Tuesday, October 24, 2023

10/24 WAKE-UP CALL: Iran Getting Trigger Happy

(NY Post 10/24)

The White House on Monday said Iran was in some cases "actively facilitating" rocket and drone attacks by Iranian-backed proxy groups on U.S. military bases in Iraq and Syria, and President Biden has directed the Department of Defense to brace for more and respond appropriately. White House spokesman John Kirby said there had been an uptick in such attacks over the last week, and especially over the last few days, but the U.S. would not allow its interests in the region to "go unchallenged."

Israel pounded hundreds of targets in Gaza from the air on Monday as its soldiers fought Hamas militants during raids into the besieged Palestinian strip where civilians are trapped in harrowing conditions. Hamas freed two more civilian hostages, but negotiations stumbled over a possible release of a group of 50 captives. 

At issue is the militant group’s demand that Israel allow fuel deliveries into Gaza, according to officials familiar with the talks. Hamas, which the U.S. has designated a terrorist organization, said it was releasing the two hostages on humanitarian grounds. Hamas, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel have been negotiating the release of more captives in return for a steady flow of humanitarian aid, including fuel. Israeli officials have said they want all hostages freed before permitting fuel deliveries, which they think Hamas and other militant groups could divert for military purposes. 

Hamas killed more than 1,400 people in its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel. Israel’s military said that 222 people abducted that day by Palestinian militants remain hostages in Gaza. Israel’s airstrikes on the enclave in response to the attack have killed more than 5,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza—a number that couldn’t be independently verified. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are refusing orders to evacuate the northern Gaza Strip, fearing a repeat of 75 years ago during the Arab-Israeli war when their families were expelled or fled from land that became Israel.

➤ISRAELI MILITARY URGES ACTION: Israel's Prime Minister clashed with leading figures in the country's defense forces over his decision to delay the incursion, which his military chiefs are said to be eager to start, the Telegraph reports. Meanwhile the European Union has pushed for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and terror group Hamas in order to deliver more humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians in the besieged Gaza Strip. Josep Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, said he backed a call by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a 'humanitarian pause', and added that it would give leaders more time to negotiate the release of the more than 200 hostages held captive by Hamas. 

➤MARINE SPECIAL OPS GENERAL TO MID-EAST: Lt. Gen. James Glynn, who previously headed the Marines' special operations and was involved in the operations against ISIS in Iraq, has been sent to Israel to advise Israelis about a Gaza invasion. Biden officials are reportedly concerned that there is not yet a workable plan for the invasion, and are deeply concerned about civilian casualties. Biden himself, visiting Tel Aviv on Wednesday, warned the Israelis in a speech to learn from U.S. mistakes after 9/11 - seen as a reference to the quagmire that ensued in Iraq and Afghanistan. He told a crowd in Tel Aviv that Israel would need 'clarity about the objectives and an honest assessment about whether the path you're on will achieve those objectives.'

➤CHINA GETTING COZY: China is launching an American charm offensive that appears designed to prepare the way for what would be Xi Jinping’s first U.S. trip in six-and-a-half years. Beijing hasn’t said yet whether the Chinese leader will accept President Biden’s invitation to visit next month, but Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is expected to travel this week to Washington for summit-preparation meetings with Secretary of State Antony Blinke. Also this week, a delegation of Chinese business, cultural and sports figures, such as basketball star Yao Ming, is due in New York for public engagements. That will follow an uptick in academic exchanges and efforts last month to drum up investment in China during the U.N. General Assembly. The State Department declined to comment. China’s embassy in Washington said it couldn’t comment on agendas, but said the Chinese and U.S. leaders agreed on the importance of people-to-people exchanges.


'Detained'
➤RADIO REPORTER ACCUSED IN RUSSIA: A Russian-American journalist who stands accused of breaking Russia's law on foreign agents had her pre-trial detention extended on Monday until Dec. 5. Alsu Kurmasheva is a Prague-based journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), which is funded by the U.S. Congress and designated by Russia as a foreign agent, on the grounds that it gets foreign funding for activity deemed to be political. Kurmasheva, who holds U.S. and Russian passports, entered Russia on May 20 to deal with a family emergency, RFE/RL said. As she awaited her return flight from Kazan on June 2, she was detained and her passports were confiscated. She was fined for failing to register her U.S. passport with Russian authorities, and charged last week with failure to register as a foreign agent, an offence that carries up to five years in prison.

➤SPEAKERSHIP COULD BE DECIDED TODAY: House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s bid for speaker will test whether the strong ties he built recruiting candidates and counting votes will overcome doubts from anti-establishment pro-Trump lawmakers. The Minnesota congressman is the highest-ranking among the nine Republicans seeking the party’s nomination for the job. An internal vote could come as soon as Tuesday. Whoever gets the nod will have to earn the backing of almost all GOP members to win the required House majority. Republicans control the chamber, but barely—221-212.

➤7 DEAD IN SUPER FOG CHAIN-REACTION CRASHES: At least seven people were killed and 25 others injured when vehicles were crushed, rammed under one another and some engulfed by flames in the horror crash on I-55 in Louisiana. Motorists initially stood on the side of the road or on the roof of their vehicle looking in disbelief at the disaster, while others cried out for help. Police said they were still looking for survivors after a 'super fog' blanketed the road and caused the huge pile up. Firefighters were seen trudging through the debris with piles of mangled cars heaped on top of one another.  While 25 people were transported to the hospital, with injuries ranging from minor to critical, many others sought medical aid on their own, authorities said.

Emerson
➤PILOT HAS IN-FLIGHT MELTDOWN: An off-duty pilot has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder — after he allegedly tried to crash a San Francisco-bound Alaska Airlines flight by shutting off the engines. The pilot, identified by police as Joseph David Emerson, 44, was sitting in the cockpit’s jump seat — located behind the captain and the first officer — when he tried to activate the jet’s fire suppression system midflight, the airline said in a statement. If he was successful, he would have cut off the flow of fuel to the engines. 

“When pulled, a valve in the wing closes to shut off fuel to the engine. After they are pulled, some residual fuel remains in the line, and the quick reaction of our crew to reset the handles restored fuel flow and prevented fuel starvation,” an Alaska Airlines spokesperson explained. The flight’s captain and first officer managed to subdue the suspect Emerson, who was off-duty but authorized to sit in the cockpit as an employee of the airline.

➤SEN. BOB MENENDEZ PLEADS NOT GUILTY TO FOREIGN AGENT CHARGE: Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., on Monday pleaded not guilty to a new charge alleging he accepted bribes from the Egyptian government and conspired to act as a foreign agent while serving as a member of Congress. In a statement following his arraignment, Menendez continued to deny any wrongdoing, saying, "Anyone who knows my record, knows this latest charge is as outrageous as it is absurd."

➤BLUE STATE SUSPENDS BASIC SKILLS GRADUATION REQUIREMENT AGAIN, CITING HARM TO STUDENTS OF COLOR: High schoolers in Oregon won't need to demonstrate basic competency in reading, writing or math in order to graduate for at least five more years because, according to education officials, such requirements are unnecessary and disproportionately harm students of color. The essential skills requirement has been on pause since the coronavirus pandemic, and last week the Oregon State Board of Education voted unanimously to continue suspending the graduation requirement through the 2027-2028 school year.

➤STUDENT DIES AFTER DRINKING CAFFEINE CHARGED DRINK: An Ivy League student with a heart condition died after drinking Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade — which has more caffeine than three cans of Red Bull, according to a lawsuit filed by her grieving family. Sarah Katz was a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student last year when she suffered cardiac arrest hours after purchasing the lemony beverage, according to court documents filed in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas on Monday. Katz, who had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 — a heart-signaling disorder where heartbeats can be fast and chaotic — avoided energy drinks per her doctor’s recommendation, the wrongful death lawsuit, first obtained by NBC News, said. Her college roommate, Victoria Rose Conroy, also told NBC that Katz “was very, very vigilant about what she needed to do to keep herself safe.”

➤ROCK COLLECTED BY APOLLO 17 ASTRONAUTS REVEALS MOON'S TRUE AGE: Lunar dust collected by Apollo 17 astronauts in the 1970s has revealed that the moon is 40 million years older than previously believed. After landing on the moon on December 11, 1972, NASA astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt collected rocks and dust from the lunar surface. A new analysis of that sample detected zircon crystals and dated them to 4.46 billion years old. Previous estimates put the moon, formed by a massive celestial collision, at 4.425 billion years old.

⚾MLB RANGERS 11 ASTROS 4: Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia was at the center of a bench-clearing incident in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, an ugly moment that seemed to sully a hotly contested matchup between in-state rivals. Garcia erased the memory of his role in that brouhaha by homering twice in Game 7 to pace an unrelenting, 15-hit barrage, propelling the Rangers to an 11-4 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday and securing for Texas the AL pennant and a third World Series berth. 


The Rangers claimed the best-of-seven series 4-3 and advanced to the World Series for the first time since 2011. Game 1 of the Fall Classic will be played Friday in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers will host the winner of Game 7 of the National League Championship Series, set to be played Tuesday by the host Philadelphia Phillies and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

⚾MLB D-BACKS 5 PHILLIES 1: The Diamondbacks will look to continue their unlikely October run and the Phillies will look to return to the World Series when Arizona visits Philadelphia for Game 7 of the NLCS. Rookie right-hander Brandon Pfaadt (0-0, 2.13 ERA this postseason) is slated to start for the Diamondbacks against left-hander Ranger Suarez (1-0, 0.64). The Diamondbacks forced the winner-take-all finale Monday night, when Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit back-to-back homers to open the second inning and Kelly gave up one run over five frames in a 5-1 victory.


🏈MNF VIKINGS 22 49ERS 17: Jordan Addison caught seven passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and the Minnesota Vikings held on for a 22-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday night in Minneapolis. Kirk Cousins completed 35 of 45 passes for 378 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for Minnesota (3-4). T.J. Hockenson had a game-high 11 catches for 86 yards. Christian McCaffrey scored once on the ground and once through the air for San Francisco (5-2), which lost its second straight game. Brock Purdy completed 21 of 30 passes for 272 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

🏈CHIEFS W-R ARRESTED: Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross was arrested in Shawnee, Kansas on Monday for alleged criminal damage. Ross, 23, was taken into custody shortly before 3pm and later booked into Johnson County jail at 4.27pm Monday afternoon. The NFL player is is facing a felony charge of criminal damage of more than $25,000. It is currently unclear what the damage directly stems from, with few details provided in the Johnson County Sheriff's Office's booking report. 

🏈NFL SUSPENDS BRONCOS' KAREEM JACKSON 4 GAMES FOR ILLEGAL HITS: The NFL has suspended Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson for four games for repeated violations of unnecessary roughness rules. Jackson is appealing his suspension, Jackson would forfeit $558,889 in salary if the four-game suspension stands after appeal. Jackson was ejected from Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers for his sideline hit on Packers tight end Luke Musgrave in the fourth quarter. It was the second time this season that Jackson was ejected for an illegal hit.

⛄OCTOBER SNOW! The nation's first significant snowstorm of the season is forecast to hit lightly populated portions of the northern U.S. this week. Forecasters said the storm will first impact parts of the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies before shifting into the northern Plains over the next few days. The storm will affect more than a half-dozen states and could lead to significant travel disruptions, AccuWeather said. The National Weather Service said that up to a 2 feet of snow is possible in some areas. "Time should be taken early this week to prepare by unpacking winter gear like shovels, coats, hats and gloves," AccuWeather meteorologist Joseph Bauer advised. "It can be a good idea to start up snow removal equipment like snow blowers to ensure they function properly."



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