Hasnain says:

Glad there is a much needed pause in the fighting and I hope this leads to an eventual end of the occupation. But this quote is horrifying and continues to show behavior which makes it hard to want to vote for this admin in the future.

“And there was some concern in the administration about an unintended consequence of the pause: that it would allow journalists broader access to Gaza and the opportunity to further illuminate the devastation there and turn public opinion on Israel.”

Hasnain says:

What a crazy turn of events. Especially the new letter signed by 500/700 of the OpenAI folks demanding the board resign - which was ironically also signed by the board member who orchestrated this whole mess up in the first place.

“Brockman has also revealed that the new team at Microsoft will include some key OpenAI talent. Jakub Pachocki, director of research at OpenAI, will join an unnamed leadership position in Microsoft’s advanced AI research team. OpenAI research scientist Szymon Sidor and head of preparedness Aleksander Madry are also joining Microsoft in leadership positions, according to Brockman. OpenAI employees are also posting “OpenAI is nothing without its people” to X in a sign of more resignations to come.”

Hasnain says:

“Denise Moriguchi knows that the local housing market weighs on her staff in Seattle. The chief executive of Uwajimaya, a chain of Asian grocery stores, said many of her employees commute an hour by public bus, have multiple roommates or rent a couch rather than a whole room, because housing costs in the area are so high. Whenever Moriguchi considers adding new store locations, she considers the general affordability in the area and the availability of public transit, in case she’d have a hard time finding employees who live nearby.”

Hasnain says:

I hope this happens. This is a bare minimum and a start towards the long road to fully solving the conflict. I do hope people in the US continue to push for a ceasefire (it’s how we got this) and for efforts like Bernie’s to finally impose conditions (like not committing war crimes) on military aid to Israel.

“While there is strong domestic pressure on Netanyahu to bring the hostages home, there are also loud voices in Israel demanding that the government not barter for their release.
�In public remarks, Israel has remained unyielding, while acknowledging the pressure it is under. On Friday, Israeli National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi told reporters that the war cabinet had unanimously agreed that a limited cease-fire could occur only after “a massive release of our hostages … and it will be limited and short, because after that we will continue to work towards achieving our war goals.””

Hasnain says:

When you realize even Reagan showed more moral fortitude than Biden (and Bernie), you have to stop and think. Learnt a lot of history from this one.

“In July 1982, the White House halted shipments of cluster munitions to Israel, declaring that the Israelis had violated arms agreements not to use these weapons on civilian areas. After a particularly deadly IDF barrage launched during the Siege of Beirut, Reagan called Begin and demanded the IDF stop the shelling. To do so, he used deeply emotional terms. “Here, on our television, night after night, our people are being shown the symbols of this war, and it is a holocaust,” Reagan said. In April 1983, he told the public his administration had halted F-16 sales to Israel and said they would not resume until the state withdrew from Lebanon.”

Hasnain says:

“"Israel's use of the term 'evacuation' for sending Palestinians to southern areas is really problematic, because it conjures up an idea of a safe route to a place of safety," says Caitlin Procter, a research fellow at the Center on Conflict Development and Peacebuilding at the Geneva Graduate Institute. "But the reality is there is no safe place left in Gaza for people to go."”

Hasnain says:

I am really curious about what story they are trying to get ahead of

“Mr. Altman’s departure follows a deliberative review process by the board, which concluded that he was not consistently candid in his communications with the board, hindering its ability to exercise its responsibilities. The board no longer has confidence in his ability to continue leading OpenAI.”

Hasnain says:

While I had heard this and thought this, it didn’t really hit until seeing it spelled out point blank.

““Arab and Global South officials are bewildered by Biden's indifference to how his blocking of a ceasefire is plummeting America's standing globally,” says Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. “Arab officials have told me that Biden has done more damage to America's standing in the region than George W Bush did with his illegal invasion of Iraq.””

Hasnain says:

Pleasantly surprised NPR ran with this. Can’t even imagine what life must be like in the West Bank and Gaza right now.

“As we walk another 100 or so yards, people in uniform emerge from behind a rocky hillside. More arrive in an SUV.

We stop and announce ourselves: "Media. Press." They're clearly unhappy with us. Some have their faces covered with balaclavas. Soon about a dozen people in uniform are gathering around us – all of them carrying large assault-style guns.

"OK. So get out of here. Take your legs and go all the way back," one soldier says in Hebrew, pointing to the direction from which we came. They tell us we've crossed a barrier, but we point out there is no rope, no signs, nothing to indicate that. They insist the area is restricted, and it's a time of war.”

Hasnain says:

This interview is eye opening and horrifying. I hope that this person is just a lone extremist and that the opinions are not common - but alas I fear they are. And I don’t know how we can achieve peace with viewpoints like this.

So many quotes in here that are terrifying. Hard to pick just one.

“In Israel, there’s a lot of support for settlements, and this is why there have been right-wing governments for so many years. The world, especially the United States, thinks there is an option for a Palestinian state, and, if we continue to build communities, then we block the option for a Palestinian state. We want to close the option for a Palestinian state, and the world wants to leave the option open. It’s a very simple thing to understand.”