Aid For Ukraine, Apple’s Fine, & Shrinking Houses
February 19, 2024
Hello, readers – happy Monday! Today, we’ll be talking about foreign aid, Palestinian statehood, Iran’s attempt at peace, Apple’s fine, Tlaib turning on Biden, Trump’s sneakers, & shrinking houses.
Here’s some good news: twenty major tech companies agreed to work together to help prevent AI from being used in election misinformation. Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, TikTok, X, and Amazon are among the companies committed to keeping elections safe. Also, Japanese scientists launched the LignoSat probe, a satellite made of magnolia wood. The satellite is intended to be a more environmentally friendly alternative to metal spacecraft.
“Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln
Biden’s $60 Billion Bet
On Saturday, President Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the White House is “confident” that Congress will pass a $60 billion aid package. The aid is part of a $95 billion foreign aid package passed by the Democrat-held Senate last week, but it’s still pending approval by the GOP-held House.
Republicans seem to have another plan – the moderate House Problem Solvers Caucus has pushed a new aid package that includes funding for the border crisis. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham has said he’s “very optimistic” about the new aid bill. Border spending has been met with resistance by both Congressional Democrats and presidential hopeful Donald Trump, who wants to hammer President Biden with the border crisis on the campaign trail.
However, it’s unclear if a compromise will take place. In a statement at the annual Munich Security Conference, Vice President Kamala Harris said there is no backup plan if the current aid bill doesn’t pass the House. “There’s only Plan A, which is to ensure that Ukraine receives what it needs,” she told Zelensky on the sidelines of the conference. Ukraine recently lost the city of Avdiivka to Moscow, a loss Ukrainian leaders and Democrats have blamed on GOP efforts to stall defense aid to Kyiv.
Don’t Tell Tel Aviv To Do Anything
Israel announced its formal opposition to what it’s labeled the “unilateral recognition” of Palestinian statehood. “Israel rejects outright international dictates regarding a permanent accord with the Palestinians,” read the declaratory decision, which was passed unanimously by the country’s cabinet. “An accord, should it be reached, will only come through direct negotiations between the sides, without preconditions.” The formal statement, according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is a response to “recent talk in the international community about an attempt to unilaterally impose on Israel a Palestinian state.”
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ highest court is set to begin hearings regarding Israel’s occupation of lands that Palestinians are seeking for their own state. Representatives from Palestine will be the first to speak and are expected to argue that Israel has violated international law regarding territorial conquest by occupying areas held by Palestinians, violated laws protecting their right to self-determination, and imposed a system of apartheid on Palestinians in Israel-controlled lands. Israel is not expected to defend itself in person at the hearings, but will likely submit a written statement.
Tehran Takes Back Its Attacks
- According to anonymous Lebanese and Iraqi officials with briefings on the matter, Iran is privately urging its allied militias in the Middle East to rein in any aggression towards U.S. troops in the region. While groups linked to Tehran have carried out frequent strikes against American military personnel and outposts in the area since October 7, the attacks have largely slowed down as Iran has realized that a full-on regional conflict might not be in its best interests.
- Iran has trained and armed many different groups across the Middle East, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. According to one Hezbollah official, diplomats from Tehran told the group, “We are not keen on giving Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu any reason to launch a wider war on Lebanon or anywhere else.”
- This is because the Israel-Palestine conflict has complicated plans for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states to normalize their relations with Israel, a diplomatic move that would win Israel some much-needed allies in the Middle East. In order to keep Israel’s normalization plans on hold, Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria haven’t attacked U.S. targets for 13 days in a row as of Saturday – though Houthi rebels have continued their reign of terror in the Red Sea.
An Apple A Day Won’t Keep Regulators Away
- The world’s biggest company is expected to be fined a whopping €500 million (roughly $539 million) by regulators in the E.U. The fine is the result of a complaint by Spotify that Apple had actively prevented apps available on its iOS platform from advertising to users about cheaper alternatives to Apple Music, the company’s own streaming service.
- While over $500 million might seem like a whole lot of money to the average Joe (or even 500 Joes), it’s actually a fraction of the initial fine considered by regulators in Brussels. The E.U. tried to fine the tech giant for over $40 billion (about 10% of the company’s annual revenues) as part of a larger anti-competition suit brought about by Spotify’s complaints, but Brussels’ objections were whittled down by a couple billion dollars to the fine we see now. Regulators are expected to impose the fine as early as next month, though Apple has commented that the case “has no merit.”
Additional World News
- Over 400 detained in Russia as country mourns the death of Alexei Navalny, Putin’s fiercest foe (AP)
- Police cars torched during rioting between rival groups of Eritreans in the Netherlands (ABC)
- Mike Turner defends releasing cryptic statement about Russia’s nuclear capabilities in space (Politico)
- Thai ex-Prime Minister Thaksin gets free on parole, but can he restore his old political luster? (AP)
- Hungary’s government declines offer to meet US senators seeking approval for Sweden’s NATO bid (ABC)
Middle East News
- Israel to summon Brazilian ambassador after President Lula likens Israel’s actions in Gaza to Holocaust (CNN)
- The head of the UN’s lead agency helping Palestinians accuses Israel of seeking to destroy it (AP)
- US threatens to veto new Gaza ceasefire resolution at UN Security Council (CNN)
Blowback For Biden
- Listen to Michigan, a group urging voters to vote “uncommitted” in the state’s primary elections on February 27, shared a video of Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib supporting the group’s message. “If you want us to be louder, then come here and vote uncommitted,” Tlaib said in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend while standing outside an early voting location.
- She added, “This is the way you can raise our voices. Don’t make us even more invisible. Right now, we feel completely neglected and just unseen by our government.” Tlaib has been critical of President Biden’s handling of the conflict in the Middle East, but having a member of his own party urge voters not to give their support is likely a low blow for President Biden.
A Sneaker Con At Sneaker Con
- On Friday, former President Trump and his companies were ordered by a judge to pay nearly $355 million in his New York civil fraud trial for inflating the values of his properties. Combined with the $83 million judgment for defaming E. Jean Carroll, he’s now facing about $438 million in fines over the past four weeks. So, needless to say, he needs to make some cash.
- This weekend, Trump unveiled “Trump Sneakers” at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia. The gold sneakers, called the “NEVER SURRENDER HIGH-TOP SNEAKER,” go for $399 – by Saturday night, they were listed as being sold out on the website. The former president is also selling two versions of sneakers that have a “T” and “45” on the sides for $199, and a cologne and perfume – both $99 – are available as well. If he can sell over a million pairs of the sneakers, he can pay off his fines!
Additional USA Reads
- 2 officers, 1 paramedic killed in Burnsville, Minnesota, Gov. Walz says (CBS)
- 37 million California residents on flood watch amid back-to-back storms (ABC)
- Cheney warns of Republican Party ‘Putin-wing’ after Navalny death (CNN)
- Dems cheer push for lower fuel prices. GOP warns of ‘asthma attacks’ in California (Politico)
- New York Gov. Kathy Hochul apologizes for using Canada-Hamas analogy in defending Israel (CNN)
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announces plans to build base in Eagle Pass for National Guard troops (CNN)
- Why some travelers are skipping the US: ‘You guys are not afraid of this?’ (USA Today)
White Picket Fences & Tiny Homes
- America is the land of the free, the home of the brave, and the country where everything is just bigger. At least, that used to be true – now, as the cost of materials, land, and mortgages continue to rise, people are looking into smaller and smaller houses for a chance at home ownership.
- Builders have begun constructing ever-smaller homes (sometimes the size of studio apartments) in recent years as part of an effort to tap into the first-time home buyer market. “Their existence is telling,” said one economist. “All the uncertainty over the past few years has just reinforced the desire for homeownership, but land and material prices have gone up too much. So something has to give, and what builders are doing now is testing the market and asking what is going to work.”
- Suburban developments across the country have joined the trend, building more 800-square-foot “tiny homes” and cutting back on the 2,000-square-foot, two-story cul-de-sac houses that Americans have been sold for decades. “I love it!” said one home builder who’s started building tiny homes. “I hope that at some point a tiny house just becomes another thing. It’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a duplex, that’s a townhouse, that’s a single-family house, and that over there is a cottage.’ It just becomes another type of housing you get to select.”
Additional Reads
- Advocates hope Jimmy Carter’s endurance in hospice care drives awareness (Politico)
- The hottest trend in U.S. cities? Changing zoning rules to allow more housing (NPR)
- People in this remote valley live to 100—they follow 5 distinct diet and lifestyle habits for longevity (CNBC)
- New York archdiocese calls funeral for trans activist at cathedral ‘scandalous’ (Guardian)
- Last Chance Lake: A ‘soda lake’ in North America could point to the origin of life on Earth (CNN)
- George Santos accuses Jimmy Kimmel of tricking him into making humiliating Cameo videos (Guardian)