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John Ramming Chappell

@jwrchappell.bsky.social
410 followers 117 following 78 posts

Senior Non-Resident Fellow at Center for International Policy | Foreign policy and human rights lawyer focused on US weapons and wars | Burqueño | Views mine

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Reposted by John Ramming Chappell
IMEU Policy Project @imeupolicy.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Yesterday, Sen. @vanhollen.senate.gov, @jwrchappell.bsky.social, and Ozden Eygi Bennett joined us to discuss Israel's rampant human rights abuses in the illegally-occupied West Bank, and the 502B resolution Sen. Van Hollen has introduced to hold Israel accountable. Watch here:
youtube.com
Holding Israel Accountable: Briefing with Senator Chris Van Hollen on Senate Resolution 852
YouTube video by IMEU Policy Project
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Alex Langlois @langloisajl.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Absolutely, positively give @jwrchappell.bsky.social's review of @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social new book, "Crossing the Red Line," a read in @dawnmenaorg.bsky.social' Democracy in Exile. The book is well worth the read and essential for those tracking Israel-Palestine and US politics. See below:
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Reposted by John Ramming Chappell
Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
New from @imeupolicy.bsky.social authored by @jwrchappell.bsky.social @cipolicy.bsky.social analyzes the implications of implementing Section 502B with respect to Israel, drawing from recent policy proposals, legal analysis, and media reporting. static1.squarespace.com/static/667c2...
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
@dawnmenaorg.bsky.social @jwrchappell.bsky.social says: The book distinguishes itself among its peers by relying on extensive interviews with people who directly participated in or witnessed the U.S. policy process. dawnmena.org/book-review-...
dawnmena.org
Book Review: ‘Crossing the Red Line’ Reveals How Biden Enabled Israel’s Atrocities in Gaza - DAWN
Akbar Shahid Ahmed’s new book, “Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors and Israel's War in Gaza,” is the first detailed account of the decisions that made the United States complicit in Israel’s a...
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DAWN @dawnmenaorg.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
"When it comes to picking people to make policy and hold power, where is your red line?" @jwrchappell.bsky.social reviews just published "Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors, and Israel's War in Gaza" by @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social.
dawnmena.org
Book Review: ‘Crossing the Red Line’ Reveals How Biden Enabled Israel’s Atrocities in Gaza - DAWN
Akbar Shahid Ahmed’s new book, “Crossing the Red Line: Biden, His Advisors and Israel's War in Gaza,” is the first detailed account of the decisions that made the United States complicit in Israel’s a...
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Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 13/08/2026
This reporting should chill every American to the bone. The Trump Administration owes the public answers – Americans do not support extrajudicial attacks in our name. We need transparency and accountability for these strikes, NOW.
washingtonpost.com
Covert CIA program said to be behind mysterious attacks on Galápagos boats
A surveillance plane flew from El Salvador toward the fishing boats before drones attacked, flight data shows.
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
New from @sethbinder.bsky.social ( @acmer.bsky.social ) @jwrchappell.bsky.social & JP Reppeto ( CIVIC) @elias-y.bsky.social ( @stimsoncenter.bsky.social ) examines risks associated w/ expanding cooperative defense projects as policymakers consider re: #Israel civiliansinconflict.org/publications...
civiliansinconflict.org
US Cooperative Defense Projects 101: Legal Authorities, Funding, and Risks | Center for Civilians in Conflict
In the United States, a growing number of legislators are questioning the value and purpose of continuing traditional military aid to Israel. As support for providing billions of US taxpayer dollars a...
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I’m excited to be joining Center for International Policy’s roster of senior non-resident fellows! I'm excited to keep pursuing research and advocacy around the arms trade and international law while also renewing and expanding my work in other areas. Thanks @nancyokail.bsky.social for welcoming me!
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Nancy Okail @nancyokail.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Thrilled to welcome @jwrchappell.bsky.social as Senior Fellow at @cipolicy.bsky.social on nuclear policy, arms control & other crucial issues as we expand our capacity to build a foreign policy that prioritizes diplomacy over militarism Read his full profile: internationalpolicy.org/about/#john-...
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Just Security @justsecurity.org · 13/07/2026
Members of the Senate are taking steps to regulate and restrict how the Department of Defense develops and uses AI in its operations. Sarah Wilbanks and @jwrchappell.bsky.social (John Ramming Chappell) break down the different proposals underway:
justsecurity.org
Civilian Protection in the Age of Military AI
Members of the Senate are taking steps to regulate and restrict how the Department of Defense develops and uses AI in its operations.
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Center for International Policy @cipolicy.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Cluster munitions haunt battlefields long after fighting is over, scattered bomblets remaining active for months years or decades, until painstakingly disarmed or tragically detonated. U.S. stopped purchasing cluster munitions in 2007, but restarted last year. internationalpolicy.org/publications...
internationalpolicy.org
Recommit to Restraint in U.S. Cluster Munitions Policy  - CIP
Recent backsliding in U.S. cluster munition policy implicates international law, breaks with longstanding policy, and demands an answer.
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
New article from Mina Nur Basmaci and John Ramming Chappell focused on concerning possible cluster munition procurement by the US, but also making much broader points. @banclusterbombs.bsky.social @jwrchappell.bsky.social @cipolicy.bsky.social internationalpolicy.org/publications...
internationalpolicy.org
Recommit to Restraint in U.S. Cluster Munitions Policy  - CIP
Recent backsliding in U.S. cluster munition policy implicates international law, breaks with longstanding policy, and demands an answer.
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Akbar Shahid Ahmed @akbarshahidahmed.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
NEW― Sources familiar with US policies on civilian casualties are deeply worried about the possible toll of Trump's war on Iran -Key Pentagon teams focused on civilians have been slashed+reassigned (even at CENTCOM) -Israel role raising fears of Gaza-style impunity www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-...
huffpost.com
Before Trump Bombed Iran, Pentagon Slashed Teams Meant to Limit Civilian Casualties
The U.S. has "no stupid rules of engagement," Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Monday.
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 06/11/2025
One of the great panels at this year's annual conference bringing together the responsible arms trade, human rights and anti-corruption communities. 12/10 in Washington DC. Sign up now www.forumarmstrade.org/annual2025.h... @jwrchappell.bsky.social @seharrison7.bsky.social @jeffabramson.bsky.social
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Glad to speak with @yvonnemurray.bsky.social of @news.rte.ie about the lethal US maritime strikes and be quoted along with @jwrchappell.bsky.social and my @crisisgroup.org colleague @renatasegura.bsky.social. www.rte.ie/news/analysi...
rte.ie
US strikes on boats stoke fears of regional conflict
As details of the human cost of US strikes on boats in Latin America have begun to emerge, some regional leaders have declared support for US unilateral military action exposing a complex pattern of c...
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Annie Shiel @annieshiel.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
Despite the narrow failure of a Senate War Powers Resolution last night, “There will be more opportunities for Congress to rally against the president’s killings of civilians without due process," @jwrchappell.bsky.social told Responsible Statecraft. More: responsiblestatecraft.org/senate-war-p...
responsiblestatecraft.org
Senate effort to rein in Trump war on 'narco-terrorists' fails
War Powers Resolution fails largely along party lines
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Kelsey Atherton @atherton.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
Senators, representatives, and Presidential aspirants can all work to change this back to a first principle of restraint, and they should do so, argues John Ramming Chappell for @cipolicy.bsky.social. internationalpolicy.org/publications...
Congress should reintroduce the National Security Powers Act and National Security Reforms and Accountability Act, or other legislation to reassert congressional authority over arms sales, and work toward a mark-up.
Advocates and researchers should connect crises to the structures that made them possible.
Presidential aspirants should commit to working with Congress to overhaul the arms sales framework.
Ultimately, arms sales should be guided by a “first, do no harm” ethos.
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Just Security @justsecurity.org · 17/09/2025
Analyzing the legal and moral stakes of the Caribbean strikes – and how Congress could respond. From Annie Shiel, @jwrchappell.bsky.social, Priyanka Motaparthy, Wells Dixon and Daphne Eviatar: www.justsecurity.org/120794/legal...
justsecurity.org
Murder by Drone: The Legal and Moral Stakes of the Caribbean Strikes
If allowed to go unchecked, the Caribbean strikes could encourage additional unlawful executions by the United States and other leaders.
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
@jwrchappell.bsky.social via @cipolicy.bsky.social concludes "Congress should be working towards a reclamation of their constitutional authority and an end to the system that allows the president to sell weapons to war criminals and human rights abusers..." internationalpolicy.org/publications...
internationalpolicy.org
Think Big to Rein in the Arms Trade  - CIP
American weapons sales cause outsized harm. Congress can change that.
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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Israel bombed multiple countries across the Middle East in recent days. US military aid makes this possible. In our new factsheet we breakdown the $21.7B provided to Israel since Oct 7 & privileges it receives that allows it to carry on its war machine. mideastdc.org/publication/...
mideastdc.org
Extraordinary Sums and Privileges: U.S. Security Assistance to Israel Since October 7, 2023 - MEDC
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Spoke with @politico.com about the lethal U.S. strike in the Caribbean. “This is not about counterterrorism, war on terror, counter-narcotics. The really key issue here is the scope of the power being claimed by the president.” The power to kill outside the law. www.politico.com/news/2025/09...
politico.com
‘The GOP’s Elizabeth Warren’: Vance happy to feud with Rand Paul
The often outspoken senator blasted Vance's celebration of last week's missile strike on an alleged drug boat as 'despicable.'
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Seth Binder @sethbinder.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
In a new piece by me and @stimsoncenter.bsky.social's Elias Yousif, we discuss the risks of the admin's legally dubious decision not to release detailed accounting for how the government intends to spend future foreign assistance. A 🧵 mideastdc.org/publication/...
mideastdc.org
President Trump is Undermining Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability - MEDC
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Annie Shiel @annieshiel.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
NEW: CIVIC is alarmed by the US strike on a vessel in the Caribbean that killed 11 people. An attack like this, outside of armed conflict, is an extrajudicial execution, not an act of war. Congress must demand transparency & accountability: civiliansinconflict.org/press-releas...
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
No pretense that US is somehow engaged in an armed conflict that might justify lethal targeting in this manner. As I told @npr.org this morning, we have a word for premeditated killing outside of armed conflict: murder. (Also the administration has not substantiated any of its factual claims.)
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Ryan Goodman @rgoodlaw.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
1/3 Just so we are all clear on this. Based on what this former official "who has years of direct experience in fighting drug cartels" told the Times. The order to blow up the Venezuelan boat may have instead killed migrants who were being smuggled. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/u...
The former official also said it was unusual to have 11 people manning a vessel that could easily be crewed by two or three, especially since traffickers are always trying to maximize the amount of cargo space devoted to carrying drugs, not human beings.

In the former official’s opinion, it was more likely that the vessel was carrying migrants on a human smuggling run. It would be impossible to know for sure, however, given that any evidence of drug smuggling was destroyed in the attack.
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Tess Bridgeman @tessbridgeman.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
I've read and coded every War Powers Report ever sent to Congress (check them all out, with interactive graphics and a searchable database 👇), and this one on #Trump's attack on an alleged drug smuggling vessel in the Caribbean stands out. I'll explain below: warpowers.lawandsecurity.org
warpowers.lawandsecurity.org
War Powers Resolution Reporting Project
A living resource on presidential reporting practice and the use of U.S. armed forces abroad.
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Annie Shiel @annieshiel.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Congress is back from recess soon. What are your representatives doing to end US support for carnage and starvation in Gaza? From @jwrchappell.bsky.social & me on why cosponsoring the Block the Bombs Act should be a benchmark in the House: responsiblestatecraft.org/house-vote-i...
responsiblestatecraft.org
Does the House have the grit to 'Block the Bombs' to Israel?
Lawmakers returning from recess have a chance to do what their constituents are telling them to — stop US complicity in Gaza carnage
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 21/08/2025
Congress finishes August recess soon, and for weeks they've been facing constituents in their home districts asking: what are you doing to stop atrocities in Gaza? The benchmark for House members is cosponsoring the Block the Bombs bill. 1/ responsiblestatecraft.org/house-vote-i...
responsiblestatecraft.org
Does the House have the grit to 'Block the Bombs' to Israel?
Lawmakers returning from recess have a chance to do what their constituents are telling them to — stop US complicity in Gaza carnage
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
We at Center for Civilians in Conflict have been closely tracking civilian protection in the US-Nigeria security relationship, and I recently visited our teams in Abuja and Maiduguri digging into civilian protection issues. 1/
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Senator Bernie Sanders @sanders.senate.gov · 30/07/2025
The time is long overdue for Congress to stop funding Israel’s illegal and horrific war against the Palestinian people. The U.S. must not support a government which is starving children. Tomorrow, I will force votes in the Senate to block the sale of weapons to Netanyahu.
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Dylan Williams @dylanwilliams.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
These votes present Senators with a choice between backing up their condemnations of starvation and killing in Gaza with concrete action, or continuing to unconditionally send Israel the arms it is using to enforce its siege, fire on Palestinian civilians, and forcibly displace them from their land.
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
Votes are expected Wednesday on US arms to #Israel, namely SJ Res 34 & 41. See more details here on US law and these proposed sales and concerns armssalesaccountabilityproject.com/wp-content/u... and for a timeline of this administration's arms to Israel, see www.forumarmstrade.org/us-israel-tr...
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 30/07/2025
In this article, I dig into @sarajacobs.house.gov's crucial new bill to require tracking of US weapons used in civilian harm, and to cut off arms sales to countries that use American weapons to carry out atrocity crimes.
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Just Security @justsecurity.org · 29/07/2025
@jwrchappell.bsky.social and Kate Fin (CIVIC) break down the Silver Shield Act, which they explain gives Congress an opportunity to take real action to prevent civilian harm from U.S. weapons transfers. www.justsecurity.org/117989/silve...
justsecurity.org
The Silver Shield Act: A Bill to Track Misuse of American Weapons
Congress can turn to the Silver Shield Act when it is ready to take real action to prevent civilian harm from U.S. weapons transfers.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 28/07/2025
It is also US law. www.justsecurity.org/93589/no-mil...
justsecurity.org
Section 620I: No Military Assistance to States Restricting U.S. Humanitarian Assistance
The United States should be using the leverage this provision creates to shape more responsible Israeli policies toward aid delivery.
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Congresswoman Sara Jacobs @sarajacobs.house.gov · 24/07/2025
I am sickened by what we’re seeing in Gaza right now. The IDF has blocked aid while shooting people waiting in food lines for what little aid is actually coming from the sham Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. Israel needs to lift its blockade and the U.S. needs to stop sending bombs.
abcnews.go.com
More than 100 aid groups warn of 'mass starvation' in Gaza amid Israel's war with Hamas
A statement released by the 115 aid groups warned of "record rates of acute malnutrition" in the Gaza Strip.
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Brian Finucane @bcfinucane.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
In recent decades, discussions of humanitarian intervention have focused on using force to stop atrocities. Here the issue is whether the U.S. will use its military support as leverage to stop atrocities. Colleagues of Cindy’s late husband should listen to this. m.youtube.com/watch?v=tlyy...
m.youtube.com
Cindy McCain tells CNN Israeli troops fired on crowds approaching Gaza aid convoy
YouTube video by CNN
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 18/07/2025
William Hartung @quincyinst.bsky.social argues "Congress should be increasing its ability to block dubious deals, not hobbling its own oversight role and ability to meaningfully weigh in on pressing U.S. national security matters." responsiblestatecraft.org/arms-sales-2...
responsiblestatecraft.org
Congress poised to do less oversight on arms sales
New bills would continue to chip away and the legislative branch's role in shaping US foreign policy
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Lawfare @lawfaremedia.org · 15/07/2025
Does President Trump's payment to El Salvador to detain hundreds of men without charges or a trial violate U.S. law? @seharrison7.bsky.social ( @crisisgroup.org) finds that loopholes in U.S. statues have provided a pathway for the use of security assistance for the purpose of imprisoning people.
lawfaremedia.org
Crossing the Rubicon: U.S. Government Cash for Human Rights Violations
With a payment to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, President Trump appears to have hired a foreign government to arbitrarily detain hundreds of men.
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International Peace Institute @ipinst.bsky.social · 18/06/2025
🔔 New on the GO: Weapons without Consequences: How the Global Arms Trade Undermines the Protection of Civilians How do arms exports undermine civilian protection, and how can this be stopped? 👉 Read the full analysis: theglobalobservatory.org/1900/06/weap...
theglobalobservatory.org
Weapons without Consequences: How the Global Arms Trade Undermines the Protection of Civilians - IPI Global Observatory
In recent years, global attention to the role of international arms transfers in harming civilians has soared. Much of this attention stems from the United States’ and other countries’ exports to Isra...
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 29/05/2025
My latest for @justsecurity.org: "Lawmakers have an opportunity to use U.S. leverage to pressure the UAE to stop fueling devastating harm to Sudanese civilians – they should take it." Learn more about the UAE's role in the article and at www.speakoutonsudan.org.
speakoutonsudan.org
Speak Out On Sudan
The UAE is fuelingsupporting mass atrocities in Sudan. It’s time to act.
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Dylan Williams @dylanwilliams.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
NEW: Democratic lawmakers will force a vote to require the Trump Administration to report on compliance with court orders regarding US residents it deported to El Salvador and human rights conditions there. Failure to produce the report would mandate the cut-off of US security aid to El Salvador.
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 01/05/2025
@kaine.senate.gov has introduced a privileged resolution to require the Trump administration to report on human rights conditions in El Salvador and specifically the notorious CECOT prison, where the Bukele government is detaining people deported from the US. 1/ apnews.com/article/sena...
apnews.com
Senate Democrats plan to force a vote on resolution for transparency on deportations to El Salvador
Senate Democrats plan to force a vote in the coming weeks on a resolution to require more transparency from President Donald Trump’s administration about deportations to El Salvador.
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 29/04/2025
Radhya al-Mutawakel: "At a time when they were hoping to see an end to this bloody chapter of their lives, they now find themselves potential targets of U.S. forces' attacks." 1/ www.mwatana.org/posts-en/doz...
mwatana.org
Dozens of Civilians Killed and Injured
New U.S. Campaign Targets Civilians and Vital Infrastructure
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Mehdi Hasan @mehdirhasan.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
"EXCLUSIVE: Dem Voters Overwhelmingly Say US Should Cut Aid to Israel Until It Stops Attacking Civilians" From Palestine to economics, a new poll from Data for Progress and Zeteo shows likely Democratic primary voters prefer a more progressive approach.
zeteo.com
EXCLUSIVE: Dem Voters Overwhelming Say US Should Cut Aid to Israel Until It Stops Attacking Civilians
From Israel-Palestine to economic policy, polling from Data for Progress and Zeteo shows likely primary voters prefer a more progressive approach.
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Nahal Toosi @nahaltoosi.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
In its own diplomatic way, the GAO finds the Biden admin basically did nothing to stop civilians from getting killed in places like Gaza. “Further, as of December 2024, State had not completed any investigations into reports it deemed credible.” www.gao.gov/products/gao...
gao.gov
Human Rights: State Can Improve Response to Allegations of Civilians Harmed by U.S. Arms Transfers
The United States is the world's largest exporter of defense items such as ammunition and missiles. Public reports have raised concerns that some...
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Senator Chris Van Hollen @vanhollen.senate.gov · 24/04/2025
Getting rid of safeguards designed to limit civilian harm from U.S. military operations & ensure compliance with international humanitarian law undermines our credibility, jeopardizes our missions & raises the risk of natl security threats.
washingtonpost.com
Senators challenge Hegseth on civilian deaths in Yemen strikes
Democrats have demanded that the Trump administration account for rising loss of life from its intensified campaign against Iran-backed militants.
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Forum on the Arms Trade @forumarmstrade.bsky.social · 01/04/2025
This week, Senator Sanders is expected to force a vote on two resolutions of disapproval on US arms sales to Israel. Yesterday, 4 resolutions were introduced in the House. See our timeline for details and resources www.forumarmstrade.org/us-israel-tr...
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John Ramming Chappell @jwrchappell.bsky.social · 20/03/2025
There is a major risk that a court won't even reach the merits in the Alien Enemies Act litigation, dismissing it as a political question. @ebrightyon.bsky.social lays out the arguments and precedents for why the judiciary can and should intervene.
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