COMMON DREAMS: Top News: Jared Kushner Calls for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 ■ Today's Top News  Groups Slam Billionaire Jeffrey Yass for Trying to Oust Pennsylvania Progressive "Is it any surprise that a billionaire who made his money off of our exploitation is trying to stop us from electing champions who advocate for what our communities need to thrive and be safe?" asked one campaigner. By Brett Wilkins To Unrig Economy, Dems Propose Raising Taxes on Wealth Over $50 Million "The Ultra-Millionaire Tax is a critically needed policy that would ensure that the super-rich who have benefited from a rigged system will begin to pay their fair share in taxes," said one advocate. By Julia Conley US Supreme Court Lets Texas Enforce 'Unconstitutional and Extreme' Border Law "Allowing this law to be implemented as the case makes its way through the legal process needlessly puts people's lives at risk," said one campaigner. "We remain committed to the fight to permanently overturn S.B. 4." By Jessica Corbett Trump Son-in-Law Jared Kushner Calls for Ethnic Cleansing of Gaza to 'Finish the Job' Kushner, who served as a key Middle East adviser to Trump, said that Gaza's "waterfront property could be very valuable" and urged Israel to "clean it up." By Jake Johnson Rights Groups Tell Biden Israeli Claims About US Weapons Use in Gaza 'Not Credible' Human Rights Watch and Oxfam lay out "for the Biden administration why any assurances from Israel that they have not delayed, restricted, and impeded aid into Gaza cannot be relied upon." By Jessica Corbett 'Sirens Are Blaring': WMO Says 2023 Shattered Key Climate Metrics "Fossil fuel pollution is sending climate chaos off the charts," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said. By Olivia Rosane JOIN THE MOVEMENT As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. JOIN WITH US TODAY ■ More News After Years of Indigenous-Led Campaigning, Court Grants Rights to Peru's Marañón River Brazil's Bolsonaro Indicted for Falsifying Covid Vaccine Records Industry Elites Applaud Saudi Aramco CEO for Calling Oil Phaseout a 'Fantasy' Only 7 Countries Meet WHO's Air Quality Guidelines as Fossil Fuels Worsen Pollution "The science is pretty clear about the impacts of air pollution and yet we are so accustomed to having a background level of pollution that's too high to be healthy," said an official at Swiss firm IQAir. excerpt: A Swiss air quality monitoring firm on Tuesday said its latest worldwide data reveals the need for more walkable cities and a swift transition away from planet-heating fossil fuels, as just 7 out of 134 countries were found to meet global standards for dangerous air pollution. IQAir found that Australia, Estonia, Finland, Grenada, Iceland, Mauritius, and New Zealand were the only countries that met the World Health Organization's (WHO) guidelines for particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) pollution, which is made up of microscopic airborne particles and can become embedded in peoples' lungs and even their bloodstreams, especially in cases of high exposure. Three territories—Bermuda, French Polynesia, and Puerto Rico—also met WHO's standard. PM2.5 can cause or aggravate asthma and has been linked to worsened lung function, heart attacks, respiratory ailments, and irregular heartbeat. While IQAir measured countries' air quality against WHO's guideline for "safe" PM2.5 levels—five micrograms per cubic meter—U.S. scientists found last month that there is no safe amount of PM2.5 for humans. IQAir found that PM2.5 levels were highest in the Global South. Bangladesh was found to have more than 15 times the amount of PM2.5 pollution than what is advised by WHO, while Pakistan's level was 14 times higher. The most polluted metropolitan area in 2023 was Begusarai, India, and India had four of most polluted cities in the world. VIEW ALL NEWS ■ Opinion How to Resist the Expanding Global Land Grab The International Conference on Global Land Grabbing in Bogotá this week is a step towards strengthening alliances across social justice movements. By Salena Tramel Mexico Brings Science to a Trade Fight Over GMO Corn While Mexico incorporates peer-reviewed science to challenge the propaganda of industrial agriculture interests, American stances ignore it. By Ernesto Hernández-López The Bloated Pentagon Budget Is Our Path to Ruin Today’s generation of “leaders” seems not yet to have had their fill of war, hate, and oppression. That tragic fact — not China, not Russia, not any foreign power — is now the greatest threat to this country’s “national security.” By William Astore VIEW ALL OPINION Call 207.775.0488 to donate by phone or mail a check to: Common Dreams · PO Box 443 · Portland, ME 04112-0443 · USA Common Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your contribution is tax-deductible. EIN: 20-3368194