Monday, April 8, 2024

4/8 WAKE-UP CALL: U-S Interest Is Sky High


Monday marks one of the largest natural wonders of the year – a total eclipse of the sun that will cover much of the United States. The full total solar eclipse experience will plunge a strip of the country into darkness midday on Monday, but people outside the path of totality can still use eclipse glasses to see the moon pass in front of the sun – if it's not blocked by clouds. While the country gazes at the sky, many scientists will be directing their eyes on animals, like flamingos, which are known to show bizarre behavior during totality. Or they'll be looking at plants, noting weather patterns, or listening to the eerie, sudden silence known to accompany an eclipse.

➤ISRAELI WITHDRAWS SOME TROOP FROM GAZA:  The Israeli military said Sunday it has withdrawn most ground troops from the Gaza Strip after completing a withering offensive in the southern city of Khan Younis, leaving just one brigade in the battered enclave six months after the war began. The military has been reducing numbers in Gaza since the start of the year under growing global pressure to ease the impact of the war on civilians. The drawdown also has provided relief for reservists, many of whom have been away from their homes and jobs since Israel's offensive was launched within hours of the Oct. 7, Hamas-led assault on Israel.

➤ISRAELI-HAMAS WAR REACHES SIX MONTHS:  Six months after a bloody attack that might have brought it the world’s sympathy, Israel is closer to being a global pariah than ever before. Its Saudi peace deal is on hold. The Palestinian question is again roiling its Arab neighbors. It is in open argument with its main ally, the U.S. And its physical living space has been shrunk by dangers on its northern and southern borders. The resulting isolation could be more of a threat to its future than the attack by Hamas. With the war in Gaza now entering its seventh month, Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns is in Egypt to try to break a monthslong impasse in the Israel-Hamas cease-fire talks, which are expected to resume in Cairo.

NY Post 4/8/24
Six months from Hamas' attack, the deadliest single assault against Jews since the Holocaust, there isn’t much celebrating going on in Israel. On Oct. 7, about 1,200 people were killed and 240 more were dragged to the Gaza Strip as hostages. More than 100 have been released and about 100 are believed to be still alive in captivity. And while global outrage grows about the catastrophic destruction in Gaza from Israel's military campaign to destroy Hamas, and the more than 30,000 Palestinians killed, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, Israelis remain traumatized, worrying that the world has forgotten about the hostages.

➤BIDEN MAY NOT BE ON OHIO BALLOT: The Ohio Secretary of State is warning that President Joe Biden won't make it on the general election ballot in Ohio unless a state law is changed or the Democratic National Convention meets earlier. The Secretary of State's office sent a letter April 5 to Ohio Democratic Party Chairwoman Liz Walters that alerted her to the issue. The Democratic National Convention meets August 19 to nominate its candidate for president but Ohio law sets a deadline of August 7 to certify presidential candidates for the November ballot.


➤FRACKING WEIGHS ON BIDEN WIN IN PA: Pennsylvania’s fracking boom is weighing on Biden's re-election chances. In Pennsylvania, the largest 2024 swing state, President Biden’s victory four years ago depended in large part on big gains among Pittsburgh's heavily Democratic professional class. But those gains have been overtaken by opposition from energy-economy voters, who see Biden as hostile to fracking. The sector has drawn billions of dollars in new investment in Pennsylvania and given a boost to blue-collar workers in rural counties. Meanwhile, in Washington, embattled House Speaker Mike Johnson has pledged to bring up Ukraine aid for a vote in the House soon after Congress returns from Easter recess in the coming days. But what the bill will look like—and who will support it—remains unsettled amid fractures over both aid for Kyiv and related assistance for Israel.

➤REPORT...TRUMP WOULD URGE UKRAINE TO GIVE-UP TERRITORY: Former president Donald Trump has privately said he could end Russia’s war in Ukraine by pressuring Ukraine to give up some territory, according to people familiar with the plan. Some foreign policy experts said Trump’s idea would reward Russian President Vladimir Putin and condone the violation of internationally recognized borders by force. The Washington Post reports Trump’s proposal consists of pushing Ukraine to cede Crimea and the Donbas border region to Russia, according to people who discussed it with Trump or his advisers and spoke on the condition of anonymity because those conversations were confidential. That approach, which has not been previously reported, would dramatically reverse President Biden’s policy, which has emphasized curtailing Russian aggression and providing military aid to Ukraine.

As he seeks a return to power, the presumptive Republican nominee has frequently boasted that he could negotiate a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine within 24 hours if elected, even before taking office. But he has repeatedly declined to specify publicly how he would quickly settle a war that has raged for more than two years and killed tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians.

➤NYC SETTLES CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT:  NYC agreed Friday to pay $17.5 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that alleged police officers forced two women to remove hijabs while mugshot photos were being taken, lawyers for the women said Friday. The case, filed in 2018, stemmed from the arrests of Muslim American women Jamilla Clark and Arwa Aziz. In court records, they alleged New York City Police officers threatened them to remove their headscarves, and the two felt ashamed after being forced to do so. “When they forced me to take off my hijab, I felt as if I were naked,” Clark said in a statement released by her lawyers and advocates. “I’m not sure if words can capture how exposed and violated I felt.” The settlement announced Friday still requires approval by U.S. District Judge Analisa Torres in federal court in New York. 

➤CALL MADE FOR INDY INVESTIGATION:  Celebrity chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen demanded an independent investigation into the Israeli drone strike that killed seven of its staffers – including an American – in Gaza this week, saying Israeli troops cannot be trusted to credibly review their own "failure." The aid group’s call for an outside inquiry came after the Israeli Defense Force announced Friday it had fired two officers and reprimanded other personnel after a preliminary probe found the shocking April 1 massacre was “a grave mistake.”  The deaths brought worldwide condemnation of Israel’s conduct in its six-month-old war with Hamas and pushed President Joe Biden on Thursday to issue an ultimatum to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: Protect civilians and humanitarians, and allow direly needed aid into Gaza – or face a loss of U.S. military support. 

➤SCARY FLIGHT: A Southwest Airlines flight bound for Houston immediately returned to Denver Sunday morning after a removable sheet of metal covering one of the Boeing 737-800’s engines sheared off during takeoff. In a statement, the Federal Aviation Administration said the engine cowling detached and struck one of the plane’s wing flaps. Reached by email, a Southwest spokesperson said the incident was the result of a “mechanical issue.”

➤WINNING POWERBALL TICKETS FROM OREGON: A Powerball jackpot-winning ticket worth $1.33 billion was sold in Oregon after Saturday night’s drawing was pushed back more than three hours due to “pre-draw procedures.” The winning numbers were 22, 27, 44, 52, 69 and the red Powerball 9. The lucky winning ticket holder can choose between the $1.33 billion prize paid over 29 years or the one-time lump sum of $621.1 million. The win was the fourth largest in the game’s history and only the sixth lucky player from the Beaver State to go home with Powerball’s grand prize, the last time occurring in June 2018, according to the state’s lottery website.

🏀PERFECT ENDING FOR SOUTH CAROLINA: South Carolina avenged its only loss of last season, beating Iowa 87-75 Sunday afternoon for the Gamecocks’ third national championship under Dawn Staley and topping a perfect 2023-24 season. This one is extra sweet for Staley & Co. because a year ago, the Hawkeyes stunned top-seeded South Carolina in the semifinals, dealing the previously undefeated Gamecocks their only loss of the season.  USC players had been asked all weekend if they wanted another shot at Iowa, and they didn’t shy away from saying yes.  South Carolina’s win also ends the brilliant college career of Caitlin Clark on a low note. The all-time leading scorer in the history of Division I basketball took her team to two Final Fours, a tremendous feat, but came up short in the national championship game each time.

🏀MEN'S FINALE: Tonight's national championship game which will conclude the the 2024 NCAA Tournament has been finalized after No. 1 seed Purdue knocked off No. 11 NC State in wire-to-wire fashion and No. 1 overall seed UConn eliminated No. 4 seed Alabama in the Final Four games on Saturday. The reigning champion Huskies have opened as a 6-point favorite in the game which will take place Monday night at 9:20 p.m. ET on TBS.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Yankees 8 Blue Jays 3
  • Nationals 3 Phillies 2
  • Rays 3 Rockies 2
  • Astros 3 Rangeera 1
  • Red Sox 12 Angels 2
  • Giants 3 Padres 2
  • Cubs 8 Dodgers 1
  • Marlins 10 Cardinals 3
  • Royals 5 White Sox 3
  • Brewers 12 Mariners 4
  • Athletics 7 Tigers 1
  • Mets 3 Reds 1
  • Brewers 5 D-Backs 2
  • Pirates 3 Orioles 2
  • Guardians-Twins PP


➤MONDAY'S WEATHER MAP:



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