Shockwaves from the Israel-Hamas conflict continue to be felt around the world.

Thursday, October 12, 2023
BY JULIA CLAIRE & CROOKED MEDIA

- Acting House Speaker Rep. Patrick McHenry ([link removed]) (R-NC) after…two minutes in session

Violence rages on in Gaza.

* The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said on Thursday that it would seek to end control of Gaza by the terrorist group Hamas, which has functioned as the Gazan government since the Palestinian territory’s 2006 elections. After Saturday’s attack by Hamas killed 1,200 Israeli civilians, Israel mobilized 360,000 military reservists, and armored divisions now surround the country’s borders with Gaza. Six days of airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have killed 1,417 civilians ([link removed]) —including 447 children and 248 women—according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. The total number of people displaced in the region has climbed above 338,000.

* Humanitarian groups are issuing increasingly grave warnings about the consequences of a military campaign in one of the most densely-populated areas in the world, withmore than 14,000 people per square mile ([link removed]) . Doctors Without Borders described the conditions in Gaza’s hospitals, which were already under-supplied before the incursion, as “catastrophic ([link removed]) .” Beginning on Wednesday, the Israeli government shut off electricity, water, and the flow of any life-saving supplies to Gaza, which was already under blockade. The International Red Cross stated, “without electricity, hospitals risk turning into morgues.” On Thursday, Human Rights Watch released a report confirming that Israeli forces used white phosphorus in their military operations
([link removed]) in Gaza and Lebanon on October 10 and 11. Exposure to white phosphorus can cause excruciating, severe burns and lifelong medical problems, and its use on civilians is another violation of the 1980 Geneva Conventions.

* United Nations officials have asserted that crucial supplies such as fuel, food, and water must be allowed into Gaza, but the Israeli government has not let any goods into the area since the airstrikes began. Israel described the intended conditions as a total siege; a group of independent U.N. experts described it as a violation of international law ([link removed].) . Israel’s energy minister Israel Katz wrote on X ([link removed]) (Twitter) “Humanitarian aid to Gaza? No electrical switch will be turned on, no water hydrant will be opened and no fuel truck will enter until the Israeli hostages are returned home. Humanitarian for humanitarian. And no one should preach us morals.”

In Western countries that have allied themselves with Israel, public shows of support for the Palestinian people have become a source of significant unrest.

* French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced a ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations in France ([link removed]) “because they are likely to generate public order disturbances,” and warned that the “organization of these prohibited demonstrations should lead to arrests.” Just hours later, thousands gathered in Paris to defy the ban in support of the Palestinian people, and French police used teargas and water cannons to break up the crowd ([link removed]) . French President Emmanuel Macron urged the country—which is home to Europe’s largest Muslim and Jewish communities—to remain united and not bring the conflict between Israel and Hamas to the nation. Macron said that his government acted to boost police protection of Jewish sites, including schools and synagogues. Macron previously condemned
the deadly terrorist attack by Hamas and voiced solidarity with Israel. The U.S. sure has it's share of problems but wow am I grateful for the First Amendment sometimes!

* Columbia University closed its campus to the public on Thursday ([link removed]) ahead of a planned protest against the Israeli government’s shelling of Gaza. On Wednesday, a 24-year-old Israeli student was assaulted in front of a campus library. Harvard continues to deal with the blowback from a letter signed by 34 student organizations ([link removed]) laying blame for Hamas’s attack at the feet of the apartheid Israeli government “for the last two decades.” The letter was loudly criticized by some Harvard alumni and American supporters of Israel, but dissatisfaction with Netanyahu’s government (albeit for somewhat different reasons), at least, is a point of agreement with four out of five Jewish Israelis ([link removed]) . Elsewhere, there were signs of hope and even solidarity. At one harmonious
gathering on Wednesday night in New York City’s Washington Square Park, the group IfNotNow, a Jewish organization that opposes the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories, held a candlelight vigil ([link removed]) and recited the Kaddish, the Hebrew prayer for the dead. The event drew hundreds more people than expected, including some elected officials.

New York City is home to the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, and the city’s Comptroller, Brad Lander, spoke at the Wednesday night vigil. “Every human life is crafted in the image of God,” he said. “Every single life lost — every Israeli murdered by Hamas, every Palestinian killed in Gaza — is a human spark that is extinguished. We mourn those human beings, and we mourn the loss of that human spark.”

BIG NEWS. We are live streaming our SOLD OUT DC show on October 19, and folks, we’ve outbooked ourselves. Guests include Senator John Fetterman, Jose Andres, State Senate candidate Jennifer Carroll Foy, and guest co-host Symone Sanders. Since we're streaming the show, we’re even relaxing our usual black-tie dress code for this one and you can watch from anywhere! Get your tickets at moment.co/psa ([link removed])
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Here we go again. After the House GOP narrowly chose House Majority Leader Steve Scalise to replace the recently-ousted Kevin McCarthy as Speaker, they immediately delayed the full House vote, as right wing and far-right wing factions of the party frothed with discontent. After a full day of closed-door deliberations, it became clear that Scalise didn’t have the votes to take the gavel, and he withdrew himself from the race on Thursday night ([link removed]) . Shortly thereafter, Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) said Republicans should name Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) as the speaker designee, since he came in second to Scalise in Wednesday’s vote. However, it doesn’t look like Jordan would have the 217 votes necessary to get him over the finish line, either. What an absolute shitshow! The member of Congress who currently has votes closest to the magic number? It’s Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.
[chants quietly behind Jim Jordan’s head] “Jeffries! Jeffries! Jeffries!”

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) was charged in a Manhattan court on Thursday of illegally acting as an agent of the Egyptian government, in violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act ([link removed]) . Menendez and his wife were accused weeks ago of accepting bribes from three New Jersey businessmen. More Democratic Senators joined in calls for Menendez to resign, but Majority Leader Chuck Schumer still has not.


Disgraced former president Donald Trump will return to a New York City courtroom next week for his ongoing civil fraud trail ([link removed]) , which will likely result in a face-to-face encounter with his former fixer and current critic Michael Cohen.


The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers suspended ongoing negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild, saying that the gap between the two camps is “too great.” SAG has accused the studios of using “bully tactics” and publicly misrepresenting union demands ([link removed]) . Yep, sounds like them!


New research from the American Cancer Society shows that women between the ages of 35-54 are being diagnosed with lung cancer at higher rates than men in that same age group ([link removed]) .The finding adds to a growing body of evidence that lung cancer—the leading cause of cancer death in the United States—poses a particularly high risk for women.
The gay dating app Grindr lost half of its staff after announcing a return-to-office mandate ([link removed]) (even for those who had been hired as remote workers). The Communications Workers of America said the mandate was in part a retaliation against a union drive at the company. Et tu, Grindr?

The wave of regressive Supreme Court decisions and the confirmation of hundreds of young, ultra-conservative federal judges during the Trump administration can both be attributed directly to the work of shadowy activist Leonard Leo. The chairman of the board of directors of conservative lobbying group the Federalist Society, Leo has been instrumental in reshaping the United States court system in his own ideological image ([link removed]) . He cultivated friendships with conservative SCOTUS justices, placed Federalist Society proteges in powerful clerkships and judgeships, and even saw that some of them installed in the White House. He personally recommended to state attorneys general across the country that they hire members of his stable of conservative lawyers to key positions. Between 2014 and 2020, Leo’s web of special interest groups raised more than $600 million, and in 2021 was put in charge of a Chicago
businessman’s $1.6 billion trust.

Having successfully, even single-handedly, reshaped the American courts, he has now turned his attention to “wokism” in education, what he calls “one-sided” journalism (lol) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies in corporate America. Leo offered an exclusive interview to ProPoublica, on the condition that they not ask him about the nature of his donor network. They declined, and sent him a series of emailed questions, some of which he answered. Throughout the years, his personal rhetoric has grown more extreme, and his vision for a theocratic court system (though he rejects that label and calls it “just natural law…just the natural order of things,”) has been all but realized. Love living under a federal judicial system created by one terrible rich guy!
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Over three million people have used Rocket Money, saving the average person up to $720 a year. Start managing your finances better by downloading Rocket Money today. ([link removed])

Consumer prices in the United States increased unexpectedly in September amidst a surge in rental costs, but underlying inflation pressures remain controlled ([link removed]) .

A new Wells Fargo study found a link between states with higher concentrations of LGBTQ populations and increased rates of economic growth ([link removed]) . Being gay helps the economy! Take that, disapproving relatives!
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