Extra, Extra
Dimming Israelight? “I have no doubt that, generally speaking, the Israeli people continue to see themselves as steadfast allies of the American people — and vice versa. But this ultranationalist, messianic Israeli government is not America’s ally. Because this is the first government in Israel’s history whose priority is not peace with more of its Arab neighbors and the benefits that greater security and coexistence would bring. Its priority is the annexation of the West Bank, the expulsion of the Palestinians of Gaza and the re-establishment there of Israeli settlements.” Tom Friedman in NYT (Gift Article): This Israeli Government Is Not Our Ally. (Friedman gives a lot of credit for standing up to Bibi to the guy who repeatedly suggested clearing Gaza and developing a new real estate project there.) Gershom Gorenberg in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Israel Plunges Into Darkness.
+ White (Inbound) Flight: “Although the president halted virtually all other refugee admissions shortly after he took office in January, his administration hastily put together a program to allow in white South Africans, who he claims have been the victims of racial persecution in their home country.” (Give this administration points for transparent clarity.) Related: Trump Administration Fires Librarian of Congress. “Dr. Carla D. Hayden was the first African American and the first woman to serve as the head of the Library of Congress.”
+ The Brink: Residents stockpile food, rush to bunkers as conflict rattles India and Pakistan.
+ Pirromaniac: Jan 6 and Nazi sympathizer fan Ed Martin was dropped from consideration to be the US Attorney in DC. Instead, Trump Named Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro Acting US Attorney General. (Martin will “join the Department of Justice in another capacity as Associate Deputy Attorney General and pardon attorney.”)
+ Dread the Spread: “The increase … stems from continued exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized.” Hey, we found some common ground with Canada. Ontario reports 200 new measles cases as province struggles to contain outbreak.
+ Souter: “David H. Souter, a New Hampshire Republican who was named to the Supreme Court by President George H.W. Bush and who over 19 years on that bench became a mainstay of the court’s shrinking liberal wing, died on Thursday at his home in New Hampshire. He was 85.”
+ Tarheel Thyself: “The University of North Carolina issued a statement Friday saying Bill Belichick’s girlfriend is a welcome guest at football facilities after reports claimed she had been banned by the school.” (This situation is going to get a lot weirder and a lot worse. And you can bet, before long, a certain someone is going to chime in on Truth Social.)
