As the crisis in the Middle East continues to escalate, the news broke Monday that Joe Biden plans to visit Israel tomorrow. At the very least, this may indicate a pause before the massed Israeli forces invade Gaza.
And a pause may allow more civilians to escape being caught in the crossfire.
Reports from the region indicate the possibility that Hezbollah may enter the war, which would force Israel to fight on two fronts. Biden’s visit may be designed to discourage that from happening.
The U.S. is moving two huge warship groups into the vicinity as a further disincentive for third parties to get involved. What the U.S. wants is for Israel to be able to focus on one thing and one thing only — the elimination of Hamas and its ability to do what it did on Oct. 7th.
A lot is at stake. The future of the Israeli and Palestinian people, stability in the region, the balance of global geopolitical power. It seems almost trivial to mention it in this context, but this also will almost certainly be the defining moment for the Biden Presidency.
HEADLINES
Biden to Visit Israel (CBS)
As Israeli Invasion Looms, Diplomats Seek to Meet Gaza’s Dire Human Needs (NYT)
U.S. officials signal pressure on Israel to address crisis (WP)
Gaza’s crowded hospitals near breaking point as Israeli ground invasion looms (AP)
Hopes for a brief ceasefire in southern Gaza to allow foreign passport holders to leave the besieged Palestinian enclave and aid to be brought in were dashed, with Israeli bombardments intensifying ahead of an expected ground invasion. (Reuters)
Biden said Israel should not reoccupy Gaza if it invades the territory. He added that he believed Hamas’ leadership needed to be eliminated, “but there needs to be a Palestinian authority” in Gaza and a pathway to “a Palestinian state.” Meanwhile, Biden is reportedly considering a trip to Israelin the coming days to reinforce U.S. support for the country. [HuffPost]
Standoff at Egyptian border blocks aid, passage as conditions in Gaza worsen (WP)
Trump ‘does not have the right to say and do exactly what he pleases,’ Judge Chutkan says, issuing gag order (CNN)
Senators flummoxed, ‘horrified’ by House leadership vacuum (The Hill)
Russia launched five missiles and 12 kamikaze drones at Ukraine in an overnight attack, Ukraine's air force said early, with officials reporting further artillery and air strikes. (Reuters)
Will pro-Europe Donald Tusk be Poland’s next prime minister? (Economist)
LinkedIn lays off 668 employees in second cut this year (Reuters)
Trump's Truth Social Continues to Collapse as Its Biz Partner Loses Virtually All of its Funding (Daily Kos)
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Race isn’t real, science says. Advocates want the census to reflect that. (WP)
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Animals Are Avoiding Us (Atlantic)
Keep Forgetting Things? Neuroscience Just Gave You a Reason to Drink a Lot More Coffee (Inc.)
How ‘A.I. Agents’ That Roam the Internet Could One Day Replace Workers (NYT)
Millions of Workers Are Training AI Models for Pennies (Wired)
Mac users are embracing AI apps, study finds, with 42% using AI apps daily (TechCrunch)
AI pioneers Yann LeCun and Yoshua Bengio clash in an intense online debate over AI safety and governance (VentureBeat)
How AI could help — or hurt — internet freedom (Edit Bd/WP)
Girlfriend Must Have Been Drinking When She Texted Picture Of Knitted Scarf At Midnight (The Onion)
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