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Wednesday, May 15, 2024

IDF Strikes Terrorists Hiding in UNRWA School Near Rafah

Emanuel Fabian: A Hamas command room based out of a UNRWA school in central Gaza’s Nuseirat was struck by fighter jets, the military says. More than 15 terror operatives, including 10 Hamas members, were killed in the strike. Also among them were terrorists of Hamas’s elite Nukhba force who participated in the October 7 onslaught, the military says. “The strike was carefully planned and carried out using precise munitions while avoiding harming civilians as much as possible,” the military says in a statement. The command room was used by Hamas to plan attacks against troops operating in central Gaza in recent weeks (X). Washington Examiner: The attack took place in central Gaza’s Nuseirat, about 15 miles away from Rafah, where Israeli forces are now moving in despite warnings from President Joe Biden. Israel has previously accused Hamas of exploiting the U.N. for military benefit, claiming the group has used a tunnel system in Gaza that is partially under the headquarters of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Israel also accused UNRWA of having some employees work for Hamas. The attack is a continuation of an armed conflict involving Israel and Hamas, with Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire, that has persisted since Hamas’s Oct. 7 invasion that killed hundreds of civilians (Washington Examiner).

Biden Preparing $1 Billion Aid Package for Israel to the Chagrin of Democrats

Wall Street Journal: The Biden administration notified Congress on Tuesday that it was moving forward with more than $1 billion in new weapons deals for Israel, U.S. and congressional officials said, a massive arms package less than a week after the White House paused a shipment of bombs over a planned Israeli assault on Rafah. The latest weapons package includes the potential transfer of $700 million in tank ammunition, $500 million in tactical vehicles and $60 million in mortar rounds, the officials said. There are still additional steps before the weapons would be approved and delivered. The decision to proceed with the approval process underscored the Biden administration’s reluctance to deepen its rift with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Rafah operation by restricting longer-term weapons deals with its closest Middle East ally (Wall Street Journal). Washington Post: Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a White House ally, criticized the decision, saying, “We should not be proceeding with any additional offensive arms transfers until the United States receives clear assurances from the Netanyahu government that the president’s concerns regarding Rafah have been addressed and his demands for the delivery of humanitarian assistance have been met” (Washington Post).

Harvard Caves to the Pro-Terrorist, Antisemitic Mob

Just the News: Organizers of the anti-Israel encampment at Harvard University agreed to disband Tuesday as the school’s interim president agreed to the demonstrator’s concessions. Three weeks after starting the encampment, the organizers, known as Harvard Out of Occupied Palestine, announced the conclusion of their demonstration in a post on social media. The announcement comes after Harvard on Friday suspended some of the student protesters, but part of the agreement to disband the encampment means the suspensions, also known as involuntary leaves of absence, are no longer in effect, the organizers said. “As a pre-condition for decamping, the administration will retract suspensions. The administration has also offered us meetings regarding disclosure and divestment with members of the Harvard Management Company and ‘conversations’ regarding the establishment of a Center for Palestine Studies at Harvard,” the group wrote (Just the News). Harvard student Shabbos Kestenbaum: The Harvard encampment has just ended. Do you want to see Harvard’s antisemitism in real time? Harvard has agreed with almost all of their demands (X). Hill: Multiple U.S. colleges have moved to end weeks of protest on their campuses as commencement season arrives. Harvard is one of a few institutions that have cut deals with their demonstrators, a list that also includes Northwestern University and Brown University (X).

Pro-Life Protester Given Nearly Five Years in Jail for Peacefully Protesting Outside of Abortion Clinic

Life News: Thanks to Joe Biden’s politicized Justice Department, a pro-life advocate will spend the next five years in a federal prison for protesting abortion. If Lauren Handy was an environmental activist or a leftist supporting Hamas, her sit-in at an abortion business would have earned her a misdemeanor charge and maybe a small fine. But because she is a pro-life advocate protesting abortion, the Biden administration used the FACE Act to prosecute her for supposedly blocking access to abortion. Even though the law, which abrogates the free speech rights of pro-life Americans, has rarely been used, the Biden administration pushed for putting several pro-life advocates in prison for over a decade for protesting abortion. Biden officials misused the law to push for the highest penalties, reserved for violent and criminal behavior, to prosecute peaceful pro-life Americans who merely exercised their free speech rights. Today, Biden got what he wished for as Handy has been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison and three years probation under the FACE Act for peaceful civil disobedience. Another pro-life advocate who participated in the protest, John Hinshaw, was sentenced for 21 months and will get credit for 9 months served. Handy, a Catholic, is a well-known pro-life voice on the political left. She was the primary organizer and leader of the peaceful protest sponsored by Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising that led to the ongoing court cases (Life News). Lila Rose: 30-year-old pro-life activist Lauren Handy has just been sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for handing roses and resources to women at an abortion facility. Meanwhile, abortionists who dismember and kill children walk free. A grave injustice (X)!

Ukraine Already Asks for More Aid Just After Receiving $60 Billion From Biden

Meanwhile, Biden sets up a weapons embargo against Israel. Guardian: The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday morning on his first visit to Ukraine since a major US aid package was passed last month, as Ukrainian forces struggle to defend against increasingly intense Russian attacks. Blinken, who arrived by train from Poland in an unannounced visit, met Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, shortly after arriving. Zelenskiy described the US aid as crucial, and thanked Blinken, but also said Ukraine desperately needed two more air defense systems to protect the second city of Kharkiv, which has been hit repeatedly by Russian strikes in recent weeks. Three weeks ago, Joe Biden signed a $60bn aid package for Ukraine (Guardian).

Country of Turkey Treats 1,000 Wounded Hamas Militants

HotAir: On so many levels. Turkey, a NATO country, is accepting Hamas terrorists and treating them in its hospitals. Aside from the obvious fact that a NATO member country is backing Hamas and sheltering terrorists, the question of how these fighters escaped from Gaza and wound up in Turkey in the first place (HotAir). Diliman Abdulkader: Turkey’s Erdogan: “More than a thousand members of Hamas are receiving treatment in hospitals in Turkey.” The guy is literally admitting sponsoring terrorists but Turkey is still not on the State Sponsor of Terrorism list (X). Reporter Seth Frantzman: How did 1,000 Hamas terrorists end up in Turkey? If this is true it’s incredibly concerning and shows the systematic way that the Hamas massacre has been backed (X).

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President Biden Brings New Tariffs on Chinese Imports After Criticizing Trump’s Tariff Policy

Townhall: President Joe Biden announced Tuesday his administration will impose tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, Chinese solar cells, and some Chinese steel and aluminum imports. The tariff rates on cranes, certain steel and aluminum products, and various batteries will increase to 25 percent; the tariff rates on semiconductors, solar cells, and certain medical supplies such as syringes and needles will jump to 50 percent; and the tariff rate on electric vehicles will climb to 100 percent. Ahead of the anticipated announcement, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked about Biden’s previous criticism of his predecessor for putting tariffs on Chinese imports. (Townhall). RNC Research: REPORTER: In July 2019, Biden said President Trump’s “tariffs on China are an abuse of policy,” so does Biden think tariffs on China are good now? KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: Uhhh (X).

Wholesale Prices Jump 0.5% in April, Wholesale Inflation Up 2.2% Over 12 Months

CNBC: Wholesale prices jumped more than expected in April, putting up another potential roadblock to interest rate cuts anytime soon. The producer price index, a gauge of prices received at the wholesale level, increased 0.5% for the month, higher than the 0.3% Dow Jones estimate. However, the March reading was revised from an initially reported 0.2% gain to a decline of 0.1%. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, the core PPI also rose 0.5% compared with the 0.2% Dow Jones estimate. Excluding trade services from that core group showed a 0.4% increase on the month and 3.1% on a 12-month basis, the highest level since April 2023. On a year-over-year basis, wholesale inflation rose 2.2%, also the highest in a year. The core PPI inflation was at 2.4%, the biggest annual move since August 2023 (CNBC).

Hunter Biden’s Attempt to Delay Criminal Trial Fails

Politico: Hunter Biden lost one of his last attempts to delay the start of his criminal trial on gun charges Tuesday, with the judge overseeing the case unmoved by pleas that his legal team is not ready for the June 3 start date. Hunter Biden’s lawyer pushed to postpone the trial to September, stressing that the defense team has struggled to find expert witnesses who would be willing to help the president’s son, particularly regarding issues related to drug addiction and drug forensics. The lawyer, Abbe Lowell, said the current situation is unlike anything he has found himself in before (Politico). Bloomberg: Hunter Biden was indicted by Special Counsel David Weiss on three felony counts relating to his October 2018 purchase of a Colt Cobra .38 caliber revolver while he was addicted to illegal narcotics. Two of the gun counts carry maximum prison time of 10 years; the third is punishable by as much as five years. Weiss also has indicted Hunter Biden in Los Angeles on nine tax charges. A trial for those charges is scheduled for later in June (Bloomberg).

10.

Outbreak of Hepatitis A in Los Angeles Homeless Encampments Investigated by City Officials

LA Times: The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating an outbreak of the highly contagious liver disease hepatitis A among its homeless population. Health officials said five cases of hepatitis A have been reported since mid-March among people experiencing homelessness. The virus, which can spread among people even before they have symptoms, can be found in the stool and blood of those who have been infected. Symptoms include fever, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, dark urine and yellow eyes and skin (LA Times). CBS: To stem the outbreak, Public Health is offering free hepatitis A vaccines to anyone living in encampments and at interim housing sites. Those exposed to hepatitis A can take the vaccine to protect against developing the infection. The vaccine typically comes in two doses. Public Health said it is safe and highly effective in preventing infection (CBS).