The Full Belmonte, 3/14/2024
The House voted to approve a bill that would ban TikTok from operating in the U.S. or force a sale.
“The measure passed 352 to 65, with one member voting present. The bipartisan support for cracking down on the Chinese-controlled service stems from national-security concerns such as fears that parent company ByteDance would give U.S. users’ data to Beijing. Opponents of the bill raised free-speech issues and said TikTok has addressed ownership concerns. The ban is ‘based on zero evidence,’ according to TikTok. The measure moves to the Senate, where lawmakers are less gung-ho. President Biden has said he would sign the legislation if it reached his desk. Since 2019, ByteDance has spent roughly $21.3 million on federal lobbying, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan platform tracking money in politics, and a WSJ analysis of lobbying disclosure forms. TikTok could also challenge the bill’s legality, arguing that it violates the First Amendment.” [Wall Street Journal]
Biden's West Bank sanction plan
Israeli right-wing activists and settlers protest in the West Bank outpost of Homesh in 2021. It's unclear which outposts the sanctions would target. Photo: Ilia Yefimovich/picture alliance via Getty Images
“The Biden administration is expected to impose new sanctions as soon as today on two illegal outposts in the occupied West Bank that were used as a base for attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian civilians, Axios' Barak Ravid scoops.
Why it matters: The Biden administration is ratcheting up pressure on the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over a range of issues, including settler violence against Palestinians and the war in Gaza.
This will be the first time U.S. sanctions are imposed against entire outposts and not just against individuals.
There were nearly 500 Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians between Oct. 7, 2023 and Jan. 31 of this year, according to the UN humanitarian office.” [Axios]
Georgia judge dismisses three election charges against Trump
“The judge overseeing the Georgia election interference case has dismissed three of the 13 counts against former President Donald Trump.
Judge Scott McAfee threw out the counts, which accused Trump and some of his co-defendants of pressuring state officials to violate their oaths of office, saying the allegations were not specific enough.
Trump still faces 10 counts, including the central felony racketeering charges, over his efforts to overturn the 2020 election results in Georgia. He and 14 of his co-defendants have pleaded not guilty.
The judge left the door open for prosecutors to re-file the charges with additional information. The office of Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis declined to comment.
Trump attorney Steve Sadow praised the judge's decision in a statement. ‘The ruling is a correct application of the law, as the prosecution failed to make specific allegations of any alleged wrongdoing on those counts,’ he said.” [NBC News]
Native groups sit on a treasure trove of lithium. Now mines threaten their water, culture and wealth
“In the ‘lithium triangle’ – a region spanning Argentina, Chile and Bolivia – native communities sit upon an estimated trillion dollars in lithium. The metal is key in the global fight against climate change, used in electric car batteries, crucial to solar and wind energy and more.” Read More at AP News
3 men face firearms charges after Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting, authorities say
Three men from Kansas City, Missouri, face firearms charges, including gun trafficking, after an investigation into the mass shooting, federal prosecutors said. Read More at AP News
Harris to visit abortion clinic
Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a rally in Denver on Tuesday. Photo: Jason Connolly/AFP via Getty Images
“Vice President Harris will visit an abortion clinic in Minnesota's Twin Cities area today — a dramatic and symbolic move to emphasize the Biden administration's commitment to reproductive rights, Axios' Hans Nichols writes.
Why it matters: Harris will become the first president or vice president to tour an abortion clinic while in office, according to the White House.
Between the lines: Her visit is another indication that the Biden-Harris campaign considers reproductive rights to be one of the most potent and salient issues favoring Democrats in the 2024 election.
It's also a sign of the key role Harris is taking in trying to generate enthusiasm for the Democratic ticket among Black, Hispanic and young voters.” [Axios]
Rats are high on marijuana evidence at an infested police building, New Orleans chief says
“The New Orleans police chief says conditions at the department's aging headquarters are so deplorable that rats have munched on marijuana contraband in the evidence locker.” Read More at AP News
The Push to Aid Gaza
Trucks carrying humanitarian aid enter the Gaza Strip via the Rafah crossing with Egypt on the third day of a truce between Israel and Hamas on November 26, 2023. Mohammed Abed/AFP via Getty Images
“As global outrage grows over the dire humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, aid agencies are racing to access different land and maritime routes that will allow much-needed aid to reach the besieged territory.
An estimated 576,000 Gazans—or a quarter of Gaza’s entire population—are on the verge of famine as aid agencies struggle to deliver food and medical supplies to the region, according to the United Nations. Humanitarian officials have criticized Israel for restricting the flow of aid into Gaza, which Israeli officials deny doing.
Facing mounting international pressure, Israel on Tuesday allowed six aid trucks from the U.N. World Food Program to transit a new land route via an Israeli military road to supply food to 25,000 people in Gaza City, marking the agency’s first successful aid shipment to northern Gaza in around three weeks. ‘We are hoping to scale up, we need access to be regular and consistent especially with people in northern Gaza on the brink of famine,’ Shaza Moghraby, the WFP spokesperson, told Reuters. ‘We need entry points directly to the north.’
That delivery comes as a ship carrying 200 tons of food departed for Gaza on Tuesday, in the first major test of a new maritime corridor that could help bring some temporary humanitarian relief to war-weary Gazans. It also comes as the U.S. military and Jordanian forces have carried out three separate airdrops of humanitarian aid into the territory in recent weeks, some of which reportedly killed civilians due to faulty deployments.
U.N. officials say that Israel’s inspection process is obstructing much-needed aid from reaching Gazans. According to Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Israel earlier this week rejected an aid truck because it carried children’s medical kits that included scissors, which Israel has deemed to be a prohibited ‘dual use’ item. Israeli officials have accused him of lying and said they were not informed that had happened. UNRWA is the primary U.N. agency that provides aid to Palestinians in Gaza; however, the United States and more than a dozen other countries suspended funding to the organization in January after Israel accused 12 of its over 13,000 employees of participating in the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
On Tuesday, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell accused Israel of using starvation as a ‘war arm.’ The humanitarian crisis is ‘manmade and when we look for alternative ways of providing support by sea, by air, we have to remind [ourselves] that we have to do it because the natural way of providing support through roads is being…artificially closed,’ he said.
And even as more aid trickles in, world leaders and humanitarian organizations warn that the supply is insufficient given the scale of suffering in Gaza. ‘The truth is, aid flowing into Gaza is nowhere nearly enough now. It’s nowhere nearly enough. Innocent lives are on the line and children’s lives are on the line,’ U.S. President Joe Biden said this month. ‘We should be getting hundreds of trucks in, not just several.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Putin’s nuclear warnings. Russian President Vladimir Putin warned on Wednesday that Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if its ‘sovereignty and independence’ come under attack, echoing previous threats to wield the weapons against NATO countries that send troops to Ukraine. But the Russian leader also said that he didn’t think Washington and Moscow were ‘rushing head-on’ toward a nuclear war.
Putin’s warnings come as the Biden administration announced a $300 million military aid package to Ukraine on Tuesday while another $60 billion of support for Kyiv remains stuck in Congress. ‘Today’s announcement provides a short-term stop gap, but it is nowhere near enough to meet Ukraine’s battlefield needs,’ the administration said. ‘Without supplemental funding, DoD will remain hard-pressed to meet Ukraine’s capability requirements at a time when Russia is pressing its attacks against Ukrainian forces and cities.’” [Foreign Policy]
“Dutch election winner Geert Wilders has dropped his bid to become prime minister, after months of coalition talks following the far-right politician’s shock win in November. On the cusp of becoming the Netherlands’ next leader, Wilders has instead been forced to step aside by his prospective coalition partners, in a compromise to advance talks to form a cabinet.” [Bloomberg]
“TikTok crackdown. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would ban the social media app TikTok in the United States if the platform is not sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. The bill, which passed with a vote of 352-65, is the latest reflection of how national security concerns related to technology have become a flashpoint in U.S.-China relations.
Having advanced from the House, the bill will now head to the Senate. And TikTok may face a difficult path forward, FP’s James Palmer wrote in this week’s China Brief newsletter. ‘Speaking with U.S. China policy staffers in the last week, the consensus was that TikTok was doomed in the United States,’ he wrote.” [Foreign Policy]
“South Korea’s striking doctors. South Korea has moved to penalize thousands of striking doctors by beginning proceedings to suspend their medical licenses, the latest development in a weeks-long struggle that has thrown South Korea’s medical system into turmoil.
Across South Korea, some 12,000 doctors have been striking over government plans to admit 2,000 more students to medical school beginning in 2025, which Seoul says would help resolve staffing shortages. The striking doctors argue that the proposal would not help the issue—which they say is limited to specific specialties—and that the government must address poor pay and working conditions.” [Foreign Policy]
Denmark wants to conscript more people for military service — including women, for the first time
“Denmark wants to increase the number of young people doing military service by extending conscription to women and increasing the time of service from 4 months to 11 months for both genders.” Read More at AP News
Dollar Tree to close nearly 1,000 stores, posts surprise fourth quarter loss
“Dollar Tree swung to a surprise fourth-quarter loss and will close nearly 1,000 stores after the discount retailer slashed the value of a rival chain it acquired almost a decade ago.” Read More at AP News
Trader Joe’s $3 mini totes went viral on TikTok. Now, they’re reselling for hundreds
“Trader Joe’s mini canvas tote is the latest item to cause a stir on social media, so much so that resellers are taking advantage of the hype.” Read More at AP News
Flamin' Hot Cheetos under fire
Flamin' Hot Cheetos with cheese and pickles at the Houston Rodeo. Photo: Ana Khan/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
“The California legislature is considering a bill that would keep several popular snacks — including Flamin' Hot Cheetos, Doritos and M&Ms — out of public schools, the L.A. Times reports.
The bill targets several artificial food dyes, including the one that makes Flamin' Hot Cheetos red.
Some schools have already banned Flamin' Hot Cheetos, largely because they contain loads of salt and fat.” [Axios]
Blood tests could become a new option to screen for colon cancer
“A new blood test, examined in a study published Wednesday, is already for sale in the U.S. for $895, but it has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration and most insurers do not cover it. The maker of the test, Guardant Health, anticipates an FDA decision this year. Read more.
Why this matters:
The test looks for DNA fragments shed by tumor cells and precancerous growths and, in the study, caught 83% of such cancers. But it did not spot many of the precancerous growths that would be found by a colonoscopy, the gold standard for colon cancer screening.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and the third worldwide. ‘The best test is the one someone will actually complete,’ said Dr. Douglas Corley, chief research officer for Kaiser Permanente, who was not involved in the study.” [AP News]
“Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was set to launch a show on X, with an interview with Elon Musk on the premiere episode. But Lemon says Musk canceled the partnership because he didn't like the interview. Lemon says he still wants to be paid — and will sue if he has to. But Axios' Dan Primack confirmed that X didn't have a signed contract with Lemon.” Go deeper. [Axios]
Texas man who used an iron long for decades after contracting polio as a child dies at 78
“Paul Alexander, who spent most of his 78 years using an iron lung chamber, built a large following on social media recounting his life from contracting polio in the 1940s to earning a law degree. He died Monday at a Dallas hospital, said Daniel Spinks, a longtime friend.” Read More at AP News