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Washington Area Secular Humanists

@wash1989.bsky.social
335 followers 75 following 4.3K posts

Serving the Secular Humanist communities of Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia! Join us today at wash.org

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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Beth Kantrowitz cites concrete human benefits like drug discovery, crop genetic diversity, & climate mitigation to argue that species extinction is a humanist issue not just a niche ecological concern, proposing that only humans can extend the kind of care to other species needed to save them.
thehumanist.com
Species Extinction is a Humanist Issue - TheHumanist.com
It is not unusual for a few species to go extinct every million years. What is new and bad is the greatly increased rate of extinctions over the past 200 years, what some are calling the sixth great…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
What if the danger with AI isn’t the intelligence itself, but the exploitative profit-driven ideology it’s currently being built within?
thehumanist.com
The Case for a Human-Centered, Runaway AI - TheHumanist.com
The AI emerging today is not being created in an ideological vacuum. It is designed, trained, financed, deployed, and maintained by individuals and institutions steeped in an ideology that treats…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In this conversation, Dr. Leo Igwe discusses his priorities for strengthening humanism across Africa & the Global South. He emphasizes that humanism must translate into practical services like healthcare, elder care, counseling, & chaplaincy in order to genuinely compete with religious institutions.
thehumanist.com
Humanism in Africa and Global South Leadership - TheHumanist.com
Dr. Leo Igwe is a Nigerian humanist and human rights advocate serving as vice president of Humanists International. He founded the Nigerian Humanist Movement and Advocacy for Alleged Witches.
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Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 02/10/2026
A Christian Nationalist group booked two meals at a Tennessee restaurant without revealing who they were. When Saffire found out, it pledged to give any proceeds to charity. Doug Wilson’s allies promptly canceled—and cried persecution. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/a-restaura...
friendlyatheist.com
A restaurant stood up to Doug Wilson’s Christian Nationalists—and won
Saffire pledged its profits to charity, supported protesters, and watched the “Fight Laugh Feast” organizers cancel their own lunch bookings
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Pete Hegseth announced a new step in his Christian nationalist makeover of America’s armed forces this week.
the-independent.com
Outrage spreads over Hegseth plan for Religious Affairs office at the Pentagon
Religious freedom advocates fear Hegseth’s ‘disgusting, immoral, unethical and unconstitutional’ move will open the door to Christian nationalist influence
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
RFK Jr. told the audience at this week’s MAHA summit that AI will “free us from the “tyranny” of medical facts, expertise.”
arstechnica.com
RFK Jr. thinks AI will free us from the "tyranny" of medical facts, expertise
AI is far from a perfect resource. But it seems to hallucinate less than Kennedy.
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Rebecca Watson @skepchick.org · 29/09/2026
After watching Primetime, I wanted to give my perspective as someone who accidentally dated a pedo and got super into the Perverted-Justice forums that led to To Catch a Predator. So, here that is skepchick.org/2026/09/the-...
skepchick.org
The Monsters Behind “To Catch a Predator”
Transcript: I just saw the movie Primetime, starring Robert Pattinson who plays the real-life host of To Catch a Predator: Chris Hansen. And today I want to talk about that: not just the movie, but…
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Rebecca Watson @skepchick.org · 30/09/2026
In an otherwise excellent investigation of a Christian scam called Life Surge, Pablo Torre (Finds Out) & a writer for Mother Jones made the baffling decision to pretend as though Tim Tebow is a wholesome, upstanding man. He's not, and it's dangerous to pretend he is. skepchick.org/2026/09/tim-...
skepchick.org
Tim Tebow’s Christian Scam Shouldn’t Shock You
Breaking news here, folks: an extensive new report from Mother Jones, in conjunction with the podcast “Pablo Torre Finds Out,” has found that thousands of Christians are being sold a terrible lie: …
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Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 01/10/2026
Pete Hegseth announced a new "Office of Religious Affairs" at the Pentagon. In doing so, he invoked a "heavenly king," attacked Secular Humanism, and declared that the military’s "real battle is spiritual." The Christian Nationalist coup continues. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/pete-hegse...
friendlyatheist.com
Pete Hegseth is centralizing religious power inside the military
Hegseth’s explicitly Christian defense of a new Pentagon religious office leaves non-religious service members on dangerous ground
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
commondreams.org
'Your Struggle Is Our Struggle' Says Hasidic Anti-Zionist Rabbi Facing ICE Deportation Over Pro-Palestinian Protest | Common Dreams
A lawyer for 35-year-old Yehonatan Ovadia said his arrest by ICE demonstrates how "equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism produces absurd results."
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
americanhumanist.org
New Federal Voucher Regulations a Christian Nationalist Cash-Grab - American Humanist Association
WASHINGTON – The following is a statement from American Humanist Association Executive Director Fish Stark in response to the Trump…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
americanhumanist.org
Humanists understand beauty and morality, too - American Humanist Association
I was at the Aspen Institute’s Conference on Religion + Society yesterday, and one of the speakers said – as…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
ffrfaction.org
The state-church battlegrounds nobody talks about - FFRF Action Fund
Voters in 31 states this year have selected or will select and retain state supreme court justices. Those courts can determine whether public schools remain
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
ffrf.org
FFRF: Air Force must stop erasing atheists and minority faiths from its ranks
The Freedom From Religion Foundation is excoriating a U.S. Air Force directive requiring personnel to update their religious affiliations using a drastically reduced list of categories.
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Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 30/09/2026
The LDS Church says it sued podcaster John Dehlin because people might mistake his "Mormon Stories Podcast" for an official Church product. Then its own attorney accidentally undermined that argument. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/the-mormon...
friendlyatheist.com
The Mormon Church’s own lawyer just undermined its case against John Dehlin
David Jordan’s defense of the Mormon Stories lawsuit clashes spectacularly with the Church’s earlier attack on Heather Gay’s “Bad Mormon” trademark
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thethinkingatheist.com @thethinkingatheist.com · 30/09/2026
Russell Brand has both "found Jesus" and been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault. He's pretty on-brand for the Trump administration. sbee.link/vah4py96ju
sbee.link
Russell Brand jokes about hugging woman at Maga health summit
The comedian, whose trial for alleged rape and sexual assault begins in weeks, was embraced by Trump officials at a healthy-living summit in Washington
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
As measles cases continue to rage throughout the U.S. and polling shows ongoing erosion in public confidence in standard immunizations, Paul Offit examines why “under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership, public health officials are hesitant to say that the MMR vaccine is safe.”
pauloffit.substack.com
The “S” Word
Under Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s leadership, public health officials are hesitant to say that the MMR vaccine is safe.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
atheists.org
American Atheists Demands Air Force Produce Records of Push to Reclassify Atheist Service Members | American Atheists
The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) filing requests information to determine how the Pentagon made decisions about changes to the department's faith and belief codes.
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Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 29/09/2026
The Air Force is ordering service members to update their religious affiliation using Pete Hegseth’s shortened, Christian-heavy list. If they refuse, their records will be "automatically realigned" by the military. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/pete-hegse...
friendlyatheist.com
Pete Hegseth gutted the military’s list of official religions. Now Air Force members must choose.
Service members must choose from a less inclusive list—or let the military choose for them
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Rebecca Watson @skepchick.org · 28/09/2026
An anonymous group of researchers have exposed a network of Redditors who generated hatred against Blake Lively after her lawsuit alleged Justin Baldoni sexually harassed her on set. They also really want you to listen to The Fray's new album skepchick.org/2026/09/meet...
skepchick.org
Meet the Fake Redditors Who Make You Hate Women
Transcript: Today I have an update on one of those topics that I know you guys come to me expressly for. That’s right: Hollywood gossip. Remember to submit your anonymous tips about celebs to okay …
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
commondreams.org
Trump and RFK Jr.'s Gutting of CDC 'Should Terrify Everyone,' Advocates Say | Common Dreams
“This is not normal," said the president of the union representing CDC workers. "What we are witnessing is the dismantling of public health infrastructure our country relies on."
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
commondreams.org
Trump Attack on Trans Rights, Sexual Assault Survivors Continues With Latest Move on Title IX | Common Dreams
Education Secretary Linda McMahon's announcement to rescind Biden-era anti-discrimination protections has sparked outrage among women's rights and LGBTQ+ advocates. The decision was made without…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
commondreams.org
US Food Banks Under Strain as Trump Policies Drive Up Costs | Common Dreams
President Trump's Iran War and SNAP cuts are straining food banks nationwide. Increased demand and shipping costs are impacting communities.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
commondreams.org
Despite Trump’s War on Clean Energy, Renewables Have Added 34 Times More Capacity Than Fossil Fuels and Nuclear | Common Dreams
“Clearly, the White House has bet on the wrong horse.”
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Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 28/09/2026
A $20 ticket gets Christians in the door. Then Life Surge pitches $97 seminars. Those seminars pitch courses costing up to $40,000. Tim Tebow and other faith-friendly celebrities supply the trust. Many customers are left carrying the debt. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/the-christ...
friendlyatheist.com
The Christian grift behind Life Surge’s celebrity-packed wealth seminars
Tim Tebow and other celebrities spoke at events pitching “Kingdom impact,” but some customers say they were left with crushing debt
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
commondreams.org
Updated Google Satellite Images Show 'Apocalyptic' Destruction of Gaza by Israel | Common Dreams
One Palestinian from Gaza said the imagery "shows you the Israeli barbarism and terrorism that the world lets happen."
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
npr.org
These 6 charts show how NIH research funding has been reshaped under Trump
Stories of science funding being cut, labs shutting down and scientists losing jobs have flooded the media under Trump's administration. These six graphics show how those changes have affected U.S.…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
apnews.com
CDC vaccine policy recommendations grind to a halt under Health Secretary Kennedy
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine recommendation process has been blown up in the past year, and decision-making has ground to a halt.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
RFK Jr. likes to talk (a lot) about public health science being compromised by “conflicts of interest.” He also likes money, though…even when that means making it in ways he possibly shouldn’t be.
nytimes.com
Kennedy Drew $4 Million in Book Advances From Publisher Who Also Monetized MAHA (Gift Article)
A new disclosure also shows $210,000 in consulting fees paid to Cheryl Hines, the health secretary’s wife, by one of several MAHA-affiliated groups capitalizing from his agenda.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
ACTION ALERT — Contact your Representative and tell them to vote against the GRACE Act!
centerforinquiry.org
Help Stop a Bill That Gives Religious Exemptions to Vaccine Requirements in School | Center for Inquiry
A bill that would deny states and schools the ability to require vaccinations that protect children in school has been introduced in Congress. The “GRACE Ac ...
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Rebecca Watson @skepchick.org · 25/09/2026
I wanted to talk about the Ed Sheeran thing, particularly how Macklemore’s past actions highlight the hypocrisy of Zionists like Bob Kraft skepchick.org/2026/09/mack...
skepchick.org
Macklemore Proves Zionists Don’t Care About Antisemitism
Transcript: Today I want to talk about Ed Sheeran and Macklemore. That’s a sentence I never thought I would speak out loud, but it’s the truth: I genuinely want to talk about two musicians I have p…
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Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 26/09/2026
The Daily Mail implied Noah’s Ark has been "100% confirmed." The actual researchers don’t say that. The evidence doesn’t say that. Geologists don’t say that. But the Christian group behind the claim needs $600,000—so congratulations on that miracle. www.friendlyatheist.com/p/scientists...
friendlyatheist.com
Scientists have not “100% confirmed” the resting place of Noah’s Ark
The Daily Mail turned a Christian company’s dubious claims about Turkey’s Durupınar Formation into a wildly misleading story
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
prisonjournalismproject.org
Programming at My Prison Was Overwhelmingly Religious. I Tried to Change That.
Aleksandr Kolpakov has developed a humanist group inside his Colorado prison. It has been difficult to get the religious freedom protections he says his group deserves.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Get to know the six students who were selected for Black Skeptics Los Angeles’ highly competitive $5,000 scholarship! This year’s awardees were engaged in LGBTQ+ advocacy, STEM advocacy, educational justice activism, community service and social work.
thehumanist.com
Black Skeptics Los Angeles Announces its 2026 First in the Family Humanist Forward Freethought Awardees! - TheHumanist.com
In the midst of the Trump administration’s backlash against and attacks on racial, social and educational justice in K-12 and higher education, support for African American and PoC students is…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Dave Larue proposes a humanist framework centered around three "currencies" that shape a life: money (external and replaceable), time (finite and never regained), and personal currency the energy, health, attention, and relationships that determine how well time can be used.
thehumanist.com
The Three Currencies of Life: A Humanist Perspective - TheHumanist.com
We usually treat currency as synonymous with money – the system of exchange that governs much of our daily life. Yet human lives are shaped by other forms of currency as well.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Psychology student Ilhan Kokor examines what he calls the “moral remainder” the idea that even a fair, well-justified decision can leave real moral loss behind. He argues that because humanist ethics doesn’t defer to external authority, it has a special responsibility to stay “morally awake.”
thehumanist.com
Is Ethics Ethical? - TheHumanist.com
A morality grounded in human judgment cannot assume that human judgment becomes unbiased merely because it is secular or well intentioned.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
commondreams.org
Minnesota Proves Trans Inclusion Works; the Government Needs You to Believe It Doesn't | Common Dreams
​When we allow our government to dismantle the fundamental rights of transgender people, we validate a legal precedent that threatens the liberties of every single citizen tomorrow.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
commondreams.org
Marking One Year of NSPM-7, Rights Advocates Call On Congress to Rein In FBI's Spying Capabilities | Common Dreams
On the first anniversary of Trump's memo allowing FBI to spy on left-wing speech, Congress received a report exposing attack on First Amendment. Will Congress act to stop this blatant abuse of power…
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
thenation.com
As Morale Sags, More Military Service Members Are Having a Crisis of Conscience
According to multiple GI rights organizations, service members are inquiring in unprecedented numbers about seeking conscientious objector status.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Why did Hideo Kojima lose his way? He's championed freedom from oppressive technology and the power of ordinary people. That's why it's so disappointing that he's lost his way and embraced the ideas he once disdained.
onlys.ky
Video games' greatest visionary warned you about the man he's become
An auteur with a singular vision has fallen into the same pitfalls he once warned us about.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Who wants us to believe that bodies are predictable? Society is designed around the myth of the "predictable body," according to Angie Dixon. But our bodies are unpredictable, try as we might want to pretend otherwise, and everyone might stand to gain from doing away with this bureaucratic fiction.
onlys.ky
The myth of the predictable body
We all benefit when society isn't designed around the fiction of perfect, reliable health.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
How can nonreligious people repent? The Jewish practice of teshuva entails repenting for the harm that we've caused others and vowing to mend our ways. Bruce Ledewitz wonders if secularists could benefit from coming up with our own way of practicing this virtue.
onlys.ky
Teshuva for the secular
How do nonreligious people repent?
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Why is boredom important? In an age of constant stimulation, boredom is a lost art. Is this good for humanity? Maybe not, says Susan Fourtané. It turns out that doing nothing and letting your mind wander might be an essential talent, worthy of deliberate cultivation.
onlys.ky
In praise of doing nothing
Boredom and deliberate mental downtime have become scarce and valuable commodities.
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Hemant Mehta @friendlyatheist.com · 24/09/2026
Christian evangelist Joshua Feuerstein says he stays at the Ritz-Carlton because the "old white hairy men" in the hot tub might be CEOs. He also flies first class to be near CEOs. Now he wants others to pay $4,500 for the "power of proximity." www.friendlyatheist.com/p/christian-...
friendlyatheist.com
Christian evangelist defends $4,500 networking trip—and his “need” for luxury hotels
Joshua Feuerstein says wealthy businessmen understand why proximity costs money, even if he won’t publicly explain exactly what they’re buying
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Many folks are still processing the horror show of last week’s RFK Jr.-starring anti-vaccine conference, but it’s already time to start looking ahead to next week’s MAHA Summit, which comes complete with a raft of corporate sponsors “with business before the Health Department.”
politico.com
RFK Jr.’s movement now has corporate sponsors
The upcoming Make America Healthy Again Summit is brought to you by companies with business before the Health Department.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
commondreams.org
58% of US Women Who Need Cheap Birth Control Could Lose Access Due to GOP Attacks on Planned Parenthood | Common Dreams
Republican lawmakers are threatening to defund Planned Parenthood, putting millions of women at risk of losing access to affordable birth control and essential healthcare services.
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
commondreams.org
'Sickening and Unacceptable': Anger Mounts as Trump and Vance Gleefully Rip Healthcare From 750,000 | Common Dreams
"Just six weeks out from the election, the Trump administration continues to kick working Americans while they’re down."
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Washington Area Secular Humanists @wash1989.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
commondreams.org
'We Don't Waste Our Time' With Courts, Says Trump, Bragging of Extrajudicial Murders in Pacific and Caribbean | Common Dreams
Earlier this week, a UN expert said the boat bombings, which have killed at least 234 people, may "constitute crimes against humanity," including "murder."
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