BY MATT BERG
& CROOKED MEDIA

THUSDAY
OCTOBER 17, 2024

Mamentia — madness and dementia at the same time.” 

 — [James Carville’s diagnosis]([link removed]) for Donald Trump's deranged behavior.

THE STRUGGLE ISRAEL

The death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar marks a major symbolic victory for Israel, and creates an opportunity for the country to change its approach to the war in Gaza. But it hardly signals the end of the regional conflict Sinwar helped ignite.

- Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the brutal October 7 attack, was killed during a chance encounter with Israeli troops in the southern part of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, [Israel announced]([link removed]). Sinwar's death caps an intense, year-long manhunt by Israeli forces that contributed to the decimation of Gaza. In the end, he was found by a group of trainee squad commanders who encountered him unexpectedly while on a routine patrol, according to the [New York Times]([link removed]). He was later identified by his DNA and dental records. 

- Sinwar led both Hamas’s military and political wings after Israel [assassinated the group’s previous top political official]([link removed]), and had been accused by the United States of [seeking to widen the war]([link removed]) in the Middle East. He’s been a key decision-maker for Hamas since the start of the conflict, and in recent rounds of fruitless ceasefire negotiations. With Sinwar gone, Israelis have effectively forced a change-up in their adversary’s negotiating team.
 

- Democrats[​]([link removed]) and Republicans hailed Sinwar’s departure from the world stage as a major step forward for peace. But experts and officials aren’t so certain. “Hamas is not going to disappear as an organization, no more than Hezbollah” did after Israel [killed its leader]([link removed]) last month, former Middle East peace negotiator Aaron David Miller told What A Day. One important question mark is who replaces Sinwar at the negotiating table. If it's Mohammed Sinwar, his similarly hardline brother, “negotiations are totally screwed,” an American official [told CNN]([link removed]).

 
It’s also less than clear that the current Israeli government is set on negotiating a ceasefire deal, no matter who takes Sinwar’s place. 

- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is facing corruption charges, has been repeatedly [accused of prolonging the war]([link removed]) for his own political gain. Another Israeli leader with the strategy might actually conclude this is a moment to begin seriously talking about de-escalating the war,” Miller said. “He'll talk about ‘total victory,’ the need to continue to achieve total to de-radicalize Gaza, crush the remaining Hamas forces that exist.” 
 

- But Netanyahu now has an off-ramp — and faces a crucial decision whether to take it, according to Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the liberal pro-Israel advocacy group J Street. Escalating tensions with Iran and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon probably won’t cool down anytime soon. Sinwar’s death represents a prime opportunity for Israel to change direction in Gaza, if it wants to, he said. “A rational and sane government of Israel would take this as the moment to pivot and bring this thing to an end,” Ben-Ami told What A Day.
 

- One looming concern: What will happen to the hostages remaining in Gaza? The families of hostages [pressed Netanyahu’s government]([link removed]) to use the moment to quickly secure a deal to release their loved ones. Vice President Kamala Harris called for an end to the war today. Now, the U.S. needs to bring together other countries to pressure Netanyahu to make a deal, said Liz Naftali, the great aunt of a hostage who was released last year. “This is a country that, until the hostages come back, cannot start to heal and move forward,” she told What A Day in a phone call from Israel. 

The U.S. doesn’t know what Sinwar’s death means yet for the future of the war in Gaza, an American official told CNN. A ceasefire or hostage deal could happen soon — or “there could still be a long path ahead,” the official said.

MITCH, PLEASE

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), aka the ultimate DC swamp monster, has been a thorn in Democrats’ side ever since he was elected to the Senate in 1984 (hard to believe it wasn’t 1884, but apparently it just feels that way). Once in a while, however, in spite of himself, ol’ McConnell delivers a gem. 

In this case, we just learned that McConnell privately called Donald Trump “stupid” and “despicable”  after the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, [according to an excerpt from his upcoming biography]([link removed]). The beef between the GOP kingpins has been well-documented. But these newly revealed comments are by far his harshest characterization of the former president yet. 

The story gets better, though. Because, when asked about those past comments, the 82-year-old lawmaker replied: “Whatever I may have said about President Trump pales in comparison to what JD Vance, Lindsey Graham, and others have said about him, but we are all on the same team now.” Yes, Trump’s own running mate called him[​]([link removed]) “America’s Hitler.” And Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) called him[​]([link removed]) “a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot.”

McConnell reminded us that Trump’s highest-profile backers know exactly who he is — and we know that for certain, because they’ve said so. Today, McConnell effectively called Vance and Graham hypocrites. But McConnell is also still endorsing Trump this year. So, he’s right! They are “all on the same team now.”

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MEANWHILE ON
THE POD...

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WHAT ELSE?

A Georgia judge today [blocked the rule]([link removed]) that would’ve required each county to hand-count each ballot after the election. And thank God, or we’d probably still be waiting on them to find out who won the election next March. The law had been passed last month by the pro-Trump State Election Board, which has been accused of trying to sow chaos before the election and delay results. But they would never do something like that, would they?

Trump [blamed]([link removed]) Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the war in Ukraine, even though Russia invaded the country in February 2022. “He should never have let that war start. That war is a loser,” the former president said on a podcast today, in one of his signature “makes absolutely no fucking sense” arguments.

Speaking of losers, Trump’s attorneys [asked the judge]([link removed]) handling his election interference case to postpone the release of special counsel Jack Smith’s new evidence dump until November 14… well after the election. Do we seriously need more evidence proving that Trump tried to steal the election? Smith’s last dump was pretty damning[​]([link removed])!

There are at least 30 election deniers and “fake electors” now serving as Trump’s official electors in swing-states this year, [a CNN survey found]([link removed]). They comprise more than a third of electors in states where Trump tried to overturn election results in 2020. Great! Perfect!

The Secret Service had a “troubling lack of critical thinking” before and after the first assassination attempt against Trump at a campaign rally over the summer, [according to a report]([link removed]) from an independent panel. Being called stupid in an official, independent report… man, that’s a tough break. 

Nearly half of young people say they’d have a more negative view of someone they go on a date with if the person is a Trump supporter, [according to a new poll]([link removed]). I can’t believe kids these days don’t want to date someone who supports a racist, misogynistic, sex predator convicted of felonies!

LOOK NO FURTHER THAN CROOKED MEDIA

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LIGHT AT THE END
OF THE EMAIL

The Biden administration [announced another round]([link removed]) of student loan forgiveness today, bringing the total amount canceled to $175 billion for nearly 5 million people. Hear that millennials? You can finally afford avocado toast!

An 81-year-old lifelong Georgia woman [voted for the first time in her life]([link removed]) on Wednesday. Betty Cartledge’s late husband never voted, and “didn’t think she needed to either.” Congratulations to Betty on her first vote, even if she is an octogenarian White woman from Georgia and therefore probably made some choices in the ballot box we wouldn’t have! Democracy!!!

Kamala Harris [teased a get-out-the-vote concert]([link removed]) with a “surprise musical guest.” We have our theories on who it might be, but we learned from Beyonce’s no-show at the Democratic National Convention, and we will not be fooled twice!!! Though Harris would crush the [“Apple” dance]([link removed]).

 
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YOU SURVIVED

 

SEE YOU FRIDAY

 

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