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HeadlinesMay 28, 2024

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Israeli Bombing of Rafah Camp Kills 45 People, Burns Children Alive

May 28, 2024

In Gaza, Israeli forces are continuing to attack Rafah amid growing outrage over its bombing of a tent camp for displaced Palestinians which killed 45 people Sunday, including children. Harrowing video emerged showing a man desperately holding up the charred corpse of a headless Palestinian child amid the still-blazing flames of the attack. The Tal al-Sultan neighborhood had been specifically designated as a safe “humanitarian area” in Rafah. This is Abed Mohammed al-Attar, whose brother and several other relatives were killed in the attack.

Abed Mohammed al-Attar: “The army is a liar. The occupation army is a liar. There is no security in Gaza. There’s no security, not for a child, an elderly man or for a woman. Here he is with his wife. They were martyred. They’re gone. … The decision of the World Court is a lie. They are still killing. There are planes 24 hours a day. There are martyrs and killings all the time. There are wounded and injuries, children becoming orphaned, innocent people. They haven’t done anything. They were displaced from one place to another, looking for a living.”

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Israeli bombing a “tragic mistake” and said they’ll investigate. We’ll go to Rafah for more after headlines.
Just one day earlier, on Saturday, displaced Gazans sheltering at the al-Nazleh school in Gaza City were hit by an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 10 people.

Um Mahmoud Ghaban: “What do the children have to do with this? They scattered us from here to there. Where should we go? Have mercy on us. Have mercy on us. What did he do to get blown to pieces like this?”

The official death toll in Gaza has now topped 36,000.

ICJ Orders Israel to “Immediately Halt Its Military Offensive in Rafah”

May 28, 2024

The Rafah massacre came just two days after the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to immediately stop its assault on Rafah.

Judge Nawaf Salam: “The court considers that in conformity with the obligations under the Genocide Convention, Israel must immediately halt its military offensive and any other action in the Rafah governorate which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction, in whole or in part.”

The order came as part of South Africa’s genocide case against Israel at the World Court. Though the order is legally binding, there is no enforcement mechanism. We’ll have more on this later in the broadcast.

Spain, Norway and Ireland Formalize Recognition of Palestinian State

May 28, 2024

European heads of state are facing ever louder calls to join Spain, Norway and Ireland in recognizing Palestinian statehood after Sunday’s attack on Rafah. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke earlier today ahead of Spain’s official recognition process in a cabinet meeting.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez: “The state of Palestine must be viable, with the West Bank and Gaza connected by a corridor and with East Jerusalem as its capital, and must be unified under the legitimate government of the Palestine National Authority. … Although it is not up to Spain to define the borders of other countries, our position is aligned with the U.N. Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and with the position of the European Union. Therefore, we won’t recognize change in the 1967 lines other than those agreed to by the parties.”

Ireland and Norway also formalized their recognition of a Palestinian state today.

Gaza Solidarity Protests Continue Following Attack on Rafah Camp

May 28, 2024

People took to the streets in cities around the world following the attack on Rafah, including in Paris.

Valérie Flore: “We don’t want to be complicit in a crime against humanity. What’s happening in Rafah, what’s happening in the Gaza Strip is intolerable.”

Protests are also continuing on college campuses. At Brown University, President Christina Paxson’s commencement speech was interrupted by demonstrators from the group Brown Alumni for Palestine. At the University of Chicago, four seniors are being denied their graduation after they participated in Gaza solidarity protests.

UCLA Police Make First Arrest Weeks After Violent Mob Attacked Gaza Solidarity Encampment

May 28, 2024

In Los Angeles, UCLA police have made its first arrest in connection with the violent attack on pro-Palestinian student protesters last month. Eighteen-year-old Edan On is accused of beating protesters with a wooden pole. This comes as unionized academic workers at UCLA and UC Davis are launching a strike action today over violations of their right to free speech.

University of Toronto Asks Court to Allow Campus Arrests After Protesters Defy Deadline to Disband

May 28, 2024

In Canada, the University of Toronto on Monday asked a court to authorize police action to arrest students who defied a deadline to dismantle their encampment. Hundreds of tents have been put up during the weekslong peaceful protest at the University of Toronto as students demand their school divest from Israel.

Reporters Without Borders Asks ICC to Investigate Israeli War Crimes Against Gaza Journalists

May 28, 2024

Reporters Without Borders has lodged another complaint with the International Criminal Court for “war crimes against journalists in Gaza,” where Israel has killed over 100 media workers since October 7. Reporters Without Borders said, “Those who kill journalists are attacking the public’s right to information, which is even more essential in times of conflict. They must be held accountable.”

At Least 18 Killed in Russian Strike Amid Intensifying Kharkiv Offensive

May 28, 2024

In Ukraine, at least 18 people, including a 12-year-old child, were killed after a Russian strike on a shopping center in Kharkiv Saturday. Dozens of others were injured. It’s the deadliest Russian attack in weeks as Kyiv warns Moscow is preparing to further intensify its offensive along Ukraine’s northeastern border.

Death Toll Estimate from Papua New Guinea Landslide Rises to 2,000

May 28, 2024

In Papua New Guinea, officials say as many as 2,000 people are feared dead after they were buried alive when a landslide engulfed several villages in the northern Enga province. Thousands of residents have been ordered to evacuate as the landslide is still active. Most of the bodies remain missing as rescue efforts have been hampered by unstable terrain and a blocked-off road.

Evit Kambu: “I have 18 of my family members buried under the debris and soil that I’m standing on, and a lot more family members in the village I cannot count. I am a landowner here. Thank you to all those who’ve come to help us, but I cannot retrieve the bodies, so I’m standing here helplessly.”

Temperatures Top 125 Degrees in South Asia; Brazilian Flood Survivors Face Threat of Disease

May 28, 2024

At least 23 people were killed, while millions of others were left without electricity, after Cyclone Remal ripped through Bangladesh and eastern India Sunday, damaging homes, uprooting trees and destroying power lines.

This comes amid a protracted heat wave across Pakistan and western India. In Pakistan’s southern province of Sindh, temperatures have risen to over 125 degrees Fahrenheit. In India, voters face scorching temperatures as the country’s six-week election is nearing a close at the end of this week.

Pappu: “It feels like we will die if we step out of our house in this scorching heat, but we have to vote for our nation. So that is why I have come here to vote.”

In Brazil, officials are warning of the dangerous spread of waterborne disease following catastrophic floods in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. At least 169 people have been killed in the floods, while many others are still missing and hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

Mexico Faces Water Shortages as Another Heat Wave Sends Temperatures Soaring

May 28, 2024

Mexico is now experiencing its third heat wave of the year. Temperatures as high as 113 degrees Fahrenheit are forecast for today across at least two-thirds of the country. This comes as water has emerged as a key issue in next Sunday’s elections. Mexico City residents have been forced to ration water for months due to a worsening drought that could leave as many as 22 million people without access to water. Officials warn reserves could run dry as soon as late June.

22 People Killed in Memorial Day Weekend Storms

May 28, 2024

Back in the U.S., at least 22 people were killed as catastrophic storms and tornadoes swept across Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Kentucky over the weekend. Meanwhile, over 400,000 people were left without electricity across the eastern U.S. Monday due to severe weather.

South Korea, Japan and China Hold First Joint Summit in Years; Comfort Women Protest Japan in Seoul

May 28, 2024

South Korea, China and Japan have issued a joint declaration after their first trilateral summit in four years. The three nations met in South Korea amid rising tensions between Beijing and Washington over trade, Taiwan and regional influence. This is Chinese Premier Li Qiang.

Li Qiang: “We will deepen economic and trade connectivity, strengthen cooperation in regional industrial and supply chains, and promote the resumption of negotiations on the China-Japan-South Korea free trade agreement.”

Ahead of the summit in Seoul, activists gathered to protest Japan’s military cooperation with South Korea and its refusal to provide reparations for its sexual trafficking of girls and women from countries under its occupation in the Second World War. This is a survivor of Japan’s wartime sexual slavery, or a so-called comfort woman, 95-year-old Lee Yong-soo.

Lee Yong-soo: “I want to urge Japan to enforce the compensation and resolve the historical issue. And while we are protecting our past, the young should know this history while they visit each other’s countries.”

WHO Members Fail to Reach Consensus on a Pandemic Treaty

May 28, 2024

At the United Nations Geneva headquarters, negotiators from around the world failed to agree on a treaty that would outline a global strategy to handle the next major pandemic. The treaty, which had been in the works for over two years, aimed to establish binding policies for World Health Organization member nations — which includes the U.S. — on data sharing and enabling equitable access to vaccines and treatments, among other issues.

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Trump’s NYC Criminal Trial to Head to Deliberations After Closing Arguments

May 28, 2024

Here in New York, closing arguments are being delivered today in Donald Trump’s criminal hush money and election interference trial. Trump is facing 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up payments made to Stormy Daniels in order to protect his 2016 presidential campaign. The jury is expected to begin deliberating Wednesday.

Liberian Man Detained at Stewart Immigrant Prison Has Died

May 28, 2024

In Georgia, an immigrant from Liberia has died while detained at the notorious Immigration and Customs Enforcement Stewart Detention Center. Forty-four-year-old Cambric Dennis had been jailed at Stewart since 2023. Dennis is believed to be at least the 12th death at Stewart, which is run by the private company CoreCivic.

Uvalde Families Sue Meta, Microsoft and Gunmaker Daniel Defense

May 28, 2024

In Texas, families of the victims of the Uvalde massacre have filed lawsuits against Meta, Microsoft and the gunmaker Daniel Defense. The 18-year-old mass shooter used a Daniel Defense rifle when he entered Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, and murdered 19 children and two teachers. The families say the Meta-owned Instagram and the Microsoft-owned Activision, which makes the video game Call of Duty, are guilty of marketing the assault-style rifles to teenage boys who play the game, like the Uvalde shooter. The lawsuit argues, “[These companies] are chewing up alienated teenage boys and spitting out mass shooters.”

UAW Challenges Alabama Mercedes-Benz Loss at NLRB

May 28, 2024

The United Auto Workers has filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board and requested a new vote for workers at a pair of Mercedes-Benz plants in Alabama. Around 5,000 workers voted against unionizing with the UAW earlier this month after an intense union-busting campaign by Mercedes-Benz, which the union accused of “wanton lawlessness.” UAW says the company forced employees to sit through anti-union meetings and retaliated against pro-union workers, including through termination.

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