Hi friends,
It’s March 4th, a date that sounds like an instruction. It’s Monday, too, so we need marching orders. This was the whole premise of creating this publication: many of us want someone to tell us what to do in the face of so many difficult challenges.
While it isn’t yet clear that Hamas will accept the 6-week ceasefire agreement that Israel has “provisionally accepted,” it is evident that the Biden Administration is feeling the public pressure.
On Sunday, Vice President Harris significantly increased U.S. criticism of Israel. And Benny Gantz, the most soft-line member of [Israel’s] coalition war cabinet, is in Washington today for meetings with Harris and other top U.S. officials, though not with Biden.
The fact that Gantz unilaterally decided to come, and with the encouragement of Washington, is a sign of Netanyahu’s weakness.
It’s important that we keep the pressure on both administrations.
The US airlifted aid to Gaza on Saturday.
The United Nations says one-quarter of Gaza’s 2.3 million people face starvation. Aid officials have said that airdrops are not an efficient means of distributing aid and are a measure of last resort.
I’m a little puzzled by this. Efficiency does not seem as important as efficacy, which is primarily a matter of scale. I’m also not sure why it took so long to resort to an airlift, given the dire nature of the emergency.
Tell the President that massive, sustained airlifts are needed until a ceasefire can be achieved.
Although that ruling was unanimous, a 5-4 majority went further:
“The Constitution makes Congress, rather than the states, responsible for enforcing Section 3 against federal officeholders and candidates,” the majority wrote, adding that detailed federal legislation was required to determine who was disqualified under the provision.
a resolution declaring Jan. 6 an "insurrection" and that those involved "engaged in insurrection."
Raskin is well aware of the challenges of getting legislation through Congress.
Keeping Trump from becoming president again is a worthy goal. Congress can do this next year if Trump prevails in the Electoral College and Democrats prevail in Congress.
Trump has never won the popular vote and his endorsements are famously unhelpful. He would call this a steal even though it is sanctioned by the Court he created. Still, it’s not an ideal scenario. At the same time, it is far better than the prospect of a second term for Trump.
Like Jamie Raskin, we will work every angle for justice.
In New York, a new piece of legislation would require corporations to shoulder the costs of managing plastic waste instead of externalizing them (i.e. making us pay to clean up their messes!).
The Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act would dramatically cut the amount and toxicity of plastic garbage New Yorkers throw away by targeting the source. It would reduce plastic packaging in New York by half over the next 12 years, and it would prevent a slew of toxic chemicals from being used in those materials. Notably, it would also shift the cost of managing plastic waste from municipal governments and taxpayers to the companies that produce it — including oil majors like ExxonMobil, Chevron, and Shell.
As Emily Sanders explains, industry lobbying and disinformation are working to sink this legislation, which is regarded by those in the know as the best plastic waste reduction legislation in the nation.
Contact your NYS legislators to urge them to support the Packaging Reduction and Recycling Infrastructure Act.
Okay. You have your orders for today. Have a good evening!
with love,
L