Hasnain says:

“That’s where the sense of losing your mind comes from: the fact that it seems, for the first time that I can think of, western powers are unable to credibly pretend that there is some global system of rules that they uphold. They seem to simply say: there are exceptions, and that’s just the way it is. No, it can’t be explained and yes, it will carry on until it doesn’t at some point”

Hasnain says:

Chilling and very important read. From one of the world’s leading holocaust scholars.

“In the decades after World War II and the defeat of Nazism and fascism, historians and other intellectuals often berated their predecessors for having lacked the courage to stand up to their governments and popular sentiments and to have failed to warn against what they clearly saw was about to happen. As a historian of the Holocaust, I have called upon the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, and Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, to stand in the forefront of those warning against Israeli breaches of human rights and international law, currently being legitimized by Israeli political and military leaders, talking heads on television, and social media. I have urged those who dedicate themselves to researching and commemorating the Holocaust to warn against the dehumanizing rhetoric in Israel directed at the population of Gaza that literally calls for its extinction. I have also called upon them to condemn the escalating violence on the West Bank, perpetrated by incited settlers and IDF troops, which is similarly inclining toward ethnic cleansing under the cover of the war in Gaza. But for now, all we hear from these scholars is silence.”

Hasnain says:

:( all the way in Vermont.

After the super racist woman in the Bay Area yesterday too, I don’t know what to think.

“Two men were found injured on the scene, another man found injured a short distance away.

Channel Three News has confirmed that all three are young men of Palestinian descent. However, Burlington Police have not released any information about a motive.”

Hasnain says:

“A letter from a State Department official informed him that he should not have been granted citizenship at the time of his birth because his father was a diplomat with the Embassy of Iran. The letter directed Sobhani to a website where he could apply for lawful permanent residence.

“This was a shock to me,” said Sobhani, who specializes in internal medicine. “I’m a doctor. I’ve been here all my life. I’ve paid my taxes. I’ve voted for presidents. I’ve served my community in Northern Virginia. During covid, I was at work, putting myself at risk, putting my family at risk. So when you’re told after 61 years, ‘Oh there was a mistake, you’re no longer a U.S. citizen,’ it’s really, really shocking.””

Hasnain says:

Chotiner has a way of getting everyone to admit the horrible truths they try to hide. First the settler interview and now this.

“Jake Sullivan was asked whether Israel does what it can to limit civilian casualties. He dodged the question. And then he was asked directly on CNN whether Israel was operating according to the rules of war. And Sullivan said, “I’m not going to sit here and play judge or jury on that question.” Do you have a sense of whether Israel is operating according to the rules of war?

I know that, once I was elected to the United States Senate, I’m supposed to be an expert on every subject.

Sir, you’re the head of the Foreign Relations Committee.”

Hasnain says:

“When asked for comment, the leadership of the Harvard Law Review referred The Nation to a message posted on the journal’s website. “Like every academic journal, the Harvard Law Review has rigorous editorial processes governing how it solicits, evaluates, and determines when and whether to publish a piece…” the note began. ”Last week, the full body met and deliberated over whether to publish a particular Blog piece that had been solicited by two editors. A substantial majority voted not to proceed with publication.”

Today, The Nation is sharing the piece that the Harvard Law Review refused to run.

Genocide is a crime. It is a legal framework. It is unfolding in Gaza. And yet, the inertia of legal academia, especially in the United States, has been chilling. Clearly, it is much easier to dissect the case law rather than navigate the reality of death. It is much easier to consider genocide in the past tense rather than contend with it in the present. Legal scholars tend to sharpen their pens after the smell of death has dissipated and moral clarity is no longer urgent.”

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.””