NEW YORK -- Buffalo and New York City are among the U.S. sites where demonstrators are gathering this week to convince Germany's leader to reconsider her position on COVID-19 vaccine patents.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel meets with President Joe Biden today. Trade groups want to capture her attention by calling for a waiver of trade-related intellectual property rights (TRIPS) for the vaccines, to allow greater access for developing countries.

The U.S. supports it, but Germany remains opposed.

George Kimball, New York state director of the Citizens Trade Campaign, said it is a big opportunity to pressure a world leader to do the right thing.

"Based on the CDC and the World Health Organization (WTO), there needs to be 15 to 20 billion vaccines produced to vaccinate the world," Kimball noted. "And Pfizer, Moderna, J & J (Johnson & Johnson) don't have that capacity. So, we have to, you know, share the technology."

For its part, Germany cited factors such as quality control and manufacturing supply in not advancing the waiver. The demonstrations come the same week the global death toll from COVID-19 has surpassed four million. New York City's demonstration was held yesterday; Buffalo's is today.

In the U.S., some racial groups have faced barriers in accessing COVID vaccinations, but public health officials say it's now widely available across the country. That isn't the case in low- and middle-income nations.

Dr. Pauline Muchina, representative for Africa at the American Friends Service Committee, hopes Merkel is convinced to drop Germany's opposition.

"The fact that many countries, like my home country of Kenya, will not receive full vaccines until 2024 is very, very unjust, and all of us are not safe until we are all safe," Muchina argued.

TRIPS was waived by the WTO in 2003 to allow the import of cheaper, generic drugs into developing
countries that lack manufacturing capacity, a change made permanent in 2017.

Chancellor Merkel's visit comes days ahead of a W-T-O meeting to decide the issue.

Local Jewish advocates for Palestinians are joining forces to draw attention to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

They are calling on the U.S. to stop arming the Israeli military and to end the widespread starvation in the region. Monday, members of Jewish Voice for Peace Chicago began a hunger strike. Elected officials and a variety of city and statewide groups gathered at a rally today in Federal Plaza to start the demonstration.

Ashley Bohrer, one of the hunger strikers, said they are standing in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and calling for aid to Gaza to resume, for an arms embargo and for a permanent ceasefire.

"Jewish law and thought holds the sanctity of human life above all else," Bohrer pointed out. "What we are witnessing right now in Gaza is a total disregard for the lives of two million innocent people who are being slaughtered."

She noted they plan to strike until substantial amounts of food, water and medicine are allowed back into Gaza or until their bodies fail them. They are also calling for support for a proposed bill known as the "Block the Bombs Act," which would stop the sale or transfer of specific U.S. weapons to Israel. Supporters of Israel say the country has made efforts to facilitate the delivery of aid to Gaza and that it tries to alleviate suffering of Palestinians.

Avey Rips, a hunger striker, said Israel is using starvation as a weapon of war. He criticized politicians for campaigning on commitments to programs like SNAP while he said the U.S. government supports the starvation of more than 2 million people in Gaza. He believes the conflict demands escalated tactics to force elected officials to act.

"We are trying to send a message that the communities here will not stand for our money being used for genocidal purposes," Rips emphasized.

Rabbi Brant Rosen of Tzedek Chicago said Chicago's participation in the hunger strike will be part of a larger collective effort to promote Palestinian advocacy. His hope is the initiative will amplify Palestinian voices and give them agency, while encouraging people to understand the conflict from their perspective.

"While these are Jewish hunger strikers and Jewish Voice for Peace is a Jewish organization, we really are part of a larger Palestinian-led-movement," Rosen stressed. "In that regard we still see ourselves as standing by them but ultimately accountable to them."

A number of local events bringing attention to Palestinians in Gaza will continue to take place throughout the week, including a Shabbat service at Federal Plaza on Friday.


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Exports are important to Wisconsin's economy but a new report found they are facing turbulence between a decade-long decline and the uncertainty of new tariffs.

Businesses and farmers across the state rely on exports and some of the biggest categories are industrial, electrical and agriculture. The value of exports has dropped in the last 10 years, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum report. The state has gone from the 19th top-exporting state to 21st.

Tyler Byrnes, senior research associate for the Wisconsin Policy Forum, said the cause is difficult to pinpoint but factors like labor costs, consumer tastes and workforce changes all play a role.

"Wisconsin is one of the most dependent states on agriculture and manufacturing jobs," Byrnes pointed out. "Any disruption to our access to international markets puts a lot of people at risk."

Byrnes added U.S. tariffs triggering retaliatory actions could make Wisconsin goods more expensive, potentially causing consumers to seek alternatives.

The report looked at state-produced goods, where they are produced and which countries buy them. Milwaukee exports the most goods, with total exports last year valued at $9.7 billion, down nearly 20% from a decade ago.

Byrnes noted it mirrors drops seen in other industrial cities.

"Exports are an important measure of the economic health of an area, of a state, of a city," Byrnes explained. "But it's not the primary measure. It's one of many."

Last year, Canada, the European Union, Mexico and China were the top buyers of Wisconsin-made products, accounting for about two-thirds of all the state's exports, according to the report, and the U.S. has imposed tariffs on all of them. Byrnes emphasized the uncertainty creates challenges, both for businesses and consumers.

"Over the long term, we don't really know what exactly it's going to look like," Byrnes acknowledged. "I'm hesitant to make a guesstimate. But I do think there are impacts related to this uncertainty around where we're going to source goods, where we're going to sell goods, and what trade is going to look like."


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California supporters of the Palestinian cause say they are cautiously optimistic - now that the ceasefire in Gaza has taken hold and the hostage releases have begun.

More aid trucks are arriving in Gaza and families are starting to make their way back to survey the almost-total destruction.

Professor Ahlam Muhtaseb with Cal State San Bernardino said about 47,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli bombardment - but notes the journal Lancet estimates the total death toll on the Palestinian side to be between 110,000 and 300,000 people.

"There are 10,400 Palestinian hostages," said Muhtaseb. "The narrative should be balanced where we care about the humanity of Palestinians, and the genocide they went through for over 15 months."

About 1,200 Israelis died and about 250 were kidnapped on October 7, 2023.

Supporters of the Palestinian people rallied in San Diego's Balboa Park on Saturday - and in Long Beach, Los Angeles, and San Francisco on Sunday, calling for a lasting peace so Gaza can start to rebuild.

Summer Ismail is a community organizer with the Council on American Islamic Relations in San Diego.

She said she's disappointed that the agreement took so long, since the basic framework has been around since last spring.

And she condemned the fact that Israeli airstrikes killed dozens more people after the deal was announced.

"I would like the United States to stop sending our tax dollars to Israel," said Ismail. "And I'd also like to see the international community continue pursuing their charges against Benjamin Netanyahu and find Israel guilty of genocide."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has claimed that President Donald Trump assured him of full U.S. support to resume hostilities, quote, "if Israel reaches the conclusion that the second stage of negotiations are ineffectual."




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