What A Day: Damasc-ing for trouble | Crooked Media
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What A Day: Damasc-ing for trouble

A picture shows buildings destroyed by the Israeli attack in Khan Yunis, Gaza strip on April 9, 2024. Israeli troops withdrew from Khan Yunis on 7th April.( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )

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A picture shows buildings destroyed by the Israeli attack in Khan Yunis, Gaza strip on April 9, 2024. Israeli troops withdrew from Khan Yunis on 7th April.( The Yomiuri Shimbun via AP Images )

THE STRUGGLE ISRAEL

Israel is bracing for a possible retaliatory strike from Iran as the two countries’ long-simmering conflict appears at increasing risk of boiling over.

  • Senior American military official Gen. Michael Kurilla arrived in Israel on Thursday amid fears that Iran might launch a strike to avenge an Israeli airstrike in Damascus that killed three senior Iranian commanders. Gen. Kurilla made the trip to coordinate on the expected retaliatory action and to discuss the war in Gaza, according to Defense Department officials who spoke to the New York Times under condition of anonymity.

 
  • The Israeli airstrike in Damascus was among the most significant attacks in the “shadow war” between Israel and Iran that has been unfolding for the past year. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock said on Thursday that she had spoken to her Iranian counterpart, and her office released a statement stressing the importance of “avoiding further regional escalation,” and the need for “all actors in the region to act responsibly and exercise maximum restraint.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seemed uninterested in the idea of restraint on Thursday while visiting the Tel Nof Air Base, where he said: “We have determined a simple rule: Whoever harms us, we will harm them.” Well okay then!

What A Day

 

Meanwhile, conditions in Gaza continue to deteriorate.

  • In the week since President Biden issued his sternest words yet for Israel, and despite the Netanyahu government touting what they say is a record number of aid trucks being allowed into Gaza, humanitarian workers and United Nations officials say little has changed in the enclave. The volume of aid has not significantly increased, nor is it reaching the people who need it most. The Israeli government also promised to reopen a crossing in northern Gaza, bring bakeries back online, and establish clear coordination channels with aid workers, but those measures seemingly have yet to be implemented.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to directly comment on USAID’s assessment, but referenced the FAO’s report that famine is imminent in Gaza.

NEWS NEWS NEWS

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida addressed a joint session of Congress on Thursday, and urged lawmakers not to doubt the “indispensable” role of the United States in world affairs, and warned that Ukraine could “collapse” without American support.

Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, the longest-serving member of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, announced on Thursday that she will not run for reelection next spring, throwing the hard-won 4-3 liberal majority on the court back into play for conservatives.

Former football star and all-around terrible guy O.J. Simpson has died at the age of 76. Simpson was acquitted of murdering his former wife Nicole Brown in 1995 but later found responsible for her death in a civil lawsuit. He also served nine years in Nevada prison after being convicted in 2008 on twelve counts of armed robbery and kidnapping two sports memorabilia dealers at gunpoint.

Ippei Mizuhara, the longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, was charged on Thursday with bank fraud for stealing $16 million from the Dodgers to pay off his gambling debts. Misuhara faces up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

Before he died in prison, Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny wrote a memoir chronicling his life, his career, and subsequent assassination attempts. It will be published this fall.

Bird flu has been detected in dairy cow herds in eight states, but the disease is not presenting as a respiratory infection as it usually does in other mammals. High concentration of the virus is being found in the milk supply of infected cows.

The Tennessee House of Representatives passed a bill on Thursday that would make it illegal to marry your first cousin, but not without a fight from some Republicans. A tough setback for all of our brave soldiers on the front lines of Marrying Your First Cousin.

Guy who constantly complains about how Democrats have killed personal “responsibility” Lt. Gov Mark Robinson (R-NC) failed to file his federal income taxes for five consecutive years between 1998-2003.

Consumer Reports is calling for Lunchables to be removed from school cafeterias across the country after concerning levels of lead (!) and sodium (okay that one we could have guessed) and other potentially-harmful chemicals were found in their products. A petition lobbying the USDA to remove the Kraft Heinz products from the National School Lunch Program has over 14,000 signatures. A spokeswoman for Kraft Heinz told the Washington Post: “All our foods meet strict safety standards that we happily feed to our own families.”

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