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As an attorney for Christine Blasey Ford said Thursday afternoon that her client remains willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the sexual assault she says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh perpetrated against her when the two were in high school, mass demonstrations resulted in arrests on Capitol Hill on Thursday as women's rights groups and Democrats intensifed their charge that Republicans are trying to 'railroad' Ford by not taking her allegations seriously and refusing to order the FBI investigation she has asked for and that experts say is entirely appropriate.
Dozens of people, mostly women, were arrested one by one in the lobby of the Hart Senate Building mid-afternoon:
\u201cWomen are getting arrested as we chant:\n\n\u201cWE BELIEVE ANITA HILL! \nWE BELIEVE CHRISTINE FORD!\u201d\u201d— Women's March (@Women's March) 1537468095
Meanwhile, as Capitol Police hauled people away, Democratic senators rallied around the demand aimed at Republican lawmakers and the White House to drop their opposition to Ford's request for an investigation into her allegations.
"Really, I would call it a railroad job," Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) told reporters at a noontime press conference. "And it's totally unfair."
Hirono and her Democratic colleague's are calling for the White House to have the FBI conduct the investigation that Ford has requested and that experts say is perfectly within their purview and capabilities.
In a post titled, "Judicial Nominee Background Investigations -- Fact vs. Fiction," Mike Zubrensky, the chief counsel at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the GOP's spin on the investigation is hogwash:
Forging ahead with a hearing next week without allowing the FBI an opportunity to conduct additional interviews and collect evidence would be yet another abuse of power by the Republican majority during the Kavanaugh confirmation process. The Senate must honor survivors of sexual assault by taking their allegations seriously, respectfully, and on a nonpartisan basis. An FBI investigation is an important step in that direction. As Senator Hatch noted in 1991 when the FBI conducted an investigation into Anita Hill's allegations: "When they heard about this the first time, they immediately ordered the FBI investigation, which was the very right thing to do." It is the right thing to do today as well.
"You have the entire force of the presidency and all of the supporters of Judge Kavanaugh in the Senate arrayed on one side and on this other side you have Dr. Ford who doesn't even have the benefit an FBI investigation, as well all have called for," Hirono told reporters. "How unfair is that?"
Appearing on CNN, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) wanted to know why, if Kavanaugh and his GOP backers are confident he did nothing wrong, they are refusing to approve such a probe:
\u201cSen. Patrick Leahy, a senior Democrat on the judiciary committee, says Republicans should not rush Christine Blasey Ford to testify: \u201cIf they have nothing to hide, why the hurry?\u201d\u201d— CNN Politics (@CNN Politics) 1537464704
In her statements, Hirono said, "They are totally intent on getting Judge Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court, come Hell or high water. You have to ask yourself, why?"
Political revenge. Mass deportations. Project 2025. Unfathomable corruption. Attacks on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Pardons for insurrectionists. An all-out assault on democracy. Republicans in Congress are scrambling to give Trump broad new powers to strip the tax-exempt status of any nonprofit he doesn’t like by declaring it a “terrorist-supporting organization.” Trump has already begun filing lawsuits against news outlets that criticize him. At Common Dreams, we won’t back down, but we must get ready for whatever Trump and his thugs throw at us. Our Year-End campaign is our most important fundraiser of the year. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover issues the corporate media never will, but we can only continue with our readers’ support. By donating today, please help us fight the dangers of a second Trump presidency. |
As an attorney for Christine Blasey Ford said Thursday afternoon that her client remains willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the sexual assault she says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh perpetrated against her when the two were in high school, mass demonstrations resulted in arrests on Capitol Hill on Thursday as women's rights groups and Democrats intensifed their charge that Republicans are trying to 'railroad' Ford by not taking her allegations seriously and refusing to order the FBI investigation she has asked for and that experts say is entirely appropriate.
Dozens of people, mostly women, were arrested one by one in the lobby of the Hart Senate Building mid-afternoon:
\u201cWomen are getting arrested as we chant:\n\n\u201cWE BELIEVE ANITA HILL! \nWE BELIEVE CHRISTINE FORD!\u201d\u201d— Women's March (@Women's March) 1537468095
Meanwhile, as Capitol Police hauled people away, Democratic senators rallied around the demand aimed at Republican lawmakers and the White House to drop their opposition to Ford's request for an investigation into her allegations.
"Really, I would call it a railroad job," Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) told reporters at a noontime press conference. "And it's totally unfair."
Hirono and her Democratic colleague's are calling for the White House to have the FBI conduct the investigation that Ford has requested and that experts say is perfectly within their purview and capabilities.
In a post titled, "Judicial Nominee Background Investigations -- Fact vs. Fiction," Mike Zubrensky, the chief counsel at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the GOP's spin on the investigation is hogwash:
Forging ahead with a hearing next week without allowing the FBI an opportunity to conduct additional interviews and collect evidence would be yet another abuse of power by the Republican majority during the Kavanaugh confirmation process. The Senate must honor survivors of sexual assault by taking their allegations seriously, respectfully, and on a nonpartisan basis. An FBI investigation is an important step in that direction. As Senator Hatch noted in 1991 when the FBI conducted an investigation into Anita Hill's allegations: "When they heard about this the first time, they immediately ordered the FBI investigation, which was the very right thing to do." It is the right thing to do today as well.
"You have the entire force of the presidency and all of the supporters of Judge Kavanaugh in the Senate arrayed on one side and on this other side you have Dr. Ford who doesn't even have the benefit an FBI investigation, as well all have called for," Hirono told reporters. "How unfair is that?"
Appearing on CNN, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) wanted to know why, if Kavanaugh and his GOP backers are confident he did nothing wrong, they are refusing to approve such a probe:
\u201cSen. Patrick Leahy, a senior Democrat on the judiciary committee, says Republicans should not rush Christine Blasey Ford to testify: \u201cIf they have nothing to hide, why the hurry?\u201d\u201d— CNN Politics (@CNN Politics) 1537464704
In her statements, Hirono said, "They are totally intent on getting Judge Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court, come Hell or high water. You have to ask yourself, why?"
As an attorney for Christine Blasey Ford said Thursday afternoon that her client remains willing to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the sexual assault she says Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh perpetrated against her when the two were in high school, mass demonstrations resulted in arrests on Capitol Hill on Thursday as women's rights groups and Democrats intensifed their charge that Republicans are trying to 'railroad' Ford by not taking her allegations seriously and refusing to order the FBI investigation she has asked for and that experts say is entirely appropriate.
Dozens of people, mostly women, were arrested one by one in the lobby of the Hart Senate Building mid-afternoon:
\u201cWomen are getting arrested as we chant:\n\n\u201cWE BELIEVE ANITA HILL! \nWE BELIEVE CHRISTINE FORD!\u201d\u201d— Women's March (@Women's March) 1537468095
Meanwhile, as Capitol Police hauled people away, Democratic senators rallied around the demand aimed at Republican lawmakers and the White House to drop their opposition to Ford's request for an investigation into her allegations.
"Really, I would call it a railroad job," Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) told reporters at a noontime press conference. "And it's totally unfair."
Hirono and her Democratic colleague's are calling for the White House to have the FBI conduct the investigation that Ford has requested and that experts say is perfectly within their purview and capabilities.
In a post titled, "Judicial Nominee Background Investigations -- Fact vs. Fiction," Mike Zubrensky, the chief counsel at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said the GOP's spin on the investigation is hogwash:
Forging ahead with a hearing next week without allowing the FBI an opportunity to conduct additional interviews and collect evidence would be yet another abuse of power by the Republican majority during the Kavanaugh confirmation process. The Senate must honor survivors of sexual assault by taking their allegations seriously, respectfully, and on a nonpartisan basis. An FBI investigation is an important step in that direction. As Senator Hatch noted in 1991 when the FBI conducted an investigation into Anita Hill's allegations: "When they heard about this the first time, they immediately ordered the FBI investigation, which was the very right thing to do." It is the right thing to do today as well.
"You have the entire force of the presidency and all of the supporters of Judge Kavanaugh in the Senate arrayed on one side and on this other side you have Dr. Ford who doesn't even have the benefit an FBI investigation, as well all have called for," Hirono told reporters. "How unfair is that?"
Appearing on CNN, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) wanted to know why, if Kavanaugh and his GOP backers are confident he did nothing wrong, they are refusing to approve such a probe:
\u201cSen. Patrick Leahy, a senior Democrat on the judiciary committee, says Republicans should not rush Christine Blasey Ford to testify: \u201cIf they have nothing to hide, why the hurry?\u201d\u201d— CNN Politics (@CNN Politics) 1537464704
In her statements, Hirono said, "They are totally intent on getting Judge Kavanaugh onto the Supreme Court, come Hell or high water. You have to ask yourself, why?"
"We feel that it is our responsibility as the largest North American organization of scholars of literature and language to protest and stand with our colleagues who are being murdered for their existence," one organizer explained.
"The more they try to silence us, the louder we will be!"
That was the message that protesters at the Modern Language Association Delegate Assembly in New Orleans wanted to send Saturday after the executive council of the MLA—the preeminent U.S. professional group for scholars of language and literature—blocked them from holding a member vote on a resolution endorsing the international Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement for Palestinian rights.
Like the resolution recently passed by the American Historical Association, the declaration issued by MLA Members for Justice in Palestine accuses Israel of committing scholasticide in Gaza, where—in addition to killing over 46,000 Palestinians, wounding nearly 110,000 others, and displacing around 2 million more—15 months of relentless Israeli onslaught has obliterated the Palestinian enclave's education infrastructure.
The MLA resolution—which notes the initial 2005 BDS call issued by Palestinian civil society groups—also acknowledges that international law experts accuse Israel of genocide and that the International Court of Justice, which is weighing a genocide case against Israel, has "determined that Israel is maintaining a system of apartheid."
"The MLA's commitment to 'justice throughout the humanities ecosystem' requires ending institutional complicity with genocide and supporting Palestinian colleagues," the statement asserts. "Therefore, be it resolved that we, the members of the MLA, endorse the 2005 BDS call."
Karim Mattar, an associate professor of English at the University of Colorado, Boulder, took part in Saturday's demonstration, during which supporters of the resolution staged a die-in and walkout, chanted slogans, and held a banner that read, "MLA Is Complicit in Genocide."
"I consider the executive council's decision to be a cowardly one," Mattar told Common Dreams. "The MLA is a humanities advocacy organization, and by repressing a membership vote, a democratic process to deliberate on the necessity of institutional divestment with companies that profit from genocide, it's actively contributing to the problem."
"I think it's a fundamental contradiction in the MLA's values between these stated values and principles of advocacy for the humanities and the blocking of a mechanism by which such advocacy might be facilitated," he added.
Mattar—who is Palestinian American and whose relatives were among the more than 750,000 Arabs ethnically cleansed from Palestine during the Nakba, or "catastrophe" that was the creation of the modern state of Israel—said Saturday's protest brought tears to his eyes.
"To see this protest, this movement emerging at the MLA, to see this national and international movement of solidarity with Palestine to emerge in the last year, has been incredibly moving for me," he said.
Protest co-organizer Neelofer Qadir, an assistant professor of English at Georgia State University, told Common Dreams that protesters "really wanted to draw attention to how institutions are being destroyed, like universities, like libraries, like archives, which makes certain that there is a deep commitment to genocide and why scholasticide is part of genocide because the Israeli government intends to destroy all possible evidence of Palestinian life, past, present, and therefore no longer in the future."
"And we feel that it is our responsibility as the largest North American organization of scholars of literature and language to protest and stand with our colleagues who are being murdered for their existence," she added.
Last month, the MLA executive council
explained that while it is "appalled by the continued attack on Gaza," it believed that "supporting a BDS resolution was not a possible way forward for the association to address the crisis" due to "legal and fiduciary reasons."
Qadir dismissed the council's excuse, saying she believes the MLA is "engaged in a formal program of organized abandonment that is part and parcel of fascist and neoliberal governance that's happening in the U.S., Canada, and across the world."
St. John's University associate English professor Raj Chetty, who also organized Saturday's action, told Common Dreams that "whatever the MLA has said about the 'fiduciary concerns' about this, we're like, you're going to find out some other fiduciary concerns as you notice that both intellectual work and membership dues are going to start evaporating."
As part of their effort, MLA Members for Justice in Palestine are urging supporters to not renew their MLA membership "until there's a meaningful substantial change in position," as Chetty put it.
"This [protest] is a real call to humanity, a real call to justice, a real call against complicity, and a real call to support Palestinian life and rail against Israeli actions that are ending Palestinian life in all the ways that Neelofer talked about," he said.
The latest Republican efforts include an Indiana bill to dissolve entire school districts where over half the students are enrolled in private or charter schools.
Critics are sounding the alarm on a fresh wave of attacks on public schools by Republican state lawmakers, calling their efforts part of a broader agenda to privatize public education.
Indiana's H.B. 1136—introduced by Reps. Jake Teshka (R-7), Jeffrey Thompson (R-28), and Timothy O'Brien (R-78)—would dissolve public school districts in which more than 50% of students attend private or charter schools based on fall 2024 averages. All remaining public schools in affected districts would be converted to charter schools, which are privately owned and operated but taxpayer-funded.
According to Capital B Gary, "The bill's provisions are estimated to dissolve five school corporations statewide, including Indianapolis Public Schools, Tri-Township Consolidated School Corporation in LaPorte County, Union School Corporation southeast of Muncie, and Cannelton City Schools near the Kentucky border in Perry County."
Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) condemned the proposal,
saying it "strongly opposes House Bill 1136 or any bill this legislative session that threatens local authority and community control of public schools."
Anyone who believes that the Right only wants to bring "choice" and is not about destroying public schools, read this. (and please don't tell me that a charter school is a public school) www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...
[image or embed]
— CarolCorbettBurris (@carolburris.bsky.social) January 8, 2025 at 5:16 AM
"H.B. 1136 proposes dissolving five school corporations, including IPS, by converting schools to charter status and eliminating local school boards," the district continued. "This harmful legislation would strip communities of their voice, destabilize our financial foundations, and further jeopardize the education of approximately 42,000 students."
IPS asserted: "H.B. 1136 threatens to cause massive disruption to our public school system, diverting attention and resources away from the vital education and support our students need to succeed. This legislation is not student-focused and fails to reflect the community's input on how they envision their public schools thriving."
"Instead of fostering growth and innovation, H.B. 1136 risks dismantling the very foundation that supports student success and community collaboration," the district added.
"H.B. 1136 threatens to cause massive disruption to our public school system."
The Indiana Democratic Party
said on social media in response to the bill: "The GOP supermajority is continuing their attacks on local public schools. This time, they're threatening to dissolve dozens of schools across the state into charters, leaving around a million Hoosiers without a traditional public school option."
"For years, many public schools have struggled with funds being diverted to charter schools with no accountability," the party added in a separate post. "Our public schools are the backbone of communities across the state, and we must protect them. More charter schools means less oversight for taxpayers."
Indiana state Sen. Andrea Hunley (D-46), a former IPS teacher and principal, told Capital B Gary: "My children have been attending IPS schools for 11 years. And I am so concerned about the fact that in this place where the majority likes to say that they want choice for families, that they would be threatening to take away choice from a family like mine right here in the middle of our city."
"We've got to make sure that we stop this before it goes any further," she added.
Indiana state Sen. Fady Qaddoura (D-30), who also represents Indianapolis, told WXIN last week, "I think this bill has a racial component by advancing discriminatory policies that are targeting the two largest minority communities in the state of Indiana."
"In my view," he added, "this piece of legislation had nothing to do with choice and has everything to do to continue to dismantle public education as we know it today in Indiana."
It's not just Indiana. Attacks on public education are afoot in states across the nation, including neighboring Ohio and Kentucky.
At the national level, progressives are warning that the imminent Republican trifecta—with GOP control of both chambers of Congress and, later this month, the White House—likely portends a massive attack on public education that could include ending the Department of Education, as advised in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation-led blueprint for a far-right overhaul of the federal government.
"Greedy landlords shouldn't profit from human tragedy," argued one housing defender. "Put people over profits for once!"
With some Los Angeles-area landlords jacking up rental listing prices by 50% or more as historic wildfires rage, housing advocates in the nation's second-largest city are calling for an immediate eviction moratorium and rent freeze.
As California authorities have noted in recent days, state Penal Code Section 396 prohibits taking "unfair advantage" of consumers during times of emergency or disaster. Landlords cannot raise rent by more than 10% of the price immediately prior to the emergency. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last Tuesday.
"If you're a renter who has been impacted by the fires, remember that you have rights!"
"It's called price gouging," California Attorney General Rob Bonta, also a Democrat, said during a Saturday news conference. "It is illegal. You cannot do it. It is a crime punishable by up to a year in jail and fines."
That isn't stopping some landlords from trying to profit from the deadly wildfires. Tenant rights advocate Chelsea Kirk—the director of policy and advocacy at the L.A.-based Strategic Actions for a Just Economy—has created an open database of more than 100 Zillow listings in which landlords have raised asking prices for rents by more than the legal limit, and in some cases by over 50 or even 75% or more.
Activists said there are two related things officials can do right now to mitigate the disaster's impact on renters.
"We need a rent freeze and eviction moratorium," the anti-capitalist collective People's City Council—Los Angeles said on social media.
NOlympics LA said, "L.A. City Council needs to implement a rent freeze NOW."
"Price gouging in the wake of disaster is unacceptable, this is simple and could be done immediately but will L.A. leaders even propose it?" the group added. "We need an eviction moratorium to stop landlords [from] evicting people to cash in on crisis."
Temporary eviction moratoriums and rent freezes were implemented at the national, state, and local level during the Covid-19 pandemic. While California's moratorium did not protect everyone from eviction, with thousands of renters removed from their homes under various exceptions, evictions plummeted thanks to the policy. However, by 2023 eviction rates had returned to—or surpassed—pre-pandemic levels.
The L.A. Tenants Union noted that "in the midst of all this destruction, eviction courts are still churning."
"The 6th floor of the downtown courthouse is packed today," the group added. "We demand an emergency eviction moratorium and a rent freeze."
If you’re a renter who has been impacted by the fires, remember that you have rights! Resources for renters below:
[image or embed]
— Ground Game LA (@groundgamela.bsky.social) January 9, 2025 at 4:35 PM
With thousands of Los Angeles area families now unhoused due to the fires, desperate victims are vulnerable to these unscrupulous landlords and real estate agents. Kirk wants them to know—and exercise—their rights.
"Because California is currently under an emergency declaration, rental price gouging is illegal," she told Common Dreams. "If you see a rental listing with a significant price increase—such as more than 10% over the pre-emergency price—you should report it to the attorney general's office immediately, and confront the landlord or agent about it, if you feel comfortable doing so."
Kirk continued:
That said, I recognize this is an incredibly vulnerable time, especially for people who have lost their homes and are urgently trying to secure housing. Confronting a landlord may feel risky and might compromise your chances of getting the place. But it's crucial to remember you have rights, even if you've already signed a lease. If you realize after signing that the landlord engaged in price gouging, don't hesitate to push back. There are groups actively working to ensure these laws are enforced and to support tenants in these situations.
Bonta offered similar advice: "If you know someone who's been a victim of price gauging please report it."
As for the landlords and agents trying to capitalize on disaster victims, Kirk said that "their actions are not only illegal but profoundly shameful."
"The community sees what they are doing, and we will hold them accountable," she told Common Dreams. "While I do not have much faith that officials will penalize landlords, we—the tenants and community organizers—will not sit idly by. We will take action, whether through organizing, direct action, or other means, to expose and stop these exploitative practices. Renters deserve to be treated with dignity, especially during times of crisis."
Bonta noted how new technology is being utilized to determine prices, and it's not just landlords and their agents using it.
"Some of our hotels and some of our landlords use algorithms based on demand and supply to set their prices," the attorney general said. "If those prices lead to prices higher than before the emergency by 10% that's against the law."
"If you're a mom and pop and you're not aware of these laws now you are aware," Bonta added. "Ignorance is not an excuse."