The Full Belmonte, 12/14/2023
An opportunity for peace?
18,600 people have been killed in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Credit: Getty Images
“US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan is heading to Israel to hold talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the war cabinet. The US has been a steadfast supporter of Israel’s offensive to eliminate Hamas, but the countries don't see eye-to-eye when it comes to the future of Gaza. President Joe Biden supports the establishment of an independent Palestinian state under the Palestinian Authority, a possibility Mr Netanyahu has strongly rejected. But as the son of a peace activist killed during the Hamas attacks on 7 October tells international editor Jeremy Bowen, Mr Netanyahu's opposition to Palestinian self-determination is invigorating a peace movement within Israel. In a special report, Jeremy examines what must happen to give peace a chance.” [BBC}
The House approved an impeachment inquiry into President Biden. It follows a year of G.O.P. scrutiny that turned up no evidence of wrongdoing.
“Republicans said the vote was needed to give them full authority to continue carrying out their investigation. Democrats have denounced the inquiry as a fishing expedition and a political stunt.”
Read more at New York Times
Hunter punches back
Hunter Biden speaks outside the Capitol today. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via Reuters
“Hunter Biden — in a remarkable appearance at the Capitol today — defied a House GOP subpoena to sit for a deposition behind closed doors and challenged lawmakers to hold a public hearing, Axios' Erin Doherty writes.
Why it matters: It's his latest effort to take control of the narrative surrounding multiple high-profile investigations and public controversies.
Risking contempt of Congress charges, Hunter attacked Republican lawmakers and said he was worried they'd leak his deposition out of context.
‘For six years, I have been a target of the unrelenting Trump attack machine shouting, 'Where's Hunter?' Well, here's my answer. I am here,’ he said.
What's next: The House is set to vote tonight on formally authorizing its impeachment inquiry into President Biden.” [Axios]
Hunter Biden defies Republican subpoena, slams impeachment inquiry
“Hunter Biden defied a subpoena from House Republicans to testify today behind closed doors and slammed their impeachment inquiry into his father, President Joe Biden, as ‘shameless.’
‘I’m here today to make sure that the House committees’ illegitimate investigations of my family do not proceed on distortions, manipulated evidence and lies,’ the younger Biden said, in rare public remarks outside the U.S. Capitol.
Hunter Biden blasted Republican efforts to tie the president to his business dealings. ‘Let me state as clearly as I can, my father was not financially involved in my business,’ he said.
‘There is no evidence to support the allegations my father was involved in my business because it did not happen,’ he added.
He also accused ‘MAGA Republicans’ of prying into his personal life to hurt his father. ‘They ridiculed my struggle with addiction,’ he said. ‘They belittled my recovery and they have tried to dehumanize me, all to embarrass and damage my father who has devoted his entire life to service.’
House Republicans have dismissed Hunter Biden’s request for a public hearing, and have threatened to hold him in contempt for not complying with their subpoena.
The House is expected to vote this evening on formally authorizing the impeachment inquiry into President Biden.
After a nearly yearlong investigation, Republicans have yet to produce any evidence the president committed any wrongdoing.” [NBC News]
Supreme Court to hear high-stakes abortion pill case
“The Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case that could impact the availability of the commonly used abortion pill mifepristone.
The justices will review a decision from a conservative-leaning appeals court that found the FDA failed to take safety risks into account when it began loosening restrictions on mifepristone in 2016.
That lower court ruling would cut off access to mifepristone by mail, and reduce the window in which it can be used from 10 to seven weeks.
Abortion pills mifepristone and misoprostol are used in more than half of all abortions in the U.S., according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion rights.
Mifepristone remains available for now as the legal challenges play out.” [NBC News]
Biden meets with families of hostages being held by Hamas
“President Biden met privately today with the families of eight Americans still being held hostage by Hamas, the White House said.
In a statement afterward, the families said they urged Biden ‘to continue doing everything in his power to negotiate a swift and total release of the remaining hostages.’
On Tuesday, Biden vowed the U.S. is ‘not going to stop until every hostage is returned home,’ during a campaign fundraiser.
In that same speech, Biden offered his sharpest criticism yet of Israel’s handling of the war, warning that it is ‘starting to lose’ international support because of the ‘indiscriminate bombing’ in Gaza.
Israel’s foreign minister said today the war against Hamas will continue ‘with or without international support.’” [NBC News]
“The Senate approved an $886 billion defense bill in a bipartisan vote. It includes a 5.2 percent pay raise for military personnel and rejects right-wing policy demands from the House.” [New York Times]
“A federal judge froze Trump’s trial on charges of plotting to overturn the 2020 election. Trump’s lawyers asked an appeals court to move slowly in considering his claim that he is immune from prosecution.” [New York Times]
Trump leads GOP field by more than 4 to 1 in Michigan, Post-Monmouth poll finds
“Donald Trump holds a commanding 50-point lead over Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley among Republican primary voters in Michigan, most of whom believe Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election and say he ‘did nothing wrong’ in his response, according to a Washington Post-Monmouth University poll. Nearly 8 in 10 Democratic primary voters support President Biden for their party’s nomination, although Democrats are much less enthusiastic about Biden than Republicans are about Trump.”
Read the story at Washington Post
Economy
“The Federal Reserve signaled it would cut interest rates next year as its effort to reduce inflation shows signs of success.” [New York Times]
“Stocks surged after the Fed announcement, and the Dow Jones industrial average reached a new high (though it was somewhat higher last year after adjusting for inflation).” [New York Times]
Tesla recalls more than 2 million vehicles over autopilot safety concerns
“Tesla is recalling more than 2 million vehicles, nearly all its cars on the road in the U.S., after a two-year investigation by safety regulators raised concerns with their autopilot safety system.
The controls on Tesla’s Autosteer system ‘may not be sufficient to prevent driver misuse,’ the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in its recall notice.
Tesla did not agree with the analysis of its Autosteer, but voluntarily recalled the vehicles, and will address the issue with an over-the-air software update that adds more alerts to keep drivers focused on the road, according to the safety report.
NHTSA compiled the report after reviewing nearly 1,000 crashes involving Teslas that allegedly had the autopilot system engaged.” [NBC News]
Read the fine print on COP’s fossil-fuel phaseout
Hannes P Albert/picture alliance via Getty Images
“The pageantry of COP28 and breathless headlines about a historic climate agreement disguise what has amounted to much ado about ... if not nothing, then not enough.
The scientific data grows more dire by the day: 2023 is projected to be the first year on record in which global temperatures are on average 1.5 degrees Celsius warmer than they were in the 19th century when modern recordkeeping began. The goal of the 2015 Paris climate agreement had been to prevent the planet from surpassing that threshold (on a 10-year average) during the 21st century.
Global emissions would need to shrink by 43 percent by 2030 to keep that target within reach. Instead, humanity’s output has been increasing. And the deal struck at COP28 does not appear to have the teeth to change the trajectory of our warming climate.
Here are COP28’s biggest takeaways, according to Vox’s Umair Irfan:
The fossil-fuel ‘phaseout’ is underwhelming. On the one hand, the world’s nations agreeing, even only in principle, to end the age of oil is noteworthy. But the mechanics of this particular deal are pretty weak. The accord doesn’t set a specific timeline, benchmarks, or investment goals to achieve it. Oil-rich countries fought hard against any such binding language.
The 1.5-degree goal has already slipped out of reach. World leaders have already begun to waffle on the Paris Agreement’s target. Sultan al-Jaber, the president of COP28, said prior to the summit that the goal was ‘keeping 1.5 alive’ but then said during the meeting that it wasn’t strictly necessary to stop using fossil fuels to achieve it.
There is no substitute for getting rid of fossil fuels. The COP28 deal includes a commitment to tripling renewable energy capacity by 2030, but that would require the world to spend $10 trillion over the next decade. The gap between the funding countries are putting behind their pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and what is required continues to grow. At the end of the day, the only way we’re going to arrest the planet’s warming is to cut emissions.” [Vox]
Putin Says Russia Wants to Reach Agreement on Return of WSJ’s Evan Gershkovich
“President Vladimir Putin said that Russia wants ‘to reach an agreement’ on the return of detained Americans Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan.”
READ MORE at Washington Post
Putin declares Russia is advancing the war in Ukraine and criticizes Israel over civilian deaths in Gaza at annual news conference
“At a major media extravaganza combining his annual press conference and citizen call-in show, the Russian leader insisted the war in Ukraine would continue until Moscow fully achieves its aims and Western support for Kyiv would collapse. He also called for a Palestinian state and described Gaza as the ‘biggest cemetery for children in the world.’
Read more at Washington Post
Baby Steps
COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber (left) and COP28 Director-General Majid al-Suwaidi attend a plenary session of the United Nations climate change summit in Dubai on Dec. 11. Sean Gallup/Getty Images
“More than 200 countries at the United Nations climate change summit (known as COP28) finalized an agreement on Wednesday that calls for ‘transitioning away from fossil fuels.’ The landmark text is the first such effort to explicitly call for the reduction of oil, gas, and coal use on a global scale.
‘Humanity has finally done what is long, long, long overdue,’ European Commissioner for Climate Action Wopke Hoekstra said in celebration of the passage of the draft, which took two weeks to craft.
As part of the deal, participating countries are encouraged to stop adding carbon monoxide into the atmosphere by 2050; triple the amount of renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, by 2030; and slash methane emissions. Each nation will submit a formal proposal over the next two years detailing how it plans to curb greenhouse gases by 2035 based on the agreement’s recommendations.
Despite these historic efforts, many nations believe that the draft did not go far enough to combat global warming. The text itself is not legally binding; there is no enforcement mechanism to compel nations to meet the agreement’s goals and no punishments for those that do not. Still, experts say the COP28 pledges ‘send an important message to other leaders, companies, and local communities about the future of fossil fuels, trickling down to shape behavior and action,’ FP’s Christina Lu reports.
The draft also does not call for a ‘phaseout’ or even ‘phase-down’ of fossil fuels, something that many climate change-vulnerable nations, as well as the European Union, the United States, Australia, and Canada, all argued for. Much of that is due to pushback from major oil producers Saudi Arabia and Iraq, growing economies India and Nigeria, and even COP28’s host, the United Arab Emirates.
This year’s summit saw a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists in attendance, with COP28 President Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber’s own corporation, the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, investing at least $150 billion in drilling over the next five years. Jaber has been accused of using the conference to further oil deals with 15 other nations, which he denies.
Scientists overwhelmingly agree that nations must cut greenhouse gas emissions around 43 percent by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to preindustrial levels. Jaber angered many experts and activists when he falsely claimed this month that there is ‘no science’ that says ending fossil fuel use is necessary to combat global warming. This year has been the hottest year in recorded history, and many climate experts worry that without a strong commitment to fossil fuel reduction, global warming—with all of its deadly consequences—will only worsen.” [Foreign Policy]
“Lethal IED ambush. Palestinian militants killed nine Israeli soldiers, including two senior commanders, during an ambush in a Gaza City suburb on Wednesday, according to the Israeli military. The assault, which involved an improvised explosive device (IED), was one of the deadliest for the Israel Defense Forces since the military launched its ground offensive in Gaza late October, and it demonstrates that Hamas resistance remains strong in the Gaza Strip despite more than two months of intense fighting.
Much of the international community continues to condemn Israel’s attacks on Gaza. On Tuesday, about three-fourths of the U.N. General Assembly voted to approve a nonbinding resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire and calling on Israel to stop alleged indiscriminate strikes on civilians. The 22-nation Arab Group and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation initially proposed the resolution. ‘How many more thousands of lives must be lost before we do something?’ asked General Assembly President Dennis Francis.” [Foreign Policy]
“Missile assault on Kyiv. An onslaught of Russian missiles wounded at least 53 people in Kyiv on Wednesday. According to Ukrainian officials, Kyiv’s air defenses intercepted all 10 Russian ballistic missiles, but falling debris damaged homes and a children’s hospital. The strike comes just one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Washington to request more U.S. aid for the war effort but left without securing new commitments.
Tuesday also saw a cyberattack on Ukraine’s largest mobile provider, Kyivstar, which hindered service for millions of people. Although it is still unclear who launched the cyberattack, Ukrainian intelligence said it would investigate Russia’s special services.” [Foreign Policy]
“Emergency economics. Argentine Economy Minister Luis Caputo announced major fiscal changes on Tuesday that President Javier Milei says are necessary to counter the country’s economic emergency. The shock measures include a 50 percent devaluation of the peso to the U.S. dollar and cuts to the nation’s energy and transportation subsidies. Milei, who was sworn in on Sunday, campaigned heavily on promised economic reforms that aim to decrease the country’s fiscal deficit.
Argentina has battled record-high levels of economic instability for months. Annual inflation currently sits at 143 percent, Buenos Aires owes the International Monetary Fund $45 billion, and around 40 percent of citizens live in poverty. ‘Argentina is in a profoundly dysfunctional situation, and the last time its monetary policy produced a degree of stability over a long period of time was when it was pegged to the dollar,’ FP columnist Adam Tooze said. Milei hopes to combat that with the abolition of the central bank, national privatizations, and a massive currency devaluation.” [Foreign Policy]
“Researchers pinpointed what they believe is the primary cause of morning sickness in pregnant women: a single hormone.” [New York Times]
“Oprah Winfrey, who has discussed dieting publicly for decades, revealed she has been using a prescription weight-loss drug.” [New York Times]
“College athletes: A federal judge in West Virginia issued a temporary restraining order against the N.C.A.A., granting some transfers immediate eligibility.”