🇺🇸 Gaza Hospital Explosion

Good morning, and happy Friday. A new, exciting technique developed at the University of Michigan that uses sound waves provides a noninvasive alternative to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments for cancer.

Plus, A 14-year-old cat appears to have no problem being heard after setting a new world record. Bella's purr measured 54.49 decibels, which is equivalent to the sound of a standard washing machine.

Also, here’s one way to ensure security law enforcement is done by the book: outsource it to robots.

TRENDING

Left: Teen Journalist Booted From GOP Event, Accused Of Being Democratic Operative Kelby Vera, Huff Post

Left: Jim Jordan's curious rise: A tale of how Christian nationalism consumed the GOP Amanda Marcotte, Salon

Left: Biden came and went to Israel. What comes next? Johnathan Guyer, Vox

Right: White House quips House GOP should 'join' Biden 'at the adults table' Naomi Lim, Washington Examiner

Right: If Only Republicans Fought Democrats As Much As They Did Their Own Voters Shawn Fleetwood, The Federalist

Right: Biden's Fraught Mideast Diplomacy Robert Kuttner, American Prospect

QUICK CLICKS

Powell Flips, Jordan: Round Three, Missiles Shot Down

US: Trump attorney Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia election subversion case (CNN)

US: Rep. Jim Jordan to pursue third vote to be Speaker of the House (NPR)

US: More than 300 arrested in US House protest calling for Israel-Hamas ceasefire (USA Today)

World: U.S. Navy warship shoots down three missiles heading 'potentially towards Israel,' Pentagon says (NBC News)

World: State Department urges 'worldwide caution' for Americans overseas as Israel-Hamas war rages (FOX News)

POWERED BY KNIGHTSCOPE

Meet Your Friendly Neighborhood Knightscope Robot

In an ever-evolving world, public safety is in need of an upgrade. AI and robotics are part of the solution to create safer public spaces while decreasing errors that can come from human police officers and security guards. Knightscope (KSCP) is a technology company ushering in the dawn of Autonomous Security Robots (ASRs) and working hard to protect U.S. citizens from crime across the country.

The company’s robots are designed to enhance safety and security in various environments, such as corporate campuses, shopping malls, and hospitals. Knightscope robots operate autonomously, meaning they can navigate and patrol areas without human intervention using AI, including autonomously recharging.

Knightscope’s influence and reach seem to be on the rise. Just in 2023, the company has made more than 50 announcements including numerous contracts and reports it is on track to double its revenue versus 2022. These contracts further validate the growing demand for Knightscope's robotic solutions as they continue to work through a nearly $5 million backlog of new orders.

The company is currently offering an investment opportunity for interested parties to buy bonds.

The robotics market was valued at $31.38 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $110.39 by 2030 with a CAGR of 15% from 2022-2030. Knightscope seems well-positioned to capitalize on this growth and be a potential leader in the U.S. market. Click here to learn more about the Rise of the Robots.

MIDDLE EAST

Gaza Hospital Explosion

On Tuesday, hundreds of people were reportedly killed by the explosion at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza, and Israeli and Palestinian officials are blaming each other. Several media sources, public figures, and Israeli and Palestinian officials were quick to lay blame on one another.

Reporting from the Left: Hospital blast looms over Biden’s complicated diplomatic mission to Israel (CNN)

Reporting from the Right: Biden trip ends with promise of humanitarian aid to Gaza, backs Israel over hospital blast (FOX News)

From The Flag: The aftermath has seen protests in Lebanon, Jordan, and elsewhere prior to Biden's arrival in the Middle East. Jordan's King Abdullah condemned Israel for the explosion and canceled the summit Biden was scheduled to attend on Wednesday. Netanyahu's government claims to have evidence that the explosion was the result of a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad. Additionally, a video tweeted by Israel's official X account claims to show a rocket fired from Gaza hitting the hospital. Here’s how both sides are covering the story.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Mixed: oCivilians Must Be Protected. Truth Is a Casualty of War.

• A human rights advocate explains that even if Israel wasn’t responsible for this hospital bombing, there are serious questions about its willingness to abide by laws to minimize civilian casualties.

• “Truth is famously the first casualty of war, but it’s too soon to assign responsibility and stakes are too high for guesswork.”

• Israel should be called out for its misdeeds and has an obligation to minimize civilian casualties, but many world leaders and media outlets were unjustly quick to blame Israel in this matter.

“Attacking Health Workers Is a War Crime” Marianne Szegedy-Masazak, Mother Jones: “In my twenty-five years of seeking to protect health care in war, this is by far the worst incident when measured by deaths of people in a hospital. Responsibility for the incident is contested, but what seems clear is whether Islamic Jihad or Israel was responsible for it, precautions required by international law to avoid or at least minimize harm to patients, hospitals, staff, and others in military operations were likely absent. Hamas and its allies never take such precautions; on the contrary, it fires rockets indiscriminately in civilian areas. The record of Israel in taking such precautions in past wars in Gaza was spotty. While we don’t know its targeting practices and its mechanism for minimizing harm to civilians in this war, the sheer number of civilians killed, hospitals damaged, and the 6,000 bombs in Gaza in a single week—more than dropped in an average year during the war Afghanistan—raises serious questions about its willingness to abide by the law.

Gaza Hospital Tragedy Escalates War Risk, No Matter Who’s to Blame Marc Champion, Bloomberg: “Truth, infamously, is the first casualty of war and that’s never more important to remember than after a major tragedy such as the reported strike on a Gaza hospital, with initial death-toll estimates exceeding 500. … The first certainty is that Tuesday’s events have brought an escalation of the conflict closer, narrowing the space for caution and compromise and increasing support across the region for other state and non-state actors to pile in, should Israel launch its expected ground invasion. No matter what evidence emerges to the contrary, popular opinion across much of the world, especially the Muslim world, will remain convinced that Israel killed more than 500 people in a deliberate and heinous attack on a hospital, which amounts to a war crime. A second certainty is that there will be more such tragedies for Palestinian non-combatants, and therefore public relations disasters for Israel, if and when it begins its ground attack.”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Israel was judged guilty of bombing a Gaza hospital before the evidence was in Max Boot, The Washington Post

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

The Left Irresponsibly Jumped To Conclusions. Hamas Is Exploiting Gazan Civilians.

• The mainstream media did not wait to cast blame on Israel, and it is disappointing and dangerous that they believed the words of terrorists.

• “We know corporate media are biased, but the reporting on Gaza shows they’re willing to be propagandists — even if their false reports are likely to get people killed.”

• “The jihadists directly target civilians, which is a war crime. But they want to deny Israel the right of self-defense by claiming any incidental civilian casualties in Gaza are a crime.”

The Hospital-Bombing Lie Is a Terrible Sign of Things to Come Noah Rothman, National Review: “The mainstream media outlets that raced to affirm Hamas’s version of events in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon now appear to be complicit in an unmitigated debacle. The New York Times, Reuters, the Associated Press, PBS, the BBC, and many others raced to repeat with utterly undue credulity the claim that Israeli forces wantonly attacked a hospital, producing upwards of 500 fatalities. The allegation alone shook the world. European and Middle Eastern streets erupted with anti-Israel demonstrations. Diplomatic facilities belonging to Israel and the United States alike were besieged by sometimes violent demonstrators. Jewish — not Israeli — sites were attacked. Meetings between Joe Biden and his counterparts in Jordan, Egypt, and the Palestinian Authority were canceled in protest. And now, not 24 hours later, the story that they ran with looks to have been a lie. Worse, it was a lie that anyone with an…understanding of the decades-old conflict…was likely to be a lie at the time.

Press Must Be Held Accountable For Fake Gaza Story That Instigated Violence Worldwide Mark Hemingway, The Federalist: “If only this kind of dishonest propagandizing from Hamas had been entirely predictable and news organizations could have known to watch out for it! …. And incredibly, the media are still “both sides-ing” the false reports about the hospital bombing that wasn’t. … At this point, it’s beyond tiresome to point out that the media are biased and wrong, but this is a whole new level. If they continue to defer to propaganda because it suits their deranged worldview, they’re going to make an already tragic conflict so much worse and get even more people killed. This simply can’t be tolerated. Over the past week, we saw several major donors withdraw money from universities condoning and tolerating pro-terror protests. If the media persist in reporting pro-Hamas propaganda, they deserve to start acutely feeling pain from subscribers and advertisers alike.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: Hamas’s Hospital Lie and the Laws of War, The Editorial Board, The Wall Street Journal

FLAG THIS

Americans Want to Help Gaza’s Civilians

A bipartisan majority of Americans want the government to help get Palestinian civilians out of harm's way in Gaza. The results of a poll from Reuters/Ipsos showed 78% of respondents — including 94% of Democrats and 71% of Republicans — agreed with a statement that "American diplomats should actively be working on a plan to allow civilians fleeing fighting in Gaza to move to a safe country" (Reuters)

FLAG FINDS

Public Safety Upgrade, Better Treatment, Boost Your Budget

Public safety is in need of an upgrade. Knightscope (KSCP) is a technology company ushering in the dawn of Autonomous Security Robots (ASRs) and working hard to protect U.S. citizens from crime across the country. Click here to learn more about the Rise of the Robots.

If there's one thing we know how to do well in America, it's eat. And despite new weight-loss drugs like Ozempic gaining in popularity, diabetes remains one of the biggest problems in U.S. healthcare. Better Therapeutics is bringing cutting-edge technology to the diabetes treatment arena, serving a market with more than 30 million patients.

How's your September phone bill looking? I'm willing to bet it's as spooky as the season. For major carriers, unlimited data plans start at around $65 per month on average. For your first month with Boost Mobile, it's just $12.50. Learn more here.

WATERCOOLER

MacArthur Returns, Organized Homes, Appalachians

On This Day in 1944: After advancing island by island across the Pacific Ocean, US General Douglas MacArthur wades ashore onto the Philippine island of Leyte, fulfilling his promise to return to the area he was forced to flee in 1942.

Knowable Magazine: New devices could change the way we measure blood pressure

Apartment Therapy: 3 Things Super Organized People Do at Home

The Hustle: The wild business of desert island tourism

Today I learned that in the city of Cincinnati, Appalachians are a protected class.