The News Not Noise Letter: How Much to Make Trump Stop?
Eye-watering damages in the E. Jean Carroll case. Plus: a UN court rules on the Gaza war, and were UNRWA staffers involved in the 10/7 attack?
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Today we have a lot of news to get through so we’ll jump into it.
Here are the headlines:
JUST NOW: “Make Him Stop”: This news broke as we prepared to hit send. The jury in E. Jean Carroll’s second defamation lawsuit against Donald Trump ordered the former president to pay $83.3 million in damages to Carroll for defaming her and denying her rape allegations against him. Carroll’s attorney had asked the jury to set punitive charges high enough to “make him stop” defaming her client. The jury decided that Trump must pay $65 million in punitive damages, $11 million to fund a reputational repair campaign, and $7.3 million for emotional harm. That’s a steep jump from the $5 million Trump was ordered to pay last year. Trump blasted the decision as “absolutely ridiculous” and vowed to appeal. Do we think $83 million is enough to “make him stop?”
ICJ Mixed Ruling on Gaza War: The International Court of Justice issued a provisional ruling today in the case brought against Israel by South Africa; S Africa claimed that Israel’s war in Gaza is an act of genocide and asked the court to order an immediate ceasefire. In a 15-2 ruling the court did not order Israel to end the war and did not issue a finding on the question of genocide. They effectively found that Israel may have or could violate the UN Genocide Convention and must take steps to avoid it. Those steps: they said Israel must take “all measures within its power” to prevent future genocidal acts, prevent and punish statements that constitute incitement to genocide, “take immediate and effective measures” to ensure civilians in Gaza have access to humanitarian aid, and preserve evidence of anything that others might allege are genocidal acts. The court gave Israel one month to take these steps and report back. Here’s some reaction:
Israel PM Netanyahu called the charges of genocide “false” and “outrageous.” He said “Israel’s commitment to international law is unwavering.”
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry said it “ruled in favor of humanity and international law.” And Hamas issued a statement saying they “welcome the decision” and called for the world to force “the occupying state” out of Gaza.
The US State Department: “We continue to believe that allegations of genocide are unfounded.”
The court also demanded the “immediate and unconditional return” of Israeli hostages. As a UN body, the ICJ has no means of enforcement. It will take years for the court to issue a final ruling on the overall question of genocide.
UNRWA Allegations: Also today, UNRWA, the UN Palestinian aid agency, fired a number of staff members after Israel presented evidence that 12 men employed by UNRWA were involved in Hamas’s attack on 10/7. The head of UNRWA said he will “launch an investigation in order to establish the truth without delay” and “any UNRWA employee who was involved in acts of terror will be held accountable, including through criminal prosecution.” This is an about face from the UN, which has previously dismissed claims of complicity by UNRWA staff. The US State Dept. has now “temporarily paused additional funding” to UNRWA and called on the UN to conduct “a thorough and swift investigation of this matter.” UNRWA delivers aid into the Gaza Strip and the US has emphasized the importance of action on this matter to reduce the chances the flow of aid to civilians is disrupted. (Side note: UNRWA is officially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East. Established in 1949, it is the only UN entity devoted to a single population of refugees.)
Hostage Negotiations: As the US continues to press for a long-awaited and ambitious deal to release hostages, President Biden spoke with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt who are playing vital roles as mediators. On the table: the release of all Israeli hostages and a two-month ceasefire in Gaza. The President is dispatching CIA director Bill Burns to meet with Qatari, Egyptian, and Israeli officials on Sunday, to try and get past differences.
Immigration Deal: Speaker Johnson says the bipartisan Senate immigration deal that has taken months to negotiate is “dead on arrival” in the House. This story is about both policy and the 2024 Presidential election with Trump playing spoiler, and it could cost not just border security here in the US – but also crucial military aid for Ukraine.
Background: A record number of migrants are entering the US; Border Patrol processed over 300,000 people entering from the southern border in December alone. Cities across America are struggling to find housing and support for thousands of migrants in often difficult conditions. Congressional Republicans insisted that any bill providing aid to Israel and new aid to Ukraine be attached to strict new immigration rules. It’s taken months for the Senate to reach near agreement on that immigration policy and in the meantime, US funding for the war in Ukraine has run out.
Politics: Just as negotiators were approaching the finish line on a bipartisan deal, Trump torpedoed the policy, saying Republicans should not accept any deal that isn’t “PERFECT ON THE BORDER.” (He also used xenophobic dogwhistle language.) The House GOP is falling in line.
Policy: The deal they reached would have significantly limited the number of migrants allowed in through a policy called immigration parole, among other measures.
TL;DR: Trump’s cynically perpetuating a humanitarian crisis to deny Democrats a legislative agreement and maximize his advantage on immigration, one of the defining issues of his campaign.
When He Goes Low: While we’re on the 2024 election, the feud between Nikki Haley and Donald Trump has taken a nasty and gendered turn. Trump and team have been calling Haley “birdbrain,” comparing her to Hillary Clinton, and threatening her donors with political exile. With a very Trump-friendly electorate, Haley has challenges in S Carolina. But she also has experience turning gendered attacks to her advantage there – notably in her successful bid to become S Carolina governor. Her campaign is provoking Trump, clearly with an aim to do this again. The message to Trump: bring it on.
Quiet Oil Boom: The US is pausing exports of liquefied natural gas to review its environmental impact. Trump denounced this as a “disastrous self-inflicted wound.” But here’s something you might not have seen in headlines and that may surprise you. The US is currently producing more oil per day than any country in history – 13 million barrels/day.
Alabama’s Nitrogen Execution: This week Alabama became the first place in the world to use nitrogen gas as a state-sanctioned execution method after the Supreme Court allowed the execution to proceed. Kenneth Eugene Smith, convicted of murder, was executed Thursday via nitrogen gas. He took 22 minutes to die. Smith previously survived a botched execution in November 2022. I’ve spoken to a number of doctors who explain that administering nitrogen by mask is effectively suffocating the prisoner to death. This raises the question – the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution forbids cruel and unusual punishment. When the state is involved in killing human beings, why are we not finding methods that are less cruel and unusual?
Here’s some news that doesn’t suck:
IVF Gives White Rhinos Second Chance: The northern white rhino is technically extinct, threatened by poaching and climate change. The only two surviving members of the subspecies are both female. But for the first time, scientists have successfully used IVF to implant a northern white rhino embryo, offering hope to bring the rhinos back from the brink.
Gene Therapy for Hearing: A new gene therapy treatment allowed an 11-year-old boy to hear for the first time. Born with an extremely rare single-gene mutation causing congenital deafness, Aissam Dam became the first person in the US to receive gene therapy for this condition. He was treated with just two drops of the new treatment administered to his cochlea, and two months later his hearing was near the normal level.
Here’s something to make you smile:
Low-cost security system:
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