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Shonna Carter or David Lerner, Riptide Communications 212-260-5000
Talat Hamdani, Peaceful Tomorrows, 631-655-8781
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In the wake of the official announcement that Osama Bin Laden, alleged leader of Al Qaeda has been killed, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows released the following statement:
As we consider the killing of Osama Bin Laden, our thoughts turn not only to our family members who were killed on September 11th, but to all of the innocent people around the world who have died, and continue to die, as a result of the events of September 11th, 2001
It is our hope that the rule of law underpinned by our Constitution that was so terribly strained in the name of September 11th will again become the guiding light of our policies at home and abroad. One person may have played a central role in the September 11th attacks, but all of us have a role to play in returning our world to a place of peace, hope and new possibilities. We hope that process will begin today.
Peaceful Tomorrows is an organization founded by family members of those killed on September 11th who have united to turn our grief into action for peace. By developing and advocating nonviolent options and actions in the pursuit of justice, we hope to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism. Acknowledging our common experience with all people affected by violence throughout the world, we work to create a safer and more peaceful world for everyone.
"Whether it's universal school meals, student debt cancellation, climate action, or a just foreign policy that reflects our values—the 5th District showed tonight that we want to drive the nation toward a better future."
U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar handily won her primary race in Minnesota's 5th District on Tuesday, effectively securing her reelection to Congress in the face of an onslaught of pro-Israel cash aimed at unseating progressive supporters of a Gaza cease-fire and other popular policy positions.
Omar defeated her main challenger, former Minneapolis city councilmember Don Samuels, by more than 16,000 votes after narrowly fending him off in 2022. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which has spent aggressively to defeat other members of the progressive "Squad," did not get heavily involved in the Minnesota race after its attempt to recruit a different challenger failed.
Samuels' campaign did receive a late boost from pro-Israel donors—including a flurry of contributions following Rep. Cori Bush's (D-Mo.) primary loss to an AIPAC-backed Democrat last week—but Omar enjoyed a significant fundraising and spending advantage.
"I am honored that my community voted to send me back to Congress," Omar, the deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said after The Associated Press called the race in her favor. "Tonight's victory shows that the 5th District believes in the collective values we are fighting for in Washington."
"Whether it's universal school meals, student debt cancellation, climate action, or a just foreign policy that reflects our values—the 5th District showed tonight that we want to drive the nation toward a better future," she continued. "And our work is far from over. From protecting reproductive healthcare to reforming the Supreme Court to ending the genocide in Gaza to combatting the climate crisis—we will continue to fight for a more just world."
Tonight, special interests lost and our movement won. Thank you to everyone who was a part of it. Every single person who contributed made this moment possible.
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) August 14, 2024
Omar's decisive victory in a primary that was open to voters of all party affiliations came after candidates bankrolled by AIPAC's super PAC succeeded in defeating Bush and Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) in two of the most expensive congressional primaries in U.S. history. Along with Omar, Bush and Bowman are among Congress' most vocal supporters of a Gaza cease-fire.
A Politicoanalysis found that AIPAC has been "the biggest source of Republican money flowing into competitive Democratic primaries this year." The lobbying organization has spent nearly $25 million on elections in 2024.
Justice Democrats, a progressive advocacy group that has been working to counter AIPAC's influence in Democratic primaries, acknowledged in the wake of Omar's win Tuesday that "our movement has suffered immeasurable losses this cycle."
"But the backlash from monied corporate and right-wing interests proves not only are we succeeding, but our mandate to elect more Justice Democrats and take big money out of politics is abundantly clear," the group added. "The greatest obstacle to Democrats delivering the agenda they have promised the American people is the influence of corporate super PACs and lobbies buying our party's inaction. We must show our voters that a brighter future is possible, if we fight for it."
Joseph Geevarghese, executive director of Our Revolution—a group that backed Omar's campaign—said Tuesday that the Minnesota progressive's victory was "a powerful rebuke to the influence of corporate money in our democracy."
"Her commitment to bold, progressive policies—whether it's climate action, Medicare for All, or standing up for a permanent cease-fire and end to unconditional aid to Israel—resonates deeply with her constituents," said Geevarghese. "The Democratic Party must take note: To secure victories in 2024 and beyond, they must embrace the policies that truly address the struggles of working families, and reject the influence of dark money that seeks to undermine our democracy."
"Selling Massachusetts doctors to another private equity firm could be a disaster," said Sen. Elizabeth Warren. "Regulators must scrutinize this deal."
Both of Massachusetts' Democratic U.S. senators on Tuesday expressed concern about a private equity firm striking a $245 million deal to buy the nationwide physicians network of the for-profit Steward Health Care, which filed for bankruptcy in May.
The network, Stewardship Health, has about 5,000 employees across nine states and serves around 400,000 patients, according to Steward. It is set to be acquired by Rural Healthcare Group, an affiliate of Kinderhook Industries.
"Steward also operates eight hospitals in Massachusetts," The Boston Globereported Monday. "Last month, it said it will close two of them, Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, by August 31. It's currently in the final stages of negotiations to sell the other six."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), a former bankruptcy law professor, noted the planned closures in her social media post urging regulators to review the deal.
"Two Massachusetts hospitals are closing and communities are suffering because of private equity's looting of Steward," she said. "Selling Massachusetts doctors to another private equity firm could be a disaster. We can't make the same mistake again. Regulators must scrutinize this deal."
In March, Steward had confirmed plans for the Optum unit of insurer UnitedHealth to buy the network, but that was never finalized.
"As part of the ongoing Chapter 11 proceedings, following a robust and active bidding process, Steward Health Care is pleased to have reached an agreement with Rural Healthcare Group," Steward Health Care president Mark Rich said in a Monday statement. "Kinderhook has over 20 years of experience investing in mid-sized healthcare businesses that serve the nations' most vulnerable populations."
"Kinderhook's investments are focused on protecting access to high-quality healthcare in communities that are truly underserved," Rich added. "Rural Healthcare Group is a well-respected group of healthcare professionals that specifically focuses on underserved and underinsured areas. We are confident that Stewardship Health will continue its stellar treatment of the patient population as a result of this transaction."
According to the Globe:
In an attachment to an overnight filing with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Houston, the company listed the purchase price as $245 million in cash.
That price is subject to change, the filing indicated, depending on several factors still to be determined, including whether U.S. Family Plan at Brighton Marine, a Boston health insurance agency, is included in the transaction. The filing listed the buyer as Brady Health Buyer LLC, a company set up by New York-based Kinderhook to purchase Stewardship.
The newspaper noted that "the sale to Rural Healthcare is subject to the approval of U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez at a Houston hearing scheduled for Friday. It's also subject to regulatory approval in Massachusetts and other states."
As Common Dreamsreported last month, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chair of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), led the panel in bipartisan votes to authorize a probe into the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care (20-1) and subpoena CEO Ralph de la Torre (16-4).
The same day, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), a committee member, and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) introduced the Health Over Wealth Act, which would increase the powers of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to monitor and block private equity deals in the healthcare industry.
"Private equity firms buying up healthcare systems are simply bad news for patients, leading to worse health outcomes and higher bills," Jayapal said at the time. "We have a duty to protect patients from greedy corporations that are prioritizing their bottom line over patient care."
In response to news of the doctors group deal, Markey said Tuesday that "private equity did to Steward what it will keep doing to hospitals and physician networks across the U.S.—unless we put guardrails on them. We need to pass my Health Over Wealth Act to get corporate greed out of healthcare for good."
"It's not a one-time incident of a young and stupid company commander who decides on his own to take somebody," said one IDF soldier who admitted to using Palestinians as human shields.
Believing that "our lives are more important than their lives," Israel Defense Forces soldiers have widely used Palestinians including civilians as booby trap detectors in Gaza, according to a new Haaretz investigation, the latest of numerous reports detailing IDF use of kidnapped Gazans as human shields.
The report, published Tuesday, features testimonies of IDF soldiers, who said commanders are fully aware of the practice of using captured Palestinians as human shields. One soldier said "there is pride in it," referring to acts considered war crimes under Protocol I of the Geneva Conventions and international humanitarian law.
"When I saw the report from Al Jazeera, I said, 'Ah, yes, it's true.'"
The IDF's use of human shields in the current Gaza war first drew widespread international attention following a May report from Defense for Children International-Palestine detailing how minors are forced to walk ahead of Israeli soldiers during dangerous raids.
Subsequent Al Jazeera reports of a Palestinian strapped to the hood of an Israeli combat vehicle to deter attack and Gazans being sent into buildings and tunnels to ensure the locations weren't rigged with explosives sparked international outrage and initial IDF denials.
"When I saw the report from Al Jazeera, I said, 'Ah, yes, it's true,'" one IDF conscript who helped use Gazans as human shields told Haaretz. "And then I saw the IDF's response, which totally doesn't reflect reality. It's done with the knowledge of the brigade commander, at the least."
The soldier added that IDF commanders "know that it's not a one-time incident of a young and stupid company commander who decides on his own to take somebody."
Another IDF soldier said that "there were times when really old people were made to go into houses."
Yet another soldier said that Palestinian captives are told that if they do one tunnel mission, they'll be set free.
"People began to ask questions, very quickly a mess began about this procedure," one soldier recalled. "Some argued that they weren't willing to carry out operations if it included a Gazan who was forced to sacrifice himself."
"Of course, there were those who supported it, but at least with us there were just a few of them, mostly the commanders who were afraid to deal with the more senior commanders," they added.
Responding to the new report, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit said that "IDF instructions and orders prohibit the use of Gazan civilians caught in the field for military missions that pose a deliberate risk to their lives."
"The IDF's instructions and orders on the subject have been made clear to the forces," the unit's statement added. "Upon receipt of the request, the allegations were forwarded to the relevant authorities for review."
Israel has been accused of using human shields in wars going back to the founding of the nation in 1948.
In 2002, the Israeli High Court of Justice issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the use of human shields in operations to quash the Second Intifada, or general uprising. Some IDF soldiers ignored the injunction,
according to the Israeli human rights group B'Tselem.
In 2010, two staff sergeants in the Givati Brigade were convicted of forcing a 9-year-old Palestinian boy to open bags they thought might contain explosives during the 2008-09 Operation Cast Lead invasion of Gaza. The staff sergeants were slapped on the wrists with suspended sentences and demotions. Neither went to prison.
Numerous subsequent instances of IDF soldiers' use of human shields have gone unpunished.
Palestinian militants including members of Hamas have also been accused of using Palestinians as human shields.
As is the case with the IDF reservists currently accused of gang-raping a Palestinian detainee at the notorious Sde Teiman torture prison, many Israeli government and military officials, as well as journalists and others, have defended the "right" of IDF soldiers to do what they want to Palestinians.
Haaretz explained that "the thinking is that it's better for the Israeli soldiers to remain alive and for the [Palestinians] to be the ones blown up by an explosive device."