People Allowed To Leave Gaza & What Hollywood CEOs Really Make
November 2, 2023
Raining Death, Letting People Out Of Gaza, And Raining More Death
For the second day in a row, Israeli airstrikes have hit the Jabaliya refugee camp near Gaza City. Tuesday’s bombing was estimated to have killed dozens of people and injured over a hundred more, while authorities are still determining the number of casualties from Wednesday’s airstrike. The IDF claims that the airstrikes killed dozens of Hamas militants. On the same day as the second round of airstrikes, at least 320 foreign passport holders were able to leave Gaza for the first time since the conflict began through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, with more crossings scheduled for later this week.
The diplomatic efforts leading to the crossing were spearheaded by Qatar, with input from Egypt, Israel, Hamas, and the U.S. A handful of U.S. citizens were among those allowed to leave Gaza, with more expected to be let out soon. One U.S. citizen still in Gaza said that the White House “has reliable information that limited departures from Gaza may begin this week. U.S. citizens and family members will be assigned specific departure dates to ensure an orderly crossing.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty International says that the IDF has hit civilians in southern Lebanon with white phosphorus shells multiple times over the past month. White phosphorus is a controversial incendiary munition that’s useful for illuminating military targets at night and setting up smokescreens. It’s also a deadly weapon that can cause widespread destruction when aimed at civilian populations, setting buildings ablaze and burning human flesh to the bone. Russia has come under heavy criticism for using the weapon against civilian populations in Ukraine – a move that’s considered a war crime. Video evidence reviewed by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Washington Post also shows the IDF using white phosphorus in Gaza City.
Want To Know More?
- South American countries recall ambassadors and cut ties with Israel over war with Hamas (Guardian)
- Jordan recalls envoy in Israel over Gaza bombardment (Reuters)
- Top UN official in New York steps down citing ‘genocide’ of Palestinian civilians (Guardian)
Some Good News
- When Kim Kardashian’s nipple bra dropped, some people laughed. Breast cancer patients rejoiced. (USA Today)
- FDA considers first CRISPR gene editing treatment that may cure sickle cell (CNN)
Italy’s Best And Brightest, Everyone
- In a call with people she thought were officials from the African Union, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni leaked that many people in Europe were experiencing “fatigue” with the ongoing war in Ukraine. Unfortunately for Italy’s leader, she was actually talking to a pair of Russian pranksters named Vovan and Lexus, who released the call audio online.
- “I see that there is a lot of fatigue, I have to say the truth, from all the sides,” she said. “We [are] near the moment in which everybody understands that we need a way out.” The (embarrassing) call comes as both Europe and the U.S. have noted a decline in popular support for the war in Ukraine.
- “Exhaustion with the war rolls along like a wave,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a recent interview. “You see it in the United States, in Europe. And we see that as soon as they start to get a little tired, it becomes like a show to them: ‘I can’t watch this rerun for the 10th time.’”
The Hermit Kingdom Becomes More Hermit-y
- According to media reports from across the globe, North Korea is preparing to close up to a dozen of its embassies worldwide. North Korean state media said that state diplomats conducted “farewell” visits to Angola and Uganda last week, and the country also appears set to close its diplomatic missions to Spain and Hong Kong.
- “They appear to be withdrawing as their foreign currency earning business has stumbled due to the international community’s strengthening of sanctions, making it difficult to maintain the embassies any longer,” said South Korea’s inter-Korean affairs ministry. “This can be a sign of North Korea’s difficult economic situation, where it is difficult to maintain even minimal diplomatic relations with traditionally friendly countries.” Of course, South Korea might not be the best source for unbiased news on its neighbor to the north.
- A website on North Korean politics, NK Pro, said that the embassy closings could be “one of the country’s biggest foreign policy shakeups in decades,” making the already-isolated country lose even more of its diplomatic ties with its few close allies in Africa. The closings might also limit its scarce opportunities to earn foreign currencies through diplomatic projects.
Additional World News
- Paris graffiti recall 1930s antisemitism, says mayor (BBC)
- Exclusive: Biden unlikely to attend Dubai COP climate meeting (Reuters)
- U.S. discussing peacekeeping force for Gaza after Hamas falls, senators say (Politico)
- Kazakhstan welcomes France’s Macron under Moscow’s disapproving gaze (Reuters)
- Hungary bans teens from visiting World Press Photo exhibition over LGBTQ images (NBC)
- China keeps up military pressure on Taiwan, sending 43 planes and 7 ships near island (ABC)
“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.” – Bertrand Russell
Rock The Vote (If You Can)
- Back on October 6, Macaulay Porter, a spokesperson for Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, told the Washington Post that at least 270 people had been wrongly removed from the state’s voter rolls and that officials didn’t expect that number to rise much. As of today, Virginia is now saying it removed 3,400 voters from the rolls, causing a bit of panic among voters and lawmakers alike.
- All of the people who were removed had a prior felony conviction but had had their rights restored by the governor. Virginia’s Department of Elections has said that nearly all those affected had been reinstated and were receiving notification, but voting rights activists want more confirmation that there aren’t more people affected with the state just days away from elections that will determine which party controls the state legislature.
Campaign Cash Rules Everything Around Me
- Sources say that, during a lunch meeting on Tuesday, Senator Mitch McConnell warned his GOP colleagues not to back a bill from Sen. Josh Hawley aimed at limiting corporate money financing influential outside groups. McConnell warned GOP senators that they could face “incoming” from the “center-right” if they signed onto Hawley’s bill.
- The Senate Minority Leader then read out a list of senators – Hawley included – who won their races with financial support from the Senate Leadership Fund, an outside group with ties to McConnell. Hawley’s bill would essentially overturn the Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United decision that loosened campaign finance laws.
Additional USA Reads
- Donald Trump Jr. to testify at father’s civil fraud trial (Reuters)
- Cornell student accused of threatening to kill Jewish students is expected in court today (CNN)
- ‘Disturbing’: US infant mortality rises at highest rate in 20 years (Guardian)
- ‘Disrespectful of me and my heritage’: Mayorkas gets into heated exchange with Hawley (USA Today)
- Most Republicans support border barriers even if they injure or kill someone (Axios)
- Portland public schools will be closed Wednesday as teaches go on strike (CNN)
- Senate GOP split on whether to endorse House’s plan to pass Israel aid separately (CNN)
The Extras Of Entertainment Exec Earnings
- The recent writers’ and actors’ strikes in Hollywood have put a massive spotlight on Hollywood executives. But what, exactly, do these bigwigs make? The Hollywood Reporter has done some investigative work in this area, taking a look at studio executives’ compensation packages – especially the non-cash perks.
- We’ve narrowed it down to a few highlights of some entertainment executive salaries. Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos earns $38 million in cash per year, while Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav raked in a whopping $246 million in 2021. They also make millions in stock options – former Netflix CEO Reed Hastings chose to take the majority of his compensation in stocks, making $49 million in shares at one point.
- Now for the more interesting CEO benefits. Many entertainment executives spend top dollar on exclusive air travel (think private jets and helicopter rides) – Warner Bros’ Zaslav dropped $826,000 on the perk, more than Apple CEO Tim Cook’s $767,000. Remember that Apple is the biggest company in the world, with a market cap of $2.719 trillion. Entertainment execs also spend big on security, with Fox Corp. CEO Lachlan Murdoch’s security costing the company $1.5 million annually – comparable to Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. Other perks that entertainment companies give their CEOs include free entertainment tickets, country club memberships, and charitable gift matching.
Additional Reads
- Surfer’s body missing after reported attack by large shark off Australia (CBS)
- Senators question airline frequent flyer programs, citing reports of ‘unfair’ practices (ABC)
- Grand Canyon University, largest for-profit college, fined $37.7 million (NBC)
- HBO Bosses Used ‘Secret’ Fake Accounts to Troll TV Critics (Rolling Stone)
- Keith Lee, TikTok’s popular food critic, exposes one big city’s ‘unique’ restaurant challenges (NBC)
- Supreme Court to consider whether ‘Trump Too Small’ can be trademarked without ex-president’s permission (CNN)
Samurai trash collectors clean Tokyo streets after Halloween revels (Reuters)