Extra, Extra
Aleph Bet: “Israel’s military said the airstrike on the Lebanese capital killed Ibrahim Qubaisi, who it said was the commander of Hezbollah’s missile and rocket force.” Israel has decimated much of Hezbollah’s leadership and upended its communications. The bet seems to be that they can quickly get the terror group to stop launching rockets into Israel and that Iran doesn’t want to enter a wider war. WaPo’s David Ignatius is not very optimistic: Sadness and dread as the next Lebanon war looms. “It’s like watching people trapped as a violent hurricane approaches. Each time, you hope they can escape and disaster can be averted. But too often, they can’t.” Meanwhile, the US is sending troops to be ready to help evacuate U.S. citizens from Lebanon. Here’s the latest from CNN.
+ Divided Nations: “I know many look at the world today and see difficulties and react with despair. But I do not. I won’t.” Biden notes “remarkable sweep of history” in his final United Nations address as president.
+ The Prosecution Doesn’t Rest: “The public doesn’t want this execution to move forward. The victim’s family doesn’t want this execution to move forward and the St Louis county prosecuting attorney’s office doesn’t want this execution to move forward.” And yet, it’s moving forward. Missouri to execute Marcellus Williams despite prosecutors’ objections and innocence claims.
+ The Lies Are the Crimes: If you listen enough Trump rallies or watch enough Fox News, you’re likely convinced that we’re living through a historic crime wave. Surprise. Murder and other violent crime dropped across the U.S. last year. Shall we zoom in on one town? How about one that’s been in the news a lot lately, Springfield, Ohio, where all those pet-eating Haitians have brought crime to a peaceful community. Springfield had more murders under Trump than under Biden-Harris.
+ Give Me a Hire Love: “Shortly after taking the oath of office, the first-term congressman hired his longtime fiancée’s daughter to work as a special assistant in his district office, eventually bumping her salary to about $3,800 a month, payroll records show. In April, Mr. D’Esposito added someone even closer to him to his payroll: a woman with whom he was having an affair, according to four people familiar with the relationship.” NYT: A Congressman Had an Affair. Then He Put His Lover on the Payroll.
