Comment on US rejects Mid-East preconditions

JERUSALEM — Israel closed its main crossing point for delivering badly needed humanitarian aid for Gaza on Sunday after Hamas militants attacked it, while the defense minister claimed Hamas wasn’t serious about a cease-fire deal and warned of “a powerful operation in the very near future in Rafah and other places across all of Gaza.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Both struck blows to ongoing cease-fire efforts in Cairo mediated by Egypt and Qatar after reported signs of progress.

Alicublog: Protesting for good causes is good. Brad Delong: The neofascist five Supreme Court Justices. Weekend Reading: Breaking the law – Trump is the means, not the end. TomDispatch: Torture, Abu Ghraib, and the legacy of the U. S. War on Iraq. Popular Information: Trump backs surveillance and prosecution of women to enforce abortion bans. Jen Sorensen: Where's the crisis? This installment by Batocchio.

Trump continues to find the very worst people who want to sell their souls to shill for him during his cult rallies. This week he held a rally in Wisconsin in between court appearances and nap-time in Manhattan, and helped a Wisconsin restaurant owner spew this nonsense: On Wednesday, vegan restaurant owner Shana Gray joined former President Donald Trump on stage for his rally in Waukesha, Wis., where they claimed that her restaurant, which opened in 2023, did better when Trump was in office. FIfteen minutes into Trump’s 78-minute rally, he explained that Gray’s business has been struggling under Joe Biden’s administration and that she was “doing better” during the Trump years. “Shana says her business is being brutalized by the soaring cost of food,” Trump said on stage.

A sad tale indeed. What a week! This is your Sunday open thread - Karoli read more

As much of Britain and the world waits on baited breath over King Charles’s cancer treatment, it is only natural that many look back to his mother’s time on the throne with a mixture of nostalgia and regret. It was Queen Elizabeth II’s unchanging nature, epitomized by her unbending adherence to the royals’ unofficial motto of “Never complain, never explain” that made her a constant fixture in the lives of millions of Brits and billions more around the globe.