Both Biden and Trump had courted influential union. Plus, poll finds 35% of Americans say Israel is committing genocide
Good morning.
The United Auto Workers (UAW) formally endorsed Joe Biden’s re-election campaign on Wednesday at the union’s national community action program conference in Washington DC.
Both Biden and the former president, Donald Trump, who won the New Hampshire primary this week, have courted the union and supported its successful strike action against the big three automakers last year. Biden became the first sitting president to walk a picket line in support of the union.
“Joe Biden bet on the American worker while Donald Trump blamed the American worker,” the UAW president, Shawn Fain, said. “If our endorsement must be earned, Joe Biden has earned it.”
“Donald Trump is a scab. Donald Trump is a billionaire and that’s who he represents,” Fain said. “This election is about who will stand up with us and who will stand in our way.”Poll finds 35% of Americans believe Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians
A poll from the Economist/YouGov found 35% of Americans say Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, with 36% saying it is not and 29% undecided. The figures were even higher when accounting for age and politics, with 49% of people aged 18-29, and 49% of Democrats, seeing Israel’s actions as genocide.
The polling, taken from 21 to 23 January, comes as the international court of justice (ICJ) prepares to deliver on Friday an interim ruling on South Africa’s genocide case against Israel, and a separate lawsuit against Joe Biden’s administration for “failing to prevent genocide” advances.
Meanwhile, the US state department was forced on Wednesday to “deplore” the attack on the UN’s Khan Younis training centre, after the UNRWA building sheltering about 800 people was hit by Israeli tank shelling, killing at least 12 and injuring 75.
