Voters Want A Ceasefire, Sunak’s Plan Isn’t Legal, & Google Passkeys
November 16, 2023
That’s Bad News For Bibi
Though the U.S. government remains Israel’s closest ally (here’s an interesting graph showing U.S. foreign aid to other countries), the tides of public sentiment appear to be shifting. According to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll, public support for Israel has fallen significantly over the past few weeks and support for a ceasefire has risen as the world watches Israel bombard and invade Gaza.
32% of respondents said that “the U.S. should support Israel” when asked what America’s role in the conflict should be, down from 41% in mid-October. 39% said the U.S. should take a neutral mediator role in the conflict, 15% said it shouldn’t be involved at all, and just 4% said it should support Palestine. Still, 68% of respondents said that “Israel should call a ceasefire and try to negotiate” an end to the conflict.
The survey data highlights a growing divide between the White House’s foreign policy and voters’ beliefs. While President Biden and some Democrats appear all too happy to prop up Israel with billions in funding and military aid, a vocal portion of Americans and a few progressive members of Congress say that Israel has taken the conflict too far.
On Wednesday, 24 Congressional Democrats signed a joint letter urging the White House to end the “grave violations of children’s rights” taking place in Gaza by pushing Israel to negotiate for a ceasefire. The letter, led by representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Betty McCollum (D-MN) says that the 4,500 children killed by Israeli attacks on Gaza, as well as the 1,700 children reported missing, are too high a toll for the conflict. The letter offered an “unequivocal condemnation” of Hamas’ October 7 attacks on Israel, but stated signees’ “dire concerns” about Israel’s counteroffensive, which has killed over 11,000 Palestinians and wounded over 7,600 children.
Want To Know More?
- Israeli troops scour Gaza’s Al Shifa hospital for Hamas fighters, arms (Reuters)
- U.S. Says Hamas Operates Out of Gaza Hospitals, Endorsing Israel’s Allegations (NYT, $)
- Exclusive: Qatar seeking Israel-Hamas deal to free 50 hostages and 3-day truce (Reuters)
- Turkey’s Erdoğan calls Israel ‘terror state’ as he condemns Gaza hospital raid (Guardian)
- Canadian PM Trudeau tells Israel killing of babies in Gaza must end (Reuters)
Some Good News
- Denver Nuggets to grant $680,000 to 47 different charities in Colorado (CBS)
- Northwestern’s Prison Education program graduating its first class (Axios)
Worrying Rumbles Near Reykjavik
- Iceland is literally quaking in its boots as the threat of a volcanic eruption hangs over its head. After experiencing over 700 earthquakes on Tuesday, the Nordic island nation was subject to another 800 quakes between midnight and 11:30 am local time on Wednesday.
- According to the country’s meteorological office, the recent spike in earthquakes combined with the detection of sulfur dioxide gas (which indicates magma near the surface) means that the likelihood of a volcanic eruption near the country’s southwest peninsula “remains high.”
- “The seismic activity is close to a populated area. It’s close to infrastructure,” said an official from the Icelandic Meteorological Office. Magma buildup beneath the Earth’s surface has already caused cracks and holes to form in local roads, raising concerns about further volcanic activity.
Rishi Sunak And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
- On Wednesday, the British Supreme Court ruled that a U.K. government plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was illegal. The decision is a major loss for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recently-reorganized government, as the Conservative premier had made “stopping the boats” of asylum seekers a central part of his platform ahead of general elections expected to take place next year.
- The Supreme Court said in its decision that there was “a real risk that persons sent to Rwanda would be returned to their home countries where they face persecution or other inhumane treatment when, in fact, they have a good claim for asylum.” The Rwanda plan was a key policy created by former interior minister Suella Braverman, who was sacked on Monday after calling pro-Palestinian protestors “hate marchers.” Sunak promises that the plan will go on, claiming that his government is “completely committed to stopping the boats,” but has yet to outline exactly what his next steps will be.
Additional World News
- India tunnel collapse: fears rise for trapped workers as some fall ill (Guardian)
- EU set to slap Russia with new sanctions on diamonds, tighten oil price cap (Politico)
- North Korea says it tested new engines for intermediate-range ballistic missiles (ABC)
- China and US push through tensions in reaching climate deal (Politico)
- Ukraine says it now has a foothold on the eastern bank of Dnieper River near Kherson (AP)
- An ethnic resistance group in northern Myanmar says an entire army battalion surrendered to it (NBC)
- State of emergency declared in parts of France after record rainfall (Guardian)
“Be a warrior when it comes to delivering on your ambitions. And a saint when it comes to treating people with respect, modeling generosity, and showing up with outright love.” – Robin Sharma
Manchin Thinks He’s The Man For The Job
- West Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who last week announced that he would not seek reelection to his office, seemed to hint even more strongly at a possible presidential run in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “I will do anything I can to help my country, and you’re saying, ‘Does that mean you would consider it?’ Absolutely,” Manchin told moderator Kristen Welker.
- Manchin plans to see if he can “reinvigorate” and “mobilize that moderate, sensible, commonsense middle,” he said, and if he’s successful, then he’ll likely consider a campaign. Interestingly, he admitted he’s “totally, absolutely scared to death that Donald Trump would become president again,” which is slightly confusing since a third-party run from Manchin would likely split the votes for Biden and give Trump an edge.
He Believes In The Holy Spirit, Not The Spirit Of The Law
- Ahh, just what everyone wants to hear from the leader of the People’s House and second-in-line for the presidency – he’s not a fan of the separation of church and state. Newly-elected Speaker Mike Johnson, who was voted into the position after Kevin McCarthy’s unprecedented ousting from the chair, called the concept a “misnomer” during an interview with CNBC this week.
- CNBC asked Johnson to explain how he feels about the separation in regard to a photo of him praying with colleagues after he was awarded the speakership. “People misunderstand it. Of course, it comes from a phrase that was in a letter that Jefferson wrote. It’s not in the constitution,” he explained, arguing that the Founding Fathers actually wanted to stop government interfering with religion, not the other way around.
Additional USA Reads
- Border Wall Falls Leave Migrants With Devastating — and Costly — Injuries (NYT, $)
- Fort Lauderdale eclipses 100 inches of rain in 2023, as Florida braces for more flooding (NBC)
- 8 teens arrested on murder charges in beating of classmate in Las Vegas (CBS)
- US Senator Markwayne Mullin unrepentant about challenging teamster boss during hearing (BBC)
- Donald Trump files for a mistrial in the NY civil fraud case, saying judge is biased (CNN)
- Biden compares Trump’s ‘vermin’ remarks to Nazi rhetoric (NBC)
- 20 women are now suing Texas, saying state abortion laws endangered them (NPR)
Google Will Pass On Outdated Passwords
- Passwords, according to Google, will one day be a thing of the past. Or at least that’s what the tech giant seemed to be saying as it unveiled its new Titan hardware authentication keys. The keys are designed to store encrypted passkeys instead of passwords – the difference being that passkeys are a new form of digital credential that allow users to log in to accounts without the need for usernames and passwords.
- Normally, passkeys are stored in mobile devices, where users can authenticate logins using things like a PIN, FaceID, or fingerprint. The new Titan keys will offer users a physical key instead, which can be plugged into USB-C ports or held near a device in order to allow users to login – as long as they also have the PIN associated with the device. The new technology is part of a recent campaign by tech giants to switch users away from passwords like “password123!” – just make sure you don’t lose your new key!
Additional Reads
- Starbucks Workers United calls for walkouts, strike at hundreds of stores on Red Cup Day (USA Today)
- ‘Substantial doubt’ the owner of Trump’s Truth Social will survive, accountants warn (CNN)
- Vatican confirms ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons (Reuters)
- General Motors workers are voting against the UAW contract (WaPo, $)
- Haley calls for name verification on social media, drawing pushback from GOP rivals (CNN)
- Crocs unveils McDonalds-inspired footwear line (CNN)
- Disney says it has $40B economic impact on Florida amid DeSantis court fight (Axios)