November, 03 2021, 02:04pm EDT
Virginia Election Shows Why Democrats Must Pass Biden's Recovery Plan
This moment demands bold progressive action that meaningfully improves people’s lives, and Democrats must deliver.
WASHINGTON
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action released the following statement on Wednesday in response to yesterday's election results in Virginia:
"Terry McAuliffe's loss in Virginia shows why passing a robust recovery plan should be the top priority for Congressional Democrats," said Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Washington Director of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. "This moment demands bold progressive action that meaningfully improves people's lives. Voters gave Democrats control of Congress and the White House last year in order to pass the broadly popular policies contained in President Biden's Build Back Better plan - including historic investments in quality care and education for our children, affordable medicine for our families, and clean air and water for future generations. Democrats must deliver on those promises of a country where we all belong and can all thrive, or risk opening the door for Republicans like Glenn Youngkin to win power through antisemitic scapegoating and racist fear-mongering which divides voters and puts our communities at risk. If Democrats want to keep their majorities in Congress next year, they should listen to the progressive champions pushing for a strong Build Back Better plan that lifts everyone up today while investing in our shared future."
Bend the Arc is where progressive American Jews join together to fight for justice and equality for all. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on progressive social change in the United States.
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Sanders Raises Alarm Over GOP Crypto Bill Designed to 'Enrich Trump and His Billionaire Backers'
"Congress is moving quickly to pass the GENIUS Act, which may make a bad situation much worse," said Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
May 06, 2025
As the Republican Senate majority leader plows ahead with a plan to hold a vote on a cryptocurrency bill, Sen. Bernie Sanders is planning a Wednesday conversation with industry experts regarding the proposed legislation, which his office warns would "enrich Trump and his billionaire backers."
The Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act would create a regulatory framework for a type of cryptocurrency called stablecoins. Sanders' (I-Vt.) office said in a Tuesday statement that the bill "threatens the stability of our financial system" and "makes it easier for President [Donald] Trump and his family to continue to engage in corrupt dealmaking enabled through their cryptocurrency, to the great benefit of themselves and their tech oligarch backers."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), another critic of the GENIUS Act, has argued it could facilitate illicit activity and provide little protection for consumer funds.
In February, the advocacy group Consumer Reports warned that the bill lacked consumer protections and could inadvertently allow large tech companies to enter the banking space, as in create currencies, without being subject to the same scrutiny that is applied to traditional banks.
"Under the Trump administration, we have seen a coordinated effort to boost the cryptocurrency industry to directly benefit President Trump and his oligarch allies," said Sanders on Tuesday. He also highlighted that Trump this week promoted a scheduled private dinner for the top holders of the $TRUMP meme coin, effectively soliciting purchases of the crypto token that now accounts for a substantial portion of his net worth.
Also, a stablecoin launched by Trump's World Liberty Financial crypto venture is going to be used by an investment firm backed by the government of Abu Dhabi to complete a $2 billion business deal, according to The New York Times.
"If that's not a troubling form of corruption, I don't know what is," said Sanders of the two cases.
The latest revelations regarding Trump and cryptocurrency appear to have diminished the GENIUS Act's chances of passage, according to The American Prospect.
The GENIUS Act had enjoyed support from a handful of Democratic senators, but a number of them backed off from supporting the bill in its current form over the weekend, writing in a statement that they wanted to see stronger provisions on anti-money laundering, national security, and other issues. "But reading between the lines, it was clearly the Trump corruption that soured them," the Prospect reported.
Sanders said that "in the face of this corruption, you might hope that Congress would step in to clamp down on corruption. Instead, Congress is moving quickly to pass the GENIUS Act, which may make a bad situation much worse."
Axiosreported Tuesday afternoon that Warren and another GENIUS Act critic, Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), will introduce the End Crypto Corruption Act on Tuesday. The proposal would bar the president, vice president, members of Congress, and their immediate families from issuing digital assets, like stablecoins, perAxios.
Sanders' conversation will be with Sacha Haworth, the executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, a group aimed at reining in Big Tech, and Corey Frayer, the director of investor protection at the Consumer Federation of America, a consumer research and advocacy organization.
The conversation will be livestreamed on his Facebook, X, and YouTube, and through Act.tv.
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Pakistan Retaliates After Indian Missile Strikes Kill Child
"The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan," said a spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general.
May 06, 2025
This is a developing story… Please check back for possible updates...
Pakistan retaliated after Indian missile strikes killed at least three people, including a child, and wounded a dozen others early Wednesday local time—further escalating tensions between the two nuclear-armed nations that have risen since last month's Kashmir massacre.
Karachi-based Geo Newsreported that "Pakistan shot down two Indian Air Force (IAF) jets early Wednesday in retaliatory strikes following Indian missile attacks on cities in Punjab and Azad Kashmir," which is administered by Pakistan.
Citing security sources, the outlet added that Pakistan's military also "destroyed an Indian Army brigade headquarters" and launched a missile strike that "wiped out an enemy post in the Dhundial sector of the Line of Control" in Kashmir.
Pakistan's Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, director general of Inter-Services Public Relations, said that "Pakistani armed forces are giving a befitting response to Indian aggression."
Before the retaliation, the Indian Ministry of Defense said in a statement that "India has launched Operation Sindoor, a precise and restrained response to the barbaric Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, including one Nepali citizen."
India has blamed Pakistan for the April 22 attack in which armed militants killed tourists in Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, while the Pakistani government has called for a "neutral" probe.
The Indian ministry claimed Wednesday that "focused strikes were carried out on nine terrorist infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, targeting the roots of cross-border terror planning."
"Importantly, no Pakistani military facilities were hit, reflecting India's calibrated and nonescalatory approach," the ministry added. "This operation underscores India's resolve to hold perpetrators accountable while avoiding unnecessary provocation."
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that the U.N. chief "is very concerned about the Indian military operations across the Line of Control and international border. He calls for maximum military restraint from both countries."
"The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan," the spokesperson added, according toReuters.
Guterres has repeatedly expressed concern about mounting tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors since last month.
"Now is the time for maximum restraint and stepping back from the brink," he said Monday. "Make no mistake: A military solution is no solution. And I offer my good offices to both governments in the service of peace. The United Nations stands ready to support any initiative that promotes de-escalation, diplomacy, and a renewed commitment to peace."
Asked about the escalation at the White House, U.S. President Donald Trump said: "It's a shame... I just hope it ends very quickly."
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Trump: 'Never Say Never' to Canada Becoming 51st State. Canadian PM: 'Never. Never. Never.'
"Canada is not for sale and is never going to be for sale," said Prime Minister Mark Carney.
May 06, 2025
In an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was diplomatic toward U.S. President Donald Trump, who has threatened to take over the United States' northern neighbor and whom Carney excoriated in his victory speech after being elected in March.
But at one point, Carney resorted to speaking to the cameras in the room to push back against the president's repeated claim that Canada could become "the 51st state."
After Carney reiterated that Canada "is not for sale," Trump told the press assembled in the room, "Never say never."
Carney responded by saying under his breath, "Never. Never. Never," to several of the reporters.
Carney later told reporters at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C. that he views Trump's persistent talk about taking control of one of the United States' top allies and trade partners as "a wish," and said he has "been careful always to distinguish between wish and reality."
"We're very clear, I've been very clear publicly consistently," said Carney. "I've been clear in private. I was very clear again in the Oval Office, have been clear throughout."
"Canada is not for sale and is never going to be for sale," he added.
In his remarks in the Oval Office, the Canadian prime minister, who represents the center-left Labour Party, seemed to appeal to Trump's self-image as a successful businessman at one point, reminding him that "as you know, from real estate, there are some places that are never for sale."
He also complimented Trump, saying he has "revitalized" international security.
But in his remarks after the meeting, Carney said he had pushed Trump to stop referring to Canada as the "51st state," and regarding a trade deal, he said the president "understands that we're having a negotiation between sovereign nations and that we will only pursue and accept a deal that is in the best interest of Canada."
The Trump administration has imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, with some imports exempt under a trade deal signed in 2020.
Carney reported that Trump was willing to discuss lowering the tariffs and said he planned to have further discussions with the president "in the coming weeks" about a new trade agreement.
Trump appeared to soften his stance on eliminating the border between the U.S. and Canada and taking over the country in the meeting, allowing that "it takes two to tango."
Trump spoke about what he believes would be "a massive tax cut for the Canadian citizens" as well as healthcare benefits, but suggested he won't continue pushing Canada to make a deal.
"We're not going to be discussing that unless somebody wants to discuss it," he said.
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