The News Not Noise Letter: “Take the Win” or “Exact a Price”
Israel weighs its next steps while the world holds its breath. Plus: are there 12 New Yorkers who don’t have opinions about Trump?
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Here are your headlines:
Trump Trial: Jury selection began today in the first criminal trial of former President Donald Trump. Hundreds of New Yorkers began the screening process today – it’s expected the selection process will take around 2 weeks. Can you imagine finding 12 people who aren’t biased either for or against Donald Trump – in Manhattan, no less? More than half of those screened today were dismissed because they said they couldn’t be impartial. The trial itself is expected to last 6-8 weeks. Here’s what you need to know so far:
Covering Tracks: As a quick refresher, this case is about the “hush money” that Trump’s former “fixer,” Michael Cohen, paid to adult actress Stormy Daniels. The prosecution alleges that when Trump reimbursed Cohen, he illegally falsified business records 34 times to cover up these payments.
SCOTUS vs Freedom of Assembly: The Supreme Court today made it easier to block protesters from organizing demonstrations. It has to do with a Black Lives Matter protest in Louisiana, where a police officer was seriously injured. The officer is suing the protest’s organizer for damages, even though the organizer did not personally injure the officer. The organizer took this to the Supreme Court saying the suit interferes with the Constitutional right to assembly and today the Court refused to hear the case. This could deter others from organizing peaceful political demonstrations for fear that, should unplanned violence occur, the organizers might be held responsible.
Palestine Protests Block Streets, Airports: Pro-Palestine protesters blocked streets at Chicago O’Hare airport and backed up traffic on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge today as part of what they call a “multi-city blockade... in solidarity with Palestine.” The protests organized by A15 Action also took place around the world to “blockade major choke points in the economy” to “cause pain to the economy” in opposition to the “Zionist” war in Gaza. In New York media there are images of a Hezbollah flag waved at a protest in front of the New York Stock Exchange.
WNBA Draft and Caitlin Clark: The WNBA draft airs tonight at 7:30pm Eastern/4:30pm Pacific on ESPN, and Iowa Hawkeyes phenom Caitlin Clark is expected to be the #1 pick. This year, the Indiana Fever get first dibs, so we hope Clark is ready for a move to Indianapolis. But Clark isn’t the only star to watch for – this year’s class of women’s college ballers is loaded with talent. See the WNBA’s breakdown of other top players to watch here.
Israel and Iran – Restraint or Retaliation?
After the Islamic Republic of Iran’s unprecedented direct attack on Israel this weekend, the world is watching for Israel’s response. To better understand the weekend’s events, please see our special weekend newsletter. And today, we want to help you understand the arguments for and against retaliation.
Retaliation:
Leaders in the US, UK, France are calling on Israel to show restraint and refrain from launching reprisal attacks on Iran. But Israeli officials have made it clear they plan to “exact a price” for Iran’s attack. A spokesman for Israel’s War cabinet says the country “retains all its options” and CNN quotes an unnamed official saying they are deciding whether to “break the dishes” or do something more restrained.
Given the potential for endless escalation spiraling into war, why would Israel want to strike back? I explained some of the logic in the weekend newsletter. Here’s more:
Out of the Shadows: Iran crossed a red line by launching attacks from its own soil – not through proxy terror groups. The head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, agreed. He said Iran “decided to create a new equation,” and vowed that “from now on, if Israel attacks Iranian interests… anywhere, we will retaliate from Iran.” The shadow war is gone and replaced by a direct conflict with Iran.
Swarm of Drones and Missiles: Iran targeted Israel with a massive bombardment that was designed to overwhelm defenses and allow extremely dangerous ballistic missiles to penetrate Israel’s protections and cause death and destruction.