Currently Online 
US bill to ban Israel boycotts faces right-wing backlash over free speech
Washington, DC – A bill in the United States Congress that aims to penalise the boycotting of countries friendly to the US is facing opposition from allies of President Donald Trump over free speech concerns, putting its passage in jeopardy.
According to Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a vote in the House of Representatives on the proposal, previously scheduled for Monday, has been cancelled.
“It is my job to defend American’s [sic] rights to buy or boycott whomever they choose without the government harshly fining them or imprisoning them,” Greene said.
Michigan prosecutor drops felony charges against US pro-Palestine protesters
Michigan’s attorney general has dropped all charges against seven individuals arrested during a pro-Palestinian protest at one of the US state’s public universities.
The group faced felony charges of resisting and obstructing police at the University of Michigan, as well as misdemeanor charges of trespassing, and had pleaded not guilty.
The individuals were charged in May of last year as protests against Israel’s war on Gaza broke out at universities across the United States. But the severity of charges gained national attention, with critics saying the response was emblematic of deep-seated anti-Palestinian bias.
State Attorney General Dana Nessel, in a statement, said she stood by the charges, but added pursuing the cases would not be a prudent use of her department’s resources.
Trump says he will reopen Alcatraz prison
https://www.cnn.com/2025/05/05/us/trump-alcatraz-prison-history-hnk
President Donald Trump on Sunday said he would order the government to rebuild and reopen Alcatraz, a former prison on a small island of the same name off the coast of San Francisco that once housed some of the most dangerous criminals in the country, including Al Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly and James “Whitey” Bulger.
The prison, which closed 60 years ago due to its crumbling infrastructure and high maintenance costs, “will serve as a symbol of Law, Order, and JUSTICE,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social Sunday, later telling reporters it was “just an idea” he had as federal judges pushed to ensure deported migrants had due process.
I thought he praised himself as a business man:
Alcatraz Island, an iconic San Francisco attraction and important historic site, receives about 1.6 million visitors annually and generates about $60 million in annual revenue for park partners.
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-alcatraz-prison-proposal-cost-2067960
The Democratic policy analyst who uses the handle Maine Wonk on X estimated that rebuilding and reopening Alcatraz could cost between $235 million and $370 million upfront, with annual operating costs of up to $60 million.
Probably just another distraction he'll be talked out of tomorrow.
