Beltway Insider: Biden/Israel, Hamas, Withholds Weapons, Putin/Ukraine, XI/Europe, Johnson Survives, Trump Trial

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 12 May 2024 11:47; Written by Janet Walker

President Biden, in a shift from policy, threatened to withhold military aid to Israel, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continued his planned invasion of the Palestinian city of Rafah, hoping to halt the intensifying humanitarian crisis.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending May 12, 2024, decreased by 1.1% to 38.0% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 1.0% to 56.0% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

Beltway Insider: Biden/Israel, Hamas Cease Fire, Putin’s Bloated Beliefs, U.S. Protests Turn Violent, World Press Freedom, Trump Trial

Biden Presses Netanyahu; Stops Weapons Delivery

In a shift from unequivocable support of Israel, President Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he proceeded with his ground operation in Rafah, home to more than 1.4million displaced Palestinians, the United States would withhold certain weapons systems critical to the ground operation that would be used against the Palestinians.

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel was strong enough to fight alone as the United States warned that it could cut military aid to the country. "If we have to stand alone, we will stand alone,"' The Washington Post reported.

The Biden Administration isn't alone in the balancing act confronted by Netanyahu's determination to eradicate Hamas, the terrorist organization responsible for the October 7, 2023, coordinated attacks against Israel, that murdered 1,410 Israeli citizens, and another 132 were taken hostage on October 7, 2023.

Rafah, which Netanyahu has claimed is a stronghold for Hamas, saw an influx of displaced refugees from the Gaza Strip. Once the initial invasion and bombings began, the population continued to grow as more Palestinians fled. The Rafah border crossing, which is less than 10 miles from the Egyptian border, also made the region more accessible to humanitarian aid. The Rafah crossing is the only access between Egypt and Palestine.

The Rafah Border, which is controlled by Egypt, has continued to allow its nation to provide humanitarian relief services to the war-torn Palestinian people, and was the only ground access providing consumer products and goods to the southern Gaza area long before the regional conflict escalated.

As the evacuation order has been issued by Israel, the millions of refugees are now without options, as the offensive, which was surgical in scope and reach, and shut down key entry points into Gaza, which will worsen the catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

"Egypt has refused to coordinate with Israel on the entry of aid into Gaza from the Rafah crossing due to Israel's "unacceptable escalation", Egypt's state affiliated Alqahera News satellite TV reported on Saturday, citing a senior official," Reuters reported.

World News: The Risky Bet of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Personal War

Israel, Hamas Cease Fire

Delegations from the United States, Israeli, and regional partners are meeting in Cairo, Egypt to continue to negotiate a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel.

Prime Minister Netanyahu sent word to his team stating the only terms acceptable in a cease-fire would be the release of the hostages, which has been echoed by many of Israel's global allies, and the eradication of Hamas. Post-war scenarios have been tabled as the two parties are stubbornly deadlocked.

"Hamas called Israel's operation a dangerous escalation that would harm the flow of humanitarian aid to Rafah. The group called for U.S. and other international pressure on Israel "to stop this escalation that threatens the lives of hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians in Rafah and the entire Gaza Strip," reported The Wall Street Journal.

World News: Endless Tensions in the Middle East

Putin Celebrates Dominance

In a carefully orchestrated ceremony, Russian President Vladimir Putin swore to uphold the Russian constitution as he was inaugurated for a unprecedented fifth term as the nations leader. In his acceptance speech, he presented his determination to reunify his nation, and as usual hammered on the west as an enemy, who refuses to see Russia for the global power that it has become, under his reign.

Putin has expertly manipulated the presidential term limits allowing him to remain in office until 2036. This current term ends in 2030, with a second six-year term allowed by the new revised constitution, allowing him, through elections, to be in office until 2036.

Under Putin's leadership, he allowed his nation to confront deep financial sanctions over continued violations of territorial sovereignty that began with his invasion of the Crimean Peninsula, in 2014, this action resulted in expulsion from the G7, the group of the seven largest global economies, and have continued to cripple his nations.

He has also suffered through global humiliation over lack of preparedness of his military in its effort to annex Ukraine, which began more than two years ago, and has repeatedly faced stunning defeats, gaining small victories instead of the expected major assault and annexation leading to an immediate surrender and capture.

World News: Alexei Navalny Death Ushers in Putin’s Modern Dictatorship

He has tested the tolerance of European leaders and NATO, as usually neutral nations, Finland, and Sweden, have unified with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as Putin's ravenous and insatiable hunger to rebuild Russia into a dominant eastern European power, can be clearly seen and envisioned when deconstructing his actions.

Believing himself as one who will be forever lauded throughout Russian history as the leader who reunified Russia, after the west ushered in a season of democracy, he continues this path which translates into dominance over Ukraine and Belarus.

War is costly, and no one knows that more than Putin, as the United States, and other European allies continue to support Ukraine, the loss both in arms, troops, and morale, are testing Putin, no matter the front facing display of superiority.

Russia without assistance, cannot last three additional years. They are deeply in need of dual use military parts, many of which will be delivered by their newfound friendship with Chinese President Xi-Ji-ping, who will not jeopardize their export relationship with both the United States and Europe, by sending military weaponry but will provide dual use parts for repair allowing for Putin to refresh his military supplies.

"Beijing hasn't supplied arms to Moscow, but U.S. officials say it has provided satellite imagery to Russian forces and sold the country microchips, jet-fighter parts, machine tools and other dual-use equipment to bolster its armed forces. Beijing is also a prodigious buyer of Russian fossil fuels," reported The Wall Street Journal.

With continuing economic sanctions, the "friendship" between Xi-Jinping and Putin seems like a boon for both and will only last if it remains a win-win for each.

Chinese President Xi-Jinping Visits Europe

Chinese President Xi-Jinping met with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Union leader President Ursula von der Leyen this week, in his first visit aboard in nearly five years.

Xi-Jinping's relationship with Europe is vital to his economy and European leaders are wary of his relationship with Putin. While the talks were not a stalemate, Macron believes Xi-Jinping is testing the boundaries of import trade relationships with the European nations who are already experiencing a flood of products throughout the continent.

French President Macron said, "The future of our continent will clearly also depend on our ability to continue developing a balanced relationship with China." Von der Leyen pressed Xi to rein in Chinese subsidies and manufacturing overcapacity and urged him to give European companies more access to the Chinese market," reported The Wall Street Journal.

Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger Answers Shareholder Questions

House Rallies to Save Mike Johnson

In a surprising move, House Republicans and Democrats banded together to stop the ouster of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, (R-LA), from an ouster attempt by right wing, and Trump supporter, Marjorie Taylor Greene, (R-GA), who threatened her colleague with a removal vote after his support of the Ukraine Aid package.

"The vote to kill the effort was an overwhelming 359 to 43, with seven voting "present." Democrats flocked to Mr. Johnson's rescue, with all but 39 of them voting with Republicans to block the effort to oust him," reported The Washington Post.

Rarely has the house democrats crossed the aisle to support the republicans as they call for votes to remove the Speaker of the House, as it shows an instability in the party, as the House majority is unable to find any single representative that can build a party coalition, and especially in an general election season, sending the signal of an unified government working for the voting constituents, and not for self-interests, is the resounding message.

Pig Kidney Transplant Recipient Dies

Richard "Rick" Slayman, the first ever recipient of an altered pig kidney, has died. According to a statement released from his family, Slayman, who lived two months after the groundbreaking transplant surgery performed at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, died suddenly.

On the social media micro messaging platform X, formerly Twitter, the hospital stated they are "deeply saddened at the sudden passing of Mr. Rick Slayman. We have no indication that it was the result of his recent transplant. "

Slayman made history on March 16, 2024, as the surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital who performed the first xenotransplantation surgery, which transplants one specifics viable organs to another. The use of pig kidney to alleviate the shortage of available human kidneys has been the subject of debate, and decades of clinical trials. Slayman "will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation."

Medical Science: COVID-19 - Is the Death Rate Higher after Vaccination

Coronavirus Totals

According to the World Health Organization the death toll from Covid-19 has dramatically decreased, as has transmission of the virus. Even as confirmed new cases arise, fewer are dying from the newer variants. The CDC has recommended every person from age six months, including senior citizens, should receive at least one shot of an updated covid vaccine. Vaccines and boosters are still considered the most effective agents against contracting the Coronavirus.

For the 7-day period ending May 12, 2024, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by The World Health Organization remained at 775,379,864 confirmed cases, increasing by 15,603 confirmed cases. The total worldwide death toll increased by 1,076 to 7,047,396 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated April 28, 2024, from The World Health Organization).

COVID U.S. Totals

As hospitalizations and infection rates rapidly decline in the United States, masks and personal protection choices in dense settings are still effective in stopping the spread of any viral infection. Hospitals across the United States are no longer required to update the CDC on Covid-19 admissions, increases or deaths. For the 7-day period ending May 12, 2024, new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. declined by 26.7%. The coronavirus has claimed 1,190,122 total U.S. deaths, no additional deaths were reported over the past 7 days. (Data posted May 10, 2024, from the CDC).

Road to the White House – Trump's Hush Money Trial

Adult Film Star Stormy Daniels Testifies

The trial of former President Donald Trump continued this week with adult film star Stormy Daniels, testifying over several days, regarding her sexual encounters with the president, which they later used to petition for a mistrial.

The two days of explosive, and explicit testimony, shocking details of the porn stars encounters with the president included details of condom usage, a suggestion that the sexual encounter was not consensual, which was allowed as the Trump defense team stated categorically, he did not engage in sexual relationship with Stormy Daniels.

Justice Juan M. Merchan before he denied the defense's request for a mistrial "chided Mr. Trump's lawyers for missteps during their cross-examination of Ms. Daniels and suggested that the former president's insistence on entirely denying any sexual encounter with Ms. Daniels had opened the door for the prosecution to introduce specific — and graphic — evidence that the encounter did occur," reported The New York Times.

Testimony continues this week.

For more information on President Joe Biden www.whitehouse.gov.

Janet Walker is the publisher and founder of Haute-Lifestyle.com. She has been covering international news through the Beltway Insider, a weekly review of the nation's top stories, for more than a decade. A general beat writer/reporter and entertainment/film critic, she is also an accomplished news/investigative news/crime reporter and submitted for Pulitzer Prize consideration "Cops Conspire to Deep Six Sex Assaults" in the Breaking News Category. Ms. Walker has completed five screenplays, "The Six Sides of Truth," "The Assassins of Fifth Avenue," "The Wednesday Killer," "The Manhattan Project," and the sci-fi thriller "Project 13: The Last Day." She is a member of the Los Angeles Press Club, Online Writer's Association, and International Federation of Journalists.