America Reacts To The Middle East & Ohtani’s Massive Contract
December 11, 2023
With Friends Like These, We Might Start Making Enemies
On Friday, the Biden administration bypassed Congress to send over $100 million worth of tank rounds to Israel. To complete the arms transfer, Washington disregarded its own rule, established in February of this year, stating that the White House should not approve a weapons sale if the government assesses “that it is more likely than not” to be used to facilitate war crimes or crimes against humanity, “including attacks intentionally directed against civilian objects.” An IDF spokesperson said that reports that the IDF has killed over 11,000 Palestinian civilians so far were “more or less right.”
The U.S. was also fighting for Israel on a different front on Friday. At the United Nations Security Council, Washington vetoed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza that was backed by 13 member countries. The only nations that didn’t vote in favor of the resolution were the U.S. and U.K. – though Britain simply abstained from the vote. “We propose language … that would have reinforced the life-saving diplomacy we have undertaken since Oct. 7, increased opportunities for humanitarian aid to enter Gaza, encouraged the release of hostages and the resumption of humanitarian pauses, and laid a foundation for a durable peace,” said the U.S. deputy representative to the U.N. “Unfortunately, nearly all of our recommendations were ignored.”
Overall, it seems that public opinion in the U.S. isn’t as Israel-friendly as our representatives in Washington. According to a recent poll, a majority of Americans don’t think the Biden administration’s actions are bringing the situation closer to a peaceful resolution. Other data shows that the proportion of pro-Palestinian protests in the U.S. is rising, and that younger Americans are more sympathetic to Palestinians since the conflict’s outbreak.
Some Good News
- Feds grant $6 billion for high-speed rail projects (NBC)
- Tacoma becomes first WA city to ban nontherapeutic cat declawing (Seattle Times)
No Consensus at COP28
- Over the past two weeks, almost 200 countries convened at the COP28 climate summit in Dubai. Unfortunately for our planet, they were unable to come to an agreement to phase out fossil fuel usage worldwide thanks to the efforts of Saudi Arabia, Russia, and a few other nations.
- Prior to the climate summit, OPEC Secretary General Haitham Al Ghais released a statement saying, “We need realistic approaches to tackle emissions. One that enables economic growth, helps eradicate poverty, and increases resilience at the same time.” The oil cartel also released a memo earlier this week urging members to reject any agreements that would reduce fossil fuel usage, saying that “undue and disproportionate pressure against fossil fuels may reach a tipping point” at the meeting.
- While you might expect the likes of Russia, Saudi Arabia, and other Gulf states to fight against phasing out fossil fuels, the U.S. has also tried to add caveats to fossil fuel phaseout agreements, and China and India have also opposed the phasing out of coal.
- According to analysis by the International Energy Agency, all these efforts against stopping the usage of fossil fuels mean that the agreements developed at the summit won’t be enough to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels. The analysis, released on Sunday, shows that the summit’s agreements would cut greenhouse gas emissions by 4 gigatons, which is just 30% of the reduction needed to meet the 1.5 °C goal.
Want To Know More?
- Baku to the future: After stalemate, UN climate talks will be in Azerbaijan in 2024 (AP)
- Extinction Rebellion climate activists dye Venice’s Grand Canal green in COP 28 protest (CNN)
Additional World News
- In inaugural speech, Argentina’s Javier Milei prepares nation for painful shock adjustment (AP)
- For Putin, winning reelection could be easier than resolving the many challenges facing Russia (AP)
- Ukraine moves first lorries to Poland by rail through blocked border (Reuters)
- Philippines says the Chinese coast guard attacked its vessels for a second day (NPR)
- Nobel Peace Prize winner says Iranian people will prevail against rulers (Reuters)
Middle East Reads
- Israeli tanks reach centre of Khan Younis in new storm of southern Gaza (Reuters)
- Hunger, thirst and chaos in southern Gaza as hostilities drive humanitarian aid to the brink of collapse (NBC)
- Gaza war puts entire generation at risk of ‘radicalisation’ -Qatar PM (Reuters)
- A British Palestinian surgeon gave testimony to a UK war crimes unit after returning from Gaza (AP)
“In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.” – Kahlil Gibran
Walloped By Weather
- Nashville and Clarksville, Tennessee, were both hit by deadly tornadoes on Saturday, with six confirmed dead and dozens injured. As of yesterday afternoon, tens of thousands remained without power. That same storm is set to bring more severe thunderstorms, heavy rain, and strong wind to at least a dozen states along the East Coast.
- The flood risk was the biggest concern for most areas. Over 56 million people live in areas that were under flood watches that began yesterday and stretch until this afternoon. Rainfall totals were expected to reach 2 to 4 inches, with some rainfall rates of half an inch per hour possible.
The Former Bird Is In Freefall
- X (formerly Twitter) has lost dozens of advertisers in recent weeks, largely due to owner Elon Musk’s repeated endorsement of antisemitic conspiracy theories. In order to win them back, Musk decided to…reinstate conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’ account?
- Jones is the founder of Infowars, but is perhaps best known for being sued by the families of the Sandy Hook shooting victims – he’s long espoused that the shooting was staged to help Democrats push gun control laws. He was banned from the social media platform in 2018 for his abusive behavior.
- Last year, Musk made it clear that he wouldn’t consider bringing Jones back, saying, “I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame.” Clearly, he’s changed his mind on the subject. Musk posted a poll on Saturday asking if Jones should be reinstated, with 70% of those who responded in favor. Early Sunday, Musk posted, “The people have spoken and so it shall be,” with Jones’ profile becoming visible yesterday afternoon.
Additional USA Reads
- A mother searched for her son for months — until NBC News discovered he’d been buried in a pauper’s field (NBC)
- Kate Cox can’t get abortion for now, Texas Supreme Court court says, halting judge’s OK (USA Today)
- Smugglers are bringing migrants to a remote Arizona crossing, overwhelming agents (NPR)
- Why Americans are going hungry despite a strong economy (NBC)
- ACLU defends free speech in furor over university presidents’ handling of antisemitic rhetoric on campus (ABC)
- Trump the ‘human gumball machine’ will ‘impose his will’ on the nation if elected, Romney says (Politico)
The Biggest Deal In Sports History Comes From Japan
- Over the weekend, Shohei Ohtani – arguably the best player in baseball right now – signed the biggest deal in sports history. The two-way superstar signed a $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, securing a bigger deal than any other North American sports player in history, and even beating out soccer superstars like Lionel Messi ($674 million/four years with FC Barcelona) and Cristiano Ronaldo ($536 million/two years with Al-Nassr).
- Ohtani is the only player in baseball history to be unanimously voted most valuable player twice over his career, and is elite at both pitching and hitting, a combination not seen since Babe Ruth. The deal with the Dodgers was secured after a quiet negotiation process, which saw Ohtani in talks with the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, and the Toronto Blue Jays. News of the deal broke after rumors that Ohtani had actually signed with the Blue Jays following a visit to Toronto on Friday.
- Unfortunately for the Dodgers, they won’t be getting both sides of Ohtani’s two-way game at first. The superstar underwent a modified version of the Tommy John surgery in order to fix an elbow issue this August, meaning he won’t be in pitching shape until 2025. Until then, though, the Dodgers still have access to one of the best hitters in the league. As a publication based in San Francisco, we can’t say this is the best outcome of Ohtani’s free agency.
Additional Reads
- European Union agrees to regulate AI development (CNN)
- Pliosaur discovery: Huge sea monster emerges from Dorset cliffs (BBC)
- Army wins the 124th Army-Navy football game (CNN)
- U.S. military space plane launch atop SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket delayed to Monday (NBC)
- Revealed: the oldest black hole ever observed, dating to dawn of universe (Guardian)
- Houston, we have a tomato: ISS astronauts locate missing fruit (or vegetable) (NPR)