BASSEM YOUSSEF: ISRAELI FOREIGN AGENTS IN U.S. CONGRESS

During a recent interview with US-based journalist Chris Cuomo (@chriscuomo), Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef (@byoussef) accused Florida Congressman Brian Mast of being a foreign agent. Mast recently wore an Israeli military uniform and has accepted donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a pro-Israel lobbying group.

In November, a month after the 7 October escalation in the 75-year Israeli occupation of Palestine, AIPAC gave the highest amount to US political campaigns ever recorded in a single month: $3.7 million. Both Democrats and Republicans were recipients.

Youssef called out AIPAC for being a pro-Israel organisation that should be labelled a ‘foreign agent.’ The United States forbids foreigners from lobbying in the United States without first registering with the US Department of Justice.

Continued…. However, AIPAC has said it is a registered US lobbying group that no foreign entity, including Israel, has financially supported.

Since 7 October, Israel’s military operation and blockade have killed more than 33,000 Palestinians and injured more than 75,000 people. This comes despite an International Court of Justice ruling in January that Israel prevent genocidal acts and a recent UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire, but only during Ramadan.

Public opinion polls have shown the US population has grown increasingly sceptical of Israel’s actions over the past almost six months.

To watch the whole interview, tap this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOsSv005zXo&t=1s

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DR KING ON THE BOOTSTRAP MYTH

Fifty-six years after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s softer remarks on racial equality dominate his legacy more than his anti-imperialist, anti-capitalist perspective, which revolutionaries say led to his assassination.

As King politically matured, he began speaking out on economic matters, advocating for a fairer distribution of wealth and resources. He contended poverty and unemployment weren’t merely individual challenges but systemic injustices requiring systemic remedies. One of his final public appearances was alongside striking Black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee.

Continued…. In a speech given a year before his assassination at the Riverside Church in New York City, noscriptd, ‘Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence,’ the political philosopher and civil-rights icon denounced what he called the ‘giant triplets’ of US society—militarism, materialism and racism—famously emphasising the urgent need for a ‘radical revolution of values,’ one that would elevate people above profits.

In numerous speeches, King also debunked the bootstrap philosophy, which says anyone could succeed in the United States by working hard and ‘pulling themselves up by their bootstraps.’

Since his assassination, many say the US government has co-opted King’s legacy by creating a federal holiday in 1986 to commemorate his birthday. Streets renamed after King can be found in hundreds of US cities, ironically in the poorest and Blackest neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, the corporate media and US public schools only replay his 1963 ‘I Have a Dream’ speech, which focused on racial equality.

What do you think Dr. King would say about today’s state of economic relations between Western powers and African people?

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BRITAIN ARMS ISRAEL ISRAEL KILLS BRITS

The Israeli killing of seven aid workers in the Gaza Strip has reignited calls for the British government to stop selling weapons to Tel Aviv. Among the dead were three Britons who died after an airstrike hit their car. They were working for the World Central Kitchen, a charity providing food to thousands of Palestinians facing starvation amid Israel’s bombardment and blockade.

Supreme Court judges and hundreds of lawyers and academics have now written an open letter to UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, warning the continued shipment of arms is a breach of international law. Despite the growing pressure, Downing Street insists it won’t change its policy and will continue to back Israel’s onslaught.

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HERO’S WELCOME FOR BURKINA FASO TROOPS

On 17 March, people from the eastern town of Bilanga poured into the streets to welcome Burkina Faso’s soldiers.

Two years after a popular military coup ousted a military leader, Paul-Henri Damiba, schools have reopened and government workers have resumed work. This comes four months after the Burkinabé military regained control of the border town of Falagountou and after neighbouring Mali’s re-took the northeastern town of Kidal. In both cases, the governments said armed militants had held the areas under siege.

Continued…. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger—landlocked African countries in the arid Sahelian zone south of the Sahara Desert—have faced a security crisis ever since NATO overthrew Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, spurring armed groups throughout the 5,900-kilometre Sahel region. Burkina Faso had lost up to 40 per cent of its territory to the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, according to the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). However, recent developments show Burkina Faso’s new government has been reclaiming land. Terrorism has killed thousands of Africans and displaced millions, creating an economic and humanitarian burden in the Sahel region.

Western forces occupying the Sahel since the early 2010s did little to reverse the security crisis. More terrorism-related deaths occurred after their arrival than before, according to the Global Terrorism Index. Sahelian casualties account for 43 per cent of all terrorism deaths worldwide, compared to just 1 per cent in 2007. This surge, as well as the lack of support from Western occupiers, prompted Mali to kick out France in 2022, Burkina Faso and Niger to order out France in 2023, and Niger last month to nullify a military agreement with the United States.

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HOW AFRICAN DIAMONDS FUND ISRAEL’S WAR

We all know Africa is essentially being plundered though exploitative mineral-extraction deals.

But what would you think if you learned that not only are non-Africans reaping the profits on our precious stones, they are using those earnings to fund conflict - in particular, a war that many see as imperialistic and genocidal?

African Stream’s Ahmed Ghoneim looks at how Israel - and its military - are making a killing from our diamonds.

We’d love to hear your reactions in the comments.

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NO JUSTICE FOR AFRICANS IN FLINT

In February, 45,000 residents, businesspeople and property owners agreed to a $25 million settlement with an engineering firm over its role in a water crisis that began in 2014 in the US city of Flint. The agreement also includes payments of $1,500 for each minor represented in the lawsuit, totalling up to $1.5 million.

Further, Flint’s public school teachers recently won a settlement with the school system for an undisclosed amount, which prevented a strike.

In November, African Stream’s Salifu Mack reported that all related court cases were officially closed that month. That meant authorities would hold no one criminally accountable for what the predominantly Black residents of Flint have endured.

Continued…. This includes 115 deaths, as well as cognitive and physical developmental delays and impairment in children. The Michigan Supreme Court also refused to resurrect charges against former Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. Millions of dollars have gone to criminal investigations over seven years.

For African Stream, Flint represents a microcosm of the broader struggle for water rights among African communities worldwide.

What are your thoughts on the latest developments? Let us know in the comments.

LBC HOST TO ISRAEL: 'FROM ONE FRIEND TO ANOTHER, THIS HAS TO STOP'

Nick Ferrari, a right-wing morning show host for British radio station LBC, is, in his own words, a 'friend of Israel.'

However, even he could not stay silent when Israel killed seven food-aid workers travelling on 1 April through the Gaza Strip. The World Central Kitchen (WCK) cars were marked with the NGO’s logos, and aid workers coordinated with the Israeli military on designated routes. Israel claims the attack was a mistake.

Despite these details, the United States and the United Kingdom continue to support Israel, with Washington delivering more than 2,000 bombs on the day of the deadly attack.

Continued…. Moreover, while Western leaders mourn the deaths of primarily white WCK aid workers who had hailed from Australia, Canada, Poland, the UK and the US—and one from Palestine—they have not done the same for the more than 33,000 Palestinian civilians that Israel has killed via bombardment and siege since 7 October.

Is this a case of the Global North demonstrating callousness toward Palestinians, or do you think Western leaders have good reason to mourn these aid workers? Let us know in the comments.

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U.S. SCRAMBLES OVER IRAN-NIGER TALKS

The United States claims Iran and Niger are talking about a uranium deal.

The radioactive substance can bolster a country’s development and defence. And, with Niger being the world’s seventh-largest producer, Iran may have found a gold mine with which it may be able to escape decades of US/UN/EU sanctions.

US officials made this claim during an unannounced visit to the Sahelian country that broke diplomatic protocol. A few days later, Niger’s military government, which had ousted Western-aligned President Mohamed Bazoum in July 2023, announced it was nullifying an agreement that another Western-aligned Nigerien president, Mahamadou Issoufou, had negotiated in 2014. The deal had allowed the US military to occupy a $110 million US-built drone base in Agadez.

Do you believe the US claim about an Iran-Niger uranium deal, and what do you think it means for the global order? Let us know in the comments.

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CHELSEA MIDFIELDER REFUSES TO HIGH FIVE BLACK BOY

Chelsea's star midfielder, Conor Gallagher, faces accusations of racism after this clip went viral. It shows the footballer apparently blanking a Black boy who was the match mascot for last Saturday’s game with Burnley.
The club says it was taken out of context and Gallagher was seen with his arm around the youngster as they walked onto the pitch. Blues coach Mauricio Pochettino also defended his player, putting it down to pre-match jitters. However, that hasn’t stopped the 24-year-old suffering an online backlash.

Continued…. Chelsea’s been marred by a string of recent racism scandals.
In 2018, their fans abused their current midfielder, Raheem Sterling, when he played for Man City. The year before that, four Chelsea supporters were convicted of racial violence after pushing a Black man off a train in Paris while fans chanted: 'We are racist and that’s the way we like it.' In 2012, the English FA fined Chelsea captain John Terry £220,000 and banned him for four games over racist comments made to fellow player Anton Ferdinand.

There’s no telling for certain why Gallagher ignored the Black boy's high five, but it’s not a good look. Have a watch and give us your view on what happened.

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FLORIDA OFFICER FRAMES BLACK MAN

In Tallahassee, Florida, body camera footage suggested a police officer opened a sealed bottle of alcohol and poured the liquid to charge a Black man, Calvin Riley Sr., with driving under the influence during a routine traffic stop last May.

Police began searching the 56-year-old’s car after they claimed to have discovered his driver’s licence was suspended.

During a pre-trial hearing, an officer cited a police department policy preventing officers from impounding liquids as evidence, although no such policy appears to exist.

Riley claims the incident cost him time to work, a $750 bail, and missing loan payments forced him to forfeit his car.

He is scheduled to stand trial today in Tallahassee.

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