The Full Belmonte, 12/27/2023
A bulldozer unloads the bodies of Palestinians killed in fighting with Israel during a mass funeral in Rafah, Gaza Strip, on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair)
ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR
Israeli military says Gaza ground offensive has expanded into urban refugee camps
“Israeli forces on Tuesday expanded their ground offensive into urban refugee camps in central Gaza after bombarding the crowded Palestinian communities and ordering residents to evacuate. The military’s announcement of the new battle zone threatens further destruction in a war that Israel says will last for ‘many months’ as it vows to crush the ruling Hamas militant group. Read more.
Recent developments:
Despite U.S. calls for Israel to curb civilian casualties and international pressure for a cease-fire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military was deepening the fighting.
The U.N. human rights office said the continued bombardment of Gaza had claimed over 100 Palestinian lives since Christmas Eve. Israel said it would no longer grant automatic visas to U.N. employees and accused the world body of being ‘complicit partners’ in Hamas’ tactics.
In an area Israel had declared a safe zone, a strike hit a home in the southern city of Khan Younis. One woman was killed and at least eight were wounded, according to a cameraman working for The Associated Press. In response, Israel’s military said it would not refrain from operating in safe zones, ‘if it identifies terrorist organization activity threatening the security of Israel.’” [AP News]
Immigration
“More than 11,000 migrants are waiting in shelters and camps in Mexico, hoping to enter the US as the nation grapples with an unprecedented surge at the southern border. In recent weeks, thousands of migrants have crossed the border each day, overwhelming federal authorities and straining US border cities. Despite the hope many migrants carry, their chances are slim. The federal government has deported or returned more than 445,000 migrants since last May and has closed ports of entry in multiple states, shifting resources to process migrants waiting in the US. Still, many migrants at a shelter in Eagle Pass, Texas, recently told CNN that they felt they had no other option but to leave their home countries.” [CNN]
Appeals Court Reverses Conviction of Former Nebraska Congressman
Former Representative Jeff Fortenberry had been convicted on charges of lying to the federal authorities. An appeals court said his trial was in the wrong venue.
“A federal appeals court tossed out the conviction of former Representative Jeff Fortenberry, a Nebraska Republican, on Tuesday on the grounds that his trial never should have been held in Los Angeles in the first place.
Mr. Fortenberry, 62, was convicted by a jury in March 2022 on three felony charges related to lying to the federal authorities about illegal campaign donations he received at a 2016 fund-raiser in Los Angeles.
During interviews at his home in Nebraska and at his lawyer’s office in Washington, D.C., he told federal investigators he was unaware that $30,000 in donations had originated from a Lebanese Nigerian billionaire, Gilbert Chagoury. As a foreign citizen, Mr. Chagoury was ineligible to contribute to an American candidate. But an F.B.I. agent had previously listened to a phone call in which a cooperating witness told the congressman about the source of the funds.
In the opinion on Tuesday, a three-judge panel determined that Mr. Fortenberry should not have been tried in Los Angeles because he had made his statements about the campaign contributions to federal agents in Nebraska and Washington, D.C. Mr. Fortenberry was charged with and convicted of making false statements, not the receipt of the illegal contributions….” Read more at New York Times
Ramaswamy nixes TV ads
“Vivek Ramaswamy said his GOP presidential campaign has ceased TV advertising ahead of next month's Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary, after NBC reported he was off the air.
Why it matters: Traditional broadcast TV ads make up a majority of political ad spending and are a basic component of major campaigns, Axios' Ivana Saric notes.
On X, John Hasson of Townhall noted this incredible shot/chaser:
Ramaswamy tweet yesterday: "Presidential TV ad spending is idiotic."
Ramaswamy aide last month: ‘Vivek is making an eight-figure buy across Iowa and New Hampshire. Vivek's not an idiot. Anytime earlier would have been stupid.’” [Axios]
Here’s what to know about Turkey’s decision to move forward with Sweden’s bid to join NATO
“Sweden edged closer toward joining NATO on Tuesday after the Turkish parliament’s foreign affairs committee greenlighted a protocol for the Nordic country’s membership in the military alliance. Read more.
What to know:
Why the delay? Turkey’s opposition to Swedish membership in NATO stemmed from its belief that the Nordic country has been too soft toward supporters of Kurdish militants that Ankara views as security threats, including those affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party or PKK, which has waged a 39-year insurgency in Turkey.
What made Turkey lift its objections? While Sweden strengthened its antiterrorism laws to address Ankara’s security concerns, Sweden also announced it would seek improved customs arrangements and take steps to implement visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.
What about Hungary? Some critics have alleged that Hungary is using its veto power over Sweden as a tool to leverage concessions from the European Union, while others believe that Orbán’s party is following Ankara’s timetable.” [AP News]
Russian Warship Damaged in Black Sea
The Russian warship Novocherkassk, of the Black Sea Fleet, is pictured in Sevastopol, Crimea, on July 27, 2019.Ulf Mauder/Picture Alliance via Getty Images
“Russia said Tuesday that one of its warships was damaged by a Ukrainian attack on a Black Sea port in Crimea. The Ukrainian Air Force said previously that it had destroyed the ship, the 360-foot-long Novocherkassk; Ukrainian Air Force commander Lt. Gen. Mykola Oleshchuk shared footage of what appeared to be an explosion at the port.
One person was killed in the attack and several others injured, the Russian-backed head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov told the BBC. Several buildings were damaged, but port transport operations are apparently functioning normally. According to the BBC, there is speculation that the ship was used to carry Iranian-made Shahed drones, used by Russia in its war against Ukraine.
Oleshchuk wrote on Telegram that the Novocherkassk ‘went the way’ of the Moskva, another Russian Black Sea ship that sank last year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was ‘grateful’ to the Ukrainian air force ‘for the impressive replenishment of the Russian submarine Black Sea fleet with another vessel,’ and he pledged that the ‘occupiers will not have a single peaceful place in Ukraine.’
Ukraine said last month that it had destroyed 15 Russian navy ships and damaged 12 more in the Black Sea since the war began in February 2022. However, Russia has been able to hold much of the territory it occupied this year, and Ukraine’s Western partners have described Kyiv’s attempted counteroffensive as ‘sobering.’
The U.S. Congress recessed for the holidays without approving billions of dollars more in lethal and economic aid for Ukraine, even though previous assistance had almost run out. Many Republican lawmakers, particularly allies of former U.S. President Donald Trump, are openly questioning why they should continue to support Kyiv. The European Union did not provide another aid package for Ukraine, either; Hungary vetoed a 50 billion euro package this month.
And despite the destruction of the Novocherkassk, the week did not bring only good tidings for Ukraine: After battling for months to defend the eastern city of Marinka, Ukrainian officials conceded they had stepped back to the city’s outskirts. ‘The situation is exactly the same as it was in Bakhmut,’ Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Gen. Valery Zaluzhny said. ‘Street by street, block by block, and our soldiers were being targeted. And the result is what it is.’” [Foreign Policy]
“2 million people squeeze into southern Gaza. Almost 2 million people are crowded into the south of Gaza as of Tuesday: 1.7 million are registered to shelters, and a few hundred thousand are sleeping out in the open, on roads, or otherwise exposed. The Israeli military ordered still more people to evacuate south last Friday, this time from central Gaza, where at least 60,000 people were already displaced.
Israel’s army chief, Herzi Halevi, vowed that the Israel-Hamas war would continue for ‘many more months,’ while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the conflict on Monday as ‘not close to being over.’ Netanyahu also said he did not believe the remaining hostages held by Hamas would be freed from Gaza without military pressure. Israeli forces accidentally killed three Israeli hostages earlier this month.
The war has already killed an estimated 20,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gazan Health Ministry. A United Nations official told the BBC that there is no reprieve in Gaza from Israeli air strikes, and that people who are severely injured cannot receive treatment as the hospitals are ‘overloaded.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Throwing tradition out the window? A plan endorsed by French President Emmanuel Macron to replace the stained glass windows of Notre-Dame with more contemporary art has been decried as ‘vandalism.’ More than 120,000 people have signed a petition calling for the retention of the original windows; the building is being restored after devastation in an April 2019 fire.
The window innovation detractors say new designs would ruin the cathedral’s architectural harmony. ‘The stained glass windows in Notre Dame designed by Viollet-le-Duc were created as a coherent whole,’ reads the petition, created by Didier Rykner, founder and editor of La Tribune de l’Art magazine. ‘It is a genuine creation that the architect wanted to be faithful to the cathedral’s gothic origins.’
The Macron-backed plan was to have six of the seven windows replaced by contemporary stained-glass windows, which would be chosen in a competition. Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich reportedly wrote to the Élysée to encourage the state to commission new windows. The six windows that would be taken out of the building were unharmed by the fire and would be on display in the new Notre Dame Museum.” [Foreign Policy]
“Attack in Nigeria. At least 160 people were killed and 300 people wounded in attacks on villages in central Nigeria, local officials said Monday. The army initially reported just 16 people dead. Monday Kassah, head of the local government in Bokkos, Plateau State, told the AFP that armed groups locally known as bandits launched attacks on at least 20 communities.
Plateau State Gov. Caleb Mutfwang condemned the violence as ‘barbaric, brutal, and unjustified,’ and governor’s office spokesperson Gyang Bere vowed to take proactive measures to protect civilians. However, Amnesty International criticized the government following the attacks, writing on X that ‘the Nigerian authorities have been failing to end frequent deadly attacks on rural communities of Plateau State.’” [Foreign Policy].
Detroit Pistons lose 27th straight game, set NBA single-season record for futility
“The last time the Detroit Pistons won an NBA game, Halloween hadn’t arrived.
The next time the Pistons win an NBA game is anyone’s guess.
The Pistons set a single-season record for futility on Tuesday, losing their 27thconsecutive regular-season game, eclipsing the record the Philadelphia 76ers equaled in 2013-14 and set by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2010-11.
Detroit is now the sole owner of the unwanted record after a 118-112 loss to the Brooklyn Nets, dropping to 2-28.
The Pistons took a 97-92 lead on Cade Cunningham’s 3-pointer with 8:10 left in the fourth quarter, but Brooklyn’s 13-0 run gave it a 105-97 lead with 4:53 remaining. Detroit trailed 112-110 with 57.9 seconds remaining but were unable to stop Brooklyn in the final minute….” Read more at USA Today
‘Parasite’ actor found dead in South Korea amid drug investigation
“SEOUL — South Korean actor Lee Sun-kyun, star of the Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” was reportedly found dead in his car on Wednesday, amid an investigation into illegal drug use.
The 48-year-old, who played the wealthy businessman at the head of the elite Park family in the acclaimed movie, had been repeatedly questioned by police about the allegations, which he denied through his lawyer.
Lee was found unconscious Wednesday morning, according to a police spokesman, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Local media reported that he was found in his car, near a park in Seoul, and had apparently died by suicide.
Lee’s agency, HODU&U Entertainment, later confirmed his death on Wednesday. ‘There is no way to contain the grief and despair,’ it said in a statement. Lee’s familyThe actor had been questioned on suspicion of using marijuana and other illegal drugs at the home of a woman who worked at an exclusive bar in Seoul’s Gangnam district, Yonhap News Agency reported. Lee said the woman had tricked him into taking the drugs….” Read more at Washington Post
Ye apologizes
Ye's post. Via Instagram
“Ye — the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, who has a long history of antisemitic comments — apologized to the Jewish community in an Instagram post in Hebrew, AP reports.
‘I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions,’ Ye wrote. ‘It was not my intention to offend or demean, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.’
Context: The statement comes less than two weeks after Ye, 46, went on an antisemitic rant in Vegas while promoting his upcoming album ‘Vultures,’ coming Jan. 12.
He compared himself to Jesus and Adolf Hitler.
Reality check: This isn't the first time Ye has apologized for antisemitism. He said last year: ‘I'm sorry for the people that I hurt with the confusion that I caused.’
Less than two months later, he said he sees ‘good things about Hitler.’” [Axios]
‘Color Purple’ triumphs
From left: Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks in "The Color Purple." Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures/AP
“Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Color Purple" — a bold adaptation of Alice Walker's novel, which became a 1985 movie and then a hit Broadway musical — dominated the Christmas weekend box office, Variety reports.
The film outperformed expectations with $18 million at North American theaters — making it the largest Christmas Day opening in 14 years, and the second-biggest Christmas Day opening of all time.
The Christmas record-holder is "Sherlock Holmes" in 2009 ($24.6 million).
Between the lines: This is the first musical in some time that's scored at the box office, Variety notes.
Producers include Oprah, Steven Spielberg and Quincy Jones.” [Axios]
Octopus DNA helped solve a long-standing climate mystery.
“What to know: An octopus species was able to move around a melted West Antarctic Ice Sheet 125,000 years ago, when Earth’s temperatures matched today’s heat, a study found.
Why that matters: It’s evidence that another collapse of this ice sheet is possible. That could dramatically raise global sea levels, causing major flooding worldwide.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“Lives Lived: Paula Murphy proved in the 1960s that women had the nerve and the skill to race very fast cars. She died at 95.” [New York Times]