Monday, February 26, 2024

2/26 WAKE-UP CALL: Israel Claims It's On Same Page As U-S

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is in sync with the U.S. about its plan to invade Rafah, the densely populated city in southern Gaza, but President Joe Biden had yet to see a viable plan for the imminent operation, a top White House official said Sunday. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the White House had not seen the Israeli plan to evacuate the more than 1 million people packed near the Egyptian border. "We’ve been clear that we do not believe that a major military operation should proceed in Rafah unless there’s a clear and executable plan to protect those civilians, to get them to safety and to feed, clothe and house them," Sullivan said during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “And we have not seen a plan like that.”

31,000 UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS DEAD: Russia is preparing a new offensive against Ukraine starting in late May or summer, but Kyiv has a clear battlefield plan of its own, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday. Speaking a day after the second anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskiy said it was vital for Kyiv and its Western allies to remain united and reiterated that Ukraine's victory depends on continued Western support.

"We will prepare for their assault. Their assault that began on Oct. 8 has not brought any results, I believe. We, for our part, will prepare our plan and follow it," Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv. Zelenskiy said that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since February 2022, giving the first official toll in more than a year. The Russian foreign ministry rejected the Ukraine figure as untrue.

➤BIDEN TO MEET WITH CONGRESSIONAL LEADERS OF UKRAINE AID: President Joe Biden will convene the top four congressional leaders at the White House on Tuesday to press lawmakers on passing an emergency aid package for Ukraine and Israel, as well as averting a looming government shutdown next month, according to a White House official. The top four leaders include House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. During the meeting, the president will discuss the “urgency” of passing the aid package, which has bipartisan support, as well as legislation to keep the federal government operating through the end of September, said the White House official, who was granted anonymity to discuss a meeting not yet publicly confirmed.

SUPREME COURT TO DEBATE FL, TEXAS SOCIAL MEDIA CASE:  A half-century after the Supreme Court said no government can dictate what newspapers may publish, the high court will consider whether Texas and Florida can tell social media giants how to operate. On Monday, the Supreme Court will debate the fate of laws passed by those states to limit the ability of social media giants such as Facebook, YouTube and X to moderate content. Republican lawmakers in Texas and Florida argue that social media companies have been too quick to throttle conservative viewpoints. The trade groups representing the nation's social media companies, as well as the Justice Department, say the Supreme Court should strike down the state laws because they are an infringement on the companies' First Amendment right to free speech, consistent with the court's 1974 ruling that Florida couldn’t require a newspaper to publish replies to editorials.

“Just as the government may not tell the Miami Herald which editorials to publish or MSNBC which interviews to broadcast, the government may not tell Facebook or YouTube which third-party speech to disseminate or how to disseminate it,” lawyers for the trade associations NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association wrote in a filing. But Florida and Texas say social media platforms are less like newspapers and more like telephone and telegraph operators who are transmitting content generated by customers, not creating it themselves.


➤MIGRANT EXPECTED TO BE DEPORTED OVER HOME DEPOT SCAM: A former Connecticut resident could face deportation after being sentenced on allegations of stealing nearly $300,000 worth of Home Depot merchandise. The Justice Department's District of Rhode Island office announced that Alexandre Henrique Costa-Mota, a 27-year-old Brazilian national, was sentenced to time served, three years of federal supervised release, and to pay $297,332 in restitution to Home Depot, on Tuesday. Costa-Mota pleaded guilty in November 2023 to charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. Costa-Mota will be turned over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement to face possible deportation, the Department of Justice said. 

Prosecutors said that on at least 60 occasions from at least June 2021 to February 2022, Costa-Mota stole merchandise from Home Depot and then returned them for store credit. According to the Department of Justice, Costa-Mota went to at least 40 different store locations across multiple states including stores in Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.

TRUMP HOLDS POWER WITH CORE: Donald Trump’s 20-point victory over Nikki Haley in South Carolina’s Republican primary not only shows the powerful hold that Trump commands over his party’s voters, but also the inability of any GOP leader to rally support against him as he moves to the brink of securing the presidential nomination. The primary results have shown resistance to the former president among voters he likely would need in November, particularly among professional-class, suburban voters. But Trump has now won the first five nominating contests in convincing fashion, a performance that has all but wiped out opposition within the GOP’s leadership ranks.

Trump defeated Haley in her home state, for which she served as governor for six years, just weeks after beating the chosen candidates of New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (who backed Haley) and Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (who picked Ron DeSantis) in nominating contests in their states. Those outcomes show that while the governors remain popular, they have little power to persuade GOP voters to resist the gravitational pull that Trump exerts on his party.

➤HALEY LOSES CRITICAL FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Americans for Prosperity, the organization backed by conservative billionaire Charles Koch, will stop its spending in support of Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign, officials with the group said Sunday. The organization — the Koch network’s flagship political group that set out last year to put its weight behind a Donald Trump opponent in 2024 — announced the change one day after the South Carolina GOP primary saw Trump defeat Haley in her home state. After her loss, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador said she still planned to continue her campaign. But AFP’s super PAC, Americans for Prosperity Action, said Sunday it would no longer put its spending power toward the presidential primary, and will instead focus on supporting Republicans in down-ballot races.

➤ACTIVE DUTY SOLDIER SETS HIMSELF ON FIRE: A man is in critical condition after setting himself on fire while wearing military fatigues midday Sunday outside the Israeli Embassy in D.C., authorities said. No one else was injured in the incident, which took place just before 1 p.m. in the 3500 block of International Drive NW. A video shared online that multiple officials said appeared to be posted by the man shows him referring to his service in the U.S. armed forces and shouting “Free Palestine” as he burned. A spokeswoman for the Air Force, Rose M. Riley, confirmed in an email that “an active duty airman was involved in today’s incident,” adding that she could not provide further details of the man’s service as of Sunday evening.

➤AT&T TO CREDIT AFFECTED CUSTOMERS: AT&T will credit customers a full day of service for the carrier’s more than 10-hour outage on Thursday that affected more than 70,000 users, saying it was the “right thing to do.” Service was restored late on Thursday on AT&T’s 5G network which covers around 290 million people across the United States. An initial review found the outage was caused by the application and execution of an incorrect process used while working to expand the network, the company said, ruling out a cyberattack.

➤MEASLES OUTBREAK FEARED IN FLORIDA: Two Florida children have contracted measles after the state's top health official defied federal guidance to contain an outbreak at an elementary school. Six children at Manatee Bay Elementary School, in Westin near Fort Lauderdale, caught the disease over a week ago. New state health data show two more cases in Broward County, of a child younger than 5 and another between ages 5 and 9. The newly reported infections bring the total to eight, just days after Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo contradicted federal and medical professional guidance to contain the spread of the highly contagious and preventable disease that's resurging globally and in the U.S. Florida is one of 11 states that have seen cases this year.

➤AMY SCHUMER IS DIAGNOSED WITH CUSHING SYNDROME Amy Schumer revealed in Jessica Yellin’s News Not Noise newsletter on Friday that she has been diagnosed with Cushing Syndrome, a condition caused by too much cortisol in the body. The Trainwreck actor shared that this syndrome is what is behind her “puffier” face as of late. She added that "having the internet chime in" on how she looks is actually "how I realized something was wrong."

While she was promoting the second season of her Hulu series Life & Beth, Schumer explained that she was also undergoing medical tests. The I Feel Pretty actor was “in MRI machines four hours at a time, having my veins shut down from the amount of blood drawn and thinking I may not be around to see my son grow up.”  Relieved by her diagnosis, she shared that “finding out I have the kind of Cushing that will just work itself out and I'm healthy was the greatest news imaginable. It has been a crazy couple weeks for me and my family.


🏀NBA SUSPENDS 5 PLAYERS FOR ROLES IN HEAT-PELICANS FIGHT: Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler and New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall have each been suspended for one game for their involvement in an on-court altercation. Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado and Heat center Thomas Bryant received three-game suspensions for leaving the bench during the altercation and engaging in the fight. Additionally, Miami forward Nikola Jovic was suspended one game for leaving the bench. The NBA announced the suspensions without pay on Sunday.
⚾SHOHEI OHTANI WILL MAKE LOS ANGELES DODGERS DEBUT TUESDAY: Shohei Ohtani is set to make his spring training debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday. Ohtani will be the designated hitter. This marks his first game appearance since undergoing reconstructive elbow surgery in September. While with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow in August, ending his pitching season. Despite an oblique strain in September, Ohtani will focus on hitting and not pitch during the 2024 season.

🏈FORMER NFL STAR RICHARD SHERMAN ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF DUI: Former NFL star Richard Sherman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, as reported by the Washington State Patrol. The arresting trooper noted signs of intoxication, such as the smell of alcohol and bloodshot, watery eyes. Emails seeking comment on Sherman's arrest were sent to his representative and an attorney who has represented him before. The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office mentioned that Sherman was anticipated to have a court hearing on Monday.

⚾SOURCES: CODY BELLINGER, CUBS AGREE ON 3-YEAR, $80M DEAL: Cody Bellinger and the Chicago Cubs have reached a three-year, $80 million contract agreement, marking the end of a protracted free agency period. The deal includes opt-outs for Bellinger after the first and second years. In the first year, he will receive a $30 million salary, $30 million in the second year (if he doesn't opt out), and $20 million in the third year (if he doesn't opt out). Bellinger, 28, returns to the Cubs after an impressive 2023 season with the team.

⚾JEN PAWOL BECOMES 1ST WOMAN TO UMP MLB SPRING GAME SINCE '07: After eight years in the minors, Jen Pawol achieved a milestone by umpiring a major league spring training game between the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals. This marks the first instance since 2007, with Ria Cortesio, that a woman has umpired a major league spring training game. Pawol, stationed at third base with a ponytail coming out of her cap, participated in the traditional pregame meeting with umpires and managers, receiving congratulations from Nationals manager Dave Martinez.

➤MONDAY'S WEATHER MAP:




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