In Izmir, Turkey, two U.S. soldiers were assaulted by members of the nationalist Turkey Youth Union, leading to the detention of fifteen suspects. The attack, which has been condemned by both Turkish authorities and the U.S. Embassy, underscores rising tensions between Turkey and its Western allies. This incident highlights the need for continued diplomatic efforts to bridge divides and maintain global security.
Istanbul, Türkiye — In a disturbing incident highlighting the rising tensions between nationalist factions and foreign military personnel in Turkey, two U.S. soldiers were assaulted by members of anationalist youth group in the port city of Izmir. Authorities have confirmed that fifteen suspected assailants, all identified as members of the Turkey Youth Union(Türkiye Gençlik Birliği or TGB), were detained following the attack.
The incident reportedly occurred in a public area, where the soldiers were approached by a group of young men who began verbally harassing them. The situation quickly escalated, with the assailants physically assaulting the soldiers, knocking them to the ground.
Eyewitnesses described the scene as chaotic, with several of the attackers waving Turkish flags and shouting nationalist slogans. The soldiers sustained minor injuries and were quickly evacuated from the area by local authorities, who responded to the scene within minutes.
The Turkey Youth Union, known for its nationalist and anti-Western stance, has been involved in similar incidents in the past, often targeting foreign military personnel and facilities in Turkey. The group has been vocal in its opposition to U.S. military presence in the country, viewing it as a threat to Turkish sovereignty.
Turkish authorities have condemned the attack, stating that such acts of violence will not be tolerated. “We are committed to maintaining the safety and security of all individuals in our country, regardless of nationality,” a spokesperson for the Turkish Interior Ministry said. “The individuals responsible for this attack will face the full force of the law.”
The U.S. Embassy in Ankara also released a statement expressing concern over the incident and urging American citizens in Turkey to exercise caution. “We are in close contact with Turkish authorities and appreciate their swift action in detaining the suspects,” the statement read.
This incident comes at a time of heightened tensions between Turkey and its Western allies, exacerbated by differing views on regional security issues and Turkey’s domestic policies. The attack on the U.S. soldiers could further strain relations between the two NATO allies, raising questions about the future of their military cooperation.
As we reflect on this event, we are reminded of the importance of global leadership and diplomacy in maintaining peace and security. The actions of a few should not overshadow the efforts of many who work tirelessly to connect goodness and uplift humanity.
In a world increasingly divided by nationalism and extremism, it is imperative that we, as global citizens, strive for understanding and cooperation across borders.
Labor Day, now a national holiday in the United States, has its origins in the first parade held at Union Square, New York, on the first Monday of September 1882. This march for workers’ rights was so successful that it ignited a nationwide movement, eventually leading President Grover Cleveland to declare Labor Day a national holiday in 1894.
New York, N.Y. –– On the first Monday in September 1882, Union Square in New York City became the epicenter of a movement that would echo across the nation. The square, named not for labor unions but for the confluence of major thoroughfares, found itself redefined by a different kind of union—workers uniting for their rights. On that day, thousands of workers gathered, marching through the streets in what would become the first Labor Day parade.
Photo: Labor Day Parade, New York City, 1914.
The significance of this parade cannot be understated.
It wasn’t just a demonstration; it was a declaration. Workers, who had long toiled in the shadows of industrialization, came together to demand recognition of their rights, fair wages, and better working conditions. The parade was a success beyond the organizers’ expectations, drawing attention to the plight of workers not only in New York but across the entire country.
Historians recount that the impact of this parade was profound.
It stirred the consciousness of a nation and marked the beginning of a broader labor movement. The workers’ march at Union Square was a turning point, inspiring others across the United States to stand up and demand the respect and rights they deserved.
The momentum generated by this first parade continued to build, leading to significant changes in the way workers were treated. By 1894, the push for labor rights had gained such strength that President Grover Cleveland officially recognized Labor Day as a national holiday, a testament to the power of collective action.
Today, as we commemorate Labor Day, we remember that it was born out of struggle and solidarity.
This holiday, often seen as the end of summer, carries with it a legacy of workers who, through their unity and determination, uplifted humanity. As we reflect on this, we are reminded of our own role in continuing to connect goodness and ensure that the rights and dignity of all workers are upheld.
For all the respect, praise, and positions that he was offered, George Washington remained a very selfless person. Washington never paid attention to money, fame, and glory, and turned down command of the army and the presidency several times.
New York, N.Y. — For the first time since writing an op-ed piece in the New York Times titled, “I Love Joe Biden. But We Need a New Nominee,” George Clooney has spoken out about the impact his article may have had.
At the Venice Film Festival, when a reporter asked him about the op-ed during a news conference for “Wolfs,” his new buddy comedy with Brad Pitt, he responded: “The person who should be applauded is the president who did the most selfless thing that anyone’s done since George Washington.”
Clooney’s public stance, as one of President Joe Biden’s biggest supporters and fundraisers in Hollywood, was seen as a major influence on the president leaving the race in July and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris.
As we reflect on the leaders who have shaped our world, we recognize the power of selflessness in leadership. George Clooney’s recent comparison of President Joe Biden to George Washington underscores a profound truth: the greatness of a leader lies not only in their vision but in their selflessness.
Clooney sees Biden as a leader who, like Washington, places the nation above personal ambition, embodying the spirit of global leadership that connects goodness and uplifts humanity. This reflection reminds us of the importance of young global leaders who carry forward this legacy, ensuring a future guided by the values of selflessness and service.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, now in its 330th day, has killed at least 40,602 Palestinians — mostly women and children — and wounded over 93,855 others, a conservative estimate, with 10,000+ believed to be buried under debris of bombed homes
New York, N.Y. — Israel‘s genocidal war on Gaza. It is now in its 330th day. This war has killed at least 40,602 Palestinians — mostly women and children.
Photo: Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, now in its 330th day, has killed at least 40,602 Palestinians — mostly women and children. Photo: @TRT World Now.Photo: Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, now in its 330th day, has killed at least 40,602 Palestinians — mostly women and children. Photo: @TRT World Now.
Eastern Germany on the Brink: AfD Expected to Secure First Major Election Victory
Berlin, Germany — The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party is on course for its first electoral victory in an eastern German state, marking a significant political shift in the region.
Photo: Far-right Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) representatives gather for a protest against government’s energy policy in front of the Bundestag in Berlin. Credit: TRT World Now.
As the party continues to gain traction, this potential win could signal a broader acceptance of far-right ideologies within parts of the country. The election results are likely to have profound implications for German politics and the future of the European Union.
Photo: Far-right Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) representatives gather for a protest against government’s energy policy in front of the Bundestag in Berlin. Credit: TRT World Now.
From Vlogs to Victim: The Story of Medo Halimy and the Cost of Conflict
New York, N.Y. —Medo Halimy, a 19-year-old vlogger who shared his day-to-day life from a tent in Gaza, has tragically passed away following an Israeli airstrike that left him in a coma.
Medo’s vlogs, which offered a glimpse into the resilience and struggles of life in a conflict zone, resonated with many online. His untimely death highlights the devastating impact of the ongoing conflict on young lives and the innocent.
New York, N.Y. — As American universities reopen for the fall semester, a renewed wave of Palestinian protests has taken root on campuses across the country. Driven by recent escalations in the Israel-Palestine conflict, students and faculty members are increasingly vocal about their stance on the issue.
Solidarity events, teach-ins, and protests have emerged, particularly in universities with active chapters of organizations like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP).
At some institutions, these demonstrations have sparked heated debates and even clashes with pro-Israel groups, highlighting the deep divisions on this issue. Administrations find themselves walking a tightrope, balancing the rights of students to express themselves with the need to maintain campus safety and uphold free speech.
Many universities have issued statements reaffirming their commitment to free expression while condemning any acts of hate or violence that may arise from these protests.
As the semester progresses, it is clear that the Israel-Palestine conflict will remain a flashpoint on American campuses, reflecting broader societal tensions and the global discourse surrounding the issue.
Nearly 40,000 people in Japan died alone at home this year, highlighting the growing crisis of social isolation and the phenomenon of “kodokushi.” As the country grapples with an aging population and eroding family structures, this tragic trend raises urgent questions about how to care for the most vulnerable members of society.
Tokyo, Japan — In Japan, a deeply concerning trend continues to unfold, as nearly 40,000 people died alone in their homes this year, according to a recent report.
These solitary deaths, often referred to as “kodokushi,” highlight the growing issue of social isolation in a country known for its aging population and declining birthrate.
The phenomenon of kodokushi—where individuals pass away unnoticed, sometimes for weeks or months—has become increasingly common. Factors such as a rapidly aging population, changing family structures, and urbanization contribute to this tragic situation.
Many of the deceased were elderly, living alone with little to no contact with family or neighbors.
Local governments and non-profit organizations have started programs to regularly check on the elderly and isolated individuals. Technology is also being utilized, with smart devices that can monitor daily activities and alert authorities if something seems amiss. Yet, these measures are often too little, too late, for those already on the fringes of society.
The deaths of these nearly 40,000 individuals serve as a stark reminder of the challenges facing Japan as it grapples with an aging population and a society that is increasingly disconnected. As the country looks for solutions, the story of kodokushi raises broader questions about community, loneliness, and the role of modern society in caring for its most vulnerable members.
The show’s exploration of a shadow government resonates with unsettling realism, drawing parallels to historical events and modern political anxieties. From JFK’s assassination to Martin Luther King Jr.’s silencing, the show hints at a hidden power structure that might be more fact than fiction.
New York, N.Y. — Prison Break offers a thrilling dive into the complex and often dark world of conspiracy and redemption, centered around Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller: A+), whose brilliant portrayal of a calculated mastermind drives the series.
Michael’s intricate plan to free his brother, Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell: C), plays out in a narrative that intertwines intense personal stakes with larger, shadowy forces at work. While Purcell’s performance leaves something to be desired, possibly portraying Lincoln as a stereotypical “dumb football player,” the show’s supporting cast elevates the series with standout performances.
Robert Knepper’s portrayal of Theodore “T-Bag” Bagwell (A) is particularly compelling, bringing a chilling depth to the role of a manipulative and dangerous inmate. Sarah Wayne Callies as Sara Tancredi (B) provides a solid, if somewhat conventional, love interest and ally for Michael.
Amaury Nolasco’s Fernando Sucre (B+) adds a layer of loyalty and heart, while William Fichtner as Alexander Mahone (A) delivers a relentless and morally complex adversary.
Wade Williams (Brad Bellick: A), Paul Adelstein (Paul Kellerman: A), and Marshall Allman (L.J. Burrows: A) each bring their characters to life with nuance and intensity, enhancing the narrative’s tension. The ensemble is further enriched by Rockmond Dunbar’s C-Note (A-), Lane Garrison’s Tweener (A), and Peter Stormare’s John Abruzzi (A), who each add distinct flavors to the story.
The show also introduces characters like James Whistler (Chris Vance: A-), who, with his erratic behavior and mysterious background in Sona prison, adds another layer of intrigue in Season 3. Lechero (Robert Wisdom: A), the authoritative leader of Sona, rules with an iron fist, contributing to the intense dynamics within the prison. Charles “Haywire” Patoshik (Silas Weir Mitchell: A-), known for his unsettling mental instability, also leaves a lasting impact with his unique and tragic storyline.
While American television often falls short compared to British or South Korean productions, Prison Break manages to defy this trend with its gripping, consistent storyline and masterful pacing across multiple seasons.
The show’s exploration of a shadow government resonates with unsettling realism, drawing parallels to historical events and modern political anxieties. From JFK’s assassination to Martin Luther King Jr.’s silencing, the show hints at a hidden power structure that might be more fact than fiction.
Ultimately, Prison Break is captivating not only for its intense plot but also for its standout performances, particularly from Miller and Knepper, who embody the best of what the series has to offer.
Prison Break aired for a total of 90 episodes across 5 seasons. The series originally aired from 2005 to 2009 for the first four seasons, with a revival season in 2017. Here’s a breakdown:
Season 1: 22 episodes (2005–2006)
Season 2: 22 episodes (2006–2007)
Season 3: 13 episodes (2007–2008)
Season 4: 24 episodes (2008–2009)
Season 5: 9 episodes (2017)
The revival season brought back the main characters and continued the storyline years after the original series ended.
Prison Break: Thrilling Dive Complex, Dark World of Conspiracy (Aug. 27, 2024)
Tags: Prison Break, Netflix, TV Review, Wentworth Miller, Robert Knepper, Shadow Government, Conspiracy, Television Series, Action Drama, Character Analysis
Abraham Lincoln’s Untold Love Stories: Deep Dive into His Relationships with Men
New York, N.Y. — A new documentary, The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln: A Love Beyond Boundaries, delves into the often-debated nature of Lincoln’s relationships with men, suggesting that they were not just close friendships but also deeply romantic and possibly sexual. Featuring insights from historians and dramatizations, the film explores Lincoln’s connections with four key figures: Billy Greene, Joshua Speed, Elmer Ellsworth, and David Derickson.
According to the documentary, Lincoln’s lifelong struggles with his identity were intertwined with these significant relationships. Thomas Balcerski, a professor at Occidental College and Eastern Connecticut State University, highlights how Lincoln’s duality shaped him both personally and politically. The film posits that Lincoln’s relationship with Joshua Speed, in particular, influenced his views on slavery and shaped his political path.
The documentary also sheds light on Lincoln’s relationships later in life, including his deep bond with Col. Elmer Ellsworth and his close connection with Capt. David Derickson during the Civil War. The film argues that societal norms of the 19th century were more accepting of such relationships than the rigid categories of sexual identity that emerged in the 20th century.
Historians featured in the documentary suggest that resistance to acknowledging Lincoln’s potential romantic relationships with men stems from ingrained homophobia. They challenge viewers to reconsider the legacy of one of America’s greatest presidents in light of these revelations.
The Untold Story of Abraham Lincoln: A Love Beyond Boundaries is directed by Shaun Peterson, co-written by Joshua Koffman, Grace Leeson, and Robert Rosenheck, and will be released in theaters on September 6.
Wagging Tails and Happy Hearts: How National Dog Day Brings Us Together
New York, N.Y. — August 26 – today, we celebrate the unwavering love and loyalty of our furry friends on National Dog Day!
Whether it’s the wagging tail of a rescue pup or the playful antics of a purebred, dogs bring joy, companionship, and even life-saving assistance to our lives.
This day is not just about celebrating dogs but also recognizing the importance of adoption, responsible ownership, and the impact dogs have on our mental and physical well-being.
As we honor these remarkable animals, let’s also remember those still waiting in shelters for their forever homes.
Today the World Health Organization has updated their website on “Monkey Pox”
Key facts
Mpox, previously known as monkeypox, is a viral illness caused by the monkeypox virus, a species of the genus Orthopoxvirus. There are two distinct clades of the virus: clade I (with subclades Ia and Ib) and clade II (with subclades IIa and IIb). In 2022–2023 a global outbreak of mpox was caused by the clade IIb strain.
Mpox continues to be a threat today, and an upsurge of cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries caused by clades Ia and Ib has raised concern.
There are vaccines for mpox. Vaccination should be considered along with other public health interventions.
Common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
Mpox can be transmitted through close contact with someone who has mpox, with contaminated materials, or with infected animals. During pregnancy, the virus may be passed to the fetus, or to the newborn during or after birth.
Mpox is treated with supportive care for symptoms such as pain and fever, with close attention to nutrition, hydration, skin care, prevention of secondary infections and treatment of co-infections, including HIV where present.
Overview
Mpox is an infectious disease that can cause a painful rash, enlarged lymph nodes, fever, headache, muscle ache, back pain and low energy. Most people fully recover, but some get very sick.
Mpox is caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV). It is an enveloped double-stranded DNA virus of the Orthopoxvirus genus in the Poxviridae family, which includes variola, cowpox, vaccinia and other viruses. There are two distinct clades of the virus: clade I (with subclades Ia and Ib) and clade II (with subclades IIa and IIb).
A global outbreak of clade IIb began in 2022 and continues to this day, including in some African countries. There are also growing outbreaks of clades Ia and Ib affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other countries in Africa. As of August 2024, clade Ib has also been detected beyond Africa.
The natural reservoir of the virus is unknown, but various small mammals such as squirrels and monkeys are susceptible.
Transmission
Mpox spreads from person to person mainly through close contact with someone who has mpox, including members of a household. Close contact includes skin-to-skin (such as touching or sex) and mouth-to-mouth or mouth-to-skin contact (such as kissing), and it can also include being face-to-face with someone who has mpox (such as talking or breathing close to one another, which can generate infectious respiratory particles).
People with multiple sexual partners are at higher risk of acquiring mpox.
People can also contract mpox from contaminated objects such as clothing or linen, through needle injuries in health care, or in community settings such as tattoo parlours.
During pregnancy or birth, the virus may be passed to the baby. Contracting mpox during pregnancy can be dangerous for the fetus or newborn infant and can lead to loss of the pregnancy, stillbirth, death of the newborn, or complications for the parent.
Animal-to-human transmission of mpox occurs from infected animals to humans from bites or scratches, or during activities such as hunting, skinning, trapping, cooking, playing with carcasses or eating animals. The animal reservoir of the monkeypox virus remains unknown and further studies are underway.
More research is needed on how mpox spreads during outbreaks in different settings and under different conditions.
Signs and symptoms
Mpox causes signs and symptoms which usually begin within a week but can start 1–21 days after exposure. Symptoms typically last 2–4 weeks but may last longer in someone with a weakened immune system.
Common symptoms of mpox are:
rash
fever
sore throat
headache
muscle aches
back pain
low energy
swollen lymph nodes.
For some people, the first symptom of mpox is a rash, while others may have fever, muscle aches or sore throat first.
The mpox rash often begins on the face and spreads over the body, extending to the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It can also start on other parts of the body where contact was made, such as the genitals. It starts as a flat sore, which develops into a blister filled with liquid that may be itchy or painful. As the rash heals, the lesions dry up, crust over and fall off.
Some people may have one or a few skin lesions and others have hundreds or more. These can appear anywhere on the body including:
palms of hands and soles of feet
face, mouth and throat
groin and genital areas
anus.
Some people also have painful swelling of their rectum (proctitis) or pain and difficulty when peeing (dysuria) or when swallowing.
People with mpox can pass the disease on to others until all sores have healed and a new layer of skin has formed. Some people can be infected without developing any symptoms. Although getting mpox from someone who is asymptomatic (not showing symptoms) has been reported, information is still limited on how common it is.
Children, pregnant people and people with weak immune systems, including people living with HIV that is not well controlled, are at higher risk for serious illness and death due to complications from mpox.
Some people with mpox become very sick. For example, the skin can become infected with bacteria, leading to abscesses or serious skin damage. Other complications include pneumonia; corneal infection with loss of vision; pain or difficulty swallowing; vomiting and diarrhoea causing dehydration or malnutrition; and infections of the blood (sepsis), brain (encephalitis), heart (myocarditis), rectum (proctitis), genital organs (balanitis) or urinary passages (urethritis). Mpox can be fatal in some cases.
Diagnosis
Identifying mpox can be difficult because other infections and conditions can look similar. It is important to distinguish mpox from chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, herpes, syphilis, other sexually transmitted infections, and medication-associated allergies. Someone with mpox may also have another sexually transmitted infection at the same time, such as syphilis or herpes. Alternatively, a child with suspected mpox may also have chickenpox. For these reasons, testing is key for people to get care as early as possible and prevent severe illness and further spread.
The preferred laboratory test for mpox is detection of viral DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The best diagnostic specimens are taken directly from the rash – skin, fluid or crusts – collected by vigorous swabbing. In the absence of skin lesions, testing can be done using swabs or the throat or anus. Testing blood is not recommended. Antibody detection methods may not be useful as they do not distinguish between different orthopoxviruses.
HIV testing should be offered to adults with mpox, and children as appropriate. Diagnostic tests for other conditions should be considered where feasible, for example, varicella zoster virus (VZV), syphilis and herpes.
Treatment and vaccination
The goal of treating mpox is to take care of the rash, manage pain and prevent complications. Early and supportive care is important to help manage symptoms and avoid further problems.
Getting an mpox vaccine can help prevent infection (pre-exposure prophylaxis). It is recommended for people at high-risk of getting mpox, especially during an outbreak.
Groups that may be at high risk of mpox include:
health and care workers at risk of exposure;
people in the same household or close community as someone who has mpox, including children;
people who have multiple sex partners, including men who have sex with men; and
sex workers of any gender and their clients.
The vaccine can also be administered after a person has been in contact with someone who has mpox (post-exposure prophylaxis). In these cases, the vaccine should be given less than 4 days after contact with someone who has mpox. The vaccine can be given for up to 14 days if the person has not developed symptoms.
Some antivirals have received emergency use authorization in some countries and are being evaluated in clinical trials. To date, there is no proven effective antiviral treatment for mpox. It is a priority to continue evaluation of therapeutics in robust clinical trials and to focus on optimizing supportive care for patients.
Individuals with HIV and mpox should continue taking their antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART should be initiated within 7 days of diagnosis of HIV.
Self-care and prevention
Most people with mpox will recover within 2–4 weeks. Things to do to help the symptoms and prevent transmitting mpox to others:
Do
contact your health care provider for advice;
stay at home and in your own, well-ventilated room if possible;
wash hands often with soap and water or hand sanitizer, especially before or after touching sores;
wear a mask and cover lesions when around other people until your rash heals;
keep skin dry and uncovered (unless in a room with someone else);
avoid touching items in shared spaces and disinfect shared spaces frequently;
use saltwater rinses for sores in the mouth;
take warm baths with baking soda or Epsom salts for body sores; and
take over-the-counter medications for pain like paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen.
Do not
pop blisters or scratch sores, which can slow healing, spread the rash to other parts of the body, and cause sores to become infected; or
shave areas with sores until scabs have healed and you have new skin underneath (this can spread the rash to other parts of the body).
To prevent spread of mpox to others, people with mpox should isolate at home following guidance from their health care provider, or in hospital if needed, for the duration of the infectious period (from onset of symptoms until lesions have healed and scabs fall off). Covering lesions and wearing a well-fitting mask when in the presence of others may help prevent spread. Using condoms during sex will help reduce the risk of getting mpox but will not prevent spread from skin-to-skin or mouth-to-skin contact. If having sex, use condoms as a precaution for 12 weeks (about 3 months) after you have recovered.
Taking a break from sexual activity with new partners during periods of increased transmission can reduce the risk of getting mpox. Those who have had contact with someone with mpox should monitor for signs and symptoms for 21 days (3 weeks) and take precautions such as avoiding sexual activity during this period.
Health workers should follow infection prevention and control measures to protect themselves while caring for patients with mpox by wearing appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) (i.e. gloves, gown, eye protection and respirator) and adhering to protocol for safely swabbing lesions for diagnostic testing and handling sharp objects such as needles.
Outbreaks
The monkeypox virus was discovered in Denmark (1958) in monkeys kept for research. The first reported human case of mpox was a nine-month-old boy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (1970). Following the eradication of smallpox in 1980 and the end of smallpox vaccination worldwide, mpox steadily emerged in central, east and west Africa. Since then, mpox has been reported sporadically in central and east Africa (clade I) and west Africa (clade II). In 2003, an outbreak in the United States of America was linked to imported wild animals (clade II). Since 2005, thousands of cases are reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo every year. In 2017, mpox re-emerged in Nigeria and continues to spread between people across the country and in travellers to other destinations.
Data on suspected and confirmed cases reported up to 2021 are available here and data on laboratory confirmed cases from 2022 until today are available here.
In May 2022, an outbreak of mpox appeared suddenly and rapidly spread across Europe, the Americas and then all six WHO regions. The global outbreak has affected primarily (but not only) gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and has spread person-to-person through sexual networks. More information on the global outbreak is available here, including information on community responses to control the outbreak.
In 2022, outbreaks of mpox due to clade I occurred in refugee camps in the Republic of the Sudan.
Since 2022, there has also been an upsurge in mpox cases and deaths in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In some areas of the country, a new offshoot of clade I, called clade Ib, has been spreading person-to-person. As of mid-2024, the clade has also been reported in other countries.
Over 120 countries have reported mpox between Jan 2022 – Aug 2024, with over 100 000 laboratory-confirmed cases reported and over 220 deaths among confirmed cases.
Stigma and discrimination
Stigma and discrimination for any disease are never acceptable. Stigma linked to mpox can undermine public health efforts or prolong a disease outbreak, as people may be more reluctant to come forward and seek care and treatment. For mpox, stigma, discrimination and racism have been particularly directed against communities initially most affected by the disease, namely men who have sex with men, trans people and gender diverse communities.
WHO response
WHO works with Member States and partners to prevent and respond to outbreaks of mpox. This includes coordinating research on vaccines and treatments, strengthening country health systems, and working to facilitate equitable access to vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics and other tools.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has declared mpox a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) twice, the first time in May 2022 and the second time in August 2024.
The blueprint for a second Trump presidency, and If enacted, it would be a takeover of our government by the most conservative and radical wings of the country, threatening our rights, our freedoms, and our democracy. For LGBTQ+ people, the agenda would roll back the gains we’ve made toward full equality in nearly every area of our lives – from marriage, to health care, to education, and the workplace.
Washington, D.C. The Trump-Vance Project 2025 would take a wrecking ball to our rights, freedoms, democracy, and future. LGBTQ+ people are particular targets of this government takeover, as groups that have brought anti-LGBTQ+ cases in court and spread anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in state capitals across the nation now want to give a Trump-Vance administration new and unchecked powers to take us backwards – this time with radical members sitting on the United States Supreme Court.
What is Project 2025?
The threat that Project 2025 poses to America is especially sinister for LGBTQ+ people and our rights.
The ‘Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise,’ more commonly known as “Project 2025,” is a dangerous, 922-page Trump-Vance agenda written by Donald Trump’s loyalists that would dismantle essential policies protecting civil rights, LGBTQ+ rights, health care access, voting rights, and the environment.
It is the blueprint for a second Trump presidency, and If enacted, it would be a takeover of our government by the most conservative and radical wings of the country, threatening our rights, our freedoms, and our democracy.
For LGBTQ+ people, the agenda would roll back the gains we’ve made toward full equality in nearly every area of our lives – from marriage, to health care, to education, and the workplace.
Led by two former Trump administration officials Paul Dans and Spencer Chretien, Project 2025 is spearheaded by the Heritage Foundation and includes an advisory board consisting of conservative and extremist hate groups, including anti-LGBTQ+ hate groups Alliance Defending Freedom, American Family Association, Family Research Council, and Moms for Liberty.
Authors and contributors to the plans include notable former Trump administration officials including Jonathan Berry, Ben Carson, Ken Cuccinelli, Rick Dearborn, Chris Miller, Roger Severino, and John Cementer.
Below is a summary of the biggest threats to the LGBTQ+ community included in the Trump-Vance Project 2025. Here’s what you need to know and how it will impact you and those around you, and what you can do to help stop this from becoming our reality.
Marriage Equality
Project 2025 undermines marriage equality by trying to privilege different-sex marriage in defiance of Obergefell v. Hodges, making same-sex marriages inherently unequal by doing so. They’d like to make it more difficult for LGBTQ+ people to adopt children, access fertility services, and create families (see Adoption/Foster Care).
They’d allow businesses to deny services to same-sex couples or customers they perceive to be LGBTQ+ (see Civil Rights).
And it advocates for the promotion of nuclear families led by different-sex parents who are biologically related to their children. This effectively excludes step-parents, divorced parents, parents who have relied on certain fertility services, grandparents parenting grandchildren, and single parents as well as families led by same-sex couples or LGBTQ+ people.
Civil Rights and Discrimination in the Workplace
Project 2025 would remove non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people from every federal regulation, including health care and education nondiscrimination requirements.
Project 2025 would permit religious employees to refuse to work with LGBTQ+ colleagues and to refuse to serve LGBTQ+ customers and clients.
Project 2025 directs federal agencies to deprioritize or drop investigations into claims of discrimination by LGBTQ+ employees,
Project 2025 would allow religious employers to violate existing civil rights laws.
Project 2025 restricts implementation of the Supreme Court’s Bostock decision – allowing for harassment, demotions, unequal pay, and unequal benefits for LGBTQ+ employees – and directs the federal government to rescind regulations protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination.
Project 2025 would eliminate federal non-discrimination requirements protecting LGBTQ+ people in federal civil service and federal contracts, and would eliminate the office in charge of enforcement of them, because of what it calls a “DEI revolution.”
Adoption/Foster Care
Project 2025 would make it harder for LGBTQ+ people to adopt children and create families. It would reverse current policy and allow federally funded adoption and foster care providers to refuse to work with same-sex couples or LGBTQ+ people, even though they’re providing services funded by taxpayers. In fact, LGBTQ+ people are among the people most likely to be interested in foster care or adoption, and this artificially limits the number of potential families available to children in need of homes.
Education and LGBTQ+ Students
Project 2025 would allow – even encourage – discrimination against LGBTQ+ students in school. It does this by rescinding LGBTQ+ Title IX protections from discrimination in education for LGBTQ+ students and educators, and dropping all ongoing investigations.
Title IX is a pivotal civil rights law that ensures that all children have equal opportunity to an education – one of the most profound civil rights that children have. Federal courts have long held that LGBTQ+ students (and educators) should not be denied that opportunity because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
Project 2025 proposes adopting a federal “Don’t Say Trans” law or policy – meaning that districts and educators who recognize and respect a student’s gender identity by, for example, using their name and pronouns, would be denied federal education funding.
Project 2025 would imprison teachers or school librarians who allow students access to books, movies, and other materials on LGBTQ+ people, classifying them as sex offenders by making the false claim that any depiction of LGBTQ+ people is inherently pornography.
Project 2025 would allow schools K-12 to refuse free breakfast and lunch services to LGBTQ+ students from low-income families.
Project 2025 would REQUIRE teachers to use a student’s name and pronouns based on birth certificates (not on gender identity) unless they have written permission from parents.
While that would have a particular impact on transgender students, it would impact any child who wants to be called by a nickname or middle name – a teacher couldn’t call Daniel “Dan”, “Danny” or any other nickname that Daniel may prefer. This anti-transgender agenda tramples over many of our social norms.
Health Care (Including Reproductive Health Care)
Project 2025 would withdraw financial support for medically necessary health care for transgender Americans through multiple funding streams, impacting HIV/AIDS programs, public health research, health benefits for service members and their families, and more.
Project 2025 pushes states to end Medicaid and Medicare coverage of gender-affirming surgeries for all trans people.
Project 2025 would repeal important protections for LGBTQ+ people against discrimination by health care providers. Unfortunately, discrimination in health care is an extremely common experience for transgender people across the country.
Project 2025 would revoke the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, one of the most important medications to treat miscarriages and provide abortions. While decrying the FDA’s scientific review of this medication as “political,” Trump appointee Roger Severino uses Project 2025 to again elevate the will of politicians over the expertise of scientists and doctors.
Military and Veterans
Project 2025 would restore the Trump administration’s discriminatory ban on transgender people serving in the military and would prevent people who are HIV positive from serving as well.
Project 2025 would prevent veterans’ health coverage from covering gendering affirming surgeries or abortion care.
Foreign Affairs
Project 2025 ends support for LGBTQ+ rights abroad.
Project 2025 prevents embassies from doing work on pro-equality projects or even flying the Pride flag.
Half of the 578,000 displaced people, desperately fleeing the capital in search of safety, had made their way south, where the vast majority are staying with already economically vulnerable host families.
New York, N.Y. –– Years of underfunding of humanitarian aid and increasing needs have put millions of Haitians at risk of chronic vulnerability, according to a newly released U.N. report.
Reversing the situation will require the international community and donors to increase the funding of U.N. and non-governmental organization (NGO) relief operations, the U.N. humanitarian office, OCHA, said in its latest advocacy note.
Growing hunger and needs
Months of violence have led to a deterioration of Haiti’s humanitarian crisis. Displacement has tripled in the last year in Haiti as gang violence continues to rock the Caribbean-island nation, with nearly 600,000 people on the run.
“The indiscriminate violence of armed groups and the near collapse of basic services have plunged Haiti into a humanitarian crisis unprecedented since 2010,” OCHA reported, referring to the devastating earthquake that struck the nation 14 years ago.
Following the spiraling security situation in the capital, Port-au-Prince, and Artibonite in the north in February, the number of displaced persons has soared by 60%, the report showed, using the latest figures from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) data tracking matrix for Haiti.
Collapsing basic services
The violence continues to target civilian infrastructure, with only 24% of hospitals remaining operational, OCHA reported. The insecurity has also left 1.5 million children shut out of classrooms.
Half of the 578,000 displaced people, desperately fleeing the capital in search of safety, had made their way south, where the vast majority are staying with already economically vulnerable host families.
However, basic social services, such as education, health and water, hygiene and sanitation, already insufficient to meet the needs of the local population, have been severely strained, OCHA reported.
Forced deportations
Meanwhile, forced repatriations of Haitians from countries in the region is continuing.
Indeed, deportations of Haitian nationals even increased, particularly from April onwards, when incidents of violence were at their peak, OCHA reported.
In the first seven months of the year, nearly 100,000 people were deported from countries in the region to Haiti, according to data from IOM.
‘Wave of violence’
The violent clashes between gangs and the authorities have also persisted, even as the Multinational Security Support Force arrived in late June to help Haitian police address the ongoing crisis.
“This wave of violence continues to have humanitarian consequences on the populations of the affected neighborhoods and localities, but also in areas far from the capital which have become host lands for hundreds of thousands of people,” OCHA stated in the report.
Almost 300,000 malnutrition cases have been documented, and five million people, about 50 per cent of Haiti’s population, face heightened food insecurity, according to a report earlier this year by a global monitoring group, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
There are fears that the epicentre of the current humanitarian crisis will gradually shift to an increasing number of areas previously spared by insecurity, according to OCHA.
At the same time, the current hurricane season is expected to be active and could cause an additional shockwave on the daily lives of Haitians. Haiti is bracing for between four and seven major storms in the months to come.
Calls to fill funding gaps
Additional financial resources are urgently needed to meet the increased needs of the Haitian population affected by this multidimensional crisis, OCHA said in its report.
Without additional funds, OCHA fears that these crises will continue.
Humanitarian concerns abound that food insecurity will continue to spread, hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children will face the risk of recruitment by armed groups and experience “lost years”, growing up without the skills needed for their future and survival, and that half a million vulnerable children and victims of protection incidents will be deprived of mental health services and psychosocial support, according to OCHA.
HAITI, PORT-AU PRINCE. Local displaced and homeless Haitians gather for free medical treatment at an IOM mobile clinic in Place Clercine in Tabarre, Port-au-Prince. According to UNICEF, nearly 200,000 people, with half that number being children, are displaced by the gang violence in Haiti, with 130,000 in Port-au-Prince alone.
“While humanitarian assistance is a lifeline for many, it is only part of the solution,” the UN agency said.
“The government, political and development actors must work together to find lasting solutions to Haiti’s structural challenges,” OCHA said, echoing a call made last month by a joint UN-European Union mission to the country.
Eight months into the year, Haiti’s 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan is 33 per cent funded, having received $162.5 million out of $674 million.
Oprah Winfrey’s speech will be remembered as one of the finest of this century, and perhaps in history.
Chicago — With poetic resonance, allusions to the Black Baptist tradition, and her signature acerbic wit, she powerfully championed America, democracy, and the Democratic Party, standing resolutely against authoritarianism. Her delivery, honed by fifty years of broadcasting, was pop-culture pitch perfect.
In her address, Oprah Winfrey emphasized that the upcoming presidential election is not just a choice between candidates but a choice between fundamental values: “loyalty to the Constitution over loyalty to any individual,” “optimism over cynicism,” and “inclusion over retribution.”
“America is an ongoing project that requires commitment… and every once in a while, it requires standing up to life’s bullies.”
“When a house is on fire, we don’t ask about the homeowner’s race or religion. We don’t wonder who their partner is or how they voted. No, we just try to do the best we can to save them. And if the place happens to belong to a childless cat lady, well, we try to get that cat out, too.”
“There are people… who’d have you believe that books are dangerous and assault rifles are safe, that there’s a right way to worship and a wrong way to love. People who seek first to divide and then to conquer. But here’s the thing: when we stand together, it is impossible to conquer us.”
“Soon, and very soon, we’re going to be teaching our daughters and sons about how this child of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father, two idealistic, energetic immigrants… how this child grew up to become the 47th president of the United States. That is the best of America.”
“And let us choose the sweet promise of tomorrow over the bitter return to yesterday. We won’t go back. We won’t be sent back, pushed back, bullied back, kicked back. We’re not going back.”
Oprah’s speech now joins the ranks of history’s most stirring addresses, all focused on the fight against evil, such as:
“Mr. Gorbachev, Tear Down This Wall” by Ronald Reagan (1987)
Oprah quoted Rep. John Lewis, “No matter what ship we came over on, we’re all on the same boat now!” Oprah attempts to be neutral as a broadcaster. She is a self-declared “Independent.” Her sexuality is a mystery, although both she and her half-century friend Gayle King are LGBTQ+ friendly. And she, like J.B. Pritzker, is a billionaire (Other billionaires who support liberal causes are Michael Bloomberg, Tom Steyer, Donald Sussman, James and Marilyn Simons)
Under the new law, females must cover their bodies and faces at all times in public to avoid temptation and to avoid tempting others. Their clothing should not be thin, short or tight, it emphasized.
Islamabad — Taliban leaders in Afghanistan have ordered fresh limitations on women, forbidding them from singing, reciting poetry or speaking aloud in public and mandating them to keep their faces and bodies covered at all times.
The restrictions are part of a new so-called Vice and Virtue decree published by the Taliban’s Justice Ministry on Wednesday after approval from their reclusive supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, said a ministry spokesman in a video message.
The 35-article document is the first formal declaration of the vice and virtue laws under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islamic Sharia law since they regained power in Afghanistan three years ago.
The decree greatly restricts personal freedoms and religious practices, covering aspects of everyday life such as transportation, music, shaving, celebrations, and women’s behavior and appearance in public.
The rules targeting female members of the Afghan society explained that a woman’s voice is deemed intimate and should not be heard singing, reciting poetry or reading aloud in public. Women also are not allowed to look at men they are not related to by blood or marriage and vice versa.
Under the new law, females must cover their bodies and faces at all times in public to avoid temptation and to avoid tempting others. Their clothing should not be thin, short or tight, it emphasized.
The legal document empowers the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice to enforce these rules across the impoverished, war-torn South Asian country. It can give warnings before imprisoning offenders for durations from one hour to three days, and it also may seize properties as a penalty if considered appropriate.
The actions of the Vice and Virtue Ministry are already under international scrutiny.
The United Nations reported last month that the ministry’s ever-expanding policing of public morality was contributing to a climate of fear and intimidation among Afghans through edicts and the methods used to enforce them.
One of the articles in the legal document released Wednesday bans the publication of images of living beings, which critics fear could further shrink media in Afghanistan, forcing the closure of television channels, digital media and print newspapers. Media outlets are already suffering from Taliban-ordered censorship.
Another article prohibits playing music in public transport, the travel of female passengers unless accompanied by a male guardian, and the mingling of unrelated men and women. Additionally, passengers and drivers are required by law to observe designated prayer times. Men cannot shave beards or trim them to less than a fistful, although the law does not define what qualifies as an “Islamic” hairstyle.
Human rights activists feared the latest restrictions underscore a significant increase in the Taliban’s attempts to enforce their version of Islamic law, especially in suppressing and removing women from public life.
The fundamentalist Taliban have already barred Afghan girls ages 12 and older from attending school and many women from public and private sector jobs, including United Nations agencies. No country has officially recognized the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan, mainly over their harsh treatment of women.
On Wednesday, Richard Bennett, the U.N.-appointed special rapporteur on Afghan human rights, confirmed that the Taliban had barred him from visiting the country, calling it a “step backward” and urging the de facto Afghan government to lift the travel ban.
Bennett has taken several trips to Kabul and highlighted in his subsequent reports the Taliban’s sweeping curbs on Afghan women’s access to education, employment and public life at large. He alleged that women and girls under Taliban rule “are being persecuted” based on gender, which he called a crime against humanity.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has defended their travel ban on the U.N. envoy, alleging that Bennett was “spreading propaganda” by providing “misleading” information to the international community.
Watching the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, I was filled with immense pride as I saw my beliefs reflected in every speech and every face. The diverse voices, from Vice President Kamala Harris to Senator Cory Booker, echoed the values of justice, equality, and opportunity that make me proud to be both a Democrat and an American.
New York, N.Y. — The Democratic National Convention in Chicago, I found myself overwhelmed with pride, not just in my party but in my identity as an American. The convention’s theme—“For the People, For Our Future”—echoed through every speech, every face, every moment, encapsulating the diverse and inclusive vision of America that I hold dear. Seeing my beliefs and values so eloquently articulated by a mosaic of voices representing every corner of our republic filled me with an immense sense of pride.
Throughout the convention, the speakers reflected the strength and diversity of our nation, embodying the ideals of equality, justice, and opportunity that make our country exceptional. From the electrifying words of Vice President Kamala Harris to the impassioned advocacy of Senator Tammy Duckworth, every speech reaffirmed the values that bind us as Democrats—and as Americans.
“We are not just fighting for our party; we are fighting for the soul of our nation,” declared former First Lady Michelle Obama, capturing the spirit of the convention. Her words resonated deeply with me, as did those of Senator Bernie Sanders, who reminded us, “The future of our democracy depends on our ability to unite and fight for the working people of this country.”
As the convention progressed, I was struck by the powerful remarks of Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who emphasized, “Our diversity is not our weakness; it is our greatest strength. Together, we will build a future where every American, regardless of race, gender, or creed, has the opportunity to thrive.” These words reflected my own beliefs and reinforced my pride in being part of a movement that is dedicated to creating a fair and just society.
The convention also highlighted the importance of leadership rooted in empathy and compassion. President Joe Biden‘s address was a testament to this, as he spoke of “the power of hope and unity to overcome even the most daunting challenges.” His message was clear: the Democratic Party is committed to leading with a moral compass, ensuring that no one is left behind.
As the final night concluded with the rousing words of Senator Cory Booker, who said, “In the face of hate, we must choose love. In the face of division, we must choose unity,” I felt an overwhelming sense of pride—not just in my party, but in the America we are striving to build together. This convention was a celebration of the values that make our nation great, and I am honored to be part of a movement that champions these ideals.
As I reflect on the convention, I am filled with hope and determination. The Democratic Party‘s unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and opportunity for all is a reflection of the America I believe in. This convention has reminded me of why I am so proud to be a Democrat—and why I will continue to fight for the values that make our country a beacon of hope for the world.
Project 2025 is a plan to give MAGA extremists control over your life.
New York, N.Y. —Donald Trump’s plans for a full government takeover have been exposed. It includes a plan hatched by people who used to work for Donald Trump that focuses on the first 180 days. His Project 2025 agenda would strip away our freedoms. See it here for yourself here — and tell your friends.
The plan begins with a sweeping takeover of the federal government to consolidate power under Donald Trump. Inside pages of dense policy proposals, their intentions become clear.
“Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.” – New York Times, July 17, 2023
Reissue Trump’s schedule F executive order to permit discharge of nonperforming employees. (Project 2025, a Mandate for Leadership, p. 535)
Then, they’d replace them with politically appointed Trump Loyalists.
“The modern conservative President’s task is to limit, control, and direct the executive branch… The great challenge confronting a conservative President is the existential need for aggressive use of the vast powers of the executive branch. Success in meeting that challenge will require a rare combination of boldness and self-denial: boldness to bend or break the bureaucracy to the presidential will.” (p. 43-44)
They’d end the independence of the Department of Justice and FBI…
“Conservatives have long believed in either ending law enforcement activities of independent agencies or ending their independent status. (p. 873)
…and turn them into enforcement arms of the White House.
The next conservative Administration must make every effort to obtain the resources to support a vast expansion of the number of appointees in every office and component across the department—especially in the Civil Rights Division, the FBI, and the EOIR.” (p. 569)
“[This] would also place the FBI under a politically accountable leader.” (p. 549)
Some of Donald Trump’s allies are assembling proposals to curtail the Justice Department’s independence and turn the nation’s top law enforcement body into an attack dog for conservative causes, nine people involved in the effort told Reuters. – Reuters, May 17, 2024
All while Trump has immunity from crimes committed in office thanks to a ruling from his Supreme Court picks.
Project 2025 is a plan to give MAGA extremists control over your life.
Trump and his Project 2025 allies overturned Roe v. Wade and unleashed extreme abortion bans across the country. Now, they’ll go even further.
They’ll implement a 50-state “backdoor ban” on abortion — without Congress — and jail health care providers.
“Announcing a Campaign to Enforce the Criminal Prohibitions in 18 U.S. Code §§ 1461 and 1462.” (p. 562)
Project 2025 would resurrect a law from the 1800s called the Comstock Act to ban abortion nationwide and jail health care providers. (p. 459)
Don’t take our word for it. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation: A literal interpretation of the [Comstock] Act could potentially also apply to materials used to produce all abortions, not just medication abortions; would not have exceptions; and could affect other medical care, such as miscarriage management. – Kaiser Family Foundation, 4/15/24
And they’ll ban abortion medication, which is also used in a range of ways to protect women’s health.
“Abortion pills pose the single greatest threat to unborn children in a post-Roe world…. The FDA should reverse its approval of chemical abortion drugs.” (p. 457)
They’ll force states to report women’s miscarriages and abortions to Trump’s Federal Government.
Project 2025 would “use every available tool, including the cutting of funds” to force states to report miscarriages and “exactly how many abortions take place within its borders,” including the “reason” for every abortion. (p. 455)
They’ll put limits on contraception access.
The President should “[e]liminate the week-after-pill from the contraceptive mandate as a potential abortifacient.” (p. 485)
Allows employers to deny workers access to birth control coverage. (p. 483-85)
It also calls for defunding Planned Parenthood, which provides access to contraception for over 2 million women each year. (p. 471)
And then rip away President Biden’s protections for a woman’s right to life-saving medical care.
The President should “reverse distorted pro-abortion ‘interpretations’ added to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. (p. 473)
They’ll enable discrimination against LGBTQ+ Americans.
Rescind regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics. The President should direct agencies to rescind regulations interpreting sex discrimination provisions as prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, sex characteristics, etc. (p. 584)
Project 2025 is a plan to make Trump and his rich friends even richer.
It will cut taxes for Trump and his rich friends and pad their profits.
“The corporate income tax should be reduced to 18 percent.” (p. 696)
And cut taxes for wealthy families — offset by tax hikes on middle class families.
Project 2025 would restructure the tax code to benefit wealthy families. (p. 696)
Millions of low- and middle-class households would likely face significantly higher taxes under the Project 2025’s proposals. [Center for American Progress senior director for economic policy Brendan Duke] estimated that a middle-class family with two children and an annual income of $100,000 would pay $2,600 in additional federal income tax if they faced a 15% flat tax on their income due to the loss of the 10% and 12% tax brackets.
If the Child Tax Credit were also eliminated, they would pay an additional $6,600 compared with today’s tax system, Duke said. By comparison, a married couple with two children and earnings of $5 million a year would enjoy a $325,000 tax cut, he estimated. – CBS News, 7/12/24
They’d line Big Pharma’s pockets by ending prescription drug price caps for seniors, and banning Medicare from negotiating for lower drug prices.
“Repeal harmful health policies enacted under the Obama and Biden Administrations such as… the Inflation Reduction Act.” (p. 465)
“This ‘negotiation’ program should be repealed.” (p. 465)
All while Trump’s administration guts Medicare and Social Security.
When asked about cuts to entitlements like Medicare and Social Security, Trump said: “Oh we’ll be cutting,” and later doubled down, saying, “There’s a lot you can do…in terms of cutting.”
Trump has also called Social Security a “Ponzi Scheme,” supported raising the age for eligibility, and has been open to privatizing it.
They’d let employers drastically cut overtime — or eliminate it outright.
Return to Trump’s overtime rule, meaning 4 million middle class workers will lose overtime protections because of the salary they make.
Make remote employees work 10, instead of 8, hours in a day before they can earn overtime.
Prevent benefits from counting as part of workers’ overtime calculations
Allow employers to calculate overtime over four weeks instead of one. (pp. 587, 589, 592)
And they’d reinstate crippling student debt payments.
“The new Administration must end abuses in the loan forgiveness programs. Borrowers should be expected to repay their loans” (p. 322).
“The Secretary should phase out all existing [income-driven repayment] plans by making new loans (including consolidation loans) ineligible…. If new legislation is possible, there should be no loan forgiveness, but if not, existing law would require forgiving any remaining balance after 25 years.” (pp. 337-38).
Former First Lady Michelle Obama took to the Democratic National Convention stage in Chicago on Tuesday night, calling on supporters to “do something” to ensure Kamala Harris wins the November election against Donald Trump.
Chicago — “Thank you guys. OK. We got a big night ahead. Thank you all so much. Thank you. Hello, Chicago!
Something, something wonderfully magical is in the air, isn’t it? Yeah.
You know, we’re feeling it here in this arena, but it’s spreading all across this country we love. A familiar feeling that’s been buried too deep for far too long. You know what I’m talking about. It’s the contagious power of hope, the anticipation, the energy, the exhilaration of once again being on the cusp of a brighter day.
The chance to vanquish the demons of fear, division, and hate that have consumed us and continue pursuing the unfinished promise of this great nation. The dream that our parents and grandparents fought and died and sacrificed for. America, hope is making a comeback.
But, to be honest, I am realizing that until recently, I have mourned the dimming of that hope. And maybe you’ve experienced the same feelings—it’s that deep pit in my stomach, a palpable sense of dread about the future. And for me, that mourning has also been mixed with my own personal grief.
The last time I was here in my hometown was to memorialize my mother, the woman who showed me the meaning of hard work and humility and decency. The woman who set my moral compass high and showed me the power of my own voice. Folks, I still feel her loss so profoundly. I wasn’t even sure if I’d be steady enough to stand before you tonight, but my heart compelled me to be here because of the sense of duty that I feel to honor her memory and to remind us all not to squander the sacrifices our elders made to give us a better future.
You see, my mom in her steady quiet way, lived out that striving sense of hope every single day of her life. She believed that all children, all people have value. That anyone can succeed if given the opportunity. She and my father didn’t aspire to be wealthy—in fact, they were suspicious of folks who took more than they needed. They understood that it wasn’t enough for their kids to thrive if everyone else around us was drowning.
So my mother volunteered at the local school. She always looked out for the other kids on the block. She was glad to do the thankless, unglamorous work that, for generations, has strengthened the fabric of this nation. The belief that if you do unto others, if you love thy neighbor, if you work and scrape and sacrifice, it will pay off—if not for you, then maybe for your children or your grandchildren.
You see, those values have been passed on through family farms and factory towns, through tree-lined streets and crowded tenements, through prayer groups and national guard units and social studies classrooms. Those were the values my mother poured into me until her very last breath.
Kamala Harris and I built our lives on those same foundational values. Even though our mothers grew up an ocean apart, they shared the same belief in the promise of this country. That’s why her mother moved here from India at 19. It’s why she taught Kamala about justice, about the obligation to lift others up, about our responsibility to give more than we take. She’d often tell her daughter: “Don’t sit around and complain about things. Do something.”
So, with that voice in her head, Kamala went out and she worked hard in school, graduating from an HBCU, earning her law degree at a state school. And then she went on to work for the people fighting to hold law breakers accountable, strengthening the rule of law, fighting to get folks better wages, cheaper prescription drugs, a good education, decent healthcare, childcare, elder care. From a middle class household, Kamala worked her way up to become Vice President of the United States of America.
My girl, Kamala Harris, is more than ready for this moment. She is one of the most qualified people ever to seek the office of the presidency. And she is one of the most dignified—a tribute to her mother, to my mother, and to your mother too. The embodiment of the stories we tell ourselves about this country. Her story is your story. It’s my story. It’s the story of the vast majority of Americans trying to build a better life.
Look, Kamala knows, like we do, that regardless of where you come from, what you look like, who you love, how you worship, or what’s in your bank account, we all deserve the opportunity to build a decent life. All of our contributions deserve to be accepted and valued. Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one.
Kamala has shown her allegiance to this nation, not by spewing anger and bitterness, but by living a life of service and always pushing the doors of opportunity open to others. She understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.
If we bankrupt the business or choke in a crisis, we don’t get a second, third, or fourth chance. If things don’t go our way, we don’t have the luxury of whining or cheating others to get further ahead. No. We don’t get to change the rules, so we always win. If we see a mountain in front of us, we don’t expect there to be an escalator waiting to take us to the top. No. We put our heads down. We get to work. In America, we do something.
(Crowd chants: “Do something!”)
And throughout her entire life, that’s what we’ve seen from Kamala Harris, the steel of her spine, the steadiness of her upbringing, the honesty of her example, and yes, the joy of her laughter and her light.
It couldn’t be more obvious: Of the two major candidates in this race, only Kamala Harris truly understands the unseen labor and unwavering commitment that has always made America great.
Now, unfortunately, we know what comes next. We know folks are going to do everything they can to distort her truth. My husband and I, sadly, know a little something about this. For years, Donald Trump did everything in his power to try to make people fear us. See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hardworking, highly educated, successful people who happen to be Black.
Wait, I want to know: Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those “Black jobs”?
Look, it’s his same old con: doubling down on ugly, misogynistic, racist lies as a substitute for real ideas and solutions that will actually make people’s lives better. Look, because cutting our healthcare, taking away our freedom to control our bodies, the freedom to become a mother through IVF like I did—those things are not going to improve the health outcomes of our wives, mothers, and daughters.
Shutting down the Department of Education, banning our books—none of that will prepare our kids for the future. Demonizing our children for being who they are and loving who they love—look, that doesn’t make anybody’s life better.
Instead, it only makes us small. And let me tell you this: Going small is never the answer. Going small is the opposite of what we teach our kids. Going small is petty, it’s unhealthy, and quite frankly, it’s unpresidential.
So, why would any of us accept this from anyone seeking our highest office? Why would we normalize that type of backward leadership? Doing so only demeans and cheapens our politics. It only serves to further discourage good, big-hearted people from wanting to get involved at all. America, our parents taught us better than that, and we deserve so much better than that.
That’s why we must do everything in our power to elect two of those good, big-hearted people. There is no other choice than Kamala Harris and Tim Walz. No other choice.
But, as we embrace this renewed sense of hope, let us not forget the despair we have felt. Let us not forget what we are up against. Yes, Kamala and Tim are doing great now. We’re loving it. They’re packing arenas across the country. Folks are energized. We are feeling good.
But, remember there are still so many people who are desperate for a different outcome, who are ready to question and criticize every move Kamala makes, who are eager to spread those lies, who don’t want to vote for a woman, who will continue to prioritize building their wealth over ensuring that everyone has enough.
So no matter how good we feel tonight or tomorrow or the next day, this is going to be an uphill battle. So folks, we cannot be our own worst enemies. No. See, because the minute something goes wrong, the minute a lie takes hold, folks, we cannot start wringing our hands. We cannot get a Goldilocks complex about whether everything is just right. And we cannot indulge our anxieties about whether this country will elect someone like Kamala instead of doing everything we can to get someone like Kamala elected.
Kamala and Tim, they have lived amazing lives and I am confident that they will lead with compassion, inclusion, and grace. But they are still only human. They are not perfect. And like all of us, they will make mistakes. But luckily y’all, this is not just on them. No, uh-uh. This is up to us, all of us, to be the solution that we seek. It’s up to all of us to be the antidote to the darkness and division.
Look, I don’t care how you identify politically—whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent, or none of the above. This is our time to stand up for what we know in our hearts is right. To stand up, not just for our basic freedoms but for decency and humanity; for basic respect, dignity, and empathy; for the values at the very foundation of this democracy.
It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: “Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something.” So if they lie about her—and they will—we’ve got to do something. If we see a bad poll—and we will—we’ve got to put down that phone and do something. If we start feeling tired, if we start feeling that dread creeping back in, we gotta pick ourselves up, throw water on our face, and what?
(Crowd chants: “Do something!”)
We only have two and a half months, y’all, to get this done. Only 11 weeks to make sure every single person we know is registered and has a voting plan. So we cannot afford for anyone, anyone, anyone, America, to sit on their hands and wait to be called. Don’t complain if no one from the campaign has specifically reached out to you to ask you for your support. There is simply no time for that kind of foolishness. You know what you need to do.
So, consider this to be your official ask: Michelle Obama is asking you—no, I’m telling y’all—to do something.
(Crowd chants: “Do something!”)
Because, y’all, this election is gonna be close. In some states, just a handful—listen to me—a handful of votes in every precinct could decide the winner. So we need to vote in numbers that erase any doubt. We need to overwhelm any effort to suppress us. Our fate is in our hands.
In 77 days, we have the power to turn our country away from the fear, division, and smallness of the past. We have the power to marry our hope with our action. We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat, and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came before us.
We did it before, y’all, and we sure can do it again. Let us work like our lives depend on it, and let us keep moving our country forward and go higher—yes, always higher—than we’ve ever gone before, as we elect the next President and Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.
Thank you all. God bless.
Now, before I go, I have one more job tonight. Yeah, one more job. You all, thank you for all the love, but it is now my honor to introduce somebody who knows a whole lot about hope, someone who has spent his life strengthening our democracy—and let me tell you, as someone who lives with him, he wakes up every day, every day, and thinks about what’s best for this country. Please welcome America’s 44th President and the love of my life, Barack Obama.
Ms. Hassan has already earned a Master’s degree from the University of North Carolina Greensboro in Peace and Conflict but wanted to further her understanding of global dynamics and cultural contexts. She believes that way, the world can create more effective and sustainable peacebuilding strategies.
“I began my academic journey in Nigeria, earning a bachelor’s degree in mass communication from the National Open University of Nigeria. In 2021, I moved to the United States to further my education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG), where I obtained a master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies.
During my time at UNCG, I discovered a passion for community organizing and engagement. I gained valuable hands-on experience at North Carolina Peace Action, working with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons on community organizing around nuclear disarmament.
After completing my master’s degree, I worked with Amnesty International on a project aimed at ending gun violence in Austin and its surrounding areas in Texas. In this role, I contributed to organizing and fundraising efforts, further honing my skills in advocacy and community outreach.
It is my privilege and honor to be a part of the global studies program at Oklahoma State University. I believe that global studies and peacebuilding are inherently interconnected fields that together address the complexities of international relations, conflicts, and cooperation.
By understanding global dynamics and cultural contexts, it is my belief that we can create more effective and sustainable peacebuilding strategies. My goal is to contribute to a holistic approach that bridges these fields, fostering a deeper understanding of global issues and promoting lasting peace.
Considering my background in Peace and Conflict Studies, I chose to pursue a master’s in Global Studies to broaden my perspective in addressing global challenges. My expertise in peace and conflict resolution will complement my studies in global dynamics, enabling me to develop comprehensive solutions that consider both local and international contexts.
I believe the knowledge gained from global studies will enrich my peacebuilding efforts by providing a wider lens through which to understand and address conflicts, ultimately leading to more impactful and sustainable outcomes.
I am very excited to join the Dambach Peacebuilders Fellowship, where I look forward to bringing my experience and voice to the forefront. I am eager to perform my duties in any capacity where my expertise is needed, contributing to meaningful change and peacebuilding efforts.”
Obama steps back into the spotlight — and absolutely skewers Trump. The former president eviscerated Trump as “a 78-year-old billionaire who hasn’t stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago.”
Chicago — Barack Obama was the keynote speaker of the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where the 63-year-old former President tapped into his renowned eloquence to honor his former vice president President Joe Biden, warn the party against complacency, and rally support for Kamala Harris against Donald Trump.
“It’s good to be home. It is good to be home. And I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling fired up. I am feeling ready to go even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama.
I am feeling hopeful because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe in a country where anything is possible; because we have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life trying to give people the same chances America gave her, someone who sees you and hears you and will get up every single day and fight for you, the next President of the United States of America, Kamala Harris.
It’s been 16 years since I had the honor of accepting this party’s nomination for President. And I know that’s hard to believe, because I have not aged a bit. But it’s true. And looking back, I can say, without question, that my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best. And that was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as Vice President.
Other than some common Irish blood, Joe and I come from different backgrounds. But we became brothers. And as we worked together for eight—sometimes pretty tough—years, what I came to admire most about Joe wasn’t just his smarts, his experience; it was his empathy and his decency and his hard earned resilience, his unshakeable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot. And over the last four years, those are the values America has needed most.
At a time when millions of our fellow citizens were sick and dying, we needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right. At a time when our economy was reeling, we needed a leader with the determination to drive what would become the world’s strongest recovery: 15 million jobs, higher wages, lower healthcare costs. At a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality, we needed a leader who was steady and brought people together, and was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics: putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country.
History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding President who defended democracy at a moment of great danger. And I am proud to call him my President, but I am even prouder to call him my friend.
(Crowd chants: “Thank you, Joe!”)
Now, the torch has been passed. Now, it is up to all of us to fight for the America we believe in. And make no mistake, it will be a fight. For all the incredible energy we’ve been able to generate over the last few weeks, for all the rallies and the memes, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country. A country where too many Americans are still struggling, where a lot of Americans don’t believe government can help. And as we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very simple question: Who will fight for me? Who’s thinking about my future, about my children’s future, about our future together?
One thing is for certain: Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question. Here’s a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since he rode down his golden escalator nine years ago. It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually been getting worse now that he is afraid of losing to Kamala. There’s the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession with crowd sizes.
It’s been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that’s actually gotten worse now that Trump is afraid of losing to Kamala. The childish nicknames and crazy conspiracy theories and weird obsession with crowd sizes.
It just goes on and on and on. The other day, I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf blower outside your window every minute of every day. Now, from a neighbor, that’s exhausting. From a President, it’s just dangerous.
The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than a means to his ends. He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly help him and his rich friends. He killed a bipartisan immigration deal written in part by one of the most conservative Republicans in Congress that would’ve helped secure our southern border, because he thought trying to actually solve the problem would hurt his campaign. He doesn’t—
(Crowd boos.) Do not boo. Vote.
He doesn’t seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedom, since it won’t affect his life. And most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided: between us and them, between the real Americans who—of course—support him and the outsiders who don’t. And he wants you to think that you’ll be richer and safer if you will just give him the power to put those other people back in their place. It is one of the oldest tricks in politics, from a guy whose act has—let’s face it—gotten pretty stale.
We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos. We have seen that movie before, and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.
America’s ready for a new chapter. America’s ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.
And Kamala Harris is ready for the job. This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a champion. As you heard from Michelle, Kamala was not born into privilege. She had to work for what she’s got. And she actually cares about what other people are going through. She’s not the neighbor running the leaf blower. She’s the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand.
As a prosecutor, Kamala stood up for children who had been victims of sexual abuse. As an Attorney General of the most populous state in the country, she fought big banks and for-profit colleges, securing billions of dollars for the people they had scammed. After the whole mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my Administration hard to make sure homeowners got a fair settlement. It didn’t matter that I was a Democrat, didn’t matter that she had knocked on doors for my campaign in Iowa—she was going to fight to get as much relief as possible for the families who deserved it.
As Vice President, she helped take on the drug companies to cap the cost of insulin, lower the cost of healthcare, give families with kids a tax cut. And she is running for President with real plans to lower costs even more and protect Medicare and Medicaid and sign a law to guarantee every woman’s right to make her own healthcare decisions.
In other words, Kamala Harris won’t be focused on her problems, she’ll be focused on yours. As President, she won’t just cater to her own supporters and punish those who refuse to kiss the ring or bend the knee. She’ll work on behalf of every American. That’s who Kamala is.
And in the White House, she will have an outstanding partner in Governor Tim Walz. Let me tell you something. Let me tell you something. I love this guy. Tim is the kind of person who should be in politics: born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football, took care of his neighbors. He knows who he is, and he knows what’s important. You can tell those flannel shirts he wears don’t come from some political consultant; they come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff. They have been through some stuff. That’s right.
Together, Kamala and Tim have kept faith with America’s central story: a story that says, “We are all created equal.” All of us endowed with certain inalienable rights. That everyone deserves a chance. That even when we don’t agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other. That’s Kamala’s vision. That’s Tim’s vision. That’s the Democratic Party’s vision. And our job over the next 11 weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote for that vision.
Now, it won’t be easy. The other side knows it’s easier to play on people’s fears and cynicism. It always has been. They will tell you that government is inherently corrupt, that sacrifice and generosity are for suckers, and since the game is rigged it’s okay to take what you want and just look after your own. That’s the easy path.
We have a different task. Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver. And, and in doing that, we can’t just point to what we’ve already accomplished. We can’t just rely on the ideas of the past. We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today. And Kamala understands this. She knows, for example, that if we want to make it easier for more young people to buy a home, we need to build more units and clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations that made it harder to build homes for working people in this country. That is a priority. And she’s put out a bold new plan to do just that.
On healthcare, we should all be proud of the enormous progress that we’ve made through the Affordable Care Act, providing millions of people access to affordable coverage, protecting millions more from unscrupulous insurance practices. And I’d noticed, by the way, that since it’s become popular, they don’t call it Obamacare no more.
But Kamala knows we can’t stop there, which is why she’ll keep working to limit out-of-pocket costs. Kamala knows that if we want to help people get ahead, we need to put a college degree within reach of more Americans. But she also knows college shouldn’t be the only ticket to the middle class. We need to follow the lead of governors like Tim Walz, who said, if you’ve got the skills and the drive, you shouldn’t need a degree to work for state government.
And in this new economy, we need a President who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country, who wake up every single day to do the essential, often thankless work: to care for our sick, to clean our streets, to deliver our packages. We need a President who will stand up for their right to bargain for better wages and working conditions. And Kamala will be that President.
Yes, she can.
(Crowd chants: “Yes, she can!”) Yes, she can.
A Harris-Walz administration can help us move past some of the tired, old debates that keep stifling progress. Because at their core, Kamala and Tim understand that when everybody gets a fair shot, we are all better off. They understand that when every child gets a good education, the whole economy gets stronger. When women are paid the same as men for doing the same job, all families benefit. They understand that we can secure our borders without tearing kids away from their parents. Just like we can keep our streets safe while also building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve and eliminating bias that will make it better for everybody.
Donald Trump and his well-heeled donors, they don’t see the world that way. For them, one group’s gains is necessarily another group’s loss. For them, freedom means that the powerful can do pretty much what they please, whether it’s fire workers trying to organize a union or put poison in our rivers or avoid paying taxes like everybody else has to do.
Well, we have a broader idea of freedom. We believe in the freedom to provide for your family if you’re willing to work hard. The freedom to breathe clean air and drink clean water and send your kids to school without worrying if they’ll come home. We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life, how we worship, what our family looks like, how many kids we have, who we marry. And we believe that freedom requires us to recognize that other people have the freedom to make choices that are different than ours. That’s okay.
That’s the America Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in: an America where “we, the people” includes everyone. Because that’s the only way this American experiment works. And despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that. Democracy isn’t just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws in some book somewhere. It’s the values we live by. It’s the way we treat each other, including those who don’t look like us or pray like us or see the world exactly like we do.
That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message. Our politics have become so polarized these days that all of us across the political spectrum seem so quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every single issue. We start thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and out-yell the other side. And after a while, regular folks just tune out, or they don’t bother to vote.
Now that approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division, but it won’t work for us. To make progress on the things we care about, the things that really affect people’s lives, we need to remember that we’ve all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices. And that if we want to win over those who aren’t yet ready to support our candidates, we need to listen to their concerns and maybe learn something in the process.
After all, if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don’t automatically assume they’re bad people. We recognize that the world is moving fast, that they need time and maybe a little encouragement to catch up. Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they’ll extend to us. That’s how we can build a true Democratic majority, one that can get things done.
And by the way, that does not just matter to the people in this country. The rest of the world is watching to see if we can actually pull this off. No nation, no society has ever tried to build a democracy as big and as diverse as ours before. One that includes people that, over decades, have come from every corner of the globe. One where our allegiances and our community are defined not by race or blood but by a common creed. And that’s why when we uphold our values, the world’s a little brighter. When we don’t, the world’s a little dimmer—and dictators and autocrats feel emboldened, and over time, we become less safe.
We shouldn’t be the world’s policeman and we can’t eradicate every cruelty and injustice in the world. But America can be and must be a force for good: discouraging conflict, fighting disease, promoting human rights, protecting the planet from climate change, defending freedom, brokering peace. That’s what Kamala Harris believes and so do most Americans.
(Crowd chants: “Yes, we can!”)
I know these ideas can feel pretty naive right now. We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, with a culture that puts a premium on things that don’t last: money, fame, status, likes. We chase the approval of strangers on our phones. We build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves, and then we wonder why we feel so alone. We don’t trust each other as much because we don’t take the time to know each other. And in that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each other and troll each other and fear each other.
But here’s the good news, Chicago: All across America, in big cities and small towns, away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together are still there. We still coach Little League and look out for our elderly neighbors. We still feed the hungry in churches and mosques and synagogues and temples. We share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold. Because the vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and the excitement that we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone.
You know, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this these past few months because, as Michelle mentioned, this summer we lost her mom, Ms. Marian Robinson. And I don’t know that anybody has ever loved their mother-in-law any more than I love mine. Mostly it’s because she was funny and wise and the least pretentious person I knew. That and she always defended me with Michelle when I messed up. (Crowd laughs.) I’d hide behind her.
But I also think one of the reasons Marian and I became so close was she reminded me of my grandmother, the woman who helped raise me as a child. And on the surface, the two of them did not have a lot in common. One was a Black woman from right here, south side of Chicago, right down the way—(Crowd cheers.)—went to Englewood High School. The other was a little old white lady born in a tiny town called Peru, Kansas. (Crowd cheers.) Now I know there aren’t that many people from Peru. (Crowd laughs.)
And yet they shared a basic outlook on life. They were strong, smart, resourceful women, full of common sense, who, regardless of the barriers they encountered—and women growing up in the ’40s and ’50s and ’60s, they encountered barriers—they still went about their business without fuss or complaint and provided an unshakeable foundation of love for their children and their grandchildren. In that sense, they both represented an entire generation of working people, who through war and depression, discrimination, and limited opportunity, helped build this country. A lot of them toiled every day at jobs that were often too small for them and didn’t pay a lot. They willingly went without just to keep a roof over their family’s heads, just to give their children something better.
But they knew what was true. They knew what mattered: things like honesty and integrity, kindness, and hard work. They weren’t impressed with braggarts or bullies. They didn’t think putting other people down lifted you up or made you strong. They didn’t spend a lot of time obsessing about what they didn’t have. Instead, they appreciated what they did. They found pleasure in simple things: a card game with friends, a good meal and laughter around the kitchen table, helping others, and, most of all, seeing their children do things and go places that they would’ve never imagined for themselves.
Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican or somewhere in between, we have all had people like that in our lives. People like Kamala’s parents, who crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America. People like Tim’s parents, who taught him about the importance of service. Good, hardworking people, who weren’t famous or powerful but who managed in countless ways to leave this country just a little bit better than they found it.
As much as any policy or program, I believe that’s what we yearn for: a return to an America where we work together and look out for each other. A restoration of, what Lincoln called on the eve of civil war, our “bonds of affection.” An America that taps what he called “the better angels of our nature.”
That is what this election is about. And I believe that’s why, if we each do our part over the next 77 days, if we knock on doors, if we make phone calls, if we talk to our friends, if we listen to our neighbors, if we work like we’ve never worked before, if we hold firm to our convictions, we will elect Kamala Harris as the next President of the United States and Tim Walz as the next Vice President of the United States. We will elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking America we all believe in. And together, we too will build a country that is more secure and more just, more equal, and more free. So let’s get to work.
God bless you, and God bless the United States of America.
The sanctity of borders is paramount, and when breached, the consequences must be met with decisive action.
New York, N.Y. — We believe in peace, but we are not pacifists. Our commitment to peace is rooted in the belief that international laws and borders must be respected. When one nation invades another, it is our duty, as citizens of the world, to ensure that the aggressor is stopped. The sanctity of borders is paramount, and when breached, the consequences must be met with decisive action.
History has shown us time and again that when a nation faces overwhelming odds, it often resorts to creative, unexpected tactics.
These actions, though desperate, were necessary and ultimately justified by the cause they served.
Today, we see a parallel in Ukraine’s bold actions against Russia. Ukraine, outgunned and outnumbered, has taken the fight to the very heart of Russia by destroying or damaging all three bridges over Russia’s Seym River.
This move, while audacious, strikes at the core of President Vladimir Putin’s sense of invincibility. It is a reminder that no matter the size of the army, the will of a people determined to defend their homeland cannot be underestimated.
While Ukraine may not be able to sustain or expand these incursions, the message is clear: Russia’s actions will not go unchallenged. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his military commanders have shown the world that Ukraine will not be intimidated. Their strategic brilliance deserves recognition. They have made a significant statement, not just to Russia, but to the entire international community.
The Democrats kicked off the 2024 Democratic National Convention with a bang, unveiling a biting Law & Order parody that highlighted Donald Trump’s alleged criminal conduct. The two-minute video used the iconic show’s style to lay out the former president’s extensive rap sheet, blending humor with a sobering message about the seriousness of the accusations.
Tags: Donald Trump, Democratic National Convention, Law & Order parody, political satire, 2024 election, Trump criminal conduct, Chicago, DNC video, Trump allegations, DNC opening night
Beyond his immediate success at the Asian Games, Takahashi is a young leader with immense potential. Born in 2003, to an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, he represents a blend of cultures, bringing a unique perspective to his sport. Currently an undergraduate at the prestigious Hosei University in Tokyo, Takahashi is not only focused on his athletic career but also on his academic pursuits, reflecting a well-rounded and disciplined approach to life.
Tokyo, Japan — At the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, the volleyball courts have become a focal point of excitement, with fans cheering passionately for their teams.
Among the standout athletes, one young player has captured the attention and admiration of audiences not only for his athletic prowess but also for his striking appearance—19-year-old Keihan Takahashi, a rising star on the Japanese men’s volleyball team.
Making his debut on the global stage, Takahashi played a crucial role in helping Japan secure a bronze medal, defeating Qatar 3-1 on September 26.
Standing tall at 6 feet 4 inches, his performance was nothing short of impressive. However, it wasn’t just his skills that won over fans; it was also his good looks that had many spectators completely captivated.
Comments online echoed sentiments such as, “He’s so handsome that it’s scary!” and others admitting that they “couldn’t concentrate on watching the game at all” due to Takahashi’s distracting charm.
Beyond his immediate success at the Asian Games, Takahashi is a young leader with immense potential. Born on October 13, 2003, to an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, he represents a blend of cultures, bringing a unique perspective to his sport.
Currently an undergraduate at the prestigious Hosei University in Tokyo, Takahashi is not only focused on his athletic career but also on his academic pursuits, reflecting a well-rounded and disciplined approach to life.
Takahashi’s future in volleyball is bright. He has already qualified to compete in the upcoming World Volleyball Championship, Volleyball World Cup, and the Olympics, promising that Hangzhou is just the beginning of what will likely be a remarkable career. As he continues to grow and excel, Takahashi is sure to become a significant figure not just in sports, but as a role model for young athletes worldwide.
Born in London in 1989 to Pakistani parents, Lina Khan moved to the United States at the age of 11. She grew up in New York City, where her experiences as an immigrant and exposure to the complexities of the American economic system likely shaped her future perspectives. Khan attended Williams College, where she studied political science, and later Yale Law School, where her groundbreaking scholarship on antitrust law began to take shape.
New York, N.Y. In the landscape of American governance, few figures have garnered as much attention in recent years as Lina Khan, the Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Appointed by President Joe Biden in June 2021, Khan’s rise to one of the most powerful regulatory positions in the United States has been nothing short of meteoric. At just 34 years old, she has become a central figure in the battle to redefine antitrust enforcement in the digital age, challenging the dominance of tech giants and pushing for more aggressive regulation to protect competition and consumers.
A Revolutionary Legal Mind
Khan first gained national prominence while still a law student, with the publication of her seminal paper, “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox,” in the Yale Law Journal in 2017. In this article, she argued that the traditional antitrust framework, which focused primarily on consumer prices as the metric for competition, was ill-equipped to handle the complexities of modern tech giants like Amazon. She posited that these companies could harm competition even if they offered lower prices, by using their market power to stifle innovation, create barriers to entry, and exert undue influence over entire industries.
Khan’s argument was a direct challenge to the prevailing antitrust philosophy, which had dominated American legal thought for decades. Her work quickly gained traction among academics, policymakers, and activists who were concerned about the growing power of Big Tech. It also positioned her as a leading voice in the movement to rethink antitrust enforcement for the 21st century.
Chair of the FTC: A Bold New Direction
In 2021, Lina Khan was nominated by President Biden to serve as a Commissioner of the FTC, and shortly after her confirmation, she was appointed Chair, making her the youngest person ever to hold the position. Her appointment signaled a dramatic shift in the federal government’s approach to antitrust enforcement and consumer protection.
Under Khan’s leadership, the FTC has taken a more aggressive stance on regulating big corporations, particularly in the technology sector. She has focused on addressing the ways in which dominant firms may be using their market power to suppress competition and exploit consumers. This includes scrutinizing mergers and acquisitions that might have previously been approved under a more lenient antitrust regime.
Khan has also pushed the FTC to consider the broader impacts of corporate behavior, including its effects on innovation, worker rights, and privacy. This holistic approach marks a significant departure from the narrower, price-focused analysis that has traditionally guided antitrust enforcement.
Challenges and Controversies
Lina Khan’s tenure at the FTC has not been without controversy. Critics, particularly from the business community and some conservative lawmakers, argue that her approach to antitrust enforcement is overly aggressive and could stifle economic growth and innovation. They contend that the regulatory uncertainty created by the FTC’s new direction could have a chilling effect on business investment and expansion.
Moreover, some have questioned whether the FTC under Khan is overstepping its legal authority, pushing the boundaries of what the agency is empowered to do. This has led to legal battles, with several high-profile companies challenging the FTC’s actions in court.
However, Khan has remained steadfast in her belief that robust antitrust enforcement is essential to maintaining a competitive, fair, and innovative economy. She argues that the concentration of economic power in the hands of a few dominant firms poses significant risks to both the economy and democracy.
The Future of Antitrust
As Chair of the FTC, Lina Khan is at the forefront of a broader movement to modernize antitrust enforcement in the United States. Her leadership represents a generational shift in how regulators think about competition, consumer protection, and the role of government in overseeing the economy.
Khan’s influence extends beyond the FTC, as her ideas have resonated with lawmakers, academics, and activists around the world. She has helped to spur a global conversation about the need for stronger antitrust enforcement in the digital age, and her work is likely to have a lasting impact on how governments regulate big corporations.
Lina Khan’s tenure as FTC Chair is still in its early stages, but it is already clear that she is shaping the future of antitrust enforcement in profound ways. Her willingness to challenge long-standing legal doctrines and take on some of the most powerful corporations in the world has made her a transformative figure in American law and governance.
Whether or not one agrees with her approach, there is no denying that Khan has brought a new level of energy and urgency to the fight against monopolistic practices. Her work will likely define the trajectory of antitrust law for years to come, making her one of the most influential legal minds of her generation.
Tags: Lina Khan, Federal Trade Commission, antitrust law, Big Tech, digital regulation, Pakistani American, U.S. government, Yale Law School, Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox
