MPs warn new protest laws risk ‘chilling effect’ on democratic rights
The joint committee on human rights (JCHR), following legislative scrutiny of the public law, warns that new policing powers could create a hostile environment for peaceful protestors. Designed to combat disruptive protests, the draft legislation would instead have a “chilling effect” on the right to peaceful protest, putting fundamental democratic rights at risk. The bill […]
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The Real “Problem” With the NI Protocol: It Works Too Well
The Protocol’s critics hate it for its success, not its failure. And they’re prepared to eviscerate the Good Friday Agreement to protect their political projects. The government’s “Northern Ireland Protocol Bill”Many people’s worst fears were confirmed. It violates international law, thus stymieing negotiations on trade agreements, emboldening autocrats in China and Russia, and (potentially) permanently […]
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Penrose warns No 10 against axing Lord Geidt replacement
John Penrose warned No.10 against refusing to appoint an ethical adviser. Lord Geidt, who was concerned about possible plans to violate WTO rules, resigned from his position on Wednesday evening. It comes after months of speculation that Geidt might resign over the Partygate scandal. Penrose, who resigned as the government’s anti-corruption tsar earlier this month […]
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What Mayra Flores Victory Shows About Hispanics and Conservatism
On Tuesday, Republican Mayra Flores won a South Texas congressional seat that was occupied for over 100 years by Democrats. The district, which is largely populated with Latinos living near the southern border of Texas, was won by President Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential elections. How did Flores win? “I think this speaks to […]
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6 Takeaways from Jan. 6 Committee Hearing on Trump Pressure on Pence
The Jan. 6 committee hearing Thursday focused entirely on former Vice President Mike Pence, his constitutional role in certifying states’ presidential electoral votes, and whether former President Donald Trump’s attorney believed the arguments they were making about the vice president’s authority to unilaterally determine the winner of a presidential election. Gregory Jacob, former counsel to […]
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Does the Future of US Democracy Hang on Talks Between Clarence and Ginni Thomas?
Virginia “Ginni” Thomas — the far right political activist who is married to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — is once again in the news due to reports that the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack has unearthed a string of email correspondenceBetween her and John Eastman, a conservative attorney who pushed Mike […]
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Voting Republican Can Kill You
Voting Republican could pose a risk to your health, particularly if you live or work in a Trump-winning county. That’s the latest contribution to junk social scienceThis one was provided by the distinguished British Medical Journal. According to the authors, there were smaller reductions of age-adjusted deaths in counties that voted Republican presidential candidates […]
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Trans Activist Skips White House Event in Protest of LGBTQ Asylum Seeker Policy
Image Credit: Tweet: @familiatqlm We speak with Jennicet Gutiérrez, an organizer and co-executive director of Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement, who declined an invitation to attend the annual White House Pride Month celebration to protest the detention and deportation of LGBTQImmigrants and asylum seekers. Trans people are being held in inhumane conditions at the U.S.-Mexico […]
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Biden Tells Oil Refinery Companies It’s Unfair to Pass Gas Costs Onto Americans
On Wednesday, President Joe Biden sent a note to several oil refinery businesses, asking them to increase production in an effort to lower gas prices. In his letter, which he sent to seven oil refinery companies in the U.S.Biden pointed out that gas prices rose by $1.70 a gallon since 2022 and are now at […]
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More Than 100 Million People in US Have Health Care Debt, Study Shows
After Elizabeth Woodruff and her husband were sued by New York Hospital for almost $10,000, they took on three jobs. Ariane Buck, a young father in Arizona who sells health insurance, couldn’t make an appointment with his doctor for a dangerous intestinal infection because the office said he had outstanding bills. Allyson Ward, her husband, […]
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