The entire article is very good and gives a solid reasoning (for baby leftists, not anyone here) of why we need to support Cuba. It also highlights the weakness of both the DSA and the DSA IC from within that allowed this to happen + the steps they need to take. Give it a read. (The more I read stuff like this plus the history of real movements I realize why things like DemCent and other hardline ML things are needed but that's not a discussion for here).

I'm highlighting just the parts relevant to the title.

Multiple delegates chose to skip out on parts of the programming, including declining to meet with the president of Cuba, who held a frank conversation with the delegates who did attend for more than two hours.

Throughout the trip, members of the delegation from the Reform & Revolution Caucus (R&R) and the Socialist Majority Caucus (SMC) criticized the Cuban government both to our Cuban hosts and other DSA members, and skipped out on multiple delegation events. Most shamefully, both Maria (representing R&R) and Renée (representing SMC, and a member of the current NPC) skipped out on meeting with President Díaz-Canel, who spent more than 2 hours in a frank discussion specifically addressing the critiques these very same DSA members brought up to their Cuban hosts earlier on the trip. This means that the Cuban hosts were listening thoughtfully to the critiques and relayed them back to the President. That our Cuban comrades would care this deeply and thoroughly about our critiques is a sign that they honor us as equals and truly want to make ties with U.S. socialists, as relatively powerless as we are.

Maria in particular met with anti-government opposition groups while on delegation, which when taken together with the fact of her skipping the meeting with the comrade President suggests a goal of undermining the Cuban socialist state, not defending it against U.S. imperialism. Furthermore, R&R declined to follow what few guidelines the International Committee offered around discussion of the trip after returning. Delegates were instructed to keep news of the conversation with President Díaz-Canel private until an official reportback; R&R decided instead to discuss this at their caucus panel, pre-empting the official reportback.

Link

Just beautiful.

She's getting hate from Hindutva freaks online over this and her defence of Kashmir + she was attacked by white libs a couple weeks earlier for rumors that she might be the new Rapunzel (she is not, even though she should be). Here's her speech.

Edit - Much better summary of the whole thing here.

Here's the statement:

I am writing this statement as unfortunately Novara Media have left me little choice. In light of the organization’s refusal to address the actions of one of its senior employees that led to the persecution of three young women of color and their ultimate conviction under the UK’s racist and Islamophobic counterterrorism laws, I have asked that my interviews be removed from their platforms.

Amidst an ongoing genocide, and at a time in which Palestinian political expression is under attack, this staff member chose to collaborate with the British police and the right wing media in their campaign of persecution, incitement, and hate-mongering. This has caused serious legal and social repercussions and psychological harm to the individuals involved.

I have been the target of countless smear campaigns which I have usually disregarded as background noise. However, I chose to speak out in this instance, even though it did not directly affect me, because the silence of Novara, an organization self-described as “always politically committed,” represents a complete failure in upholding the principles of accountability, solidarity, and anti-racism, and should concern us all.

One might argue that Aaron Bastani’s actions fall within the realm of free speech, however, exploiting an atmosphere that is already hostile to Palestinians and collaborating with the British establishment to smear, police, and punish us and our allies sounds less like free speech and more like harassment and incitement. Where does Novara, an institution that purports itself to be a voice on the side of justice, stand when one of its staff members causes such harm? Bastani’s actions—and his colleagues’ silence—must not be separated from this context. Demanding accountability is not “sowing division,” what is divisive is putting a target on the most vulnerable among us, the most susceptible to state violence.

Novara’s above-average reporting on Palestine is not a gift they are bestowing upon us, it is as simple as journalists doing their job. It does not give them a special license to police our movement. (There is a joke to be made here about British institutions and colonial legacies.) If Novara wants to contribute to the larger anti-capitalist, anti-racist movement, it has a responsibility to hold itself accountable for violence that is produced within its own institution.

TLDR - There was a pro-Palestinian rally in London back in October. Photos of some protesters (the women in color mentioned above) went viral among right-wing circles because they had images of the Hamas paragliders on their jackets. Aaron Bastani joined in the denouncements. Apparently, the UK Police has since prosecuted these women and Novara Media, the organization Bastani co-founded has remained silent till now.

Updates here:

Iran has launched hundreds of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Iran says with this attack, it considers the matter concluded, and any Israeli response will be met with severe retaliation. Iran also tells the US to stay away and that if any regional nation is used to launch the Israeli response, they will be targeted, too.

Israel claims to have intercepted 99% of Iranian response, and the IDF says citizens no longer need to stay near shelters, suggesting the Iranian attack is over. They were helped by UK and US fighter jets in other countries. Israel says it will give “an unprecedented response”. Israel has told the US what their response will consist of.

UN Security Council to meet at 4 PM Eastern Time, Sunday. As of now, it seems all drones and missiles have been intercepted/hit their targets. The impact on Israel has been extremely minor, with minimal casualties and zero fatalities. A military target seems to have been hit. Now we wait for Israel's response.

Hopefully, that too is similarly limited and the situation calms down.

Link to the news.

The German legislation will allow adults to change their first name and legal gender at registry offices without further formalities. The new rules will allow minors 14 years and older to change their name and legal gender with approval from their parents or guardians; if they don’t agree, teenagers could ask a family court to overrule them. In the case of children younger than 14, parents or guardians would have to make registry office applications on their behalf.

After a formal change of name and gender takes effect, no further changes would be allowed for a year. The new legislation focuses on individuals’ legal identities. It does not involve any revisions to Germany’s rules for gender-transition surgery.

Among others, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Spain already have similar legislation. In the U.K., the Scottish parliament in 2022 passed a bill that would allow people aged 16 or older to change the gender designation on identity documents by self-declaration. That was vetoed by the British government, a decision that Scotland’s highest civil court upheld in December.

In other socially liberal reforms, Scholz’s government has legalized the possession of limited amounts of cannabis; eased the rules on gaining German citizenship and ended restrictions on holding dual citizenship; and ended a ban on doctors “advertising” abortion services. Same-sex marriage was already legalized in 2017.