By Liz Theoharis and Noam Sandweiss-Back ( Tomdispatch.com ) – The day after Donald Trump won the 2024 election, the 10 richest people in the world — including nine Americans — expanded their wealth by nearly $64 billion, the greatest single-day increase in recorded history. Since then, an unholy marriage of billionaire investors, tech bros, […]
Archives for April 2025
Turkiye’s Solar Installations soared 39% last Year, as Wind and Solar hit 18% of Grid
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The energy consultancy Ember has issued a new report on solar energy in Turkiye. As I discussed last December, that form of energy is making tremendous strides there. Ember finds that in 2024, wind and solar surged ahead of coal for the first time. I remember my first visit to […]
Israel’s Bombing of al-Ahli Baptist Hospital on Palm Sunday Condemned; Last functioning Hospital
By IMEMC | – ( IMEMC ) – The Israeli bombing of Gaza’s Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital, especially on Palm Sunday, has ignited widespread condemnation from Arab nations, international figures, and Christian organizations, while some countries have notably refrained from addressing the incident. The attack targeted a vital healthcare facility, sparking outrage and calls for accountability. […]
‘Immoral, Inhumane, and Illegal’: ICE Arrests Palestinian Columbia Protest Leader at urging of Far Right Zionist Betar Org.
“He came to this country hoping to be free to speak out about the atrocities he has witnessed, only to be punished for such speech,” said Mohsen Mahdawi’s lawyer. ( Common Dreams ) – A month after the international far-right pro-Israel group Betar named Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi as the next target in its […]
The Islamic Peace Studies Initiative
Pacifism in Islam – University of Manchester. Juan Cole’s remarks at their conference. The Islamic Peace Studies Initiative Juan Cole and Samer Ali have directed the Islamic Peace Studies Initiative at the Center for Middle Eastern and North African Studies in the International Institute of the University of Michigan from 2016. The initiative sought to […]
Trump’s “1984”-Like Vision for a New World Order
( Tomdispatch.com ) – Most of us can remember at least a few troubling scenes from George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984: the mandatory love demanded for the spectral dictator Big Brother; the malleability of facts at the Ministry of Truth; or the ruling party’s memorably grim slogans, “War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery.” But for […]
Across War Zones, targeting Healthcare has become a Strategy, not an Accident
Written byWalid El Houri ( Global Voices ) – The bodies of 15 Palestinian rescue workers were recently discovered in Gaza, showing signs of execution-style killings. According to doctors on the ground, the workers were found with gunshot wounds to the head and their hands tied — disturbing indicators of extrajudicial execution. This massacre is […]
The Deep History of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Letters and Politics on KPFA with Mitch Jeserich: KPFA Special – The History Behind The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyam – Interview with Juan Cole (Long excerpt of computer-generated transcript cleaned up by ChatGPT; caveat emptor): Mitch Jeserich: Good day and welcome to Letters and Politics. I’m Mitch Jeserich. “Since we […]
NYC Comptroller Pursues Lawsuit Against Tesla and Musk for Stock Plunge
By Natalia Renta | – ( Inequality.org ) – In the wake of recent Tesla Takedown protests at hundreds of dealerships across the country, financial officers on both sides of the political aisle weighed in on how to address Tesla’s tanking share price. New York City Comptroller Brad Lander called for accountability from Elon Musk […]