new jili slot Syrian insurgents reach the capital's suburbs. Worried residents flee and stock up on supplies

Burlington Public Library Continues “Letters to Santa” Program Amidst Postal Strike

We must ask for no references to Gaza/Palestine/Israel as it's a very sensitive topic in our area. If these topics are included it drastically changes our risk management plans for events. Thus for safety and harmony we kindly ask the guest speakers avoid these topics and any questions about it that come up. Sam Wallman and I received this message from our publicist, one day before an event at a suburban library about our coauthored book. "Did they even read the damn thing?" Sam joked, as we strategised our response. Twelve Rules for Strife discusses grassroots social change. It celebrates the creativity of the people historian Studs Terkel described as the world's "etceteras". It contrasts the power of collective solidarity with what we dub "smug politics": a liberalism that treats the masses as irredeemably backward, and so requiring careful management by the clever few on whom progress supposedly depends. We had been invited to discuss the political agency of ordinary people – and then told our audience couldn't hear about the world's most significant crisis. But Gaza is all I think about. In January, six-year-old Hind Rajab fled the fighting in Gaza City alongside her extended family. An Israeli tank targeted their car, killing almost everyone inside. Amid the wreckage and the blood, Hind's 15-year-old cousin, Layan Hamadeh, phoned the Palestinian Red Crescent, crying and pleading for help. "They are shooting at us," she said. "The tank is right next to me." The dispatchers heard Layan scream as a machine gun again raked the vehicle. When they rang back, Hind, the only person now alive, answered. "I'm so scared. Please come. Come take me. Please, will you come?" She stayed on the phone for three hours, while the Red Crescent transmitted her location to the Israeli army and dispatched an ambulance – and then the line dropped out again. Twelve days later, Hind's surviving relatives found the wreckage of a van with two dead paramedics sprawled inside....Victor Wembanyama plays 1-on-1 chess with fans in New York

Sports on TV for Sunday, Nov. 24Jeeno Thitikul makes late charge to catch Angel Yin in the LPGA finale

NHL unveils full rosters for 4 Nations Face-OffSKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — A political party in North Macedonia on Saturday demanded authorities ban social networks whose content incites violence and self-destructive behavior after several young people were seriously injured in connection with the popular “Superman challenge” on TikTok. Health authorities said at least 17 students, ages 10 to 17, were brought to hospitals in the capital Skopje and other towns over the past week with broken bones, contusions and bruises. The children were injured after being thrown into the air by their friends to fly like superheroes and get applause on the internet. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings.As he assembles his team for a second term, President-elect Donald Trump is entitled to some latitude, even for his more unconventional picks. Yet not all executive-branch positions are created equal. Senate Republicans should be willing to draw a line when it comes to national security. Of particular concern are the nation’s intelligence services, which Trump has proposed putting in the hands of Kash Patel (as Federal Bureau of Investigation director), John Ratcliffe (to head the Central Intelligence Agency) and Tulsi Gabbard (director of national intelligence). The three have varying degrees of qualification for their posts. Ratcliffe, a former congressman and national intelligence director in Trump’s first term, has some experience in the field. After working as a junior federal prosecutor, Patel filled counterterrorism roles on Trump’s National Security Council. Gabbard served on the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees while in Congress and is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve. Prudent reforms may indeed be warranted at the agencies they’re being asked to shake up. Overzealous FBI investigators did cut corners while looking into Russia’s backing of Trump during the 2016 election. Bloat and bureaucracy are common problems across federal agencies. Whistleblowers could use stronger protections, as could the targets of federal surveillance. Even some radical ideas — such as creating a new domestic intelligence agency and focusing the FBI solely on law enforcement — may merit a broader discussion. None of that, however, means these agencies have gone “rogue,” as Trump has argued ever since they began looking into his alleged Russian ties. Inspector-general reports have found no evidence that investigations into the president-elect or his supporters have been politically motivated. Indeed, many of the loudest complaints have been directed at public statements by retired officials, which is a separate issue. The vast majority of intelligence officials are dedicated public servants focused on a challenging task that is only getting harder as threats proliferate. If Trump’s priority was to improve U.S. intelligence gathering and analysis, he could’ve chosen any number of change-minded national-security figures to helm these agencies. Plenty of competent outsiders might also have been appointed to good effect. By contrast, Patel and Gabbard stand out mostly for their fealty to the incoming president. The former in particular appears to have been elevated rapidly and far above his qualifications during Trump’s first term by casting himself as an administration enforcer. More experienced senior officials refused to work with him. Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper has accused him of cavalierly endangering the lives of U.S. commandos during an operation. (The less said about his children’s books, starring a wizard named Kash the Distinguished Discoverer, the better.) The risks of politicizing intelligence shouldn’t be taken lightly. Loose talk — not uncommon in Trump’s orbit — can endanger sources and methods. Gabbard’s mouthing of Russian propaganda and her 2017 meeting with Syrian dictator Bashar Assad may make U.S. allies think twice about sharing secrets with Washington. Patel’s proposed purge of so-called deep-state gangsters at the FBI threatens to demoralize and distract agents who should be focused on terrorist plots, Chinese hacking campaigns and official grift. Worst of all, manipulating intelligence to suit Trump’s fixations could lead to dangerously misguided policy decisions just as tensions with China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are running high. While a president deserves a cabinet he trusts, the Senate has been given confirmation power for a reason. Appointing unqualified eccentrics to such crucial positions would be hugely irresponsible, not least if distorted intelligence contributes to a foreign-policy crisis under Trump. America’s intelligence agencies deserve better — and national security demands it.