Time to Sanction Israel
Europe is growing tired of Israel and the war crimes it continues to commit in Gaza. In a new editorial, titled “It’s in Europe’s Interest to Put Sanctions on Israel,” Financial Times commentator Martin Sandau writes, “Limiting trade, travel and freezing foreign reserves would show the EU is willing to act independently of the U.S.”
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Anti-Anti-Boycott Bills
In early May, the House of Representatives was set to vote on the International Governmental Organization Anti-Boycott Act, which would be one of the most draconian measures of this kind to date. It would impose a maximum 20-year prison sentence or $1 million fine for complying with international human rights sanctions against one U.S. ally, Israel. The bill’s sponsors are “bipartisan” Reps. Mike Lawler (R–N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D–N.J.). Thankfully, it looks like the bill is DOA. After running into unexpected Republican opposition—including from lawmakers who vehemently oppose boycotting Israel, such as Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.)—the vote was quietly postponed, according to conservative Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.).
No Boycott of Israel
A Texas city is refusing to give people hurricane aid unless they pledge not to boycott Israel. “A Texas city devastated by flooding after Hurricane Harvey is forcing recipients of financial aid to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel,” reported Associated Press. The form includes a clause headlined “verification not to boycott Israel.” It states, in part: “By executing this agreement below, the applicant verifies that the applicant: 1) does not boycott Israel; and 2) will not boycott Israel during the term of this agreement.” Earlier this year, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed legislation requiring all state contractors to pledge not to boycott Israel.
FBI Intimidation
Left-wing journalist Ken Klippenstein wrote on June 2 that the FBI visited his house after he published the manifesto of the man who admitted shooting two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C. Klippenstein claims it is all part of an intimidation campaign directed against journalists as part of the wider Trump administration crackdown on speech that is critical of Israel.
Limit Lobbyists
A new bipartisan bill dropped in late May that imposes the strictest bans to date on former government officials turning into lobbyists for big companies or foreign countries. The legislation goes so far as to make it a crime to get a job as a lobbyist right after leaving public office. House Foreign Affairs Committee members Reps. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) and Sara Jacobs (D-Calif.) introduced the No Revolving Doors in Foreign Military Sales Act, which aims to curtail the growing number of former U.S. government employees, who now function as lobbyists for weapons makers, Big Pharma, and other multinational corporations.
Would-Be Assassin’s Big Plans
A damning report released by CBS News on May 23 reveals that Thomas Crooks, the young man who shot at and grazed the ear of President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, had been researching ways to sow even more chaos and death. According to the report, Crooks’s emails released by the FBI show the 20-year-old man was investigating how to make bombs and even went so far as to buy bomb-making materials on the internet. The FBI still is reportedly investigating what happened on July 13, 2024, when Crooks climbed on top of a building and shot a rifle at the future president, indicating there is likely more to this story.
Honesty Expert Caught Lying
On May 27, Harvard announced it would be revoking the tenure of Francesca Gino, the Harvard Business School professor who specializes in ethical behavior. Ironically, Gino was accused of fudging and manipulating her findings in order to better support her conclusions. Before her work came under scrutiny, she was a prominent researcher in her field and the fifth-highest paid employee at Harvard in 2018 and 2019, receiving more than $1 million in compensation each year.
High Speed Railways
As China continues to advance and expand high speed train networks across the country, the United States is slowly making headway as well, reports the BBC. Two new high-speed railways are being built in California: one going from Los Angeles to San Francisco and the other going from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. In addition, there are plans for high-speed rail lines from Portland to Seattle and onto Vancouver in Canada, and another between Dallas and Houston. Rail programs have hit a speed bump under the Trump administration, however, because federal officials recently cut a $64 million rail grant in Texas.
Worrying AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) company OpenAI’s most advanced model, o3, has sparked controversy after it reportedly refused direct instructions to shut itself down during a test. The findings, published by Palisade Research, a firm that specializes in stress-testing AI systems, reveals that o3 may have actively circumvented a command to end operations. Multiple AI systems were part of the test, which involved shutting itself off. Google’s Gemini 2.5 Pro and Anthropic’s Claude 3.7 Sonnet both complied, but OpenAI’s o3 ignored the command.
Israel Is Lying
For the past two years, the Israeli government has made serious allegations against the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) that the organization runs cover for and aids Hamas in Gaza. On May 27, UNRWA issued a scathing public letter, accusing the Israelis of lying. According to UNRWA, the agency has repeatedly requested evidence from Israel to substantiate the allegations against the agency and its staff. To date, UNRWA says it has received no response from Israel and no detailed public information has been released.
