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 @LlamaDaveNewsForeign policyIsraelDaily DiscussionPalestineGazaKamala HarrisBidenNetanyahu•••5mos ago

Kamala Harris Has a Chance to Do the Right Thing on Gaza

Vice President Kamala Harris, who inherits Biden’s bloody legacy along with his role as presumptive party nominee, now has a unique opportunity to set a new path for her party and the country. After months of unspeakable horrors, Democrats have a chance to show voters that they’re, once again, capable of doing what’s right by putting an end to Israel’s war on Gaza and securing a permanent and immediate cease-fire. Harris should use Netanyahu’s visit to publicly denounce Israel’s genocidal campaign and rally members of Congress to her cause. Privately, Harris needs to impress upon Biden that he alone is capable of ending the war by cutting off Israel’s main supply of weapons and intelligence.

Harris has previously expressed concern over the treatment of Palestinians. She said pro-Palestine protesters were “showing exactly what the human emotion should be” on Gaza, while cautioning that she didn’t agree with everything they had to say. In March 2024, Harris became the face of the administration’s escalating calls for a cease-fire—albeit one that was temporary and insufficient. So far, however, she has deviated from Biden in tone more than substance. Her record (thin on foreign policy experience) and past remarks on Israel suggest that she might be inclined to follow the administration’s current trajectory.

A majority of voters now disapprove of Biden’s handling of foreign policy issues. Seven in 10 likely voters support a permanent cease-fire and de-escalation of the conflict in Gaza, which risks metastasizing into a regional conflict. By throwing her support behind a cease-fire and a pause on weapons shipments, Harris can show voters she’s willing to meet them where they are: that she has seen the pictures and reports we have seen and continue to see on an ongoing basis. Without putting an end to the war, Democrats will have a hard time making the case that a greater evil exists in Trump and his party.

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 @ISIDEWITHasked…5mos5MO

How would you feel if a leader you trusted was in a position to stop a major conflict, but their actions didn't align with their words?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…5mos5MO

Imagine having the power to influence peace in a region of conflict; what would be your first step, and why?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…5mos5MO

What does the phrase 'doing the right thing' mean to you in the context of international conflicts?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…5mos5MO

How important is it for a political leader to consider public opinion when making decisions on foreign policy?

 @ISIDEWITHasked…5mos5MO

If you were in Kamala Harris' position, how would you balance previous political stances with the current demand for peace in Gaza?

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Democrats Want Kamala Harris Back In 2028

Senior Democrats aren’t ruling out Kamala Harris as a presidential candidate for 2028. But not all of them are fully endorsing the idea, either.For party leaders, it’s a delicate balancing act. Some want to show respect for the outgoing vice president — but also share a sense of skepticism about her future prospects. For others, they have genuine enthusiasm for her candidacy and believe she lost because President Joe Biden simply exited the race too late.“I would be on board 100 percent with whatever she decides to do. I think she is a phenomenal person. I think she was a phenomenal candidate,” said Yvette Lewis, a member of the Democratic National Committee’s executive panel. “We were able to turn things around so quickly, and that’s a testament to her.”At a confab of DNC members last week, no party officials outright dismissed the idea of another Harris campaign, and some said they were willing to back her if she ran again.Shasti Conrad, chair of the Washington Democratic Party who was also at the event, said, “I certainly was so proud to support her and would love to do it again.”But, she added, the 2028 presidential primary will be “an open process,” meaning that Harris would face competition if she ran again.Outside the DNC gathering, some Democrats in battleground and red states are overtly panning the possibility.“LOL. I don’t think anyone is asking for a Harris third presidential campaign,” said Pennsylvania-based Democratic strategist Tommy McDonald. “Democrats need to build a party that can play everywhere, and Harris couldn’t win on a narrow map.”

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Trump Appoints Controversial Covid Critic Bhattacharya To National Institute of Health

President Trump announces the nomination of Dr Bhattacharya to Director of the National Institutes of Health.Bhattacharya has called for shifting the agency’s focus toward funding more innovative research and reducing the influence of some of its longest-serving career officials, among other ideas.Trump earlier this month selected Kennedy to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH and other health agencies. Kennedy has played a central role in choosing top health-care staff and deputies for the next administration, including Marty Makary, a Johns Hopkins surgeon and writer whom Trump announced to lead the Food and Drug Administration, and Dave Weldon, an internal medicine physician and former GOP congressman whom Trump selected to run the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Bhattacharya emerged as a prominent critic of the federal government’s covid-19 response, co-writing an October 2020 open letter known as the Great Barrington Declaration that called for rolling back coronavirus-related shutdowns while keeping “focused protections” for vulnerable populations, such as older Americans. The proposal won support from Republican politicians and some Americans eager to resume daily life but was rebuked by public health experts, including then-NIH Director Francis S. Collins, as premature and dangerous as the covid-19 virus continued to spread and vaccines were not yet available.Bhattacharya has called for rolling back the power of some of the 27 institutes and centers that constitute NIH, saying that some career civil servants wrongly shaped national policies at the height of the pandemic and did not tolerate dissent. Bhattacharya and other critics have singled out Anthony S. Fauci, the infectious-disease expert who led one of NIH’s centers for 38 years and helped steer the nation’s coronavirus response before leaving the federal government in December 2022.Trump Appoints Controversial Covid Critic Bhattacharya To NIH

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2mos2MO

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 @ISIDEWITH submitted…2wks2W

Defense Bill Blocks Transgender Care To Minors

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