Officer kept gun pointed at protester who set himself on fire outside Israeli embassy

Pure outrage. That’s how many have reacted after seeing how an armed security officer reacted to the fiery death of U.S. airman Aaron Bushnell outside the Israeli embassy over the weekend. 

For 33 seconds—from the time he rushes into frame until the time the video ends—an unnamed officer can be seen holding his gun pointed at Bushnell’s charred, smoldering body lying on the ground as others plead for help. One first responder can even be heard shouting, “I don’t need guns, I need fire extinguishers!” 

Bushnell self-immolated on Saturday shouting “Free Palestine” repeatedly as his body went up in flames. His final social media post implored people to help stop Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people.

The outrageous video has sparked a firestorm online. As one person astutely pointed out:

Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah contrasted the image with authorities in Israel turning water cannons on its own people over the weekend:

While an artists’ rendering of the event has gone viral, seen over 2 million times on X:

It’s unclear who the security guard is, who he worked for, or if he was just following some sort of “protocol”. As of February 24, the United Nations says nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since October 7—70% of the slaughtered are women and children.

Meanwhile: President Biden told reporters last night he hopes there will be a ceasefire by next week. A Hamas official dismissed that claim early this morning.

Also: This Saturday, pro-Palestinian groups are planing a global day of action on March 2.

➡️ Question of the Day

Do you think a ceasefire will be reached in Gaza before an invasion of Rafah? Tell us why in the comments.

Thursday’s Results: This is what you called a blowout. Yesterday we asked how much of right do you have to free speech on social media. You said:

Spyder voted total: “Has the intelligence of the American people deteriorated to the point that they can not determine right & wrong for themselves?”

While Jenna voted limited: “Letting anybody say anything - including fire in a crowded chat room - has opened up a whole pandora’s box for our country. Platforms have a right to police the platforms as they choose.”

Court watchers said the justices seemed to agree. A ruling won’t come until June.

Republicans feel pressure to finally expand Medicaid in last hold out states

The pressure campaign is working. That’s what some Democrats are saying now that Republicans in the 10 remaining states that haven’t allowed an expansion of Medicaid under Obamacare may finally be giving in. NPR reports that after North Carolina finally relented in December, party leaders in Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia may also throw in the towel, allowing hundreds of thousands of poor and working class people to get health insurance.

Critics say Republican opposition to the expansion is cynical at best, immoral at worst. The Affordable Care Act, now passed nearly 14 years ago, provided for an expansion of Medicaid to cover more people that was almost entirely paid for by the federal government.

Studies have found the expansion dramatically lowered the number of people who are uninsured. In North Carolina, 600,000 low-income North Carolinians became eligible for coverage, while an expansion in Georgia would cover roughly 400,000 people.

But but but: NPR says that for many Republicans, "Medicaid expansion" is still a toxic phrase tied closely to former President Barack Obama. And Republicans in six states are hoping that a second Trump administration would allow them to tie eligibility for Medicaid to work requirements. Nobody gets any help in the GOP’s America.

🗞️ Also making news…

Here are some stories the algorithms may have kept out of your feed this week.

On politics…

• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer says she expects a ‘sizable’ protest vote against Biden for his support of the Gaza genocide in today’s primary there. Here’s what else to watch for.

• Another government shutdown is looming: The government runs out of money on March 8 unless Congress acts.

• Prosecutors in Trump’s criminal trial in NYC have asked the judge for a gag order to protect jurors and witnesses from the Republican frontrunner.

• A senior Republican who once called Trump ‘inexcusable’ has endorsed him for president.

On business and the economy…

• This is the bad place: A fast food chain plans to start Uber-style surge pricing.

• The Biden Administration wants to block the country’s largest-ever supermarket merger, saying it would raise prices for millions of shoppers.

• That’s good: This year looks to be a much better one for the U.S. economy than corporate economists were forecasting just a few months ago.

On the climate crisis and the environment…

• An intense storm front sweeping nation is bringing with it snow, severe weather, and a fire threat.

On LGBTQIA+ rights…

• Students in Oklahoma walked out of school Monday to protest a pervasive culture of bullying after the death of nonbinary student Nex Benedict.

• Separate but equal? Staten Island will now host two St. Patrick’s Day parades, one welcoming LGBTQ+ people, one will not.

💰Good News: Med school gets $1 billion donation, students get free tuition

A medical school in New York City will be totally tuition-free after a wealthy donor made a whopping $1 billion donation this week. The Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx received the donation, one of the largest ever to a school, from Dr. Ruth Gottesman, a 93-year-old former professor there, according to The Guardian. She and her husband made “their” money by “investing” in Berkshire Hathaway.

Half of Einstein’s most recent class of students are New Yorkers, 59% are women and the majority are people of color.