer feasible for AIPAC in 2020 to deliver on its mission of defending Israel in a bipartisan way.

"At a time of unprecedented hyper-partisanship, and with the possibility that support for Israel will be a point of partisan contention in the fall presidential campaign - especially if the Democrats nominate Bernie Sanders, it’s hard to see how AIPAC can continue to navigate between the parties," he wrote in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. 

"It just isn’t possible to attack Democrats who are anti-Israel without sounding pro-Trump."

'Vile attacks'

The rise of Sanders in the polls and the AIPAC ads attacking Democratic Congress members point to an indisputable shift in support of Palestinians within the party.

Yet, many - if not most - Democrats in Congress have maintained their strong commitment to the US relationship with Israel and ties with AIPAC.

In fact on Thursday, the pro-Israel lobby posted several tweets thanking top Democratic legislators for denouncing the UN Human Rights Council over publishing a list of businesses with ties to West Bank settlements considered illegal by most of the international community.

McCollum had called on the Democratic Party to "take a stand" in support of human rights.

"AIPAC's language is intended to demonise, not elevate a policy debate. Vile attacks such as this may be commonplace in the Trump era, but they should never be normalised."

In her statement, McCollum challenged AIPAC's claims of being a bipartisan group.

"AIPAC claims to be a bipartisan organisation, but its use of hate speech actually makes it a hate group," the congresswoman said.

"By weaponising antisemitism and hate to silence debate, AIPAC is taunting Democrats and mocking our core values. 

"I hope Democrats understand what is at stake and take a stand because working to advance peace, human rights, and justice is not sinister - it is righteous."

For her part, Congresswoman Tlaib, who is Palestinian American, praised McCollum for calling out AIPAC.

"I commend the courage and leadership of my colleague, Congresswoman Betty McCollum. She's right, hate speech incites violence and seeks to silence dissent," Tlaib told MEE in an email.

"In the fight for peace, equality, dignity and human rights, we must push back and call out any attempt to stop us on the path toward justice for Palestinians, Israelis, and people across the world."

AIPAC did not return MEE's request for comment. 

READ MORE

Chinstrap penguins in Antarctica, which at the weekend broke 20C for the first time in its history. (photo: Christian Aslund/Greenpeace)

Earth Just Had Hottest January Since Records Began, Data Shows
Oliver Milman, Guardian UK
Milman writes: "Last month was the hottest January on record over the world’s land and ocean surfaces, with average temperatures exceeding anything in the 141 years of data held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

The record temperatures in January follow an exceptionally warm 2019, which has been ranked as the second hottest year for the planet’s surface since reliable measurements started. The past five years and the past decade are the hottest in 150 years of record-keeping, an indication of the gathering pace of the climate crisis.

According to Noaa, the average global land and ocean surface temperature last month was 2.5F (or 1.14C) above the 20th-century average. This measurement marginally surpassed the previous January record, set in 2016.

A pulse of unusual warmth was felt across much of Russia, Scandinavia and eastern Canada, where temperatures were an incredible 9F (5C) above average, or higher. The Swedish town of Örebro reached 10.3C, its hottest January temperature since 1858, while Boston experienced its hottest ever January day, at 23C (74F).

Meanwhile, the Antarctic has begun February with several temperature spikes. The southern polar continent broke 20C (68F) for the first time in its history on 9 February, following another previous high of 18.3C just three days previously. Scientists called the readings “incredible and abnormal”.

Noaa said the four warmest Januaries on record have occurred since 2016, while the 10 warmest Januaries have taken place since 2002.

The world’s governments agreed in 2015 to keep the global temperature increase to well below 2C, compared with the pre-industrial era, in order to stave off disastrous flooding, food insecurity, heatwaves and mass displacement of people.

However, planet-warming emissions from human activity are not showing any sign of decline, let alone the deep cuts needed to meet the 2C goal and address the climate crisis. According to scientists, the world must halve its emissions by 2030 to stand any chance of avoiding disastrous climate breakdown.

READ MORE

---

Contribute to RSN 

Update My Monthly Donation