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Obama ‘drops in’ for informal meet with Sunak

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Obama had made “an informal courtesy drop-in as part of his trip to London”…reports Asian Lite News

Barack Obama has held talks with Rishi Sunak as the former US president paid a “courtesy visit” to Downing Street during a trip to London.

The pair are understood to have discussed a range of subjects during an hour-long meeting, including one of the prime minister’s favourite topics, artificial intelligence.

Obama, who served two terms in the White House from 2009 to 2017 before he was succeeded by Donald Trump, was in London as part of work with his Obama Foundation, which oversees a scholarship programme and other initiatives.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Obama had made “an informal courtesy drop-in as part of his trip to London”.

He added: “I think President Obama’s team made contact and obviously the prime minister was very happy to meet with him and discuss the work of the Obama Foundation.”

The two held what were understood to be largely one-to-one discussions in the prime minister’s study. Obama briefly paused at the door of No 10 to wave to the cameras but no photos were released from what Downing Street said was a private meeting.

As Obama left Downing Street in the company of the US ambassador to the UK, Jane D Hartley, he was asked by the media for his opinion on the state of Russian democracy and replied: “I’m tempted!”

The former president later met the Labour leader, Keir Starmer. Obama previously visited Downing Street in April 2016 when David Cameron was prime minister.

Lord Cameron, the foreign secretary, is understood not to have been present at Monday’s discussions. Despite early suggestions of a “bromance” when both men were in power, their public utterances about each other have been mixed.

Obama suggested in 2016 that Cameron was distracted by domestic priorities as Libya descended into a “mess”. He also said he warned his British counterpart that the “special relationship” would be at risk if the UK did not commit to spending 2% of national income on defence, in line with Nato targets.

Cameron was withering of Obama in his autobiography, accusing him of “dithering” on Libya and of being “clearly frustrated he had been sucked in”.

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‘Everyone Complicit to Some Extent’: Obama on Middle East Crisis

(Photo Barack Obama Twitter)

In a strong condemnation of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, former US President Barack Obama has said that the conflict is the “century-old stuff” that has now come to the fore and blamed social media for amplifying the divisions, according to the New York Times.

Not only did he condemn the October 7 assault on Israel that killed many innocent Israelis but he also underlined the sufferings of the civilians in Palestine.

In an interview conducted by his former staffers for their podcast, Pod Save America, the former US President said, “I look at this, and I think back, ‘What could I have done during my presidency to move this forward, as hard as I tried?’ ‘But there’s a part of me that’s still saying, ‘Well, was there something else I could have done?'” the New York Times reported.

Barack Obama provided a detailed analysis of the Israel-Gaza war, telling thousands of his former aides that everyone was “complicit to some extent” in the ongoing carnage.

Speaking on Friday to a group of his former staff members in Chicago, according to the New York Times, Obama stated, “This is century-old stuff that’s coming to the fore.” He held social media accountable for deepening the divisions.

“What Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it,” Obama said, adding, “And what is also true is that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable.”

“And what is also true is that there is a history of the Jewish people that may be dismissed unless your grandparents, your great-grandparents, or your uncle or your aunt tell you stories about the madness of antisemitism. And what is true is that there are people right now who are dying, who have nothing to do with what Hamas did,” the former US President said, according to the New York Times.

“Even what I just said, which sounds very persuasive, still doesn’t answer the fact that, all right, how do we prevent kids from being killed today?” he said.

Obama strongly urged his former aides to “take in the whole truth” and called for support, saying that it is important to strike a balance when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.

Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimise civilian casualties, The Times of Israel reported.

Over 9,488 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. More than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently made it clear that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire, drawing parallels to the United States’ position after the bombing of Pearl Harbour.

He noted that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas.

While addressing a press briefing, Netanyahu had said, “I want to make clear Israel’s position regarding the ceasefire. Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbour or after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities after the horrific attacks of October 7.” (ANI)

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-Top News USA

Obama Condemns Israel-Hamas Conflict, Blames Social Media

(Photo Barack Obama Twitter)

Barack Obama provided a detailed analysis of the Israel-Gaza war, telling thousands of his former aides that everyone was “complicit to some extent” in the ongoing carnage…reports Asian Lite News

In a strong condemnation of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, former US President Barack Obama has said that the conflict is the “century-old stuff” that has now come to the fore and blamed social media for amplifying the divisions, according to the New York Times.
Not only did he condemn the October 7 assault on Israel that killed many innocent Israelis but he also underlined the sufferings of the civilians in Palestine.

In an interview conducted by his former staffers for their podcast, Pod Save America, the former US President said, “I look at this, and I think back, ‘What could I have done during my presidency to move this forward, as hard as I tried?’ ‘But there’s a part of me that’s still saying, ‘Well, was there something else I could have done?'” the New York Times reported.

Barack Obama provided a detailed analysis of the Israel-Gaza war, telling thousands of his former aides that everyone was “complicit to some extent” in the ongoing carnage.

Speaking on Friday to a group of his former staff members in Chicago, according to the New York Times, Obama stated, “This is century-old stuff that’s coming to the fore.” He held social media accountable for deepening the divisions.

“What Hamas did was horrific, and there’s no justification for it,” Obama said, adding, “And what is also true is that the occupation and what’s happening to Palestinians is unbearable.” “And what is also true is that there is a history of the Jewish people that may be dismissed unless your grandparents, your great-grandparents, or your uncle or your aunt tell you stories about the madness of antisemitism. And what is true is that there are people right now who are dying, who have nothing to do with what Hamas did,” the former US President said, according to the New York Times.

“Even what I just said, which sounds very persuasive, still doesn’t answer the fact that, all right, how do we prevent kids from being killed today?” he said. Obama strongly urged his former aides to “take in the whole truth” and called for support, saying that it is important to strike a balance when it comes to the Israel-Hamas war.

The conflict in Gaza escalated after the October 7 attack by Hamas, where about 2,500 terrorists breached the border into Israel from the Gaza Strip, leading to casualties and the seizure of hostages.
Israel has characterised its Gaza offensive as targeting Hamas’ infrastructure with the goal of eliminating the entire terror group while making efforts to minimise civilian casualties, The Times of Israel reported.

Over 9,488 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since October 7. More than 1,400 people were killed in the Hamas attack on Israel.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently made it clear that Israel would not agree to a ceasefire, drawing parallels to the United States’ position after the bombing of Pearl Harbour.
He noted that calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas.

While addressing a press briefing, Netanyahu had said, “I want to make clear Israel’s position regarding the ceasefire. Just as the United States would not agree to a ceasefire after the bombing of Pearl Harbour or after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Israel will not agree to a cessation of hostilities after the horrific attacks of October 7.” (ANI)

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SC continues defending voters’ rights: Barack Obama

(Photo Barack Obama Twitter)

Chief Justice said that the Constitution “does not exempt state legislatures from the ordinary constraints imposed by state law.”..reports Asian Lite News

US former President Barack Obama, on Tuesday, said that the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend state election laws nationwide and made clear that the institution can continue defending voters’ rights in North Carolina.

Taking to Twitter, Obama said, “Today, the Supreme Court rejected the fringe independent state legislature theory that threatened to upend our democracy and dismantle our system of checks and balances.”

“This ruling rejects the far-right theory that threatened to undermine our democracy, and makes clear that courts can continue defending voters’ rights–in North Carolina and in every state. Thanks to @RedistrictFdn and @EricHolder for helping make this happen,” he said in a tweet.

This tweet came after the Supreme Court ruled in a case where it rejected a legal theory that would have radically reshaped how federal elections are conducted by giving state legislatures largely unchecked power to set all sorts of rules for federal elections and to draw congressional maps warped by partisan gerrymandering, as per The New York Times.

The vote was 6 to 3, with Chief Justice John Roberts Jr writing the majority opinion. He said that the Constitution protects voting rights in federal elections and state courts can enforce those provisions.

Chief Justice said that the Constitution “does not exempt state legislatures from the ordinary constraints imposed by state law.”

Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito Jr and Neil Gorsuch dissented.

The case concerned the “independent state legislature” theory. The doctrine is based on a reading of the Constitution’s Elections Clause, which says, “The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof.”

The Republicans, seeking to restore the legislative map last year, have urged the Supreme Court to immediately intervene and also appealed that the state court was not entitled to second-guess the Legislature, reported The New York Times.

After their request, the justices rejected it for immediate intervention, and the election in November was conducted under a map drawn by experts appointed by a state court. That resulted in a 14-member congressional delegation that was evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats, roughly mirroring the state’s partisan divisions.

The composition of the North Carolina Supreme Court changed after elections in November, favouring Republicans by a 5-to-2 margin. In what a dissenting justice called a “shameful manipulation of fundamental principles of our democracy and the rule of law,” the new majority reversed course, saying the Legislature was free to draw gerrymandered voting districts as it saw fit, according to The New York Times. (ANI)

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Obama: Disinformation is a threat to our democracy

Obama said that while we’re reaping what social media companies have sown, it may not be too late to make different choices, reports TechCrunch…reports Asian Lite News

Former US President Barack Obama has broken his silence after a long time, saying that social media platforms are well-designed to destroy democracies.

Speaking at a Stanford University event late on Thursday, Obama called the present “another tumultuous, dangerous moment in history”.

“Disinformation is a threat to our democracy, and will continue to be unless we work together to address it,” he said.

Obama, who served as the 44th US President from 2009 to 2017, raised concerns on Russia’s 2016 election interference and the invasion of Ukraine.

“People like Putin, and Steve Bannon (Donald Trump’s senior advisor) for that matter, understand it’s not necessary for people to believe (misinformation) in order to weaken democratic institutions,” Obama emphasised.

“You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plan enough conspiracy theorising, that citizens no longer know what to believe,” he added.

Obama said that while we’re reaping what social media companies have sown, it may not be too late to make different choices, reports TechCrunch.

“Not all problems we are seeing now are an inevitable byproduct of this new technology. They’re also the result of very specific choices made by the companies that have come to dominate the internet, generally, and social media platforms in particular,” he noted.

In the competition between truth and falsehood, cooperation and conflict, “the very design of these platforms seems to be tilting us in the wrong direction. And we’re seeing the results,” Obama continued in his hour-long speech.

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