SINCERETALK

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has announced the theme for its 2023 federal congress: “A strong DA to build a better future”. This theme is supposed to embody the party’s commitment to building a new majority for South Africa that will see the country out of the clutches of bad governance, corruption, rolling blackouts, the cost of living crisis and the high crime rate. Whether the DA has the persuasive and compelling leadership needed to achieve this goal is questionable. As the leadership race heats up, John Steenhuisen and Mpho Phalatse are running for federal leader, but it is clear that Steenhuisen is the stronger candidate. Phalatse is to Steenhuisen what the DA is to the ANC — second best. Phalatse may be a strong contender, but she lacks the charisma and energy needed to inspire action and evoke a positive emotional response from South Africans. One of the biggest tests of a leader is how they use persuasion to encourage action from people outside their official sphere of influ...

A former gang leader, who survived a brutal attack that left his friend dead, says he is proud of leaving a life of crime to take care of sick animals. from News24 Top Stories https://ift.tt/Fuvyxf3 via sinceretalk

Protestors flooded Florida capitol grounds Friday after GOP lawmakers passed an extension of the Parental Rights in Education Act, also known as the "Don't Say Gay" bill, HuffPost reports. Earlier this month, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis proposed an expansion of the legislation, which prohibits "classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades." Per HuffPost, more than 100 LGBTQ+ students and allies participated in the march, and "many flooded into the halls outside the House chamber, with others protesting around the building and in areas near the Capitol grounds." READ MORE: Ron DeSantis proposes unilateral expansion of controversial 'Don't Say Gay' law: report According to NPR, the original legislation proposed by DeSantis said, "Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that...

Major news outlets are declining to pay for the once sought-after blue checkmark on Twitter, CNN reports. Once "a way to tell real accounts from fake one," Mashable reports , since Elon Musk became Chief Executive Officer, the checkmark — which used to be free — has turned into "a status symbol, which users can get if they opt for the $8 per month Twitter Blue subscription." Per CNN, the platform will start "removing legacy verified checkmarks" on April 1, as "Musk has aimed to charge organizations that want to retain a checkmark adjacent to their account name $1,000 a month, plus an additional $50 a month for each affiliated account." READ MORE: Elon Musk’s 'blundering stupidity' is 'flushing Twitter down the sink': major tech news site According to CNN, the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, BuzzFeed, POLITICO, and Vox rejected "the notion on Thursday that they would pay Twitter for the featur...

Reports that several investigators with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention became ill earlier this month when they visited East Palestine, Ohio offered the latest evidence on Friday that the air and water in the town is less safe than state officials and rail company Norfolk Southern have claimed, following the company's train derailment in February. As CNN reported , seven physicians and officers from the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service traveled to East Palestine in early March, a month after a train carrying toxic chemicals including vinyl chloride derailed there. The team reported developing symptoms including headaches, sore throats, coughing, and nausea while they were conducting their door-to-door assessment of public health risks. The symptoms were similar to those reported by many East Palestine residents since the crash, and are consistent with the physical effects of exposure to vinyl chloride when it is burned, as it was by officials who c...

Former President Donald Trump is expected to continue with his 2024 campaign for president despite being indicted in the Stormy Daniels investigation — and he and his allies are boasting that the prosecution, which they characterize as a political hit job, will backfire and help him gain support among voters. But according to CNN political analyst Gloria Borger on Thursday, Republican strategists privately believe just the opposite. "I'm anxious to get your thoughts that Trump has already fundraising on the basis of this criminal charge, this indictment," said anchor Wolf Blitzer. "That did not take long, right?" said political analyst David Chalian. "And I don't think this will surprise anyone. But he blasted out a fundraising appeal with the New York Times headline of the indictment on it, saying that this is a 'dark day for the country' and asking people to donate to the cause to fight back again." "This is part of the poli...

When he appears in New York next week, Donald Trump will face a 34-count indictment. CNN’s John Miller on-air Thursday evening announced, “I am told by my sources that this is 34 counts of falsification of business records, which is probably a lot of charges involving each document, each thing that was submitted, as a separate count.” \u201cJUST IN: CNN's John Miller says Trump will face 34 counts related to falsifying business records\n\nhttps://t.co/XqxXbMBcSC\u201d — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) 1680219860 Attorney Tristan Snell, who assisted in the successful prosecution of the Trump University case for the New York Attorney General’s Office, responded via Twitter : “This is WAY more than expected. If this is correct, it could mean that the indictment covers FAR more than the Stormy Daniels hush money — like Karen McDougal hush money or other hush money/catch-and-kill cases.” READ MORE: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Says It Is Coordinating With Trump to ‘Surrende...

Florida Democratic prosecutor, Andrew Warren, is slamming Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for his criticism of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, calling it "a part of the authoritarian playbook," NBC News reports. In 2022, DeSantis suspended Warren because of "his support of both reproductive rights and the transgender community" in the sunshine state. However, in January, the Miami Herald reported , U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle confirmed the governor "broke the law when he dismissed" the Hillsborough County State Attorney " over vague accusations ." READ MORE: Suspended Florida prosecutor urges Ron DeSantis to reinstate him following judge’s ruling Yet, the attorney remains suspended. Warren told the Tampa Bay Times, "The court's findings were crystal clear — I'd done my job extremely well without any hint of misconduct. The governor's allegations were totally false and illegal." Now, DeSantis is al...

Fox News is not taking the news of former President Donald Trump's indictment in New York very well , Rolling Stone reports. Per Rolling Stone, host Jesse Watters lamented Trump is facing the consequences of his actions "over sex." Additionally, Rolling Stone reporter, Nikki Mccann Ramírez, tweeted a clip from a Fox News segment following the indictment, writing , "Jesse Watters reacts to Trump indictment by comparing the Stormy Daniels hush money payment to paying for a haircut." READ MORE: Donald Trump indicted in New York "If you get a haircut a couple of weeks before the election and you pay for it out of your own pocket, not campaign funds, how is that a campaign finance felony?" Watters said. "You're going to get a haircut anyway. You wanted to look good anyway. Just like he would have paid off this woman anyway, whether he was running for president or not." "You think a public affair with a porn star is the same as get...

In 2014, US President Barack Obama hosted the first US-Africa leaders’ summit.  “I do think that it’s important for Africans to make sure that these interactions are good for Africa,” he said . “There has been a long history of extracting resources from Africa, you take raw materials, you send them someplace else where they get used, processed, sometimes sold back to Africa. The profits stay there, and not much stays in Africa.” The purpose of the summit was to present the US as an equitable trading partner, pivoting away from the hitherto exploitative extractive practices. But the reality was that while the US had been preoccupied with defending and advancing its strategic interests in the Middle East, it had neglected building any kind of sustainable, mutually beneficial partnership with African nations. In 2014 it had been five years since China surpassed the US as Africa’s biggest trading partner. The total trade volume between the US and Africa in that year was estimated...

In a video released on Thursday, former President Donald Trump attacked likely presidential rival Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for calling Vladimir Putin a "war criminal," claiming that his "foolish" remarks will make nuclear war more likely. On CNN's "The Lead," former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) tore into the former president for his latest outburst of Russia sympathy. "Putin, as we well know — we've seen what's been playing out in Ukraine," said anchor Pamela Brown. "He has also been accused by the International Criminal Court of committing war crimes against Ukrainian children. What do you make of Trump objecting to DeSantis calling Putin a war criminal?" "I mean, look, Trump's just — I've got to just — I'm gonna take the, like, you know, analytic hat off and kind of opinion hat," said Kinzinger. "He's a huge, huge problem with this in terms of with Russia and in terms of his praise for a...

Reproductive rights advocates and Democratic state lawmakers in Idaho on Wednesday condemned a Republican proposal to create a new crime in the state using the invented term "abortion trafficking," which would criminalize people who help minors to obtain out-of-state abortion care. The bill (H.B. 242) is widely expected to pass in the state Senate and easily passed in the state House earlier this month on a party-line vote, with 57 Republicans supporting the proposal and and 12 Democrats opposing it. GOP Gov. Brad Little, who has strongly supported the state's abortion ban, is expected to sign the legislation. H.B. 242 would establish so-called "abortion trafficking" as a new crime and would restrict minors' ability to travel to get abortion care without parental consent. Any adult who, "with the intent to conceal an abortion from the parents or guardian of a pregnant, unemancipated minor, either procures an abortion... or obtains an abortion-indu...

The Armenian government has threatened to arrest Russian president Vladimir Putin if he chooses to enter Armenia despite the countries' allyship, The Daily Beast reports. Per Reuters, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant to the Russian leader, "accusing Putin of the war crime of illegally deporting hundreds of children from Ukraine, a move condemned by the Kremlin as a meaningless and outrageously partisan decision." The Daily Beast reports : Armenia is not alone, and other countries are banding together with plans to arrest Putin . Ireland, Croatia, Austria, and Germany have each said they will enforce the warrant. READ MORE: Is Putin losing the war in Ukraine? "If Putin comes to Armenia, he should be arrested… It is better for Putin to stay in his country," Gagik Melkonyan, deputy of the Armenian National Assembly, said . "If we enter into these agreements, then we must fulfill our obligations. Let Russia solve its prob...

Former President Donald Trump claimed two weeks ago that he would be arrested as soon as last Tuesday as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg weighed charges over a $130,000 hush payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. That arrest did not happen, and the grand jury has faced a series of delays, including a break for much of early April.But, former White House ethics czar and impeachment counsel Norm Eisen told CNN on Wednesday, that doesn't mean Trump is off the hook, or that the D.A.'s case is in trouble. "Norm, if it had seemed like this investigation had actually reached a boiling point earlier in the month when Trump was himself invited to testify and then predicted he would be arrested," said anchor Wolf Blitzer. "You remember that. Is this break that's upcoming now bad news for the prosecution's momentum?" "Well, I don't think it is bad news," said Eisen. "You'll remember that Trump himself turned that up to a...

Sen. Marsha Blackburn said Wednesday she is "heartbroken" over the Nashville school shooting that resulted in the deaths of six people, although the lawmaker's campaign received $1.3 million from the National Rifle Association (NRA). On Wednesday Blackburn tweeted , "My heart is broken over the unspeakable evil that occurred Monday at The Covenant School in Nashville, and my family and I are grieving along with those who lost loved ones. Now is a time for our community to come together in prayer and lift one another up." Following the Monday shooting, the senator tweeted , "Chuck & I are heartbroken to hear about the shooting at Covenant School in Nashville. My office is in contact with federal, state, & local officials, & we stand ready to assist. Thank you to the first responders working on site. Please join us in prayer for those affected." READ MORE: Tennessee governor slammed after 'praying' for Nashville community withou...

Convicted rapist and murderer Thabo Bester, who escaped from prison on 3 May 2022, has been running a scam construction company called “Arum Properties” with celebrity doctor Nandipha Magudumana. The couple convinced several people to pay millions of rands for construction projects, but never delivered the goods. Clients of Arum Properties told GroundUp that soon after signing on and paying their deposits, they started to realise that something was wrong. We have a recording of a phone call between Bester and a client of Arum Properties from two weeks ago. Bester and Magudumana have since fled from their rented mansion in Sandton. We spoke to several people who had encounters with Arum Properties over the past year. Bester was introduced to them, most often by Magudumana herself, and went by the name of “TK Nkwana”. He signed legal documents using a driver’s licence and ID document with an ID number that does not exist on Home Affairs records. One person told GroundUp that they met...

Minnestota State Sen. Glenn Gruenhagen, in a recent interview, suggested abortion and pornography are the reasons for domestic abuse, and asserted trans children are influenced by Satan, Heartland Signal reports. Heartland Signal shared a clip of the "The Pastor's Study" interview, tweeting , "MN State Sen. Gruenhagen (R) says gender-affirming care is "Satan going after the children." In the same interview, he blames domestic violence on pornography and abortion: "Women need to understand that [it] sends a certain message to men. It objectifies them." The right wing lawmaker said, "Women need to understand that abortion and pornography sends a certain message to men. It objectifies them." READ MORE: GOP senator vows to 'make abortion unthinkable' He continued, "So, women who care about this issue and women being abused they should look at limitations on abortion and they should also oppose the pornographic sewage whic...

A court reform expert and progressive political activist is blasting both the U.S. Supreme Court and the spouse of one of its justices after a bombshell Washington Post article revealed how Ginni Thomas headed a secretive right-wing organization funded through a web of dark money with the goal of waging a culture war against the left. Thomas, a Washington insider for decades, a well-known right-wing lobbyist and conspiracy theorist who had unprecedented access to the Trump White House and Oval Office, just happens to be the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas . Demand Justice founder Brian Fallon warned the Roberts Supreme Court has a reputation of “behaving unethically,” handing down “questionable” decisions, being “overtaken with scandal,” and “riddled with ethical conflicts and influence peddling.” “Research that my group has done, we’ve noticed that part of what is animating this downward shift in opinion of the court is not just the highly unpopular, substantiv...

Cryptocurrency exchange Luno, one of the few South African-founded tech companies with a global footprint, is considering a public listing. from News24 Top Stories https://ift.tt/OVzWBb5 via sinceretalk

A recent event held by the University of Cape Town's Palestine Solidarity Forum elicited a protest from the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD). This resulted in a response from UCT PSF. David Benatar writes that unfortunately, neither of these organisations seem to understand what a right to freedom of expression entails. from News24 Top Stories https://ift.tt/ipXZlsK via sinceretalk

Milk made from plants is entering the public consciousness (and stomachs) in coffee shops across the globe. While plant-based milk has been around for centuries , the market is undergoing a modern-day surge. The industry has soared to a market value of $20 billion. Consumers in all age brackets are contributing, but the rise is in large part fueled by eco-minded and racially diverse young people, who are consuming 550 percent more plant-based milk than previous generations. Oatmilk in particular has gained a massive following due to its creamy consistency, growing 44 times in popularity in just a three-year span between 2019 and 2022. This article was produced by Earth | Food | Life , a project of the Independent Media Institute. The rise to prominence of plant-based milk was virtually inevitable, with dairy’s popularity waning for the better part of a century. “Milk consumption is down 42 percent from what it was a half-century ago—from 247 pounds per person in 1975 to just ...