I sent this interview around to so many journalist friends when it first came out; it reinvigorated me and my love for and devotion to our profession.

This is such a tremendous loss for journalism. Every journalist must speak out about Israel killing our colleagues over and over and over again.

Hi all.

I'm not directly barnraising for a need tonight (tho I will be soon!) but it seems we are officially in the on-ramp to May rents and we received many requests today for help.

The impact of ICE and Metro Surge has been enormous and isn't over. Please consider contributing toward a rent:

The Disappearance of the Public Bench Benches are microcosms of an expansive debate about who belongs in urban public spaces. When they are removed or made uninviting, we lose more than just a place to rest.

"Benches are where optimistic visions of civic life meet reality. To remove them, or to curate who gets to sit, is to abandon the work of defining a civic ideal and determining, together, how to live up to it."

NEW: Why benches are slowly disappearing from public spaces — and why we need them back:

Israel destroys 428 housing units in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire <article data-history-node-id="438825" about="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israel-destroys-428-housing-units-southern-lebanon-despite-ceasefire" class="live-blog-update default clearfix"> <h2> <a href="https://www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-update/israel-destroys-428-housing-units-southern-lebanon-despite-ceasefire" rel="bookmark"> <span class="field field-title">Israel destroys 428 housing units in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire</span> </a> </h2> <div class="content"> <div class="field field-field-text"><p>The Israeli army has continued demolitions in Lebanese towns and cities, destroying&nbsp;428 housing units south of the country over the past three days.&nbsp;</p> <p>According to Lebanon’s National Council for Scientific Research, an additional 50 housing units were damaged during the same period.</p> <p>Before the ceasefire came into effect last week,&nbsp;17,756 housing units were completely destroyed, while 32,668 others were damaged during the 46 days of ongoing Israeli attacks.</p> <figure role="group" class="media-block"> <div class="group-inner"> <div alt="A woman stands amid the rubble of a building destroyed by Israel in the Haret Hreik, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, 20 April, 2026 (AFP/Ibrahim Amro)" data-embed-button="file_browser" data-entity-embed-display="image:image" data-entity-embed-display-settings="{" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="09bec65e-7cd9-4702-97ce-1845b25d49f2" data-langcode="en" class="embedded-entity"> <img src="https://www.middleeasteye.net/sites/default/files/woman-walks-rubble-israel-destroy-building-beirut-southern-suburb-lebanon-april-2026-afp.jpg" width="5167" height="2906" alt="A woman stands amid the rubble of a building destroyed by Israel in the Haret Hreik, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, 20 April, 2026 (AFP/Ibrahim Amro)" typeof="foaf:Image" fetchpriority="high"> </div> <figcaption>A woman stands amid the rubble of a building destroyed by Israel in the Haret Hreik, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon, 20 April, 2026 (AFP/Ibrahim Amro)</figcaption> </div> </figure> <p><span style="background: url(&quot;https://www.middleeasteye.net/modules/contrib/ckeditor/vendor/plugins/widget/images/handle.png&quot;) rgba(220, 220, 220, 0.5); top: -15px; left: 0px;"><img height="15" role="presentation" src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPABAP///wAAACH5BAEKAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICRAEAOw==" title="Click and drag to move" width="15" loading="lazy"></span></p> </div> </div> </article>

Israel destroys 428 housing units in southern Lebanon despite ceasefire - www.middleeasteye.net/live-blog/live-blog-upda...

Lebanese Journalist Amal Khalil Bombed and Left to Die by Israel After Khalil was apparently targeted by Israel, a commentator asserting a connection with the military said journalists "affiliated with Hezbollah" are "destined for death."

from @dropsitenews.com

"Israel has killed at least 14 journalists, including Khalil, in Lebanon since Oct 2023... In Gaza, the Israeli military has killed over 260 Palestinian journalists since Oct 2023, making it the deadliest war for journalists ever recorded."

open.substack.com/pub/dropsite...

Support Palmetto State Abortion Fund on Midlands Gives Palmetto State Abortion Fund helps people access abortion care when they cannot afford it. We provide direct financial support to clinics and cover the real costs of access--travel, lodging, gas, food...

87% to goal!

www.midlandsgives.org/organization...

So, the guy who thinks that witches have taken over California is now the acting Secretary of the Navy? Super.

a “Trump-class” battleship

Amal is still trapped under the rubble and Israel reportedly deployed stun grenades to stop the Red Cross from reaching her.

This is terrifying and should outrage everyone everywhere.

Benjamin Zephaniah: 'I thought, OBE me? Up yours, I thought' An invitation to the palace to accept a New Year honour... you must be joking. Benjamin Zephaniah won't be going. Here he explains why.

Here’s Zephaniah—I met him once in Nairobi, and he said academics were shit, but I was okay—on rejecting the OBE.

www.theguardian.com/books/2003/n...

less than $1000 to go on this:

FBI sends plane to Cuba to stop a trans kid from accessing gender-affirming care The child was returned to the United States, and the parents now face federal kidnapping charges.

Transphobia is state terror www.advocate.com/politics/nat...

An accumulation of the deadliest absurdities.

“This year’s medalists demonstrate how creativity, scholarship, and principled leadership strengthen American institutions and deepen our constitutional democracy,”

LOL

Congratulations 🎊🎉!

hey guys - i'm in a pretty dire housing situation right now. i have to move at the end of the month (lease expires) but prior plans w/ people completely fell apart & i'm back to square one. i'm looking for a room in Brooklyn, trans friendly, 1100 a month max, not a temporary sublet. plz let me know.

(i say june 1st because i might have found a sublet or be able to stay with friends until then, but haven't found anything permanent)

ny friends: can anyone help liz? she’s good people

🇵🇸 Gaza Needs Your Support: Help Build a Lifeline for Students and Remote Workers! In Gaza, war has destroyed homes, blocked roads, and left countless people without work. Yet, amidst the rubble, hope remains. Students and remote workers face daily struggles—power outages, broken…

Save Spark Space: hundreds of people will lose their jobs if this project ends. And their families won't be able to eat. SO WE TURN THIS AROUND!

Because that's what the team does. The latest? Programming & first-aid classes!! SO COOL. 455/770 by Sunday: chuffed.org/project/spar...

Barbara Chase-Riboud Says She Declined US Pavilion Offer Because It Was ‘Not the Moment’ Sculptor Barbara Chase-Riboud said no to representing the US at the 2026 Venice Biennale. Here's why.

www.artnews.com/art-news/new...

When they received the call to respond to an Israeli airstrike in the city of Mayfadoun, in southern Lebanon, most of the paramedics held back, having previously seen colleagues killed by double-tap attacks targeting rescuers. But the medics from the Islamic Health Association (IHA) rushed to the scene. By the time the other emergency workers arrived at the site, they found the IHA medics had indeed been caught in a second strike. They started evacuating their wounded colleagues, only for their ambulances to be hit in two further attacks. One of the paramedics covered his ears and screamed, convulsing in pain as shrapnel shattered the back window of the ambulance. The rescue mission on Wednesday afternoon had turned into a nightmare as Israel carried out three consecutive strikes on three sets of ambulances and medical workers.

Israel performed a literal quadruple tap attack in Lebanon to massacre three separate sets of medics.

Truly pushing the bounds of human depravity.

www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Toronto is playing host to possibly the single worst event taking place in the world this year.

Support Spark Space.

And so am I.

Same!?!?!?

🖤🖤🖤

I gave $45. I bought some frivolities for myself and if I can afford that I can afford to help a family and their injured daughter. Who will join me?

This is an urgent situation. Please contribute. Pleas share.

Abu Hureirah Aid Network Abu Hureirah Aid Network is a grassroots initiative dedicated to delivering life-saving support directly to the people of Gaza and Sudan. We work with trusted volunteers on the ground who are running ...

The Abu Hureirah Aid Network is a Sudanese mutual aid project partnered with Sudanese and Palestinian mutual aid projects on the ground. They connect donors to help power community kitchens & more, rapidly and with dignity.

Learn something from them.

chuffed.org/project/1268...

🇵🇸 Gaza Needs Your Support: Help Build a Lifeline for Students and Remote Workers! In Gaza, war has destroyed homes, blocked roads, and left countless people without work. Yet, amidst the rubble, hope remains. Students and remote workers face daily struggles—power outages, broken in...

Here's a Palestinian mutual aid project for Palestinians in Palestine. They rely on donors to help keep the lights on, because they donate their own tiny paychecks to keep the space running. In the last year, they only closed (1) day. Learn something from them. chuffed.org/project/spark-space-gaza