Rosalynn Carter, mental health activist, humanitarian and former first lady, dies at 96

Rosalynn Carter, who as first lady worked tirelessly on behalf of mental health reform and professionalized the role of the president’s spouse, died Sunday at the age of 96, according to the Carter Center.

Rosalynn Carter passed away peacefully with family by her side at her home in Plains, Georgia, the center said in a statement.

MSN

Trans Youth on What Gives Them Gender Euphoria

We hear more and more about efforts to restrict how trans young people can exist in public as legislators try to limit the kind of health care they receive, which bathrooms they use, and the names they’re allowed to be called in school. And we know that this barrage of anti-trans legislation can be harmful to trans youth and their mental health.

But the trans experience is much more than the efforts to silence it. This Trans Awareness Week, The Trevor Project collected stories of trans joy, asking trans youth what makes them experience gender euphoria, the “satisfaction or joy caused when one’s gendered experience aligns with their gender identity, rather than with the gender they were assigned at birth,” according to the report. The overwhelming answer? Being treated as any other kid would be.

Teen Vogue

This ‘American Gandhi’ never got the attention he deserved because he was gay. A new film may change that

He stood 6-foot-1, weighed 190 pounds and moved with the grace of an athlete. A sharp dresser who favored linen shirts and stylish ties, Bayard Rustin sported a Clark Gable mustache and adopted a British accent that gave him an even more courtly bearing.

There was no civil rights leader who quite looked or spoke like Rustin. He was the Rev. Martin Luther King’s nonviolent spiritual mentor, the chief organizer of the epic 1963 March on Washington and an openly gay Black man who “never apologized for who he was, what he believed or who he desired” during an era when homosexuality was seen as a perversion deserving imprisonment.

CNN

Rustin Is Finally a Household Name. But Black Gay Organizers Have Long Known His Story

Never a household name, Rustin may have been left out of the textbooks, but there were those of us who always remembered. Generation after generation of Black LGBTQIA+ activists have continued to find inspiration and wisdom in his legacy, which is a testament to his continuing relevance. I first learned about his work co-organizing the 1963 March on Washington, among other accomplishments, through the scholarship of Black lesbian feminist author and activist Barbara Smith when I was in college. So it’s a bit surreal, years later, to see his story garner more widespread attention. In 2023, I believe his legacy still speaks to us, as we organize, protest, and mobilize along the path he helped pave.

them

Neo-Nazis parading swastikas, chant ‘there will be blood,’ and gather outside a synagogue in Wisconsin, say reports

Neo-Nazis marched in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, chanting “There will be blood,” CBS News reports.

Almost two dozen masked marchers walked along State Street toward the Wisconsin State Capital before ending up at James Madison Park.

The group, who had also chanted “Israel is not our friend,” gathered in front of a historic synagogue, per the Milwaukuee Sentinel Journal. It is not currently being used for religious services.

Business Insider

Violent Anti-Israel Protests Force Democrats to Cut Short Convention in California

Convention is disrupted multiple times by demonstrators demanding a cease-fire in Gaza.

The New York Sun

At Democratic Party convention, Israel-Hamas war divides progressives and moderates

Hundreds of California Democrats gathered in the capital this weekend for the state party’s endorsement convention, but one topic disrupted the entire event: The ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and how party leaders are responding to it.

The Israel-Hamas war has deepened a preexisting schism in the Democratic Party between centrist moderates (who tend to support Israel) and younger, more diverse progressives urging party leaders to call for a cease-fire in the region. At the 2023 California Democratic Party November State Endorsing Convention in Sacramento this weekend, that schism was more apparent than ever.

“I don’t stand up for Palestine because I’m Muslim,” Fatima Iqbal-Zubair, chair of the California Democratic Party Progressive Caucus, said to a nearly full meeting hall on Friday night. “I stand up for it because I stand up for all human rights.”

The Sacramento Bee

LGBTQ+ Advocates Say Work Remains as Colorado Springs Marks Anniversary of Nightclub Attack

After the mass shooting last November at an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Colorado Springs that turned a drag queen’s birthday celebration into a massacre, the conservative community was forced to reckon with its reputation for being unwelcoming to gay, lesbian and transgender people.

What motivated the shooter, who didn’t grow up in Colorado Springs and is now serving life in prison, may never be known. But since the attack that killed five people, wounded 17 others and shattered the sense of safety at Club Q, which served as a refuge for the city’s LGBTQ+ community, Colorado Springs has taken steps to reshape itself as inclusive and welcoming.

The Messenger

Sanders calls for conditioning US aid to Israel

“While Israel has the right to go after Hamas, Netanyahu’s right-wing extremist government does not have the right to wage almost total warfare against the Palestinian people,” the Vermont senator said in a statement.

Sanders also said continued aid should be contingent on a commitment to peace talks for a two-state solution and the end of the Israeli blockade or occupation of Gaza.

Politico

This corn was down to its last two cobs. Now it could help farmers grow food in the climate crisis

Years later, scientists realized Chewning likely saved Jimmy Red from extinction and with it, a genetic code that may help commercial corn growers combat a rapidly changing climate.

CNN

Julián Castro Says Biden Needs ‘Strong Spanish Language Strategy’ After Univision Pulls President’s Ads During Trump Interview

The former Obama cabinet member adds that the network is “a community resource” for Latinos amid “misinformation and disinformation” on WhatsApp and TikTok

The Wrap

Biden discusses framework for Israel-Hamas in Washington Post op-ed

President Biden penned an op-ed in The Washington Post where he discussed his framework for the Israel-Hamas war, saying the United States is “prepared to take our own steps” on the issue.

Biden said a two-state solution would be the road to peace for Israel and the civilians of Gaza, adding they must have equal measures of freedom, opportunity and dignity. He called out Israeli settlers who have reportedly attacked Palestinians in the West Bank since the war began and outlined several recommendations he has on how to move forward.

“I have been emphatic with Israel’s leaders that extremist violence against Palestinians in the West Bank must stop and that those committing the violence must be held accountable,” he wrote. “The United States is prepared to take our own steps, including issuing visa bans against extremists attacking civilians in the West Bank.”

The Hill

Three LGBTQ+ Writers and Editors Have Left the New York Times Over Its Coverage of Gaza

Three LGBTQ+ journalists have resigned from the New York Times Magazine after publicly condemning the outlet’s coverage of Israel’s siege on Gaza, with an additional contributing photographer canceling a major project in solidarity.

Jazmine Hughes, who has been with the Times since 2015 and won numerous national awards, including a 2023 National Magazine Award for profile writing, resigned after she was found to have violated the newsroom’s policy on public protest.

them

Recent Elections Show Young People Can’t Be Fooled Out of Their Reproductive Freedom

Abortion was the top issue influencing young people’s vote in the 2022 midterms, according to data analysis by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), and exit polls from Ohio show that 77% of voters under 30 supported the state’s ballot measure on abortion rights. Recent polling conducted by Change Research found that 60% of young women said they are or would be more motivated to move to another state now that or if theirs passed an abortion ban. Abortion isn’t just a single issue for Gen Z – it’s the issue.

Teen Vogue

Speaker Johnson faces ‘pressure cooker’ in the House, running into same issues as McCarthy

By most accounts, Speaker Mike Johnson inherited a House Republican majority in disarray after the sudden ouster of his predecessor last month.

But as Johnson, R-La., tries to rebuild that slim majority, he’s fast running into the same hard-right factions and divisions that Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., was unable to tame. That’s disrupting the party’s agenda, shelving priorities and leaving gnawing questions about any leader’s ability to govern.

PBS

Speaker Mike Johnson Faces Hard-Right Discontent, Risking Disarray Ahead

Republican ultra-conservatives are running out of patience less than four weeks after installing one their own, Mike Johnson, as House speaker, signaling turmoil ahead and heightened risk of a government shutdown in the new year.

Many of them are fuming over the new speaker’s support of an interim funding measure that postponed a Nov. 18 government shutdown until mid-January without winning concessions conservatives wanted. That seemed too reminiscent of Johnson’s predecessor, whose ouster unleashed a fierce succession struggle.

Bloomberg

Trump to test the limits of the First Amendment at high-stakes hearing over gag order constitutionality

Former President Donald Trump will test the limits of his free speech rights Monday when he argues to a Washington, DC, appeals court that a gag order placed on him in his federal election subversion criminal case is not constitutionally sound.

The high-stakes hearing before the US DC Circuit Court of Appeals will represent Trump’s latest bid to undo the gag order issued by a federal judge last month, an effort he says is necessary to defend himself outside the courtroom as he campaigns for a second term in the White House.

CNN

Ron DeSantis refuses to condemn Elon Musk’s endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theory

2024 Republican presidential hopeful and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis refused on Sunday to condemn Elon Musk over his endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely accused Jewish people of pushing “hatred against whites.”

“Elon has had a target on his back ever since he purchased Twitter,” DeSantis said in an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union”, saying he did not see Musk’s comment, which was posted on X, formerly Twitter, last Wednesday. 

When shown the post − where Musk shared “you have said the actual truth” in response to a separate post espousing the antisemitic conspiracy theory − DeSantis still declined to condemn Musk, saying he did not know what the “context is” surrounding the exchange.

USA Today

Imagine Sending Huey Long to Congress

Not content to resurrect traditional values, I propose also to disinter another voice from our past: Louisiana’s Huey Long. If we are going to populate Congress with neo-Populists, why not send a real Populist?

Don’t be fooled by the rhetorical extravagances of the “Kingfish”. Huey Long was Donald Trump before Donald Trump in a number of rhetorical techniques, but he was not like Donald Trump politically. Robert Ivie exposes Trump’s con: “His act is political theater that stymies rather than presages positive change. In other words, Donald Trump is not a populist, but he plays one on television. Huey Long was an actual populist.

Patheos

Meet Louisiana’s Execution-Happy New Governor

The state hasn’t executed anyone in 13 years. That’s likely to change once Republican Jeff Landry takes over in January

Rolling Stone

Trump picks up the endorsement of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott during a visit to a US-Mexico border town

Donald Trump picked up the Texas governor’s endorsement Sunday during a visit to a U.S.-Mexico border town and promised that his hard-line immigration policies in a second presidential term would make Greg Abbott’s “job much easier.”

“You’ll be able to focus on other things in Texas,” Trump told Abbott as they each appeared before a crowd of about 150 at an airport hangar in Edinburg.

AP News

GOP secures all elected statewide offices in Louisiana, after Republican victories Saturday

Come January, the GOP will control every elected statewide office in Louisiana after Republicans swept three runoff races for attorney general, secretary of state and treasurer Saturday night.

The GOP success, in a state that has had a Democrat in the governor’s office for the past eight years, means that Republicans secured all of Louisiana’s statewide offices for the first time since 2015. In addition, the GOP holds a two-third supermajority in the House and Senate.

AP News

Can a socialist ex-marine fill Joe Manchin’s seat in West Virginia?

“We need leaders that are cut from the working-class cloth. We need representation that will go toe to toe with corporate parasites and their bought politicians. We need a leader who will not waver in the face of these powers that keep the boot on our neck,” Shrewsbury said to applause from the small group of supporters gathered behind him.

“So, as John Brown said, ‘These men are all talk. What we need is action.’ I’m taking action right now to stand up to these bought bureaucrats.”

The Guardian

Tampa Cubans fear deportation after recent court ruling

Under a recent immigration rule, the I-220Adesignation may nowbecome a ticket to deportation.

Cubans have long been granted immigration benefits under the 1966 Adjustment Act, which allowed them to apply for permanent residence after staying in the U.S.for over a year. But in early September, the federal Board of Immigration Appeals ruled that Cubans granted I-220As are not eligible to apply for such benefits.

Tampa Bay Times

Luke Prokop plays in game for Milwaukee Admirals, first out gay player in AHL

Luke Prokop is the first publicly out gay athlete to play in an AHL game, one division below the NHL.

Outsports

Finland closes four crossing points on Russia border

Finland has closed four of its border crossings with Russia to try to halt a surge in asylum seekers it says was instigated by Moscow.

BBC

Outrage after Taliban member speaks at German mosque

A Taliban representative has sparked an outcry in Germany after it was revealed that he attended a mosque in Cologne.

Videos shared on social media show Abdul Bari Omar, the director of Afghanistan’s food and drug authority, speaking at the mosque on Thursday.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it had not been informed about Omar’s visit to the country and said it had not issued his visa.

Deutsche Welle

Demonstrations in Germany against the Gaza war

A demonstration calling for an end to violence in the Gaza Strip and organized by both Jews and Palestinians drew more than 2,000 people in the German city of Cologne on Sunday.

The demonstration, organized by the group Jews and Palestinians for Peace, was held under the slogan “Solidarity with all the people affected by the Israel-Palestine war.”

dpa

Gaza’s main hospital has become a ‘death zone’, says WHO

Dar al-Shifa, the Gaza Strip’s largest hospital, has become a “death zone”, the World Health Organization has said, with a mass grave at the entrance and only 25 staff left to care for 291 seriously ill patients after orders from the Israeli army to evacuate the complex.

The Guardian

Javier Milei, a Self-Described Anarcho-Capitalist, Is Elected President of Argentina

Javier Milei, a libertarian political outsider who pledged to flatten Argentina’s political establishment, was elected president Sunday in a major shift for a country buffeted by one of the world’s highest rates of inflation and mounting poverty after years of populist rule.

The Wall Street Journal

Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community won’t be hitting streets for annual pride event although ‘Journey with Rainbow GPS’ exhibition adds some colour

Hong Kong’s LGBTQ community will not hit the streets for an annual pride event again this year, with organisers citing an “unstable” outlook, potential restrictions and safety concerns as reasons for not applying to hold a march, while conceding their advocacy efforts might take a hit.

South China Morning Post

Russia Announces Chilling Move to Label ‘International Public LGBT Movement’ as ‘Extremist’

Russia’s Ministry of Justice announced today it petitioned its country’s Supreme Court to declare the “international public LGBT movement” an extremist element and ban its activities within the country.

“The Russian Ministry of Justice has lodged an administrative legal claim with the Supreme Court to recognize the International LGBT public movement as extremist and ban its activity in Russia,” the ministry said in a statement announcing the move online on Friday.

Advocate

March reaches Jerusalem calling for release of Israeli hostages

Thousands of Israelis have joined the families of hostages held in Gaza to call on the government to prioritise securing their release.

Protesters walked from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem before holding a demonstration outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence.

BBC

Takeshi Kitano directs, stars in samurai period drama featuring gay relationships

Kitano, 76, broke the news at a press conference Wednesday ahead of “Kubi’s” opening on Nov. 23. The filmmaker said he wanted to show a different side of that period, which was only portrayed with “very cool actors and pretty aspects” in previous mainstream movies.

“What is never shown is relationships between men at that time, including their homosexual relationships. This is a period when especially men were keeping up with their lives for other men within these relationships, including sexual relationships,” said Kitano, who also stars in the movie as feudal lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi.

Nextshark

How Pro-Ukrainian Hackers Have Undermined Russia’s War Every Step Of The Way

Authorities in Moscow continue to struggle to stem the tide of data breaches from hackers inside and outside Ukraine, who have been one of the unsung heroes in the resistance to the Russian invasion.

Worldcrunch

Far-right Party for Freedom makes gains in poll ahead of Netherlands election

Leftwing parties in the Netherlands have urged people to vote strategically to avoid a far-right government after a poll showed last-minute gains for Geert Wilders’ Party for Freedom (PVV).

Wilders, whose manifesto calls for an asylum “stop” and ban on “Islamic schools, Qu’rans and mosques”, said it was a “game changer” when a poll on Saturday evening put him level with Mark Rutte’s party, the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD).

The Guardian

Can Israel’s economy withstand the current conflict?

Businesses have shut down in the zones that locals have evacuated from. What’s more, since the Hamas attack on October 7 that killed 1,200 Israelis and foreigners and sparked the current conflict, tourism has ceased, cutting off one of the country’s main sources of income. Hardly any foreign airlines still fly to Israel, Dan Ben-David, a professor and the head of the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research based at Tel Aviv University, told DW.

So far this rupture to economic life remains under control, he said. “But the impact depends on a whole range of variables. How long will the war last? Will Hezbollah intervene in the war? And if the war continues, how long will we need the reservists?”

Deutsche Welle

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescuers to drill from top

Efforts to rescue 40 workers trapped inside a collapsed tunnel in northern India have been expanded to include drilling down from the mountain top.

BBC

Renewed shooting at border between Lebanon and Israel

There has been a renewed exchange of fire on the border between Israel and Lebanon on Sunday.

Hezbollah announced that it had fired at several targets in the border region and “directly hit” Kibbutz Hanita on the Israeli side.

Hezbollah also attacked a location with rockets and artillery shells and a “gathering of hostile people and vehicles,” the militia said.
Israel’s army announced that it had attacked several “suspicious air targets” that had flown from Lebanon towards Israel.

dpa