The men who could replace Netanyahu know the truth and refuse to say it. A Palestinian state is not an existential threat to Israel; the endless denial of one is. By reciting the old lie for votes, Israel’s opposition is not offering a new chapter—it is deepening the catastrophe. One would think that after October…
For nearly a century, foreign correspondents have come to the United States precisely because this country prided itself on welcoming scrutiny. Now, the Trump administration proposes to turn that legacy on its head—by transforming visas for international journalists into instruments of control Under a new rule proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, the duration…
How a once serious party surrendered judgment, subordinating institutions to a single strongman—and what must be done before the republic dangerously erodes from within How is it possible that the Republican Party, at the peak of American power and at the new dawn of the country’s 250th anniversary, became a cult of personality around a…
As the United States marks its 250th anniversary—a testament to endurance, sacrifice, and democratic aspiration—it does so under a dark and foreboding shadow. At this defining moment, the nation finds itself led not by steadiness or vision, but by a figure whose erratic conduct, corrosive narcissism, and moral decay mock the very ideals this milestone…
For years, US law recognized that abusers often weaponize immigration status to silence victims. Human rights advocates warn that targeting survivors not only endangers vulnerable women and children, but also weakens accountability for domestic violence and trafficking throughout society.
The next episode of my podcast "On the Issues" is this upcoming Tuesday, August 18, at 1:00pm EDT with Hon. Lise Pearlman (ret.), the first Presiding Judge of the California State Bar Court and a former California trial lawyer. Following her retirement from the bench, Judge Pearlman has become a best-selling author and nationally recognized speaker on famous 20th century trials whose books have won multiple awards in the categories of law, U.S. History, and multicultural nonfiction.
Listeners can register for the live podcast recording on Zoom at the link in my bio/stories.
Archived episodes will be released the following day, on Wednesdays at noon. Subscribe on your favorite podcast app, including Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and Spotify, to be sure to always get the latest episodes.
Today’s podcast guest is Sam Ben-Meir, Assistant Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at City University of New York, College of Technology. He is the author of Ethical Interanimality: Toward a Relational Philosophy of Nature, which reflects on his longstanding effort to rethink our place in nature and the vulnerabilities that bind all life together.
In this episode, we discuss the interrelationship between humanity and nature, and the ethics of that relationship. In particular, we examine how viewing ourselves as living beings among other living beings changes how we think about politics, economics, technology, and in particular, the environmental crisis.
Listen now; link in bio.
Full bio
Sam Ben-Meir is a writer, scholar, and teacher whose work explores the intersections of ethics, nature, and the human condition. He is Assistant Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at City University of New York, where he teaches ethics, political philosophy, and the philosophy of technology. He is the author of Ethical Interanimality: Toward a Relational Philosophy of Nature and has published widely on philosophy, literature, politics, religion, and environmental thought. His current research explores recognition, freedom, democracy, and the moral foundations of political community.
Today’s podcast guest is Dr. Benafsha Yaqoobi, an attorney and civic society and human rights activist. Before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, she worked as an attorney for the elimination of violence against women and as a Commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. She currently serves as a prosecutor on the team bringing Afghanistan’s case before the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan.
In this episode, we discuss the plight of people with disabilities in Afghanistan, particularly women and girls, the work that the Rahyab Initiative does in support of people with disabilities in Afghanistan, and the impact of the Taliban’s takeover on Afghanistan as well as its impact on receiving external support.
Listen now; link in bio.
Full bio
Dr. Benafsha Yaqoobi is a civic society and human rights activist, and currently serves as a prosecutor on the team bringing Afghanistan’s case before the People’s Tribunal for the Women of Afghanistan in 2025. She is the founder and director of The Rahyab Initiative in the UK and previously established the Organization of Rahyab for Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (ORRSB) in Afghanistan.
Before the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, Dr. Yaqoobi worked as an attorney for the elimination of violence against women and later as a Commissioner at the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission. She has consistently used national and international platforms to advocate for the inclusion of Afghan women in peacebuilding processes, with particular focus on women with disabilities.
Dr. Yaqoobi holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Lovely Professional University in India, with her dissertation examining democratic governance and women’s political rights in Afghanistan. She is currently pursuing doctoral research in sociology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Her contributions have been recognized internationally. In 2024, she was awarded the U.S. State Department’s International Women of Courage Award, and in 2022 she received the Marca Bristo Fellowship from Human Rights Watch. In 2021, she was named among the BBC’s 100 most influential women.
Five Wisconsin schools are proving that poverty does not have to determine whether a child learns to read. At one school, where the poverty rate is 43.5 percent, 84.2 percent of third graders are proficient readers—far exceeding expectations. Yet while American schools struggle for resources, the United States continues pouring staggering sums into the military and overseas conflicts. The 2026 Defense Department budget request totaled $961 billion, and Trump wants to increase it to $ 1.5 trillion- how shameful and absurd- while the Education Department requested $66.7 billion. As we spend billions confronting Iran and fighting or supporting wars abroad, we must ask: What could America accomplish if we invested with the same urgency in our children, schools, teachers, and communities?
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
For years, US law recognized that abusers often weaponize immigration status to silence victims. Human rights advocates warn that targeting survivors not only endangers vulnerable women and children, but also weakens accountability for domestic violence and trafficking throughout society.
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
Türkiye’s proposed transfer of tens of thousands of aging cluster munitions to Ukraine should be condemned and stopped. These weapons contain more than 10 million explosive submunitions, many of them decades old. Cluster munitions scatter explosives across wide areas, cannot reliably distinguish between military targets and civilians, and often leave unexploded remnants that can kill and maim people for years after a war ends. Ukraine has every right to defend itself against Russia’s invasion. But defending a country should not mean introducing weapons that create another long-term threat to its civilian population. More than 100 countries have banned cluster munitions for good reason. The United States should not authorize this transfer, and Congress should act to prevent it. There can be no justification for weapons whose deadly legacy continues long after the battlefield falls silent.
0 CommentsComment on Facebook
