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>Dore responded, “Ok, here’s what I would ask: just like Peter Hotez ducked you and Joe Rogan, I would love — because Max is the guy to talk to about this, not me. Would you do an interview with Max? Because he would be able to talk to you about this way better than I can.” > >“Yeah, I would love to talk to Max,” Kennedy said in a seemingly sincere tone. > >Within 24 hours, however, his communications director was frantically explaining why no such conversation could take place.

Typical Americans.

>The consequences of these terrorist directives include drownings of adults and children; a miscarriage by a pregnant woman caught in the wire; serious lacerations suffered by children and adults from the barbed wire; and children, among others, passing out from heat exhaustion, but then pushed back into the river by Texas National Guard soldiers.

…wow.

Ironic considering how he’s the most vocal Zionist on the campaign trail. Not so different after all. It’s sickening some “leftists” and even “Marxists” support this guy.

>It is with a heavy heart and hazy skies we announce that 2 different pipeline valves were turned off along the Line 5 route on Anishinaabae land in the great lakes region. This was done on the 13th anniversary of the Kalamazoo River oil spill. This was the 2nd largest inland oil spill in [Yankee] history, dumping 1,000,000 gallons of tar sands crude oil into the river and causing untold damage to the water, land and those who live on it. > >[…] > >Protests and legal challenges against the aging Line 5 pipeline continue, with many impacted communities calling for the pipeline to be completely shut down.

>In February 2023, the state of Florida threw out a promising Advanced Placement curriculum in African American History pilot, claiming it lacked “educational value.” The “Stop WOKE” legislation in Florida, Texas, and several other states represents an effort to purge U.S. history of any references to violence against Black, Brown, Indigenous and Asian people by white supremacists. > >Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “anti-woke” campaign would revise how history is taught, including omitting or minimizing the contributions of historic Civil Rights leaders like Rosa Parks. DeSantis is under fire for suggesting enslavement benefited the people held captive in the U.S. by “teaching them new skills.” > >For activists, woke is slang for awareness. Calls to “stay woke” echoed throughout the history of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement, reverberating through the recent Black Lives Matter movement. This is not an issue of some white students allegedly claiming discomfort over learning about the brutally racist history of their ancestors – it’s about trying to totally erase that history with textbooks that glorify white supremacy.

Joe Biden approves of this message.

https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1681424737384435713

https://web.archive.org/web/20230624214433/https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/lynn-paltrow-pregnancy-justice-interview.html

I don't watch much Yankee TV or cinema anymore, but seeing all these writers who basically created most of my entertainment as a child get organised and go on a big national strike feels like such a cool example of worker organisation. Many from the unions have even been putting out wider critiques of capitalism unconstrained by employment risks that, even if a bit unitedstadian, are also very useful.

And the way that the very same newscorps that they've worked for and created content to talk about are basically boycotting coverage is just yet another great way to understand the class conflict within an industry.

Piggybacking this to say, y'all on the USA should really get something like the strike calendar for a morning routine of keeping track of strikes and other industrial action without depending on the news cycle. Make it open source so we can steal it worldwide.

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/403754

> A Federal Reserve database of master accounts reveals “stunning” information in Wyoming-based Custodia Bank’s precedent-setting lawsuit against the Fed for denying its master account.

>Representatives of multiple organizations, including Community Movement Builders, the NAACP Legal Fund, Movement for Black Lives, Working Families Party and Black Voters Matter, described the referendum process to allow the people of Atlanta to vote on the fate of Cop City. The first step was taking place as their press conference was occurring. A representative of the Union of Southern Service Workers delivered the wording of the petition, which was admitted by the close of the press briefing to the City Clerk. > >The approved petition language was to be returned to the referendum campaign within seven days, but there was a delay due to a minor technicality. Once the language is returned, in the following 60 days, over 75,000 signatures of Atlanta voters, who were registered as of November 2021, have to be gathered. Once the necessary number has been vetted, the referendum language revoking the Cop City lease and all its provisions will be on the November ballot in Atlanta. > >This electoral strategy is occurring in tandem with the protest demonstrations, rallies and other events during the upcoming Week of Action, directed at the building contractors, donors and board members of the Atlanta Police Foundation. The list includes well-known businesses like Delta, Chick-fil-A, Home Depot, Coca Cola, Bank of America and AT&T. These wealthy corporations, who form the privately run foundation, are the political and financial muscle behind Cop City. > >While the call for the Week of Action originates from Atlanta, participation can be worldwide, since many of the entities listed are national and international profiteers. > >For additional information on the referendum campaign, see copcityvote.com > >and the Week of Action, June 24-July 1, stopcopcitysolidarity.org/mobilize.

>“I was able to obtain my GED in prison. I’ve learned communication and so many other skills. I’m a Certified Peer Specialist; that’s my job in here. I help my peers with their challenges and their stress when it comes to mental health. I think my nature is to help people. We just completed a course through Bucknell University on science and technology. > >“If you ask the staff, they will tell you lifers are the most model prisoners. We are the mentors. We are the ones who give back to the community. In the last 10 years, lifers here have raised over $100,000 for various community causes. Lifers increase their education, even though in Pennsylvania, not more than 10% of lifers are allowed to enroll in academic, vocational or treatment programs. > >“These are some of the issues we wanted to discuss with officials on May 23. We wanted to talk about alternatives to life without parole, about the impact our crimes have made on our victims, their families, communities and society as a whole. We had victims’ advocates come in, because we wanted to build a bridge with them. We wanted to show remorse. We wanted to be more productive and helpful when it comes to victims’ families.”

>The demonstration highlighted the risk of sexual assault that military workers, especially women of color, face. A 2020 report by the Service Women’s Action Network found that the rate of sexual harassment experienced by Latina women in the military was 42.9%, compared to 33.9% for non-Hispanic Black women and 26.9% for white women. > >Protesters demanded justice for the families of Juan M. Alcantara, Riayan Tejeda and Ramona M. Valdez — all Dominican-American youth from Washington Heights who were killed during the imperialist war in Iraq while “serving” the U.S. empire’s pursuit of natural resources and profits. > >[…] > >This writer, a teacher and organizer with the BAWC, said, “We must stand together with this young student in demanding better from our public schools. Shame on CUNY and Rep. Espaillat for bringing military and police recruiters to the career fair, while providing little to no opportunities for art students. This sends the message that CUNY views disadvantaged youth as nothing more than fodder for the U.S. war machine. > >“With their latest censorship of and smear campaign against CUNY law school student Fatima Mohammed — who defended the liberation of Palestine in her commencement speech — it is clear that CUNY’s alignment with U.S. and Western imperialism has made it part of the problem instead of part of the solution when it comes to creating meaningful career opportunities for oppressed youth in the Bronx and Upper Manhattan.”

>Lee Greenwood held a large photo of her son who was executed in 2007, even though he didn’t kill anyone. His face exemplified those sitting on death rows around the country, as 41% on death row are African American, but they comprise only 14% of the general population.

35yo, died around Juneteenth..unlikely an accident.

🥂

Here is the DOJ's report, which states that the MPD and Minnesota's largest city "engage in a pattern or practice of conduct in violation of the U.S. Constitution and federal law."

> "Our investigation showed that MPD officers routinely use excessive force, often when no force is necessary. We found that MPD officers often use unreasonable force (including deadly force) to obtain immediate compliance with orders, often forgoing meaningful de-escalation tactics and instead using force to subdue people," the report states. "MPD's pattern or practice of using excessive force violates the law."

The DOJ probe found that MPD:

• Uses excessive force, including unjustified deadly force and unreasonable use of Tasers;
• Unlawfully discriminates against Black people and Native American people in its enforcement activities, including the use of force following stops;
• Violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech; and
• Along with the city, discriminates against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to calls for assistance.

Specific mention was made to illegal attacks on protestors and journalists.

It's nice to see confirmation of what we've known: they aren't just evil, they're preying on the weak and disadvantaged.

>While UNITE HERE has attempted to organize a union for Marriott workers, pushback from management derailed the efforts. Speakers at protests outside the Marriott have raised that many of the workers are Black, Brown and LGBTQ. Without union protection, their jobs are on the line if they speak out against M4L [Moms for Liberty, the ‘liberty’ in this case being rich white men’s. — editor]. > >The week before Memorial Day, through anonymously leaked news, workers at the Museum of the American Revolution (MAR) first learned their bosses had agreed to host the opening “Welcome to Philadelphia” reception for M4L. The workers hadn’t been told earlier, even though the contract was negotiated in December 2022. (Philadelphia Gay News, June 5)

>The fight will not be easy, given the current stage of capitalist decline and with a potential economic recession looming on the horizon. The profit-hungry capitalists are in no mood to return the union workers’ gains made in the past that the bosses have clawed back over the last few decades. > >But with the powerful writers strike — which may soon be expanded to include actors and many other film and media workers — continuing against the entertainment industry, and strikes at UPS and the Big Three on the horizon, class-struggle unionism can help to unify the working class against capital.

let's FUCKING GOOOO

After being scammed into thinking her daughter was kidnapped, an Arizona woman testified in the US Senate about the dangers side of artificial intelligence technology when in the hands of criminals.

Jennifer DeStefano told the Senate judiciary committee about the fear she felt when she received an ominous phone call on a Friday last April.

Thinking the unknown number was a doctor’s office, she answered the phone just before 5pm on the final ring. On the other end of the line was her 15-year-old daughter – or at least what sounded exactly like her daughter’s voice.

“On the other end was our daughter Briana sobbing and crying saying ‘Mom’.”

Briana was on a ski trip when the incident took place so DeStefano assumed she injured herself and was calling let her know.

DeStefano heard the voice of her daughter and recreated the interaction for her audience: “‘Mom, I messed up’ with more crying and sobbing. Not thinking twice, I asked her again, ‘OK, what happened?’”

She continued: “Suddenly a man’s voice barked at her to ‘lay down and put your head back’.”

Panic immediately set in and DeStefano said she then demanded to know what was happening.

“Nothing could have prepared me for her response,” Defano said.

Defano said she heard her daughter say: “‘Mom these bad men have me. Help me! Help me!’ She begged and pleaded as the phone was taken from her.”

“Listen here, I have your daughter. You tell anyone, you call the cops, I am going to pump her stomach so full of drugs,” a man on the line then said to DeStefano.

The man then told DeStefano he “would have his way” with her daughter and drop her off in Mexico, and that she’d never see her again.

At the time of the phone call, DeStefano was at her other daughter Aubrey’s dance rehearsal. She put the phone on mute and screamed for help, which captured the attention of nearby parents who called 911 for her.

DeStefano negotiated with the fake kidnappers until police arrived. At first, they set the ransom at $1m and then lowered it to $50,000 when DeStefano told them such a high price was impossible.

She asked for a routing number and wiring instructions but the man refused that method because it could be “traced” and demanded cash instead.

DeStefano said she was told that she would be picked up in a white van with bag over her head so that she wouldn’t know where she was going.

She said he told her: “If I didn’t have all the money, then we were both going to be dead.”

But another parent with her informed her police were aware of AI scams like these. DeStefano then made contact with her actual daughter and husband, who confirmed repeatedly that they were fine.

“At that point, I hung up and collapsed to the floor in tears of relief,” DeStefano said.

When DeStefano tried to file a police report after the ordeal, she was dismissed and told this was a “prank call”.

A survey by McAfee, a computer security software company, found that 70% of people said they weren’t confident they could tell the difference between a cloned voice and the real thing. McAfee also said it takes only three seconds of audio to replicate a person’s voice.

DeStefano urged lawmakers to act in order prevent scams like these from hurting other people.

She said: “If left uncontrolled, unregulated, and we are left unprotected without consequence, it will rewrite our understanding and perception what is and what is not truth. It will erode our sense of ‘familiar’ as it corrodes our confidence in what is real and what is not.”

>The union’s pay demands are urgent. UW is not paying the minimum wage for salaried workers, picket leader Mickey Cassar told Workers World. Seattle rents have increased 92% since 2010, according to a study by the financial tech company Self. Workers are also demanding increased support for child care, with “market rate” child care costs extremely high. > >The strike is grinding research to a halt, according to organizers. The 2,400 RSEs and postdocs perform a wide range of critical research, from developing new theories to fight disease to designing policy to fight climate change. A union organizer stated they were involved in developing tests for COVID-19. > >The young strikers are up against a ruling-class university, one of the largest receivers of federal research dollars among public universities. UW President Ana Mari Cauce makes $842,000 in salary annually and lives in a state-provided mansion. The top 10 UW administrators make a total of $12 million a year.

>Republicans have been clamoring to rescind billions of dollars in additional funding provided for the Internal Revenue Service as part of last year’s Inflation Reduction Act. They succeeded to an extent as part of the recent deal between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden to raise the debt limit, which also clawed back $21.4 billion from the tax agency. > >A new study suggests that deal could be costly. Researchers at the Treasury Department, Harvard University and The University of Sydney looked at IRS data for about 710,000 in-person audits. They found that audits generate a substantial return for the government — and while audit costs rise for those with higher incomes (because wealthy people typically have more complicated tax filings) the returns rise even more. Every additional dollar spent on auditing taxpayers in the top 10% of earners generates more than $12 in revenue for the government.

>The march started at 10th and Vine Streets, on an overpass above the Vine Street Expressway, built in the 1990s despite community opposition. Chinatown was partially destroyed by the expressway’s construction, an “urban renewal project” which eliminated housing and physically divided in half the neighborhood of 3,000 residents. > >The energy from the marchers was palpable, especially when demonstrators went under tunnels on both sides of the Fashion District Mall that amplified the sound of their chants and drums. The plans for the proposed arena call for tearing down half of the mall.