Large portion of Americans doubt democracy and view violence as acceptable, poll finds
Brendan Rascius – October 18, 2023
J. David Ake/AP
A large portion of Americans on both sides of the aisle favor getting rid of democracy and imposing violence on their political opponents, among other authoritarian measures, according to a new poll.
Thirty-one percent of Donald Trump supporters and 24% of President Joe Biden supporters said democracy is “no longer viable” and an alternative system should be tried, according to an October poll from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics.
The poll surveyed 2,008 registered voters from Aug. 25 to Sept. 11 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
Other key findings:
When asked whether it is acceptable to employ violence to stop political opponents from attaining their goals, 41% of Biden supporters and 38% of Trump supporters said yes.
30% of Trump supporters and 25% of Biden supporters said elections should be suspended in times of crisis.
41% of Trump supporters and 30% of Biden supporters said they favor either conservative or liberal states seceding from the union.
Nearly half of Biden supporters, 47%, and 35% of Trump supporters said the government should restrict the expression of views “considered discriminatory or offensive.”
The polling comes as Trump, the leading contender for the GOP nomination, continues to claim without evidence that the 2020 election was rigged against him.
The results, which signal a desire for an authoritarian crackdown, come at a time when public trust in government is at a near-record low, according to the Pew Research Center. In a 2023 poll, only 16% of Americans said they trusted the government to do what is right at least most of the time.
The poll reveals “really troubling findings about democracy and the potential for violence,” Rick Hasen, the director of UCLA’s Safeguarding Democracy Project, said on X.
‘The View’: Rachel Maddow Says Jim Jordan Winning Speaker Would Be Like Trump Putting ‘Rudy Giuliani on the Supreme Court’
Andi Ortiz – October 18, 2023
Rep. Jim Jordan remains in the running to become the next Speaker of the House, but he is struggling to come up with the necessary votes to win the job. But Rachel Maddow isn’t looking forward to that possibility, comparing it on Wednesday to Rudy Giuliani getting a spot on the Supreme Court.
Stopping by “The View” on Wednesday, the MSNBC host admitted she was glad that Jordan lost the first vote, and worried what his speakership might actually look like.
“I think that had Mr. Jordan been chosen, it would have been a big deal for the country,” Maddow said. “It would be like if Trump was president and put Rudy Giuliani on the Supreme Court, you know what I mean?”
That comparison earned a full belly laugh from Whoopi, as Sunny Hostin and her co-hosts conceded it was “a very good example.”
“I mean, there was nobody who was more important in Congress to Trump’s effort to overthrow the lawfully elected government of the United States than Jim Jordan,” Maddow added.
“So then, to make him second in line to the presidency? And in charge of congress certifying the election results in 2024? I mean, he’s still in the running, maybe it’ll still be him. That’ll be a big deal if it happens, in all the wrong ways.”
All that said, Maddow was pretty confident that, no matter who ends up with the gavel, they aren’t going to enjoy their time with it.
“Even if you could fast forward to the end of this process, whenever it ends, with whoever wins, what does that person win? The worst job in America!” she said. “And they get to hold it for five minutes, and then get fired, and then we start again. I mean, there’s nothing to look forward to for anybody here. It is a sad thing.”
Unretiring: More retirees are going back to work because they want to — or need to
Kerry Hannon, Senior Columnist – October 14, 2023
Richard Eisenberg retired in 2022.
At 65, he stepped away from his job as managing editor for “Next Avenue,” the PBS website for people over 50, where he had worked for a decade.
“I had a rough idea of what my retirement would be,” Eisenberg told Yahoo Finance. “I knew I would be ‘unretiring’ since I still wanted to be doing some writing, some editing, and some teaching, but not all the time.”
So far, he has. Eisenberg, who lives in Westfield, N.J., explores “unretirement” in his expert columns, podcast and teaching posts, including an online NYU master class.
“I’m seeing a lot of curiosity about the idea,” he said. “I’m still a little surprised that it seems like such a foreign concept to people.”
A growing number of retirees like Eisenberg have stepped off the sidelines and headed back to work, especially after many were forced to retire in the pandemic, according to a new report from T. Rowe Price. Around 7% of retirees are looking for work in retirement, while 20% say they’re already working part time or full time.
“In 2021, during the pandemic, that percentage was 10%,” Judith Ward, a certified financial planner and thought leadership director at T. Rowe Price, told Yahoo Finance. “They might have been forced to retire, and now we’re seeing that they are reentering the workforce.”
“Unretiree” Richard Eisenberg teaching students at the NYU Summer Publishing Institute 2023 (Photo courtesy of Eisenberg) (Richard Eisenberg)
The two main reasons for coming back into the workforce are a tale of opposites. While 45% chose to work for social and emotional benefits like Eisenberg, a slightly larger percentage — 48% — felt they needed to work for financial reasons.
Older adults, those age 65 and older, represent the fastest growing group of homeless, while poverty among older Americans has escalated. Policymakers and researchers have also been fretting that the share of older Americans with debt has risen from 38% to 63% since 1990, according to a recent report by the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College.
“Many people retired during the pandemic for a variety of reasons and the financial reality of that is now hitting home,” Chris Farrell, author of “Unretirement” and “Purpose and a Paycheck,” told Yahoo Finance. “Working even a few hours a week can help shore up household finances.”
“They’re taking advantage of the tight labor market to unretire, often by picking up part-time work, flexible gigs, starting their own business, and even encore careers,” Farrell said.
Damascus, Md.-based resident Gary Socha, 69, who retired after being laid off during the pandemic from his publishing job, stepped back in two years ago and is now working part time, four hours a day, as an advertising and event representative.
“It was too early, and my wife is five years younger and still working,” Socha told Yahoo Finance. “And financially… it just seems to make sense to make some more money and make yourself a little bit more secure and more comfortable for when you do retire. I could see doing this for quite a while.”
For other retirees, the lack of retirement planning or saving is coming back to haunt them.
“It’s not uncommon for people to retire without having actually made a retirement plan, and then find some financial surprises along the way,” Mark Miller, a retirement expert and author of “Retirement Reboot,” told Yahoo Finance. “That can prompt some people to go back to work. And the faster pace of inflation we’ve been experiencing also is motivating some people to go back to work, just to help cover their living expenses.”
Source: T. Rowe Price (T. Rowe Price)
How much wealth you have to tap, of course, is the lynchpin. There’s a huge difference by household assets when it comes to retirees who say they “don’t need to work,” according tothe T. Rowe Price report, which surveyed 2,895 401(k) retirement plan participants and 1,136 retirees with a Rollover IRA or a left-in-plan balance.
The report found 37% of retirees with household assets under $50,000 said they don’t need to work versus 55% of those in the $50,000-to-$250,000 category and 72% with assets of $750,000 and above.
Women are particularly vulnerable. In the report, 49% of retired women who were working or looking for work said they need the money compared to 41% of men.
One reason is that many women have less savings to depend on in retirement and lower Social Security benefits because of time out of the workplace for caregiving.
“Typically, lower incomes, higher debt loads — especially student loans — and shorter job tenures are some of the factors contributing to the gender savings gap,” Sudipto Banerjee, T. Rowe Price’s vice president, retirement, and author of the report, told Yahoo Finance at the WISER Annual Women’s Retirement Symposium.
The biggest financial payoffs of additional years of paid work are pushing back retirement account withdrawals, continuing to save, and delaying claiming Social Security benefits.
“Additional income can give you more time to contribute to your savings and it can also help you pay down debt and increase your cash reserves ahead of full retirement,” Ward said. And for those unretirees who haven’t started taking their Social Security benefit, delaying to claim means more money down the road.
“You’ll get a higher benefit, and it’s inflation-adjusted, so that’s a good deal for many people,” Ward said.
Many retirees are looking to continue working in some form, a T. Rowe Price report finds. (Getty Creative) (10’000 Hours via Getty Images)
The feel good part of staying on the job
There’s also the emotional draw of working, which is the second most-cited reason retirees choose to return to work.
Many retirees see part-time work as a good transition strategy with 57% of retirees wanting to continue working in some form, the T. Rowe Price report found. Men, in particular, were more likely to cite social connections as motivation to work.
“A lot of us want to work part-time in retirement,” Eisenberg said. “We want to stay active, have social connections, bring in some income and to stay mentally engaged, but we also want to have time to do other things.”
Plus, there’s the freedom to do what you want to do this time around, Eisenberg said. That means choosing a working route that isn’t stuffed with meetings, administrative duties — all “the parts of our former job that we didn’t like so much.”
And then there are the psychological benefits that work can offer, Robert Laura, a retirement coach, told Yahoo Finance. Several studies have indicated the positive mental effects of working. In fact, among older adults, retirees are more likely to experience depression compared to those who are still working, according to one recent paper.
“Work provides routine, structure, connection, mental stimulus, purpose, and relevance,” Laura said. “These are all things that many people don’t realize they are losing when they leave work and that aren’t easily replaced with golf, grandkids, and crossword puzzles.”
Kerry Hannon is a Senior Reporter and Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a workplace futurist, a career and retirement strategist, and the author of 14 books, including “In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work” and “Never Too Old To Get Rich.”
Trump is slamming Israel and babbling about Barack Obama. Who would vote for that mess?
Rex Huppke, USA TODAY – October 13, 2023
Former president and current criminal defendant Donald Trump, the front-runner in the GOP presidential primary, is getting worse.
I realize that’s a mighty high bar for him to clear, but he’s doing it, each day showing independent voters and Republicans who still value sane leadership why he should never be allowed within 10 square miles of the White House.
In the wake of the hideous Hamas attack on Israel, with American lawmakers and both sides of the aisle pledging full support for our ally, Trump’s political instincts told him to slam Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and say: “Israel was not prepared.”
Trump criticizes Israel then praises Hezbollah. Whose side is he on?
“You know, Hezbollah is very smart,” Trump said. “They’re all very smart.”
MAGA loyalists’ minds won’t be changed by anything, but those voters also won’t be enough, should Trump win the GOP nomination, to get him back into office. He’ll need to win over independents and even some moderate Republicans who put country over party while making headway with the ever-growing number of Generation Z voters who, based on recent elections, broadly reject Trump’s MAGA movement.
How is he going to do all that when he’s running around the country insulting an ally reeling from an unspeakable terror attack and generally sounding like his brain has turned to oatmeal?
Trump’s insensitive Israel comments are just the start of his recent madness
Consider an assortment of baffling/disturbing comments Trump has made in speeches and on social media just in recent weeks.
He has repeatedly misidentified President Joe Biden as former President Barack Obama, recently saying at a rally “you take a look at Obama and look at some of the things he’s done” and then, in an interview this week about Biden’s response to the attack on Israel, saying, “It’s all coming through Iran, and Obama, he doesn’t want to talk about it. … He doesn’t even mention them in a statement.”
The Fox News interviewer had to correct him afterward.
Trump can’t keep Jeb Bush and George W. Bush straight …
In another recent interview, Trump said: “We have the worst education almost in the large world, the world that people know about.” As opposed to the large world people don’t know about?
Referring to Jeb Bush, Trump said: “He got us into the Middle East. How did that work out?” It was President George W. Bush who “got us into the Middle East.”
… much less Joe Biden and Barack Obama
In a Sept. 15 speech in Washington, D.C., Trump suggested Biden will lead America into World War II, which ended in 1945: “We have a man who is totally corrupt and the worst president in the history of our country, who is cognitively impaired, in no condition to lead and is now in charge of dealing with Russia and possible nuclear war. Just think of it, we would be in World War II very quickly if we’re going to be relying on this man.”
When questioning someone’s lucidity, it’s generally best to sound lucid yourself.
Do independent voters want a president echoing the words of Hitler?
“We’ll stand up to crazy Nancy Pelosi, who ruined San Francisco – how’s her husband doing, anybody know?” Trump said as the crowd laughed. “And she’s against building a wall at our border, even though she has a wall around her house – which obviously didn’t do a very good job.”
Speaking of immigrants, Trump said in an interview earlier this month: “It is a very sad thing for our country. It’s poisoning the blood of our country.”
That language mirrors lines in Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf” and is in line with the way white supremacists discuss immigrants.
Face it, the drunk at the end of the bar is making more sense than Trump
And in a Florida speech this week, he went on this rant (I’ve used all-caps and phonetic spelling to illustrate the pronunciation of words he loudly emphasized): “Instead of keeping terrorists and terrorist sympathizers out of America, the Biden administration is inviting them in. You know why, because he’s got a boss. Who’s his boss? Barack HOO-SANE Obama. Barack Hoo-sane Obama. You remember the great Rush Limbaugh, Barack Hoo-SANE Obama. He’d go, Barack Hoo-SANE Obama.”
While Republicans question Biden’s age, Trump appears to be losing it
Petty criticism of Israel (Trump remains mad at Netanyahu because the prime minister accepted that Biden won the 2020 election), violent rhetoric, mixing up the names of political rivals, mocking an attack on a lawmaker’s spouse and generally sounding like the town drunk slouched at the end of the bar airing conspiratorial grievances. And that’s only a small sample of Trump’s madness over the past few weeks.
Setting aside his two impeachments, his incitement of an attack on the U.S. Capitol, his election denialism and the 91 state and federal felony charges he faces, I have to ask independents and on-the-fence Republicans alike: Would you actually vote for that mess? Is that really the best the Republican Party can offer America and the world?
People will keep taking swipes at Biden’s age, though Trump is only three years younger. But if you listen and pay attention to the former president, you’ll see a profoundly unhinged man teetering on a full separation from reality.
The ham has slipped off his sandwich. It’s time to stop pretending otherwise.
Russia is bringing back its bloody ‘human wave’ tactics, throwing poorly trained troops into a massive new assault in eastern Ukraine, White House says
Sonam Sheth and Jake Epstein – October 13, 2023
The White House said Russia has resumed using bloody tactics in its war against Ukraine.
It involves throwing “masses of poorly trained soldiers right into the battlefield without proper equipment” John Kirby said.
Kirby also said that North Korea sent Russia 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions.
The White House said Friday that Russia has resumed employing the so-called “human wave” tactic in its war against Ukraine.
“As was the case during Russia’s failed winter offensive last year, the Russian military appears to be using human wave tactics, where they throw masses of poorly trained soldiers right into the battlefield without proper equipment, and … without proper training and preparation,” John Kirby, the spokesperson for the National Security Council, said.
He added that Russia “continues to show no regard for the lives of its own soldiers, willingly sacrificing them in pursuit of Putin’s goals, while Ukraine continues to fight bravely, effectively, and smartly.”
Kirby said that where Russia is making progress, it is “very scant and short.” But he said Russia’s decision to resume human wave tactics is “a sobering reminder that Russia is not prepared to give up on this fight. And as long as Russia continues its brutal assault on Ukraine, the United States must support the Ukrainian peoples’ ability to defend themselves.”
The Pentagon on Wednesday announced a new security assistance package to help Ukraine fend off Russian aggression. It’s the Biden administration’s 48th “tranche of equipment” provided to Ukraine since August 2021, the Pentagon said, and it includes additional anti-tank weapons, air defense capabilities, and other equipment.
Kirby said Friday that Russia launched its renewed offensive in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
He added that this wasn’t a surprise, given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s goal of bringing Ukraine back into the Soviet sphere of influence.
“And I would add that we have seen the Ukrainians work very hard to repel these offensive maneuvers, and they appear to have done just that,” Kirby said.
The White House also said North Korea recently sent Russia 1,000 containers of military equipment and munitions and that it believes North Korea wants Russian military assistance in return, including fighter aircraft, armored vehicles, ballistic missile production equipment, and surface-to-air missiles.
White House
Kirby said the US is closely monitoring whether Moscow delivers on Pyongyang’s expectations, adding that “we have already observed Russian ships offloading containers in the DPRK, which may constitute … the initial deliveries of material from Russia.”
Kirby said that a military alliance between Russia and North Korea could undermine “regional stability and the global nonproliferation regime” and that the US is taking several steps in response to sanction the two countries.
Related:
The Hill
White House: North Korea has provided Russia with 1K containers of military equipment, munitions
Alex Gangitano – October 13, 2023
The White House on Friday announced North Korea has delivered military equipment to Russia amid the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Due in part to our sanctions and export controls, Russia has been forced to desperately search around the world for military equipment,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters. “We now have information that North Korea has delivered arms to Russia for use in Ukraine. Our information indicates that in recent weeks, North Korea has provided Russia with more than 1000 containers of military equipment and munitions.”
The White House released imagery Friday showing the movement of these containers from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) into Russia by ship.
“We condemn the DPRK for providing Russia with this military equipment,” Kirby said, adding that the White House will monitor the situation and continue to expose such arms deals.
The update follows weeks of concerns over North Korean attempts to negotiate an arms deal with Russia. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last month.
Graphic provided by the White House National Security Council.
Kirby said U.S. officials are now monitoring closely whether Moscow will provide Pyongyang with materials.
“This expanding military partnership between the DPRK and Russia, including any technology transfers from Russia to the DPRK, undermines regional stability and the global non-proliferation regime,” he said.
On Thursday, an American aircraft carrier arrived in South Korea as a demonstration of strength as tensions rise with North Korea. The carrier group will stay in Busan until Monday, following military drills with South Korea and Japan earlier this week.
The White House has warned North Korea against supplying Russia with arms amid its war against Ukraine. National security adviser Jake Sullivan last month said Pyongyang will “pay a price” if it follows through on a potential deal.
Empire building has always come at an economic cost for Russia – from the days of the czars to Putin’s Ukraine invasion
Christopher A. Hartwell, Professor of International Business Policy, ZHAW School of Management and Law and Paul Vaaler, Professor of Law and Business, University of Minnesota – October 13, 2023
The Russian economy: A Potemkin village? Getty Images
President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has come at huge economic costs. By conservative estimates, the Russian economy has taken a US$67 billion annual hit as a result of war expenses and the effects of economic sanctions. In the early stages of the invasion, some analysts put the costs even higher, at $900 million per day.
These war costs show no sign of abating. The newly released Russian government budget for 2024 calls for a 70% defense expenditure increase, an astonishing reallocation of precious resources for a war that some observers expected to last a week at most.
Indeed, if you were to tune in to broadcasts of state-run RT television’s “CrossTalk” with American host Peter Lavelle, you’d be reassured that hardly anyone notices “irrelevant” Western sanctions, with even some reputable Western economists claiming that sanctions are harming Europe more than Russia.
Certainly, Muscovite oligarchs can still stroll across Red Square to Agent Provocateur and the GUM luxury shopping mall to buy lingerie for their wives and perhaps mistresses, too. And almost 8 in 10 Russians report to pollsters that sanctions have not affected their daily lives.
Such an economic hit was to be expected. As we show in a preprint study, imperial overreach from Russia in territories that are not its own has resulted in long-term damage to the Russian economy for over a century. More importantly, even during czarist times, rebellion in the modern-day lands of Ukraine against Russian rule led to the highest costs for the Russian economy.
Huge boost in military spending
Russia’s ability to seemingly absorb massive shocks since February 2022 is due in part to producers becoming accustomed to the milder sanctions that began in 2014 with the initial invasion of Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.
This approach has continued with the Russian government’s 2024 budget, which is currently on its way to be rubber-stamped in the Russian parliament, the Duma. While mobilization of troops for Russia’s growing quagmire is moving in fits and starts, the Kremlin has proceeded with a full-scale economic mobilization. Expenditures on defense are forecast to be 6% of the country’s GDP, making up a full 29% of all Russian government spending, according to an analysis by the Bank of Finland, and with an additional 9% spent on “national security.” In contrast, social programs are a mere 21% of the budget. Compare this with the United States, where defense spending is 3% of GDP and 12% of all government expenditures.
Financial markets have reacted poorly to Russia’s most recent imperial adventure. The ruble’s turbulence is well known, once again breaking 100 rubles to the dollar on Oct. 3, 2023, but Russia’s inability to service its debt has been more under the radar.
For the first time since the Bolsheviks refused to honor the country’s foreign debt in 1918, Russia defaulted on its foreign currency payments in June 2022, and major ratings agencies stopped rating Russian government bonds.
At the same time, bond yields on existing Russian government debt – an excellent measure of fiscal risk – have been climbing almost continuously since the first invasion of Ukraine in 2014, rising to nearly 14% in 2014 and recently climbing to over 13%, an 18-month high.
Ponzi-like scheme
The combination of military aggression, stretched finances and battlefield stagnation are nothing new for Russia, especially in Ukraine. As our study shows, czarist fiscal management from 1820 to 1914 was based on a Ponzi-like scheme that funded land grabs and military expansion with government borrowing through bond issues, taxation of newly acquired territories and bond repayment by a government now overseeing a more geographically extensive state.
By 1914, Czar Nicholas II had bonds worth more than $155 billion in 2022 dollars trading abroad – by comparison, the value of British debt in 1914 equates to approximately $123 billion today.
Vladimir Putin’s handling of the economy since the early 2000s has been based on a similar pyramid scheme, we would argue. A combination of aggressive foreign borrowing and natural resource exports have financed foreign wars and domestic repression in territories of Russia’s near abroad: These have included conflicts in Chechnyaand Georgia in the 2000s; Crimea and the Donbas in the 2010s; and the rest of Ukraine in the 2020s. Until this current round of aggression toward Ukraine, the outcome of these conflicts appeared to favor Russia, with its seemingly strong central government, military and economy.
However, Russia may now be at an inflection point. Historically, when Russia’s military was successful, it was able to finance both its war machine and industrialization.
Yet even past military success put the regime on very shaky ground that allowed small setbacks to threaten its foundation. Military reversals such as the stunning loss to Japan in 1905 or even the costs associated with pacifying troublesome territories such as in the Caucasus created more difficulties and risk for Russian bond markets and its economy. Indeed, unrest, armed rebellion and serf revolts in the far reaches of the empire raised Russian bond yields by approximately 1%. This risk was much higher than if such unrest occurred even in St. Petersburg or Moscow.
And perhaps most importantly, in Ukraine the cost of empire during czarist times was the largest, with each rebellion or bout of unrest in Ukraine raising Russian yields by between 3% and 3.5%.
With its newest defense budget going “all in” on its already faltering invasion of Ukraine, Russia appears to have learned none of the lessons of its past. Then as now, Ukraine and Ukrainian defiance constituted a grave threat to Russian territorial ambitions.
In 2024, that defiance just might prove too determined and too costly for an increasingly fragile Russian economy. And as in 1917, the consequences could be far beyond the control of the modern-day czar in the Kremlin.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Toxic PFAS from US military bases polluting drinking water, report finds
Tom Perkins – October 13, 2023
Photograph: Frederic J Brown/AFP/Getty Images
Plumes of toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” flowing from at least 245 US military bases are contaminating or threatening to pollute drinking water for nearby communities, and hundreds more are likely at risk across America, a new Department of Defense report finds.
The number of communities threatened by the military’s pollution is likely to increase as further more investigations are carried out. The defense department has only looked at about one-third of more than 700 facilities suspected of having contaminated the ground with PFAS.
While the report acknowledges the pollution, it does not clarify which drinking water sources are polluted, how high PFAS levels are in the polluted water systems, or provide information about the plumes’ locations.
The sheer number of bases and the lack of clarity is “shocking”, said Scott Faber, the vice-president of government affairs at the Environmental Working Group non-profit, which tracks military PFAS pollution.
“A good neighbor would let you know that their use of PFAS was the reason your water was contaminated, and a bad neighbor would only tell you: ‘Hey, a plume is heading in your direction,’” Faber said.
The defense department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems.
They are dubbed “forever chemicals” because most do not degrade in the environment.
The military is considered one of the largest PFAS polluters in the world, largely due to its use of firefighting foam laced with the chemicals discharged during emergencies or training exercises. Some of the highest levels of PFAS in groundwater ever detected have been found around bases. The Environmental Protection Agency’s advisory health guidelines state that less than one part per trillion (ppt) in drinking water is safe, while levels found around military bases have exceeded 2.25m ppt.
Congress in recent years has included in Defense Authorization Acts requirements for the military to begin investigating PFAS pollution in and around its facilities. The defense department has so far confirmed PFAS contamination at 455 bases, it wrote in the new report, and of that group it has confirmed that 275 out of 295 checked, or about 90%, have plumes “in the proximity” of drinking water supplies.
The report does not clarify what “in the proximity” means and does not specify which types of drinking water supplies are threatened. Though it provides a list of bases, public drinking water systems can draw from surface water or community wells, and it is unclear how the plumes may be impacting those pulling water from private wells.
“That is what we know so far because that’s all the DoD told us, and it took an act of Congress to get that much information,” Faber said.
Though the report does not provide clarity on which communities are drinking contaminated water, the defense department in August issued a separate report revealing that it is now providing clean drinking water to 53 communities.
The military currently only provides clean drinking water for communities with levels of PFOA and PFOS, two kinds of PFAS compounds, above 70 ppt. The EPA is proposing lowering the legal limit to 4 ppt. If it does, as expected, the defense department will likely be forced to provide drinking water to most, if not all, communities around facilities where there is PFAS contamination.
Even as the military uncovers more PFAS pollution in and around its sites, the amount of spending on remediation of all pollution at its bases is dropping.
“Communities around the facilities must be really frustrated because they in all likelihood are drinking from wells that are contaminated by the military, but the DoD is coming up short,” Faber said. “Inevitably we will get answers for these questions as we move through the process.”
Hamas’s Shock Attack Should Spark Our Horror—and Our Questions
Haggai Matar – October 11, 2023October 16/23, 2023 Issue
This appalling violence emerged within a context, and we need to understand that context in order to achieve peace.
An Israeli solider stands at the grounds of a music festival after Saturday’s deadly attack by Islamist Hamas militants.(Ilia Yefimovich / Getty)
TEL AVIV—After waking up early Saturday to sirens and a barrage of hundreds of rockets, we learned about the unprecedented assault that Palestinian militants from Gaza carried out on Israeli towns near the border. More than 1,000 Israelis were massacred so far—many in their homes and many others at a music festival—and more than 150 others were abducted and taken to Gaza. Not since 1948 has Israel faced such an invasion, with entire villages overrun and communities decimated.This article appears in the October 30/November 6, 2023 issue.
As the hours passed, and Israeli ground forces made confused, chaotic attempts to regain control of the towns seized by Hamas, the Israeli military launched air strikes, which have killed more than 765 Palestinians so far. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to inflict a level of pain on Gaza that “our enemies have never seen.” (For reference, in the worst of the previous wars with Gaza, Israel killed over 2,300 Palestinians—more than half of them civilians.) The terror felt by people who saw armed militants in their streets and homes, or by those being held captive in hostile territory or facing the sight of approaching fighter jets and tanks, is unimaginable. Attacks on civilians are war crimes, and my heart goes out to the victims and their families.https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.595.0_en.html#goog_2115949710https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.595.0_en.html#goog_2115949711https://imasdk.googleapis.com/js/core/bridge3.595.0_en.html#goog_2115949712READ MORE00:0401:12
But contrary to what many Israelis are saying, while the army was clearly caught completely off guard, this was not a “unilateral” or “unprovoked” attack. The terror Israelis feel right now—myself included—is a sliver of what Palestinians have been feeling on a daily basis under the decades-long military occupations of the West Bank and Gaza.
The October 7 attack by Hamas must also be seen in the context of more recent developments. One is the pending deal to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel pursued by President Biden. For years, Netanyahu has argued that peace can be achieved without talking to Palestinians or making any concessions. The Abraham Accords, brokered by the Trump administration, stripped Palestinians of one of their last bargaining chips and sources of support: the solidarity among Arab nations (though the strength of that solidarity has long been in question). The prospect of losing perhaps the most important of those states may well have helped push Hamas to the edge.
Meanwhile, commentators have been warning for weeks about escalating violence in the West Bank. More Palestinians and Israelis have been killed there during the past year than in any other year since the Second Intifada of the early 2000s. The Israeli army routinely raids Palestinian cities and refugee camps. The far-right government has given Jewish settlers a free hand to set up new illegal outposts and launch pogroms against Palestinian towns and villages, with IDF soldiers killing or maiming Palestinians who try to defend their homes. During the high holidays, Jewish extremists challenged the status quo arrangement between Jordan and Israel over the administration of the Temple Mount/Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, backed by politicians who share their ideology.
In Gaza, meanwhile, the ongoing siege is steadily destroying the lives of more than 2 million Palestinians, many of whom live in extreme poverty, with little access to clean water and only about four hours of electricity a day. This siege has no official endgame; even the Israeli state comptroller found in 2017 that the government had never seriously discussed ending the blockade or even considered any alternatives to the recurring rounds of war and death.
All of this does not justify the killing of civilians. That is absolutely wrong. Rather, it reminds us that there is a reason for everything that is happening now, and that—as in all previous outbursts of violence—there is no military solution to Israel’s problem with the occupied territories or the resistance that naturally emerges in response to apartheid.
In recent months, hundreds of thousands of Israelis have been marching for “democracy” and “equality,” with many saying they would refuse military service because of the Netanyahu government’s increasingly authoritarian policies. What those protesters and reserve soldiers need to understand—especially now, as many of them halt their demonstrations and join the war against Hamas—is that Palestinians have been struggling to achieve those same demands for decades, facing an Israel that to them has always been completely authoritarian.+972 Magazine published an earlier version of this article.
As I write these words, I am sitting at home in Tel Aviv, trying to figure out how to protect my family in a house with no bomb shelter or safe room. I hear people around me saying that now is the time to eradicate Gaza entirely—calling for genocide. Yet I remember that everything that I am feeling now, which every Israeli must be sharing, has been the life experience of millions of Palestinians for far too long. I recall how, for years, Palestinians have been telling me that Israelis “are savages; you can’t negotiate with them”—as Israelis are saying about Palestinians. The only solution, as it has always been, is to bring an end to Israel’s regime of apartheid, occupation, and siege and promote a future based on justice and equality for all of us. We have to change course not despite the horror, but precisely because of it.
Haggai Matar is the executive director of +972 Magazine and the codirector of Local Call, two media outlets run by Palestinian and Israeli journalists on the ground and committed to opposing apartheid and promoting equity, justice, and freedom of information.
We denounce violence in the Israel-Hamas war — but we have to find a way to coexist | Opinion
The Kansas City Star Editorial Board – October 12, 2023
TIM SHORTT/FLORIDA TODAY
We will say it in no uncertain terms: The violent attack on Israel by Hamas Saturday was extreme, brutal and unexpected. More than 2,000 people have died on both sides.
But when war breaks out, we choose sides. It’s a human thing to do. We claim an injured party and give our support through statements, donations, thoughts and prayers. Sometimes those sides involve people far away, thousands of miles from us. But sometimes those sides are our neighbors, those who identify with the people fighting in the war.
Religious and nonreligious ethnic Jews live in the greater Kansas City area. Muslims live here. Palestinians live here. They are our neighbors.
How can we reconcile the grief for those we care about with trying to understand a different group of people who are causing pain and harm to our own?
Just a thought: Are we supposed to find common ground? Or are we just supposed to turn our heads and focus on one side — our side?
A war broke out Saturday, when Hamas, a pro-Palestine organization, attacked Israel. The assault that was launched from the Gaza Strip (a coast sandwiched between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea) killed over a thousand Israelis. Others were captured and kidnapped. On Sunday, Israel retaliated and killed more than a thousand Palestinians. We have seen the news in credible media, but fake headlines and photos have circulated.
What is Hamas? It’s described by the Associated Press as “a Palestinian Islamic political party, which has an armed wing of the same name. The word is an acronym for the Arabic words for Islamic Resistance Movement.” Many call Hamas a terror organization, especially after the horrific and violent attack last weekend.
Immediately, American leaders were sympathetic to Israel. The United States is sending military aid to Israel to fight against Hamas. Rallies were held across the U.S.
On its website, the Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City says, “We Stand with Israel,” with a statement that called for donations to its effort to support victims of the violence. A vigil was held Monday in The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park.
The Muslim and Palestinian voice has seemed muted in Kansas City this week, but events where people come together for Palestine are beginning to happen. A “KC Rally for Palestine” is planned Saturday afternoon at the Mill Creek fountain on the Country Club Plaza. The rally notice appeared on the Al-Hadaf community organization’s Instagram account. The organization describes itself as “a Palestinian-led organization dedicated to the centering of Palestinian voices and the liberation of Palestine through community engagement.”
We’ve reached out to several in the local Palestinian community this week, and, when contacted, we vow to lend their voices to our coverage as we have the Jewish community.
Interfaith discussion, history lesson
Monday night, the Greater Kansas City Interfaith Council had its monthly meeting. When we learned the theme — Israel and Palestine — we knew we had to join and hear what this multicultural, multiethnic and multireligious organization had to say about what was happening.
That night, a group consisting of members from the Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Scientology and transcendental faith traditions listened to a Jewish man talk about the war and the history of the land people are fighting for.
Alan Edelman, chair of the interfaith organization, said the conflict is as old as the Bible, and that one way to understand it is by asking an important question, maybe the question:
“Is it possible for two people to share one piece of territory that is sacred to both of them?”
Edelman described himself as a member of the peace movement. “In the peace camp, we like to say that the Palestinians (need to) understand that after 2,000 years of homelessness and a good deal of persecution, the Jewish people are entitled to return to their homeland.”
But then he added: “And the Jews have to understand that when they got a homeland, the Palestinians lost theirs.”
After Edelman gave a history lesson on the land and its people, he said the thing on everyone’s mind:
“If you’re confused, join the club. It’s a complicated situation.”
Edelman said he believes both the average Israeli and the Palestinian just want to raise their families in peace. “The innocent people suffer” at the hands of extremist leaders making decisions.
“You really don’t have a government on the Palestinian side or the Israeli side who wants to have conversations about peace. What is going on now isn’t going to encourage anyone to come to the table to talk peace,” he said.
Edelman gave a measured, informative talk, but did he provide solutions? Could anyone?
Zulfiqar Malik, not a Palestinian but a Muslim and Interfaith Council member, thanked Edelman for the presentation, and added, “I am of the Abrahamic faith and, God willing, we have to continue our efforts. We have to pray for it. I know it takes a lot of effort, a lot of patience, a lot of prayers for peace. If we don’t have peace in our hearts how can we expect peace around the world?”
Unprovoked attack, human rights violations?
As we listen to the many sides invested in the conflict, we can say who we think is more right or more wrong. Was it wrong for Hamas to attack the way it did? Many news outlets are using the words “unprovoked” attack. On the surface and at the level of aggression used, it certainly was.
But could the attack be a response to human rights violations outlined in a United Nations Human Rights Council report in April 2023? The UN council said it was “gravely concerned about the dire humanitarian, socioeconomic and security situation in the Gaza Strip, including that resulting from the prolonged closures and severe economic impediments and movement restrictions that in effect amount to a blockade.” The report called Israel “the occupying power.”
The Rev. Kelly Isola of the Unity faith said she saw terms such as “occupied” and “under oppressive rule” used on social media. She said people are discussing this in a “binary way” but believes there’s more than two sides.
“I don’t support Hamas and yet there’s innocent people everywhere being killed and paying the price. I don’t want to discount that,” she said.
The council wants to educate people and craft a statement against the violence, and we think that’s a good idea, but it won’t end a war. Only peaceful talks will. And as it stands, the ongoing violence, pain and grief will prevent that from happening anytime soon.
A message for those of us neither Jewish, Muslim nor Palestinian: One way to work toward peace in our community is to get to know those different from us. There are many groups, such at the Interfaith Council, that can provide an answer. The council has an upcoming “Table of Faiths” dinner next week. For more information, visit kcinterfaith.org/2023-table-of-faiths
The Kansas City Star Editorial Board wants to hear the voices of Palestinians and Jews on the topic of peaceful solutions to the war. Please send your thoughts to oped@kcstar.com
Here’s the military support the US is sending toward Israel, from US Navy ships to munitions
Elias Chavez – October 11, 2023
Missiles launched from the Iron Dome defense system attempting to intercept a rocket fired from the Gaza strip.MAHMUD HAMS/AFP via Getty Images
The US is sending munitions, aircraft carriers, and fighter jets toward Israel after the Hamas attacks.
The aid package includes the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Specific munitions are uncertain, but Israel needs weapons for their Iron Dome defense system.
After the surprise attacks on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas over the weekend, the US has been swift in its response and providing aid.
On October 7, Hamas militants launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing hundreds of civilians and abducting others. Israel responded with a series of airstrikes throughout the Gaza Strip.
Some 1,000 Israelis had been killed as of Tuesday, with another 3,400 injured, Israel’s embassy in the US said. Gaza’s health ministry reported at least 830 Palestinians had been killed, with at least 4,250 injured.
Here’s what the US is providing to and around Israel amid the conflict.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier to date.
The USS Gerald R. Ford in a fjord in Oslo.STIAN LYSBERG SOLUM/NTB/AFP via Getty Images
The supercarrier, out on its first full deployment, is now moving toward Israel as a show of support from the US, as Insider previously reported.
Included in the USS Gerald R. Ford strike force are a number of other cruisers and destroyers.
The USS Normandy, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser.
The US Navy Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy getting underway for deployment as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group.U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Colbey Livingston/Handout via REUTERS
The USS Normandy can fire missiles to strike land targets or fire missiles to defend against aircraft or incoming missiles.
The USS Thomas Hudner, one of four Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers in the fleet.
The USS Thomas Hudner in the Bosphorus on its way to the Mediterranean Sea in 2021.REUTERS/Murad Sezer
The USS Thomas Hudner provides both offensive and defensive capabilities and can act independently or as part of a larger strike force.
The USS Ramage, another Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer.
The USS Ramage in the Arabian Gulf.REUTERS/Specialist 2nd Class Miguel Angel Contreras/U.S. Navy/Handout
The USS Ramage similarly provides offensive and defensive capabilities for the strike force.
The US Navy destroyer USS Carney.
The US Navy destroyer USS Carney on its way to the Mediterranean Sea.REUTERS/Yoruk Isik.
The USS Carney is another Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and was first launched in 1994. The ship has since been upgraded in 2009 and 2016, where it received a new cannon and missile launcher.
The USS Roosevelt, designed to operate independently in a high-density, multi-threat environment.
The USS Roosevelt, a US Navy ship, sets sail in the Bosphorus.REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo
The USS Roosevelt is the fourth Arleigh-Burke-class guided-missile destroyer in the fleet.
Several F-35 fighter jets, considered to be the most advanced fighter jet in the world.
F-35A Lockheed Martin fighter jet lands on a motorway.NTB/Ole Andreas Vekve via REUTERS
The US is also augmenting several of its Air Force operations in the region, including F-35 fighter jets.
The US is deploying several of the stealth fighters to help deter Iran, a regional adversary that backs Hamas and Hezbollah.
Insider previously reported about 20-25 fighters would head to the region and be tasked with deterring the expansion of the war and preventing potential Iranian aggression.
Several F-15 fighter jets.
An Israeli F-15 fighter jet takes off during a joint international aerial training exercise.REUTERS/Amir Cohen
F-15s are extremely maneuverable, tactical fighters designed to give the Air Force an upper hand in air-to-air combat.
Several F-16 fighter jets, designed for both air-to-air combat as well as air-to-ground combat.
An F-16 fighter jet at the Volkel Air Base.REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
The F-16 is a versatile and lightweight fighter.
Several A-10 fighter jets, designed to provide close air support to ground forces.
A US Air Force A-10 fighter aircraft stands during a media day.Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/picture alliance via Getty Images
They’re designed to be used against maritime attacks and ground targets such as tanks and other armored vehicles.
Israel reportedly requested interceptors and precision-guided munitions.
Rockets fired from Gaza City being intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system.EYAD BABA/AFP via Getty Images
Al Jazeera reported that $2 billion worth of US munitions had been pre-supplied to be used in case of emergencies in Israel.
Correction: October 11, 2023 — An earlier version of this story incorrectly described the source of the Israeli death and injury estimates. The Israeli Embassy in Washington provided the death estimate, and the Israeli health ministry, which is not in Washington, provided the injury estimate. The story was updated with the embassy’s Tuesday estimates for those killed and injured.
