12/13/23

Good morning! It’s Wednesday, December 13th.

National ice cream day.

In the middle of the cold?

Just kidding – I live in Los Angeles. It’ll never be cold here again.

And now, the news.

Israel-Hamas

-via AP News, CNN, and CBS News

As I mentioned, we’re doing an update on the Israel-Hamas war today, although at the end there is some Ukraine updating to do. International Wednesday.

But let’s start with the Israel-Hamas where because, on Tuesday, the United Nations voted to demand a humanitarian cease-fire. 153 ambassadors and diplomats voted in favor, ten voted against, and 23 voted abstained.

Guess who was one of the ten against.

If you guessed Papua New Guinea, you’d be right.

If you guessed America, you’d also be right. I only mentioned Papua New Guinea because, well, because it’s fun to say. And we have to find fun somewhere (and it’s not gonna be anywhere else in this story, that’s for sure).

But also on Tuesday, President Biden said that Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu needed to alter his approach and was losing international support because of the “indiscriminate bombing” in Gaza.

Now, it’s important to remember that a UN resolution is not legally binding. However, with more than 18,000 Palestinians dead in Gaza, 70% of which are reportedly women and children, as well as more than 80% of the population forced out of their homes, the overwhelming voted in the United Nations is a barometer of how the rest of the world views what’s happening.

All of this while the emergency coordinator of operations for Doctors Without Borders said this about the living conditions in Gaza: “Living conditions…I mean it can barely be described as living conditions anymore. People are displaced once, twice, sometimes more. They just don’t know where to go anymore.”

All throughout Gaza diseases including chicken pox, meningitis and upper respiratory tract infections are spreading, while flash flooding in the area on Tuesday saw families in refugee camps having their tents and mattresses flooded through.

And with all of that going on, Israeli defense began “carefully testing out” flooding some of Gaza’s tunnels with seawater to curb Hamas’ network. Though they say they are only testing it in places they do not believe any of the 153 hostages Hamas is still holding are located.

In 2021, Hamas claimed to have built 311 miles worth of tunnels under Gaza.

Update on Ukraine

-via NPR

And from one international war to another…

Ukraine’s President Zelensky was in D.C. on Tuesday, where he met with House reps and Senators, before meeting with President Biden, all in hopes of convincing Congress to approve more aid and weapons ahead of Congress leaving for the holidays.

This is because, even though Biden has asked Congress to give the thumbs up emoji to $60 billion in aid for Ukraine, it has yet to be approved because Congress believes the war has just gone on too long and they’re bored by it. Well no, they didn’t say that. But they did say it had gone on for too long. Which is a pretty bonkers reason to not give aid because, as it’s been pointed out, Ukraine has fought incredibly and Republican congressmembers refusing to sign off on the aid doesn’t put an end to the war, it’s put an end to the edge Ukraine has and gives Putin the advantage.

It's like… not that complicated to see.

However, Republicans want to tie aid to Ukraine with border funding, essentially holding that aid hostage because Democrats won’t pass more border funding. Not because they don’t want to secure our borders, but because they don’t want to do it inhumanely. Which Republicans are like “no but that’s like – that’s our thing.”

And while President Zelensky was here in the states, Ukraine’s Kyiv was hit with a massive cyberattack, knocking out cell service to more than 24 million subscribers both in Ukraine and where millions have left.

In addition to cutting of cell service, internet, and banking machines, the cyber attack cut off early-warning air raid systems that are used to alert folks of Russian missile and drone strikes.

But okay sure, play political games with funding.

And that’s it. That’s the news.

I’m not proud of Republican congressmembers who play political games. Between today and yesterday’s news, I’m just… not having it. Not that I ever have, but still – particularly this week. NOPE.

I am, however, proud of ice cream in December.

But more than that. Because you are also a unique, but excellent, idea… I’m proud of you.