The accusation that I am antisemitic is appalling and fundamentally dishonest. Criticizing the actions of the Israeli prime minister, a military technology contract, or the executives who supply it is not the same as criticizing Jewish people. This critical and necessary dialogue is then dishonestly framed as being anti-Israel. To be clear, my views come from my own political convictions and should never be interpreted as hostility toward Jewish people, for whom I have deep love and respect.  Everything I know about acting, activism, and humanism has been profoundly shaped by the Jewish friends, colleagues, and loved ones who have been integral and family throughout every point of my life. This merger has real consequences for real people, and for the entire country. Scrutinizing the Ellisons, including Oracle’s business built on data, surveillance technology and government contracts, and the serious threat to editorial freedom and the loss of a livelihood for thousands of families, is fair and necessary. The $111 billion deal would hand one family control over CNN, HBO and Warner Bros., backed in part by foreign money whose influence on editorial decisions has never been fully explained to the public.  Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have called for serious national security review, and regulators still haven’t given the public a real answer. Until they do, the merger shouldn’t move forward. Now is the time to dive boldly into all these issues, not step back or concede.

(Remember when the MSNBC journalist asked me, “Why not humanize all?” Then please do exactly that. Cover this. Report on it. Tell these families’ stories. If this does not deserve sustained international coverage, what does?) Today, a historic mass funeral in Gaza City laid to rest 112 Palestinian civilians from the Abu Sharia and Al-Hasayna families, making it the largest single-event funeral procession in Palestinian history. These victims were killed on November 22, 2023, during a devastating Israeli airstrike that completely leveled a densely populated residential block in al-Sabra neighborhood, claiming the lives of approximately 308 people in total. Because israeli intense military attacks and severe equipment shortages blocked emergency access to the site, the bodies remained trapped under the concrete rubble for over two and a half years. The collective burial finally took place at the Baptist Cemetery following an arduous, days-long recovery operation by the Gaza Civil Defense, drawing thousands of mourners to honor the victims, who included over 40 children and 30 women. Now ask yourself this: if this had happened anywhere else in the world, would there have been live coverage from the scene? Would journalists from CNN, BBC, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, CBC, Sky News, France 24, or other major international outlets have been broadcasting this funeral to a global audience? Surely, many a single victim elsewhere could command hours of international coverage. But sorry, the victims are Palestinians and the mainstream media does not even consider them human.