GUILTY! Laken Riley's Murderer Gets Life, Logan Paul BBC Situation, Jaguar "Woke" Rebrand Backlash
PDS Published 11/20/2024
-
The man accused of murdering Laken (Lake-in) Riley will be spending the rest of his life in prison.
Right, Riley was a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia.
Back in February, she went out for a jog one morning,
But after she didn’t come back a few hours later and because she wasn’t answering her phone, her roommate called campus police – who then found her body at a park on campus, reports saying it had been brutally beaten.
With a coroner later confirming she died of blunt force trauma and asphyxiation. []
The following day, police arrested a man named Jose Ibarra (EE-bar-ah), with them noting that he had multiple scratches along his arms. []
Then in May, a grand jury indicted him on 10 different crimes: three felony murder charges, malice murder, kidnapping, aggravated assault with intent to rape, aggravated battery, tampering with evidence, peeping tom, and hindering a 911 call. []
With police saying EE-bar-ah didn’t know Riley, that this was an isolated incident and calling it a “crime of opportunity,” []
But still, all of that pretty much immediately set off a political fire storm.
Right, because this isn’t just a story of a man attacking an undefended woman in the middle of the woods.
EE-bar-ah is also an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela, so we’ve seen a lot of conservatives latching onto this story, blaming the Biden Administration. []
For example, Senator Katie Britt saying this:
“She was brutally murdered by one of the millions of illegal border crossers President Biden chose to release into our homeland. Y'all, as a mom, I can't quit thinking about this. I mean, this could have been my daughter. This could have been yours." (0:40-1:04)
Also, back in March, Marjorie Taylor Greene shouting “Lake-in Riley” during Biden’s State of the Union, prompting this moment:
MTG: “What about Laken Riley?”
Biden: “Lincoln Riley, an innocent young women who was killed by an illegal. That’s right, but how many thousands of people being killed by legals?” 0:19-0:38
You also had Riley’s killing becoming a rallying cry for Trump’s re-election campaign, with him and some other Republicans claiming that undocumented immigrants are fueling violent crime in the country. [][]
Though that’s counter to a number of reports, including a recent one from the National Institutes of Justice, which found lower crime rates across the board for undocumented immigrants compared to legal citizens. []
It even spurred the “Laken Riley Act,” which would require federal officials to arrest and detain undocumented immigrants accused of some crimes until they’re deported. []
And while that bill easily cleared the House with bipartisan support back in March, it still hasn’t been voted on in the Senate. [][]
Though, with all that, EE-bar-ah’s immigration status hasn’t really been a factor in the trial.
Right, instead, the focus was on him, you know, being a murderer.
With Riley’s stepfather tearfully struggling to read through one of her journal entries that of course, now, will never come true:
“To my future husband, I want you to know that I’m thinking about you and working every day to become the best wife I can be and working through my current relationships that best prepare me for ours and our kids one day.” (0:36-0:55)
“I can’t wait to love you in the best way I know how for the rest of our lives.” (1:37-1:42)
And prosecutors describing EE-bar-ah as a predator who “went hunting for females” at the university.
And special prosecutor Sheila Ross specifically saying:
“When Laken Riley refused to be his rape victim, he bashed her skull in with a rock repeatedly.”
And then, presenting evidence including the discovery of EE-bar-ah’s DNA under Riley’s fingernails, and his thumbprint on her phone screen.
Also describing surveillance footage purportedly showing EE-bar-ah attempting to dispose of evidence after the killing.[]
And on top of all that, a number of local and federal law enforcement witnesses provided detailed accounts placing EE-bar-ah at the scene, mainly through cellphone data and GPS data from Riley’s smart watch.[]
The defense argued that while the evidence was “graphic and disturbing,” it didn’t prove EE-bar-ah’s guilt.
Also saying there was no evidence that EE-bar-ah intended to rape her. []
But in the end, after EE-bar-ah previously waived his right to a jury, Judge H. Patrick Haggard found him guilty on all charges.
And with that, he’s been sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole.
Which is exactly what prosecutors asked for, with them declining to seek the death penalty.
And now, we’re already seeing the people, especially those who politicized Riley’s death to demonize undocumented immigrants, celebrating.
Trump, for example, writing on X:
“The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes.
It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!” []
With all this coming as worries about Trump’s plans for immigration are growing.
For example, this week, we had him confirming that he intended to declare a national emergency and use the military for mass deportations.
But that’s where we are right now.
Let me know your thoughts down below.
-
Then we have a bit of branding controversy news because one: Jaguar changed its logo and is revamping its image entirely.
And two: people apparently care a whole fucking lot about Jaguar’s logo and image.
There are a few parts facing backlash, so I will start with the logo here, because they are pivoting away from that famous big cat known as the “leaper,”
And moving to a more minimal version of that image where cat is sort of just the negative space of some horizontal lines.
They are also changing the font for the brand, which will now say “jaguar” in very spaced apart, simple lettering, with the J, G and U very subtly the only uppercase letters in the name, while the rest are lowercase.
With Jaguar saying that:
“It is a powerful celebration of modernism – geometric form, symmetry and simplicity – demonstrating the unexpected by seamlessly blending upper and lowercase characters in visual harmony.”[]
But as CNN said, there is probably other intent behind that capital lettering, like how one might say it out loud if there is emphasis on the G and U, explaining:
“It’s also a little less of the American “Jag-wahr,” and a bit more of the traditional “Jag-you-are,” as it’s said across the pond.”[]
This rebrand comes as the company is in the middle of transitioning to go electric by 2026.[]
And in this transition era, it has actually stopped selling cars in the British market and is only selling one model stateside.[]
And to mark that it is really going in a new direction, the company put out a video promotion online that shows a bunch of models with very blank expressions wearing bright and wacky clothes against clashing bright backgrounds,
They look very futuristic and also Tilda Swinton-esque as catchphrases flash over them and synthy music that sounds kind of like a heartbeat in an ultrasound plays.
But one thing that is notably missing that you might assume you would see in an ad for Jaguar is, well, cars.
Not a car in sight in that little clip.
And the lack of cars has caused quite a stir online, it has also sparked an anti-woke backlash because of the diversity of the models in the ad. [][][][][]
Others just generally not understanding the rebrand and video in general, with Marques Brownlee writing:[]
“This is horrible. It's also the most anybody has talked about Jaguar in 50 years.”
Others adding: []
“this will be taught in schools as how NOT to do a rebrand.”
And tons of people thinking it’s ironic that Jaguar is using the phrase “copy nothing” as it boasts this rebrand considering it is roughly the one millionth company to switch its logo to something modern and basic.[]
Per Fortune, Jaguar’s chief creative officer even had to tell reporters that his team “not been sniffing the white stuff” when coming up with this.[]
With the outlet also saying of this rebrand:
“The problem is that to be effective, brand campaigns need to deliver on their promise with actual products that live up to the claims made. And for the moment, Jaguar has little to show for itself.”
Though, the company will showcase more of this rebrand at Miami art week in December, so Fortune said that basically, everything is riding on that event.
And so with this, you do have some, not a lot, but some, arguing this whole thing could have a payoff, writing:[]
“I have no idea what this is all about, but it’s genius. Everyone is talking about Jaguar in a moment of time when they’re not actually making cars.”
But as one marketing professor explained to the AP, this whole thing just strikes the wrong tone for buyers because Jaguar is not using its heritage to sell, even though it has such a strong reputation.[]
But of course, I would love to know your thoughts if you have them.
-
Logan Paul trolled the BBC into flying to Puerto Rico for a fake interview.
That is a real thing that happened as the outlet was investigating Logan’s crypto wallet.
The investigation was part of a documentary titled “Logan Paul: Bad Influence?” which will actually air today, and this morning BBC published an article about the crypto allegations against Logan alongside its release.
That article claiming that the BBC had seen evidence suggesting that Logan promoted investments without revealing he stood to benefit from them.
But the most interesting part about this piece was not the crypto allegations themselves, right, what was really wild was BBC’s attempts to contact Logan about them.
With BBC explaining:
“For several months, Paul refused to talk to the BBC about our investigation. Then he appeared to relent, inviting us to interview him at his gym in Puerto Rico.”
So they sent him a list of the allegations they wanted him to respond to, they traveled to Puerto Rico so they could get answers in-person, even braving a tropical storm to do so, but when it was time to sit down with Logan Paul, this is what happened:
“Alright alright alright. How are you enjoying Puerto Rico?...Eh, yeah, pretty good man. I have to say, the real Logan Paul looks very different…did you come all the way over here to ask about how I look?...Is Logan coming?...I’m right here bud. You came all the way to Puerto Rico from England. This is your interview, what have you got?” (0:08-0:27)
Right, so as you can probably tell, that is not Logan Paul, that is a lookalike.
And I am using the word “lookalike” very, very loosely here, right, because what Logan really did was send a dude, who, no shade, but I’m gonna guess is a little older than Logan Paul.
He then put that guy in a wig, at least I think it’s a wig, and backwards cap and that is where the looking alike starts and ends.
According to TMZ, he is a well known Logan Paul imposter named Rodney Peterson.[]
And obviously the journalist interviewing him is not tricked by this, and eventually says:
“Let’s just get out of here. I’m not doing this…this is ridiculous.” (0:37-0:42)
And then, the bit goes even further when you can hear presumably staged protestors chanting against the BBC:
“You came all the way to Puerto Rico for this interview….BBC is vile! BBC is vile! They hire pedophiles! They hire pedophiles!” (0:45-0:51)
With BBC writing in the article that:
“We had flown all that way just to be trolled.”
“Minutes after abandoning the interview, we received a lawyer’s letter on behalf of Paul, warning us of the possible consequences if we published our findings.”
As far as the findings in BBC’s investigation, they touched on previous crypto controversies we had talked about with Logan in the past like Dink Doink and CryptoZoo.
And to further investigate Logan’s potential wrongdoings in the crypto sphere, they looked at a wallet that publicly belonged with him, as well as an anonymous one that “appears to have close connections” to him.
This because the anonymous wallet got funds from Logan’s public wallet before trading.
And the BBC found several meme coins that Logan had posted about, prompting them to increase in value and enrich his wallet.
And while the outlet said it cannot be sure of his intentions, it seems pretty clear that his posts effected the price of some of these coins, with one tech journalist adding:
“A big guy with a lot of influence... someone like Logan Paul, buys a ton of crypto and tells their followers about it. They're going to buy it too.”
So far, Logan has not posted about this ordeal, and we will have to see what else comes out in this documentary, but in the meantime, I would love to know your thoughts on this stint.
PDS Debt is offering a free debt analysis. It only takes thirty seconds. Get yours at PDS Debt
-
But that is not the only Paul brothers news we have, because Jake Paul is also making headlines today.
This because of his fight with Mike Tyson, who he defeated over the weekend, broke a ton of records.
With Netflix putting out a press release yesterday saying it averaged an estimated 108 million live viewers globally, also peaking at 65 million concurrent streams, making it “the most-streamed sporting event ever.”[]
On top of that, ESPN reported that the fight broke betting records and became one of most heavily-wagered fights in years.
A spokesperson for BetMGM telling the outlet that more bets were placed and more cash was wagered on that fight than any other boxing or MMA event in the company’s seven year history.
It was also the most bet combat sports match for ESPN BET since the sportsbook launched last year.
But that is where the good news for Netflix, Jake, and Mike ends, because according to TMZ, the streaming service is facing a lawsuit over quality issues during the fight.
Right, if you watched it at all or even just used social media while the fight was going on, you knew Netflix was crashing out for tons of people, videos going viral of people getting every error code under the sun.
And now, TMZ reports that a man named Ronald “Blue” Denton filed a class action suit in Florida because he struggled to watch the broadcast.
Claiming he faced “legendary” problems like no access, glitches, and buffering issues.
And he is seeking unspecified damages for breach of contract and other claims.
And while Netflix has not publicly addressed this suit, a Bloomberg reporter did obtain a statement that one exec gave to staffers, which said:[]
“This unprecedented scale created many technical challenges, which the launch team tackled brilliantly by prioritizing stability of the stream for the majority of viewers…We don't want to dismiss the poor experience of some members, and know we have room for improvement, but still consider this event a huge success.”
But I would love to know your thoughts on any of this here.
-
Texas is trying to put the Bible in public schools and people have A LOT of feelings about it.
Right, the Texas State Board of Education just threw their support behind a new Bible-infused elementary school curriculum. []
It was only a preliminary vote - with the real one scheduled for Friday - but 8 of the 15 state school board members gave the thumbs-up. []
Meaning that the Bluebonnet Learning curriculum will stay on the list of approved curricula for K through 5 reading and language arts materials in 2025.
And if you’re wondering just what it means for a curriculum to be “Bible-infused,” let me give you a few examples of what we’re seeing here -
One kindergarten lesson on the Golden Rule reportedly introduces kids to Jesus and his Sermon on the Mount in the New Testament. []
Another kindergarten unit about art appreciation would focus primarily on the book of Genesis and the art inspired by it. []
In a fifth grade lesson about Juneteenth, kids compare the book of Daniel to Martin Luther King, Jr. 's “Letters from Birmingham Jail.” []
And a lesson about Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” reportedly includes several verses from the book of Matthew and an account of the last meal the 12 disciples had with Jesus. []
Now, it is important to note that this curriculum isn’t mandatory - it’s technically optional.
But because Bluebonnet Learning was developed by the Texas Education Agency, the state’s school districts would get extra funding if they choose to adopt it - with CNN reporting that schools could get as much as $40 per student. []
And when you’re talking about the 2.3 million K through 5 public school students in Texas, that adds up fast. []
As you can imagine, there have been many strong reactions to this.
In fact, when the Board of Education met on Monday, there were reportedly over 100 people offering 7 hours worth of public comments before they had to adjourn until Tuesday. []
In the “hell no” camp, you had many parents, even Christians, arguing that it was their right to choose how their kids learn about religion, not the state’s. []
Then there were Texans who aren’t Christian saying that the lessons in the Bluebonnet curriculum are inappropriate for a classroom and completely lack balance.
Like one Jewish grandmother from San Antonio who said,
“I believe my grandkids should share our family’s religion. I need help stopping the government from teaching them to be Christians.” []
Which was a sentiment echoed by the Texas AFT - a large teacher union - which said the Bluebonnet curriculum’s, quote,
“extensive, lopsided coverage of Christianity and the Bible suggests that this is the only religious tradition of any importance.” []
Adding,
"That is not a message that Texas public schools, which are called to serve a religiously diverse population, have any business conveying." []
And then there were those who took issue with the quality of the lessons - from both a religious and educational perspective.
Like Amanda Tyler, the executive director of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty, who said the curriculum is, quote, “neither instructionally sound, nor factually accurate” and would be misleading for young kids. []
And the Texas Freedom Network, a watchdog monitoring the state education board, said that the curriculum spends too much time on Christianity and dances around the history of slavery. []
With one educator adding,
“This curriculum fails to meet the standard of an honest, secular one. Public schools are meant to educate, not indoctrinate.” []
Not to mention the concerns about the establishment clause in the US Constitution - AKA the separation of church and state. []
But, obviously, there were those that are all for Bluebonnet Learning to be adopted in schools - making the argument that including Bible passages will enhance cultural literacy and students’ understanding of American values. []
With Texas Governor Greg Abbott calling these lessons “high-quality instructional materials” that will, quote,
“... allow our students to better understand the connection of history, art, community, literature and religion on pivotal events like the signing of the U.S. Constitution, the Civil Rights Movement and the American Revolution.” []
And in response to the complaints regarding lack of religious balance in the curriculum, Jonathan Covey, the director of policy for Texas Values, said,
“It has always been understood that religion has a place in American civic society.” []
Adding,
“...there’s no rule that says ‘If you have 25 references to the Bible, you must have 25 references to every other religion.’”
For now, that’s where we’re at - we’re just going to have to wait and see what the final vote brings on Friday. []
But I would love to know your thoughts about this - especially if you’re in Texas right now.
Let me know in those comments down below.
-
This lady attacked a couple in a Panera bread over a Palestine hoodie!
Right, you may have seen this video circulating online the last couple of days. [B Roll 1:07-1:29]
And the story here is that this lady was in a Panera when she sees Waseem Zahran (Wah-seem Za-rahn) wearing a hoodie that said Palestine on the back.
And I guess she took that personally because she confronts him - asking if he’s Palestinian and starts swearing at him, hitting him, and swinging at his pregnant wife.
With Waseem saying in an interview that she was just spewing hate at them,
“.. went into my face and said, ‘Are you Palestinian?’ Which I said yes and she said, ‘F- you, F- Palestine.’ Um ‘This is - Palestine is my land, it’s not your land.’ Um, ‘You can’t wear that in America.’ Uh, “You guys don’t belong in America.’” (0:46-1:02)
And according to Waseem, this lady followed them across the restaurant when they tried to walk away and continued assaulting them.
It wasn’t until Waseem told her that if she kept it up, he was going to punch her that she took a step back and things chilled out.
With Waseem saying to Fox News 32,
"I did everything I could to not touch her because I knew as soon as I did anything … the roles would be reversed. It would be she's the victim and the strong, brown, handsome man attacked like a young poor lady, and I didn't want the story to be reversed. And she gets away with what she did." []
But the real question is why no one stepped in while this lady was straight-up attacking these people.
With Waseem saying,
“I mean, as a Palestinian American, I’m used to verbal hate. Um, you hear insults thrown at you whenever I wear a Palestinian hoodie or a kofee or even my wife wearing a hijab. Um, hate is very common in our community. But having physical hate after being - over a minute long and still no one coming to help us is kinda shocking, honestly.” (4:19- 4:42)
But beyond the inaction, Waseem has gotten even more harassment.
With him saying that as this video has gone viral, he’s gotten a bunch of hateful messages - with him saying,
"I received death threats, saying how like, ‘I hope your baby dies’ and ‘I hope your wife gets deported when Trump is back.’ It honestly just shows how our society is right now." []
The silver lining here is that this lady has been arrested and is facing two counts of hate crime and one count of misdemeanor disorderly conduct. []
With the local authorities saying,
"This type of behavior is not and will never be tolerated in our community.” []
Adding,
"Every member of society, regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or any other individual characteristic, deserves to be treated with respect and civility.” []
But I would love to know your thoughts about this in those comments down below.
Go to Rocket Money to cancel your unwanted subscriptions.
-
Toxic smog has absolutely covered the Indian capital of Delhi (BROLL: 0:10-0:17)
And while that’s not entirely new, this time? We’re talking about record-breaking pollution – with levels hitting 50 times the safe limit in some parts of the city.
Right, on Monday, for example, Swiss company IQair said the city’s overall air quality index exceeded 1,600.
And for reference, less than 50 is considered good.
And anything above 301 is considered hazardous, potentially leading to severe eye and throat irritation and serious heart and lung conditions.
With the American Environmental Protection Agency basically considering anything beyond 500 to be off the charts.
Right, it’s so severe that the city’s chief minister declared it a “medical emergency.”
With one Indian politician pointing out on X that Delhi was not just the most polluted city in the world.
It was nearly five times as bad as the second most polluted city: Dhaka, Bangladesh (Dah-kuh, Bong-luh-desh).
With one doctor saying just existing in the city is like smoking 50 cigarettes a day.
And with all that, authorities have shut down schools, halted construction work, and banned non-essential trucks from entering the city.
And then, besides that, people are encouraged to stay inside.
But of course, some people can’t, and even if they can, it may not help that much.
Right, a lot of people can’t afford air filters, and many homes offer little protection from this level of smog.
You know, which just shows how this ties into another big issue facing India, which is massive inequality.
And to that point, you have one 70-year-old man who makes his living selling books at a roadside stall telling The Guardian:
“I can feel burning sensations in my eyes, lungs and belly. I know this toxic air is killing my lungs further, but I cannot stay home. My earnings are hand-to-mouth,”
And adding: “It is a fight to stay alive no matter how little you can.”
“People have to breathe even if they know here in Delhi they are breathing poison.”
And with that, of course, it’s not just Delhi, and it’s not just right now.
Right, one, other parts of India and also Pakistan have been massively affected.
And two, pollution is an all-year problem.
One reason for that being that India generates well over half of its electricity from coal,
And then, in big cities like Delhi, all that pollution is combined with emissions from millions of cars and poorly regulated industry (BROLL: 0:01-0:04)
Plus, in winter, it gets even worse because of a phenomenon known as “thermal inversion” – which is what’s happening right now.
Right, basically, the colder, heavier winter air traps pollutants close to the ground, worsening the smog.
Not to mention this is also the time of year thousands of farmers burn off agricultural waste after the harvest season (BROLL: 0:44-0:51)
With one estimate suggesting these fires have contributed as much as 40 percent of the pollution in Delhi.
And with all that, there’s a lot of people calling for major change.
Last month, for example, ruled that clean air was a fundamental human right, slamming the government for inaction, and ordering national and state-level authorities to do more.
But also, notably, the court has been taking action on this issue for decades.
And of course, we’re still where we are now.
But with that, if any of you are from or living in India, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this issue.
-
Israel is now offering to pay millions of dollars for each hostage released from Gaza.
Right, Netanyahu announced the reward in a video shot in central Gaza, with him saying:
“Whoever dares to harm our hostages will pay the price. We will pursue you and we will find you.”
“Whoever brings us a hostage, will find a safe way out for himself and his family.”
And finally: “We will also give $5 million for every hostage.” (BROLL: 0:40-0:55)
And of course, that’s pretty controversial.
Right, with the mother of one hostage still in Gaza, for example, telling CNN:
“The prime minister is trading the hostages’ lives.”
And then saying: “It’s unbelievable that the man who funded Hamas is once again offering money to Hamas.”
And there, she’s talking about a controversial Israeli-backed deal in which millions of dollars were sent to Hamas to keep Palestinians divided.
But in any case, this may just be Bibi’s latest attempt to deal with mounting criticism from his own people.
Right, many Israelis, including the families of hostages, have accused him of prolonging the war.
With one example being in August, for instance, when Netanyahu set out brand new conditions for a ceasefire, like insisting that Israel maintain control of a strip of Gaza along the Egyptian border.
And with that, critics say his reason for prolonging the war is to hang on to power.
Right, because notably, there are members of his governing coalition who have threatened to abandon Netanyahu if he agrees to a ceasefire.
And with that, critics say his far-right allies may be able to help him beat the corruption charges against him.
In fact, last year, they helped pass a law blocking the ability of the country’s judiciary to declare the prime minister unfit for office – which critics claimed was a way to protect Netanyahu.
And there, quick recap, Netanyahu is battling charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust based on allegations that he granted political favors to wealthy businessmen in exchange for gifts and sympathetic media coverage.
Last week, an Israeli court rejected his request to have his testimony delayed, so he’s expected to take the stand on December 2nd.
Though, that said, he’s reportedly still trying to wriggle his way out of it.
With an Israeli newspaper reporting that he has asked the internal security service to provide an opinion claiming he’d be in danger if he testified.
And while they denied that request, we’ll have to wait and see if he tries something else.
But also, with that, it’s not the only scandal rocking the Israeli government right now.
Right, while Netanyahu’s case goes back years, there’s a new case involving the alleged efforts of several Israeli officials and military officers to illegally influence public opinion in the PM’s favor.
Including by leaking classified military documents, altering official transcripts of his conversations, and intimidating people who controlled access to those records.
But with all that, Netanyahu is still insisting that he wont stop until Hamas no longer rules Gaza, and saying Israel was making progress toward this goal.
But of course, that’s as the Israeli military has repeatedly returned to areas of Gaza that it previously said had been cleared.
Earlier this week, for example, a single air strike on a residential block in northern Gaza reportedly killed at least 34 people
And today, strikes throughout the territory killed at least 33 people, with dozens more being wounded, including in designated humanitarian zones, schools, and a hospital.
The UN is also now warning that virtually no aid has reached northern Gaza in 40 days.
And with that, already overwhelmed medical facilities are reportedly seeing more and more children showing up showing signs of malnutrition.
Although, of course, it’s not just the north.
Right, in the southern half of Gaza, officials say looting by criminal groups unaffiliated with Hamas may now be the biggest obstacle to the distribution of aid.
In the latest major incident, 98 out of 109 trucks carrying food aid from one southern crossing were ransacked by armed men overnight.
And notably, the problem has reportedly gotten worse since Israel began targeting civilian police officers who had been guarding humanitarian convoys, citing their affiliation with the Hamas-run government.
Also very notable, according to a UN memo obtained by The Washington Post, these gangs, quote, “may be benefiting from a passive if not active benevolence” or “protection” from the Israeli military.
With aid organizations further claiming that Israeli authorities have denied most of their requests for better measures to safeguard convoys.
Also saying Israeli forces within view of the attacks have failed on multiple occasions to intervene.
And all this, after last week, a UN special committee determined Israel’s warfare methods in Gaza are consistent with genocide, including use of starvation as weapon of war.
The Israeli military has, of course, denied the allegations.
And so, that’s the situation in Gaza, but also, we’re keeping an eye on Lebanon.
Right, Lebanese and Hezbollah officials have reportedly agreed to a US ceasefire proposal.
And now, a US envoy is in Israel to push for it. .
So, we’ll be watching that and see if, for once, anything actually comes of it.
![[]](https://nij.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh171/files/images/2024-09/ex2-violent-crime-offending-rates-by-citizenship-documentation-2012-2018.jpg){kind=link}
