November, 02 2021, 03:36pm EDT
47 Organizations Call on President Biden to Offer Iran Humanitarian Relief
WASHINGTON
47 organizations called on President Biden to pursue goodwill gestures aimed at helping the people of Iran combat the COVID-19 pandemic and fostering a positive environment for negotiations aimed at restoring the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), or nuclear deal with Iran.
As the letter states, by "taking humanitarian steps to ensure sanctions do not exacerbate the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, your administration can discredit those within Iran who argue there are no differences between your administration and the Trump administration and are eager to match U.S. economic pressure with Iranian nuclear leverage."
"None of these measures are concessions to Iran's government and can be implemented such that any relief is purely humanitarian and beneficial to ordinary Iranians. Such steps will advance U.S. national security by creating momentum for negotiations while also bolstering global vaccination efforts and the campaign to defeat COVID-19."
The recommendations include ensuring that sanctions do not inhibit vaccine procurement, authorizing restricted Iranian assets to be made available for humanitarian purchases, opening up clear humanitarian channels and supporting the growing population of Afghan refugees in Iran.
The full text of the letter and the list of signers can be read at this link.
Jamal Abdi, President of the National Iranian American Council, stated "There is still a window of opportunity for President Biden to restore the Iran nuclear deal and avoid a dangerous escalation to war, but creative solutions are urgently needed. By taking humanitarian steps to allow Iranians to combat COVID-19, the U.S. can get a win-win that boosts our diplomats at the negotiating table and saves lives. There's no time to waste."
Sara Haghdoosti, Deputy Director and Senior Strategist at Win Without War, said "We've seen that maximum pressure sanctions don't work and now as we're still reeling from a global pandemic their impacts on everyday people and families in Iran is inexcusable. We need to solve this challenge not just because it's the right thing to do but also because it opens more doors on a diplomatic front too.'
Dylan Williams, Senior Vice President for Policy and Strategy at J Street, said "This is a reminder that the question of the best way to prevent Iran from being able to acquire a nuclear weapon has been conclusively answered. The Obama-Biden agreement blocked Iran's path to a nuclear weapon and Trump's violation of the deal with sanctions and threats reopened it. Trump's disastrous maximum pressure policy utterly failed to meet its objectives, and a return to that approach would very likely lead to a nuclear-armed Iran, a costly war or both."
Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said, "Restoring the Iran nuclear deal is a national security imperative for the United States. It is concerning that there's already talk of a Plan B without the US first having exhausted all diplomatic avenues to rejoin the JCPOA. Indeed, one such avenue is for the United States to show goodwill by aiding Iran's fight against Covid-19. This would be a humanitarian measure that cost the US nothing, but can help rebuild trust and perhaps even yield a badly needed breakthrough in the nuclear talks."
There were six rounds of nuclear negotiations between the U.S. and Iran aimed at restoring the JCPOA earlier this year, which have been on pause since June. Negotiations may resume later this month under the direction of the new conservative Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian.
Iran was one of the early epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic and its people have been among the hardest hit. In addition to the impact of U.S. sanctions, which have slowed the pandemic response while impoverishing the people of Iran, the Iranian government has made major missteps including the Supreme Leader's damaging ban on Western-produced vaccines, which was partially reversed in August. See NIAC's recent memo on sanctions impacting the COVID-19 response in Iran here.
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization founded in 2002 to give voice to the Iranian-American community. From being the trusted voice on U.S.- Iran relations, to pushing forth legislation that protects individuals of Iranian heritage from systematic discrimination, to celebrating our cultural heritage, NIAC creates a lasting impact in the lives of the members of our community.
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'Scathing' Report Exposes Broken Promises of Cori Bush's Primary Challenger
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A local coalition on Wednesday released a report blasting the record of St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, who is challenging progressive Congresswoman Cori Bush in the Democratic primary for Missouri's 1st District.
The report about Bell's five years in his current office was published by the Prosecutor Organizing Table, which includes Action St. Louis, ArchCity Defenders, Freedom Community Center, Forward through Ferguson, MacArthur Justice Center, and Missourians to Abolish the Death Penalty.
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Bell "discounted the report as politics," according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Many of the organizations backing the report, he said, have endorsed Bush. And he said she won't debate the issues publicly."
The prosecutor told the newspaper, "My opponent refusing to answer questions and hiding behind this group is disingenuous and does a grave disservice to this community."
Meanwhile, ArchCity spokesperson Z Gorley pointed out that the analysis began long before Bell announced he was running for Congress and Bush's campaign accused Bell of using the congresswoman as a scapegoat "to evade responsibility."
The Working Families Party (WFP)—which has endorsed Bush—called the report "scathing."
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The race between Bell and Bush has garnered national attention in large part because Republican billionaires and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) have backed the prosecutor for the August 6 primary in hopes of ousting the congresswoman for criticizing the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip and her supportiveness of a range of progressive issues.
AIPAC's other top progressive target this cycle was Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who was defeated by his pro-Israel primary challenger, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, last month. Just days later, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), and Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) released a joint statement endorsing Bush.
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The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey of 1,253 U.S. adults conducted between July 11-15 found that 70% of all respondents want Biden to step aside in favor of an alternative nominee and 57% think Trump should quit the race. Broken down by partisan affiliation, 73% of Republicans, 70% of Independents, and 65% of Democrats want Biden to stand down, while 26% of Republicans, 51% of Independents, and 86% of Democrats say Trump should withdraw.
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Black Democrats are Biden's strongest supporters—50% want Biden to continue running—while only 25% of all Democratic voters aged 18-44 want him to stay in the race.
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Earlier this week, a Trump-appointed federal judge dismissed a case involving Trump's alleged mishandling of classified documents—a decision Special Counsel Jack Smith, who has led the case since Trump announced his current campaign, is appealing.
Trump was also impeached twice by the House of Representatives—but not convicted by the Senate—during his first presidential term.
A separate survey by Data for Progress published Wednesday found that "swing" voters are increasingly more concerned about Biden's age than Trump's criminal charges.
According to Data for Progress:
Before the debate and before Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts, we found that swing voters were more concerned about Trump's criminal charges (48%) than Biden's age (41%), with 11% unsure.
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Notably, the new AP-NORC survey was conducted before Saturday's attempted assassination of Trump at a Pennslyvania campaign rally. The deadly shooting seemed to take some wind out of the sails of the burgeoning movement of Democrats urging Biden to withdraw from the race: In the four days before the incident, over a dozen Democratic U.S. lawmakers called on Biden to step aside. In the four days since the assassination attempt, only one more has joined the list, Rep. Adam Schiff of California.
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The CFPB is currently
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We think it is critical that the American people understand the House Republican Conference's firm and dedicated commitment to protecting the business model of unfettered, predatory fines imposed by large corporate banks against ordinary Americans. Thanks to the leadership of the Biden Administration and the CFPB, Americans will collectively receive $10 billion in annual relief from this rule, curbing junk fees levied by profitable credit card giants on consumers.
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A new @POTUS + @CFPB rule means big banks won’t be able to charge over $8 in late fees for credit card payments.
Surprising no one, @HouseGOP is trying to block it 🫠@SpeakerJohnson: bring this bill to a vote & make your members' support for predatory junk fees official. pic.twitter.com/JuzHU921ur
— Progressive Caucus (@USProgressives) July 17, 2024
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According to OpenSecrets, Goldman Sachs employees, executives, and PACs have been Scott's largest campaign contributors over the course of his Senate career.
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