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Monday, June 10, 2024

6/10 WAKE-UP CALL: Scores Dead As 4 Hostages Are Rescued


Details about Israel Defense Forces' complex military plan in Gaza that rescued four Israeli hostages were still emerging Saturday afternoon as world leaders and family members celebrated. An Israeli official acknowledged "under 100" Palestinian casualties during the operation, while Hamas officials reported twice as many deaths.

The four hostages, three men and one woman, were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from the Nova music festival in southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year. They were identified by Israel's Defense Forces as Noa Argamani, 26; Almog Meir Jan, 22; Andrey Kozlov, 27; and Shlomi Ziv, 41.

The military said they appeared to be in good health and were being taken to a hospital for further health checks. "They are back home in Israel. They are alive. They are well," Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson Daniel Hagari said in a briefing. The hostages were freed from two separate houses in the residential neighborhood of al-Nuseirat, in central Gaza. Hamas-run government media office said 210 Palestinians died from Israeli bombardment the region. Israel's military spokesperson said Israel's military came under fire during the rescue, and forces fired back "from the air and from the street."

As Israel celebrated the hostage rescue, the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was shaken by the resignation of War Cabinet minister Benny Gantz, adding instability to Netanyahu's already fragile ruling coalition. Abu Obaida, spokesman for the Hamas Al-Qassam Brigades military wing, called Saturday's raid a "complex war crime." He said three hostages were killed in the attack, including one holding a U.S. passport, a claim Israeli military spokesperson Peter Lerner said should be taken "with a pinch of salt."

➤RESCUE COMPLICATES BLINKEN'S TASK: Israel’s raid to free hostages leaves Blinken with a tall order. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is slated to sweep through the Middle East this week to invigorate efforts for a Gaza cease-fire and a broader deal with Saudi Arabia that would reduce Israel’s isolation and put the Palestinians on a path to their own state. But the repercussions of a military operation that rescued four Israeli captives on Saturday may lead to tougher stances. The large number of Palestinian casualties from the raid prompted outcries in the Arab world and furious statements from Hamas, which said it would seek guarantees about the safety of Gazans before renewing talks.

📺CNN TERMS RESCUE AS A 'RELEASE': CNN came in for sharp criticism Saturday after running a segment that said Israeli hostages rescued in the daring morning operation in Gaza had been released. Network anchor Victor Blackwell and Ian Bremmer, founder of the Eurasia Group, were both discussing the dramatic mission to save the four hostages when the word “release” appeared in a chyron.

Critics pounced, pointing out that Hamas did not willingly release these hostages. “Come on @CNN the four hostages were RESCUED not released. Do better,” said the account StopAntisemitism in a posting to X. Yaari Cohen, an Israeli student called the chyron “disgusting, adding that the network “should be ashamed.” Neither man said the word “release,” during the interview, which was about how Israel’s war cabinet minister Benny Gantz would hold off on a press conference in which he was widely expected to quit the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

➤TRUMP PROMISES NOT TO TAX TIPS: Former President Donald Trump made stamina a theme of his rally Sunday in 104-degree heat at a Las Vegas park. About 6,900 people attended, according to a crowd estimate by Las Vegas Metro police. Six people were transported to the hospital for heat-related illness, an LVMPD spokesperson said. Speaking two days before Nevada’s primary, Trump did not endorse anyone in the U.S. Senate’s Republican race, where Army veteran Sam Brown and Trump's former ambassador to Iceland, Jeff Gunter, had hoped to get a nod. Trump unveiled a new proposal he said he’d never mentioned publicly before that would be among his priorities — ending taxes on tips, a likely winner in Nevada, whose casino and entertainment economy depends on tips.


➤SCOTUS BEHIND ON ITS WORK:  Amid intense scrutiny and sagging approval ratings, the Supreme Court is behind on its work. The Supreme Court is showing signs of strain, with nearly half of its cases still undecided as the term draws to a close this month. Tensions among the justices are palpable. Justice Sonia Sotomayor admits to sometimes weeping in her chambers after the conservative majority delivers one of its polarizing rulings. Meanwhile, Justice Samuel Alito maintains that he can remain impartial in the Trump cases, despite the MAGA-associated flags that have flown from his homes in Virginia and New Jersey. Recent rulings underscore deep divisions, and past controversies have only heightened the distrust among the justices. 

➤DEI BEING DITCHED:  Some universities are repealing and replacing their diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. At the end of May, the University of North Carolina system voted to repeal and replace its DEI policy for a new policy that “aims to ensure efforts to support students on UNC System campuses do not infringe on academic freedom, equal opportunity, or institutional neutrality,” according to the university. In Utah, the state recently passed legislation to halt all DEI activities in the state’s universities.

🦈SHARKS ATTACK: Three people were injured in back-to-back shark attacks in waters off Florida's Gulf Coast on Friday, officials said. Two of the victims - an adult woman and a juvenile girl - were airlifted to hospitals for treatment of their injuries, according to Walton County Sheriff's Office Public Information Officer Corey Dobridnia. One of the victims, a 45-year-old woman, lost her lower left arm in the first attack. She was critically injured shortly before 1:15 pm at the beach in Watersound, Florida, about 15 miles up the Gulf Coast from Panama City Beach.


⚾YANKEES AVOID DODGERS SWEEP: Trent Grisham hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the sixth inning, Aaron Judge hit his major league-leading 24th homer and the New York Yankees avoided a three-game sweep with a 6-4 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night. Juan Soto missed his third straight game with left forearm inflammation, and the crowd was chanting for Soto when Grisham began his at-bat with two on against Los Angeles starter Tyler Glasnow (6-5).

Grisham turned a 3-2 deficit into a 5-3 lead when he lined a 2-1 offering down the right field line. It was the fifth hit and third homer of the season for Grisham, who was acquired from the San Diego Padres with Soto. Shohei Ohtani narrowly beat Judge's throw from right field on Will Smith's sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth. Judge restored the two-run advantage in the bottom half by homering to left.

⚾MLB SCORES:

  • Twins use a 7-run 10th inning to snap 5-game skid
    Yankees 6 Dodgers 4
  • Orioles 9 Rays 2
  • Mets 6 Phillies 5
  • D-Backs 9 Padres 3
  • Angels 9 Astros 7
  • Blue Jays 6 Athletics 4
  • Cardinals 5 Rockies 1
  • Red Sox 6 White Sox 4
  • Mariners 6 Royals 5
  • Tigers 10 Brewers 2
  • Cubs 4 Reds 2
  • Guardians 6 Marlins 3
  • Nationals 8 Braves 5
  • Twins 11 Pirates 5
  • Rangers 6 Giants 2

🏀NBA SCORES:

  • Celtics 105 Mavericks 98

🠊Throughout this season, Celtics guard Derrick White has wowed his team with one startling blocked shot after another. And in the final minute of Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, after the Mavericks quickly sliced a 14-point deficit to 5, White swooped in and swatted Mavericks forward P.J. Washington’s dunk attempt, helping preserve Boston’s 105-98 win. Jrue Holiday poured in 26 points to lead the Celtics, and Jaylen Brown added 21 as the Celtics took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.

🏀CLARK SNUBBED FOR OLYMPICS:  The women’s basketball phenom and America’s leading sports media content machine has been left off the U.S. roster for the Summer Olympics in Paris. Columnist Jason Gay writes that the move is a comical blunder of industrial self-sabotage—but also not that surprising. Here was a low-risk opportunity to add a talented, already-on-the-roster-bubble rookie who would introduce a massive wave of new fans to the Olympic theater, he writes.

➤MONDAY'S WEATHER:



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