Week in Review

Please read and share widely, check out the webinars and action items.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the onslaught of very bad news, but the first step is to stay informed and share information with your communities. Then, do something with your outrage.

Trump’s catastrophic impact on health care in US:

About 10.3 million people will no longer be eligible for Medicaid.

1.8 million people will lose Obama care coverage under these measures.

Despite this $1.8 trillion in extra health care spending, health outcomes in the United States are nevertheless much worse than those in all other high-income countries.

A ceasefire in Lebanon was announced by Trump, but its reality tells a very different story. The ceasefire was not the product of American diplomacy, nor Israeli strategic calculation. It was imposed—largely as a result of sustained Iranian pressure.

Washington, Tel Aviv, and their allies—including some within Lebanon itself—will continue to deny this reality. Acknowledging Iran’s role would mean admitting that a historic precedent has been set: for the first time, forces opposing the US and Israel have succeeded in imposing conditions on both.

This is not a minor development. It is a strategic rupture.

April 12, 2026

Cypress Creek Christian Church - Topic: Weaponization of antisemitism to silence critics of Israeli policy.

My presentation discussing how and why this accusation has become a powerful rhetorical weapon used to silence critics of Israel, and the consequences to this weaponization.

I start at 5 minutes

Sunday April 12th:

Plymouth United Church in Spring, Texas.

I began my comments, From Nice Jewish Girl to Palestine Solidarity Activist: Reflections on my search for justice, as part of the church service. This church espouses four voices: social justice, progressive theology, contemplative spirituality and LGBTAI+ inclusion. I reflected on my upbringing in a fairly typical Jewish family in the 1950s and 1960s, and my journey to understand the real history of Israel/Palestine and Zionism.

After the service, the congregation and friends gathered to hear my presentation, Understanding the experience of women and children living in Gaza through the lens of health and human rights.

I start at 2 minutes

Big win. After years of organizing, the Office of the Washington State Treasurer announced it has divested its $62 million in Caterpillar bonds, and the Olympia, Washington City Council voted unanimously to block investment in entities that engage in apartheid or illegal occupation.

Trump and Netanyahu predicted a swift campaign that would topple Iran's leadership and eliminate its nuclear program. Five weeks later and it looks like anything but. The global economy is in a chokehold, Iranian missiles keep finding Israeli targets and the anticipated collapse of the Iranian state looks like a fantasy.