The Full Belmonte, 12/17/2023
Israel-Hamas War
Protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday. Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images
“The Israeli military said three hostages mistakenly killed by its troops had been unarmed and bearing a makeshift white flag. The killings could force Israel to reconsider its strategy in Gaza.” [New York Times]
“The U.S. defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, will visit Israel this week as the U.S. pushes leaders there to scale back the military campaign.” [New York Times]
“The foreign secretaries of Britain and Germany advocated a “sustainable” cease-fire in a joint opinion article for The Sunday Times of London.” [New York Times]
“Gaza is experiencing its longest phone and internet blackout of the war, leaving Palestinians virtually cut off.” [New York Times]
“The U.S. and Britain shot down more than a dozen attack drones over the Red Sea, many fired from militant-controlled areas of Yemen.” [New York Times]
“Years before Oct. 7, Israeli agents shared secrets about sources of Hamas funding with the Israeli and American governments. Nothing was done to stop the flow of money.” [New York Times]
U.S. pushes Palestinian Authority on post-war Gaza
National security adviser Jake Sullivan meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, West Bank, on Friday. Photo: Palestinian Presidency via Getty Images
“The Biden administration is proposing the Palestinian Authority re-activate members of its forces in Gaza to prepare a local security and police force for the enclave after the conflict, U.S. officials tell Axios' Barak Ravid.
Why it matters: The move is part of the administration's stated goal to revitalize the unpopular and weak Palestinian Authority so it could once again play a role in governing the Gaza Strip in the coming months.
The latest: White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan met on Friday in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed with him how the Palestinian Authority could be involved in governing Gaza after the war ends.
Sullivan and Abbas discussed the steps needed so the Palestinian Authority would be ‘more credible, more authentic, and more accountable,’ White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Behind the scenes: U.S. officials say the Biden administration wants the 87-year-old Abbas to conduct wide-ranging reforms, including injecting ‘new blood’ into the Palestinian Authority's leadership. Abbas is in the 18th year of a four-year term and has continued to delay elections.
The administration has been discussing with the Palestinian Authority re-activating some of the members of its security forces who live in Gaza and were on active duty until Hamas took over.
Reality check: Biden officials admit it'd be difficult to restart the Palestinian Authority's role in Gaza without Israel's consent.
The Israeli government currently opposes any return of the Palestinian Authority.” [Axios]
Politics
“As President Biden considers sweeping migration restrictions, polls show growing support for such measures from Democrats — a sign of how drastically the politics of the issue have shifted.” [New York Times]
“At a rally in New Hampshire, Donald Trump quoted Vladimir Putin to support his case that the criminal indictments he faces are political payback.” [New York Times]
“A national consensus on abortion remains elusive because Republicans are trying to keep the issue away from voters, Kate Zernike writes.” [New York Times]
Jeff Roe out
DeSantis takes the stage at a Never Back Down town hall in Windham, N.H., on Friday. Photo: Brian Snyder/Reuters
“Jeff Roe — top strategist at Never Back Down, the super PAC supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — resigned late last night.
Why it matters: The Iowa caucuses — where DeSantis needs a strong showing — are 29 days away. His campaign has been unusually dependent on the super PAC, which has been in constant turmoil.
Between the lines: Roe announced his departure on X, hours after the WashPost published a story focused on internal disputes and suspicions between Never Back Down, the campaign, and other DeSantis allies.
‘I can't believe it ended this way,’ Roe tweeted. ‘I'm so proud to have worked alongside these men and women at NBD 24/7 the past nine months to save the country. Good luck the next 28 days and a wake up. I'm so sorry I can't be there with you.’
Graphic: CBS News
Breaking: Nikki Haley has moved up 18 points among likely New Hampshire Republican primary voters since September, according to a CBS News/YouGov poll out this morning.
Donald Trump is at 44% and Haley at 29% (margin of error: ±5.5 points; 459 New Hampshire Republican respondents).
In September, Trump was at 50% and Haley was at 11%.
In the poll, Haley gets the best marks on "likable" and "reasonable," and runs nearly even with Trump on being "prepared."
Reality check: 37 days before the primary, Trump leads Haley by 15 points.” [Axios]
Inside Roe's end
Justices pose for a group portrait in 2021. Photo: Erin Schaff/The New York Times via Getty Images
“In overturning Roe v. Wade last year, the Supreme Court didn't just shatter precedent: It tested boundaries of how cases are decided, the N.Y. Times' Jodi Kantor and Adam Liptak report in a 6,500-word account of how conservatives prevailed in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.
Why it matters: The justices ‘transformed a long-shot case into a historic turning point — shooting down compromise.’
The backdrop: Conservatives outside the court insisted that seizing the moment was vital, since Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas are in their 70s, ‘and the new conservative supermajority would not last forever.’
Among the findings by Kantor — who won a Pulitzer for breaking the Harvey Weinstein story, helping ignite the #MeToo movement — and Liptak, who covers the court:
Alito ‘appeared to have pregamed’ his opinion with ‘some of the conservative justices ... to safeguard a coalition more fragile than it looked.’ The clue: After his clerk circulated a 98-page draft opinion, "despite the document's length, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch wrote back just 10 minutes later to say that he would sign on to the opinion and had no changes ... The next morning, Justice Clarence Thomas added his name, then Justice Amy Coney Barrett, and days later, Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh. None requested a single alteration. The responses looked like a display of conservative force and discipline.’
Barrett, nominated by President Trump in 2020 ‘to clinch the court's conservative supermajority and deliver the nearly 50-year goal of the religious right,’ initially opposed taking up Dobbs in 2021: ‘Four male justices, a minority of the court, chose to move ahead anyway ... She was the lone woman in the conservative bloc, with seven children and personal views on abortion that were no secret. Of the nine people in black robes, she was the sole mother. This was not the time, she told Justice Alito ... She had arrived not even three months before.’
After secretly voting to hear Dobbs, the justices delayed announcing the decision in part to ‘create the appearance of distance’ from the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in 2020. So ‘as the winter of 2021 turned to spring, the docket showed the case being re-listed [awaiting a decision on whether to grant review] week after week. Anxiety mounted among conservatives outside the court.’
Chief Justice John Roberts of the conservative bloc and Justice Stephen Breyer, a lifelong liberal, worked hard on a compromise to save part of Roe: ‘Justice Breyer even considered trying to save Roe v. Wade ... by significantly eroding it.’
The leak to Politico ended that: ‘[M]aking the draft public had effectively cemented the votes. ... Whatever the intent, the breach became a strike on the chief, Justice Breyer and their quest for compromise ... The chief worried whether he could even share his concurring opinion on an email list that had become a roster of suspects, waiting until new, paper-only protocols were in place.’
‘The leak investigation that followed was inconclusive ... The marshal's office presented a form to the clerks, later obtained by The Times, that spurred panic. The young lawyers, dependent on court relationships for future jobs, were asked for access to their personal phones; location data going back nearly a year; and emails, texts, voice messages and photos.’
Image: The New York Times
Above: The form given to court employees during the Dobbs leak investigation.” [Axios]
International
In North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo. Arlette Bashizi for The New York Times
“A looming election is sharpening tensions in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where decades of conflict and humanitarian crisis have killed and displaced millions.” [New York Times]
“At least 61 people, including women and children, drowned in the shipwreck of a migrant boat near Libya.” [New York Times]
“A Vatican court sentenced a once-powerful cardinal to five and a half years in prison for financial crimes.” [New York Times]
“Chileans vote today on a new constitution that could pull the country to the right.” [New York Times]
“Putin has turned the exit of major Western companies from Russia into a financial windfall for the state and its elites.” [New York Times]
Jeffrey Epstein Never Stopped Abusing Women—and His VIP Circle Helped Make It Possible
“A Wall Street Journal investigation shows that Epstein’s sexual exploitation and abuse didn’t end with his 2008 conviction—as many of his VIP associates later said they believed—but continued until his second arrest in 2019.
He lured dozens of women in their late teens and 20s by promising to use his connections to powerful people to get them jobs or other opportunities. He then groomed most of the women for his personal sexual exploitation, and passed a select group to other men for sex.
In interviews with the Journal, several of those victims described how he used his VIP connections to ensnare a new generation of women to exploit.”
READ MORE at Wall Street Journal
Presented by
Former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy during his last day at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday. | Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
“‘ACTIVELY STUPID’ — It’s not uncommon for year-end stories about Congress to speculate about whether it’s the worst Congress ever — such is the level of dysfunction and polarization in recent decades. Even so, the first year of the 118th Congress is in a league of its own.
It began and ended ignominiously, starting with a 15-vote marathon in the House just to decide on a speaker, Kevin McCarthy, who failed to last even a full year before being ousted. He was deposed in early October — the first time in the 234-year history of the House that a speaker was removed from office — leaving the House practically frozen for three weeks while the razor-thin GOP majority decided on his successor.
Congress approached new peaks of pettiness this year, with Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), one of the eight Republicans to vote to vacate McCarthy from the speakership, accusing the former speaker of elbowing him in the kidney. On the same day, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) almost got into a physical fight with a witness during a hearing.
A few weeks before that, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) was captured on camera pulling a fire alarm as Democrats stalled for time to read a spending bill averting a showdown. He later pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for his conduct and was censured by the House, making him one of three House members censured this year — the most in over 150 years.
A censure is the House’s tool for expressing serious disapproval of member misconduct that falls short of the threshold for expulsion. As it turns out, the House had one of those, too — it expelled its first member in over 20 years, Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), who was indicted on federal charges including wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds and making false statements to Congress.
All that dysfunction left little time for lawmaking: Just 22 bills were enacted into law this year — a relatively low number compared to the dozens of bills typically passed by Thanksgiving. While a few more bills could be added to that list with the Senate wrapping up next week, its legislative pace is lagging — it typically finishes each two-year Congress with hundreds of bills passed.
In November, an exasperated Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) expressed his frustration openly on the House floor. ‘I want my Republican colleagues to give me one thing — one — that I can go campaign on and say we did,’ Roy shouted. ‘Explain to me one material, meaningful, significant thing the Republican majority has done.’
The second session of the 118th Congress isn’t necessarily looking any brighter. With Santos gone and McCarthy resigning at the end of the year, Republicans have an even slimmer GOP majority to work with in 2024. The spending deadlines normally met before the end of the year are now pushed to the start of next year, without any signs of agreement on funding levels. And with a new impeachment inquiry opened against President Joe Biden this week, the House could be caught up in further partisan warfare.
Already, in the House, 40 members have announced they are either running for higher office or retiring. Seven senators are also calling it quits. The number of congressional retirees is expected to grow come January after members spend the holidays with their families and contemplate their political futures.
Former Speaker pro tem Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) is one of those departing, marking the end of almost 20 years in Congress. The chairman of the Financial Services Committee, McHenry referred to the past few months in Congress as ‘a very actively stupid political environment.’” [POLITICO]
Rudy Giuliani leaves the courthouse in Washington after he was ordered to pay $148 million in a defamation case.
“A Washington, DC, jury ordered Rudy Giuliani to pay nearly $150 million to two Georgia election workers for the harm caused by defamatory statements he made about them following the 2020 election. The former New York mayor and onetime attorney to former President Donald Trump vowed to appeal.
Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Israeli hostages in northern Gaza after misidentifying them as threats, the Israel Defense Forces said. The hostages were shirtless and waving a white flag when they were shot, according to an IDF official.
A strengthening storm is pummeling Florida with heavy rains and powerful winds as it makes its way up the East Coast, threatening floods, dangerous surf, power outages and travel disruptions. The storm is forecast to hug the coast and impact Georgia to parts of the Northeast.
The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, died at age 86 after ruling the Gulf state for three years. Sheikh Nawaf was defense minister during one of the biggest crises in Kuwaiti history, when Iraq invaded in 1990, triggering what became known as the Gulf War.
“Friends” star Matthew Perry died as a result of “acute effects of ketamine” and subsequent drowning, an autopsy report shows. The report, released by the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office, shows Perry’s blood tested positive for ketamine, which is known to treat depression and anxiety.
MONDAY
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman to serve on the nation's highest court, will lie in repose at the Supreme Court. O’Connor, 93, died this month and will be remembered during a private ceremony at the court before members of the public are invited to pay their respects. It’s traditional for late justices to make one last stop at the Supreme Court. O’Connor's funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.
WEDNESDAY
President Joe Biden is headed to Milwaukee to promote his "Investing in America" plan. During his term, Americans so far have filed 14.6 million new business applications, including 178,000 in Wisconsin, according to the White House. Wisconsin is pivotal to Biden's reelection chances — it’s one of the battleground states that help settle close presidential elections.
A hearing is scheduled for Kyle Gould, a sheriff's deputy who reached a plea deal after facing charges in last year’s death of Christian Glass in Colorado.Glass, 22, was armed with a knife and fatally shot by deputies after calling 911 for roadside assistance. His family has said he was having a mental health episode.
THURSDAY
A federal hearing will be held for the man accused of trying to shut down the engines of an Alaska Airlines plane midflight in October. Joseph Emerson has been charged with interfering with a flight crew, according to federal officials. He also faces state charges in Oregon, including 83 felony counts of attempted murder. Emerson has pleaded not guilty to the state charges and has said he was affected by psychedelic mushrooms he’d taken two days before the flight.
Hello, winter solstice! This is the shortest day of the year and the official first day of winter for a large part of world. Thursday will have 2023's shortest period of daylight — nine hours, 26 minutes and 13 seconds — but who’s counting, right? Several events are associated with this day, including Yule and the Chinese Dongzhi Festival.” [CNN]