The Full Belmonte, 11/17/2023
Israel
“The UN human rights chief has called on Israel to grant his team access to Gaza to investigate competing claims about the Al-Shifa Hospital. The situation needs an ‘independent international investigation,’ Volker Türk said. The request comes after Israel released a photo and video of an alleged ‘operational tunnel shaft’ it claimed was found inside the Al-Shifa Hospital complex in Gaza. Hamas has rejected the claim as ‘baseless lies.’ Earlier today, the body of a second hostage was recovered near the medical facility, an Israeli military spokesman said. She was identified as Yehudit Weiss, a 65-year-old Israeli woman who was kidnapped by Hamas militants on October 7.” [CNN]
Israel defends hospital raid as Gaza death toll surpasses 12,000
“Israeli forces are scouring the grounds of Gaza’s largest hospital for a third day, and are now urging many residents in the south to evacuate, as the military looks to expand its ground operation in the Hamas-run territory.
The military released video Thursday, claiming it shows the entrance to a Hamas tunnel shaft under the Al-Shifa hospital complex, as well as images of weapons allegedly found inside buildings there.
But Israel has yet to publicly produce definitive evidence supporting its claim that Hamas has a major command center hidden in the complex, an allegation the militant group and hospital staffers have denied.
A spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces today called for patience from the media. ‘Everybody was expecting, okay, you entered Shifa, where’s the big headquarters? Where’s Mr. Sinwar’s offices? ‘he said, a reference to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. ‘This is going to take time.’
The IDF said the bodies of two hostages kidnapped by Hamas have been found near the hospital, soldier Noa Marciano, 19, and Yehudit Weiss, 65.
In southern Gaza, satellite photos show massive crowds attempting to flee the fighting along an evacuation corridor, after the Israeli military said it planned to target more areas of the enclave.
The death toll in Gaza since the start of the war has risen to at least 12,000, a spokesman for the Hamas government’s media office said. About 1,200 were killed in Israel during the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, and an estimated 240 people were taken hostage, officials have said.” [NBC News]
Man who attacked Paul Pelosi with hammer found guilty of all charges, including attempt to kidnap then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
“The man who broke into the home of Nancy Pelosi last year and bludgeoned her husband was convicted Thursday on federal charges of trying to kidnap the former House speaker and assaulting one of her family members because of her work in Congress. David DePape, a 43-year-old carpenter who immersed himself in conspiracy theories spread online by right-wing extremists, admitted he hit Paul Pelosi on the head ‘full force’ with a hammer during his bungled attempt to take the House speaker hostage at their San Francisco home in October 2022.”
Read the story at Washington Post
George Santos faces motion to expel after scathing ethics report
“The chairman of the House Ethics Committee filed a motion today to expel Rep. George Santos, after a scathing report found ‘substantial evidence’ that he ‘violated federal criminal laws.’
The embattled New York Republican is ‘not fit to serve as a Member of the United States House of Representatives’ because of ‘his egregious violations,’ the resolution said.
House investigators found that Santos defrauded donors and b’latantly stole’ from his own campaign to pay for things like Botox, OnlyFans, luxury goods, and trips.
Santos called the report a ‘politicized smear,’ but said he would not seek re-election next year, citing his family’s privacy.
Earlier this month, the congressman survived a vote to expel him, brought by his fellow New York Republicans, though that was before the ethics report was made public.
Santos has pleaded not guilty to a list of federal crimes, including fraud, money laundering, identity theft, and making false statements.” [NBC News]
Santos says he won't run for reelection following ethics report
“Embattled GOP Rep. George Santos announced he won't run for reelection in 2024, as he faces scathing accusations from the House's ethics panel and fresh vows from fellow House GOP members to forcibly remove him from his seat.”
Read the latest at Washington Post
Trump agenda
“While a lot can happen before the 2024 presidential election, former President Donald Trump has already revealed the sheer extent to which he plans to wield executive power if reelected. Trump's agenda, outlined on the campaign trail, includes a massive operation to detain and deport undocumented immigrants and a purge of the federal workforce of anyone deemed disloyal. Trump and his allies have also promised a sweeping transformation of the government that would utilize the power of federal law enforcement against political enemies. Meanwhile, Trump-aligned outside groups have been crafting executive orders, studying the Constitution in anticipation of legal challenges, and looking for ways to give Trump the means to invoke some of these policies on day one should he win a second term.” [CNN]
Bill sets the stage for future spending showdown in 2024
“President Joe Biden signed a temporary spending bill a day before much of the government was to run out of money. But the move is only temporary, setting up another showdown early next year: The bill funds part of the government through Jan. 19 and another through Feb. 2, with just five working weeks until the first deadline and six until the second. Congress has been extraordinarily divided, and there is not yet agreement between the two chambers on what the final funding levels will be.” Read more at USA Today
“United Auto Workers union members have voted to approve a new contract with General Motors. It finalizes a 25% wage increase over the next four years, marking the biggest victory for the union in decades. Ford and Stellantis workers are still casting votes for their new contracts.” [NPR]
“R&B singer Cassie has accused hip-hop mogul Sean Combs, also known as Diddy, of rape, sex trafficking, physical assault and more. The lawsuit alleges that Cassie, whose real name is Cassandra Ventura, met Combs when she was 19 and he was 37 and that Combs' pattern of abuse began soon after she joined his record label in 2006.” [NPR]
A mistrial was declared for an ex-officer in the raid that killed Breonna Taylor.
“Why? A jury could not reach a verdict yesterday in the case of a former Louisiana police officer, Brett Hankison, charged with violating Taylor’s civil rights in the 2020 raid.
What it means: It’s a blow for Taylor’s family and civil rights leaders who pushed for greater accountability in the shooting, which helped to fuel nationwide protests.”
Read this story at Washington Post
FDA recalls another 27 eye drop products, tells consumers to stop use
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled another batch of eye drops just weeks after it warned consumers about over two dozen eye drop products. The agency announced 27 products were were being recalled due to potential safety concerns ‘after FDA investigators found insanitary conditions.’ Users of these eyedrops, which are meant to be sterile, had ‘a potential risk of eye infections or related harm,’ but so far the manufacturing company has not received any ‘reports of adverse events related to this recall,’ the FDA said.” Read more at USA Today
Fox Sports host says she ‘made up’ sideline reports
“Fox Sports and Amazon Prime Video host Charissa Thompson is coming under fire, after saying she ‘made up’ sideline reports in the past, but later walked that back and maintained she never ‘lied’ or did anything ‘unethical.’
‘I’ve said this before, so I haven’t been fired for saying it, but I’ll say it again. I would make up the report sometimes because A, the coach wouldn’t come out at halftime or it was too late and I was like, ‘I didn’t want to screw up the report,’ so I was like, ‘I’m just going to make this up,’ Thompson said on Wednesday’s episode of the “Pardon My Take” podcast.
Thompson’s comments provoked sharp backlash, particularly among other female sports journalists.
Responding to the controversy, Thompson wrote on social media, ‘I have never lied about anything or been unethical during my time as a sports broadcaster.’
‘In the absence of a coach providing any information that could further my report I would use information that I learned and saw during the first half to create my report.’” [NBC News]
Thanksgiving travel rush gets underway
“More than 55 million Americans are expected to travel this Thanksgiving, a 2.3 percent increase from last year, and the third highest forecast on record, AAA said.
The TSA expects this Thanksgiving travel season to be the busiest ever at the airports. Beginning today, the TSA expects to screen 30 million passengers through Nov. 28.
About 49 million will travel by car, and they’ll be paying less at the pump than last Thanksgiving.
The national average price for a gallon of regular gas is now $3.33 compared to $3.72 this time last year, a 39-cent decline.” [NBC News]
“Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has entered hospice care at home, The Carter Center said in a statement. ‘She and President Carter are spending time with each other and their family,’ the statement added.” [NBC News]
Safe schools
“The Department of Education has launched investigations into seven schools after receiving complaints about alleged incidents of antisemitism and Islamophobia. They are the first investigations of this kind by the Department of Education since the October 7 Hamas attack. At the conclusion of the investigations, the department will make recommendations to the schools, which risk losing federal funding if they don't comply. Earlier this month, the Department of Education issued guidance to colleges and K-12 schools to maintain safe learning environments amid a rise in global tension — reminding them that they have a legal obligation to address incidents of discrimination, including against those who are Jewish, Israeli, Muslim, Arab or Palestinian.” [CNN]
250 Cute Animals Up for Adoption Became Reptile Food: Report
“Hundreds of small animals that were transferred with great fanfare from the San Diego Humane Society to its southern Arizona counterpart are unaccounted for and likely ended as either frozen or live reptile food, The Washington Post reports. The SDHS called the Aug. 7 transfer of 318 rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, and hamsters the biggest in its history and celebrated the milestone with an emotional video. The Humane Society of Southern Arizona’s then-CEO, Steve Farley, claimed the critters had been transferred to a “family-run, family-funded rescue”—which turned out to be a reptile breeding business called the Fertile Turtle. He and COO Christian Gonzalez have since been ousted. ‘A Hollywood horror writer couldn’t write something like this,’ SDHS CEO Gary Weitzman told the Post.”
Read it at The Washington Post
“Bernardo Arévalo surprised everyone this summer when he won the Guatemalan presidential election. Since then, the government has launched a campaign to keep him from taking power. Prosecutors now say they intend to bring charges against the president-elect related to a protest at Guatemala’s public university.” [NPR]
“Bad publicity: Tech giant IBM has suspended advertising on the platform formerly known as Twitter after a report said its ad appeared next to pro-Nazi content.” [BBC}
Tech titan booted
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at the APEC CEO Summit in San Francisco yesterday. Photo: Eric Risberg/AP
“OpenAI CEO Sam Altman will leave the company in a surprise move announced today, Axios managing editor for tech Scott Rosenberg writes.
Why it matters: Altman has led OpenAI — the company that launched ChatGPT a year ago and sparked an AI boom — since 2019.
The announcement by the company's board suggested he was fired for not being ‘consistently candid in his communications with the board.’
OpenAI said it would not comment on the changes beyond its statement.
Mira Murati, the chief technology officer, will serve as interim CEO, effective immediately.
Catch up quick: Altman oversaw OpenAI's 2019 restructuring from a pure nonprofit dedicated to developing artificial general intelligence to an organization with a for-profit subsidiary.
The company established a broad alliance with Microsoft, which invested heavily in OpenAI and provided cloud computing resources that enabled it to develop the GPT series of large language models.” [Axios]
Apple hits Elon
Photo: Tolga Akmen/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Apple is pausing all advertising on X after Elon Musk's endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory, sources tell Axios' Ina Fried.
Why it matters: Apple is by far the largest company to pull away from X, formerly Twitter.
What's happening: Musk agreed with a post on Wednesday that claimed Jewish communities support ‘dialectical hatred against whites.’
‘You have said the actual truth,’ Musk replied.
Zoom in: IBM, Lionsgate and the European Union have announced that they'll stop advertising on X.
White House spokesperson Andrew Bates denounced Musk and said it's ‘unacceptable to repeat the hideous lie behind the most fatal act of Antisemitism in American history.’
Bates appeared to be referring to the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh that killed 11.” [Axios]
Photo: Terrance Williams/AP
“Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow won't play again this season after suffering a torn ligament in his right wrist.” Go deeper. [Axios]