The Full Belmonte, 11/27/2023
Residential buildings destroyed in southern Gaza City.
Israel
“A truce between Hamas and Israel enters its fourth day today with more hostages expected to be released in the hours ahead. Over the first three days of the truce, Hamas has released a total of 58 hostages in exchange for the release of 117 Palestinian prisoners. The truce has provided a pause in fighting to allow the safe release of hostages and the entry of desperately needed aid into Gaza. Key nations including the US and Qatar support extending the truce, and both Hamas and Israel have discussed the possibility. On Sunday, President Joe Biden also expressed the desire to extend the pause in fighting, adding he is ‘hopeful this is not the end’ of the temporary deal.” [CNN]
Hope for a longer truce and more releases
An estimated 212 hostages are still being held in Gaza. Credit: Getty Images
“Today marks the fourth and final day of a temporary truce agreed between Hamas and Israel. The weekend was marked by emotional scenes, as relatives were reunited with hostages released from Gaza. So far, Hamas has set free 58 hostages, with another group expected to be freed today, in exchange for aid deliveries and the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. Hamas is now seeking to extend the deal, a possibility the Israeli government said it was considering, although it said the fighting in Gaza would resume after any pause expired. Israel's suspension of military activities did not extend to the occupied West Bank, where its forces conducted operations, including an overnight raid in the city of Jenin, that resulted in the killing of eight Palestinians within 24 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry.Follow our live page for the latest developments in the conflict.
•Freed Israelis: From 78-year-old Margalit Mozes to two-year-old Aviv Katz Asher, here are the profiles of the hostages that have been released so far.
•Thai nationals: Wichai Kalapat was initially thought to have died in the 7 October attack, but he was one of the 17 Thai hostages who were releasedas part of a separate deal between Hamas and the Egyptian government, which also included one Filipino citizen.
•Surveying the damage: The four-day truce has allowed Gazans displaced by the fighting to check on their homes, or what's left of them.” [BBC]
Elon Musk to Meet Israeli President, Families of Hamas’ Hostages as Antisemitism Furor Brews
“Elon Musk will meet with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, war cabinet minister Benny Gantz and representatives for families of hostages held in Gaza, as the world’s richest man faces growing furor over antisemitic content on his social media platform X.
The Tesla Inc. and SpaceX chief executive is slated to join a closed-door discussion on Monday with the family representatives and Herzog about the need to curb online antisemitism, a spokesperson for the president’s office said in a statement.
He is scheduled to meet Gantz, a political rival of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who joined a three-member war cabinet after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and took some 240 hostages in an Oct. 7 attack.
Musk will also meet Netanyahu, according to Israel’s Channel 12. The prime minister’s office declined to comment.
The billionaire has defended himself from what he labeled ‘bogus media stories’ after he endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy theory earlier this month on X, which drew condemnation from the White House and led many major brands to pause advertising on the platform. Critics have accused the service, formerly known as Twitter, of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred.
Musk’s post came around the same time Media Matters published a report showing ads from companies including IBM Corp. and Apple Inc. next to pro-Nazi content on the social media platform. X has sued the liberal watchdog group for allegedly trying to drive away advertisers….” Read more at Time
Vermont shooting
20-year-olds were on their way to a family home for Thanksgiving dinner when a white man with a handgun fired on them
Police search a house after a gunman shot three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont on Saturday. Photograph: Wayne Savage/Reuters
“A suspect has been arrested in the Saturday shooting of three Palestinian college students in Burlington, Vermont. Authorities are investigating whether the shooting was motivated by hate as it came against a backdrop of increasing bias incidents in the US since the Israel-Hamas war erupted. The college students, all 20 years old, were walking along a street Saturday night when they were confronted by a White man with a handgun who opened fire and shot each of them ‘without speaking’ before fleeing, police said. An attorney for the victims' families said he believes the shooting was a hate crime, in part because two of the students were wearing keffiyehs — traditional Palestinian scarves. The suspected gunman, described as a 48-year-old man, is expected to be arraigned in court today.” [CNN]
Suspect arrested in shooting of three Palestinian students in Vermont
20-year-olds were on their way to a family home for Thanksgiving dinner when a white man with a handgun fired on them
“A suspect was arrested Sunday in the shooting of three Palestinian studentsin Burlington, Vermont the night before, police said, adding that contrary to media reports the shooter did not speak before firing.
Jason J Eaton, 48, was arrested Sunday afternoon near where the men, all 20 years old, were shot, the Burlington Police Department announced. They said he lives in an apartment close to the scene, a search of which revealed evidence that gave investigators ‘probable cause to believe that Mr Eaton perpetrated the shooting’, police said.
The victims – Hisham Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad, all 20 years old – are undergraduate students at Brown University, Haverford College and Trinity College respectively, and were on their way to Awartani’s grandmother’s house for Thanksgiving dinner when a white man with a handgun fired on them.
Two of the men are reportedly in stable condition, according to police, but the third received ‘much more serious injuries’ after being hit in the spinal cord. Two were reportedly wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh when they were attacked.
The chief of police, Jon Murad, recommended caution when it came to identifying a motive in the attacks. ‘The fact is that we don’t yet know as much as we want to right now,’ Murad said. ‘But I urge the public to avoid making conclusions based on statements from uninvolved parties who know even less.’
The mayor of the city, Miro Weinberger, said before the arrest that the investigation was focusing on whether the attack was a hate crime, while the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee said on X: ‘We have reason to believe that the shooting was motivated by the three [victims] being Arab.’…” Read more at The Guardian
Republicans want to pair border security with aid for Ukraine. Here’s why that makes a deal so tough
“As Congress returns to session this week, lawmakers will be trying to forge an agreement on sending a new round of wartime assistance to Ukraine. But to succeed, they will have to find agreement on an issue that has confounded them for decades. Read more.
Why this matters:
Republicans in both chambers of Congress have made clear that they will not support additional aid for Ukraine unless it is paired with border security measures to help manage the influx of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. But time is short for a deal.
The GOP hopes that Democrats will feel political pressure to accept some of their border proposals after illegal crossings topped a daily average of more than 8,000 earlier this fall. President Joe Biden, who is running for reelection next year, has faced pressure even from fellow Democrats over the migrant flow.
A small, bipartisan group in the Senate is taking the lead and working to find a narrow compromise that can overcome a likely filibuster by winning 60 votes. But even if they can reach a modest agreement, there is no guarantee it would pass the House, where Republicans are insisting on wholesale changes to U.S. border and immigration policies.” [AP News]
Politics
“President Biden will skip the U.N. climate summit in Dubai this week. Many other world leaders, including King Charles III and Pope Francis, plan to go.” [New York Times]
“Virtually every poll shows a close race between Biden and Donald Trump among young voters. Democrats should take that seriously or risk losing their usual advantage, Nate Cohn writes.” [New York Times]
“Ahead of the Iowa caucuses, Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley’s campaigns are jostling to position their candidates as the singular alternative to Trump.” [New York Times]
“For a year, New York allowed people to file sex-abuse lawsuits beyond the statute of limitations. The last days of the one-time window brought a flurry of cases against institutions, politicians and other high-profile figures.” [New York Times]
“The teachers’ union in Portland, Ore., reached a tentative deal with the public school district, ending a three-week strike.” [New York Times]
Diplomas for sale: $465, no classes required. Inside one of Louisiana’s unapproved schools
“Louisiana’s off-the-grid schools are a rapidly growing example of the nation’s continuing fallout from COVID: families disengaging from public school. The students in this school system aren’t missing. But there’s no way to tell what kind of education they’re getting, or whether they’re getting one at all. Read more.
Why this matters:
Unlike public schools, formal homeschooling programs or traditional private schools, nearly 9,000 private schools in Louisiana don’t need state approval to grant degrees. Nearly every one of those unapproved schools was created to serve a single homeschooling family, but some have buildings, classrooms, teachers and dozens of students.
U.S. public school enrollment fell by more than 1.2 million students in the first two years of the pandemic. Many switched to private school or told their state they were homeschooling. Thousands of others could not be accounted for at all, according to an analysis from The Associated Press and its partners.” [AP News]
Below-average temperatures chill across the US
“Below-average temperatures are likely to saturate most of the country to start the post-Turkey Day workweek. One of the biggest trouble spots is expected in the Great Lakes region, where some of the chilliest air of the season will trigger lake-effect snow, forecasters say, and travel could be treacherous from portions of the Midwest to the Northeast. About 1-3 inches of snowfall rates per hour, power outages and whiteout conditions were possible in some of those areas from Sunday night into late Tuesday, according to forecasters.” Read more at USA Today
November 25, 2023 : People walk through a parking lot after a winter storm dumped about 4 inches of snow on the area in Manhattan, Kan.
Charlie Riedel, AP
Cyber Monday is here and online shoppers aren't holding back
“Shoppers spent more on Black Friday than expected, and that came ahead of Cyber Monday, which is forecast to be the year's biggest online shopping day, with consumers set to spend a record $12 billion, according to experts. Cyber Monday is projected to yield the best deals on electronics and furniture, with discounts continuing into next month. The online shopping day comes after consumers spent a record $9.8 billion shopping online on Friday. What are people buying? Top purchases include Bluetooth headphones, smartphones, skin care products, cookware sets and coffee makers.” Read more at USA Today
Ukraine
“Russia over the weekend launched its largest drone attack against Ukraine's capital of Kyiv since the start of its invasion, according to local officials. Nearly 75 drones were launched from Russia and the vast majority were intercepted by air defenses in the Kyiv region, Ukraine's Air Force said. The attack injured several people and temporarily cut power to nearly 200 buildings and establishments. This comes amid concerns that Russia is targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure as winter nears, threatening to deprive millions of electricity and heat. In response, Ukraine's energy companies have spent the past seven months restoring its grid and bolstering defenses at its facilities.” [CNN]
Missing flight MH370
“A Chinese court today will begin hearing claims for compensation for families of passengers on board Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 — the plane that deviated from its scheduled path from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing and disappeared over the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014. To date, the fate of MH370 remains one of history's greatest aviation mysteries. As for the passengers' families, many say the disaster not only deprived them of their loved ones but also plunged some into financial distress. About 40 families are suing Malaysia Airlines, its insurer, Boeing and the manufacturer of the plane's engine. In China, some families have signed a settlement agreement with Malaysian Airlines and received $350,000 in compensation. Similar cases brought in the US, however, have been dismissed on the grounds that these lawsuits should be handled by the Malaysian legal system.” [CNN]
Climate change is leading to a surge in female green sea turtles.
“Why? Nests in warmer sands produce more females. And now human-caused pollutants in oceans are mimicking a female sex hormone in turtle embryos, researchers found.
What it means: The turtles have fewer males to mate with, putting the survival of the endangered species at risk. Some turtle groups are already 99% female.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“‘Zoom fatigue’ may take a toll on the brain and heart.
“What to know: Videoconferencing can lead to increased exhaustion, according to a recent study that monitored the brains of university students attending lectures online.
Digging deeper: Participants were found to have reduced heart rates and reported feeling tired, drowsy and ‘fed up’ compared with those attending lectures in person.”
Read this story at Washington Post
SPORTS
“N.F.L.: The Baltimore Ravens won their sixth game in seven contests with a 20-10 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. Read takeaways from Week 12.
•Ravens vs. Chargers Sunday Night Football highlights: Baltimore keeps perch atop AFC.•College football Week 13 winners and losers: Michigan again got the best of Ohio State.•Deion Sanders isn't discouraged by Colorado's poor finish.
Baltimore Ravens running back Keaton Mitchell (34) runs the ball ahead of Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman.
Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports
Soccer: Manchester United beat Everton, 3-0. One of those goals was an overhead kick by Alejandro Garnacho that sparked debate over whether it could be the league’s best ever.
College football: Texas A&M is expected to hire Duke’s Mike Elko as its next head coach.” [New York Times]
ARTS AND IDEAS
On the left is a blank; on the right is a dummy round. Alex Welsh for The New York Times
“A Hollywood gun debate: In the two years since the cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was fatally shot on the set of the movie “Rust,” filmmakers are split over whether movies and TV shows should use real guns, which are often loaded with dummy rounds or blanks. Some productions now rely on special effects to make prop guns more realistic, while others continue to use real firearms, arguing that the “Rust” tragedy was an anomaly.” [New York Times]
“‘Prophet Song” by Irish writer Paul Lynch won this year’s Booker Prize.
“The premise: The novel imagines Ireland descending into fascism. Its lack of paragraph breaks and quotation marks helps to create a sense of claustrophobic dread.
The award: The Booker is one of the top literary prizes in the English-speaking world. When accepting it yesterday, Lynch said: ‘Well, there goes my hard-won anonymity.’”
Read this story at Washington Post
“Lives Lived: Marty Krofft was born into a family of puppeteers. He and his brother Sid turned it into a show-business dynasty, creating fantastical TV shows including ‘Land of the Lost’ and the trippy children’s program ‘H.R. Pufnstuf.’ He died at 86.” [New York Times]