Beltway Insider: Biden/D-Day Anniversary, Israel Cease-Fire, Mexico, Amanda Knox, Trump Vows Revenge, Bannon

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 09 June 2024 09:40; Written by Janet Walker

President Biden joined world leaders at Normandy Beach, to commemorate the 80^th Anniversary of the D-Day Invasion, the largest amphibious invasion in history, which marked the beginning of the Allied Invasion to liberate Europe from Nazi rule.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending June 9, 2024, decreased by 0.9% to 37.5% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 0.5% to 56.7% 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 Cease-Fire, US Aid/Ukraine, Trump Guilty, Sentencing, Presidential Pardon

Biden Commemorates D-Day Invasion

President Biden, along with French President Emmanuel Macron, England's King Charles III, and more than two dozen world leaders, arrived at Normandy Beach to commemorate the 80^th anniversary of the largest amphibious invasion in the history of war, which became known as the beginning of the end of Nazi rule. Europe was liberated on May 7, 1945.

Each of the global leaders recognized the sacrifices of those men, many who died before making it to shore, acknowledging the ultimate sacrifice they paid for democracy and freedom.

At Pointe du Hoc, President Biden said, "When we talk about democracy — American democracy, we often talk about the ideals of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. What we don't talk about is how hard it is, how many ways we're asked to walk away, how many instincts are to walk away — the most natural instinct is to walk away, to be selfish, to force our will upon others, to seize power and never give up."

As most nations represented are experiencing a time of limited peace, the principles of democracy and freedom are lost in the extreme noise of competing global ideologies, as misplaced loyalties and disillusionment often result in the development of hidden agendas and become misguided protests undermining the nation's strength.

French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged the casualties the Russian military had suffered during World War II and the global allied effort to liberate Europe from the tyranny of Hitler's rule, Russian President Vladimir Putin however, was not invited.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is now embattled in a war against Russia, who has been invited to France on numerous occasions, and will now be receiving French Fighter Jets to aid in the nation's defense, was acknowledged by Macron as the "President of Ukraine."

"The main event on Thursday was an international ceremony at Omaha Beach, featuring World War II-era landing craft, parachuters and military flyovers. World leaders paid tribute to the troops who helped carry out the largest naval, air and land assault ever. Despite high casualties, the operation helped establish the U.S. military as the world's premier fighting force and deepened global alliances that have endured for eight decades," reported The Washington Post.

World News: French President Carefully Handles New Caledonia Question

Southern Border Illegal Immigration Election Issue

The southern border of the United States is again plagued by illegal immigration, and it is not a new problem and has been an election issue for more than forty years. The surge of illegals seeking asylum in the United States, has surged with citizens of the world displaced by war, including Ukrainians and Haitians, as well as the influx from Latin American countries.

President Biden has been working on a solution, after the bi-partisan bill failed, earlier this year. The new legislation proposes capping the number of illegal immigrants permitted to enter the United States and asylum system after the threshold has been met.

"People with knowledge of the plans said they expected the cap to be set at a daily average of 2,500 illegal crossings. Standard asylum processing would resume when the number drops below 1,500 crossings, an official said," reported The Washington Post.

As Republican House members are still led and fed by the words of convicted felon and former President Donald Trump, once he spoke out against the bill, house republican voted against advancing the bill, and it died in the house.

Illegal southern border immigration is not going away under this president or the next. The former president erected a wall, and as borders against will explain, the desperate found a way, cutting sections, creating false doors, even dropping children over the 15-foot wall.

The failure of southern border immigration policy is multi-layered and needs Congress to approve sweeping and massive legislation to provide funds for more border agents, vehicles, state of the art technology, and processing sites, which is just the beginning.

"The number of migrants caught illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border dropped on Friday, a senior U.S. border official told Reuters, saying it signaled a restrictive new Biden administration policy was deterring some illegal immigration. U.S. Border Patrol arrested around 3,100 people crossing illegally, down roughly 20% from the days before, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss preliminary figures," Reuters reported.

Additionally, expanding the tri-national coalition with leaders from NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, to address illegal immigration issues, such as defining specific Latin and South American nations where there are legitimate concerns over persecution or death, if returned to their home country.

Mexico Elects Female President

Claudia Sheinbaum, 61, a physicist who was part of a Nobel Prize winning team of climate scientists, became Mexico's first female president after securing 58% of the vote. Sheinbaum will be sworn into office on October 1, 2024, for a six-year term.

"The election in the United States' most populous neighbor has important implications. Mexico is the No. 1 U.S. trading partner, and key sectors of the countries' economies — from auto manufacturing to the cultivation of berries and avocados — are intertwined. Mexico is also a crucial funnel for migrants and drugs such as fentanyl and cocaine bound for the U.S. border," reports The Washington Post.

Mexico is the most densely populated nation in Latin America, with a glaring global spotlight highlighting the intensely criminal elements, including human trafficking, drug trafficking, and the disappearing of people related to cartels.

President elect Sheinbaum confronts a nation that has effectively been embattled in a civil war, as cartels seek to gain more territory and have the manpower and the finances to fund a long-term effort on all fronts to gain greater control over the nation's political future. Additionally, she will need to keep in place the social programs of her predecessor, improve conditions for the vulnerable, and continue the upward trend of improving working conditions and wages.

World News: Netanyahu Forced to Apologize Again as Offensive Continues

Biden Urges Acceptance of Cease Fire

As the Israeli-Palestinian war continues, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stormed into Rafah, Gaza, to rescue four hostages who were taken captive October 7, 2023, in the coordinated attacked that has now resulted in the deaths of more 35,000 Palestinians.

The recent cease-fire agreement which was brokered through efforts by "Egyptian, Qatari and U.S. mediators to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have reached a decisive juncture. The proposal on the table comes closer than its predecessors to getting past the main sticking point regarding a permanent ceasefire, which Hamas demands and to which Israel refuses to commit," reported The International Crisis Group.

The most recent updates having the death toll rising to more than 247 more Palestinians murdered as Israel has sought to recuse the hostages.

Now, Hamas has refused to accept the cease-fire but are willing to accept the responsibility that the slaughter of their people and the blood that runs in the streets, will be on their hands. The bloody slaughter of innocent lives is seen as an effort by Israel to destroy the next generation by killing the women, to stop the continuation of the populations, and murdering the children, so in a decade they will not be prepared to wage war.

With Israel's war strategy appearing to be a complete annihilation, and a determined show of strength to all land neighbors and foreign enemies, the possibility of war drift is very real. As global tensions run high, a cease-fire agreement must be reached, not only for the parties involved, but for the region.

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 June 9, 2024, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases reported by The World Health Organization remained at 775,552,205 confirmed cases, increasing by 29,801 confirmed cases. The total worldwide death toll increased by 584 to 7,050,201 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated May 26, 2024, from The World Health Organization).

COVID U.S. Totals

Hospitals across the United States are no longer required to update the CDC on Covid-19 admissions, increases or deaths. To date, more than one-third of the U.S. population has, since the onset of the Covid-19 virus, contracted the infectious disease. For the 7-day period ending June 9, 2024, total coronavirus cases in the United States have remained constant at 111,820,082 and total deaths have increased by 29,365 to 1,219,487 total U.S. deaths. (Data posted April 13, 2024, from World Meters).

Italian Court Convicts Amanda Knox, Again

Amanda Knox, who had been wrongly convicted, and spent four years in prison, for the murder of her former roommate, Meredith Kercher, 21, was reconvicted of slander by an Italian court. Knox, who returned to Italy, to confront the charges, will not serve any additional time.

"Knox was re-convicted of slander in an Italian court on Wednesday for wrongfully accusing an innocent man of killing her British roommate in 2007. The court found that Knox had wrongly accused the Congolese owner of the bar where she worked part time, of the killing of Meredith Kercher, Knox's 21-year-old roommate and fellow exchange student," reported Foxnews.com.

Former President Donald J. Trump Found Guilty on All Counts

Road to the White House – Trump Vow's Revenge, Begins Divisive Rhetoric, Bannon Ordered to Prison

Trump Vow's Revenge

Former President Donald Trump has ramped up his divisive campaign rhetoric after his May 30, 2024, conviction for falsifying business records stemming from hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels, during his recent interview with Dr. Phil McGraw.

During the interview, convicted felon and "former President Donald Trump reiterated his calls to punish his political enemies in a new interview that aired Thursday, saying "revenge can be justified" following his conviction on all counts during his hush money trial last week," reported The HuffPost.

Trump who is still under a gag order before his July 11 sentencing hearing manages to clearly state his plans to exact retribution on his "political enemies," essentially issuing marching orders to his far-right constituency.

House Republicans have maintained the charges were politically motivated, which essentially translates to the far-right Republicans believing the judicial process only works when it works their way, and the system is only viable when it supports their rhetoric.

"A nation divided against itself cannot stand," former President Abraham Lincoln said. The inciting, seditious rhetoric evangelized by former president Trump, and his House cronies, which exploit the conviction to divide the nation for political gain, only works to create the greatest political split since the issue which caused the Civil War.

Bannon Ordered to Prison

Former Trump advisor, and far-right political podcaster, Steven K. Bannon, 70, has been ordered by a federal judge to report to prison by July 1, to begin his four-month sentence.

"U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols agreed with prosecutors after a nearly hour-long hearing. "I don't believe that the original basis for my stay of Mr. Bannon's sentence exists any longer. I no longer consider that his appeal raises substantial questions of law of a kind likely to reverse his conviction," Nichols said, citing the appellate panel's ruling," reported The Washington Post.

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

Janet Walker is the publisher and founder of Haute-Lifestyle.com. A graduate of New York University, 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.