‘Murica!
Neurodiversity Pride isn’t centered on LGBTQ+ people, but perhaps it should be
Neurodiversity Pride Day will be observed internationally on June 18, 2024 as a way to celebrate people who have neurologically atypical ways of thinking, learning, and behaving, and to reduce stigma against these people.
LGBTQ Nation
MTG is ‘absolutely’ racist, Texas Democrat says after their heated exchange in House
“Women wear makeup, we wear lashes, we wear all types of things to beautify ourselves,” Crockett said. “But MAGA has historically been on social media doing the things where they’re saying, ‘Oh she’s Black with lashes and nails and hair, and so she’s ghetto.’ And so, to me, this was her (Greene) buying into that rhetoric and trying to amplify this for the MAGA crowd.”
“So, yeah, I absolutely think she only did it to be racist towards me.”
USA Today
North Idaho Has Drifted to the Extreme Right. One Republican Thinks It’s Hit Its Limit.
One candidate is testing the power of a moderate coalition to stand up to extremism in a region that has been powerless to its advance.
Politico
Democratic senators open to expelling Menendez if convicted, as party leaders struggle with indicted members
Democratic senators are signaling an openness to expelling Sen. Bob Menendez if he’s convicted in his corruption trial, as House and Senate leaders tread carefully around their indicted colleagues.
CNN
Biden faces silent Gaza protest at Martin Luther King Jr’s college
A small number of graduates carried out the silent protest, with some holding Palestinian flags and one holding up a fist as Biden spoke at Morehouse College, a historically Black university in Atlanta, Georgia.
Al-Monitor
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange faces US extradition judgment day
Assange’s legal team say he could be on a plane across the Atlantic within 24 hours of the decision, could be released from jail, or his case could yet again be bogged down in months of legal battles.
New Arab
A U.S. doctor in Gaza wants President Biden to know ‘we are not safe’
Dr. Adam Hamawy, a U.S. doctor and former U.S. Army combat surgeon who is currently in Gaza, says he has “never in my career witnessed the level of atrocities and targeting of my medical colleagues as I have in Gaza.”
NPR
Minnesota House passes equal rights constitutional amendment with protections for abortion rights, LGBTQ Minnesotans
After delays due to prolonged debates on other legislation, the Minnesota House early Sunday approved an amendment that would enshrine equal rights in the state constitution, including protections for LGTBQ Minnesotans and abortion rights.
CBS News
Voters in New Poll Agree With Democrats on Abortion, But Concerns About the Economy, Immigration Could Put Trump Back in Office
A new survey of Florida and Arizona voters shows that Americans trust Mr. Trump more on the issues that matter most.
New York Sun
Prosecutors charge 6 with faking robberies to get U.S. visas for ‘victims’
The indictment alleges four people paid Nayi thousands of dollars to be purported victims. The four charged were Bhikhabhai Patel, Nilesh Patel, Ravinaben Patel, and Rajnikumar Patel. The arrangement was so that they could submit applications for U nonimmigrant status. Such “U-visas” are set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in an investigation or prosecution, according to the indictment.
Washington Examiner
Florida’s other big November vote: will the state legalize weed?
The push to legalize recreational marijuana in Florida ramped up this week. Campaigners bankrolled by dominant players in the cannabis and CBD marketplace launched a $5m advertising blitz in support of a ballot measure in November’s election that has so far been overshadowed by publicity for the one on abortion rights.
The Guardian
The Senate filibuster is a hurdle to any national abortion bill. Democrats are campaigning on it
Sen. Tammy Baldwin, facing a tough reelection fight in one of the races that will determine control of Congress, has made protecting reproductive rights a cornerstone of her campaign, and she’s willing to back that up by pledging to change the Senate filibuster rules if Democrats retain control of the chamber.
AP News
A couple’s fight over frozen embryos could upend IVF access in Texas
The case is no doubt part of the predicted “domino effect” stemming from the Alabama Supreme Court’s ruling declaring embryos as legal children.
LGBTQ Nation
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson won’t pledge to accept result of 2024 presidential election
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is not pledging to accept the result of the November presidential election, leaving a door open to objecting to the certification of election results — a scenario that prompted an attack on the U.S. Capitol four years ago when former President Donald Trump lost reelection.
USA Today
Giuliani boasted he would avoid indictment — officials struck at his 80th b’day party
Rudy Giuliani was served an indictment notice during his 80th birthday party after bragging on social media that he would avoid the law officials.
Business Insider
South Dakota voters to decide on constitutional right to abortion in Nov. 2024, joining Colorado, Florida, and Maryland
On May 17, the secretary of state’s office reported that an estimated 46,098 valid signatures were submitted for the initiative. The campaign supporting the amendment, Dakotans for Health, submitted 55,000 signatures on May 1, 2024. The amendment, which will appear on the ballot as Constitutional Amendment G, needed 35,017 valid signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Ballotpedia News
Target scales back on its LGBTQ+ merchandise ahead of Pride Month 2024
The retail giant said in a press release last week that it plans to offer its collection of products to celebrate Pride Month — including adult clothing and home decor — during the month of June both online and in “select stores,” depending on “historical sales performance.”
NPR
Arab and Palestinian Americans frustrated, left without commitments to policy change after meeting with Blinken
“There wasn’t a plan that was shared that instilled any confidence that the administration is prioritizing an immediate solution,” Bilal Hammoud, executive director of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce, adding the discussion “was disappointing because we wanted more concrete next steps.”
CNN
World!
Leading German climate activist slams Scholz amid Saarland flooding
“And yes, of course as chancellor you can weaken the climate law one day & travel to #flood areas the next with great concern. In the medium term, it’s just a highly fragile strategy in the climate crisis,” Neubauer wrote on social media platform X on Saturday.
dpa International
Slovakian Prime Minister Fico no longer in immediate danger but condition still serious, deputy says
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is no longer in immediate danger but still in a serious condition, his deputy said on Sunday, four days after an assassination attempt that sent shockwaves through Europe.
CNN
Iranian President Missing After Helicopter Crash
Dozens of search teams were deployed to Iran’s mountainous East Azerbaijan province on Sunday to search for a helicopter that had been carrying the country’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, as well as Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, after the aircraft reportedly experienced a “hard landing.”
Common Dreams
Brazil counts cost of worst-ever floods with little hope of waters receding soon
Three weeks after one of Brazil’s worst-ever floods hit its southernmost state, killing 155 people and forcing 540,000 from their homes, experts have warned that water levels will take at least another two weeks to drop.
The Guardian
At least 66 dead as new floods hit Afghanistan’s Faryab province
Flooding damaged more than 1,500 houses, swamped more than 400 hectares of agricultural land and killed livestock.
AlJazeera
Saudi crown prince, Biden aide discuss ‘semi-final’ security deal
Washington has been pushing Saudi for a deal to recognise the state of Israel in exchange for advancing security and defence ties.
The New Arab
Tunisians protest against rising number of migrants stranded en route to Europe
Hundreds of Tunisians marched through the streets of Jebeniana on Saturday to protest the presence of sub-Saharan migrants stranded in the town, as the country ramps up border patrol efforts.
Euronews
Lacking warmth, Turkey and Greece meet as show for the West
Both countries are expected to increase trade and energy cooperation, among others, but historical disputes will still stand in the way of friendship.
Jerusalem Post
Venezuela moves substantial troops to Guyana Border, report says
Venezuela’s armed forces have moved “substantial quantities” of personnel and equipment near the disputed Essequibo region that’s controlled by Guyana, a Washington-based think tank reports, potentially escalating tensions ahead of presidential elections.
American Military News
Mexico Opposition Candidate Says She’d Get Tough With Cartels
Mexico’s main opposition candidate vowed to crack down on drug cartels ahead of the presidential campaign’s third and final debate, which will focus on security and foreign relations.
Bloomberg
Taiwan prepares to inaugurate new Biden-esque president
While the United States was focused on the 2024 Republican presidential primary caucuses in Iowa, Lai won Taiwan’s presidential election in January by 7 percentage points, or 915,000 votes, arguing his campaign was a “fight for the survival of the country.” Although he retained the presidency for Taiwan’s center-left party, the Democratic Progressive Party, over the historically powerful center-right to right-wing party, the Kuomintang, he did not receive a majority of the vote nor did his party gain outright control of Taiwan’s unicameral legislature in the relatively young democracy.
Washington Examiner
Banned in Russia, beloved on TikTok: A gay love story in Soviet times
Ukrainian Katerina Silvanova and her Russian co-author Elena Malisova never expected their book about two teenagers falling in love would be such a hit – and a reason to flee their countries.
dpa International
Peruvian government classifies trans people as “mentally ill”
The country’s ministry of health claims the classification is meant to ensure trans people can receive mental healthcare.
LGBTQ Nation
Israeli political tensions boil over, revealing new danger for Netanyahu
On Saturday Benny Gantz, the leader of the National Unity Party, who joined the war cabinet after Hamas’ attack in October, demanded by June 8 the adoption of a six-point plan. That plan would secure the return of Israeli hostages, the demobilization of Hamas and the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.
CNN
Japan’s New Bill to Strip Permanent Residency Based on Shaky Data
Japan’s government is pushing a new law to strip permanent residents of their status – but it’s based on incomplete data. Learn why some say the law will turn away foreign talent at a time when the country can ill afford it.
Unseen Japan
