America is a decomposing myth
The world, we are told, is on the eve of witnessing the most consequential US presidential election since witnessing the last most consequential US presidential election. The hyperbole has a familiar ring because the so-called “stakes” have a familiar ring. Anyone with even a passing understanding of American history knows that presidential elections have always been cast as a binary choice between the past and future, prosperity and decay, peace and war, and, lately, democracy and authoritarianism. The myth that girds these “choices” is that American voters have a choice at all; that the two dominant political parties are, save the glib edges, ideological adversaries when, on, say, urgent matters of war and peace, they remain steadfast soulmates to the core. The billionaire oligarchs who run the whole decrepit show in America know that “democracy” is a sweet illusion meant to convince the gullible that party 1 is different from party 1a. That is the stubborn conundrum confronting Arab and Muslim American voters: The leaders of party 1 and party 1a have, on the defining issue of these awful times, promoted and defended a blatant genocide in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. So, who to choose or whether to choose at all? Remember, there is no “daylight” on this cowardly, abominable score between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Both have played willing and enthusiastic handmaidens to their indicted darling in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Both have backed every sickening measure of the state-engineered atrocities that have killed more than 43,000 (and counting) mostly Palestinian children and women – the carpet bombing, the deliberate starvation, the denial of medical care, the spread of disease, the forced marches, and on and on and on. Both refuse, of course, to use the short, sharp word “genocide” to describe – not as a rhetorical cudgel, but as a matter of international law – the crimes being committed by an apartheid state in Gaza and the West Bank. Both believe unquestionably that Israel has the absolute “right to defend itself” despite the ongoing “extermination” of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. And when their fellow citizens took to the streets and university campuses to demand a stop to the wholesale killing and apocalyptic destruction, Democrats and Republicans dismissed these enlightened Americans as “terrorist” sympathisers and applauded the draconian efforts by powerful, entrenched interests to silence the “protesters” through force, threats, and intimidation. But, as election day approaches, fretting Democrats and their compliant allies – among the “progressive” cognoscenti in the mainstream media ecosystem – have grown ever more nervous. Their palpable anxiety has been on puffing display on forgettable cable TV programmes and in forgettable online columns meant to reassure one another that everything will turn out all right. Alas, for the forlorn, a spate of national and state polls – if they are accurate – reveal a deadlocked race for the White House. In some “swing” states with could-possibly-tip-the-scales-sized Arab and Muslim populations, Trump appears to be edging ahead. The prospect that America may soon elect a fascist as commander-in-chief is registering with Kamala Harris and obedient company in the Democratic Party establishment and beyond. Oh heavens, what shall we do? “Outreach.” Yes, “outreach”. “Outreach” is a euphemism for pretending to “listen to” Arab and Muslim voters when, all along, Harris et al have ignored a grieving community that the Democratic nominee for president suddenly thinks she can mollify with meaningless bromides. “We are working night and day to arrange a ceasefire in Gaza,” Harris keeps repeating like a wind-up metronome. Sure, you are. The obscene “facts on the ground” confirm that your peace-making pleas are a hollow, cynical pantomime. When “outreach” doesn’t work, Harris and the “progressive” wailing heads have resorted, in effect, to blackmail. Arab and Muslim Americans will be responsible, they say, for electing a Muslim-banning autocrat if they cast a “protest vote” against the top of the Democratic ticket. Apart from being an outrageous affront, blackmail is rarely a convincing strategy. This is my advice to the Arab and Muslim American voters in crucial bellwether states like Michigan: Do not listen to craven politicians and journalists who, in lockstep with the leaders of party 1 and party 1a, have granted Israel the uncontested licence to kill as many Palestinians as it wants to, for as long it wants to, for whatever reason it wants to. To the uncommitted movement, I urge you to remain uncommitted in guise and spirit. Do not be dissuaded from remaining faithful to your conscience by the appeals of charlatans who believe that Palestinian lives are cheap and disposable. Do not reward the charlatans who believe that Palestinian lives are cheap and disposable by heeding their specious advice and choosing between disingenuous leader 1 and disingenuous leader 1a. Do not be swayed by the predictable stable of apologists who claim that electing Trump would only make matters “worse” for Arab and Muslim Americans. Muslim and Arab Americans have, for generations, been viewed as fifth columnists who pose an existential threat to America. You cannot be trusted. You remain “outsiders”. Accordingly, you have been treated with disdain. You have been jailed or blacklisted for speaking out. Your loyalty has been questioned. You have been routinely taken for granted. You are expected to behave. You are supposed to remain invisible and mute. Do not oblige the charlatans. I implore you, instead, to exercise your agency by depriving leader 1 and leader 1a of what they value most – position and power. Again, to the uncommitted movement, I urge you to remain uncommitted. Decency and history demand that, together, you shout: “Enough.” It is the right and just thing to do. Opting for leader 1 or leader 1a is a vote – whether you are prepared to admit it or not – for the co-architects of the genocide that has turned Gaza into dust and memory. You will not be to blame if Trump prevails. That will be the exclusive fault of millions of
CNN bans conservative commentator after verbal attack on Mehdi Hasan
US network says it has ‘zero room for racism’ after Girdusky tells Hasan: ‘I hope your beeper doesn’t go off.’ CNN has banned a conservative commentator after he verbally attacked British-American journalist Mehdi Hasan by referring to a series of exploding handheld devices in Lebanon that targeted Hezbollah. “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off,” Ryan James Girdusky said during a heated debate with Hasan, a prominent broadcaster and outspoken critic of Israel’s war on Gaza, on the show CNN Newsnight with host Abby Phillip on Monday. In a statement, the network said: “There is zero room for racism or bigotry at CNN or on our air.” Nearly 40 people were killed and thousands wounded in two days of unprecedented attacks in September when pagers, walkie-talkies and other handheld communication devices exploded across Lebanon, which were blamed on Israel. Guests on CNN Newsnight were debating the upcoming United States presidential election and the controversial Madison Square Garden rally of Republican candidate Donald Trump, including remarks made by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe about Puerto Rico. Hasan, founder of new media company Zeteo, criticised the rhetoric at the rally during which several speakers, including Trump, made racist and sexist comments aimed at several minority groups, including Black Americans, Latinos and Jews. At one point, Hasan acknowledged that the accusation that Trump and his supporters are Nazis is “inflammatory”. “But if you don’t want to be called Nazis, stop doing, stop saying,” Hasan said before he was interrupted and talked over by Girdusky, who went on to note that Hasan himself was called an “anti-Semite more than anyone at this table”. “I am in support of the Palestinians, so I am used to it,” Hasan said. Girdusky then replied, “I hope your beeper doesn’t go off”, in an apparent reference to the mass attacks in Lebanon. “Did you just say I should die? Did you just say I should be killed?” Hasan responded. Phillip, the host, chastised Girdusky and apologised to Hasan following a commercial break while noting that Girdusky had been removed from the panel of guests. “There is a line that was crossed there, and it’s not acceptable to me,” Phillip said. CNN also said in its statement, “We aim to foster thoughtful conversations and debate including between people who profoundly disagree with each other in order to explore important issues and promote mutual understanding.” Sharing @CNN’s statement and a quick message from me about what happened on tonight’s show. I take this very seriously and want to again apologize to @mehdirhasan and I hope he’ll join us another time. pic.twitter.com/O9l0Ftv5NZ — Abby D. Phillip (@abbydphillip) October 29, 2024 “But we will not allow guests to be demeaned or for the line of civility to be crossed. Ryan Girdusky will not be welcomed back at our network,” it added. Hasan, who has been hosting Al Jazeera’s Head to Head show, has yet to issue a statement about the incident. He, however, shared the statements from CNN and Phillip on social media platform X. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft think tank, said, “Every day, we think we may have hit rock bottom, and every day we are proven wrong.” Girdusky later posted on X: “Apparently you can’t go on CNN if you make a joke. I’m glad America gets to see what CNN stands for.” Adblock test (Why?)
Israeli strikes reportedly kill more than 150 in northern Gaza and Lebanon
The attacks are carried out as the humanitarian situation in both places worsens and ceasefire talks resume with no expected breakthrough. More than 150 people are reported to have been killed in Israel’s latest attacks in northern Gaza and Lebanon. At least 93 Palestinians were killed when an Israeli attack flattened a five-storey residential building housing displaced people in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya on Tuesday, the head of Gaza’s Government Media Office said. Overnight, at least 60 people were killed in eastern Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. Israel carried out the attacks as the humanitarian situation in both Gaza and Lebanon deteriorates. Conditions in northern Gaza, which has been under an Israeli siege since early October, are particularly harsh. Despite the high death toll and worsening plight of those still living in northern Gaza, ceasefire talks that have resumed in Qatar are not expected to achieve a breakthrough while Israel has moved to halt the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which is the main lifeline for most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people. Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Deir el-Balah in Gaza, described harrowing scenes from the strike in Beit Lahiya. “The images we are seeing show that more bodies are being pulled from under the rubble, including women and children,” he said. Those being pulled from the rubble were reported to be bleeding “severely” with many “crushed by the heavy weight of the large pieces of concrete that collapsed on their heads while they were sleeping”. Dr Hussam Abu Safia, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the main medical facility in northern Gaza, said more than 150 dead and wounded had arrived after the attack. However, he warned that many of those injured may die because of a lack of resources. Israeli forces detained dozens of medical staff at the hospital last week, leaving only three doctors. “We call on the world to send specialised medical delegations,” the doctor told Al Jazeera. ‘Most violent day’ In eastern Lebanon, overnight attacks in the Bekaa Valley killed at least 60 people and injured 58, the Ministry of Public Health reported. The highest death toll was in the town of Sahl Allak in Baalbek province, where 16 people were killed, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). In Ramm, also in Baalbek, an Israeli air strike killed nine people, including a mother and her four children, the state news agency reported. Baalbek Mayor Bachir Khodr described the strikes as “the most violent day in Baalbek since the beginning of the aggression”. He said in a post on X that people remained trapped under the rubble. Israeli bombardment of the area as well as of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs has intensified over the past several weeks as part of an offensive against Hezbollah that has also killed hundreds of civilians. In Gaza, at least 43,020 people have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7, 2023. An estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led attacks that day, and more than 200 were taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Not Saint, Sadhu or…’: Jaya Kishori hits back at trolls slamming her for Dior bag
Jaya Kishori came under fire for her opulent choice that contradicted her minimalistic lifestyle. She clarified that she has not renounced anything as she is no saint or sadhvi in response to the backlash.
PM Modi launches health cover for senior citizens; know eligibility, how to apply here
Starting from this date, individuals with an Ayushman card can receive free treatment up to ?5 lakh at any hospital participating in the AB PMJAY program.
Former Trump aide Steve Bannon to be released from prison 1 week before Election Day
Steve Bannon, a former White House aide and longtime ally of former President Trump, was released from prison Tuesday after completing a four-month sentence for contempt of Congress. Bannon left the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, federal Bureau of Prisons spokesperson Kristie Breshears told the Associated Press. He is expected to hold a news conference later in the day in Manhattan, according to his representatives. He will also resume his “War Room” podcast on Tuesday. Bannon, 70, was jailed in July after the Supreme Court rejected his attempt to delay the prison sentence while he appeals his conviction. JUDGE ORDERS STEVE BANNON TO REPORT TO PRISON A jury found Bannon guilty in 2022 of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and a second for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in Trump’s reported efforts to overturn his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race. Bannon told reporters in July he was “proud” to begin his prison sentence and described himself as a “political prisoner.” STEVE BANNON ‘PROUD’ TO BEGIN PRISON SENTENCE FOR CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS “I am going to prison. I’m proud to go to prison. I am proud of going to prison today,” Bannon said at a press conference held with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., outside the prison. “I am proud to go to prison. If this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny. If this is what it takes to stand up to the Garland corrupt, criminal DOJ. If this is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi, if this is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden, I’m proud to do it.” Bannon’s release comes one week before Election Day, when Trump, a Republican, will seek to defeat Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and return to the White House. TRUMP ALLY STEVE BANNON FILES EMERGENCY MOTION SEEKING TO STAY OUT OF PRISON A federal appeals court panel upheld Bannon’s convictions in May. Bannon is now asking the full appeals court to hear his case. His legal team had argued that the congressional subpoena was invalid because Trump had asserted executive privilege. Prosecutors, though, say Bannon had left the White House years before and Trump had never invoked executive privilege in front of the committee. Bannon also faces criminal charges in New York state court, where prosecutors allege he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Banon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges. He is set to go to trial in December. Fox News Digital’s Danielle Wallace and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom backs candidate in Dem vs. Dem House race
As California state Assemblymember Evan Low and former San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo vie to win the U.S. House election in California’s 16th Congressional District, Golden State Gov. Gavin Newsom has thrown his support behind Low in the Democrat versus Democrat showdown. “Evan Low embodies the very best of California’s values,” Newsom said in a statement, according to Politico. “We have worked shoulder-to-shoulder on some of our state’s most pressing issues, from protecting reproductive rights to tackling affordability for California families.” “Evan Low embodies the very best of California values. We have worked shoulder-to-shoulder on some of our state’s most pressing issues,” the governor said in a statement, according to NBC Bay Area. “Evan’s proven track record of delivering for Bay Area families makes him exactly the kind of representative CD-16 voters deserve in Washington.” In a post on X, Low said that he is “thrilled and deeply honored to have the endorsement” from the governor, whose “leadership and vision for CA have been an inspiration.” ‘PANDORA’S BOX’ OF POLYAMORY, CHILD MARRIAGES POSSIBLE UNDER PROPOSED CALIFORNIA AMENDMENT, GROUP WARNS Low wished Vice President Kamala Harris a happy birthday on Oct. 20. “Happy Birthday to our future president, Kamala Harris!” he tweeted. “I’m so proud to stand with you and honored to be running on the same Democratic Party ticket. Your leadership, tenacity, and dedication to fighting for justice and equality inspire us all. Here’s to many more years of breaking barriers and making history together!” The district is currently represented by Democratic Rep. Anna Eshoo, who did not seek re-election in 2024. ‘I WOULD NEVER TURN MY BACK ON PRESIDENT BIDEN’: NEWSOM SHOWS SUPPORT AT PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE Newsom, who has served as governor since early 2019, won re-election in 2022 after surviving a recall election in 2021. Last year, he debated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who at the time was running for the GOP presidential nomination. Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity moderated the debate. During the debate, DeSantis called Newsom “a slick, slippery politician, whose state is failing.” DEMOCRAT SAN JOSE MAYOR DISAGREES WITH BIDEN WHITE HOUSE, SAYS COVID NOT TO BLAME FOR CRIME SPIKES DeSantis ultimately dropped his presidential bid in January and endorsed former President Donald Trump after Trump won the Iowa caucus.
How local rules fuel high housing costs in Texas
Texas desperately needs more and denser housing to keep up with the demand. But zoning restrictions get in the way, a Texas Tribune analysis found.
This Trump supporter was labeled a noncitizen and kicked off Texas’ voter rolls
Mary Howard-Elley is the 10th U.S. citizen identified by ProPublica, The Texas Tribune and Votebeat whose registration was canceled after her citizenship was questioned. Her saga shows how tough it can be for eligible voters to get reinstated.
Harris-Trump showdown: Vice president picks up the pace on trail, makes pitch to progressives
ANN ARBOR, MI – For a second straight day, Vice President Kamala Harris made a trio of stops in a key battleground state as the clock quickly ticks towards Election Day in her race against former President Donald Trump. One day after campaigning in Philadelphia, swing state Pennsylvania’s largest city, the vice president made three stops in Michigan, another crucially contested Rust Belt battleground. With Harris and Trump locked in a margin-of-error race in both the national and swing state polls and eight days to go until Election Day, Harris is kicking off a fast-paced final week of campaigning. WHY TRUMP IS MAKING LAST MINUTE STOPS IN BLUE-LEANING STATES For the first time in two months, the vice president teamed up at a large rally with her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, as they spoke in front of what their campaign said was a crowd of roughly 21,000 gathered on a brisk autumn evening. On the eve of what is being touted as her closing argument in an address in the nation’s capital, Harris gave a preview, saying “we have an opportunity to turn the page [from Trump] and chart a new and joyful way forward.” CHECK OUT THE LATEST FOX NEWS POWER RANKINGS IN THE 2024 ELECTION The vice president, who has spent parts of the past couple of weeks courting Republican voters disaffected with Trump, interjected into her Monday night speech appeals to the progressive base of the Democratic Party. She spotlighted that health care insurance “should be a right, and not just a privilege for those who can afford it.” When interrupted by demonstrators protesting U.S. support for Israel in its war with Hamas in Gaza, she responded “I hear you on the subject of Gaza.” “We all want this war to end as soon as possible and to get the hostages out,” the vice president said. “I will do everything in my power to make it so.” Ann Abor, a Democratic-dominated city that is also home to Michigan’s flagship state university, has also seen plenty of protests over the war in Gaza. WHAT THE MOST RECENT FOX NEWS POLLS SHOW IN THE HARRIS-TRUMP SHOWDOWN Walz, speaking before Harris, made a passionate pitch on gun violence, emphasizing that freedom includes being “free to send your kids to school without them being shot dead in the halls.” “I’ll take no crap on this. I know guns, I’m a veteran. I’m a hunter. Kamala and I are both gun owners. We know that you can uphold the Second Amendment, but also uphold our first responsibility – protecting our children,” the governor added. Harris, after delivering her closing address on Tuesday, returns to the battleground states on Wednesday, with stops in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Those three states, along with Michigan, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada, had razor-thin margins that decided President Biden’s 2020 White House victory over Trump. Additionally, the seven states are likely to determine if Trump or Harris wins this year. Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are also the three Rust Belt states that make up the Democrats’ so-called “Blue Wall.” The party reliably won all three states for a quarter-century before Trump narrowly captured them in the 2016 election to win the White House. Four years later, in 2020, Biden carried all three states by razor-thin margins to put them back in the Democrats’ column and defeat Trump. Both the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees, as well as their running mates, have made repeated stops in the three states this summer and autumn. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.