Iâm a little more tweaked than usual this week, once again courtesy of my governor, Kathy Hochul. Our latest drop picks apart a recent article in The New York Times that covers Hochulâs increasingly fractured relationship with Native tribes in New York.
While the article focuses on her recent vetoesâone that would protect unmarked burial sites and another that would grant recognition to a tribe on Long Islandâpart of her administrationâs defense caught my attention. So, I wound up going down the rabbit hole and dusting off ye old reporterâs notebook. I interviewed an attorney who shed light on a recent transaction the state was touting as proof of their good deeds and cooperation. Apologies in advance for the language in the episode, but this one got me fired upâand it is called âUnf*cking the Republicâ for a reason.
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Elsewhere, around the worldâŠ
China.
Sticking with the Gray Lady for a moment, the Times had a piece about how China is approaching IMF level funding and loans to struggling economies around the globe. Hereâs my favorite section from the article. âAmerican officials have accused China of engaging in âdebt trap diplomacyâ that is saddling countries with excessive debt for construction projects carried out by Chinese companies often using Chinese engineers, Chinese workers and Chinese equipment. Chinese officials contend that they have built much-needed infrastructure that the West talked about for decades but never completed.â Weâre mad because this was literally our playbook. Dollar diplomacy. We covered it in our Washington Consensus episode.
NYT: After Doling Out Huge Loans, China Is Now Bailing Out Countries
Israel.
Protests in Israel demonstrate the power of the people. As Al Jazeera reports, âWhile the protests on Sunday night and throughout Monday were fundamentally about the safety of Israelis and their judicial rights under attack by a strongman leader, the anti-occupation bloc has taken advantage of the opportunity to educate the thousands of Israelis outraged at Netanyahu and his coalition.â Thereâs a lot more to this story, including a competing narrative that Netanyahu has lost some credibility in far right circles for the firing of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Bibiâs alliance appears even more fragile than ever, which could be a good thing and lead to a momentary cooling off on his extremist policies. Then again, Israelâs relentless slide toward authoritarianism has proven far more resilient than left-wing countermovements.
Al Jazeera: Israel Protesters Vow to Continue Until Judicial âReformâ Gone
Iraq.
Good news, everyone! The Senate voted to end the authorization for War in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of needless deaths later and a couple years after the war ended, but, hey, better late than never. Right? Not really. This is a meaningless move, but it does open the door to more important conversations regarding the Executive Branchâs authority to conduct anti-terrorism operations abroad. A bigger, better door would be one that firmly places all military operations back in the hands of Congress, but thatâs not on the table right now. This was actually one of then-Senator Joe Bidenâs biggest initiatives, believing that the Executive Branch had accumulated too many war powers over the years, But nothing really ever came from it. And, of course, he and his former boss were able to leverage these powers to bomb several nations without the consent of Congress. A power that Biden still possesses and uses, though far more sparingly than Obama. Credit to where credit is due: The best idea actually came from Senator Mike Lee, who proposed an amendment that would sunset all authorizations for military force every two years. Needless to say, it wasnât adopted.
NPR: Senate Votes to Repeal Iraq War Authorization