Open Thread October 19 2023 Politicking by Withholding Funds
Timeline of Harvard Backlash Over Student Israel-Hamas Statement, businessinsider.com
UPenn Donor Revolt Over Israel-Hamas War Is Getting Worse, businessinsider.com
Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.
Other news… Sydney Powell Pleads Guilty
Previously today…
Ahead of Her Georgia Trial, Sidney Powell Seeks Distance From Trump
NY Times – first thing this am
Ms. Powell, a lawyer who promoted conspiracy theories about election fraud after Donald J. Trump’s 2020 defeat, now says she never represented him or his campaign. …
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty over efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in Georgia
Boston Globe – just in
(AP) — Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony on Friday just as jury selection was getting underway in his trial on charges accusing him of participating in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Chesebro, who was charged alongside Trump and 17 others with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of conspiracy to commit filing false documents in a last-minute deal. His plea came a day after fellow attorney Sidney Powell, who had been scheduled to go to trial alongside him, entered her own guilty plea to six misdemeanor counts. …
In Chesebro’s case, he was sentenced to five years’ probation and 100 hours of community service and was ordered to pay $5,000 in restitution, write an apology letter to Georgia’s residents and testify truthfully at any related future trial. …
For prosecutors, the plea deal assures that Chesebro publicly accepts responsibility for his conduct in the case and removes the uncertainty of a trial by a jury of his peers. It also compels him to testify about communications he had with Trump’s campaign lawyers and close associates, including co-defendant Rudy Giuliani, the former New York mayor and a Trump attorney. …
Biden requests $74 billion in assistance for Israel & Ukraine
NY Times – Oct 19
Zelensky thanks Biden for his ‘powerful address’ in support of Ukraine.
NY Times – an hour ago
Aid request boosted. Hamas to release two American hostages.
Biden Asks Congress for More Aid for Israel and Ukraine
NY Times – just in
The $105 billion request also contained relief funds for Gaza. Hamas announced that it had released two American hostages, but there was no official confirmation from Israeli or U.S. officials.
The Biden administration formally asked Congress for billions of dollars in emergency funding for Israel and Gaza on Friday, a request that came as Hamas announced that it had released two American hostages.
The release of the hostages — reportedly a woman and her daughter — was announced by a Hamas spokesman on the messaging platform Telegram, but the claim, as well as the status of the hostages and their location, could not be immediately confirmed.
A senior Israeli defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation, said Qatar, which is mediating between the United States and Hamas, informed the United States of the releases, and the United States informed Israel. The official added that Israel did not yet have independent confirmation of the release.
In Washington, the Biden administration tied its request for aid for Israel to Ukraine, formally asking Congress for $105 billion in emergency funding that would include $10.6 billion in military support for Israel and $61.4 billion for Ukraine. The request also included about $9 billion in humanitarian assistance for Israel, Gaza and Ukraine.
Some shipments of humanitarian aid currently stalled on Gaza’s southern border could begin to move into the blockaded enclave from Egypt as soon as this weekend, President Biden said. “I believe in the next 24 to 48 hours, the first 20 trucks will come across the border,” he said. …
2 American hostages, believed to be Evanston mother and daughter, released by Hamas, NBC News sources confirm
CBS News – just in
Two Americans released after being taken hostage in Israel by Hamas terrorists earlier this month amid the Israel-Hamas war are believed to be a mother and daughter from Evanston, Illinois, according to reporting by NBC News.
According to NBC News, Hamas officials said Friday they were releasing the American mother and daughter for “humanitarian reasons.”
The hostages are believed to be Yehudit Bat Tamar and her 19-year-old daughter Natalie Raanan, a 2023 graduate of Deerfield High School, according to NBC news sources. The two were reportedly visiting family in Israel earlier this month when they were reported missing. …
Disagreements Delay Efforts to Open Gaza Aid Corridor
NY Times – just in
Diplomats said Egypt and Israel remained at odds over the details of getting humanitarian relief through the Rafah crossing. Among the disputes are whether to allow in fuel and how to screen convoys for arms.
President Biden could have made military aid to Israel conditional on humanitarian relief of Gaza Maybe he did but he didn’t say so last night.
I am not sure why Israel gets a bye on this. Forcing its way on the West Bank by taking land is not a reason for the slaughter of others. It sets a mood for others who are threatened by the aggressive behavior on Israels part. There appears to be separable rules and legal interpretation for Israelis as opposed to Palestinians who also have a right to exist.
Hamas acts on its own accord portraying themselves as Palestinian. This is not typical behavior slaughtering people openly. The same holds true for Israel. The standards are different. Hamas has created an environment which will be remembered for another generation. As has Israel also inits actions pre-attack by Hamas.
In other news…
Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleads guilty over efforts to overturn Trump’s 2020 loss in Georgia
Boston Globe – just in
(AP) — Lawyer Kenneth Chesebro pleaded guilty to a felony on Friday just as jury selection was getting underway in his trial on charges accusing him of participating in efforts to overturn Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election in Georgia.
Chesebro, who was charged alongside Trump and 17 others with violating the state’s anti-racketeering law, pleaded guilty to one felony charge of conspiracy to commit filing false documents in a last-minute deal. His plea came a day after fellow attorney Sidney Powell, who had been scheduled to go to trial alongside him, entered her own guilty plea to six misdemeanor counts. …