The Full Belmonte, 2/1/2024
European Union approves more than $50 billion support package for Ukraine after swaying Hungary to end its veto of the deal
Viktor Orban was the only EU leader opposing the aid package for Ukraine during their last meeting in December. Credit: Reuters
“European Council President Charles Michel said the E.U. is locking in ‘steadfast, long-term’ funding for Ukraine. ‘We know what’s at stake.’ Hungarian leader Viktor Orban had blocked the package for many weeks.”
Read more at Washington Post
Biden issues an executive order imposing sanctions on four Israeli settlers involved in West Bank violence
“The order marks the most significant move President Biden has taken against Israelis, as global and domestic criticism grows over U.S. support for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. The executive order will block the settlers from accessing the U.S. financial system and any assets they have in the country, two senior administration officials told reporters. It will not directly address Israel’s war in Gaza.”
Read more at Washington Post
U.S. says Islamic Resistance in Iraq behind deadly drone attack
“The U.S. today accused the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias, of planning and facilitating the drone strike in Jordan that killed three American soldiers.
The U.S. is planning a ‘campaign’ of strikes against Iran-backed militants that could last “weeks,” in retaliation, U.S. officials told NBC News.
The targets are expected to include sites outside Iran, and the campaign will involve both strikes and cyber operations, the officials said.
President Joe Biden said Tuesday he had made a decision on how to respond to that deadly drone attack.
Iran warned today that it would respond decisively to any attack on its territory or interests.” [NBC News]
House passes bill to enhance child tax credit and revive business tax breaks
“The House on Wednesday passed with broad, bipartisan support a roughly $79 billion tax cut package that would enhance the child tax credit for millions of lower-income families and boost three tax breaks for businesses, a combination that gives lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle coveted policy wins. Read more.
Why this matters:
Prospects for the measure becoming law are uncertain with the Senate still having to take it up, but for a House that has struggled to get bills of consequence over the finish line, the tax legislation could represent a rare breakthrough.
House Republicans were anxious to restore full, immediate deductions that businesses can take for the purchase of new equipment and for domestic research and development. They argue such investments grow the economy and incentivize companies to keep their manufacturing operations in the United States.
Democrats were focused on boosting the child tax credit. The tax credit is $2,000 per child, but not all of that is refundable. The bill would incrementally raise the amount of the credit available as a refund, and adjust the topline credit amount to temporarily grow at the rate of inflation.” [AP News]
2024 Elections
“Biden’s campaign is beating Trump’s in fund-raising, with about $46 million in cash on hand at the end of 2023 compared with $33 million for Trump.” [New York Times]
“Nikki Haley’s campaign entered 2024 with more than $14 million, enough for a prolonged race.” [New York Times]
“Ron DeSantis’s failed presidential campaign cost more than $160 million — that’s about $6,800 per vote received.” [New York Times]
“Senator Kyrsten Sinema, the Arizona independent, hasn’t said whether she will seek another term. She’s running out of time.” [New York Times]
‘Don’t get involved in politics!’: Fox News hosts are warning Taylor Swift not to endorse Biden for re-election. (Swift hasn’t said anything about endorsing.)” [New York Times]
“John Podesta, a longtime Democratic adviser, will replace John Kerry as Biden’s top climate envoy.” [New York Times]
A federal judge dismissed Disney’s lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“The case: Disney claimed the Republican removed its special tax arrangements in Florida in retaliation after its CEO opposed a 2022 law limiting LGBTQ discussions in schools.
The bigger picture: DeSantis’s legal victory yesterday is the latest chapter in a two-year-old feud between the governor and Disney — two of Florida’s power centers.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Austin says he apologized to Biden and mishandled communication around cancer treatment
“US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday admitted he mishandled communication around his treatment for prostate cancer and said he’d apologized to President Joe Biden, in his first news conference since returning to work.
Austin said that he ‘did not handle this right’ but emphasized that at no point was there a break down in the military chain of command.
Austin added that he ‘never directed anyone to keep my January hospitalization from the White House.’”
Read More at CNN
Fani Willis was summoned to testify over allegations of misconduct.
“Who is she? The Atlanta-area district attorney overseeing an election interference case against former president Donald Trump and 18 others.
What’s happening? Willis has been accused of having an improper relationship with the case’s top prosecutor, Nathan Wade. She has not directly addressed the allegations.
Why it matters: The subpoena issued to Willis could lead to proceedings that may decide whether the Trump case continues. A hearing is set for Feb. 15.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Atmospheric river slams West Coast with heavy rain and wind
“The first of two back-to-back storms, fueled by an atmospheric river, is slamming much of the West Coast today with heavy rain and gusty winds.
More than 21 people across California are under flood watches, and more than 25 million people are under wind alerts across the West.
As the powerful winds blew in, firefighters responded to a report of a girl trapped by a fallen tree in California's Santa Clara County. She was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Parts of Washington state, Oregon, and northern California are already being drenched, as the rain spreads south this afternoon.
The next atmospheric river event, expected on Sunday or Monday, promises to deliver more heavy rain, wind and snow to California.” [NBC News]
FBI director warns Chinese hackers preparing to “wreak havoc” on U.S.
“Chinese hackers are preparing to ‘wreak havoc’ on critical U.S. infrastructure such as the electric grid, oil and gas pipelines, and transportation systems, FBI Director Christopher Wray warned Congress today.
‘China’s hackers are positioning on American infrastructure in preparation to wreak havoc and cause real-world harm to American citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike,’ Wray testified before a House committee.
During the hearing, Wray was asked about recent reports that China has pledged not to interfere in the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
‘China’s promised a lot of things over the years, so I’ll guess I’ll believe it when I see it,’ Wray told the panel.” [NBC News]
Man arrested after allegedly showing father’s decapitated head on YouTube
“A Pennsylvania man has been arrested for a shocking crime, allegedly killing his father and displaying his decapitated head in a gruesome YouTube video while spouting right-wing conspiracy theories.
Justin Mohn, 32, was arrested about 100 miles away from the crime scene, and is now being held without bond on charges that include suspicion of first-degree murder, according to police and court documents.
In his YouTube video, Mohn says his father was a federal employee for 20 years and calls him a traitor. He also rants about the Biden administration and the federal government.
The 14-minute-long video was up on YouTube for hours before it was removed.”
CEOs in the hot seat
From left: Jason Citron, CEO of Discord; Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snap; Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok; Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X; and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, are sworn in as they testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee today. Photo: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
“Senators from both parties berated tech CEOs today during a contentious hearing focused on children's online safety, drawing applause from a crowd that included families of kids who suffered abuse online.
‘You have blood on your hands,’ Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) told the tech leaders during his opening remarks. ‘You have a product that's killing people.’
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said social media companies have hurt children with algorithms that push harmful content.
Between the lines: Some of these CEOs have been here before, and they're getting better at fending off lawmakers' theatrics, Axios' Ashley Gold and Maria Curi note.
This was Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg's eighth time on Capitol Hill since he first testified in 2018.
What's next: So far, Congress' bipartisan anger at Big Tech hasn't translated into any new rules that would significantly hurt the companies' businesses or bottom lines.” [Axios]
Biden expected to issue executive order targeting Israeli settlers in West Bank
“President Joe Biden is expected to imminently issue an executive order aimed at punishing Israeli settlers in the West Bank who have been attacking Palestinians in the occupied territory, according to documents seen by POLITICO, a U.S. official and a congressional aide.”
Read the latest at POLITICO
Israel and Lebanon are prepping for a war neither country wants
“The prospect of a full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia terrifies people on both sides of the border, but some see it as an inevitable fallout from Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza. Read more.
Why this matters:
Such a war could be the most destructive either side has ever experienced. Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. But both Hezbollah and the Israeli military have expanded capabilities since then — though both countries also are more fragile.
Despite the rhetoric, neither side appears to want war, said Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in south Lebanon. However, ‘a miscalculation could potentially trigger a wider conflict that would be very difficult to control,’ he said.
A full-scale war would likely spread to multiple fronts, escalating the involvement of Iranian proxies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen — and perhaps even draw in Iran itself. It could also drag the U.S., Israel’s closest ally, deeper into the conflict.” [AP News]
“Condemn Me. It Does Not Matter.”
A police vehicle is seen outside the office of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad on Jan. 31.Farooq Naeem/AFP
“Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in prison each on Wednesday for selling state gifts while Khan was in office without properly disclosing it. This is the second major verdict issued against the opposition leader in the past two days and comes just over a week before Pakistan holds general elections on Feb. 8.
The so-called Toshakhana (or state treasury) case accused Khan and Bibi of selling and retaining more than $500,000 worth of gifts, including perfume, jewelry, dinner sets, and Rolex watches. In addition to the prison sentences, the couple was issued a $5.3 million fine and Khan was barred from holding public office for the next 10 years. In August 2023, Khan was also sentenced to three years in prison for selling state gifts, which barred him from holding office for five years, meaning he was already ineligible to run in the Feb. 8 election. However, Wednesday’s sentence now means that the 71-year-old Khan will not be able to hold public office until he is 81 years old. Khan is already in a prison in Rawalpindi, but his wife will be allowed to serve her prison time at Khan’s Islamabad hilltop mansion.
On Tuesday, Khan was also convicted of revealing state secrets and sentenced to 10 years behind bars. Prosecutors accused the former prime minister of leaking an encrypted diplomatic cable in March 2022 to try to prove that parliament’s no-confidence vote against Khan was part of a conspiracy (backed by the nation’s military and the United States) to remove him from power, allegations that both parties deny.
It is unclear if the 14- and 10-year rulings will run concurrently. Khan’s legal team denies the charges, accusing a ‘kangaroo court’ of holding ‘sham,’ rushed proceedings. His lawyers said on Wednesday that Khan plans to appeal both cases to Pakistan’s high court. In response to the sentencing on Tuesday, Khan shared a quote by former Cuban leader Fidel Castro: ‘I know that imprisonment will be harder for me than it has ever been for anyone, filled with cowardly threats and hideous cruelty,’ Khan posted on X, formerly Twitter. ‘Condemn me. It does not matter. History will absolve me.’
Pakistanis are set to vote on the National Assembly’s 342 seats next Thursday despite major crackdowns against the country’s main opposition party, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Khan remains popular among voters, with a December 2023 Gallup poll showing his approval ratings at 57 percent versus expected winner and three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s 52 percent. Khan urged his supporters to ‘take revenge for every injustice with your vote on Feb. 8 while remaining peaceful.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Espionage claims. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva fired deputy intelligence chief Alessandro Moretti and four department heads for allegedly spying on former President Jair Bolsonaro’s opponents, authorities announced on Tuesday. Federal police accused Moretti of passing information to Alexandre Ramagem, former director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency (known as Abin) and a close Bolsonaro ally. The probe also accused Carlos Bolsonaro, one of the former leader’s sons, of being part of the suspected ‘political nucleus’ inside Abin that ordered the espionage campaign.
Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court revealed documents last Thursday in which Abin was accused of having used Israeli spyware FirstMile to eavesdrop on public figures critical of Bolsonaro, including three Supreme Federal Court justices and a speaker in Brazil’s parliament. Last week, police raided Ramagem’s home and office, and on Monday, a judge authorized a similar investigation into Carlos’s properties. Bolsonaro condemned the charges and said his family was being persecuted. Lula dismissed Bolsonaro’s anger, saying, ‘The Brazilian government doesn’t give orders to the federal police, much less the courts.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Prisoner exchange. Russia and Ukraine announced a successful prisoner swap on Wednesday, just one week after Moscow accused Kyiv of shooting down a Russian plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russia’s military said it received 195 soldiers on Wednesday, and Ukraine said it welcomed home 207 soldiers and civilians. The United Arab Emirates helped mediate the negotiations.
Neither side has claimed responsibility for last week’s plane crash, which is said to have killed all 74 people on board when it exploded near the two nations’ shared border in the Belgorod region. Kyiv has not confirmed whether any of the people killed were Ukrainian soldiers. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said a U.S. Patriot system was used to down the military transport flight. Both Moscow and Kyiv have called for an international investigation.” [Foreign Policy]
Recently swapped Ukrainian prisoners of war covered in national flags hug each other after a prisoner exchange on the Ukrainian Russian border, on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024.
Danylo Pavlov, AP
“Article 23 is back. Hong Kong kicked off proceedings on Tuesday to enact a controversial national security law. The proposed legislation, known as Article 23, would focus on five areas of offense: treason, insurrection, stealing state secrets, sabotage, and external interference. If approved, it would further hinder political dissent and more closely align with mainland China’s policies.
In 2003, Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, tried to pass a similar law, but large pro-democracy protests forced the government to abandon it. Additional mass demonstrations in 2019 pushed Beijing to impose a strict national security law of its own on Hong Kong the following year. Under the 2020 restrictions, Hong Kongers can be punished if they are believed to be colluding with foreign actors or engaging in terrorism or subversion.” [Foreign Policy]
“The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland is playing “Where’s Wally?” with a Japanese macaque roaming the Scottish Highlands this week. The cheeky monkey fled its enclosure at the Highland Wildlife Park in Kingussie on Sunday and has been on the run ever since. Drone footage sighted the escapee near the park’s entrance late Tuesday, but dense tree cover helped the monkey evade capture. Maybe the search team will try wanted posters next.” [Foreign Policy]
Grave peril of digital conspiracy theories: ‘What happens when no one believes anything anymore?’
“Conspiracy theories have a long history in America. But with the internet and now artificial intelligence, false claims and conspiracy theories can travel further and faster than ever. An examination by the AP has found that rapidly spreading misinformation on social media can have high costs for individuals, but also for democracy itself. Read more.
Why this matters:
The number of violent events from extremists motivated by conspiracy theories is growing. Examples include the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, attacks on vaccine clinics and anti-immigrant fervor in Spain.
Extremists and authoritarians deploy disinformation to recruit new followers and expand their reach, using fake video and photos to fool their followers.
Conspiracy theories often reflect real life concerns and can act as a shortcut to understanding them. Social isolation and traumatic events can lead people to find ways to fill in the gaps and often reflect more about the believer’s inner beliefs than the events themselves.” [AP News]
Biogen will stop selling its controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm
Biogen will stop developing its Alzheimer’s treatment Aduhelm, a drug once seen as a potential blockbuster before stumbling soon after its launch a couple of years ago. Read More at AP News
Musk wants to ditch Delaware
“Tesla will hold a shareholder vote to transfer its state of incorporation to Texas from Delaware, CEO Elon Musk tweeted after a judge invalidated his $56 billion pay package.
Kathaleen McCormick, chief judge of Delaware's Chancery Court, on Tuesday called the share-based pay package, the largest in corporate America, ‘an unfathomable sum,’ Reuters reports.
‘Never incorporate your company in the state of Delaware,’ Musk tweeted — and started a poll asking if Tesla should now incorporate in Texas.
87% of 1.1 million votes cast favored moving.
Context: More than 65% of Fortune 500 companies and over half of all U.S. publicly traded companies are incorporated in Delaware, lured by the state's business-friendly legal framework and tax policies, according to Harvard Business Services, a firm offering Delaware business formation services.
Musk shifted Tesla's corporate headquarters from Palo Alto, Calif., to Austin in 2021 after criticizing California's regulations and taxes.
The night of the judge's ruling, Musk tweeted a Wall Street Journal op-ed from November, co-written by former Attorney General Bill Barr, with the headline: ‘Delaware Is Trying Hard to Drive Away Corporations.’” [Axios]
The FDA issued a warning about unapproved eyedrops.
“Which ones? South Moon, Rebright and FivFivGo eyedrops. The brands are unapproved drugs that put users at risk of eye infection, the agency said yesterday.
What else to know: The FDA said these “copycat eye drop products” can be mistaken for FDA-approved products, and warned of online retailers making ‘false claims.’”
Read this story at Washington Post
Taylor Swift’s songs could soon leave TikTok.
“Why? There’s a dispute between the video platform and Universal Music Group, which accused TikTok of acting like a ‘bully’ in negotiations to pay for the use of music.
It’s not just Swift: Drake, Adele, Harry Styles and Billie Eilish are also represented by Universal. Music licensed by the label is set to be removed in the coming days.
What else to know: TikTok, a pioneer in short vertical videos, is now pushing content creators to post long horizontal videos.”
Read this story at Washington Post
Woman tossing trash falls into dumpster, survives getting compacted in garbage truck
“A New Hampshire fire department says a woman fell into a dumpster while throwing out her garbage, and it didn't end there: She landed inside a trash truck that compacted the contents.” Read More at AP News
Caitlin Clark is Big Ten's all-time leading scorer
“Iowa's Caitlin Clark scored 35 points (3 points over her season average) in Iowa's 110-74 win over Northwestern University Wednesday night. The 22-year-old senior is only 243 points shy of Pete Maravich's NCAA all-time scoring record, which has stood for five decades.” Read more at USA Today
Caitlin Clark #22 of the Iowa Hawkeyes scores her 3,403 career point against the Northwestern Wildcats at Welsh-Ryan Arena on January 31, 2024 in Evanston, Illinois.
Michael Reaves, Getty Images
“Tennessee and Virginia sued the N.C.A.A., saying that it has no right to block wealthy boosters from paying to attract college athletic recruits.” [New York Times]
Vegas makes room for baseball
Photo: Jae C. Hong, AP
“The Tropicana hotel in Las Vegas, seen above in a 2007 file photo, will be demolished this spring to make way for a new MLB stadium.
Bally's Corp., which owns Tropicana, made the announcement this week, per AP. The hotel will close April 2, days before the 67th anniversary of the resort's opening.” [Axios]
A sea otter in Monterey Bay, Calif. (Emma Levy via AP)
“Hungry sea otters are helping save California’s marshlands
The return of sea otters and their voracious appetites has helped rescue a section of California marshland from erosion, a new study shows.” [AP News]
A college student accidentally discovered a new species of dinosaur.
An illustration of what the dinosaur may have looked like about 65 million years ago. (Zubin Erik Dutta)
“What happened? Kyle Atkins-Weltman was examining fossils of a dinosaur known as the “Chicken from Hell” for a school project when he noticed some irregularities.
What he discovered: A birdlike species called Eoneophron infernalis, he revealed last week. The species probably had long claws and legs, a toothless beak and feathers.”
Read this story at Washington Post