Israel Prepares For Invasion & Tesla Might Get Blocked
November 6, 2023
Getting Worse In Gaza
The situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate under Israel’s siege, aerial bombardment, and ground invasion. Civilians lost access to telecommunications infrastructure for the third time since October 7 as Israeli forces announced they’d encircled Gaza City. “Today there is north Gaza and south Gaza,” said an IDF Rear Admiral, calling the encirclement of northern Gaza a “significant stage” in Israel’s invasion, adding that IDF forces are likely to enter Gaza City within the next 48 hours.
As the IDF made its move into northern Gaza, the Al Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza was rocked by a massive explosion. The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said that at least 45 people were killed in the blast, which it blamed on IDF airstrikes. According to the UNRWA, Al Maghazi was home to about 33,000 people, who were squeezed into a 0.2-square-mile area.
The Gaza director of that same agency said that the average Palestinian living in Gaza is subsisting on two pieces of bread per day. The bread is made from flour brought into Gaza by the U.N. and whatever water people can find – another U.N. official said that many Palestinians have been forced to turn to brackish or saline groundwater for some of their needs. Fuel is also in increasingly short supply, as bakeries, desalination plants, and hospitals compete for resources.
Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited the occupied West Bank on Sunday before heading to Baghdad for talks with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Blinken said that the U.S. was “engaged in pursuing humanitarian pauses” in Gaza, but noted prior to the meeting that his country believes a ceasefire would only allow Hamas to regroup for another attack.
Oh, and a minister of Israel’s coalition government was suspended indefinitely after saying that dropping a nuke on Gaza is “one of the possibilities” in the conflict, stating that there are “no non-combatants in Gaza.” So, there’s that.
Want To Know More?
- Iran says US ‘will be hit hard’ if no ceasefire in Gaza, Tasnim reports (Reuters)
- Democratic Rep. Tlaib accuses Biden of supporting Palestinian ‘genocide’ and warns of political ramifications (CNN)
- White House resigned, frustrated by Israel’s onslaught (WaPo, $)
Some Good News
- New U.S. Quarter Honors Maria Tallchief, America’s First Prima Ballerina (Smithsonian)
- Resc-ewed: Britain’s loneliest sheep saved from shoreline (BBC)
Saying Nopium To Opium
- According to the U.N., the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan has led to a massive decline in the country’s cultivation of opium poppies. Last year, the Taliban government banned the cultivation of narcotics, causing opium cultivation to drop from 576,000 acres in 2022 to just 26,700 acres in 2023 – supply of the poppies dropped by 95% over the past year to just 333 tons.
- Afghanistan is estimated to supply about 80% of the world’s illicit opium, with many local farmers relying on the poppies to make ends meet – selling opium, as you might imagine, is a little more profitable than growing wheat. The ban on cultivation is expected to have two negative outcomes: it’s likely to weaken farmers’ incomes in a country where ⅔ of the population is already in need of humanitarian aid, and it might force consumers to turn to opium alternatives like fentanyl.
- “Over the coming months Afghanistan is in dire need of strong investment in sustainable livelihoods to provide Afghan farmers with opportunities away from opium,” said Ghada Waly, the executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). “This presents a real opportunity to build towards long-term results against the illicit opium market and the damage it causes both locally and globally.”
The New Open Door Policy
- At the annual China International Import Expo in Shanghai on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Qiang told diplomats and trade leaders that Beijing is committed to opening up the country to more international trade. “No matter how the world changes, China’s pace of opening up will never stall, and its determination to share development opportunities with the world will never change,” Qiang said in opening remarks.
- Representatives from over 3,400 companies attended the conference, with 200 of those being returning guests. While Chinese imports dipped this year as the country struggled with its real estate crisis, Qiang said its imports were projected to hit $17 trillion within the next five years.
- He also announced that China would begin to “actively promote” its application to join the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) next year, which would strengthen its international trade relations. The trade pact’s current members are Britain, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam.
Additional World News
- Nepal earthquake kills at least 157 and buries families in rubble of collapsed homes (CBS)
- Russian Jews fear Israel-Hamas war awakening sleeping antisemitism (Guardian)
- Afghans fleeing Pakistan lack water, food and shelter once they cross the border, aid groups say (AP)
- Guinea’s ex-junta leader recaptured after prison break, defense ministry says (CNN)
- Emotional outburst on live TV from Gaza over death of reporter encapsulates collective grief (ABC)
- Japan’s PM tours Philippine patrol ship and boosts alliances amid maritime tensions (ABC)
- A Ukrainian missile strike on a shipyard in Crimea damages a Russian ship (NPR)
“Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in which you can walk with love and reverence.” – Henry David Thoreau
A Popular Movement That Can’t Budge The White House
- Thousands of protesters gathered in the nation’s capital this weekend for a pro-Palestine protest, calling for a ceasefire as the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip worsens by the day. Over 500 groups organized to get their participants to Washington, D.C. to represent the growing calls for Israel (and President Biden) to ease up on the missile strikes.
- Protesters marched to the White House after a rally, and the groups arranged transportation from 22 states, including Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and Puerto Rico. According to Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER), 300,000 people showed up to the protest. U.S. officials continue to call for “humanitarian pauses” rather than using the word “ceasefire.”
Losing In Court But Winning In The Polls
- If you weren’t feeling dejected enough about the state of the world, former President Trump is doing quite well in the polls lately. In a series of hypothetical matchups among registered voters in four key swing states – Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan – Trump is leading, according to polling from The New York Times and Siena College.
- Nevada has Trump 52% to Biden’s 41%, Georgia has Trump 49% to Biden’s 43%, Arizona has Trump 49% to Biden’s 44%, and Michigan has Trump 48% to Biden’s 43%. All four states went for Biden in the 2020 election, including Georgia, where Trump currently faces RICO charges for his attempts to overturn the election. Biden campaign spokesman Kevin Munoz downplayed the polling in a statement Sunday, telling CNN, “Predictions more than a year out tend to look a little different a year later.”
Additional USA Reads
- Civil fraud trial: Trump’s decades of testimony provide some clues about how he’ll fight for his empire (AP)
- Mississippi Democrats wrestle with backing ‘pro-life’ Brandon Presley for governor (NBC)
- San Jose officer fired after sending racially biased, ‘disgusting’ messages, police say (CNN)
- ‘High stakes’ school board elections are already influencing 2024 races (Politico)
- Johnson’s first moves show he’ll stick with House GOP hard-liners (WaPo, $)
- Many Kentucky counties are consolidating polling sites, raising concerns about access (NPR)
- ‘Take it or leave it’: Acrimony flares amid tenuous agreement on climate aid (Politico)
A Blockade Of Cars
- Four Swedish ports are threatening to set up a blockade of Tesla products entering the country. The threat of the blockade would affect all four ports where Teslas are brought into the country – Malmö, Gothenburg, Trelleborg, and Södertälje.
- The Swedish Transport Workers’ Union, which represents 57,000 transportation workers including Swedish dockworkers, said that the blockade is set to begin on November 7, and that “no Teslas will be able to enter Sweden.” The action comes in response to Tesla’s refusal to sign a collective agreement with the union representing workers at Tesla’s Swedish repair shops.
- About 90% of all of the country’s workers are covered by collective agreements between their unions and employers. Workers at the Tesla shops earn less than mechanics at other shops, and also don’t have pensions or insurance because of the lack of a collective agreement. In response to the blockade threat, Tesla has already resumed negotiations with the Swedish mechanics, despite the company’s staunch opposition to unionization everywhere else in the world.
Additional Reads
- What the Golden Gate Is (Finally) Doing About Suicides (NYT, $)
- On TikTok, views of pro-Palestine posts far surpass views of pro-Israel posts (Axios)
- WATCH: Video: Asteroid Bennu unveiled at Smithsonian (CNN)
- Supporters celebrate opening of Gay Games in Hong Kong, first in Asia, despite lawmakers’ opposition (AP)
- Tyson plant closures prompt economic soul-searching in the Ozarks (NBC)
- Tens of thousands of ancient coins found off Sardinia (AP)
- Epic v. Google, explained (The Verge)