The Full Belmonte, 2/10/2024
THE LATEST NEWS
In Rafah on Friday. Many civilians in the city say there is nowhere left in Gaza to avoid Israeli shelling. Mohammed Abed/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered Israel’s military to plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians from Rafah, in southern Gaza, ahead of a likely offensive.” [New York Times]
“A top Biden aide acknowledged ‘missteps’ in the administration’s response to the Israel-Hamas war during a meeting with Arab American political leaders.” [New York Times]
“A defense lawyer in the Georgia criminal case against Donald Trump accused the prosecutors leading the case of lying about when their romantic relationship began.” [New York Times]
“Seven companies billed Medicare over $2 billion for catheters that patients never ordered. Doctors and health groups suspect a major scam.” [New York Times]
“The S&P 500, which tracks the stock performance of the largest U.S. companies, closed above 5,000 for the first time.” [New York Times]
“Larry Hogan, Maryland’s Republican former governor and a longtime Trump critic, is running for Senate.” [New York Times]
President Biden’s age and leadership abilities are under fresh scrutiny after verbal flubs and a report on his handling of classified material.
“Special counsel Robert Hur’s investigation, which was released yesterday, described him as an ‘elderly man with a poor memory.’ At appearances this week, the president repeatedly confused the names of past and present European leaders and referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi as ‘the president of Mexico.’ Biden last night pushed back against the report’s characterization, saying, ‘My memory is fine. Take a look at what I’ve done since I’ve become president.’ The 81-year-old's age has long been a drag on polling numbers and a worry for Democrats, who reacted with a mix of frustration and anger to Hur’s 345-page report.” [Wall Street Journal]
Technology stocks drove the S&P 500 to close above 5000 for the first time.
“The index ended the week 1.4% higher at about 5027 following a climb of 0.6% today. The rally reflects unexpected strength in the economy that has investors believing that as long as the expansion continues, they can ride riskier assets to gains even if interest rates remain high. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite added 1.2% today, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 0.1%.” [Wall Street Journal]
Ukraine’s outgunned and outnumbered troops have a calculating, hard-charging new commander in chief.
“President Volodymyr Zelensky promoted Oleksandr Syrskiy, formerly the commander of ground forces, as the war approaches its third year. Syrskiy was born in Russia and attended a top Moscow military school before being assigned to Ukraine. After the Soviet Union collapsed, he remained in Ukraine, rising up the officer ranks. Zelensky dismissed Syrskiy’s predecessor, the popular Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhniy, after disagreements. In an interview with Tucker Carlson that aired yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the U.S. stop supporting Ukraine and outlined a potential prisoner exchange for jailed WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich.” [Wall Street Journal]
Ukraine funding package moves closer to Senate passage
BY ALEXANDER BOLTON
“The Senate voted Friday evening to push a $95.3 billion package funding Ukraine, Israel and other national security priorities closer to passing the upper chamber, even though many Republican senators are upset the legislation doesn’t include provisions to stop the flood of migrants across the southern border.
Senators voted after negotiating throughout the day over amendments to the legislation, which initially included a bipartisan border security deal to reform the nation’s asylum laws and give President Biden greater authority to expel migrants.”
Read the full story here at The Hill
‘Where Do We Go After Rafah?’
A woman and children sit outside tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Rafah in southern Gaza on Feb. 8.Mohammed Abed/AFP
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday ordered the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to come up with a ‘dual plan’ to evacuate civilians from the southern Gaza city of Rafah and launch a ‘massive’ military operation against the four Hamas battalions allegedly based in the city, which the IDF said is one of the militant group’s last remaining strongholds. But with 1.5 million Palestinians now sheltering in Rafah after having been pushed out of the rest of the Gaza Strip due to Israeli military operations, an offensive there would be a ‘bloodbath,’ Norwegian Refugee Council chief Jan Egeland warned on Thursday.
The IDF has forced more than half of Gaza’s population to flee to Rafah, which borders Egypt, in the past four months as it continues its sweeping military campaign across the area, leaving many wondering if there is anywhere left to shelter. ‘Where do we go after Rafah? Into the sea?’ one Palestinian woman asked Sky News.
On Thursday, the United States said it would not support an Israeli operation in Rafah under the current circumstances. That same day, U.S. President Joe Biden issued his strongest public criticism yet of Israeli’s military campaign in Gaza, calling it ‘over the top.’ ‘A lot of innocent people are starving’ in Gaza, he added. ‘A lot of innocent people are in trouble, and they’re dying, and it’s got to stop.’
This week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Netanyahu to try to negotiate a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. But Blinken’s blitz diplomatic trip, his fifth in the region since the war began, did little to sway the Israeli prime minister, who rejected Hamas’s cease-fire counterproposal on Wednesday to continue pursuing ‘total victory.’
Overnight Israeli airstrikes hit a residential area in Rafah on Thursday, killing at least eight people. Fighting also targeted the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, with Israeli troops storming Al-Amal Hospital, where around 220 patients and staff remain, the Palestine Red Crescent Society reported on Friday. Nearly 28,000 Palestinians have been killed since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Around two-thirds of those killed are reportedly women and children.” [Foreign Policy]
“Election upset. Despite most analysts predicting that Pakistan’s parliamentary election on Thursday would end in victory for former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PLM-N) party, thanks in large part to efforts by the country’s military to sway the vote in that direction, early voting results on Friday showed independent candidates, many backed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, in the lead.
In the months leading up to Thursday’s election, Pakistan’s military jailed opposition politicians—including the extremely popular head of the PTI, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was also barred from running in the election—and launched internet blackouts to crack down on PTI members to try to skew the vote in favor of the PML-N and Sharif, the military’s preferred candidate to become the next prime minister. But Sharif and his party’s lower-than-expected outcome has some experts wondering if Pakistan’s military is losing its grip on power.
Khan called the ‘unprecedented fightback’ a ‘landslide victory’ for the PTI on Friday. Sharif, however, claimed victory in Lahore and announced his intentions to begin forming a coalition government. Meanwhile, foreign leaders raised concerns about the election’s ‘lack of inclusivity’ on Friday, with the United Kingdom, United States, and European Union criticizing infringements on assembly and attempts to prevent some parties from contesting the results. Pakistan’s Election Commission said the final results would be delayed but did not specify when to expect them.” [Foreign Policy]
“Threats to Article 5. Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen warned on Friday that Russia could attack a NATO member within three to five years, potentially testing the alliance’s Article 5 collective defense pact. He cited new intelligence suggesting that Moscow’s military production capabilities have increased from last year in its war against Ukraine. ‘That was not NATO’s assessment in 2023. This is new knowledge that is coming to the fore now,’ Poulsen said.
Among Russia’s latest drills, the Kremlin has begun testing St. Petersburg-class submarines in the Baltic Sea near Sweden, which is on path to join NATO in the near future, FP’s Jack Detsch reported. By joining the bloc, Stockholm would drastically increase NATO’s border with Russia and bolster the alliance’s defense capabilities in the event of a confrontation with Moscow.” [Foreign Policy]
“Demanding elections. Haitian caretaker Prime Minister Ariel Henry issued a public address early on Thursday amid ongoing violent protests this week calling for his ouster. Henry urged demonstrators to ‘save’ the country and said he would schedule elections after the nation’s security situation improves. Haiti was supposed to hold elections by Feb. 7, but Henry has argued that he must ensure safe voting conditions first.
Rampant gang violence continues to plague the Caribbean nation, with criminal groups controlling up to 80 percent of the capital of Port-au-Prince. But many Haitians accuse Henry of using the crisis to tighten his grip on power by pushing the possibility of a credible election out of reach, Comfort Ero and Richard Atwood argued in Foreign Policy.” [Foreign Policy]
THE WEEK IN CULTURE
Toby Keith performs in Austin, Texas, in 2021. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Iheartmedia
“Toby Keith, who died this week, drew recognition beyond country music for his belligerent post-9/11 rallying cry “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).” See a timeline of his biggest songs and career moments.” [New York Times]
“Prince Harry traveled to Britain following King Charles’s cancer diagnosis but did not meet with Prince William, a sign that their relationship remains tense.” [New York Times]
“Taylor Swift’s attorneys threatened to sue a college student who tracks the flights of her private jet, The Washington Post reports.” [New York Times]
“Climate change is a laughing matter: Comedians and scientists are finding that joking about global warming can help inform people without bumming them out.” [New York Times]
“Zac Posen, known for his Old Hollywood glamour, is the new creative director of the Gap. Ruth La Ferla explains how his hiring continues a (not always successful) trend of tapping start talent.” [New York Times]
“Korean dining in New York has never been more interesting. A single company, Hand Hospitality, is generating much of the innovation.” [New York Times]
“Seiji Ozawa, a high-spirited Japanese conductor who directed the Boston Symphony Orchestra for decades, died at 88. Here are eight of his essential recordings.” [New York Times]
“Rolling Stone’s top editor is stepping down because of differences with the magazine’s chief executive.” [New York Times]
“Sony has agreed to acquire half of Michael Jackson’s catalog, said to be worth at least $1.2 billion. It is likely the richest transaction ever for a single musician’s work.” [New York Times]
“The M.L.B. suspended Billy Eppler, the former New York Mets general manager, accusing him of fabricating injuries.” [New York Times]
“Rome’s grandeur rises anew: A copy of a 43-foot statue of the fourth-century emperor Constantine, painstakingly reconstructed from fragments, was installed in a garden in the Capitoline Museums.” [New York Times]
GAME OF THE WEEK
MiLaysia Fulwiley, left. Butch Dill/Associated Press
“UConn vs. South Carolina, women’s college basketball: This isn’t the biggest sporting event of the weekend, but it could be the best. These two teams topped The Athletic’s power rankings at the start of the season, and South Carolina has remained at No. 1. ‘It is overwhelmingly clear South Carolina is the best team in the country,’ Sabreena Merchant wrote this week. Keep a particular eye on MiLaysia Fulwiley, a freshman who grew up minutes from South Carolina’s campus and whose moves have earned praise from Magic Johnson. Sunday at 2 p.m. Eastern on ESPN.” [New York Times]