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🇺🇸 Humanitarian Pause

🇺🇸 Humanitarian Pause

Plus, Caution: Tarantula Crossing

Good morning, and happy Monday. A group of trick-or-treating teenagers who came across an empty candy bucket decided to refill it with their own candy so little kids could have some too. The act of generosity was caught on a Ring camera.

Plus, two tourists caused a collision to avoid killing the spider after seeing it crossing state Route 190 in the Death Valley National Park.

Also, something wonderful from Mr. Wonderful…

QUICK CLICKS

Blinken’s Surprise Visit, Trump’s Lead, Ceasefire Marches

World: Blinken shuttles from the West Bank to Iraq trying to contain the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war (AP)

US: Trump leads Biden in 4 key swing states, new polling finds (CNN)

US: Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds to endorse DeSantis over Trump, sources say (FOX News)

US: Arab Muslim student struck in hit-and-run as Stanford University investigates spate of hate crime incidents (CNN)

World: Tens of thousands march across the world for Gaza ceasefire (Al Jazeera)

World: Netanyahu suspends Israeli minister over Gaza nuclear comment (Reuters)

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MIDDLE EAST

Humanitarian Pause

Last Wednesday, President Joe Biden called for a humanitarian "pause" in Gaza to help facilitate the release of hostages and the entry of aid for the Palestinian people. “I think we need a pause,” Biden stated following a campaign speech.

Reporting from the Right: Biden faces increasing pressure to secure the release of American hostages in Gaza (Washington Examiner)

Reporting from the Left: Biden calls for a 'pause' in Israel-Hamas war to 'get the prisoners out' (NBC News)

From The Flag: Earlier last week, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the new American ambassador to Israel is tasked with “supporting US efforts to create the conditions for a humanitarian pause to address the worsening humanitarian conditions facing Palestinian civilians.” Here’s what both sides are saying about the monumental and growing pressure for a ceasefire or a humanitarian pause.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

It Will Only Help Hamas

A ceasefire would accomplish nothing of value as far as humanitarian aid, and it would only serve to benefit Hamas.
It didn’t take Biden long to succumb to the left and political expedience to abandon our ally in Israel.
Calling it a “ceasefire” or a “humanitarian pause” isn’t really going to make a difference, as the effect will be the same in allowing Hamas to strengthen its position.

Why a Cease-Fire in Gaza Would Accomplish Nothing Jim Geraghty, National Review: “Why a Cease-Fire in Gaza Would Accomplish Nothing It’s overstating it to say that an Israeli declaration of a cease-fire would be suicidal, but it would, at minimum, put all these IDF forces at risk of serious casualties. While we don’t know exactly how the battles are proceeding, it seems reasonable to conclude that the IDF is bringing a lot of firepower and advanced tactics to this fight. A cease-fire is what Hamas needs to get up off the mat. In other words, calling for a cease-fire now is asking Israel to squander whatever battlefield advantages and momentum that it has, and to allow Hamas to recover and reposition itself to repel the IDF and inflict greater casualties upon the Israeli forces. ‘Israel must agree to a cease-fire,’ is amounting to arguing, ‘Israel must agree to lose the battle, or at minimum to lose a lot more soldiers in order to win the battle.’ Once you know the history and the facts on the ground, you realize that only a fool or a foe of Israel would argue for a cease-fire.”

Biden’s call for an Israeli ‘pause’ means he’s jumping ship on our ally, The New York Post Editorial Board: “President Biden late Wednesday suddenly started talking about a “pause” in Israel’s operation to root Hamas out of Gaza — de facto starting to jump ship even faster than we’d feared Worse, the White House and Secretary of State Antony Blinken took up the idea: Now it’s a call for multiple, regular “pauses.” Speculation abounds that Biden’s motive is beyond puerile: Democrats are freaking out because a stand on principle might cost him Michigan (thanks to Arab-American voters) next November. The White House staff apparently hasn’t thought about how many states he risks losing if he kneecaps one of America’s closest allies in the early stages of its war for survival. Of course, the official line is that the pauses would simply be to get more hostages (including Americans that Hamas refuses to let leave) out of Gaza, and more relief supplies in. This is complete nonsense.”

One more opinion piece from the Right: This whole business about a 'humanitarian pause' is just politics Larry Ludlow, FOX Business

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Civilian Life Needs to Be Prioritized

Biden was right to support Israel after Hamas’s attacks. But the US must make it clear its priority is a lasting peace, not endless carnage.
Pressure is growing at an increasingly rapid rate across the country and the world for a ceasefire. If the US government and Israel don’t act accordingly, the situation could become “untenable.”
“One thing is clear: there cannot be a return to the status quo that existed in Gaza before the war”

Biden and Netanyahu Look Headed for a Breakup on Unqualified U.S. Support for the Gaza War David Rothkopf, Daily Beast: “It is the profound flaws of judgment and instincts of Bibi & Co. that will require Biden and his team to demand a significant change of course by Israel. … The language of Netanyahu…has been confirmed by the high civilian toll of their military operations to date. … But however justified even the harshest of language and actions may feel, Netanyahu and his supporters have signaled with their words and their actions that they have not taken on board the admonitions of Biden…and others to respect international law and the rules of war, to prioritize humanitarian needs, and to act in a way that is consistent with the ultimate goal of an enduring political solution to this decades-old conflict. … Whether they like it or not, [the Biden administration’s] support for Israel is already seen as enabling the bloodshed. No matter how hard they fight behind the scenes to avoid such results, they will be seen by the world at large as partially responsible for it. And naturally, if their efforts to influence Israel with behind-the-scenes suasion fail, they must choose another course.”

US warns Israel amid Gaza carnage it doesn’t have long before support erodes Kevin Liptak et al., CNN: “Behind the scenes, American officials also believe there is limited time for Israel to try to accomplish its stated objective of taking out Hamas in its current operation before uproar over the humanitarian suffering and civilian casualties – and calls for a ceasefire – reaches a tipping point. In fact, there is recognition within the administration that that moment may arrive quickly: Some of the president’s close advisers believe that there are only weeks, not months, until rebuffing the pressure on the US government to publicly call for a ceasefire becomes untenable, sources told CNN. … CNN witnessed the skies of Northern Gaza illuminated by flares and explosions as the bombardment intensified late Thursday night. … Already, protests have blocked streets in Western capitals and even interrupted a private fundraiser Biden attended Wednesday in Minnesota. ‘As a rabbi I need you to call for a ceasefire right now,” an audience member shouted.’”

One more opinion piece from the Left: Gaza needs a humanitarian pause. Then we need a vision of where we go from here Bernie Sanders, The Guardian

FLAG THIS

World and Americans Want Hostilities to Stop

At the end of October, the UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution calling for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza leading to a cessation of hostilities between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, the first United Nations response to the war. The 193-member world body adopted the resolution by a vote of 120-14 with 45 abstentions (AP).

In the middle of October, polling from Data for Progress found that 66% of Americans support a U.S. call for a ceasefire. Democrats were the most in favor at 80%, however, the majority of Republicans and independents also supported a ceasefire at 56% and 57%, respectively (Mediaite).

FLAG FINDS

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WATERCOOLER

Apartheid in SA, Cheese Psychics, Exercise Paradox

Flag of South Africa from 31 May 1928 to 27 April 1994, also known as the "Oranje Blanje Blou / Orange White Blue" and the "Apartheid flag".

On This Day in 1962: The United Nations General Assembly adopts a resolution condemning South Africa’s racist apartheid policies and calling on all its members to end economic and military relations with the country.

EATER: When Cheese Can Tell the Future

Apartment Therapy: Try This 2-Second Trick to Double the Storage Size of Your Baggie

PSYCHE: How to thrive amid ‘imposter syndrome’

Today I learned about the exercise paradox: hunter-gatherers who trek miles daily (or climb up trees) burn the same calories as much-less-active office workers and machine operators.

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**Based on StartEngine’s unaudited financials: $1.88M for the first half of 2019 compared to $9.9M for the first half of 2023, since these are semi-annual numbers and have not been audited, they may not include year-end adjustments necessary to make those financial statements comparable to audited results.

***Inc 5000 measures fastest-growing private companies by revenue growth over a three-year period.

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*****Includes $760M in funds raised as of May 9, 2023, via Reg. CF and Reg. A+ combined through StartEngine’s funding portal and broker-dealer, StartEngine Capital, LLC and StartEngine Primary, LLC respectively, as well as StartEngine’s own raises. It also includes $470M in funds raised previously through offerings conducted on www.seedinvest.com outside of the StartEngine platform. In May 2023, StartEngine acquired assets of SeedInvest, including email lists for SeedInvest’s users, investors, and founders seeking to raise funds.

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