War, Pending Scheduling

Bombing Iran apparently requires finding a date that works for both democracies.

CNN reports that Netanyahu pressed Trump for a joint strike before Israel's election. Trump withheld approval. An Israeli security source told CNN that military chief Eyal Zamir warned his American counterpart that an attack could disrupt the vote and force its postponement. Netanyahu's office called the report "fake news."

Two U.S. officials said American forces could launch strikes within 96 hours of Trump's order.

The target list, according to the officials, includes energy infrastructure, military sites, and nuclear facilities.

Trump has yet to settle on a course of action.

#BabylonBurning #Iran #Israel #Trump

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Trump’s Election Warning Campaign Raises Alarms as America Heads Toward the Midterms 🗳


With control of Congress at stake, Trump and his allies are intensifying warnings about election fraud, raising concerns that the groundwork is being laid to challenge unfavorable results before voters even cast their ballots.

The strategy centers on a familiar message: American elections cannot be trusted unless they produce an outcome the president and his supporters consider legitimate. From claims about noncitizen voting to attacks on mail-in ballots, Trump and influential voices in his political orbit have repeatedly portrayed the voting system as vulnerable to widespread abuse, despite limited evidence of fraud on the scale they suggest.

An analysis by The Washington Post found that nearly 600 prominent conservative accounts and media outlets had made more than 7,000 claims about election integrity this year. Allegations involving noncitizen voters and mail ballots have become particularly prominent as the November 3 midterms approach.

The evidence, however, tells a different story. Investigations in states including Nevada and Georgia have found few or no noncitizens on voter rolls in the cases examined. In New Jersey, officials removed registrations affected by a software error. Such cases highlight the distinction between administrative mistakes, which election officials can address, and claims of a coordinated effort to manipulate the outcome of an election.

Trump has continued to question the reliability of American elections, encouraged people to report suspected fraud and declined to rule out deploying federal personnel at polling places.

His administration has also pursued legal challenges involving voting procedures, ballot eligibility and election certification, placing additional pressure on state officials responsible for administering elections.

The consequences could extend beyond Election Day. By repeatedly suggesting that the system is compromised, political leaders can make it easier for supporters to dismiss results they dislike. The danger is not limited to a single disputed race. It is the possibility that distrust becomes the default response whenever an election produces an unexpected outcome.

Polling cited in the report suggests that doubts about election security have gained traction among Republicans, particularly over whether noncitizens can be prevented from voting.

At the same time, many Americans question whether Trump would accept a Republican defeat without challenging the result. Democrats and voting-rights advocates are preparing legal and political responses, including efforts to protect ballot counting, certification and the formal seating of elected lawmakers.

Their preparations reflect concern that disputes could move quickly from campaign rhetoric into courtrooms and government institutions.

Foreign influence operations pose a separate challenge. U.S. adversaries have sought to exploit political divisions and undermine confidence in democratic institutions, but the report offers no evidence that foreign actors are interfering directly with vote tabulation in the upcoming midterms.

The central issue is therefore not simply whether individual claims of fraud can be disproved. It is whether Americans will trust the institutions responsible for counting their votes when the results are announced.

With control of Congress on the line, the battle over election legitimacy is unfolding alongside the campaign itself.

The warnings now circulating among Trump's allies could shape not only how voters approach November 3, but also how the country responds if the outcome threatens the president's political agenda.

#Trump #MidtermElections #ElectionIntegrity #AmericanPolitics

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A Deputy Ministry, Despite the Allegations

Israel’s education minister has a lesson in public service: withdraw your party, collect a government post.

Yoav Kisch brokered a deal for Rabbi Haim Yosef Abergil’s Achi party to quit the election race in exchange for a deputy minister representing its interests. Abergil faces an ongoing sexual-offense investigation involving women and minors. The promised appointment is for a party representative, not necessarily the rabbi himself.

The recording captures Kisch asking aides to stop filming, then explaining the arrangement to Netanyahu by phone. Current law requires a deputy minister to be a sitting lawmaker. Likud would try to change it; failing that, Achi could choose a lawmaker to fill the post. Netanyahu’s response: “Completely acceptable.”

The allegations remain unresolved. The political bargain is on tape. For the education minister, the obstacle requiring remedial work was the law.

#Israel #Netanyahu #PoliticalDeals

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⚔️Democracy, With Exclusions

Far-right lawmaker Simcha Rothman wants Israeli law applied across the West Bank. Asked by The New York Times whether Palestinians there would get the vote, he said, "No."

Yoav Segalovitz, a former police commander and deputy public security minister, is running second on the list of Raam, an Islamist Arab party. He is the first Jewish candidate on its slate. He joined the list and its Knesset faction but not the party itself, and he keeps a free vote on religion and state, security, and LGBTQ rights.

"I am going to an Arab party. They are not coming to me," he told The Media Line. Netanyahu's billboards frame the choice more simply, as "The Right or Palestine!"

The opposition has its own uncomfortable arithmetic. Polls cited by the Times suggest neither camp will reach 61 seats alone, and Raam's projected five or six seats could give Netanyahu's opponents a majority.

Bennett has ruled out relying on Raam, whether as a coalition partner or as outside support for a minority government. Segalovitz is betting his candidacy can change that refusal.

#IsraelElection #Raam #WestBank

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