April 19, 2024 - 7:00pm

→ AOC suggests Trump will jail dissidents if elected

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has some bad news for the American Left: progressives will not be able to organise under a second Donald Trump term, because he’ll be throwing them all in jail.

The New York congresswoman has told Mehdi Hasan that, while she understands why some would refuse to vote for Joe Biden due to his support for Israel, she personally doesn’t want to allow Trump to impose fascism on the US. “I have a vested interest in protecting democracy, not just here domestically, but globally […] we will not be able to organise for any movement towards anything if we are facing the jailing of dissidents.”

“Yes. Fascism,” Hasan said, nodding along solemnly. Keep fighting the good fight.

→ Keir Starmer gets the boot

You can tell a lot about a leader from his choice of footwear. If Rishi Sunak’s decision to wear Adidas Sambas was an attempt to be “relatable”, and Donald Trump’s garish gold sneakers helped fund his various legal campaigns, Keir Starmer seems to be preparing to get dirty.

On a visit to Derby today alongside beleaguered deputy Angela Rayner, the Labour leader was pictured wearing rigger boots — not an obvious pick for his suburban trip. Starmer does look more like a dad out for a walk in the Peak District than a Wild West outlaw, at least. Perhaps he’s learnt from Ron DeSantis’s mistakes

→ Joe Biden tries to woo progressives with Title IX expansion

The UK is beginning to row back on controversial gender transition advice, with the publication of the Cass Report last week and yesterday’s pause on the prescription of puberty blockers in Scotland. But America, never one to follow trends, is doubling down.

Revisions to the Title IX rules will redefine how the government interprets sex-based discrimination to include gender identity, making it more difficult for schools to block biological males from female bathrooms, among other things.

It’s an odd move to make in an election year. Maybe Joe Biden is gesturing to his progressive base, though it’s far from clear that this will stifle the “war criminal” accusations coming from that particular camp. Finger on the pulse, as ever.