Politics

Israel Begins “Full Siege” Of Gaza, Cuts Off Food, Power

NBC News reports: Israel has begun what Defense Minister Yoav Gallant [photo] called a “full siege” of the Gaza Strip in the wake of the unprecedented attacks by Hamas. “I ordered a full siege on the Gaza Strip. No power, no food, no gas, everything is closed. We are fighting human animals and we act accordingly,” said Gallant, a former …

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US Lawmakers Leave Israel After Hamas Attacks

Axios reports: At least two members of Congress were able to depart Israel unharmed after being present for Hamas’ incursions into the country this weekend. The presence of multiple high-level American political figures in the country underscores how the surprise attacks caught both Israel and the U.S. off guard. Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), his wife and his three youngest children …

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GOP To Hold Secret Ballot For Speaker On Wednesday

Roll Call reports: The House GOP conference will hold its internal election for speaker Wednesday morning after a Tuesday evening “candidate forum,” according to a schedule distributed by Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik [photo] of New York. On Monday night, the conference will also meet behind closed doors for a “member-only discussion.” Phones are to be checked at the door …

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Israeli Newspaper Blames Netanyahu For Hamas Attack

From the editors of the Israeli newspaper Haaretz: The disaster that befell Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah is the clear responsibility of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister, who has prided himself on his vast political experience and irreplaceable wisdom in security matters, completely failed to identify the dangers he was consciously leading Israel into when establishing …

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Mace: I’m Unaware Of Sexual Abuse Coverup By Jordan

CBS News reports: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) announced on Sunday that she intends to support Rep. Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) bid for Speaker, following her vote last Tuesday to remove former Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) from his post. “I will tell you today, I am going to be supporting Jim Jordan for speaker for a number of reasons,” Mace said in …

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Netanyahu: The War Ahead Will Be “Long And Difficult”

The New York Times reports: Israel’s military said its forces were still battling gunmen from Gaza on Israeli territory on Sunday afternoon, more than 30 hours after the initial surge of armed militants across the border as part of the broadest invasion in 50 years. The ongoing fighting came as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of a “long and difficult …

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GOP Rep: Trump As Speaker Is “Not Going To Happen”

The Hill reports: Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said Sunday that some Republicans’ floating to elect former President Trump as Speaker of the House won’t come to fruition. Buck told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that some GOP members’ push to nominate the former president as Speaker is “not going to happen” in the wake of former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) ousting from …

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Casey DeSantis: I Love Being Called “Walmart Melania”

Florida Politics reports: Florida’s First Lady is happy to be compared to the most recent former American First Lady. That’s the takeaway from Casey DeSantis’ comments Saturday in Iowa. “They call you, like, Walmart Melania, which by the way, if I’m in the same sentence with Melania, that’s a win for me,” she said, referring to Melania Trump. The First …

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Israel Issues Formal Declaration Of War Against Hamas

The Washington Post reports: Israel on Sunday issued a formal declaration of war against Hamas and pounded Gaza with strikes, promising retaliation for an unprecedented attack by the militant group that surprised Israeli security forces. The death toll has risen to 600 in Israel, according to local media, while Palestinian authorities said at least 313 were killed in Gaza. Thousands …

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Newsom Vetoes Bill To Decriminalize Magic Mushrooms

The Associated Press reports: California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vetoed a bill aimed at decriminalizing the possession and personal use of several hallucinogens, including psychedelic mushrooms. The legislation vetoed Saturday would have allowed those 21 and older to possess psilocybin, the hallucinogenic component in what’s known as psychedelic mushrooms. “California should immediately begin work to set up regulated treatment guidelines …

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Some GOP Reps Launch Push To Reinstate McCarthy

Politico reports: The attacks in Israel and demand for U.S. aid are injecting new urgency into recent talks among centrist House Republicans to attempt to reinstate Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, with scores of Republican lawmakers now discussing the effort. Calls and texts among GOP members picked up dramatically after news of the attacks reached the U.S. overnight Friday. The …

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Pence Blasts Trump, DeSantis As “Appeasing” Hamas

Politico reports: Former Vice President Mike Pence tore into Donald Trump and pointed to isolationism in the Republican Party as complicit in the sweeping Hamas attack on Israel, decrying American “retreat on the world stage.” In a scathing rebuke of isolationism in the Republican Party, Pence faulted “voices of appeasement like Donald Trump, Vivek Ramaswamy and Ron DeSantis that I …

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Amazon’s Alexa Is Saying The 2020 Election Was Stolen

The Washington Post reports: Amid concerns the rise of artificial intelligence will supercharge the spread of misinformation comes a wild fabrication from a more prosaic source: Amazon’s Alexa, which declared that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. Asked about fraud in the race — in which President Biden defeated former president Donald Trump with 306 electoral college votes — the …

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REPORT: Trump Team To “Drop Napalm” Oppo On RFK

Semafor reports: Members of Donald Trump’s team are quietly preparing to go on offense against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as internal campaign polling suggests his expected third party bid could draw more votes from Trump than President Joe Biden in a general election. Semafor has not independently reviewed the polling. One person close to Trump’s campaign said it showed that …

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Israel Declares War On Hamas After Surprise Attack

The Associated Press reports: The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea, catching the country off guard on a major holiday. Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas …

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McCarthy Denies Reports He’s Considering Resigning

CBS News reports: Former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy denied reports on Friday that he’s thinking about resigning from Congress before his term concludes in 2025, after after hardline Republicans and Democrats forced him out of the speaker’s chair earlier this week. “I’m not resigning,” McCarthy said twice Friday. When asked if he will run for reelection next year, McCarthy responded, …

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Florida AG Seeks To Block Abortion Rights From Ballot

Florida Politics reports: Attorney General Ashley Moody says she will ask the state Supreme Court to block a proposed abortion rights amendment from appearing on the 2024 ballot. Moody released an op-ed for Florida’s Voice where she argued that the measure’s ballot summary would mislead voters. If passed by 60% of voters, the amendment would prohibit the Legislature from banning …

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Politico: McCarthy May Resign Before End Of His Term

Politico reports: Kevin McCarthy is considering resigning from the House before the end of his term, two people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. The deposed former speaker has made clear he plans to stay at least through the speakership election that begins next week before ending his House career in order to help the party steady itself after a …

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Gaetz Privately Ridiculed GOP Bid To Impeach Biden

NBC News reports: Days before Rep. Matt Gaetz led an effort to oust Kevin McCarthy as House speaker, Gaetz and Rep. Matt Rosendale, a fellow Freedom Caucus member, denounced as a political stunt Republicans’ high-stakes effort to impeach President Joe Biden, according to a video obtained by NBC News. At an invitation-only fundraiser held over Zoom last week, Gaetz, R-Fla., …

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Cops Deny Ramaswamy’s Claim His Car Was Rammed

The Des Moines Register reports: Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign vehicle was hit Thursday afternoon in what the campaign said was an intentional act by protesters but police say was nothing more than an accident involving a driver unconnected to the protest. No one was hurt in the incident in which an unoccupied black Ford Expedition being used by the …

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