U.S. Abandons Seeking Peace in the Middle East & Gov. DeSantis Gives Floridians the OK to Kill Protesters
June 17, 2025
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Today’s quote explains why there is a brutal campaign to control art in America.
US ambassador to Israel says US no longer pursuing goal of independent Palestinian state: In one of the most shocking and destructive policies in my lifetime, the U.S. is no longer seeking to bring about peace in the Middle East (even though Trump promised he’d accomplish it within 24 hours).
GOP tax bill would cost poor Americans $1,600 a year and boost highest earners by $12,000, CBO says: The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Aren’t we supposed to be stopping that disparity rather than increasing it?
DeSantis Says Drivers Can Hit Anti-ICE Protesters With Their Cars: Yup, a sitting governor just gave the thumbs up for Floridians to kill protesters.
‘We will kill you’: Florida sheriff warns protesters not to attack deputies: Florida continues its quest to be the dumbest state in the country.
Trump Turns Presidency Into His Cash Cow With $600M Haul: How have your finances been doing since Trump took office? Because his have been doing great.
Kareem’s Video Break: Sometimes love knows no bounds.
Kareem’s Sports Moments: I wish I had this kind of focus.
Beach Boys Sing “Don't Worry Baby”: In honor of the recent death of Brian Wilson, let’s listen to a classic.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable.
César A. Cruz, poet and Harvard University professor
Think about how much art we interact with every day. There’s the usual: TV shows, books, music, artworks on our walls. But there is also hidden art: the clothes you wear were designed by an artist, and so were your car and furniture. Someone imagined something that didn’t exist and then created it. And so we float through life on a boat made of art.
How drab life would be without art. Of course, we distinguish between cultural art and functional art. Functional art is about designing objects from toasters to flatware, but it is no less artistic for being useful. Cultural art—like poetry, literary novels, and fine art paintings—exists for its own sake, as a way to explain the world around us and help us navigate through life. Cultural art articulates vague thoughts and emotions in our heads and hearts and allows us to express them in ways that help us know ourselves better and teach us how to better interact with others. In Love Actually, Emma Thompson’s character admits, “It was Joni Mitchell that taught your cold-hearted British Wife how to feel.”
Without Coltrane, Monk, The Beatles, and a thousand other musicians, I would have not been able to express with such joy and understanding the intense thoughts and feelings I had throughout my life. Marvin Gaye gave me insights into what was going on and why the world made me wanna holler. I could write a book just on all the books that shaped my life.
Art in America is under siege. The second part of today’s quote helps explain why. We can all agree that one major function of art is to comfort the disturbed. That’s why whenever we feel blue or happy or stressed or some other emotion, we have paintings we can look at or music we can play that will alter our moods or enhance them.
When it comes to “disturb the comfortable,” art gets into trouble. It means that art should challenge the conventional beliefs and views that can hinder the growth of individuals and the country. Think of it as an x-ray that discovers a hidden life-threatening tumor. Now we see what we couldn’t see with our eyes. Social satire like MASH, Catch-22, Network, Dr. Strangelove, and Succession open our eyes to the hypocrisy inherent in government and business. People in power, who most benefit from the status quo, don’t like it challenged. They don’t want stories that humanize the marginalized or point out irrational social values. They don’t want the herd disturbed or it could lead to a stampede to change, starting with booting out those in power.
This is why Trump and other conservatives have made hijacking the arts a priority. Last year, Florida Gov. DeSantis cut the entire $32 million set aside for the arts from the state budget. Trump has demanded that Congress end funding for PBS and NPR. Trump tried to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery and canceled shows at the Smithsonian that don’t align with his politics. The Kennedy Center is the canary in the cultural mine shaft for Trump. He has replaced qualified staff with loyal incompetents, canceled shows he doesn’t like, and even asked Qatar to pay for some renovations (because nothing says pride in American arts than a Middle Eastern country paying for it). He also loves attacking artists who openly disagree with him, like Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé.
Trump’s art is as a fiction writer, though not a very good one. His frequent ranting posts are mostly lies, uttered through bad grammar, illiterate punctuation, and illogical reasoning. They create a warped vision of America and our values. The problem is that he believes that any form of art or any artist must support his warped vision or be destroyed.
I wonder if Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young released a song today like “Ohio” about the National Guard killing students at Kent State University in 1970, would Trump, Noem, and the other toadies be screaming for them to be arrested? Sadly, the answer is obvious.
Quick Takes
US ambassador to Israel says US no longer pursuing goal of independent Palestinian state (The Guardian)
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: This abandonment of the two-state solution to Middle East tensions that respects both the Israelis’ and the Palestinians’ right to exist and to enjoy self-rule is a horrifying policy designed to create even more violence.
SUMMARY: Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, has said that the US is no longer pursuing the goal of an independent Palestinian state, marking what analysts describe as the most explicit abandonment yet of a cornerstone of US Middle East diplomacy.
Asked during an interview with Bloomberg News if a Palestinian state remains a goal of US policy, he replied: “I don’t think so.”
The former Arkansas governor chosen by Donald Trump as his envoy to Israel went further by suggesting that any future Palestinian entity could be carved out of “a Muslim country” rather than requiring Israel to cede territory.
“Unless there are some significant things that happen that change the culture, there’s no room for it,” Huckabee was quoted as saying. Those probably won’t happen “in our lifetime”, he told the news agency.
MY TAKE: This announcement by Huckabee is a major setback for peace in the Middle East. It tells the world that we don’t care about peace or justice, we just want to do business with our kind. It’s one of the most callous, dangerous, and embarrassing American policies of my lifetime.
Before I go on, I will once again state my opinion about the situation in the Middle East: I support Israel’s right to exist. I support the Israeli people. Hamas is a murdering terrorist organization that shouldn’t exist. Netanyahu is a war criminal and corrupt politician who is a mini-Trump devoid of compassion and morality. His unnecessarily violent and harsh treatment of Palestinians is what creates terrorists like Hamas. Palestine also has a right to exist as an independent country. Both have a right to live peacefully without the constant fear of death or attack. That’s the solution the U.S. and many other democracies have been working toward for decades. Until Trump.
I also want to make clear, as I have written endlessly in this newsletter, that I find antisemitism to be reprehensible and combatted whenever confronted. I have actively fought against it for most of my life. I also find the Trump administration’s attacks on universities under the false pretense of fighting antisemitism to be a malignant form of antisemitism in that it uses Jews as an excuse to suppress civil liberties, making them scapegoats and creating more hatred toward them. Jewish students should be protected, but this campaign does the opposite and makes them targets. [Full Disclosure: My business partner and manager of 31 years, Deborah Morales, is Jewish.]
The Trump administration’s decision to abandon Palestine is just more pandering to those evangelical Christians who use the Bible as justification to reject a Palestinian state. When Huckabee ran for president in 2008, he stated, “There is no such thing as a Palestinian.” That would be like telling Canadians there is no country called Canada—you’re really part of the U.S.
Netanyahu’s political power is under threat in Israel from other parties as well as from the courts for his corruption. War keeps him in power. Now, Israel has attacked Iran and the inevitable escalation of fighting, death, and destruction will take place (“Iran says Israel’s strikes on its nuclear facilities are a ‘declaration of war’ as Trump warns of ‘even more brutal attacks’ to come”). This will have a blowback on the U.S. because, despite Marco Rubio’s denials that the U.S. was involved in the bombings, he did admit we were told beforehand that they would happen. Iran has warned that the U.S. would be held accountable, too. Trump then promised Iran we would attack them.
Reminder: Trump promised to solve the Mideast Crisis “within 24 hours” of taking office. He said the same thing about the Ukraine-Russia war. And things just keep getting worse.
Huckabee has been supplementing his income by writing children’s books that are horrifying propaganda (“Mike Huckabee’s new children’s book, now with razor wire and a handcuffed Hispanic”). His promotional material describes his latest abomination: “The Kids Guide to Immigration helps kids understand how our incredible nation was built on the backs of legal immigrants and how illegal immigration and loose border policies contribute to a host of problems including illegal drugs, violent crime, loss of jobs, and higher taxes, to name a few.” (Of course, much of our nation was also built on the backs of slaves.) His book features an illustration of a Hispanic man with hands cuffed behind his back. His other book, The KiDS GUiDE to President Trump, urges elementary school children to “Get Congress to approve death penalty for drug smugglers and human traffickers.” Because executing people should be a priority for small children.
One can’t help but wonder if Huckabee’s poorly timed announcement encouraged Netanyahu to push forward with his missile strike against Iran that could pull the U.S. into another war.
FYI: Recently, I watched an interview with Rabbi Sharon Brous, founder of the synagogue and community IKAR and author of the national bestseller The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Mend Our Broken Hearts and World. I was moved and inspired by her rational but impassioned approach to the issue of antisemitism. I also watched her speak at a multi-faith vigil in support of the Los Angeles protests against ICE’s brutality against immigrants. (See her speak here.) The website for IKAR features a quote from Hillel the Elder, a first-century Jewish scholar who said, “Love your neighbor, and love yourself. That is the whole Torah. All the rest is commentary.” (That is the core of most religions, yet that seems to be the one teaching followers often ignore.) I look forward to hearing more from Rabbi Brous and supporting her mission in any way that I can.
DeSantis Says Drivers Can Hit Anti-ICE Protesters With Their Cars (The Daily Beast)
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: DeSantis has permitted the people of Florida to commit violence against protesters if the person “thinks” they might be in danger. That’s the end of law and order.
SUMMARY: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has a new “zero tolerance” policy on ongoing protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), encouraging motorists to strike demonstrators who make them feel “threatened.” “If you’re driving on one of those streets and a mob comes and surrounds your vehicle and threatens you, you have a right to flee for your safety, and so if you drive off and you hit one of these people, that’s their fault for impinging on you,” DeSantis said on The Rubin Report podcast. “You don’t have to sit there and just be a sitting duck and let the mob grab you out of your car and drag you through the streets.” DeSantis’ remarks came the day after 26-year-old Zachary Degross was arrested for threatening to “plow” through any protestors he saw gathered in Jacksonville, Florida. “You have a right to defend yourself in Florida,” DeSantis said. Protests in Los Angeles erupted last week over ICE raids in the city, prompting President Donald Trump to send in the National Guard.
MY TAKE: Ron DeSantis, who voters in the presidential election benched as politically irrelevant, is trying to claw his way back into headlines by out-Trumping Trump by way of outrageous and immoral statements. He creates an imaginary scenario that characterizes protesters as Walking Dead zombies hungry for brains (which means he’s safe). There’s no better phrase to prick up the ears of MAGA supporters than “zero tolerance,” because that’s their mantra about everything that doesn’t conform to their beliefs.
The problem is that DeSantis ignores that the vast majority of protesters are peaceful and that much (though not all) of the violence during protests has been instigated by police escalation. However, DeSantis doesn’t address the existence of peaceful protests or the legitimacy of their cause, rather wanting all protests to be seen as violent eruptions of crazed liberals. Nor does he address the presence of undercover instigators sent in to create violence to pervert the message. (FYI: It has been well documented in the past that local police and the FBI have sent undercover agents to escalate violence at protests (“A Short History of U.S. Law Enforcement Infiltrating Protests”).
His response to protest, of course, is violence, just as the British fired upon American colonists during the Boston Massacre. We know which side he’d have been on.
DeSantis, like Trump during the Jan. 6 insurrection, has just incited violence, which might make him and the state of Florida liable for anyone who acts based on his encouragement. He failed to prove that people surrounding cars is a significant problem, that even if there were people surrounding cars that doesn’t mean they have violent intent. This same tactic of disrupting traffic was used by Martin Luther King Jr. during his peaceful civil rights protests (with racist politicians threatening the same violence).
Zachary Degross was arrested because he wanted to plow through crowds of protesters, not because he was threatened in his car, but because he was threatened by their ideas. I recall another bunch who killed a prominent protester because they were threatened by his ideas. Get out the cross, nails, and hammer, DeSantis.
FYI #1: Here’s more evidence that DeSantis is trying to resurrect his dying career by appealing to MAGA (perhaps in anticipation of another presidential run in 2028). Every year since he became governor in 2019, DeSantis has issued an order honoring the victims of the 2016 mass shooting at the Orlando gay nightclub Pulse where 49 were killed and dozens of others were injured. In each of those orders, he mentioned the devastation to the Hispanic and LGBTQ communities, calling it “a horrific act of terrorism against the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities.” Not this year.
This year, there was no mention of Hispanics or LGBTQ (“DeSantis omits references to LGBTQ, Hispanic communities in latest Pulse remembrance”). That’s a little like condemning slavery without mentioning Black people. The whitewashing of history continues by the GOP. Anything that portrays Blacks, women, Hispanics, LGBTQ, or immigrants as being victimized or doing heroic acts is erased.
FYI #2: Florida’s Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey promised to kill protesters he deemed violent: “If you hit one of us, you're going to the hospital and jail, and most likely get bitten by one of our big, beautiful dogs that we have here. [NOTE: His reference to “big, beautiful dogs” is an homage to Trump’s bill. It’s also a callback to when police used dogs to attack civil rights protesters.] If you throw a brick, a fire bomb or point a gun at one of our deputies, we will be notifying your family where to collect your remains, because we will kill you, graveyard dead. We're not going to play.” Emboldened by a governor who encourages violence, this law enforcement official has threatened to seriously injure and kill people for actions that he will interpret as life-threatening (“'We will kill you': Florida sheriff warns protesters not to attack deputies”). However, he has clearly shown his assessment is not to be trusted because he’s on a mission of looking for protesters to punish. Instead of confirming his commitment to protecting protesters exercising their First Amendment rights, he wants to suppress that right through intimidation.
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED: On Saturday, during the “No Kings” protests around the country, in several different states, cars were driven into protesters. In Minnesota, one Democratic senator was assassinated along with her husband, and another state senator and his wife were shot by a man posing as a police officer. While there is no direct link between a politician and a sheriff and this act of murder by a deranged man, when people in government offices tacitly approve violence against political opponents, this encourages the deranged to act out their savior fantasies.
Kareem’s Video Break
Take a break. Watch this and remember there is a lot of love in this world.
Kareem’s Department of “Try to Justify This”
GOP tax bill would cost poor Americans $1,600 a year and boost highest earners by $12,000, CBO says (AP)
SUMMARY: The Republican tax bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives would cost the poorest Americans roughly $1,600 a year while increasing the income of the wealthiest households by an average of $12,000 annually, according to a new analysis released Thursday by the Congressional Budget Office.
Middle-income households would see a boost of roughly $500 to $1,000 per year under Republican President Donald Trump’s tax bill, the CBO found.
MY TAKE: The Big Beautiful Bill is living up to its name—if you’re wealthy. If you’re poor, you’ll just become poorer. The middle class will see some small benefits, but that will be wiped out and actually cost them more in higher prices for goods, lost services, and fewer jobs. For example, “washing machines, refrigerators and other common household appliances made with steel parts will soon be subject to expanded tariffs, the Commerce Department said Thursday” (“Trump Steel Tariffs Expanded to Hit Home Appliances”). Plus, it will add $2.6 trillion to the national debt over 10 years according to the CBO. It will also increase healthcare costs for some. While the average American struggles to pay for doctor’s visits, at least wealthy Trump supporters will pick up some spare change. Our Big Beautiful GOP in action.
FYI: While we’re all paying more for almost everything thanks to Trump’s botched policies, he has been raking in the dough to the tune of $600 million (“Trump Turns Presidency Into His Cash Cow With $600M Haul”): “An annual financial disclosure shows the Republican president’s crypto ventures, golf clubs, and resorts, as well as the large fees he collects from garish MAGA-branded merch, have helped him rake in more than $600 million in income last year, Reuters reported.” How he must be laughing at the suckers who are poor and middle class supporting him.
Kareem’s Sports Moments
This is amazing but exhausting. My favorite part is the very end when the victor does a mic-drop with his paddle.
Kareem’s Jukebox Playlist
Beach Boys: “Don't Worry Baby” (1964)
Co-founder of the Beach Boys Brian Wilson died last week at the age of 82. One of the most successful bands in the world, the Beach Boys was formed in 1961 by Wilson along with three brothers, their cousin, and a friend. They popularized surfing (though only one of them surfed) and the California lifestyle so widely that Southern California became a pilgrimage destination for people all over the world.
In 1964, the same year this song was released, Brian Wilson had a nervous breakdown, forcing him to stop touring with the band and focus more on songwriting and producing. His problems with mental health continued throughout his life. Nevertheless, he managed to continue to be an innovator that influenced pop and rock music. Their eleventh studio album, Pet Sounds, featuring the phenomenal single “Good Vibrations,” was hailed as one of the “greatest and most influential albums in music history.”
I picked this song as much for the video as the song. Both capture that frolicking, carefree ideal of young people celebrating life that the band represented. It was an innocence that had a short shelf life as the realities of the Vietnam War and counter-culture movements soon swept the country and music industry. But when we play this song, we can still remember there was a time…
There are things hard to comprehend in this life: the immensity of an infinite universe, quantum mechanics (infinite in another direction), the beauty and miracle of evolving life and and all its permutations. But the most personally heartbreaking is trying to comprehend the lack of empathy and simple compassion in such a large swath of my fellow brothers and sisters. May changing that be the goal we, as our earth’s caretakers, work to achieve. Peace
Kareem, thanks for another great newsletter, from Brian Wilson's "Don't Worry, Baby: (I wish), to the Orangutan showing behavior that Secretary Noem and her goons could learn from, rather than assaulting CA Sen. Padilla, to the plan for perpetual war (and war crimes) in the Middle East, giving up on justice and peace. It is not anti-semitic to point out the fact that Israel's starving and bombing of innocent Palestinians are atrocities and crimes against humanity. Hamas are terrorists, but I always hoped for something better from the only democracy in the Middle East.