“I’m a middle school teacher in New York, and what’s happening inside many classrooms today should concern every parent in this country, especially parents of Black boys. Education is supposed to be about reading, writing, history, discipline and accountability. Instead, in too many schools, academics are being pushed aside while politics, ideology and lowered expectations take their place. The students who can least afford to fall behind (particularly young Black boys) are the ones being hurt the most. The data shows this is not just opinion, it’s reality. According to the New York State Education Department’s 2024-2025 assessment results, proficiency rates in English and math remain far below where they should be, with major gaps between racial groups. Black students in New York City were only about 47% proficient in English and 43% proficient in math, compared with much higher rates for white and Asian students.” (04/11/26)
“A man accused of orchestrating an $11 million Medicaid fraud scheme in Minnesota skipped a scheduled court appearance this week, prompting a warrant for his arrest, authorities said. Abdirashid Ismail Said, 50, failed to appear for a pretrial hearing in Hennepin County, forfeiting his bond, according FOX 9, citing the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement that his office is working with federal authorities to locate Said.” (04/11/26)
“Reasonable people wonder if it was a coincidence the escalation (and now fragile ceasefire) of the massively unpopular, senseless, illegal US-Israeli war of aggression on Iran occurred while Congress was away from Capitol Hill for two weeks. Maybe so, but speculation aside, it soon won’t matter, as Congress returns to Washington to resume legislative business Tuesday, April 14. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s monstrous nuclear threat to obliterate Iran’s civilization, calls for his removal from office are rising, understandably. Doing so via the 25th Amendment, which would require Vice President JD Vance and the spineless supine sycophants in the Cabinet to certify Trump unfit for office, is the longest of long shots, though US Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), a former Constitutional law professor and ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, notes the amendment mentions the ability for Congress to establish its own mechanism to remove an incompetent chief executive.” (04/11/26)
“A shooting broke out inside a New Jersey Chick-fil-A Saturday night, leaving multiple injured after a group of men stormed in, went behind the food counter, and opened fire, according to reports. The horror unfolded just before 9 p.m. at the fast food chain’s Route 22 location in Union, which has since been locked down with some workers reportedly still inside as Union County police probe the scene, WABC and CBS New York reported. A man who said his girlfriend works at the restaurant told CBS a group of masked men charged inside and fired multiple shots after forcing their way behind the counter. One employee’s family member said an altercation erupted that left multiple workers injured in the gunfire. ‘I heard the shots,’ a Lyft driver told WABC.” (04/11/26)
“We now face a defining question of not whether this conflict is difficult but whether the West has the discipline to see it through to the right outcome. That is the backdrop to this weekend’s negotiations in Islamabad, where Pakistan is hosting U.S.-Iran talks amid a fragile ceasefire and continued tension around the Strait of Hormuz. The talks will reveal whether Tehran is prepared to retreat from confrontation or is merely maneuvering for time. One thing President Trump should do immediately is announce that we, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be working together to build pipelines at warp speed that will bypass the Strait of Hormuz. Incisive energy and technology expert Mark P. Mills pushes this idea in an article that can be found at city-journal.org, noting that such pipelines could be built in a matter of months.” (04/11/26)
“China said Sunday it would resume some ties it had suspended with Taiwan such as direct flights to cities across China and imports of Taiwanese aquaculture products as the island’s opposition party leader concludes her visit. The Taiwan Work Office under China’s Communist Party issued a statement saying it would explore setting up a longstanding communication mechanism between the Communist Party and Taiwan’s Kuomingtang Party, and facilitate the import of Taiwan’s aquaculture products, after it banned them in recent years. Cheng Li-wun, the head of the Kuomingtang, and China’s President Xi Jinping held a high-profile meeting Friday during which both called for peace without offering specifics. Taiwan is self-ruled but China claims the island as part of its territory. Relations between China and Taiwan have been tense since 2016 when the Taiwanese public elected Tsai Ing-wen from the Democratic Progressive Party as president.” (04/11/26)
Source: Caitlin Johnstone, Rogue Journalist
by Caitlin Johnstone
“Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has accused Spain of an ‘anti-Israel obsession’ for its criticisms of the US-Israeli war on Iran and its refusal to allow its airspace to be used in the onslaught, a perceived slight to which Israel has responded by banning Madrid from participation in a coordination center for the oversight of the so-called ‘ceasefire’ in the Gaza Strip. We’ve been hearing this ‘obsession’ talking point from Israel and its apologists a lot lately. … The other day right-wing pundit Meghan Murphy had a strange conversation with Tablet Magazine editor Jacob Siegel about our society’s ‘recent insane obsession with Israel,’ speaking as though everyone just randomly began fixating on this genocidal apartheid state out of nowhere a short while ago, for no valid reason.” (04/12/26)
“A Pennsylvania-linked manufacturer has been stripped of control over its Russian operations under a Kremlin order, raising fresh risks for Western companies as Moscow courts renewed economic ties with the United States. CANPACK, a global aluminum beverage can manufacturer owned by a Pennsylvania-based holding company, operates in multiple countries across Europe and North America and said its Russian business — valued at roughly $700 million — was placed under state ‘external administration’ by a Dec. 31, 2025, decree signed by President Vladimir Putin, effectively transferring control of 100% of its shares to state-appointed managers. CEO Peter Giorgi said the company lost all operational authority after administrators arrived in mid-January.” (04/11/26)
Source: The American Prospect
by David Dayen & Whitney Curry Wimbish
“It was the first Rental Ripoff hearing and people were pissed. Set up by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and attended by leaders of his administration and 150 city workers across multiple departments, the hearings gave tenants a chance to describe conditions their landlords refuse to fix: rats, mold, dangerous constructio — along with a spate of unnecessary and hidden fees. They had three minutes each to share their experiences. But they also got to do something unexpected: set policy priorities for one of the largest cities in the world. Arrayed around the room were posterboards, which not only asked tenants what problems they faced but sought their input on policy proposals brainstormed by staff, like fining landlords who don’t make repairs, making it easier to form tenant unions, or enabling the city to take over buildings when there are serial violations.” (04/10/26)
“A new poll offers insight into a traditionally Republican part of California. In Orange County, a coastal pocket of the state known for conservative views, independents make up the largest percentage of voters, according to a recent poll from UC Irvine. Not only that, but among those independents, 66% think the country is on the wrong track. The poll, released Wednesday by UC Irvine, was conducted as part of an annual survey of Orange County adults to keep track of social, economic and political issues. Even with its right-leaning reputation, the area is still deeply purple, the poll found. Orange County is home to a fair share of Democrats, with 34% of respondents identifying with that party. Republicans made up 30%, and independents made up 36%. This, the pollsters concluded in a report accompanying the results, is why the county remains a very competitive district.” (04/12/26)
