US works to negotiate ceasefire: The United States, through a UN Security Council resolution, urges a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas “as soon as practicable” – using cease-fire language for the first time, as well as berating Israel for plans for a possible invasion of Rafah.
“So far, only the United States has publicly and consistently rejected calls for an absolute ceasefire in UN resolutions on the war in Gaza, siding with Israel in its war against Hamas,” he reports The New York Times.
The language changed “reflect[s] President [Joe] Biden’s shift toward criticizing Israel’s continuation of the war and its planned offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah,” according to the Times.
About half of Gaza’s civilians are taking refuge in Rafah, and an offensive there “would have serious implications for regional peace and security,” according to the draft resolution’s language.
Julian Assange returns to court: The WikiLeaks founder, held in London’s Belmarsh prison since 2019, and whose lawyers are fighting possible extradition to the United States, will see his case return to court this week.
The two-day hearing will determine whether Assange has reached the limit of his ability to appeal in the UK and whether he will be extradited to the US, where he faces up to 175 years in prison if convicted of espionage charges.
In 2010 and 2011, WikiLeaks published thousands of documents leaked by whistleblower Chelsea Manning, who at the time was an Army intelligence analyst serving in Iraq. The documents brought to light information about civilian deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan for which the US military had been responsible.
In 2019, the US Department of Justice charged Assange with 18 counts of violating the Espionage Act, a case with enormous implications for press freedom, should Assange actually stand trial and receive a conviction.
For more on Assange’s case, check out this conversation Zach Weissmueller and I had with Julian’s wife, Stella:
Scenes from New York: The Roman Catholic Diocese of New York was moved to allow a funeral Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral for an openly atheist transgender activist.
“The cathedral only knew that family and friends were requesting a funeral mass for a Catholic and had no idea that our welcome and prayers would be degraded in such a sacrilegious and deceitful way,” Fr. wrote. Enrique Salvo, who is one of my priests (he divides his time between St. Patrick’s Cathedral and St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral Basilica, where I am a parishioner), in a statement.
“The pews were filled with mourners, many of them transgender, wearing bold high-fashion attire and clapping as eulogies led them to pray for transgender rights and access to gender-affirming healthcare,” he reported The New York Times. A video circulated of mourners approvingly calling the deceased “mother of all whores” inside the cathedral.
“Several mainstream media outlets described the event as a watershed occasion and a sign of the Catholic Church changing its teaching – or at least its tone – on sexuality and human anthropology,” he reported Catholic Press Agency. But many CatholicsContrary to mainstream reports, we feel like the funeral made a mockery of our faith.
Both St. Patrick’s in Midtown and Old St. Patrick’s in Nolita are frequent targets of activist stunts due to the Catholic Church’s positions on trans issues and abortion.
QUICK SHOTS
- “At the end of September, I thought that (i) it had become too late for a real primary challenge to Biden, and (ii) that Biden voluntarily announcing that he would not run for a second term was a losing bet, but they probably didn’t pass the cost-benefit test for Democrats,” writes Nate Silver. “Since then, Biden’s situation has worsened considerably… to borrow a poker term, Biden no longer has so many ‘outs,’ or contingencies that could improve his situation.”
- Germany will decriminalize recreational weed this week, allowing adults to grow up to three plants and possess up to 25 grams of cannabis.
- “Last year, flying became safer almost everywhere except Russia,” he reports Bloomberg. Someone tell that to Tucker Carlson, who may still be wandering around a Russian grocery store, eyes wide with joy.
- “What is the ‘migrant crisis’ in New York and Chicago?” asks Jerusalem Demsas a The Atlantic. “It includes visible signs of disorder, such as migrants sleeping outside as hotel rooms fill up, anger among Native Americans over the limited resources being spent on migrants, and a costly bureaucratic scramble to organize health screenings, services translation, housing programs, legal services, school internships, school buses and other needs for newcomers.” But part of the problem, Demsas says, stems from red-state governors busing migrants mostly to these big cities: “When immigrants make their way to a city organically, they’re usually drawn to a place where they have family.” . connections, job opportunities, or other available connections and resources. When they are resettled through an official government program, as in the case of displaced Ukrainians, the federal government coordinates with local governments to ensure a smooth transition.
- A look inside the deep tech scene in El Secondo:
Coupled with demand from YCs for deeper technology applications, this is just the beginning of a broader venture capital transition to companies with defensible moats in atom-based industries, where AI and ML are in play but not main show. pic.twitter.com/BnGQxfIJnz
— Andrew Côté (@Andercot) February 19, 2024
Obama’s daughter tries to sidestep talk of Nepo’s baby by not using her last name. Brother, you are Obama’s son pic.twitter.com/Z8PtkAYsSh
— McRib (@McR1B69) February 19, 2024