Bits: Gaza war update; MAGA authoritarianism update; MAGA abortion authoritarianism

The AP writes: “Gaza aid dries up as Israeli blockade enters a third month -- While pummeling the strip with airstrikes, it has banned any food, water, shelter or medication from being trucked into the Palestinian territory, where the U.N. says 90% of the population is reliant on humanitarian aid to survive. Israel says the blockade aims to pressure Hamas to release the hostages it still holds. Of the 59 captives remaining in Gaza, 24 are believed to still be alive.”

Palestinian children at a food distribution center in 

Khan Younis, Gaza Strip, April 21, 2025

They are starving to death

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The Daily Beast reports, in an article Historian of Fascism Claims Trump Is Speeding Towards Dictatorship Faster Than Putin about the progress that djt and MAGA elites are making in killing our democracy, rule of law and civil liberties. A leading historian of fascism, Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat, argues that the current US slide into authoritarianism under djt and MAGA elites is unprecedented in modern times. She says that djt’s efforts to consolidate power are happening with a speed and ruthlessness that surpass the early years of leaders like Vladimir Putin in Russia or Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey. According to Ben-Ghiat, the current U.S. political climate more closely resembles the aftermath of a coup than a typical democratic transition of power

Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: From Mussolini to the Present and a professor at New York University, highlights the rapid dismantling of government programs and social services under Trump as a hallmark of “democratic backsliding,” a process seen when democracies transition into authoritarian regimes. She emphasizes that neither Putin, Orban, nor Erdogan moved as swiftly to centralize authority after coming to power through elections. The rapid dismantling of social services and attacks on science are unprecedented, even compared to other dictatorships. She draws historical parallels with Nazi Germany’s swift descent into dictatorship, warning against complacency in advanced democracies.

Q: Is Ben-Ghiat an irrational, full of malarkey alarmist crackpot, or does she make some good, maybe terrifying, points?

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The 19th Newsletter reports about MAGA politicians in Missouri trying to overturn abortion rights that voters voted for: “Missouri’s voters restored abortion rights. Their leaders are trying to overrule them. -- Clinics are rebuilding services, patients are returning and Republicans in the state are moving quickly to take protections away — again. Celeste Athon was one of the first dozen people to have received an abortion in Missouri since the November election, when voters backed a proposal to add abortion rights protections to the state constitution. Missouri, one of the quickest states to outlaw abortion after the fall of Roe v. Wade, was the first where voters overturned a near-total ban. Missouri Republicans, who hold supermajorities in both legislative chambers, have filed more than a dozen anti-abortion bills this legislative session, ranging from a six-week ban to a bill that would classify abortion pills as controlled substances to legislation that would treat abortion as homicide.”

Once again, when the public wants something that MAGA elites oppose, MAGA elites reject and ignore what the people want. They want their way, period. This is American radical right authoritarianism in action, clear, pure and simple. In this matter, we see radical right Christian nationalist, theocratic authoritarianism. MAGA’s “rationale” exemplifies MAGA “thinking” about policy. They just argue that voters didn’t understand what they were doing when they voted to protect abortion rights in November. What a bunch of arrogant pricks and liars MAGA elites are.