Israel says it won't cooperate in a reported U.S. investigation on the killing of Palestinian-American journalist #ShireenAbuAkleh. The U.S. has not yet confirmed the probe.
Israeli soldiers shot Shireen in May as she wore a press vest. Israel refused a criminal investigation.
Israeli forces have killed at least 45 journalists since 2000, say Palestinians.
0 Israeli soldiers were charged for killing them.
140+ journalists have been badly wounded by Israeli live fire and other weapons since 2018, some injuries resulting in amputation and blindness.
Family of #ShireenAbuAkleh welcomed news of a possible U.S. investigation into her killing:
"It is what the United States should do when a U.S. citizen is killed abroad... by a foreign military."
The U.S. has delayed a formal investigation for 6 months.
In the United Kingdom, the last few prime ministers were initially chosen by just 0.3% of voters (or less).
Here's why: 🧵
The UK PM is not chosen by all voters — usually only by members of the ruling political party or its MPs.
Currently, that is 150,000+ Conservative Party members (0.3% of all voters), who are overwhelmingly older, richer and more often male and white than the average voter.
The last 4 UK prime ministers all initially came to power without most voters getting any say:
▪️ Theresa May, after David Cameron resigned
▪️ Boris Johnson, after May resigned
▪️ Liz Truss, after Johnson resigned
▪️ Rishi Sunak, after Truss resigned
Texas schools are sending children home with DNA kits so parents can identify them "in case of an emergency."
After the Uvalde shooting, parents had to provide such samples to identify victims. Texas' GOP rejected calls for reform and expanded the right to carry guns in public.
The Uvalde gunman used an AR-15 he legally bought at age 18 to kill 19 children and 2 adults.
Victims' families called on Texas to raise the min. age to buy guns, but Gov. Abbott instead pushed to relax gun laws and claimed banning sales to people under 21 is "unconstitutional."
The Texas GOP and Gov. Abbott have consistently relaxed gun laws after mass shootings.
After the 2019 El Paso shooting, they backed laws that:
▪️ allow carrying handguns in places of worship
▪️ allow storing guns in school parking lots
▪️ block landlords from banning firearms
The U.S. called for international forces to be deployed in Haiti as the country faces protests over inflation, a cholera outbreak and a political crisis.
The U.S. has invaded Haiti before. 100+ years ago, it massacred thousands and stole its wealth to secure U.S. interests. 🧵
Haiti took its independence in 1804 by rebelling against slave owners, becoming the world's first Black republic.
In retaliation:
▪️ France forced it to pay slave owners compensation, plunging it into debt
▪️ The U.S. isolated it, fearing similar revolts by enslaved people
The U.S. invaded Haiti in 1915 — claiming it wanted to stabilize the country after the then-president's assassination.
U.S. forces:
▪️ massacred civilians
▪️ took over its finances
▪️ installed a pro-U.S. president
▪️ reversed post-slavery laws that banned foreigners buying land
For about 50 million people across the world, slavery isn’t history — it’s their reality. And modern-day slavery continues to rise.
On #AntiSlaveryDay, a 🧵 on how slavery – affecting about 1 out of every 150 people on Earth – exists today.
Forced labor affects 28 million people globally, with over half in wealthy countries.
▪️Multinational companies responsible for 80% of forced laborers
▪️Migrant workers — often not protected by law — are easily trapped
▪️Laborers often threatened with deportation
At least one-fifth of all people trapped in forced labor are children — over 50% in commercial sexual exploitation.
▪️COVID orphaned 7 million children, many forced to work
▪️Some children begin lives in slavery & debt bondage
▪️Many unable to escape abusive domestic work