Sabrina Carpenter Situation is Crazy, FEMA Threats Got Worse, Drone Attack Exposed Israel’s Weakness
PDS Published 10/14/2024
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FEMA Threats
FEMA employees are on high fucking alert.
And it’s not because of a natural disaster.
No, it’s because they’re apparently being threatened by an armed militia.
And beyond that, they’re just being threatened by people who’ve fallen victim to the absolutely insane amount of misinformation we’ve seen around Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Some of which, of course, we talked about last week, with the likes of Donald Trump being one of the big figures sharing these lies.
With one Biden official describing the misinformation around Helene as “unlike anything we’ve seen before.”
And to that point, analysts at the nonprofit Institute For Strategic Defense discovered that just 33 posts on X:
"containing claims debunked by FEMA, the White House and the US government had together generated more than 160 million views.”
And one of those false claims we should talk about has to do with a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, called Chimney Rock.
Right, there was a rumor going around on social media that government officials planned to take over the village and bulldoze bodies under the rubble.
And even though authorities and news outlets debunked the claim, people still took to social media, calling for militias to go after FEMA.
Which brings us to this weekend when the agency reportedly advised all federal responders in Rutherford County to stand down and evacuate immediately.
With the message saying that National Guard troops had, quote, “come across x2 trucks of armed militia saying they were out hunting FEMA.’”
Now, it’s reportedly unclear how credible the ‘armed militia’ danger is.
But there’s no doubt that these federal responders — who are trying to HELP victims of Hurricane Helene — are not getting the welcome you’d expect.
With former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate (Few-gate) saying that individual FEMA personnel have received threats in the past but on a much smaller scale, adding:
“In the field, it’s rare.”
“This is unprecedented. I know we’ve had individuals but not an area or a group that’s threatening FEMA.”
And with that, this weekend, you also had authorities in North Carolina arresting a man and charging him with “Going Armed to the Terror of the Public.”
This after he allegedly made a comment about harming FEMA employees while brandishing a handgun and rifle.
So, with all this, these threats can’t be taken lightly, and FEMA is having to change the way it operates.
Right, for example, the agency is reportedly operating at set locations and secured areas instead of going door to door like they usually do.
And with that, when federal employees have showed up at people’s doors with supplies or other offers to help, they’ve sometimes been greeted with yelling, with people saying:
“We don’t want your help here.”
In one case, a resident actually showed up at a supplies distribution center and threatened FEMA personnel who were also stationed there.
And regarding those types of stories, you had one former official with the Forest Service, which helps FEMA out sometimes, saying:
“It’s terrible because a lot of these folks who need assistance are refusing it because they believe the stuff people are saying about FEMA and the government.”
“And it’s sad because they are probably the ones who need the help the most.”
Though, that said, this is affecting the help everyone gets.
Right, because of the threats this weekend, aid to several communities was temporarily paused.
And officials have also previously said that debunking all the misinformation has used up resources that could have been more effectively utilized in the recovery efforts.
And beyond that, one seriously alarming result of all this is that it’s reportedly provided an opportunity for white supremacist groups to recruit new members.
Right, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that white nationalist groups had joined recovery efforts in both Florida and in Carolinas.
With one of those groups saying in a video on X:
“We in Patriot Front are here to help out the local communities…Our politicians can hem and haw and switch over quickly to their talking points about Israel, but we truly are supporting our communities and being America first.”
Now, of course, their version of America only includes certain people…
But with all that said, this is obviously a very scary situation, and we’ll continue to keep our eyes on this.
But in the meantime, I’d love to hear from you in those comments down below — especially if you’ve been affected by the storms, have you encountered any of this stuff firsthand.
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Sabrina Carpenter Faces Backlash For Sexual Tour Performances
Protect the children from Sabrina Carpenter!
That is what some people are saying online as clips of her Short N’ Sweet tour are going viral, and show her dancing very proactively.
And if you have listened to her new album, that’s probably not too surprising, right, Sabrina sings pretty explicitly about sex on many of her songs.
She has one song called “Juno” which is about liking a guy so much you might let him impregnate you, and in it she asks: “Wanna try out some freaky positions?”
And when she performs that song during her tour, after asking that question, she walks to the front of the stage and poses in a sexual position.
She also has a song called “Bed Chem” which is about exactly what it sounds like, chemistry in the bedroom.
And during that performance, there are nods to the redlight district, and she and a dancer then go on a bed behind a curtain, with their shadows implying they are undressing each other.
And this has rubbed some people the wrong way, because, as is often the case with former Disney stars, Sabrina does have some young fans.
So you have some writing things like:
“I'm sorry but am i the only one offended? Like why is she being disgusting sexually infront of children......”[]
Others equating her show to “soft porn” that has become “so popularized to the point it's a public performance children can attend.”[]
But a ton of people have pushed back on this, saying things like:
“Sabrina Carpenter is 25. The real question is why people listened to her songs about sex & love and thought they should buy tickets for kids? Every time one of the child stars grows up, people get in their feelings about them being adults in their adult career and it is weird.”[]
“if you’re taking a 10 yr old to a show with songs very explicitly about sex then that’s on you and not on the artist. it’s very clear y’all just hate women embracing their sexuality.”[]
Right, people noting that her “entire brand is being hot, short and horny.”[]
People also saying her work has been provocative for some time now – prior to her new album, one of her most famous songs was called “Nonsense” and that had suggestive lyrics.
And when she would perform it live, she would always change the lyrics in the outro to something very sexual and raunchy with a lot of innuendo.
So some have argued that it has been clear for a while now that her work is not for kids.[][]
And Sabrina actually recently touched on this avenue of criticism during an interview with Time Magazine earlier this month.
With the reporter asking Sabrina if she felt she had been spared the vilification people like Britney Spears got in the 2000s for incorporating sexuality into their work, and to that, Sabrina said:[]
“No, I definitely get that as well.”
With her noting plenty of other female pop stars paved the way for her to do what she does, but:
“you'll still get the occasional mother that has a strong opinion on how you should be dressing. And to that I just say, don't come to the show and that’s OK. It's unfortunate that it's ever been something to criticize, because truthfully, the scariest thing in the world is getting up on a stage in front of that many people and having to perform as if it's nothing. If the one thing that helps you do that is the way you feel comfortable dressing, then that's what you’ve got to do.”
And regarding her roots as a Disney star, back in August she said that at this point, she is “900 inappropriate jokes away” from that part of her life, and that though she is grateful, she just feels very distant from that work.
So I would love to know your thoughts on this one, on this backlash, if you think it is valid, or no, if you think these people are getting what they paid for, they should not be shocked at what is happening on stage.
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Bill Maher Does Segment Condemning Chappell Roan For Supporting Palestine
And then, in unexpected celebrity feud news, we have Bill Maher vs Chappell Roan.
Because Bill just devoted a nearly nine-minute segment of his show to calling out Chappell Roan for her support of Palestine.
He started by explaining who she is to his viewers who might be unfamiliar, saying:
“She’s actually a great new recording artist, who, like a Hezbollah pager, is really blowing up.” (0:27-0:31)
Then applauding Chappell for her previous statements on politics where she said we should question both sides and always use critical thinking.
But Bill claimed that she is not using critical thinking when it comes to Israel and Palestine, accusing her and her generation of getting all their news from TikTok.
And then spending a big chunk of the segment bringing up that Chappell is an out queer woman whose sexuality is a major part of her art and stage presence, and trying to use that to further his arguments:
“Chappell, if you think it was repressive growing up queer in the Midwest, try the Mideast. You’re a female drag queen and you sing ‘I fucked you in the bathroom when we went to dinner, your parents at the table.’ That wouldn’t fly in Gaza, although you would, straight off a roof.” (6:19-6:37)
“You know when you sing that LA is where boys and girls can all be queens every single day? You’re welcome, but offer not good in the West Bank. Chappell, you’re not wrong that oppression is bad or that Palestinian and many other Muslim populations are oppressed and deserve to be freed. You just have it completely ass-backwards as to who is doing the oppressing.” (6:56-7:16)
Then accusing her of being pro-Hamas and therefore, pro other forms of terrorism.
And responses to this segment vary widely depending on where you are looking.
In the comment section of the YouTube upload of this, people think it was a mic drop moment from Bill, that he nailed it.
But over on Twitter, people are slamming him for both his rhetoric around Israel and Palestine, as well as his choice to just go all in on Chappell Roan, with one person saying:[]
“Who the fuck thinks it okay for this old ass corrupt evil dipshit to talk about throwing a 26 year old Chappell Roan off of a roof for being anti-genocide?????”
Others saying:
“nine minutes of misogynistic, lesbophobic drivel because chappell roan said we should stop giving israel money to slaughter palestinians.”[]
“the perfect Bill Maher segment: weeks late to the moment, decades-old, stale talking points that reality has debunked well before he pipes up, condescending to a young woman, probably believes he's impressing her with his intelligence.”[]
Hasan Piker even sharing the clip and writing:[]
“one day bill maher will die alone and sad and not a single person will mourn for him, because the remainder of his smug boomer fanbase will have also died.”
You also had outlets like Deadline saying that Bill’s comments about Chappell:
“echo a common narrative known as “pinkwashing,” the practice of llpropping up Israel’s LGBTQ progress to distract from the ongoing violence and repression against Palestinians.”[]
And so I would love to hear your thoughts on this, not just on the segment and response, but the choice to call out Chappell specifically and make her the face of young people supporting Palestine. Is that fair, does it even make sense?
And why are people so intent on dissecting and calling out her politics 24/7? Right, she is not the only person who has spoken up here, so why is she the one getting constantly called out?
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Man in Texas set to be the first person executed in connection to “shaken baby syndrome” despite the science being widely questioned — including by the state’s highest criminal court
Robert Roberson is set to be the first person EVER to be sentenced to death in connection to “shaken baby syndrome.”
But serious concerns have been raised about the science behind that diagnosis since Roberson was convicted, and he has continually claimed that he is innocent.
Right, more than 20 years ago, Roberson was convicted and sentenced to death in Texas for the killing of his two-year-old daughter, Nikki, after medical professionals found that she had died of shaken baby syndrome.
Which is a form of child abuse where an infant is seriously injured after being shaken back and forth.
Per Roberson’s account, he was awoken by Nikki’s cries one night in January 2002 and found that she had fallen 1 to 2 feet out of the bed the two were sleeping in.
He said he saw blood on her lips and a bruise under her chin, so he wiped up the blood and kept her awake for two hours to make sure she was okay before they both eventually fell back asleep.
But when he got up in the morning, Nikki was unresponsive, so he took her to the hospital where she tragically died.
And according to court documents, doctors and nurses at the hospital immediately suspected abuse due to bruises head and other injuries including severe brain swelling and bleeding at the back of her eyes.
Conditions that have been used to diagnose shaken baby syndrome — and ones the medical team didn’t believe could have been caused by a short fall.
With an autopsy ruling that the death was a homicide from “shaking” and “blows.”
And Roberson, who was alone with Nikki, was convicted.
But Roberson’s lawyers say that there is a different explanation for her death, arguing that the diagnosis didn’t take into account Nikki’s other very serious medical problems.
Right, in the days before her death, Nikki had been struggling with a serious respiratory infection that resulted in visits to the emergency room and a pediatrician's office where her temperature was recorded at 104.5 degrees.
So, as a result, Nikki was prescribed two drugs — including codeine — that are now viewed as inappropriate for children her age.
With Roberson’s attorneys arguing that the drugs could have hindered her breathing and caused hypoxia, which in turn could explain the brain swelling and bleeding.
And presenting both new evidence and expert testimony that suggests Nikki had died of undiagnosed pneumonia and the prescribed medication she had taken.[]
But, what’s more, the lawyers also argued that the around shaken baby syndrome has also changed in the two decades since Roberson was convicted.
Right, that diagnosis — which is now called “abusive head trauma” — is still recognized by plenty of doctors and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
But other doctors as well as forensic experts and defense lawyers have questioned how reliable it is in criminal convictions — particularly ones from decades ago when the science was less understood.
With many noting that one scientific review found that studies have failed to produce good evidence that this kind of head trauma is caused by shaking alone.
Beyond that, experts say that internal conditions like brain swelling and bleeding are no longer accepted as proof of abuse alone, as they were in Roberson’s case.
With his lawyers arguing that the medical community now recognizes that those symptoms can potentially be caused by a number of naturally occurring illnesses and accidents.
And even doctors who still defend the abusive head trauma diagnosis say that medical history and surrounding circumstances need to be taken into account — which wasn’t the case with Nikki.
With one pediatrician specializing in child abuse speaking on behalf of the American Academy of Pediatrics and telling reporters:
“Some of these presenting signs can and should lead to a diagnosis of something other than abusive head trauma.”
In fact, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals — the state’s highest criminal court — actually paused Roberson’s execution back in 2016 because of challenges to the scientific consensus around shaken baby diagnoses.
And that decision was issued on the basis of a “junk science” law passed in Texas a few years earlier that allowed the court to overturn convictions when the scientific evidence used to convict someone has changed or been discredited.
And while the court ultimately decided that doubt over the case wasn’t enough to reverse it, other shaken baby convictions have been overturned due to the growing body of evidence that the diagnosis isn’t always reliable.
Literally just this month, the SAME Texas criminal court overturned a VERY similar ruling in a non-capital case where a man was convicted of injuring a child by shaking back in 2000.
With the judges ruling that the shaken baby syndrome diagnosis at the heart of his case was scientifically questionable.
Arguing that the medical understanding had changed and writing:
“Research ranging from mechanical dolls to animal abuse has yet to bridge the gap between theory. Essentially, science has evolved to a degree that has removed ‘Shaken’ from ‘Shaken Baby Syndrome.’”
Adding that if the current science had been part of that man’s trial, “it is more likely than not he would not have been convicted” and explicitly pointing to the state’s junk science law.
So, with that recent ruling, Roberson’s lawyers asked the same court to apply it’s logic to his case and stay his execution.
Arguing that the expert testimony used to convict their client was “virtually identical” to that of the man whose case the court overturned.
With the attorneys urging the court to reconsider Roberson’s earlier appeal based on the junk science law, noting that a majority of the Texas House found that the law isn’t being properly implemented by the judiciary system.
But despite its ruling about shaken baby syndrome and junk science just days earlier, the court refused Roberson’s appeal.
Leaving him with few options to delay or reverse his execution, which is currently planned for this Thursday.
Now, part of the reason for that decision could be because there was one notable difference between Roberson’s case and the one that was overturned, which is that the district attorney’s office in that first case has gone back its expert testimony.
And while DA in Roberson’s case hasn’t done the same, there are plenty of people vouching for him.
Right, very notably here, a former assistant police chief who was the lead detective in the case and helped put Roberson behind bars has said he now believes he is innocent and regrets his role in the trial.
What’s more, numerous groups have also signed letters supporting his clemency, which he has requested from the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Hell, we even saw a majority of the Texas House coming together in a rare show of bipartisanship to urge the board to recommend clemency.
With 86 of the 150 members writing a letter arguing that “voluminous new scientific evidence” suggests that Roberson is innocent.
But, as far as what happens next, the board has until tomorrow to decide whether or not to recommend clemency.
And even if they do, it will be up to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to decide whether or not to grant it.
But Abbott is a famously strong supporter of the death penalty and has only intervened once to stop an execution from being carried out back in 2018.
So for now, we’ll just have to wait and see if Texas kills a man that many believe to be innocent.
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SpaceX catches rocket with giant arms script
This is one small step for man, one giant leap for crazy robot chopstick arms.
Of course, I’m talking about how SpaceX caught — yes, literally caught — half of its Starship in mid air yesterday. [B roll, 00:48]
Now in case you’re unfamiliar, Starship is the nearly 400-foot tall, largest and most powerful rocket ever built, which SpaceX plans to use to get humans to the Moon and then Mars. [Image]
Now the first three TestFlights ended in some admittedly beautiful explosions. [B roll, 00:52]
And the fourth returned to Earth without exploding, though it suffered some damage. [B roll, 00:23]
So after upgrading the software and reworking the heat shield, the fifth Starship lifted off the launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas at sunrise yesterday.
[Clip, 00:00 - 00:06]
With it then arcing over the Gulf of Mexico, but about seven minutes into the flight, it attempted one of the most daring feats SpaceX has ever done. [Continue B roll]
Right, you see, for nearly a decade now the company’s smaller Falcon 9 rockets have reused their first-stage boosters by landing them safely on floating ocean barges or inland concrete slabs. [B roll, 00:23]
And SpaceX wants to do the same thing with Starship, except for one difference. [Same B roll]
It’s gonna land the booster not on a barge, not on a slab, but right back on the launch pad.
And to pull it off, SpaceX built this tower; it’s taller than the Statue of Liberty, and it’s equipped with a pair of enormous metal arms that have been dubbed “chopsticks.” [Image]
So as the Starship’s 233-foot stainless steel booster guided itself down toward Earth yesterday, firing its raptor engines to slow the descent, the tower reached out like a mother catching her baby. [Lead B roll into clip]
And judging by the roar of the SpaceX engineers, you’d think Messi just scored a surprise comeback win with 10 seconds to spare in the World Cup. [Lead B roll with light audio into clip]
[Clip, 00:48 - 01:00]
With the booster hooking itself into place via tiny protruding bars under the four forward grid fins and getting lowered safely to the pad. [Continue B roll]
Meanwhile, the upper half of the rocket, the actual spacecraft, continued its journey around the globe. [B roll, 10:06]
Soaring more than 130 miles high, dipping into space, then landing in the Indian Ocean, where it sank, as planned. [Same B roll]
Links:
https://www.space.com/spacex-starship-flight-5-launch-super-heavy-booster-catch-success-video
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TikTok investigation revelations script
How long did it take for you to get addicted to TikTok? [Image]
Because let’s be real here; if you’re on that platform, it’s using you more than you’re using it.
So what’s your answer? A day? A few days? A week?
How about 35 minutes?
Right, that’s the number TikTok’s own internal research revealed when it studied the question, according to court documents.
With the company quantifying the precise amount of viewing it takes for someone to form a habit, arriving at 260 videos. [Quote, find “260”]
Which, assuming the average viewer spends about eight seconds per video, gets you to that 35-minute addiction time. [Quote same link, find “under 35”]
But that’s just one of many disturbing revelations from this cache of documents that have been trickling out over the past week.
Though to understand how this all started, we’ve gotta go back to April of 2022.
Because that’s when Forbes published a bombshell report on the alleged sexual exploitation enabled by TikTok. [Headline, plug into 12ft]
With company officials noting “a high” number of underage streamers receiving “gifts” or “coins,” which convert into real money, in exchange for stripping live on camera. [Quote, find “stripping”]
So at the time you had a youth and media expert at Harvard telling the outlet:
It’s “the digital equivalent of going down the street to a strip club filled with 15-year-olds. Imagine a local joint putting a bunch of minors on a stage before a live adult audience that is actively giving them money to perform whatever G, PG or PG-13 activities they request. That is sexual exploitation. But that's exactly what TikTok is doing here.” [Image and Quote, plug into 12ft]
So that report prompted a two-year investigation which finally culminated last Tuesday.
With 13 states including New York and California, as well as the District of Columbia, separately suing TikTok. [Headline]
Accusing the company of violating consumer protection laws, getting teens addicted to the platform and harming their mental health.
And now, a trove of redacted documents from Kentucky’s lawsuit that were accidentally left readable have been reviewed by NPR and Kentucky Public Radio.
So let’s dive in, starting with internal communications between some TikTok staffers who compared the app's algorithm to a slot machine. [Quote, find “slot machines”]
With a TikTok executive referring to American teens as “the golden audience” and stating, “It’s better to have young people as an early adopter,” according to California’s attorney general. [Quote same link]
Meanwhile, they knew their app was detrimental for kids’ mental health.
With TikTok’s own research concluding that “compulsive usage correlates with a slew of negative mental health effects like loss of analytical skills, memory formation, contextual thinking, conversational depth, empathy, and increased anxiety.” [Quote]
Also, one executive purportedly said, “The reason kids watch TikTok is because the algo[rithm] is really good. But I think we need to be cognizant of what it might mean for other opportunities. And when I say other opportunities, I literally mean sleep, and eating, and moving around the room, and looking at somebody in the eyes.” [Quote]
Now to be fair, TikTok has implemented a feature that allows parents to set time limits on their kids’ usage, with that ranging from 40 minutes to two hours per day.
But the platform’s own tests show that the measure only decreased usage from around 108.5 minutes per day to 107 minutes. [Quote, find “107”]
Which, if you take the words of one project manager, was actually a success.
Because they admitted that the feature’s real goal was “improving public trust in the TikTok platform via media coverage.” [Quote same link]
And adding very flatly, “Our goal is not to reduce the time spent.” [Same quote]
But just wait; somehow these documents get even more revolting.
Because according to an internal report reviewed by Kentucky’s investigators,
When TikTok’s main video feed saw “a high volume of… not attractive subjects” filling everyone’s screens, the app rejiggered its algorithm to amplify users the company viewed as beautiful. [Quote]
Though to be fair, the platform does offer its ugly kids the opportunity to become beautiful.
Notably with its beauty filters, which let users appear thinner and younger, or apply virtual makeup.
With New York’s Attorney General writing, “Beauty filters can cause body image issues and encourage eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and other health-related problems.” [Quote]
Now in its actual defense, TikTok has accused NPR of cherrypicking misleading quotes and taking outdated documents out of context. [Quote, find “outdated”]
But all these revelations come at a very bad time for the company.
With its U.S. operation set to be banned on January 19 unless it severs ties with its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Though as The Washington Post points out, “such a sale appears unlikely, given TikTok’s huge potential price tag of more than $100 billion, and the short window for completing such a geopolitically sensitive deal.” [Quote]
Plus, China has said it would ban the sale and export of one of TikTok’s most critical components, its recommendation algorithm. [Same quote]
But a third path forward for the company is to take the law banning it to the Supreme Court before January.
So we’ll see what happens there, but in the meantime, what do you think about these crazy internal documents?
Links:
https://www.npr.org/2024/10/12/g-s1-28040/teens-tiktok-addiction-lawsuit-investigation-documents
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Biden sends antimissile system and 100 troops to Israel + Other Updates (Israel accused of attacking UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, Israeli strikes hit hospital and school in Gaza, Hezbollah strike hits IDF base, Netanyahu considering plan to starve out Hamas in Gaza)
PART 1: Biden sends antimissile system and 100 troops to Israel
And then, shifting gears, let’s talk about how the US is sending one of its most advanced missile defense systems to Israel, along with about 100 American troops to operate it.
It’s the first deployment of US forces to Israel since Hamas attacked on October 7th, 2023.
But of course, while sending troops is kind of new, sending weapons isn’t.
Right, this latest shipment will just be adding to the more than 50,000 tons of armaments and military equipment that’s been sent to Israel from the US in the past year.
And notably, the deployment of this particular missile system reportedly may be an indication that Israel’s expected upcoming attack on Iran will be “so comprehensive that the Iranians will have to respond.”
Right, if you remember, Iran launched a major missile attack against Israel on October 1, with that being in response to the assassination of high-level Iranian, Hamas and Hezbollah officials.
And of course, Israel vowed its own revenge, with the country’s defense minister saying last week:
“Our strike will be powerful, precise, and above all — surprising. They will not understand what happened and how it happened.”
And when it does happen, it might also be surprising for the Biden administration.
Right, officials have reportedly been frustrated by Israel’s reluctance to share its plans for retaliation against Iran retaliation.
And in fact, American officials have repeatedly been caught off guard by Israel’s military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
But with that, I should be clear, the new missile system being sent over?
It won’t actually be used in any upcoming attack.
It’s just about defending against whatever comes next.
Right, the system is specifically designed to shoot down ballistic missiles.
It doesn’t have any warheads and isn’t used to strike buildings or conduct offensive attacks.
But of course, for a lot of people, it’s still a problem.
Right, one former U.S. Army officer who served as an analyst at the Defense Intelligence Agency – and who resigned in protest of U.S. support for Israel in Gaza – asking:
“Once this battery is in place and Israel enjoys the protection of American air defenders, what incentive does Netanyahu have to keep his word and not strike the sensitive targets he promised to avoid?”
And then, similarly, you have people arguing that sending the system signals “tacit approval” of Israel’s actions.
And with that, there’s concern that it’s also potentially encouraging the Israeli government to act more aggressively.
And there, it’s a similar debate happening at the Pentagon around sending more troops.
Right, where military officials are reportedly discussing whether sending more is helping to prevent a wider war or just emboldening Netanyahu.
And with that, the US said last month that it would send a “few thousand” American troops to the region.
And that’s on top of roughly 40,000 military personnel already in the area.
And then, even though it’s just a 100 more now, the fact that they’ll be in Israel makes it even more worrying.
Plus, American troops being hurt or killed? That’s what some say is most likely to drag the US further into the conflict.
Aaron David Miller, for example, he’s a Middle East expert who’s advised both Republican and Democratic administrations.
And you have him saying:
“If Iranian missiles hit a U.S. soldier or pro-Iranian militias in Iraq or Syria kill or wound U.S. personnel, there’s a high probability that the U.S. would take kinetic action against Iran.”
And now, if there’s American troops in Israel, where we suspect Iran is likely to target in the not-so-distant future, that risk may be even higher.
Right, with Harrison Mann, the soldier who resigned over Gaza, for example, saying:
“Even if we make the unreasonably optimistic assumption that this [defense system] can defeat any and all missiles headed its way, the Israeli military cannot guarantee the safety of these troops from drones, which have successfully penetrated Israeli bases in the past.”
I mean, to that point, this weekend, a Hezbollah strike targeting an army base in northern Israel reportedly killed four soldiers and injured 58 others.
Right, it was reportedly a relatively unsophisticated weapon that didn’t get picked up by early warning alarms.
Though, that said, of course, Israel has generally been inflicting a lot more damage than it’s been taking.
And that’s been the case over the past few days as well.
PART 2: OTHER UPDATES
I mean, starting with Lebanon .
Today, an Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building in northern Lebanon, reportedly killing at least 18 people.
And then, there’s also been a lot of conversation about Israel's treatment of UN peacekeepers in the country.
Right, they’re there in a mostly observational capacity to monitor and report violations of a UN security council resolution which ended the fighting in 2006.
Since launching its assault into Lebanon on September 30th, Israel has repeatedly urged the peacekeeping force to withdraw from areas of southern Lebanon.
And they’ve refused.
And so, what we’ve now seen is Israel facing international condemnation, including from the US, for actually attacking the peacekeepers.
Right, on Thursday, for example, two Indonesian peacekeepers were injured falling from an observation tower at their base after an Israeli tank fired towards it.
On Friday, the IDF said its troops were responsible for an incident in which two speakers from Sri Lanka were injured.
And yesterday, Israeli tanks forced their way into a peacekeeper base, busting down a gate.
With rounds being fired nearby just a couple hours later, releasing smoke which blew across the base and got at least 15 people sick.
The IDF, however, is claiming it was evacuating soldiers who had been wounded.
And saying that the smoke was deployed to aid in the evacuation.
But of course, with all this, you have people like UN secretary general António Guterres reminding everyone that any attacks on peacekeepers "may constitute a war crime.”
And with that, Israel has raised its concerns that the peacekeeping force is an obstacle to its attacks on Hezbollah.
Right, the Israeli military took foreign journalists into southern Lebanon yesterday and showed them an alleged Hezbollah tunnel that was within a few hundred feet of a UN peacekeeping position (BROLL: 0:46-0:50)
With Israeli officers claiming the presence of the tunnels was evidence that Hezbollah had built military infrastructure around UN and civilian settlements in order to use them as cover.
As well as suggesting that the peacekeepers should have heard or seen Hezbollah drilling into the mountainside to dig the tunnels.
For their part, a spokesperson for the peacemakers said they dont’t have the equipment to detect underground activity, also saying that they report all tunnels and weapons they see.
But in any case, moving onto Gaza, Israeli strikes have killed dozens in just the past couple of days.
Yesterday, five children were reportedly killed by a drone strike at a refugee camp.
And then, also yesterday, Israel attacked a school used to shelter displaced Palestinians – reportedly killing at least 22 people, including 15 children.
With the UN agency for Palestinian refugees saying the school-turned-shelter was meant to be used to administer polio vaccines.
Right, because a couple months ago, if you hadn’t heard, polio came back in Gaza after 25 years.
And that’s not even the half of it.
Right, today, an Israeli airstrike on a hospital tent camp reportedly killed at least four people and ignited a fire that injured dozens more.
With the Associated Press reporting that it has footage showing children among the wounded.
And with that, the Israeli military has said it was targeting militants hiding out among civilians, without providing evidence.
And of course, in recent months it has repeatedly attacked crowded shelters and tent camps, alleging that Hamas fighters were using them as staging grounds.
Besides the latest strikes, we’ve also had a new investigation by The New York Times finding that Israeli forces have regularly forced captured Palestinians to conduct life-threatening reconnaissance missions to avoid putting Israeli soldiers at risk.
Right, for example, Palestinian detainees have reportedly been coerced to explore places in Gaza where the Israeli military believes that Hamas militants have prepared an ambush or a booby trap.
With the Times saying that this practice has gradually become more widespread since the start of the war last October.
And so, all of that shit we just talked about?
It’s of course why there’s still a lot of angry Palestine supporters here in the US.
Which actually brings us to the protest we had here today, with people from Jewish Voice for Peace staging a sit-in at the New York Stock Exchange (BROLL:0:00-0:14)
Right, with the group writing on X:
"As Gaza is bombed, Wall Street booms. The stock prices of weapons manufacturers have skyrocketed this year. The U.S. war economy is profiting from genocide. The 50+ members of Congress who invest in arms companies get richer every day."
And with that, you had Jewish Voice for Peace also sharing images and clips of protesters being dragged away by police (1, 2).
And that’s where I’ll leave it today.
Right, for now, as always, we'll just have to wait and see where things go from here.
