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<title>09 March, 2023</title>
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<title>Daily-Dose</title><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" name="viewport"/><link href="styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><link href="../styles/simple.css" rel="stylesheet"/><style>*{overflow-x:hidden;}</style><link href="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.css" rel="stylesheet"/><script src="https://unpkg.com/aos@2.3.1/dist/aos.js"></script></head>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-down" id="daily-dose">Daily-Dose</h1>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" data-aos-anchor-placement="top-bottom" id="contents">Contents</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><a href="#from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-vox">From Vox</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</a></li>
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<li><a href="#from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</a></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-new-yorker">From New Yorker</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>An Abandoned American Hostage Finally Makes It Home</strong> - After more than two years of neglect by the Trump and Biden Administrations, Mark Frerichs describes how he survived Taliban captivity in Afghanistan. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/an-abandoned-american-hostage-finally-makes-it-home">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Right Side of History</strong> - How should historians respond to the urgency of this current political moment? - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/annals-of-education/the-right-side-of-history">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Lingering Mystery of the Alex Murdaugh Murder Trial</strong> - The jury reached a guilty verdict in less than three hours, but for many observers the human element of the story didn’t quite add up. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-lingering-mystery-of-the-alex-murdaugh-murder-trial">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>The Writer Changing How London Thinks About Its Food</strong> - Jonathan Nunn’s newsletter, Vittles, has brought an exploratory verve to a staid food scene. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-uk/the-writer-changing-how-london-thinks-about-its-food">link</a></p></li>
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<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>How a Young Architect Became a Tram Driver in Kharkiv</strong> - In a war-torn city, a familiar mode of public transportation became a symbol of resistance and resilience. - <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/how-a-young-architect-became-a-tram-driver-in-kharkiv">link</a></p></li>
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</ul>
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<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-vox">From Vox</h1>
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<ul>
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<li><strong>Why Israel’s new far-right government has triggered massive protests</strong> -
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<figure>
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<img alt="A man is seen in silhouette against a banner featuring Netanyahu’s face, with the sunset in the background." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yvWWtNlAr8dqw727gSHin6cKb_g=/0x0:4064x3048/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72054524/1247332416.0.jpg"/>
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<figcaption>
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A protester walks past a banner depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at sunset outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on February 20, 2023. | Ahmad Gharabli/AFP via Getty Images
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
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Israelis are revolting against Netanyahu. But a judicial overhaul isn’t the country’s only crisis.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GD83si">
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Hundreds of thousands of Israeli protesters have been demonstrating against the extreme-right government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since January. The protests have become some of the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/13/world/middleeast/israel-judicial-protests-netanyahu.html">biggest</a> in Israeli history and are drawing out the country’s most famous faces.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="67j4Xb">
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On Thursday, protesters plan to disrupt Netanyahu’s travel to Rome in a sign of defiance of his ultranationalist, illiberal government. They’re <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/anti-government-protesters-plan-new-day-of-disruption-aim-to-block-pms-rome-trip/">calling</a> it a “day of resistance to the dictatorship.” This builds on two months of mass mobilization across Israel that have been squarely focused on the Netanyahu government’s set of judiciary overhauls, which would weaken the independence of the country’s high court and create the conditions for unchecked majoritarian rule.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0LuNC4">
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The backlash to these proposals has reached even staunchly establishment groups in Israel: A group of fighter pilots are on strike, tech workers staged a work stoppage, and former prime ministers have joined the protests.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NyWUah">
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“This is not just another right-wing government,” says Yehuda Shaul, an Israeli activist and co-director of the think tank Ofek: The Israeli Center for Public Affairs.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="x1J3Oo">
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The Israeli government is embarking on two revolutions at once, according to Shaul. “One is inside Israel: getting rid of any remains of checks and balances, independence of the judiciary, going full-blown illiberal democracy Orbán-style,” he told me, referring to <a href="https://www.vox.com/23009757/hungary-election-results-april-3-2022-orban-putin">Hungary’s prime minister</a>. “Then there is the second revolution, which is the changes in the Israeli governance in the occupied territories, mainly in the West Bank. That is one word: annexation.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="did90r">
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Largely absent from the protests’ calls has been attention toward the already abysmal situation for Palestinian citizens of Israel and Palestinians living under occupation in the West Bank. But Netanyahu’s current government is unprecedented in this regard, too: Israeli settlers who advocate for Jewish supremacist <a href="https://www.ofekcenter.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/what-Israels-37th-governments-guiding-principles-and-coalition-agreements-mean-for-the-West-Bank-Jan-2023.pdf">policies</a> now hold powerful ministerial roles and are making moves to <a href="https://jewishcurrents.org/huwara-and-the-dangers-of-annexation">annex</a> the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich recently called for the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-benjamin-netanyahu-bezalel-smotrich-hawara-village-wiped-out-rcna73444">eradication</a> of a Palestinian village. National Security Minister Itamar <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/1/20/23561464/israel-new-right-wing-government-extreme-protests-netanyahu-biden-ben-gvir">Ben Gvir</a> is a longtime inciter of violence against Palestinians.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6lgOJL">
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The anti-government protests also come at a time of intensive violence between Israelis and Palestinians that could spiral to a new dangerous phase with these extremist Israeli ministers in top posts. Israeli authorities have been conducting deadly raids on West Bank cities and villages, including a military raid that <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64866876">killed six Palestinians</a> on Tuesday. It’s part of a crescendo of Israeli clampdown, as grassroots Palestinian groups and individuals turn to <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2022/11/1/23434741/israel-election-palestine-under-siege-lions-den">violent resistance</a> and terrorism in response to the daily violence of the Israeli occupation.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4xn5dL">
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This moment is a crisis for Israel’s democracy — sparked by these proposals, but built from decades of right-wing policies promulgated by Netanyahu. The crisis is also inseparable from the erosion of human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories. Netanyahu and his allies are pursuing a shock doctrine that amounts to crippling the Israeli governance system and a total reordering of the Israeli occupation.
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</p>
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<h3 id="sigDai">
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Why Israelis are protesting Netanyahu
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="IuHZvn">
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Netanyahu was elected to a sixth premiership this November, but this time with the <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/1/20/23561464/israel-new-right-wing-government-extreme-protests-netanyahu-biden-ben-gvir">most extreme, nationalistic, and exclusionary government in Israeli history</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="P5OvRf">
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From the get-go, the Israeli government has sought to make <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/israeli-judicial-overhaul.html">significant changes to the high court</a> that would hollow out its independence and its power to serve as a check on the Israeli parliament, or the Knesset. The several bills put forward would restrict the court’s ability to overturn laws it sees as unconstitutional and allow a <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/02/14/israel-judiciary-overhaul-democracy/">simple majority in the Knesset</a> to reject its decisions. It would also give government lawmakers and appointees effective power over the committee of nine individuals that appoints judges, and rescind key authorities from the attorney general. These and other changes would weaken the independent judiciary’s power in a parliamentary system that otherwise lacks checks.
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</p>
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<figure class="e-image">
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<img alt="A crowd of protesters stretch across a street, seen from above. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fiumSPonzgRcsaA2Wfr_ruzh3J8=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24488901/1247580749.jpg"/> <cite>Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images</cite>
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<figcaption>
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An aerial view shows protesters stopping before police barricades during a demonstration against the Israeli government’s controversial justice reform bill in Tel Aviv on March 1, 2023.
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<figure class="e-image">
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<img alt="Yuval Harari stands at a lectern speaking into a microphone and gesturing with his hands. " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5joFsVRemsy9BZtcQpfst4GnRxA=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24488930/1247806996.jpg"/> <cite>Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images</cite>
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<figcaption>
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Professor Yuval Noah Harari speaks during a demonstration. Over 400,000 people protested all over Israel for the ninth consecutive week against a governments plan to overhaul the judiciary.
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KMs6sA">
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This is all complicated by the fact that Israel doesn’t have a constitution, but a set of regulations passed as the basic law. The proposal’s backers, like a group of Israeli academics who recently published an <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/120-israeli-academics-express-support-for-governments-judicial-overhaul-plan/">open letter in support</a>, say the court has grown too powerful. But, according to a <a href="https://en.idi.org.il/articles/47968">recent survey</a> by the Israel Democracy Institute, “66 percent of Israelis think the Supreme Court should have the power to strike down a law if it is incompatible with the Basic Laws.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="sWMAOo">
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The result of the judicial overhaul would be a form of majoritarian rule, where minority groups — especially Palestinian citizens of Israel, who are about 20 percent of the country’s population — would face serious threats. “Minority rights will be protected by the majority’s benevolence. That contradicts a core element of democracy, of course,” <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2023/02/23/israels-majoritarian-nightmare-should-be-a-us-concern/">writes</a> Natan Sachs of the Brookings Institution.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QnUVcs">
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These proposals have sparked the massive protests in Israel — and outrage from unexpected quarters.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LWYIiO">
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Many former Israeli heads of state have warned of <a href="https://www.972mag.com/fascists-britain-israel/">fascism</a> taking over the country, and now their voices are growing loud. Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, one of the country’s most decorated military leaders, has been <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/largest-protests-yet-masses-around-country-rally-against-curbing-of-justice-system/">joining</a> the demonstrations, <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/lapid-slams-netanyahu-for-comparing-tel-aviv-protests-to-huwara-rioters/">along with</a> former prime minister and opposition leader Yair Lapid and former Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni. “In Israel, nobody will be above the law, not even the prime minister,” Livni <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/tzipi-livni-adresses-anti-government-protest-in-tel-aviv-nobody-is-above-the-law-not-even-the-pm/">said</a> in January.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="X2vRvO">
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Ram Ben Barak, a member of the Knesset who formerly worked as deputy director of Israel’s Mossad intelligence services, made a comparison to Nazi Germany in a stark indication of how bad Israel’s opposition judges the situation to be. “Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and all you other fellow travelers — check Wikipedia and read the history of how the Nazi party rose to power democratically and immediately became a dictatorship,” Ben Barak <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-02-20/ty-article/even-in-nazi-germany-they-rose-to-power-democratically-opposition-mk-says/00000186-7015-dac1-a196-f37521040000">tweeted</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E4suhL">
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Pilots from elite Air Force reservist unit are <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64866873">on strike</a>, and former Air Force chiefs have written a <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-air-force-chief-disavows-reservist-refusals-warns-of-chaos-without-compromise/">letter</a> against the judicial actions. Israel’s national security leaders <a href="https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/national-security-implications-israels-judicial-debate">worry</a> that Israel will be less able to defend itself in international forums; for example, for its potential war crimes in Gaza, the West Bank, and inside Israel if its judiciary is less credible and not independent.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dpJEdZ">
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Investors, bankers, and financial leaders have <a href="https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-venture-capitalists-in-vanguard-of-judicial-reform-protests-1001438975">expressed</a> <a href="https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-730497">concern</a> about how it would affect the <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-february-23-2023/">economy</a>. Israel’s influential tech sector <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-01-22/ty-article/.premium/israeli-high-tech-companies-set-to-strike-for-an-hour-in-opposition-to-judicial-overhaul/00000185-dad9-dfef-a59f-dadb23f80000">staged</a> a work stoppage in protest. Bestselling international writer Yuval Noah Harari, who is a professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, called the government’s <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/02/23/yuval-noah-harari-israel-democracy-disaster/">moves</a> an “antidemocratic coup.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dSGpLx">
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But Netanyahu and his partners have condemned the protesters and are standing firm in their conviction. “The extreme and dangerous group that organizes [the protests] just wants to burn down the house and create chaos in the country,” Netanyahu <a href="https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-733400">said</a>.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LTCgNC">
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It should be noted that Netanyahu is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/03/world/middleeast/netanyahu-corruption-charges-israel.html">on trial for alleged corruption</a> — charges that he’s denied but that have plagued his political life in recent years. There’s been speculation that those allegations are why he’s been pursuing a major overhaul to the Israeli judiciary, with the effect of weakening its independence.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C0PiZz">
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But that’s only part of the story.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YjImjW">
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There are three pillars of his governing coalition — Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party, ultranationalist settlers, and the ultra-Orthodox — and they each have something to gain from this massive judicial overhaul. “For the first time, they have a complete alignment of interests with no daylight in between, to destroy the judiciary and institutions, for different reasons,” Shaul told me. “And that’s what makes this moment so dangerous.”
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="1uBq8d">
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It would be beneficial for Netanyahu’s allies in his party for the courts to be disempowered as he tries to wriggle out of longstanding corruption allegations. For the ultranationalist settlers led by Ben Gvir and Smotrich, such judicial changes would open up the opportunity of annexation of the occupied West Bank and other policies that would benefit settlers. And for the ultra-Orthodox supporters, it would — perhaps through changing the makeup of key judiciary appointments — lessen the Supreme Court’s likelihood of ruling that exemptions to the military draft are unconstitutional, among other issues of church and state important to this constituency.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="kZ9L41">
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In short, the judicial reforms might be the most incendiary and attention-grabbing of the coalition’s proposals at this moment, but they’re in keeping with its broader goals.
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</p>
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<h3 id="91drFb">
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Israel’s right-wing government is pursuing a shock doctrine
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</h3>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="GkmBwn">
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The judiciary is only one component of this government’s attack on the rule of law.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="w0gSDZ">
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Netanyahu’s government is also proposing radical changes to the way the occupation of the West Bank is administered and other legal shifts inside Israel that will severely affect Palestinians.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nyC16m">
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There’s a ton to keep track of, and not all of it might be implemented, but taken together it represents a shock-doctrine-style approach to transforming the way Israel operates.
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</p>
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<figure class="e-image">
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<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Cr6T2K-26Ck3KEvB4NOuBfzwJPY=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24488911/1247532511.jpg"/> <cite>Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images</cite>
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<figcaption>
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An aerial view of burned and destroyed vehicles in the town of Huwara after settlers set houses and cars on fire following the death of two Israelis when their vehicle was fired on at a crossroads south of the Palestinian city of Nablus.
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<figure class="e-image">
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<img alt="A bulldozer destroys a home." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ihCiLjz06yPIEzoZt2bTt-3meF4=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24488912/1247820023.jpg"/> <cite>Saeed Qaq/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images</cite>
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<figcaption>
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Israeli diggers demolish a Palestinian family’s home, claiming that it was unlicensed, in East Jerusalem on March 6, 2023.
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</figcaption>
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</figure>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="KsoxWP">
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One of the most significant changes would be the <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-pro-settler-minister-formally-gains-west-bank-powers-2023-02-23/">transfer</a> of military authority over the occupied West Bank to the hands of civilian government. That would in effect constitute the <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-settler-minister-west-bank-powers-annexation">de jure</a><em> </em>annexation of territory. The Biden administration <a href="https://www.axios.com/2023/02/09/biden-israel-far-right-smotrich-west-bank-annexation">opposes</a> this, but if there is not an direct condemnation from the United States and Europe, and real consequences for Israel, experts fear that Netanyahu’s government will move forward.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="XVID4H">
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The government’s overt policy is of Jewish supremacy over all the land of Israel, broadly construed, and its nonbinding coalition guidelines seek to <a href="https://www.ofekcenter.org.il/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/what-Israels-37th-governments-guiding-principles-and-coalition-agreements-mean-for-the-West-Bank-Jan-2023.pdf">entrench</a> “annexation without official declaration,” according to a policy paper by top Israeli human rights organizations.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="flOXeY">
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Other changes include advancing legislation to give Ben Gvir, who is minister of national security, the authority to intervene in the priorities of investigations of the <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/new-bill-will-give-far-rights-ben-gvir-unprecedented-powers-over-police-report/">police</a>. It could lead to further deprioritization of investigations into <a href="https://www.yesh-din.org/en/category/settler-violence/">settler violence</a>, which already receive relatively scant attention from Israeli authorities.
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</p>
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<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YpKn34">
|
||
Then there’s a new law that would <a href="https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/10793">revoke the citizenship of Palestinian citizens of Israel</a> and <a href="https://jewishcurrents.org/israeli-right-plans-to-erode-palestinians-residency-rights">their families</a> should they be convicted of terrorist charges; there’s also the potential <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2023/02/israel-un-experts-alarmed-potential-reinstatement-death-penalty-terrorism">reinstatement of the death penalty</a> for those convicted of “terrorist offenses.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tGVsHV">
|
||
The government has already approved the construction of more than <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/israel-approves-over-7000-settlement-homes-in-west-bank-groups-say">7,000 settlement units in the West Bank</a>, almost twice the total approved <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-02-23/ty-article/.premium/israel-advancing-plans-for-housing-units-in-west-bank-settlements-legalizing-outposts/00000186-800f-d525-a9ef-96bf4ee00000">last year</a>. New policies would further <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-deeply-troubled-by-israeli-settlement-move-after-blinken-visit-2023-02-13/">legalize</a> settler outposts. (State Department spokesperson Ned Price said the US was “deeply troubled” by these settlement announcements, but has not outlined any consequences.)
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9b0c0O">
|
||
This is in addition to actions that human rights organizations view as <a href="https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/10784">collective punishment of Palestinians</a>, like an uptick in Palestinian <a href="https://www.ochaopt.org/page/demolition-orders-against-palestinian-structures-area-c-israeli-civil-administration-data">home demolitions</a>. Every night raid, random checkpoint, and home demolition holds out the potential of further radicalization, as the Israeli occupation hits new levels of violence.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="eae2yB">
|
||
What now?
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="eH9n0y">
|
||
The two revolutions being pursued by the new Israeli government have been enabled by the decay of rule of law inside Israel as a result of the occupation of Palestinian territory that started in 1967.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="LyTEHw">
|
||
The parallel legal systems, which Palestinian and Israeli experts call apartheid, have created the conditions whereby it’s easier for a <a href="https://www.vox.com/2022/11/2/23437462/israel-elections-benjamin-netanyahu-coalition-explained">radical right-wing government</a> to chip away at checks and balances. Indeed, researcher Yousef Munayyer <a href="https://www.972mag.com/israel-constitutional-crisis-settler-colonialism/">notes</a>, “The government’s assault on the judiciary is driven by the same urge as the state’s founders: to protect their power to privilege Jews over Palestinians.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="epLIgD">
|
||
The slippery slope poses a threat to the very tenets of Israeli democracy. The <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/22/cia-report-israel-palestinian-rights-groups">designation</a> of seven Palestinian NGOs that focus on human rights as “terrorist groups” in 2021 may create conditions for the <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-01-29/ty-article/.premium/demonstrators-human-rights-lawyer-detained-for-waving-palestinian-flags-at-haifa-protest/00000185-f8ef-def6-a7b5-fdefd4af0000">further</a> <a href="https://www.btselem.org/press_releases/20220812_isa_detains_and_interrogates_btselem_field_researcher">crackdown</a> on Israeli civil society. If a Palestinian citizen of Israel’s citizenship can be revoked, as a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64654634">new law enshrines</a>, it could lead to laws that institute the same for Jewish citizens of Israel.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="h78Y2E">
|
||
One of the most frightening outcomes could be what Shaul calls “the nuclear option,” whereby Palestinian political parties could be barred from participating in Israeli elections. The Central Elections Committee, for example, has <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/balad-party-appeals-its-election-disqualification-to-the-high-court/">disqualified</a><strong> </strong>parties like Balad from participating in Knesset elections, only to then have the Supreme Court override this. But what if there was no override? Balad would not be able to run, and other Palestinian parties in Israel would likely be prohibited, too, or choose not to participate. “Then you basically have elections where Palestinian citizens of Israel cannot run or boycott,” Shaul told me. “Game over, so to speak.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iC1Cur">
|
||
Yet only <a href="https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-03-04/ty-article-live/.premium/israelis-protest-judicial-overhaul-for-ninth-consecutive-week/00000186-acf5-d1f0-a38f-bff787a80000#1884524591">some protesters</a> have apparently made this connection. As journalist Peter Beinart <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/19/opinion/israel-democracy-protests.html">wrote</a> recently in the New York Times, “a movement premised on ethnocracy cannot successfully defend the rule of law.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="F0cAf3">
|
||
Netanyahu’s colleagues are reportedly engaged in secret talks with legal experts toward a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/world/middleeast/israel-judiciary-compromise-meetings.html">compromise on the judicial proposals</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="C2q6fd">
|
||
But for now, the protests continue, the violence of the Israeli occupation increases, and the resistance of Palestinians has led CIA Director Bill Burns to <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/cia-director-current-israeli-palestinian-tensions-resemble-second-intifada/">warn</a> of a third intifada or uprising. A recent <a href="https://www.state.gov/aqaba-joint-communique/">statement</a> put out by Israel, the Palestine Liberation Organization, the United States, Jordan, and Egypt sought to calm tensions, but <a href="https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2023/2/28/23617766/israeli-settler-rampage-palestine-violence-government">that very day saw</a> a Palestinian gunman shooting two brothers in the West Bank and a settler rampage against the Palestinian village of Huwara. The diplomatic effort showed how wide the gap is between leadership of these countries and the ever-worsening reality on the ground.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2Ds71t">
|
||
The Biden administration will need to do more than just call for a <a href="https://www.vox.com/world/2023/2/6/23582048/blinken-biden-israel-palestine-two-state-solution">two-state solution</a>. It will need to do more than offer <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/12/opinion/joe-biden-bibi-netanyahu-israel.html">subtle rebukes</a> while hugging Israel closer with <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2023/03/06/joint-statement-on-the-meeting-of-the-u-s-israel-strategic-consultative-group-3/">joint statements</a> professing its concern for Israel’s security. It will need to grapple with the two revolutions underway in Israel.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bNUW0W">
|
||
One thing is clear:<strong> </strong>Focusing on the judicial aspect and not on the radical changes to the occupation of Palestinians is not just a bad strategic choice. It will also weaken security and stability for all.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="WG4nYt">
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="6s4yst">
|
||
</p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>Is Medicare actually going bankrupt?</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="Biden speaks at a lectern in front of a wall that reads “Protect and strengthen Medicare.”" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Qd7laD954T7zpoMJ-5QeTc5XArI=/275x0:2940x1999/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72054437/GettyImages_1464569488.0.jpg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
President Joe Biden’s budget proposal released Thursday includes a plan to address Medicare’s financial crunch. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Joe Biden says he wants to save Medicare. Why is it in trouble?
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="rvzptw">
|
||
Over the past few weeks, policymakers have suddenly started sounding very worried about Medicare. President Joe Biden’s budget proposal being released Thursday includes <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/opinion/joe-biden-medicare.html?partner=slack&smid=sl-share">a plan</a> to “extend Medicare for another generation.” At the State of the Union, Biden got members of Congress from both parties to stand up and cheer for avoiding Medicare cuts. One <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/07/politics/biden-medicare-trust-fund-crisis/index.html">common</a> phrase is repeating in <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-budget-to-lay-out-plan-to-extend-key-medicare-trust-fund-by-25-years-825ab8a">headline</a> after <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2023/03/07/biden-medicare-taxes-gop/">headline</a>: Medicare is in a “funding crisis.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UBl0yM">
|
||
The implication of Biden’s rhetoric is that Medicare faces impending extinction: Without his plan, which is primarily a set of new tax increases, the program may not be there for that next generation.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="g74MdN">
|
||
The reality is a little more complicated. It is true that, as of right now, Medicare is projected to be unable to pay all of its bills as early as 2028. Without congressional action, a stronger economy, or more likely, both, the government could end up without enough money to cover everything it promises enrollees within five years.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vWxSlQ">
|
||
That would be unprecedented and would likely provoke a political crisis. But it is not quite the same thing as Medicare going bankrupt and ceasing to exist entirely. Alarm bells have sounded about Medicare’s trust fund for decades, with the exact date of when it would run out of money moving forward and back. But, eventually, Congress will need to act.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="2Zz8PF">
|
||
To understand the program’s financial situation, start with how Medicare is structured. Medicare is broken down into several different parts. Part A covers hospital care, stays at skilled-nursing facilities, and home health care. Part B pays for outpatient physician care. Part D is the prescription drug benefit, which is administered by private insurance plans. Most Medicare beneficiaries — anyone over age 65 — get their insurance directly through the government. But almost half are now insured through Medicare Advantage (also known as Part C) in which patients sign up for a private plan, paid for largely by the federal government, which provides a comprehensive suite of benefits. (Those plans are also more expensive to the government and their growing enrollment is contributing to the solvency problem, which we’ll return to.)
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="d3cT5Y">
|
||
Different parts of Medicare are funded in different ways, but when we’re talking about a Medicare funding crisis, we’re talking about the benefits paid by Part A: hospital services. Hospital bills for Medicare enrollees are funded almost entirely through the program’s dedicated payroll taxes. If those benefits cost more than the government receives in Medicare payroll taxes in a given year, as can happen in an economic downturn, the difference comes out of a trust fund earmarked specifically for Part A. The Medicare trustees, who issue <a href="https://www.cms.gov/files/document/2022-medicare-trustees-report.pdf">annual reports on the program’s finances</a>, project that Medicare spending will begin outpacing revenue again in 2024, requiring the program to dip into the trust fund. The trust fund is projected to be fully depleted by 2028 without further policy changes.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="NHg1mu">
|
||
In that scenario, the continually incoming revenue from payroll taxes is still projected to cover about 90 percent of Part A’s costs — but not all of them, and without the trust fund, there would be a shortfall. Nobody is sure what happens then, because it’s never been allowed to happen before. Presumably, the health care industry would apply enormous pressure on lawmakers to do something and make sure they get paid for all the services they provide. Any true solvency crisis would likely be short-lived as a result, though it’s still a situation nobody wants to see.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pSmgaY">
|
||
Medicare has crept close to the brink before. The last time the trust fund was predicted to be insolvent within six years was during the mid-1990s, according to <a href="https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/what-to-know-about-medicare-spending-and-financing/">the Kaiser Family Foundation</a>. Congress passed a number of budget bills, most notably the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, which made <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.17.1.159#:~:text=On%205%20August%201997%20President,period%20from%201998%20through%202002.">changes to hospital payments</a> to alleviate the issue. The improving economy likely helped as well, because more people with jobs and growing wages meant more payroll tax revenue. By 2000, the insolvency cliff had been pushed off to 2025. (Then, throughout the 2000s, the date began to slip closer again; the Affordable Care Act extended the life of the trust fund with tax increases, which Biden now wants to add to, and spending cuts.)
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="bJDzBl">
|
||
If the trust fund for Part A ran out of money, it would be unprecedented. “We’ve never been there. In each instance, Congress has stepped up to ensure the trust fund would not be insolvent,” said Tricia Neuman, executive director of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s program on Medicare policy. “We actually don’t know what decisions would be made.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="15KTHy">
|
||
Part B and Part D, however, are not facing the same financial crunch. They are funded primarily by general tax revenue, instead of an earmarked payroll tax, and premiums paid by beneficiaries. Their trust funds are projected to be sufficient for the foreseeable future.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="3CSRDF">
|
||
These projections are unpredictable. In 2021, the trustees projected insolvency would be reached in 2026; the next year, they added two years to get the current date of 2028 (and a new report and updated projection is coming in the next month or so). The strong economy and lower overall health care use during the pandemic have provided a slight reprieve.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="pExHna">
|
||
But the structural challenges to Medicare Part A’s solvency remain — and that is why, sooner or later, Congress will need to act. That means either more revenue, as Biden wants, or less spending, either through across-the-board cuts or payment reforms meant to deliver care at a lower cost.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="eIzodA">
|
||
Why Medicare’s finances need help
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="krCyUk">
|
||
When Medicare payroll taxes are taken out of your paycheck, that money goes to cover the cost of health care for people enrolled in Medicare right now. (If you’re not of Medicare age yet, future workers will fund your health care.) The health of Medicare Part A’s finances is dictated chiefly by three variables: the economy (which affects how much tax revenue is flowing in), the number of people enrolled in the program and their medical needs, and the ever-changing cost of health care services.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="4tuini">
|
||
At least two of those trends are pointing in the wrong direction, according to the most recent projections from the Medicare trustees.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="VpZJAB">
|
||
The baby boomer generation is getting older and that means more people are becoming eligible for Medicare. Currently, about 64 million people are enrolled in the program, and that number is expected to <a href="https://www.medpac.gov/wp-content/uploads/import_data/scrape_files/docs/default-source/reports/chapter-2-the-next-generation-of-medicare-beneficiaries-june-2015-report-.pdf">exceed 80 million</a> by the end of the decade.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="E71cYr">
|
||
Accordingly, Medicare spending is expected to increase from $931 billion in 2022 to $1.7 trillion in the year 2030. The growth is driven both by an increase in enrollees and expected growth in the price of health care services.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<figure class="e-image">
|
||
<img alt=" " src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rC8c_BsSzXza0MsSoxXH6q2OsFs=/800x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24489345/medicare_benefits_spending_is_projected_to_increase_from_829_billion_in_2021_to_1.8_trillion_in_2031_due_to_growth_in_the_medicare_population_and_increases_in_health_care_costs.png"/> <cite>Kaiser Family Foundation</cite>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="0qgGn2">
|
||
Any unforeseen acceleration of the cost of health care, driven by expensive new treatments or congressional actions to increase payments to hospitals, could bring Medicare Part A’s insolvency cliff even closer. A strong economy, on the other hand, would help to bring in more revenue and offset some of the pressure from the trends increasing spending. But it may not be enough, based on the trustees’ projections, to overcome the factors driving spending up.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="MXT0Kg">
|
||
Another important trend in Medicare is adding to the financial crunch: the growth of Medicare Advantage. Those plans are more expensive to the federal government than traditional Medicare and enrollment has almost doubled over the last decade, from about 25 percent to nearly 50 percent. Medicare Advantage plans receive funding based on the type of service provided to their customer, which means money for hospital care comes from Part A. Annual Part A payments to Medicare Advantage plans is expected to increase from about $176 billion in 2022 to $336 billion by 2030.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="tCTCfg">
|
||
Separate from the new budget proposal, the White House is attempting to rein in the payments to Medicare Advantage plans (from an 8 percent increase last year to <a href="https://www.kff.org/policy-watch/is-the-biden-administration-proposing-cuts-to-medicare-advantage/">a proposed 1 percent increase</a> in the coming year). Republicans and the health insurance industry have slammed that proposal as a cut to Medicare, an example of how it can be politically difficult to get Medicare spending under control.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="dI7Cbe">
|
||
Biden’s budget will likely jumpstart a new debate about Medicare solvency. But it’s only a beginning.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="QSzWcq">
|
||
Congress has passed provisions to reduce Medicare spending in recent years, such as the Inflation Reduction Act’s plan for the program to negotiate some prescription drug prices. But lawmakers have also acted to avert any cuts to how much the program pays doctors, hospitals, and other medical providers.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="iHAV0B">
|
||
Both tax increases and any spending reductions can be a tough sell in Congress. So can increasing the eligibility age, an oft-floated idea that still amounts to cutting benefits for seniors.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="fAXJyS">
|
||
Biden is going with tax hikes in his budget plan. But it’s not yet clear if lawmakers are really willing to act on his or any proposal to improve Medicare’s finances.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="vviExx">
|
||
They still have five years before the Part A trust fund will run out, according to the latest available projections. The Medicare trustees urged Congress to act soon to avert the crisis, in order to minimize the risks for patients and providers. But unfortunately, lawmakers have a habit of waiting until the last minute to act.
|
||
</p></li>
|
||
<li><strong>Tucker Carlson’s January 6 lies throw Republicans into disarray</strong> -
|
||
<figure>
|
||
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S7NOX0QH32beYeTjCEcOA1CyxzA=/1941x1294:7385x5377/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72052519/1232845826.0.jpg"/>
|
||
<figcaption>
|
||
Then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) address reporters outside the White House after their Oval Office meeting with President Joe Biden on May 12, 2021, in Washington, DC. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
|
||
</figcaption>
|
||
</figure>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Senate Republicans are condemning Carlson’s downplaying of the insurrection. House leaders, not so much.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="cNTSuJ">
|
||
<a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/3/8/23629654/fox-news-tucker-carlson-dominion-texts-january-6">Earlier this week, Fox News host Tucker Carlson</a> aired a segment <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/tucker-carlson-new-video-provided-speaker-mccarthy-falsely-depicts-jan-rcna73673">misrepresenting and downplaying</a> the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021, prompting swift criticism from many Senate Republicans, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/07/1161686255/fox-tucker-carlson-jan-6-security-tapes-mcconnell-manger">including Minority Leader Mitch McConnell</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="YQZohk">
|
||
<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/07/us/republicans-tucker-carlson-jan-6.html">Conversely, House Republicans</a> — including <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kevin-mccarthy-regrets-giving-tucker-carlson-jan-6/story?id=97697384">Speaker Kevin McCarthy</a> — have stopped short of offering the same condemnations, with some even touting the program. Carlson’s segment, which claimed to offer an alternate interpretation of the day’s events, relied, in part, on exclusive access to more than 40,000 hours of January 6 security footage that McCarthy agreed to share <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/tucker-carlson-new-video-provided-speaker-mccarthy-falsely-depicts-jan-rcna73673">in a bid to win the support of far-right members</a> during his embattled Speaker election.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="b56zyj">
|
||
The mixed reactions from congressional Republicans are the latest indication of how split the party is when it comes to how much members want to stand by former President Donald Trump, as well as how much they want to revisit January 6.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="JBVNFa">
|
||
Since the insurrection, McCarthy has embraced Trump and attempts by far-right members of the House caucus to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/11/30/politics/mccarthy-january-6-committee-preserve-records/index.html">relitigate the riot</a>, while McConnell has distanced himself from the former president and been critical of efforts to whitewash the violence. Essentially, each represents one faction of the party: those who want to continue questioning the 2020 election results — and the events of January 6, much like the former president — and those who don’t see doing so as helpful for Republicans.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="qNuJlt">
|
||
“It’s all about how people view the ex-president and whether they want to view the world through his lens or their own lens,” says Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. Though Carlson has been <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/03/07/fox-news-dominion-tucker-carlson-texts/">privately dismissive of Trump</a>, he’s aligned more closely with McCarthy’s camp while on air, a stance that was on display Monday.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="nhQ6U1">
|
||
“Very little about Jan. 6 was organized or violent. Surveillance video from inside the Capitol shows mostly peaceful chaos,” Carlson said, falsely, playing clips of Capitol police security footage that he argued depicted a calm scene. In reality, the insurrection was a violent breach that led to <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/us/who-died-in-capitol-building-attack.html">five deaths</a> and the assaults of about <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/justice-department/tucker-carlson-new-video-provided-speaker-mccarthy-falsely-depicts-jan-rcna73673">140 police officers</a>. Carlson’s points echo arguments made by Trump voters and members of the Republican base, who’ve increasingly incorrectly suggested that the riot <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/07/many-republicans-no-longer-call-jan-6-an-insurrection-or-even-riot/">was more of a legitimate protest</a> than a deadly incursion.<strong> </strong>
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="9NfHeh">
|
||
Since Carlson’s segment aired, <a href="http://cnn.com/2023/03/07/politics/capitol-police-tucker-carlson-january-6-footage/index.html">Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger</a> issued an internal memo denouncing it and noting that the Fox News host “cherry-picked” footage that portrayed the attack in a “misleading” way. McConnell cited Manger’s assessment in his response to Carlson’s segment as well.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="OkGttx">
|
||
“It was a mistake, in my view, for Fox News to depict this in a way that’s completely at variance with what our chief law enforcement official here in the Capitol thinks,” McConnell said at a weekly news conference on Tuesday. McCarthy, however, has not offered a similar rebuke and instead <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kevin-mccarthy-regrets-giving-tucker-carlson-jan-6/story?id=97697384">told reporters</a> on Tuesday that he had not seen the show.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<h3 id="TBBpVs">
|
||
Senate Republicans have spoken out. House leaders have stopped short.
|
||
</h3>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="gua5Rc">
|
||
Following the airing of the Carlson segment, several Senate Republicans decried it as an inaccurate depiction of the riot that took place that day.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="SoQYJ7">
|
||
“I think it’s a very dangerous thing to do to suggest that attacking the Capitol of the United States is in any way acceptable and is anything other than a serious crime against democracy and against our country,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/07/tucker-carlson-jan-6-senate-republicans/">said Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT)</a>, who was shown during congressional January 6 hearings as having narrowly avoided an encounter with an angry mob. “To somehow put [<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/january-6-capitol-riot/?itid=lk_inline_manual_9">Jan. 6</a>] in the same category as a permitted peaceful protest is just a lie,” <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/03/07/tucker-carlson-jan-6-senate-republicans/">added Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND)</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="UudKKS">
|
||
House Republicans, meanwhile, have been more circumspect in their reaction or supportive of parts of Carlson’s framing. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise declined to condemn the report in a weekly press briefing, saying instead that “transparency is an important thing and so the public is going to be able to see a lot more information.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="k0kA7P">
|
||
<a href="https://twitter.com/EliseStefanik/status/1633237842041110531">Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY)</a>, a Trump-aligned member of House Republican leadership, posted a link to a story citing Carlson’s report that claimed officers were helping guide a rioter through the Capitol. “Democrats’ dishonest narrative is being demolished,” Stefanik argued. And others hedged slightly with their statements, with <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/07/capitol-police-jan-6-carlson-00085904">Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-ND) telling Politico that January 6</a> was “not a peaceful protest. It was not an insurrection. It was a riot that should have never happened.”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="99GHEa">
|
||
This divide points to differences in members’ willingness to condemn January 6, and relatedly, the false claims Trump made about the election being stolen that contributed to it. Additionally, it speaks to uncertainty over whether the party hurts itself by reminding Americans of its ties to January 6’s insurrectionists, or helps itself since members of the MAGA wing have urged lawmakers to reexamine what happened.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="An4xum">
|
||
It’s worth noting, too, that this debate isn’t necessarily a sign that the party’s definitively moving away from Trump. <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/2/13/22279879/7-senate-republicans-convict-trump-romney-collins-murkowski-sasse-cassidy-burr-toomey">Recall that only a handful of Senate Republicans</a> voted to impeach Trump after the insurrection, and McConnell has previously said he would back <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/02/25/mcconnell-would-support-trump-2024-471672">the former president if he was the party’s nominee</a>.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom" id="TbY6bG">
|
||
“As for the divided response, no surprise,” says Chip Felkel, a Republican strategist and adviser for the Lincoln Project, about the GOP split. “McCarthy needs to feed the beast that stirs the pot, creates controversy — as it means fundraising and distraction. McConnell owes Fox nothing. And he certainly owes Trump even less.”
|
||
</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-sports">From The Hindu: Sports</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Snowfall and Divine Thoughts catch the eye</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Lionel, Limited Edition and Oasis Class please</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>PM Modi, Albanese arrive ahead of India-Australia Test match; take round of sprawling stadium</strong> - Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese handed over Test caps to their respective team captains</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Beth Mooney out of WPL, Laura Wolvaardt replaces her; Sneh Rana named captain of Gujarat Giants</strong> - In Mooney’s place, Gujarat Giants drafted in dynamic South African opener Laura Wolvaardt</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Retired Canadian Olympians call for Russian, Belarusian exclusion at Paris 2024</strong> - Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Paris Olympics as long as Moscow’s troops remain in Ukraine, which Belarus helped facilitate</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-the-hindu-national-news">From The Hindu: National News</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Maharashtra: Fadnavis presents Shinde govt’s maiden Budget in Assembly</strong> - Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds Finance and planning portfolio, presents massive budget of ₹5,47,450 crore for 2023-24 fiscal.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Athletes don’t belong in court corridors, shouldn’t be subjected to mental agony: Delhi HC</strong> - National Sports Federation like the EFI should foster and identify best talent and not get muddled by hyper-technicality and personal vendettas, said the court.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Atishi new education minister, Saurabh Bharadwaj new health minister of Delhi</strong> - Ms. Atishi will handle education, PWD, power and tourism departments, while Mr. Bharadwaj will look after health, urban development, water and industries</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>FRINJEX-23 joint military exercise concludes in Thiruvananthapuram</strong> -</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Fact check: This clip of crowded train doesn’t show migrant exodus from Tamil Nadu</strong> - The truth behind the viral video claiming ‘exodus of migrant workers‘</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-bbc-europe">From BBC: Europe</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Ukraine war: Russian air strikes cut power at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant</strong> - The electrical power supply at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant is lost after Russia launches missiles.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Georgia drops ‘foreign agents’ law after protests</strong> - The ruling party says it will pull a controversial Russian-style bill amid widespread criticism.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Corinne Diacre: France manager sacked just four months before 2023 World Cup</strong> - France sack manager Corinne Diacre four months before the 2023 World Cup after several key players withdraw from the team in protest.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>US-China chip war: Netherlands moves to restrict some tech exports</strong> - The measures will affect Dutch firm ASML, which is a key part of the global microchip supply chain.</p></li>
|
||
<li data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Georgia protests: Police push protesters back from parliament</strong> - People angry at a bill they fear will curb liberties come up against water cannon and tear gas.</p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-ars-technica">From Ars Technica</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>COVID survivors at increased risk of long-term gastrointestinal conditions</strong> - Although people with severe COVID had highest risk, mild cases also upped risks. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1922761">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Nvidia driver bug might make your CPU work harder after you close your game</strong> - A driver hotfix, available via an 850MB download, will fix the problem for you. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1922731">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A more powerful Steam Deck is “a few years” off, Valve says</strong> - Valve sees value in keeping “a solid [hardware] target throughout the generation.” - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1922721">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Starlink explains why its FCC map listings are so different from reality</strong> - Starlink filings lump RV and home service together; SpaceX blames FCC system. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1922701">link</a></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>Wikipedia + AI = truth? DuckDuckGo hopes so with new answerbot</strong> - DuckAssist provides an AI-powered Wikipedia summary, hoping to avoid hallucinations. - <a href="https://arstechnica.com/?p=1922564">link</a></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
<h1 data-aos="fade-right" id="from-jokes-subreddit">From Jokes Subreddit</h1>
|
||
<ul>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>International women’s day should not be used as an excuse for sexist jokes</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
Period.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/xiaolongbaochikkawow"> /u/xiaolongbaochikkawow </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11m4btd/international_womens_day_should_not_be_used_as_an/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11m4btd/international_womens_day_should_not_be_used_as_an/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>I’ve heard that hookers don’t fart.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
They do little prosti-toots.
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/reenelou"> /u/reenelou </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11m0wum/ive_heard_that_hookers_dont_fart/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11m0wum/ive_heard_that_hookers_dont_fart/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>My girlfriend told me she’s sad because she’s put on a bit of weight</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
I told her to keep her chins up
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/eating_toilet_paper"> /u/eating_toilet_paper </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11m8quc/my_girlfriend_told_me_shes_sad_because_shes_put/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11m8quc/my_girlfriend_told_me_shes_sad_because_shes_put/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A police officer stopped me and searched my pockets. Found a bag of weed. “What have we here?” “It’s not mine officer.” He scoffs.</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
“I’m serious! I was cursed by a leprechaun, you know what scallywags they are. Now, every single time I flush this chronic down the toilet it magically reappears in my pocket.” “Bullshit.” “Try me!” He frowns, but follows me as we head to the bathroom in this cafe. I take out the cannabis and flush it down the crapper. He checks my pocket and asks, “So where’s the bag of weed?”
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/YZXFILE"> /u/YZXFILE </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11mdrb8/a_police_officer_stopped_me_and_searched_my/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11mdrb8/a_police_officer_stopped_me_and_searched_my/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
<li><p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"><strong>A Canadian visits America…</strong> - <!-- SC_OFF --></p>
|
||
<div class="md">
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
… and gets held at gunpoint by a stranger.
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The stranger says, “give me all your money and I’ll let you live!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom">
|
||
The Canadian replies gleefully, “Oh! You must be what they call a doctor!”
|
||
</p>
|
||
</div>
|
||
<!-- SC_ON -->
|
||
<p data-aos="fade-left" data-aos-anchor-placement="bottom-bottom"> submitted by <a href="https://www.reddit.com/user/CyberSunburn"> /u/CyberSunburn </a> <br/> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11lop2l/a_canadian_visits_america/">[link]</a></span> <span><a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Jokes/comments/11lop2l/a_canadian_visits_america/">[comments]</a></span></p></li>
|
||
</ul>
|
||
|
||
|
||
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