Extra, Extra
Hostage Rescue: “Locals asked the newcomers where they came from, and the latter answered that they were escaping the IDF operation in Rafah, and had rented a place in the area around the market in Nuseirat, pointing at the building where Noa Argamani was being held.” Special forces posed as displaced Gazans moving into building where hostage held. From AP: How an Israeli raid freed 4 hostages and killed at least 274 Palestinians in Gaza. “They arrived in the middle of the day, when the squat concrete buildings of the Nuseirat refugee camp are stifling and the narrow streets outside are filled with people. No one suspected a thing until the shots rang out. The Israeli raid caught everyone off guard, from the Hamas militants guarding four hostages in two different buildings to the thousands of civilians who soon found themselves running for their lives through a blistering crossfire.” The father of one of the hostage died hours before son’s rescue. Meanwhile, Blinken is making his 8th visit to the region since Oct 7. “My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region, is if you want a ceasefire, press Hamas to say yes.”
+ Righty Ho: “A four-day election has shaken the foundations of the European Union, with the far right rocking ruling parties in France and Germany, the bloc’s traditional driving forces. For the next five years it will be harder for the European Parliament to make decisions. French President Emmanuel Macron called snap national elections after Marine Le Pen’s National Rally humbled his pro-European centrists in the polls. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats also suffered as the extreme-right Alternative for Germany shrugged off scandals to make massive gains.” NPR: Takeaways from the European parliamentary elections. And BBC: Macron snap election leaves rivals stunned after EU vote.
+ Justice Just Ain’t: “Justice Samuel Alito spoke candidly about the ideological battle between the left and the right – discussing the difficulty of living ‘peacefully’ with ideological opponents in the face of ‘fundamental’ differences that ‘can’t be compromised.’ He endorsed what his interlocutor described as a necessary fight to ‘return our country to a place of godliness.’ And Alito offered a blunt assessment of how America’s polarization will ultimately be resolved: ‘One side or the other is going to win.'” Justice Alito Caught on Tape Discussing How Battle for America ‘Can’t Be Compromised.’
+ The Lies Work: “Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Donald Trump is unhappy about the outcome of a proceeding. So despite a complete lack of evidence, he spends months claiming a concerted conspiracy against him, masterminded by his nefarious political opponents. He says this many dozens of times, despite firm denials from key figures and even some Trump allies. And by the end of it, 4 in 10 Americans come to believe in the vast left-wing conspiracy.” WaPo (Gift Article): There remains no evidence that Biden was behind the Manhattan prosecution of the former president, but 80 percent of Republicans say otherwise. Oh well, I guess we can always get the real story from AI. Oh wait… Google’s and Microsoft’s AI Chatbots Refuse to Say Who Won the 2020 US Election. (They must be watching Trump’s enablers on Sunday morning talkshows.)
+ Shopping a Plea: “TJX finance chief John Klinger disclosed the body-camera initiative on an earnings call last month. ‘It’s almost like a de-escalation, where people are less likely to do something when they’re being videotaped.'” Workers at TJ Maxx and Marshalls are wearing police-like body cameras.
+ Going to the Mattresses: NYT: When the Money Is Under the Mattress. Or in the Freezer. Or a Shoebox. “Older people who stash large sums of cash in their homes think it’s safer there than anyplace else. But they could be creating huge headaches for their heirs.” (What’s the point of having money if you can’t pass on the associated headaches, stress, and conflicts to your kids?)
