“You can educate a fool, but you cannot make him think”

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu has apparently banned two Democratic U.S. congresswomen, Ilhan Omar (left) and Rashida Tlaib (right), from visiting the country and the Palestinian territories this weekend, after U.S. President Donald Trump publicly urged “Bibi” to deny visa to the two progressive congresswomen — in fact the only two Muslim women in Congress — for their (supposed) pro-Palestinian tendencies. Israel’s decision to block visit was condemned almost unanimously by U.S. Congress as unjust and inopportune. Photo: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA.

Mandela Day

Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar, whose safety is constantly at risk because of the racist “calls” of the President’s most extreme supporters, chose a symbolic day — today’s 2019 Nelson Mandela International Day — to vindicate her right to be free from ethnicity-based discrimination in Donald Trump’s America.

Dangerously Equal

The House’s lawmakers voted to officially condemn President Donald Trump’s remarks on the four Democratic congresswomen Ilhan Omar (right), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (centre), Rashida Tlaib (left), and Ayanna Pressley, with four Republicans joining Democrats. The resolution states the House of Representatives “strongly condemns” Trump’s “racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color”. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

The Four Seasons

From left to right: Democratic congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, and Ayanna Pressley just spoke at a press conference about President Donald Trump and his harsh remarks against not directly named “‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen” — widely interpreted as a reference to them — who have been asked to “go back” to their “corrupt” and “broken and crime infested” countries. “The President can’t defend his policies so what he does is attack us personally”, Ocasio-Cortez said, while Pressley warned the American public to “not take the bait”, because the systematic distraction of the people from the real issues is the only aim of Trump’s rhetoric. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images.

In Search of Equality

Democratic congresswoman Ilhan Omar (pictured above) was vehemently and speciously attacked by U.S. President Donald Trump last Saturday on the basis of her wearing a hijab and her faith, thus fueling the hate campaign against her systematically perpetrated by the most reactionary Republicans, who didn’t feel ashamed to mendaciously claim she denied 9/11 attackers were terrorists. However, the high level of bi-partisan support she received, even if not unanimous, should encourage her to carry on with unchanged and, if possible, even stronger passion and courage her noble cause. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images.

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez walks and talks with IIhan Omar prior to a member-elect briefing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. Photo: Pablo Martínez Monsiváis/AP.

Balancing the Chakras

Democrats won back the House majority, seizing the 218 seats needed to break Republicans’ eight-year monopoly, while the Grand Old Party (GOP) managed to keep Senate. It was a parade of women first-timers, most of them by Democrats: Ayanna Pressley in Massachusetts, Rashida Tlaib in Michigan, Ilhan Omar in Minnesota, and, of course, the superstar Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, together with Tlaib (House) and Bernie Sanders (Senate) raises to three the number of declared Socialists in Congress — the highest number in U.S. history.

A Long Way Forward

• Jamiles Lartey in New Orleans and Lauren Gambino in Washington, America’s new opposition: the women standing up to Trump, The Guardian, August 19, 2018

Ilhan Omar, a former Somali refugee, was nominated by Democrats in Minnesota to run for Congress in the midterms. Photo: ddp USA/Rex/Shutterstock.