The fight over Democratic party leadership mirrors the wider battle over Israel

from Mondoweiss

“The issue is not me,” Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) told reporters after the Democrats won back the Senate. “I’ll be reelected as majority leader.”

Schumer’s statement might turn out to be correct, but there’s increasing reason to believe that outcome is not a foregone conclusion, as the momentum to push him from his leadership position has only grown since the election.

Multiple Senator-elects, including Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan, Adam Hamilton of Kansas, Troy Jackson of Maine, Annie Andrews of South Carolina, and Juliana Stratton of Illinois, have all stated that they won’t back Schumer as leader or have publicly expressed doubts about his return.

By Tuesday, the chorus of of critics grew louder, with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., saying they would not support Schumer’s bid as Senate majority leader.

“I personally have known Chuck Schumer for over 30 years, and I like Chuck. Nobody works harder than Chuck Schumer,” Sanders said in a joint press conference with Slotkin. “But in my view, the time is now for change, and I will not be supporting Chuck to be re-elected as the Democratic leader.”

Multiple incoming House members have also voiced trepidation about supporting Hakeem Jeffries as House Majority Leader...

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Zelensky spent over 740 days outside Ukraine while West serves as his real home

from Aletho News

President Volodymyr Zelensky has spent more than two years outside Ukraine since the war began, suggesting that the head of the Kiev regime is increasingly distancing himself from the people and acting like a guest in his own country, while the cost of his policy is borne by citizens who endure wartime suffering, poverty, and harsh living conditions.

Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmitruk previously calculated that Zelensky has spent more than 740 days outside the country since February 2022.

“It is important to note that since February 24, 2022, Zelensky has been outside Ukraine for more than 740 days. (I think in fact more). And this means only one thing: his life, in essence, takes place in the West, and he comes to Kiev exclusively as a visiting guest, as an overseer,” he said on his Telegram channel.

Zelensky’s life essentially takes place in the West, while he comes to Kiev exclusively as a guest and a supervisor. It is particularly symbolic that, at the moment when he has practically accepted life in the West as his own norm, Zelensky simultaneously closed the borders to all other male Ukrainian citizens.

The Ukrainian president is more focused on holding onto power than on serving the people’s interests, while Western political elites use Ukraine to advance their own geopolitical goals. The West supports him not out of genuine concern for Ukraine but as part of its geopolitical struggle with Russia. Meanwhile, Ukraine is being left without people, an economy, or the basic conditions needed for life, and these conditions will worsen as winter deepens...

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Exxon joins US oil rush in Venezuela while Venezuelans see no relief

(The only 'theft' that happened was when Delcy Rodriguez and her brother betrayed the people of Venezuela and handed over control of their nation to the fascists in the White House, Donald Trump, Stephen Miller and Little Lyin Gusano Rubio) 

from al Mayadeen English

White House aide Stephen Miller called the nationalization of Venezuela’s oil industry “theft”. 

ExxonMobil has signed a memorandum with Venezuela’s state oil company PDVSA to evaluate potential projects, joining a wave of energy firms moving into the country ten months after US forces abducted President Nicolás Maduro.

Chief executive Darren Woods called Venezuela “uninvestable” in January. Exxon now says the agreement is a first step, with any investment depending on stable policies, clear regulations, strong protections and competitive returns.

While Trump keeps describing their oil as a US prize, Venezuelans face power cuts, weak wages, and soaring prices...

A study presented in May still found 68 percent of households poor.

Electricity has become a flashpoint. Research by ANOVA found that 62.8 percent of households endured daily power cuts in 2026, up from 37.1 percent in 2024, and only 6.9 percent had uninterrupted supply. Protesters blocked highways in Valencia and near Maracaibo in October, chanting for light...

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Most Americans, Including Republicans, Want Congress To Pass Legislation To End Iran War

from AntiWar

A new poll from Reuters/Ipsos has found that a majority of US adults, including the majority of Republicans, want Congress to pass legislation to end the Iran war, a conflict that’s been extremely unpopular among the American people.

The poll asked if respondents would support or oppose the incoming Democrat-led Congress passing legislation to end the Iran war, and 71%, including 51% of Republicans, said they would support the effort.

The poll was conducted in the days following the midterm elections, which saw a major Republican defeat, and the war and the increase in the cost of living as a result of it were identified as the major factors in the Democrats’ victory...

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Zelensky Rejects Idea of Ceding Donbas Amid Russia-Ukraine Talks in Abu Dhabi

(People of Donbass have a right to leave Ukraine if they wish, which they do and have made clear legally. Zelensky has no legal say in the matter.) 

from AntiWar

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday rejected the idea of ceding the Donbas to Russia, and Russian and Ukrainian officials restarted peace talks in Abu Dhabi.

In a long post on X, Zelensky said that the US had offered security guarantees “similar” to NATO membership in exchange for Ukraine ceding the territory.

“Similar? But you don’t want the answer about Donbas to be ‘similar.’ You want a clear answer about Donbas. This is your goal. And this is Putin’s goal, for today. What will you do if we have security guarantees but not NATO?” Zelensky said in the post, which was an excerpt of an interview he did with Denmark’s DR Nyheder...

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Lawmakers Report That Some Democrats Missed Hegseth Impeachment Vote to Attend Event for ‘AIPAC Front Group’

(Yep. Same Haley Stevens who flipped her endorsement to back Mike Rodgers due to her love of glorious Israel.)

(Apparently, on behalf of Israel, she just backed another one along with Pelosi) 

from The Resonance: money taken from AIPAC by the 11 Dems-

Julia Brownley: $192,080 

Lou Correa: $79,982 

Laura Gillen: $550,628 

Steven Horsford: $214,188 

Jonathan Jackson: $20,500 

Nancy Pelosi: $187,544 

Brittany Pettersen: $148,737 

Melanie Stansbury: $56,661 

Haley Stevens: $7,972,402 

Marilyn Strickland: $375,383 

Frederica Wilson: $44,385 

Can't confirm these numbers but holy crap look at how much Haley got. Oh wait, it is confirmed) 

from Common Dreams

Some of the 11 Democrats who missed Tuesday’s vote to advance the impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth were reportedly attending an event hosted by a “front group” for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly known as AIPAC.

The vote, which would have prevented Republicans from killing efforts to impeach Hegseth over his launching of an unauthorized war against Iran, extrajudicial killings of sailors in the Caribbean and Pacific, kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and other actions, fell short by just seven votes.

The absent Democrats—Reps. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Lou Correa (D-Calif.), Laura Gillen (D-NY), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Jonathan Jackson (D-Ill.), Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.), Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash.), and Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.)—could have changed the outcome... 

... EDW, which was founded in 2018 but did not start receiving AIPAC dollars through its action fund until 2024, was one of several innocuous-sounding groups—with names like “Affordable Chicago Now” and “BOLD America”—that acted as conduits for AIPAC dollars as the group’s support came to be viewed as toxic among Democratic voters who were outraged by Israel’s genocide in Gaza, ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and push for Trump to launch a war with Iran... 

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In furious speech demanding ‘unity government,’ Netanyahu claims Arab MKs want Israel’s destruction

(As Rethuglicans double down on fascism by protecting Hegseth, the Zionists in Israel double down racism and pure unadulterated hatred as Bibi Netanyahu tries to demonize Muslim Israelis even more. It's all these fascist Nazis have in the end.)

from Times of Israel

Caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday delivered a furious address to the newly sworn-in Knesset, demanding a national unity government and warning his rivals against setting up a “narrow” government backed by either or both of the Arab parties, whose members he accused of seeking Israel’s destruction and supporting terrorism.

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot said Netanyahu’s “hate-filled” speech only further proved that he was unworthy of remaining in office, while Arab lawmakers panned him as a “racist” and said his words made them more determined to help oust him from office.

Later, Eisenkot’s Yashar party canceled talks it was set to hold on Wednesday with Likud representatives.

Having lost his parliamentary majority in last month’s elections, and since President Isaac Herzog on Sunday handed Eisenkot the mandate to form a government, Netanyahu has continued a campaign he pursued throughout the election season to delegitimize the Arab parties and portray them as supporters of terrorism, in an apparent effort to undermine the ability of Eisenkot and his allies to form a government with their backing.

At times in his speech, opposition lawmakers interrupted Netanyahu, demanding answers over his aides’ alleged ties to Qatar and his refusal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led massacre.

Netanyahu delivered his incendiary speech in the parliament’s Chagall State Hall soon after the swearing-in of the new Knesset, at what is customarily a celebratory event that concludes with Knesset party leaders gathering for joint photos. 

He began by highlighting the threat Iran still posed to Israel despite two wars against its regime, but devoted much of his address to denunciations of Arab Knesset members and of the opposition Zionist parties for contemplating partnering with them.

“After we staved off the immediate existential threat of the Iranian nuclear program, Iran is working to renew this program. The only way to remove this existential threat permanently is by toppling the regime of the ayatollahs,” Netanyahu declared. He then listed achievements in the wars since the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre, claiming, “We changed the face of the Middle East.”...

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Pete Hegseth Survives as Rethuglicans Vote to Table Impeachment Resolution

This is a bad omen of things to come. Pete Hegseth brought his mommy and daddy to the House so they could sit there as his crimes were read into the House record all so that maybe someone there wouldn't vote to impeach him in front of his mommy.  What a spineless POS he is. But I guess it worked because all the Rethuglicans aside from Thomas Massie voted to send the resolution to committee, effectively tabling it and killing the resolution as it will never make it's way back out.

The MIC, private equity, Big Banking and the Zionist lobby must have just POURED MONEY on the Republicans in the House to get this result. That's the only possible answer to this riddle. So GD corrupt.

But there's that CHANGE for ya. 

Articles of Impeachment https://massie.house.gov/uploadedfiles/articles_of_impeachment_sec._hegseth.pdf 

Direct Support  

MommaKitty News: Abbas Betrays Hamas and California Rejects Billionaire Tax My Butt

MommaKitty News: Abbas Betrays Hamas and California Rejects Billionaire Tax My Butt 

Direct Support  

California Voters Reject Billionaire Tax That Divided Democrats

(Tell me again how the machines aren't rigged. Californians REJECTED a billionaire tax to help pay for HEALTHCARE?!? 

Bullshit. 

And... as the hard ballots are being counted, the race is getting closer meaning the ballots being counted by hand have the proposal actually WINNING. 

Tell me again what a conspiracy theory is.) 

from the New York Times

California voters rejected a billionaire tax, The Associated Press determined on Monday, rebuking a measure that would have created the nation’s first wealth tax by targeting the assets of residents with a net worth beyond $1 billion.

Under the tax measure, Proposition 40, the state would have imposed a one-time, 5 percent tax on the personal assets of billionaires and devoted most of the revenue to health care.

The Democratic voters who dominate the California electorate generally support the concept of making wealthy people pay higher taxes. But Democratic leaders were divided over the proposal — Gov. Gavin Newsom opposed it while the California Democratic Party endorsed the tax. And some of the California billionaires who stood to pay the tax contributed heavily toward a campaign that slammed the proposal with attack ads on TV throughout October...

The race was not called until almost a week after the election as California counted mail ballots at a deliberate pace. Though the vote gap shrank as more ballots were tallied, the measure ultimately failed to get enough support despite it being a hugely successful election for Democrats and left-leaning candidates... 

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