Matthew Bell
@matthewjbell.bsky.social
2.1K followers 760 following 700 posts
Radio journalist with The World public radio program at GBH Boston - TheWorld.org Watching Asia, the Middle East and religion. Irrational Boston Celtics fan. And yes to funk, soul, R&B, jazz and other American roots music, esp rhythm guitar.
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Reposted by Matthew Bell
en.afp.com
BREAKING Hamas says alive hostages to be exchanged for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners within 72 hours of deal implementation
Reposted by Matthew Bell
dlknowles.bsky.social
Good reporting on the South Shore raid from South Side weekly here.

Confirms one thing I was told but didn't put in my own piece because I didn't have a second source and it seemed too insane: border agents segregated arrested residents by race

southsideweekly.com/federal-agen...
Federal Agents Storm South Shore Building, Detaining Families and Children
Families were woken by flashbangs and helicopters as hundreds of federal agents raided their homes. Days later, neighbors are still searching for the missing.
southsideweekly.com
Reposted by Matthew Bell
jackjenkins.me
Gonna be thinking about this lede for a minute.
(RNS) — Last month, the Rev. David Black stood in front of a Chicago-area U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility and spread his arms wide. Adorned in all black and wearing a clerical collar, the pastor looked up at a group of masked, heavily armed ICE agents on the roof and began to pray.

“I invited them to repentance,” Black, a minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), said in an interview. “I basically offered an altar call. I invited them to come and receive that salvation, and be part of the kingdom that is coming.”

But when Black began to lower his arms a few seconds later, the agents responded to his spiritual plea by firing pepper balls, or chemical agents that cause eye irritation and respiratory distress, video footage shows. One struck Black in the head, exploding into a puff of white pepper smoke and forcing him to his knees. Fellow demonstrators rushed to his aid, and as the pastor rubbed his face in pain, the agents continued to fire.

“We could hear them laughing,” Black said.
Reposted by Matthew Bell
theworld.org
Local politicians in Västerås, Sweden have voted to ask the national government to close down a Russian Orthodox church that they believe is being used by the Kremlin as a spy hub. Supporters of the church say the parish and its followers are being treated unfairly due to Russia-phobia.
Sweden's spy church - The World from PRX
Local politicians in Vasteras, Sweden, have voted to ask the national government to close down a Russian Orthodox church that they believe is being used by the Kremlin as a spy hub. Supporters of the ...
theworld.org
matthewjbell.bsky.social
But have you seen any substantial piles of money for old fashioned reality based Edward R. Murrow style journalism? Asking for a friend.
Reposted by Matthew Bell
dlknowles.bsky.social
I visited the apartment building ICE raided on Tuesday today. Story to come, but you can walk right in. Half of the apartments have no doors on them. Children's stuff abandoned in some flats. *Citizen* residents told me they were arrested and held for hours in zipties. This is America
matthewjbell.bsky.social
AI is the best.
arawnsley.bsky.social
Was curious about JFK’s health so I asked google. TIL he was pregnant in 1960 but only put on 15-20lbs
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Reposted by Matthew Bell
johnphudson.bsky.social
Trump apparently so pleased with Hamas's response he reposts the militant group's entire response verbatim
Reposted by Matthew Bell
en.afp.com
🇬🇧 VIDEO: Racism 'cannot be allowed to tear us apart' says new Archbishop of Canterbury

The newly nominated Archbishop of Canterbury, Sarah Mullally, makes an address at Canterbury Cathedral in which she reflects on being the first woman to hold the 1,500 year-old position
Reposted by Matthew Bell
Reposted by Matthew Bell
johndelury.bsky.social
'How close are China, Russia, and North Korea, really?' This debate is at the heart of geopolitics. It's been going for years and will continue for a long time. In a new essay for @newlinesmag.bsky.social I offer the backlight of Cold War history to help us assess

newlinesmag.com/essays/beiji...
Beijing’s Military Parade May Not Be the Show of Unity That It Seems
Similarly high-profile diplomatic events involving Russia, China and North Korea in the 1950s failed to stop Cold War solidarity collapsing into acrimony
newlinesmag.com
matthewjbell.bsky.social
Best Russian propaganda ever?