May, 14 2020, 12:00am EDT
Thousands Register for Online Rally Marking Palestinian Nakba Day on May 15
Virtual gathering with Roger Waters, Ken Loach, Chief Mandla Mandela, Janna Jihad and DAM
WASHINGTON
As Palestinians around the world mark the 72nd year of their resistance to Israeli dislocation and dispossession, thousands will gather online for a virtual rally to commemorate Nakba Day - and stand in opposition to land theft and annexation.
What: An online rally featuring performances by Roger Waters, DAM, Remi Kanazi, Allan Kolski and Adnan Joubran, and speeches by Ken Loach, Chief Mandla Mandela, Diana Buttu, Janna Jihad, Yara Hawari and Ghada Karmi. Participants will be led in sign-making and call their elected officials.
Who: Organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the BDS Movement, Jewish Voice for Peace and the South African BDS Coalition.
When: May 15, 2020 (2-3:30 EST, 9-10:30 Palestine,)
Where: Register HERE to attend the rally
Why: Justice, equality and dignity in Palestine/Israel must include Palestinians realizing their right to return home. Nakba means catastrophe in Arabic, and Nakba Day refers to the destruction of hundreds of Palestinian villages and the violent expulsion of 750,000 Palestinians that began with Israel's founding, and that continues to this day.
The catastrophes of the Nakba continue through ongoing land theft and expulsion. Israeli annexation will mean even more deeply entrenched apartheid, more home and village demolitions, and the further loss of Palestinian land, livelihoods, and connections. We stand together in resistance!
Media welcome - Visuals include thousands of participants on Zoom call and watching live on Facebook, holding signs and making calls to elected officials.
Jewish Voice for Peace is a national, grassroots organization inspired by Jewish tradition to work for a just and lasting peace according to principles of human rights, equality, and international law for all the people of Israel and Palestine. JVP has over 200,000 online supporters, over 70 chapters, a youth wing, a Rabbinic Council, an Artist Council, an Academic Advisory Council, and an Advisory Board made up of leading U.S. intellectuals and artists.
(510) 465-1777LATEST NEWS
New Progressive Caucus Chair Ready to 'Fight Billionaires, Grifters, and Republican Frauds'
"Our caucus will make sure the Democratic Party stands up to corporate interests for working people," said Rep. Greg Casar.
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The Congressional Progressive Caucus on Thursday elected its leaders for the next term, including Rep. Greg Casar as chair.
"The members of the Progressive Caucus know how to fight billionaires, grifters, and Republican frauds in Congress. Our caucus will make sure the Democratic Party stands up to corporate interests for working people," said Casar (D-Texas), who will replace term-limited Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.).
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Casar, who is currently the CPC whip and ran unopposed, will be joined for the 119th Congress by Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as deputy chair and Jesús "Chuy" García (D-Ill.) as whip.
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The CPC, first led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 1991, when he was still in the U.S. House of Representatives, has nearly 100 members. The new caucus leaders are set to begin their terms on January 3 and will face not only a Republican-controlled House and Senate, but also U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, who is set to be sworn in on January 20.
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According to NBC:
That means the Democratic Party needs to "shed off some of its more corporate elements," to sharpen the economic-populist contrast with Republicans and not let voters equate the two parties, he said. He predicted Trump and the Republican-led Congress will offer plenty of opportunities to drive that distinction, including when it pursues an extension of tax cuts for upper earners.
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Others—including Sanders, who sought the Democratic nomination for president in 2016 and 2020—have issued similar calls since Democrats lost the White House and Senate in last month's elections.
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On Thursday, both Sanders and Jayapal, who have led the congressional fight for Medicare for All, reiterated calls for a single-payer healthcare program in response to a social media post by Elon Musk, who is set to co-lead Trump's forthcoming Department of Government Efficiency with fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy.
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"If we're talking about Trump, I think it's very interesting, I'm actually very optimistic this time around... I'm very hopeful about this—he seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation," Bezos told The New York Times' Andrew Ross Sorkin during the newspaper's DealBook Summit.
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The comments came during a discussion about Bezos' ownership of The Washington Post, which also addressed the billionaire's recent controversial decisions to block the newspaper's drafted endorsement of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris and have it stop endorsing presidential candidates.
Bezos said Wednesday that he is "very proud" of the move, that the Post "is going to continue to cover all presidents very aggressively," and the decision did not result from fears about Trump targeting his companies.
As Inc.reported Thursday: "Trump had railed against Bezos and his companies, including Amazon and The Washington Post, during his first term. In 2019, Amazon argued in a court case that Trump's bias against the company harmed its chances of winning a $10 billion Pentagon contract. The Biden administration later pursued a contract with both Amazon and Microsoft."
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