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Wednesday, November 15, 2023

11/15 WAKE-UP CALL: Israel Supporters Rally In D-C


Thousands of Israel supporters gathered Tuesday to stand behind the military campaign against Hamas, demand the immediate release of hostages held in Gaza and condemn an increase in antisemitic incidents across the nation and world. Meanwhile, the Israeli military reported early Wednesday local time that its troops went into Gaza City's Al Shifa Hospital in an operation targeting Hamas forces. The move came after the Biden administration today said for the first time that the U.S. has information Hamas is concealing military operations and hiding hostages under hospitals. "We call upon all Hamas terrorists present in the hospital to surrender," the Israeli Defense Forces said on X.


The organizers of the Washington rally, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, described the effort as "an opportunity for all Americans to come together in solidarity with the people of Israel to demonstrate our commitment to America’s most important ally" in the region. Demonstrators, many clad in the blue and white of the Israeli flag and carrying signs expressing support for the country, streamed onto the National Mall in Washington throughout the day.

➤TWH CONFIRMS HAMAS USING HOSPITAL: The White House confirmed Tuesday that Hamas terrorists are using Gaza's largest hospital, al-Shifa, and the tunnels beneath it as a base for military operations and to hold hostages. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby made the confirmation during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One, backing up what the Israeli military had been saying for weeks as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continue their ground operation in the Gaza strip. "I can confirm for you that we have information that Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad used some hospitals in the Gaza strip, including al-Shifa, and tunnels underneath them to conceal and support their military operations and to hold hostages," Kirby said.

➤BIDEN CHALLENGED OVER BACKING OF ISRAEL: More than 500 U.S. officials sent a letter Tuesday to President Joe Biden criticizing his policy in the Israel-Hamas war and calling for an immediate cease-fire, revealing a divide between Biden and many within his administration over his backing of Israel. The letter, reported Tuesday by the New York Times, reflects the opposition Biden faces from many progressives - even some who work for him - for his unflinching support for Israel as it ratchets up airstrikes in Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel. The signees, who span 40 government agencies and include political appointees and staffers, are remaining anonymous, the Times reported, citing concerns of losing their jobs and their personal safety.

➤GOVT. SHUTDOWN AVERTED: The House approved a temporary measure to fund the government and avert a catastrophic shutdown Tuesday, kicking the can down the road once again for Congress to pass a longer-term deal to keep the government’s doors open for Americans.  The stopgap bill led by newly installed House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., – referred to as a continuing resolution – passed the lower chamber by an overwhelmingly bipartisan vote of 336-95. Johnson and House Republican leaders have touted the continuing resolution as a conservative victory, but the bill, which was Johnson’s first major test of his speakership, didn’t sail through the House without heartache from its hard-right members, who were adamant that any funding plan include spending cuts or conservative policy priorities. 

➤SENATE HEARING GETS TESTY: Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin invited a Teamsters boss to throw down in a fit of anger over the union leader's mean tweets.  Mullin, a Republican former mixed martial arts fighter, challenged International Brotherhood of Teamsters President Sean O'Brien to fistfight in the middle of a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and rose from his seat before Sen. Bernie Sanders, the committee chairman, ordered him to sit down. Tension spiked in the committee room as Mullin veered from a defense of so-called “right to work” states like Oklahoma, which are inhospitable to labor unions, to reading aloud from tweets O'Brien had posted after the two clashed during a June hearing.

➤SANTOS' FUNDRAISER PLEADS GUILTY: George Santos' campaign fundraiser pleaded guilty Tuesday to charges of wire fraud, the latest staffer for New York's embattled Republican congressman facing criminal charges. USA TODAY and multiple other news outlets have reported that Miele previously identified himself as the chief of staff for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. A release from the Department of Justice confirming Sam Miele's plea does not name the staffer. Miele, who was indicted in August, is the second Santos campaign staffer to plead guilty to criminal charges. Former campaign treasurer Nancy Marks admitted to a series of charges last month, including conspiring with a congressional candidate to commit wire fraud. Santos himself is also facing a slate of charges, though he has maintained innocence, pleading not guilty to 13 felony charges in May, Miele's sentencing is set for April, 2024, the same month as Marks. He faces up to 20 years in prison.


➤8 TEENS ARRESTED IN FATAL BEATING OF LAS VEGAS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT: Eight teenagers were arrested Tuesday and booked on suspicion of murder in connection with the death of a 17-year-old who was fatally beaten near a Las Vegas high school this month, police said. The eight, who were not publicly identified because they are minors, were part of a group of at least 10 people who punched, kicked and stomped Jonathan Lewis after school on the afternoon of Nov. 1, Las Vegas police officials said. The suspects, who are ages 13 to 17, were booked on suspicion of murder, Undersheriff Andrew Walsh said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon. He said the police department was urging that qualified suspects be charged as adults.

The beating took place near Rancho High School. Family members told police that Lewis was brain-dead Nov. 7 at a hospital and that they made plans that day to donate his organs, homicide Lt. Jason Johansson said. The Clark County medical examiner's office concluded the cause of death was blunt force trauma, with the manner of death being homicide.


➤3 DEAD, 15 INJURED IN OHIO CRASH INVOLVING BUS CARRYING BAND STUDENTS: Three people are dead and at least 15 are injured after a fiery crash involving a bus carrying band students in Ohio, according to police. The deadly incident took place on Interstate 70, about 26 miles east of Columbus near the State Route 310 interchange in Licking County, where a semitruck is understood to have rear-ended the bus at around 8:50 a.m. It is unclear if any of the deceased victims are students, and the cause of the collision was not immediately known. There were 57 people traveling on the bus, an official said.



➤TEXAS APPROVES BILL ALLOWING POLICE TO ARREST PEOPLE WHO CROSS THE BORDER ILLEGALLY: The state House of Representatives approved immigration bills Tuesday that would appropriate more than $1.5 billion for additional border barriers and make illegally crossing the Texas-Mexico border a state crime. Senate Bill 3 would allocate $1.54 billion for border barriers and to pay for state troopers to patrol Colony Ridge, a housing development near Houston that far-right publications claim is a magnet for undocumented immigrants.

➤WALMART, COSTCO AND OTHER COMPANIES RETHINK SELF-CHECKOUT: The backlash against self-checkout is growing, and stores are starting to dial back on the technology after it exploded over the past few years. Booths, a British supermarket chain, said it’s removing self-checkout stations in all but two of its 28 stores. In the United States, Walmart, Costco, Wegmans and other chains have also revised their self-checkout strategies. Customers at Booths also frequently misidentified which fruits and vegetables they were buying when prompted by self-checkout machines. Alcohol purchases also were not smooth transactions through self-checkout because employees had to verify customers’ ages.

⚾SHOHEI OHTANI, 6 OTHERS REJECT QUALIFYING OFFERS, STAY FREE AGENTS: Shohei Ohtani was among seven players who turned down $20,325,000 qualifying offers from their former teams Tuesday and remained in free agency to pursue more lucrative contracts. In addition to Ohtani saying no to the Los Angeles Angels, others who declined offers were outfielder Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs); pitchers Josh Hader and Blake Snell (San Diego), Aaron Nola (Philadelphia) and Sonny Gray (Minnesota); and third baseman Matt Chapman (Toronto).

⚾MANAGERS OF THE YEAR UNVEILED: Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde and Miami Marlins manager Skip Schumaker won the American League and National League Manager of the Year awards, respectively, it was announced Tuesday.

🏈JETS CUT RB MICHAEL CARTER, PLAYERS CLEAR AIR IN MEETING: The New York Jets held a players-only meeting on Tuesday and, in a surprising move, waived running back Michael Carter. "The guys talked, and we had the floor," wide receiver Garrett Wilson said during his weekly spot on the "Bart & Hahn Show." "It was just us. We got to make sure we're all on the same page about where we're at and how the hell we get out of this funk, man" Wilson continued.


🏒MAN ARRESTED ON SUSPICION OF MANSLAUGHTER IN ADAM JOHNSON'S DEATH: A man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in the death of former NHL player Adam Johnson, the South Yorkshire (England) Police announced Tuesday. The arrest comes more than two weeks since police began investigating the incident that led to Johnson's death on Oct. 28. Johnson was playing for the Nottingham Panthers in the Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) when his throat was cut by a skate blade during a collision in a Champions Cup game in Sheffield, England, against the Sheffield Steelers. Johnson was 29.




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