Newsletter 3.12.19

Hi all, 

Thanks again for all your support. Here's this week's newsletter.  Enjoy! 

--- Florence, Adam, Nima, and Marco 

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Elizabeth Warren’s Universal Child Care Plan Is a Good Start. Other 2020 Candidates Can Up the Ante. Kathleen Geier, In These Times (February 26, 2019)

For In These Times Kathleen Geier lays out goals that leftist universal child care program must achieve. She finds that Elizabeth Warren’s child care plan falls short of providing public care and would create too much of a demand for childcare worker that cannot be met in the current system. However, it brings attention to a child care system that is woefully inadequate and explains why other presidential candidates should come up with better proposals.  

The Israel Lobby's Plan to Save Its Influence Noah Kulwin, Jewish Currents (March 4, 2019)

Senior members of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) are forming a new political group called Pro-Israel America to funnel small donors to pro-Israel candidates. Desperate to stem the growing opposition to Israeli occupation of Palestine, Pro-Israel activists are getting more blatant in their political influence campaign. 

Breakdown in Hanoi Summit Shows the Real Danger on the Korean Peninsula: Donald Trump’s America Jon Schwarz, The Intercept (February 28, 2019)

The people of the Korean peninsula want to broker peace between the north and south and they are willing to use Trump to do it. However, the U.S. foreign policy apparatus and the media that parrots its points would sabotage peace efforts it it keeps North Korea having effective deterrence against US invasion.

The Obama Boys Nathan Robinson, Current Affairs (March 10, 2019)

Nathan Robinson uses three books from former Obama staffers Dan Pfeiffer, Ben Rhodes and David Litt to examine how the Obama administration did politics. He finds a an administration with a vacuous style-over-substance approach that bent over backwards for its right-wing critics. 

Why Oakland’s Striking Teachers Won Eric Blanc, Jacobin (March 4, 2019)

Oakland's teacher’s strike ended with a new contract that made some gains for teachers. For Jacobin, Eric Blanc shows that support from the community, including makeshift day centers for children was crucial for a strike that could permanently change Oakland politics 

Why False Accusations of Anti-Semitism Against Ilhan Omar Are So Harmful Phyllis Bennis, In These Times (March 4, 2019)

Bad faith actors use accusations of anti-Semitism to silence Pro-Palestinian activists, such as Rep. Ilhan Omar.  Former Citations Needed guest Phyllis Bennis explains how these false accusations ignore the role white supremacy plays in historical anti-Semitism and the vast influence apparatus put in place to support Israel and smear critics.  

Chelsea Manning Fights Subpoena — Showing How Federal Grand Juries Are Unaccountable Tools of Repression Natasha Lennard, The Intercept (March 4, 2019)

Chelsea Manning’s recent decision to fight a subpoena puts her at risk of federal incarceration. Natasha Lennard documents the Trump administration’s punitive agenda against Manning and the shadowy role federal grand juries have played in intimidating activists.   

Venezuela-Baiting: How Media Keep Anti-Imperialist Dissent in Check Alan MacLeod, FAIR (March 5, 2019)

After Bernie Sanders lightly criticized Trump’s regime change efforts in Venezuela, several media outlets published that accused him of being too close to "dictators". This script of red-baiting opponents of American imperialism has been used time and time again to promote unchecked American intervention. 

ICE Has Kept Tabs on ‘Anti-Trump’ Protesters in New York City Jimmy Tobias, The Nation (March 6, 2019)

Jimmy Tobias uncovers a spreadsheet that ICE uses to keep track of “anti-Trump” protests. While it is well known that ICE uses surveillance as an intimidation tactic against undocumented immigrants, this spreadsheet reveals the full extent to which the Trump Administration will go to monitor dissent.

Making Georgia’s Bad Elections Even Worse Bob Moser, The New Republic (March 6, 2019)

Members of Georgia governor’s staff have connections to a company could provide the state with unsafe voting machines

Facebook Wants You to Know if You’re Getting Your News From the Wrong Government Jim Naureckas, FAIR (March 1, 2019)

After a misleading report from CNN targeting In The Now for receiving funds from Russia, Facebook suspended the outlet’s page. Jim Naureckas describes the double standard where outlets funded by the American government can receive unlimited exposure while outlets funded by Official State Enemies cannot.

Defense Tech Startup Founded by Trump’s Most Prominent Silicon Valley Supporters Wins Secretive Military AI Contract Lee Fang, The Intercept (March 9, 2019)

Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus Rift and a known Trump supporter, has a startup that just signed a lucrative defense contract to provide artificial intelligence to train soldiers. The startup, Anduril Industries, previously worked with Border Patrol to develop a virtual border wall and it is taking advantage of military efforts to bring A.I. from tech companies into the military industrial complex