The FTC banned noncompetes. What that means for workers and companies. ========== The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has banned noncompete agreements for most of the U.S. workforce, affecting an estimated 30 million people. Labor advocates see this as a victory for workers, while big businesses and lobbying groups are filing a federal lawsuit against the ban. Noncompete agreements limit workers' ability to change jobs within their industry or start their own businesses. The FTC's decision aims to promote competition and give workers the freedom to pursue new opportunities. However, opponents argue that it will limit their ability to protect trade secrets and confidential information. The ban is not yet final and may face legal challenges. #Ftc #NoncompeteAgreements #Workers #Companies #LaborAdvocates #BigBusinesses #LobbyingGroups https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/04/24/non-compete-ban-workers-ftc-employers/

U.S. cites a litany of rights violations in Israel, Gaza and West Bank ========== The State Department's annual human rights report cited several reported rights violations committed in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza in 2023 by parties including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas militants, and the Palestinian Authority. The Gaza conflict has worsened the human rights situation in Israel, with credible reports of 'unlawful killings' by both Hamas and the Israeli government. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed human rights concerns over the Oct. 7 attacks and the subsequent death of civilians during Israel's military response in Gaza. However, the Biden administration has not announced a decision to suspend U.S. security aid to elements of the Israeli military over alleged human rights abuses. The report also mentioned the deaths of more than 21,000 people in the Gaza Strip through the end of 2023. Israeli authorities have taken some steps to identify and punish officials accused of committing human rights abuses in the West Bank, but no publicly visible steps have been taken in Gaza. The report did not address the aftermath of the high-profile incident in which Israel's military targeted an international aid convoy in April, killing seven people. The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. #Israel #Gaza #WestBank #HumanRights #StateDepartment #AntonyBlinken https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/04/22/us-israel-gaza-human-rights/

U.S. cites a litany of rights violations in Israel, Gaza and West Bank ========== The State Department's annual human rights report cited several reported rights violations committed in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza in 2023 by parties including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas militants, and the Palestinian Authority. The Gaza conflict has worsened the human rights situation in Israel, with credible reports of 'unlawful killings' by both Hamas and the Israeli government. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed human rights concerns over the Oct. 7 attacks and the subsequent death of civilians during Israel's military response in Gaza. However, the Biden administration has not announced a decision to suspend U.S. security aid to elements of the Israeli military over alleged human rights abuses. The report also mentioned the deaths of more than 21,000 people in the Gaza Strip through the end of 2023. Israeli authorities have taken some steps to identify and punish officials accused of committing human rights abuses in the West Bank, but no publicly visible steps have been taken in Gaza. The report did not address the aftermath of the high-profile incident in which Israel's military targeted an international aid convoy in April, killing seven people. The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. #Israel #Gaza #WestBank #HumanRights #StateDepartment #AntonyBlinken https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/04/22/us-israel-gaza-human-rights/

IDF intelligence chief resigns; independent report on UNRWA released ========== Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the intelligence chief for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), has announced his resignation and retirement over the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. An independent report on the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) found that the agency is in need of reforms but Israel has yet to substantiate its claims of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad members within UNRWA. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed concern over potential U.S. funding restrictions against Netzah Yehuda, an ultra-Orthodox military unit accused of human rights violations in the occupied West Bank. The Gaza Health Ministry reports that at least 34,151 people have been killed and 77,084 injured in Gaza since the war began. Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas's Oct. 7 attack, including over 300 soldiers. #Idf #Intelligence #Resignation #Unrwa #Report #Israel #Hamas #Palestine #Gaza https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/22/israel-hamas-war-news-gaza-palestine/

Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Israel-Gaza conflict and fears of wider Mideast escalation ========== Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been critical of the way Israel has conducted the war in Gaza and called on the Biden administration to exert more leverage to improve the humanitarian conditions on the ground. Van Hollen joins The Post’s Yasmeen Abutaleb to share his assessment of the Israel-Gaza war, the fears of wider escalation in the Mideast, and the latest on the Baltimore bridge collapse recovery efforts. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/04/23/sen-chris-van-hollen-israel-gaza-conflict-fears-wider-mideast-escalation/

Sen. Chris Van Hollen on Israel-Gaza conflict and fears of wider Mideast escalation ========== Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been critical of the way Israel has conducted the war in Gaza and called on the Biden administration to exert more leverage to improve the humanitarian conditions on the ground. Van Hollen joins The Post’s Yasmeen Abutaleb to share his assessment of the Israel-Gaza war, the fears of wider escalation in the Mideast, and the latest on the Baltimore bridge collapse recovery efforts. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/04/23/sen-chris-van-hollen-israel-gaza-conflict-fears-wider-mideast-escalation/

Kellyanne Conway on 2024 issues, abortion politics and prospects of a second Trump term ========== Kellyanne Conway, former Senior Counselor to President Donald Trump, joins The Washington Post's Michael Scherer to discuss the issues driving the electorate in 2024, the politics of abortion in battleground states, and her views on the former president's vision for a second term. https://www.washingtonpost.com/washington-post-live/2024/04/24/kellyanne-conway-2024-issues-abortion-politics-prospects-second-trump-term/