Elections

Subterms

    More stories

    • 125 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      Norway Apologizes for Forced Assimilation of Sami and Other Minorities

      by

      A policy of “Norwegianization” silenced the languages of Indigenous people and forced their children into boarding schools. The long-awaited apology avoided the issue of land rights.For more than a century, Norway forcibly suppressed the language and culture of Indigenous people and other minority groups, including removing children from their parents, in a system of “Norwegianization” whose devastation continues to be felt.This week, the country’s Parliament issued a formal apology to the Sami, Kven and Forest Finn peoples, and outlined 17 resolutions to address the discrimination they still face, including protecting minority languages and ensuring that children are taught those languages.The move, which Parliament approved on Tuesday, was welcomed by Silje Karine Muotka, a Sami leader, who described the moment as “a day with many emotions.” But she also said it needed to be followed up with concrete and significant action.“Going forward, we expect an active policy of reconciliation,” she said in a written statement. “The decision from today ensures long-term follow-up, and it has both financial and legal repercussions. But unfortunately, no settlement is made with ongoing injustice and conflicts over land and water.”Norway has some legislation on the Samis’ right to grazing land, but the Sami have long been at odds with the government over land use in relation to their culture and way of life.The apology and resolutions stem from a report by a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, published last year, that outlines how Norway could begin to reckon with its oppressive past. King Harald V has previously apologized to the Sami people, but this is the first time that the Kvens and Forest Finns have received such a public acknowledgment of the harm they endured.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 225 Shares179 Views

      in Elections

      Any line of separation between Fox News and the US government is about to vanish | Margaret Sullivan

      by

      When Donald Trump tapped a Fox News host this week to run the mighty US defense department, even Pete Hegseth’s colleagues at the rightwing media outlet were taken aback.“What the heck – can you believe it?” wondered Jesse Watters on his primetime show on Tuesday.“Taken right from this very couch!” exclaimed Hegseth’s fellow Fox & Friends talker Brian Kilmeade on Wednesday.This bemused enthusiasm was for public, on-air consumption.But in private, some had a dimmer view, according to Brian Stelter, author of two books about the Murdoch-controlled network.“You’re telling me Pete is going to oversee 2 million employees?” clucked one Fox host to Stelter; as the CNN media analyst noted, it’s actually almost three.In Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth, Stelter reported that Hegseth – a decorated veteran who served with the Minnesota national guard in Iraq and Afghanistan – consistently played to a singularly important viewer, checking his phone during commercial breaks in case Trump had commented on the show.And while Hegseth has directed a non-profit veterans’ advocacy group, nothing suggests he’s ready to run the world’s largest military. More alarmingly, he has encouraged Trump to pardon military personnel accused of war crimes, argued against women serving in the armed forces, and expressed the merit in a “preemptive strike” against North Korea.Although extreme, this development isn’t exactly breaking new ground.The Fox-to-Trump revolving door has been spinning for years. During his first term, Trump hired at least 20 officials who had previously worked at or contributed to Fox, making some of them cabinet secretaries and high-ranking White House aides.Remember, for instance, Richard Grenell, who joined Fox in 2009 and was still working there when he was nominated to be Trump’s ambassador to Germany in 2017? A few years later, Grenell was named Trump’s acting director of national intelligence. Or Ben Carson, a Fox contributor for years before becoming Trump’s secretary of housing and urban development?One particularly memorable case was Bill Shine, a high-ranking Fox executive, who left the network after allegedly helping to cover up the company’s culture of sexual harassment that brought down his buddy, co-founder Roger Ailes.No problem, though. Shine got a soft landing at the Trump White House as deputy chief of staff for communications, and later moved to Trump’s re-election campaign.It’s hard to jump from Fox to a job at a serious news organization. But, if you want to work at the Trump White House, there are few better résumé-builders.“The president’s worldview is shaped by the hours of Fox programming he watches each day, leading him to treat Fox employment as an important credential in hiring,” Matt Gertz, senior fellow at Media Matters for America, wrote in 2019.In the past few days, he also tapped the Fox News contributor Tom Honan as his “border czar”. Honan joined Fox shortly after his retirement as acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director in 2018, during Trump’s first term.The door spins and spins again.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionGoing for the trifecta, Trump named Mike Huckabee, former governor of Arkansas and former host of a weekly Fox show, as his preferred ambassador to Israel.Can a glorified perch for Sean Hannity – long the Trump whisperer – be far behind? And what about Tucker Carlson, despite being fired by the network last year?The Trump/Fox fit is a natural; one thing they share is a truth problem. Trump, of course, lies with fluid impunity.And Fox – though it insists on calling itself a news organization – has helped to spread lies and disinformation, including about the supposedly “rigged” 2020 election that Trump still insists he won. No matter that Fox had to pay Dominion Voting Systems nearly $800m in a court settlement after they sued for defamation.“Instead of promoting lies and conspiracy theories from outlets like Fox News and the online fever swamps,” wrote Oliver Darcy in his Status newsletter, “these media personalities will now be doing so with the US government’s resources and backing.”There could be no Trump as president without Fox. And Fox’s market capitalization is now approaching $20bn.Whatever they’re doing is working for mutual benefit, if not for US democracy.With this week’s developments, any line of separation – if it ever existed – is being erased. The two are nearly a single organism.

      Margaret Sullivan is a Guardian US columnist writing on media, politics and culture More

    • 125 Shares179 Views

      in Elections

      What a Matt Gaetz Justice Department Would Mean for Business

      by

      The Trump loyalist supports an “aggressive” antitrust approach and has called for breaking up Big Tech. But can the controversial nominee win Senate approval?Matt Gaetz may be Donald Trump’s most surprising and contentious pick yet to join his cabinet.Mike Blake/ReutersA “disrupter” for the Justice DepartmentMatt Gaetz is known for his outspoken defenses of Donald Trump, numerous scandals and a House ethics investigation. He can now add another distinction: being the president-elect’s pick to be nominee for attorney general.It isn’t clear whether Gaetz, perhaps the most divisive of Trump’s cabinet choices so far, will get Senate confirmation. But if he does, he could keep corporate America on its toes.Trump and his allies see the position of attorney general as especially important, given the president-elect’s numerous legal woes.The Times reports that Trump weighed more traditional candidates, including Jay Clayton, who was S.E.C. chair in his first administration, and Bob Giuffra, a co-chair of the white-shoe law firm Sullivan & Cromwell. But he ultimately chose a loyalist who supported efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Gaetz “is a disrupter,” said Representative Chip Roy, Republican of Texas, praising Trump’s selection. Gaetz, who resigned from his position as representative of Florida last night, repeatedly challenged Republican leaders, picked fights with Democrats and pulled off stunts like trying to barge into the secure chambers for the House Intelligence Committee.Will he go after Trump’s perceived enemies, including in business? In his announcement on social media, Trump said that Gaetz would “dismantle Criminal Organizations” as part of a mission to bring “desperately needed reform at the Department of Justice.” On X, Elon Musk wrote that “the Hammer of Justice is coming.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 88 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      NYT Crossword Column for Nov. 14, 2024

      by

      Matthew Faiella makes his New York Times Crossword debut. I sincerely hope he comes back.Jump to: Today’s Theme | Tricky CluesTHURSDAY PUZZLE — Let’s welcome Matthew Faiella, the constructor of today’s puzzle, who has impressed me with the intricacy of his first crossword in The New York Times.Some people who try crossword construction find it tough to put together a cohesive, entertaining theme. There’s always one entry that just doesn’t work, or one that works but doesn’t have the right letter count to match a would-be symmetrical partner. It can be incredibly frustrating. A lot of people give up and, in some ways, I don’t blame them.Among the people who don’t give up, there is a subset of constructors who can turn grids into art. I don’t necessarily mean people who make pictures out of the black squares, although those puzzles are fun, too. I’m thinking about the people who can build a grid that not only is delightful to solve but also reveals its secrets little by little until you finish and realize that you’re smiling.That’s the kind of puzzle that Mr. Faiella has made, and I hope we see another from him soon. No pressure, Mr. Faiella.Today’s ThemeThe first thing you should know is that the word BACK is “written” inside three black squares of this puzzle. You don’t have to write the words and you can’t see them, of course, but you need to keep track of them to make sense of the theme.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Elections

      Haiti’s Gang Violence Worsens as FAA Suspends Flights From the U.S.

      by

      The country’s security situation has deteriorated even further since Monday when at least three planes were shot at, forcing the closure of its main airport.Haitian gang leaders took to social media last weekend and promised trouble.They delivered.“If you are reckless in the streets, you will pay the consequences, as of tomorrow,” Joseph Wilson, a gang leader known as Lanmou Sanjou, said Sunday in a widely circulated recorded message.He spoke for Viv Ansanm — a coalition of gangs with the euphemistic moniker “Living Together” — that has sowed terror in Haiti for the past several months, and vowed that they would be “in the streets.”Within 48 hours, at least three U.S. aircraft had been shot at, forcing the closure of Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, and stranding passengers all over the world.The Federal Aviation Administration suspended all U.S. flights to Haiti for 30 days, and American Airlines said it wouldn’t return to the country until at least February. Even United Nations humanitarian flights were grounded.The havoc was not limited to the airport: Dr. Deborah Pierre, a urologist, was shot and killed on Tuesday getting into her car in Port-au-Prince, and her father, a dentist, was wounded, her former boss in South Florida, Dr. Angelo Gousse, said.Doctors Without Borders announced that its employees were pulled over by the police Monday and then tear-gassed by a vigilante mob. Wounded patients they were ferrying in an ambulance — suspected gang members — were killed.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

    • 100 Shares99 Views

      in Elections

      F.B.I. Searches Home of Shayne Coplan, Polymarket Founder

      by

      The search involving Shayne Coplan, the founder of Polymarket, known for its presidential election odds, was part of a criminal investigation, three people said.The F.B.I. carried out a search on Wednesday morning at the New York City home of Shayne Coplan, the founder of the betting website Polymarket, three people with knowledge of the matter said.The raid was part of a criminal investigation by the F.B.I. and the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, one of the people said. The investigation appears focused on whether Mr. Coplan, 26, ran Polymarket as an unlicensed commodities exchange, allowing users in the United States to place bets in violation of a settlement with the U.S. government, the person said. Polymarket rose to prominence this fall for offering odds on the presidential election.The F.B.I. seized Mr. Coplan’s electronic devices, including a phone, the person said.A law enforcement official confirmed that F.B.I. agents had conducted “court-authorized law enforcement activity” at Mr. Coplan’s address early Wednesday, but declined to elaborate.Election betting is a murky legal area in the United States. In 2022, Polymarket agreed to stop offering its services to U.S.-based users after settling with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for operating without registration. The company paid a $1.4 million fine.After the settlement, it was an “open secret” that users in the United States could still gain access to the site with virtual private networks, a former employee previously told The New York Times. On social media, Polymarket’s customers exchanged tips on how to get around the prohibition.Polymarket soared in popularity during the presidential campaign. While polls showed a close race, the site’s odds gave former President Donald J. Trump a large advantage over Vice President Kamala Harris.A spokesman for the company said the F.B.I. raid was “obvious political retribution by the outgoing administration.”In a post on X, Mr. Coplan said the Biden administration was making “a last-ditch effort to go after companies they deem to be associated with political opponents.”A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment.Some details of the investigation were reported earlier by Bloomberg and The New York Post. More

    • 100 Shares119 Views

      in Elections

      Explosions Outside Brazil’s Supreme Court Leave 1 Dead

      by

      Two blasts, coming 20 seconds apart, rocked an area of Brasília near the heart of the government’s offices.Two explosions near Brazil’s Supreme Court in the nation’s capital, Brasília, left at least one person dead on Wednesday.The explosions, which were 20 seconds apart, happened around 7:30 p.m. local time, Celina Leão, vice governor of the Federal District, said at a news conference on Wednesday evening.The first explosion occurred in a car in a nearby parking lot, Ms. Leão said. Soon after, another explosion occurred in the plaza outside Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court and presidential offices.President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was not at the site at the time of the explosion.The suspect had attempted, but failed, to enter the building housing the Supreme Court, Ms. Leão said. Images from the scene showed the body of a casualty in the plaza, which is known as Three Powers Square. Firefighters confirmed that one person had been killed, although they had not yet removed and analyzed the body because of concerns over additional unexploded devices.Military police and anti-bomb squads were sweeping the area.This is a developing story. More

    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in Elections

      Matt Gaetz Resigns From Congress After Trump Picks Him for Attorney General

      by

      Representative Matt Gaetz, the hard-right Republican provocateur, resigned from Congress on Wednesday after being tapped by President-elect Donald J. Trump to be the attorney general, effectively ending a House investigation into allegations he engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use.Even as Republicans on both sides of the Capitol expressed shock at Mr. Gaetz’s selection and skepticism about whether he could be confirmed, his rapid exit brought to a close an inquiry that has hung over his head for years.Mr. Gaetz, who led the successful effort last fall to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California, is one of the most reviled members of his conference. For two years, the Justice Department looked into allegations that he had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a 17-year-old girl and possibly violated federal sex trafficking laws. The department closed its investigation last year without filing any charges against Mr. Gaetz.Still, the House Ethics Committee opened an inquiry in 2021 into the sexual misconduct allegations along with claims that Mr. Gaetz misused state identification records, converted campaign funds to personal use, accepted impermissible gifts under House rules, and shared inappropriate images or videos on the House floor, among other transgressions.With his departure from Congress, the committee no longer has jurisdiction to investigate Mr. Gaetz. It was not immediately clear whether it would still release its findings. Tom Rust, the chief counsel and staff director for the panel, declined to comment.Mr. Gaetz has tried to turn the allegations against him into a badge of honor. “I am the most investigated man in the United States Congress,” Mr. Gaetz said of the ethics inquiry when it began, insinuating that the inquiry was merely punishment for undermining Mr. McCarthy’s leadership.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More