Thursday, October 19, 2023

10/19 WAKE-UP CALL: Biden To Address The Nation


President Biden will address the nation from the Oval Office on Thursday, delivering remarks on Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists and the situation in Ukraine, the White House announced Wednesday. The 8 p.m. speech will mark only the second time during his presidency that Biden, 80, will speak to the country from behind the Resolute Desk at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the speech will “discuss our response to Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel and Russia’s ongoing brutal war against Ukraine.” Biden’s first prime-time Oval Office address was back in June, during which the president celebrated the passage of legislation raising the federal debt ceiling until January 2025 — telling Americans the country had narrowly avoided “economic collapse.”


ISRAEL NOT TO BLAME: The U.S. government and independent security experts cast doubt on Palestinian claims that Israel was behind a deadly explosion at a Gaza hospital. Preliminary evidence pointed to local militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad, they said. Independent analysts said that the blast site doesn’t bear the hallmarks of a strike with the types of bombs or missiles Israel usually uses and that the amount of damage appears inconsistent with the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry’s assertion that 471 people were killed. The U.S. has collected “high confidence” signals intelligence indicating that the explosion was caused by PIJ, U.S. officials said, backing up Israel’s contention that it wasn’t responsible for the blast. The militant group denied responsibility. The explosion set off protests across much of the Middle East and the broader Muslim world, with some calling for death to Israel. President Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a less-than-eight–hour visit to the country.

The explosion at a Gaza hospital Tuesday night set off a wave of protests across much of the Middle East and the broader Muslim world, some of them calling for death to Israel.


The president's support pledges: Biden said he would ask Congress later this week to approve an "unprecedented support package" to help shore up Israel's defense. He also pledged $100 million for humanitarian assistance for Gaza and the West Bank. The money could provide a critical lifeline to the more than 1 million displaced Palestinians in the besieged territory where water, food, fuel and medicine are in desperate need.

➤19 JOURNALISTS KILLED: At least 19 journalists from multiple countries have been killed since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out on Oct. 7, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The press freedom group said that eight journalists have been reported injured from the fighting and three journalists have been reported missing or detained. The journalists who are confirmed dead include 13 Palestinians, three Israelis, and one Lebanese, CPJ said.  “The Israel-Gaza conflict has taken a severe toll on journalists since Hamas launched its unprecedented attack against Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on the militant Palestinian group, launching strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip,” the press freedom group said. 

➤BBC TAKES SEVERAL REPORTERS OFF AIR: The BBC has removed several Middle East reporters from the air amid allegations that they posted support for Hamas in its terrorist attacks on Israel. BBC News Arabic reporters — including those reporting out of Egypt and Lebanon — appeared to back Palestinians or criticize the Jewish state in posts they either tweeted or liked, the Financial Times reported. One of the reporters liked a message that appeared to describe Hamas terrorists as “freedom fighters,” the outlet reported. “We are urgently investigating this matter,” said a rep for the BBC, which is already under fire for refusing to refer to Hamas as terrorists. “We take allegations of breaches of our editorial and social media guidelines with the utmost seriousness, and if and when we find breaches we will act, including taking disciplinary action.”

➤JORDAN COMES UP SHORT..AGAIN: Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio fell short of the votes to become House speaker in a second ballot. His tally was 199; the Donald Trump ally and favorite of the GOP’s populist wing lost 22 Republican votes, two more than in the first ballot yesterday. The 212 Democrats voted for House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York. The winner needs support from a majority of the House, or 217 votes. Because the chamber doesn’t work without a speaker, lawmakers are weighing other options such as giving Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry of North Carolina more powers. On Congress' to-do list: Additional aid to Israel and Ukraine and a plan to avoid a shutdown when the federal government’s current funding runs out next month.


➤MICHIGAN REP JOINS THE SPEAKER BATTLE: A Republican congressman from Michigan is prepared to "step up" and serve as U.S. House speaker to help lead the party out of the chaos both it and the nation currently face, his spokesman said Wednesday. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Mich., has been approached by colleagues and had conversations about making a bid for speaker, and would be willing to serve in that role to finish out the current congressional term, but not beyond that.

➤PRIME SUSPECT CONFESSES TO KILLING NATALEE HOLLOWAY:  Joran van der Sloot, the prime suspect in the unsolved disappearance of Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway, has confessed to killing her and disposing of her remains before attempting to extort the girl's grieving family. The initial revelation came via U.S. Judge Anna Manasco on Wednesday during a sentencing hearing where van der Sloot, 36, agreed to plead guilty to charges accusing him of extortion and wire fraud charges. In 2010, federal prosecutors accused van der Sloot of hatching a plot to sell information about the whereabouts of Holloway’s remains to her grieving family in exchange for $250,000. The Dutch national was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and as a condition of a plea deal, van der Sloot agreed to reveal how Holloway died and how her body was disposed of.

➤EARTHQUAKE SHAKES SACRAMENTO AREA: A 4.2-magnitude earthquake hit near Isleton, California, yesterday, reverberating through neighboring Sacramento and into the San Francisco Bay region. No major injuries or damage was reported.
  • Ironically, today (Thursday) is the day of the annual Great California Shakeout, during which Californians are asked to participate in a statewide earthquake preparedness drill.


➤EV SLOWDOWN:  Tesla on Wednesday joined General Motors and Ford in being cautious about expanding electric vehicle production capacity, citing economic uncertainties and underscoring fears of a slowdown in demand. Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he was worried that higher borrowing costs would prevent potential customers from affording its vehicles despite substantial price cuts, and that he would wait for clarity on the economy before ramping up its planned factory in Mexico.

"People hesitate to buy a new car if there's uncertainty in the economy," Musk said on a post-earnings call where he also talked about "paycheck-to-paycheck" pressures on American workers. "I don't want to be going into top speed into uncertainty." Musk's comments, which sent Tesla shares down more than 4% in after-market trading, come after warning bells from other automakers and EV startups. GM said on Tuesday it would delay production by a year of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra electric pickup trucks at a plant in Michigan, citing flattening demand for EVs.

➤U-S ELECTRIC GRID GETS AN UPGRADE: The White House has announced a $3.46 billion expenditure to upgrade the nation’s aging electrical system. About 58 projects in 44 states will be funded, according to Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The goal is to modernize the grid to withstand natural disasters and extreme weather.

⚾MLB ASTROS 8 RANGERS 5: The Houston Astros felt they were in a must-win scenario Wednesday night, and they had the right man on the mound to deal with it. Right-hander Cristian Javier went 5 2/3 innings in his latest strong postseason outing as Houston posted an 8-5 victory in Arlington, Texas, to cut its deficit to 2-1 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series. Javier (2-0) gave up two runs, three hits and one walk while striking out three in the Game 3 triumph. He recorded 14 outs before allowing his first hit. Josh Jung hit a pair of two-run homers for the Rangers, who lost for the first time in eight games this postseason.  


Game 4 is Thursday night in Arlington.


🏈BROWNS’ WATSON COULD MISS WEEK 7: Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson could miss a third game due to a shoulder injury. He was ruled out of practice yesterday for medical reasons. If Watson can’t make it this Sunday, P.J. Walker will be quarterback for the game against the Indianapolis Colts.

🏈HARDMAN RETURNING TO KANSAS CITY: New York Jets wide receiver Mecole Hardman Junior is returning to the Kansas City Chiefs, according to ESPN. Hardman was the Chiefs’ second-round draft pick in 2019 and played for four years before being signed by the Jets in the offseason.

🏈COLTS ROOKIE RICHARDSON OUT FOR SEASON: Anthony Richardson, rookie quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, needs shoulder surgery and is expected to miss the rest of the season, the team announced. The number 4 overall draft pick for 2023, Richardson was injured during the Week 5 game against the Tennessee Titans.

➤SETBACK FOR RETTON: Mary Lou Retton’s battle against a rare form of pneumonia took a “scary setback,” the gymnastic icon’s family revealed in an Instagram post late Wednesday night.  Retton’s daughter, Shayla Kelly Schrepfer, said in a video posted to Instagram that things seemed like they were headed in a positive direction over the weekend, but things turned on Tuesday. “We were so excited, seeing so much progress and then yesterday, we had a pretty scary setback,” Schrepfer said. “She is still in ICU, and we’re just working through some things as far as her setback goes.”  Schrepfer did not say what exactly happened to cause the setback but did say that Retton had a “better day” on Wednesday and that she was “just really, really exhausted.” 

Retton’s family first went public when her daughter McKenna Kelley set up a Spotfund page to help raise money to cover her mother’s medical expenses. The goal was originally to raise $50,000, and the family has cleared that bar by a lot. As of Wednesday night, the account raised more than $450,000. 

✞'ROCKY' ACTOR DIES: Burt Young, the actor best known for his Oscar-nominated performance as Sylvester Stallone’s sidekick in “Rocky,” has reportedly died. He was 83. His death was confirmed Wednesday by his daughter, Anne Morea Steingieser, according to The New York Times. Young’s breakout role as Paulie Pennino in “Rocky” — playing the titular boxer’s best friend and brother of his love interest — came as one of the movie’s more veteran actors at the time.




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