Saturday Digest Vol. 3, Issue 5
Sifting through sources all week to deliver you real, interesting news. Curated by a professional journalist and delivered to your inbox every Saturday.
“The greatest challenge we face is how to reduce the growing disparity between the rich and poor people on earth." — Jimmy Carter
Greetings from Asheville, North Carolina, where I am trying to take the temperature on Hurricane Helene recovery efforts on my way back home to Rhode Island from Atlanta. My girlfriend and I drove to Atlanta to attend a dear friend’s wedding this past Saturday, with stops in College Park (Proteus Bicycles & Brews on Rhode Island Ave) and Richmond (Coppola’s Deli in Careytown) on the way. She flew back home like a normal person, and I am wending my way back up the eastern seaboard searching for stories along the way (please send me recommendations for good Palestinian food/culture in Paterson, New Jersey).
Many thanks to the grandson of groundbreaking Egyptian artist Menhat Helmy, sportswriter
, for sending me the above high-resolution image of her 1974 etching called Rockets. Helmy, “the artist who captured a bygone Cairo,” passed away 21 years ago on May 10.Zidan wrote the above-linked article for New Lines Magazine about the historical value of his grandmother’s work in relation to the Egyptian' government’s ongoing gentrification efforts in Cairo. This piece was my favorite read in this week’s Digest:
Helmy, who passed away in 2004 at age 78, was a pioneering printmaker and painter, and among the first Egyptian artists to create elaborate etchings that captured the intricacies and minutiae of life in Cairo during the unprecedented socioeconomic changes that transformed the country under former President Gamal Abdel Nasser.
She is also my grandmother, and I’ve only recently come to realize how significant her etchings are in a rapidly-changing Egypt.
In late June 2022, the Egyptian authorities began to forcibly evict residents and owners of the 32 houseboats docked along the Kit Kat area of Giza. The evictions followed a sudden decree from the Irrigation Ministry earlier that month, as part of a plan to develop the Nile Corniche and create a pathway for commercial projects along the river. By July 3, the entire Nile community had been evicted, leaving dozens of occupants — ranging from war veterans to writers to elderly women — stranded in the process.
The tragic incident marked the latest stage in the Egyptian government’s aggressive and expansive urban development drive — an unprecedented project that has resulted in the demolition of many of Egypt’s historic landmarks, green spaces and neighborhoods in its quest to become the new Dubai.
In consequence, my grandmother’s extensive oeuvre of etchings and paintings — scenes of lupin sellers, ancient mosques, popular theaters, agricultural fields and women at work in various settings — have transformed into a wealth of historical documents that capture the very essence of a bygone Cairo and its threatened identity.
In addition to the
blog where I first came across Karim Zidan’s work, he and his mother Sara run a Substack dedicated entirely to the life and art of Menhat Helmy:
Readers and sources can always contact me at wolfangwritingsolutions@gmail.com.
World
1. Trump surprises Israel with announcement of deal to stop bombing Houthis in Yemen, end shipping attacks (Reuters)
After Trump made the announcement, Oman said it had mediated the ceasefire deal, marking a major shift in Houthi policy since the start of Israel's war in Gaza in October 2023. Under the agreement, neither the U.S. nor the Houthis would target the other, including U.S. vessels in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, Oman said in a statement.
The Houthis, also known as the Houthi movement and officially known as Ansar Allah in Arabic, are the collective membership of an Islamic political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. Ansar Allah is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shia Muslims, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely from the Houthi tribe.
Reporting from Reuters, published on May 6:
The U.S. intensified strikes on Yemen's Houthis this year in an effort to stop the Iran-linked paramilitary organization’s attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes. Rights activists have raised concerns over civilian casualties.
"They said please don't bomb us any more and we're not going to attack your ships," Trump said of the Houthis during an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. "And I will accept their word, and we are going to stop the bombing of the Houthis effective immediately."
Qatar and Kuwait welcomed the ceasefire deal in separate statements on Tuesday, expressing hopes for the step to secure freedom of navigation.
The Houthis have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea since Israel began its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian militant group's deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The U.S. military has said it has struck more than 1,000 targets since its current operation in Yemen, known as Operation Rough Rider, started on March 15. The strikes, the U.S. military said, have killed "hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders."
Tensions have been high since the Gaza war began, but have risen further since a Houthi missile landed near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah port on Monday.
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen's main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on Iran-aligned Houthi rebels after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel.
Under former President Joe Biden's administration, the U.S. and Britain retaliated with air strikes against Houthi targets in an effort to keep open the crucial Red Sea trading route - the path for about 15% of global shipping traffic.
After Trump became U.S. president in January, he decided to significantly intensify air strikes against the Houthis. The campaign came after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden.
London-based think tank Progress Center for Policies reported on May 8, Israel Surprised: The Context and Implications of the Yemen Ceasefire Agreement:
Houthi chief negotiator Mohammed Abdul Salam told Reuters on May 7, “The agreement does not include Israel in any way.”
Axios reported on May 6 that a senior Israeli official said the U.S. did not inform Israel in advance about Trump’s announcement of a truce with the Houthis. “We had no knowledge of this, Trump surprised us,” the official said. Israeli media reported confusion at the political level, with officials trying to understand the implications of Trump’s announcement.
…
Israel’s lack of prior knowledge of the ceasefire reflects poor coordination with the U.S. and suggests Trump may have intentionally kept Israel in the dark. The announcement came just hours after an Israeli attack on Houthi targets, including Hodeidah port, in retaliation for the missile that struck Ben Gurion Airport.
The Yemen ceasefire and resumption of U.S.-Iran talks indicate a strategic pivot by the Trump administration away from Israel’s preferred military approach. This shift was also evident in Trump’s firing of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, reportedly over a disagreement about military options against Iran discussed with Netanyahu.
Experts note the ceasefire allows Trump to claim success in securing Red Sea maritime routes. However, the Houthis’ declaration that the agreement does not apply to Israel raises questions about Washington’s stance should attacks on Israel continue, and how Israel would respond despite the U.S.-Houthi accord.
National
1. Massachusetts welcomes Turkish scholar Rümeysa Öztürk home after unlawful detention (Anadolu Agency - Turkish state media)
"I would also like to remind you one more time, please don't forget about all the wonderful women in the immigration and detention systems," said Ozturk.
Anadolu Agency is a state-run news agency headquartered in Ankara, Turkey. According to a 2016 academic article, "these public news producers [including AA], especially during the most recent term of the AKP government, have been controlled by officials from a small network close to the party leadership."
I think that is true, but I still check their stuff for Turkey-related topics sometimes. Not so much for Kurdistan-related reporting. Reporter Gizem Nisa Sabi writes:
Tufts University Turkish PhD student Rumeysa Ozturk was greeted Saturday by Massachusetts US Sen. Edward Markey and congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, one day after she was released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in the state of Louisiana.
The homecoming at Boston Logan International Airport was after Ozturk was unlawfully detained for more than six weeks before a federal judge in the state of Vermont granted her release on bail.
Her detention sparked national and international outrage after Ozturk was "abducted" on the streets of Somerville on March 8 by ICE agents. The arrest occurred after she penned a powerful op-ed for the Tufts Daily newspaper, where she condemned the hostile immigration environment under the Trump administration. She expressed concerns in the piece about the effects of the policies on international students and scholars, highlighting the systemic abuses within the immigration and detention systems.
Ozturk, a Somerville resident and beloved community member, delivered a heartfelt speech to supporters, emphasizing her gratitude and determination to resume her academic journey.
"Thank you everyone for all your support and love,” she said at a news conference at the airport. “I came to the United States to pursue my doctoral studies, learn and grow as a scholar, and also to contribute to a child development fields with my teaching, research, and applied work.”*
"I would also like to remind you one more time, please don't forget about all the wonderful women in the immigration and detention systems," she added.*
*Anadolu Agency transcribed these quotations inaccurately, so they will appear different if you click through to their full article. —ZW
Alongside Ozturk, her legal team, the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Pressley and Markey condemned the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics and pledged continued support for Ozturk and others affected by similar abuses of power.
"Today we’re welcoming with open arms a beloved member of our Massachusetts 7th community, a brilliant scholar, a courageous advocate, and a survivor of a shameful injustice, Rumeysa Ozturk," said Pressley. "And we’re sending a message to this hostile White House that their efforts to silence Rumeysa, crush dissent, and undermine our constitutional rights are being rejected."
Öztürk’s remarks in the above video start at 27:10. Here is Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s press release about Öztürk’s homecoming.
If you are not ready to become a paid monthly subscriber, but you enjoy reading this post, please consider buying me a coffee on Ko-fi to support my writing. I love all of my free subscribers, but a small donation of any amount is incredibly helpful. —Zane
Rhode Island
1. Providence mayor Brett Smiley takes weeklong trip to Israel amid ongoing Gaza genocide (WPRI 12)
Smiley will be back in Providence on Wednesday May 14, which would be a great day to call, email, or show up at city hall to let him know what you think of his decision to show support for the state of Israel while it continues to conduct a genocidal killing campaign in Gaza. Here is the contact form for the mayor’s office.
Reporting by WPRI journalist Alexandra Leslie:
Smiley spokesperson Anthony Vega told 12 News that the mayor was invited by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island to join a group of community leaders from across Rhode Island on the trip abroad.
“The trip serves as an opportunity for Rhode Islanders to learn more about the heritage and culture of the region and a chance to strengthen the relationship between Israel and Rhode Island,” Vega said.
No taxpayer funds are being spent, according to Vega. He said the trip is being funded partially by the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island and partially by the mayor personally.
Last year, Smiley told 12 News he had converted to Judaism over the summer.
…
Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island President & CEO Adam Greenman told 12 News the alliance organizes a trip to Israel every few years.
“The trip is designed to give participants the opportunity to see the country first-hand, to better understand the geopolitical situation in the Middle East, and to speak with journalists, scholars, political leaders, and business leaders in Israeli society,” Greenman said.
In addition to visiting Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Greenman said this year’s trip will include a visit to Bethlehem to speak with Palestinians about the conflict, as well as a visit to the Nova Music Festival site, which was attacked on Oct. 7, 2023.
Travel to Israel was halted at the country’s main international airport on Sunday, after a missile was launched by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen. The attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport came hours before Israeli cabinet ministers were set to vote on whether to intensify military operations in Gaza.
On Monday, officials said Israel approved plans to seize the Gaza Strip and to stay in the Palestinian territory for an unspecified amount of time, according to the Associated Press.
According to statistics recently published by The Economist, the Gaza Health Ministry’s official death toll of 52,615 Palestinians killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip since October 20-23 is likely a significant undercount. The Economist conducted a “direct extrapolation study” and estimated the number of casualties in Gaza to be in the range of 77,000 — 109,000.
Additionally, according to OCHA, between 7 October 2023 and 14 April 2025, 915 Palestinians were killed in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Of those, 109 Palestinians, including at least 17 children, were killed since the beginning of 2025.
Sports
1. Sports Politika (Karim Zidan)
Karim Zidan is an Egyptian journalist who grew up under the military dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak and came of age, both as a young adult and a writer, during the 2011 Arab Spring. Much of his investigative reporting centers around the machinations of the politically powerful, and in particular the use of sports as a legitimization tool used by oppressive regimes.
As I mentioned in the introduction to this newsletter, Karim is the grandson of Egyptian modernist Menhat Helmy. I originally followed his
Substack, and eventually read his post about his pioneering grandmother:Book Recommendation
We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families was written by Canadian journalist Philip Gourevitch in 1999. It chronicles what has happened in Rwanda and neighboring states since 1994, when the Rwandan government called on everyone in the Hutu majority to murder everyone in the Tutsi minority. I read this book in early 2024, as I struggled to cope with the fact that genocide can be carried out in broad daylight, and the people with the power to stop it will simply let it happen.
I am not sure how much comfort if any there is to take in the cynical realization that what is happening in Palestine has happened many times before, and could easily happen again. I do take some comfort in the fact that Rwanda’s Tutsis have persevered and continue to live and love despite the world’s indifference to their terrible plight.
A Tutsi pastor used the chilling phrase that gives Gourevitch his title in a letter to his church president, a Hutu. Though the killing in Rwanda was low-tech — largely by machete —it was carried out at shocking speed: some 800,000 people were exterminated in a hundred days.
Gourevitch, in an example of what bookshop.org has termed “the literature of witness,” frames the genesis and horror of Rwanda's ‘genocidal logic’ in the anguish of its aftermath: the mass displacements, the impossibly crowded prisons and refugee camps, the temptations of revenge, and the quest for justice.
This was a sad read, but also an insightful one. I think it was one of the best books I read last year. Here is an interview Philip Gourevitch did with PBS about the book and the events in Rwanda it focuses on, and here is an 80-page preview from Google Books.
I bought We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families for two bucks at the Newport Public Library daily book sale, but if you click through and buy any book using my specific link for bookshop.org (which I try to use in place of Amazon whenever possible because it supports independent bookstores), I get a little kickback.
