DeSantis Ends Candidacy & Cicadas Are Back
January 22, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Monday! Today, we’re talking about the end of DeSantis’ campaign, the war in the Middle East, an attack on a U.S. base, protests in Germany, abortion and the election, and cicadas – like, a lot of cicadas.
Here’s some good (space) news: two days after losing contact, NASA is back in communication with its Ingenuity helicopter on Mars. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory tweeted that it had re-established contact with the helicopter after instructing the rover “to perform long-duration listening sessions for Ingenuity’s signal.” Also, you may remember that a spacecraft containing samples of Bennu, a 4.6-billion-year-old asteroid, landed in the desert last year – well, after a few months, NASA has finally figured out how to get the canister open, after creating custom-designed new tools.
DeSantis Gives Up DeGhost
On Sunday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that he would be ending his presidential campaign following a weak second-place showing in last week’s Iowa caucuses. The governor announced that he would be endorsing former president Donald Trump, who came in first in Iowa by a large margin.
“If there was anything I could do to produce a favorable outcome, more campaign stops, more interviews, I would do it, but I can’t ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources if we don’t have a clear path to victory,” DeSantis said in his announcement. “While I’ve had disagreements with Donald Trump, such as on the Coronavirus pandemic and his elevation of Anthony Fauci, Trump is superior to the current incumbent Joe Biden. That is clear.”
DeSantis blamed his campaign’s failure on conservative media’s fixation on Trump as well as inclement weather during the Iowa caucuses. Sources familiar with the campaign say that DeSantis knows that a future run for the presidency requires the support of Trump voters, which is why he’s been soft on The Donald until the very end.
No End In Sight In Israel
Over the weekend, the Palestinian death toll from the Israel-Hamas war passed 25,000, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The Hamas-run ministry announced on Sunday that 25,105 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza so far, with over 62,000 more people injured.
Estimates show that over 85% of Gaza’s residents have been displaced by the conflict, and the U.N. says that about 25% of the enclave’s population is suffering from starvation. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres described the death toll from the conflict as “heart-breaking” and “utterly unacceptable” over the weekend, but Israel has disregarded the intergovernmental organization’s opinions throughout the conflict.
Despite the bodies piling up from the conflict, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has remained defiant on the world stage. A spokesman for the Netanyahu regime told the media that in a call with U.S. President Joe Biden over the weekend, the prime minister said that “Israel must retain security control over Gaza to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” and also indicated that the existence of a sovereign Palestinian state contradicts Israel’s need for security. Just hours before that information was released, Biden had said he was confident that a sovereign Palestine could exist in harmony with Netanyahu’s government.
Responding To The Rise Of The Right
- Last week, we wrote about the rise of far-right political groups in Germany as the government struggles to handle its economic woes. This weekend, over 100,000 protestors showed up in Berlin to demonstrate against the rise of right-wing groups, especially the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party.
- The protests in Berlin were accompanied by protests in other cities across the nation, with many drawing tens of thousands of people. The new wave of demonstrations came in response to news that AfD, which has the support of about 23% of German voters, had participated in right-wing extremist meetings regarding plans to deport millions of immigrants, including some with German citizenship. AfD denies any official links to the meeting, but didn’t deny that some high-ranking members of the party were in attendance.
An Aerial Assault On Al-Assad
- On Saturday, the U.S. reaped the consequences of its recent involvement in the Middle East as Iran-backed militia groups targeted a U.S. base in Iraq. Al-Assad airbase, located in western Iraq, was hit by drone and missile strikes over the weekend, leaving multiple U.S. personnel under evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. Unlike previous strikes against U.S. bases in the Middle East, Saturday’s strikes involved ballistic missiles, which might provoke a larger response from the White House.
- “At approximately 6:30 p.m. (Baghdad time) on January 20, multiple ballistic missiles and rockets were launched by Iranian-backed militants in Western Iraq targeting al-Assad Airbase,” said U.S. Central Command in a statement. “Most of the missiles were intercepted by the base’s air defense systems while others impacted on the base. Damage assessments are ongoing … A number of U.S. personnel are undergoing evaluation for traumatic brain injuries. At least one Iraqi service member was wounded.”
Additional World News
- Russian charter flight with 6 people crashes in Afghanistan (NBC)
- President Sisi says Egypt will not allow any threat to Somalia or its security (Reuters)
- Tornado warning issued as 90mph Storm Isha hits UK (Guardian)
- Houthis seek more Iranian weapons to step up Red Sea attacks, intel shows (Politico)
- Russia suspends operations at fuel export terminal after suspected Ukrainian drone attack (Reuters)
- A Hindu temple built atop a razed mosque in India is helping Modi boost his political standing (AP)
Middle East Reads
- Father of American teen killed in West Bank by Israeli fire rails against US support for Israel (AP)
- Netanyahu trapped by clashing demands from war cabinet and hawks (Politico)
- War in Gaza is making childbirth a nightmare (WaPo, $)
“We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think. When the mind is pure, joy follows like a shadow that never leaves.” – Buddha
A Presidential Point Of Contention
- Friday afternoon saw a large group of anti-abortion activists taking to the streets in Washington, D.C. for the March for Life. On Saturday, former presidential candidate and Vice President Mike Pence reminded his audience at the National Pro-Life Summit that “after the primary’s over, you vote pro-life.” The weekend made it clear that the right side of the aisle is not backing down from the abortion fight in the coming elections.
- Meanwhile, the left is gearing up to make abortion central to their own platforms as well. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said during an interview with “Face The Nation” that “it would be good if” President Biden focused a bit more on abortion as a critical fight. “I know that one tenet of his belief system is that women and only women, with their families, and healthcare professionals are the ones who know what decision is right for them,” Whitmer said.
- Whitmer’s opinion is clearly shared among Biden’s camp. The campaign has its first abortion-focused ad of the year set to air in the coming days. The ad features testimony from a woman personally affected by a state abortion ban who lays the blame directly on former President Donald Trump.
- Biden and Vice President Harris have begun appearing side-by-side at events to discuss the importance of abortion in the upcoming election. The 2022 midterm elections made it clear that abortion is a deciding factor for many voters – nearly two-thirds of Americans disapproved of the Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, according to a CNN Poll conducted in the wake of the Dobbs decision.
Additional USA Reads
- Brutally cold weather hitting storm-battered South and Northeast US this weekend (AP)
- The parents of a school shooter are heading to trial. The rare case could pit them against each other. (NBC)
- New allegations of possible affair between Georgia DA Fani Willis and Trump case prosecutor (USA Today)
- 3 dead, 2 injured in shooting at short-term rental in Katy, Texas, sheriff says (ABC)
- Lauren Boebert switched districts in a bid to stay in Congress. Winning over voters won’t be easy (AP)
Oh Boy, I Can’t Wait For Cicada Season!
- 2024 is the year of the dragon, but it’s also, unfortunately, the year of the cicada. After winter ends, two different broods of cicada are expected to begin spawning from the ground, marking the first time a synchronized event like this has occurred since 1803. The event will involve cicadas from Brood XIII and Brood XIX – one of those comes out of the ground on a 13-year cycle while the other emerges on a 17-year cycle.
- While 13- and 17-year cycle cicada broods can sync up relatively often, these two groups only sync up once every 221 years (lucky us!). This event is especially special because they’re located right next to each other, meaning a vast swath of land stretching from the Southeast all the way to the Midwest will have to deal with billions of insects crawling out of the ground, shedding their exoskeletons, and chirping for weeks on end. At the end of the busy cicada mating season, locals will have to contend with billions of cicada corpses after the bugs lay their eggs in the ground.
- The insects will emerge from their slumber once the soil reaches about 64 degrees Fahrenheit, which is projected to happen in late April. They’ll crawl out of the ground, shed their nymph exoskeletons, wait for their adult bodies to dry out a bit, and then take to the air to search for a mate. While they fly around, the bugs can emit high-pitched buzzing as loud as 100 decibels, equivalent to the sound produced by a jackhammer. Isn’t nature beautiful?
Additional Reads
- Bishop Gene Robinson on why “God called me out of the closet” (CBS)
- Taylor Swift Stalker Arrested Before Bills vs. Chiefs NFL Playoff (Sports Illustrated)
- Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ lands but its fate is unclear due to power issue (CNN)
- State-backed Russian hackers accessed senior Microsoft leaders’ emails, company says (NPR)
- ‘Wizard of Oz’ Ruby Slippers Stolen by Career Criminal Seeking “One Last Score” (Vanity Fair)
- Cryptographers Are Getting Closer to Enabling Fully Private Internet Searches (Wired)