Politics: Back at the end of March, the UN Security Council passed a resolution demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. It was passed with 14 votes in favour, none against, and only the US abstaining. There have been other signs that the tide is turning on Gaza, seven months into the bombing campaign that has cost the lives of more than 30,000 Palestinians (numbers that are likely an undercount, considering the state of the all the institutions that would be able to keep track). Francesca Albanese, the UN's Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, released a report warning that there are "reasonable grounds to believe that the threshold indicating the commission of the crime of genocide…has been met." Canada is halting future arm shipments. Australia's foreign minister Penny Wong has called for a two-state solution. US President Biden, now in the midst of his Presidential campaign against Donald Trump, called on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to protect civilians and aid workers after the IDF killed seven aid workers in an air strike. Biden is facing the reality of many young voters and Muslim voters furious at the US' support of Israel's bombing of Gaza in states where a few votes could make the difference for his attempt to get re-elected. The conflict is threatening to affect the entire region. Following a drone strike on the Iranian embassy in Damascus that is widely believed to have been carried out by Israel, Iran launched missiles and drones towards Israeli military installations (the majority of which were intercepted).
The Arizona Supreme Court made use of a 1860s law to ban almost all abortions in the state. Legal experts in the US are warning that right-wing anti-abortion campaigners are looking to use the Comstock Act, a 1873 anti-obscenity law, to effectively restrict abortions in the entirety of the United States (while public opinion on abortion in the US had shifted significantly over the last years, the Supreme Court is stacked with conservative justices). The law forbids the shipping of obscene materials in the mail, which could be applied to the shipping of medications. NPR links to a 900+ page document called "Mandate for Leadership" that is a roadmap for a future conservative Presidency. While this is all specific to the US, I think there are general concerning conclusions to draw about a conservative attempt to advance causes in electorates that are increasingly less supportive of conservative policies - capturing institutions, forging international alliances, using obscure laws, thriving in an environment of misinformation.
This April is the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Rwanda, which unfolded while UN Peacekeepers were in the country - the film Shake Hands with the Devil is about the experience of Roméo Dallaire, commander of UNAMIR, who unsuccessfully pleaded with his superiors to be given commands that would allow him to effectively protect the massacred population.
Pop Culture: I haven't written about it, because I think it requires a level of cultural knowledge that I don't have, but Shōgun is one of the best television shows I've watched in a long time. I highly recommend watching it and listening to the podcast, which gives insight into the production and features interviews with the creators, actors and crew. It's hosted by Emily Yoshida, who used to write reviews for Vulture, and was a writer on the show (it's interesting to see former television critics becoming either television writers or releasing newsletters, as the landscape for television reviews becomes smaller and smaller).
It's also a relief that Monarch: Legacy of Monsters has been renewed for a second season (I caught up with all the Monsterverse movies this year and enjoyed them a lot more than I thought I would) - Anna Sawai is fantastic in both shows, playing wildly different characters, and this has already been a sad year for television shows being cancelled after only one season even though they had a lot of potential (I'm aggrieved about Death and Other Details, which made a perfect trifecta with Only Murders in the Building and Poker Face - I suppose the The Good Wife spin-off Elsbeth fits into this wave as well and is, like Poker Face, kind of an homage to classic Columbo). Films: excited about I Saw the TV Glow, which sounds like a love letter to Buffy the Vampire Slayer (including the casting of Amber Benson as the mom of one of the characters!). I also recently watched Shayda and All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, which were both fantastic.