It is indeed that shitbag.
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It so often turns out this way with right-wing loud-mouths who claim to be champions of the little guy.
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Watkins even insists there is a secret paragraph that if included in a story will guarantee a check from Soros. Frustratingly, he doesnât share that paragraph.
I woFNORDer what the paragraph says?
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Leading A.J. expert:
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Yoink!
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Fair play, I think I yoinked it from here some time ago⌠
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I feel like modern society is kinda forcing this mentality on everyoneâmost of us are not living in small towns where we see the same unchosen list of people every day
Our communities are constructed, and those constructions require yes/no decisionsâdoes the company hire Alice or not, is Bob invited to the party, do I answer the phone when Charlie calls ⌠ultimately itâs all about whoâs in and whoâs out, and thereâs not much gray area in between 
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With chuds like this, who needs enemas?
Alex Jones is what he pretends to be.
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NYT: Good morning. Israelâs protests succeeded by uniting some of the countryâs most influential institutions. (by German Lopez and Claire Moses)
Deep divisions
Much of life in Israel came to a halt yesterday: Hospitals stopped providing nonemergency care, planes were grounded at the countryâs main airport, and malls and banks closed. The disruptions were part of an escalation in protests against the governmentâs proposed judicial overhaul, which has plunged Israel into one of its gravest political crises ever.
The interruptions to daily life were the latest sign that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had underestimated Israelisâ opposition to his governmentâs proposed changes to the courts. In response to the chaos, he has relented, at least in part. Netanyahu announced yesterday that he would delay the changes until later this year. âWhen there is a possibility of preventing a civil war through dialogue, I, as the prime minister, take a timeout for dialogue,â he said.
The announcement calmed some of the protesters and unions have called off their strikes. But it remains unclear what will happen in the coming weeks â and whether Netanyahu will continue pushing a proposal that has started to fracture even his own cabinet. Israel has dealt with deep political divisions for some time â holding five elections in four years â and the fight over the judicial overhaul has shown that those divisions persist.
Over the last two days, the opposition used all of its power to threaten to shut down the economy unless its views were taken into account, while the other side threatened to use its majority in Parliament to push through their political agenda, Patrick Kingsley, The Timesâs Jerusalem bureau chief, explained.
âIt was a very high-stakes game of chicken,â Patrick says.
But thereâs still disappointment and uncertainty on both sides. âThe opposition fears that this overhaul may simply be reinstated in its current form at a later date,â Patrick says. Among right-wing voters, Patrick says, thereâs a feeling that their votes donât count.
Todayâs newsletter will focus on the opposition to the overhaul and why it has succeeded, for now, after weeks of protests.
Watching Netanyahuâs speech in Tel Aviv yesterday.Amit Elkayam for The New York Times
Powerful opposition
What prompted such large-scale chaos? In short, the extreme change that many Israelis feared the proposed judicial overhaul would bring. Like its American counterpart, Israelâs Supreme Court is very powerful. But with the overhaul, Israelâs Parliament could override the courtâs decisions with a simple majority, giving the government sweeping power to enact its preferred policies.
Netanyahu and his allies argue that the overhaul is needed to limit the courtsâ power. They believe the courts have become increasingly aggressive and have undermined votersâ choices over the past three decades. One example: The Supreme Courtâs blocking of some settlements in the West Bank.
The opposition argues that the overhaul would significantly weaken one of the few checks, besides elections, on Parliament. Israelis in the opposition tend to hold a more secular, pluralistic vision for the country, and see the courts as important to preserving that view. The opposition also says that Netanyahu is pushing for the changes to protect himself because he is standing trial on corruption charges. Netanyahu denies that claim as well as the charges.
That opposition has gained momentum because it unites influential parts of Israeli society: universities, unions and the reservists who play a key role in the military. The backing of such organizations is often the difference between successful and failed protest movements, as my colleague Amanda Taub has explained. âSupport from those institutions can be a way for protests to gain leverage over leaders, often by splitting up elite coalitions,â Amanda said.
That kind of split is already visible in Netanyahuâs cabinet. Over the weekend, the defense minister, Yoav Gallant, spoke out against the proposed overhaul, citing opposition from members of the military. âI see how the source of our strength is being eroded,â Gallant said.
Importantly, opposition from within the military goes beyond ideology. Soldiers and reservists argue that if the courts are too weak to provide a check on the military, officials may be more likely to give illegal orders and potentially expose soldiers to prosecution in international courts. âThose concrete concerns about self-interest may be far more difficult for the government to defuse than if the protests were just motivated by ideology and political solidarity,â Amanda wrote.
Netanyahu fired Gallant on Sunday. The dismissal prompted the latest protests in the country, which in turn compelled Netanyahu to pause his plans.
Whatâs next
Netanyahuâs proposed judicial overhaul was made possible by a rightward shift in Israeli politics, as this newsletter has explained. His backtracking in the face of heavy opposition suggests that perhaps Israelâs population hasnât moved as far to the right as he believes.
The overhaulâs delay has calmed the situation for now. But it could also lead to more political chaos: Netanyahuâs coalition holds a slim majority in Parliament, and it could collapse if his right-wing allies believe he is going back on his word. That could force another election, which would be Israelâs sixth since 2019.
At the same time, reviving the overhaul would probably revitalize the protests and potentially splinter Netanyahuâs government again. Either option could cost Netanyahu his power.
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Sounds like a worthwhile bookâŚ
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Yeah.
Iâm having trouble finding anything reasonable 
that also isnât paywalled. I think this place is alright. They do have a lot of coverage
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60 Minutes can fuck right off for this normalizing shitâŚ
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