United States | News & Politics

• White supremacist incidents are on the rise across the US, with over 750 such incidents occurring since 2020, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
• The majority of these incidents have taken place in the last 18 months, with a 63% increase in 2023 compared to 2022.
• Experts attribute this trend to changing demographics, political turmoil, and social catalysts, which have created an environment that fuels hate groups.
• Small groups of masked men are chanting and waving swastika or white power flags in public, yelling racial slurs, and unfurling offensive banners over highways or posting racist fliers in communities.
• The normalization of hate in public and political discourse is creating an environment that fuels these groups, with many using social media to generate video clips and recruit new members.
• The growth in flash demonstrations can also be attributed to smaller groups opting to mount individual actions instead of coordinating with larger organizations.

[opinion piece by Bernie Sanders - goes beyond health care, gives proposals on other issues]

by Bernie Sanders
Tue 31 Dec 2024 14.59 EST

Tony Blair’s advisers privately questioned if the US had “proper political control” of military operations in Iraq after a senior US official confided that George W Bush believed he was on a “mission from God” against Iraqi insurgents, newly released documents reveal.

Blair needed to “deliver some difficult messages” to the then US president for a “more measured approach” in April 2004, following a US military operation to suppress a major uprising in the city of Falluja, according to papers released to the National Archives in Kew, west London.

In a surprisingly candid conversation, recorded in a document marked “please protect very carefully”, Richard “Rich” Armitage, then US deputy secretary of state, told Sir David Manning, then UK ambassador, that Bush had needed a “dose of reality” after demanding US forces “kick ass” in Falluja, where US troops were engaged in a bloody battle with Iraqi militants after four private military contractors were ambushed and killed.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/24215236

By world-outlook.com on December 24, 2024

Chess great Magnus Carlsen will return to the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York after initially quitting following governing body Fide’s decision to bar him from a round for wearing jeans.

Carlsen, world champion between 2013 and 2023, decided to leave the tournament on Friday when Fide barred the Norwegian from participating in a round at the tournament due to his breach of dress code regulations.

In a interview to the YouTube channel of the Take Take Take app on Sunday, the 34-year-old confirmed he would be returning.

“To make a long story short: I’ll be playing at least one more day here in New York. If I do well, another day after that,” Carlsen said.

Dvorkovich expressed regret in a post on Fide’s X account later on Sunday over the situation escalating and acknowledged Carlsen’s vital role in elevating the sport.

“It is unfortunate that the implementation of dress-code rules, while being legally sound and consistent, has left some feeling this is disproportionate and caused the situation everyone would have preferred to avoid,” he said.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/36037472