Beltway Insider: Biden/Gaza, Humanitarian Aid Air Drops, Navalny Funeral, McConnell, Trump Legal Troubles, SCOTUS, Super Tuesday

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 03 March 2024 09:36; Written by Janet Walker

As a 2024 presidential election rematch between President Biden and former President Trump appears to be inevitable, issues, outside of the obvious are surfacing, including the Israeli-Gaza war, which Palestine Americans believe, wrongly, can be controlled.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending March 3, 2024 decreased by 0.07% to 38.7% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness increased by 0.02% to 55.5% of those polled who disapprove of his effectiveness. A slight 3% of the population polled have no opinion. Ratings are calculated weekly.

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Israeli Troops Open Fire on Gazan Aid Station

Israeli official acknowledged troops open fire on Gazans gathered at an Humanitarian Aid distribution point, this week killing nearly 100. To date more than 30,000 Gazans have been killed, and the region is on the brink of an uncontrollable humanitarian crisis.

"Officials in Gaza said scores of people were killed and injured while waiting for humanitarian aid, and accused Israel of firing on a crowd. Israel's military said in a statement that "dozens of Gazans were injured" in a stampede crush that broke out after humanitarian trucks entered northern Gaza in the morning as residents scrambled to reach aid," reported The Washington Post.

Drone footage, available here, shows Gazans gathered awaiting distribution when chaos erupts.

U.S., Coalition of Nations Drop Humanitarian Aid to Obliterated Gaza

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has, in the past week, deteriorated to unfathomable levels, escalating the need for global intervention. President Biden, along with Jordan, and Egypt addressed this catastrophic humanitarian crisis by arranging military airdrop of food, in strategic locations, along the Gazan coast.

"Our C-130s dropped 38,000 meals along the coastline of Gaza, those locations were chosen specifically as areas where we thought people would be able to best access the aid. There were 66 total bundles, 22 on each aircraft, which were dropped into Gaza to help alleviate the intense hunger and desperate situation there," a Senior White House Official said during a recent briefing.

Since the war begin on October 7, 2024, the United States has provided $180 million in Aid to Gazans, the majority of who are innocent of the conspiracy, planning, and implementation of the heinous violation of territorial sovereignty experienced when the borders of Israel were breeched resulting in the murders of more than 1200 Israelis.

The failure of Israel to perform a surgical strike in retaliation has done more to engrave the generational hatred each of the nations and their people feel toward the other and endangered the delicate balance of peace in the middle east.

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The surge of desperation by the Gazans, who are watching their families slaughtered, and their children dying of starvation, has resulted a rise in a criminal element, which has resulted in hijacking the aid trucks, which create even greater levels of desperation, as now warlords are holding the aid hostage.

The White House and a coalition of nations have addressed this by flooding the market, essentially, reducing sporadic assistance packages, which are taken by force and held hostage so individuals can prey upon the most vulnerable.

To address this situation of hijacking the aid and holding it hostage, the Biden Administration, has continued to "bring in assistance from every point you can — air, sea, land —and you know that some of this assistance is going to be looted, is going to be self-distributed by desperate people, but you keep flooding of the zone, which is why, it is imperative that as many points of entry — the south; points of entry in the north, which we have been pressing for vigorously and about which we are hopeful; a maritime corridor; airdrops — all of them complement the other," said a White House Senior Official.

Thousands Mourn Alexei Navalny, Western Diplomats Attend Funeral

Thousands of Russians braved the bitter cold to line the funeral route for Alexei Navalny, 47, who was recently murdered in the Polar Wolf prison, and many believed was the last hope for a free Russia, tossing rede carnations and other flowers atop the coffin, grave and hearse as the procession drove slowly from the church to the grave site.

"Western diplomats, including U.S. Ambassador Lynne Tracy, were among the mourners. Also paying respects were Boris Nadezhdin and Yekaterina Duntsova, anti-war politicians who wanted to run against Putin in this month's presidential election but were not allowed on the ballot. Inside the church, Navalny's open casket showed him covered with red and white flowers. His parents, Lyudmila and Anatoly, sat beside it," APnews.com reported.

The body of Alexei Navalny, the most vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin was released after eight days of protest by citizens of Russia and his family. Navalny died, in the Polar Wolf prison in the north of the Artic. His death certificate reads natural causes, although it is widely believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had him murdered. Navalny, was Putin's chief opposition, and demanded a free and democratic Russia.

While there is no concrete evidence tying Putin to Navalny's death, the dictatorial leader was directly implicated in the August 2020 Novichok poisoning, by the men, who have since vanished, who carried out the attack and admitted on tape that the assassination was ordered by Putin.

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Mitch McConnell, GOP Minority Leader Retires

Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, 82, the longest serving senator in U.S. history, announced this week, he would be stepping down in September. The GOP minority leader, who has experienced some health problems recently, made the announcement from the house chamber. McConnell began serving his constituents in 1984 during the Reagan Administration.

Michigan Palestine Voters Send Message

For democrats, who wholeheartedly support President Biden, however many as became evident in Michigan believe he could do more to address the Gazan desperation. Michigan has the highest population of Palestinian-Americans of any states the while Biden did win the primary, this week, a large percentage of non-committed votes, which, as it is a political season are being attributing to the president weak response to the desperation of the Palestinian people suffering in Gaza.

Coronavirus Totals

According to the World Health Organization the increase in cases resulting from the variant JN.1 have migrated in a similar pattern as the original Covid-19 virus. 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 March 3, 2024, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide reached 774,631,444 confirmed cases, an increase over the past 7 days of 38,378 cases worldwide. The total worldwide death toll increased by 2,335 to 7,031,216 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated February 11, 2024, from The World Health Organization).

COVID U.S. Totals

As hospitalizations and infection rates continue to rise in the United States, some jurisdictions are suggesting new mask mandates. For the 7-day period ending March 3, 2024, new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. increased by 17,623 to 6,851,629. The coronavirus has claimed 1,181,607 total U.S. deaths, adding 1,565 deaths, over the past 7 days. (Data updated February 24, 2024, posted March 1, 2024, from the CDC).

Road to the White House 2024 - Trump Continues Primary Wins; Legal Troubles Endure

Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Trump Immunity Argument

The conservative leaning Supreme Court has agreed to hear arguments in former President Donald Trump's claim of immunity for all alleged crimes during his presidency. The court of nine justice, five conservative and three of which were appointed by the former president have all but declared him a victory in his claim that he is immune from criminal prosecution in attempting to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. Oral arguments are set for April 22, 2024.

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The case is not considered an emergency and didn't receive the immediate scheduling of a shadow docket, which still leaves the former president a strong contender on the upcoming Super Tuesday primaries.

"The Supreme Court set a fast-tracked schedule for the former president's attorneys and special counsel Jack Smith's prosecutors to file written arguments over the next seven weeks on this question: "Whether and if so to what extent does a former President enjoy presidential immunity from criminal prosecution for conduct alleged to involve official acts during his tenure in office, " The Washington Post reported.

Trump Wins Week of Primaries

Donald Trump handily won each of the primaries held this week, scoring resounding victories over former UN Ambassador and South Carolina governor, Nikki Haley, his only remaining challenger. His wide, double-digit victories, show a base bent of political spite.

The former president has secured 244 of the 1,215 delegates necessary to secure the nomination, leaving a total of 971 delegates needed to secure. and should he win every GOP primary on Super Tuesday, totally 865 delegates, he would need only 106 delegates to secure the nomination, which would be expected before April 1, 2024 and clearly before the April 22, Supreme court hears arguments on his immunity from prosecution.

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Trump Tossed from Illinois Ballot

Former President Donald Trump has filed an appeal with the Illinois State courts after the Illinois State Board of Elections rejected the Cook County judge decision which stated, that the former president is barred from participating from the March 19 primary according to the 14^th Amendment, for his action on January 6, 2021, which

"The ruling from Cook County Circuit Judge Tracie Porter, an elected Democrat, concluded that Trump is barred from office under the 14th Amendment because he engaged in the January 6, 2021, insurrection. The judge on Thursday also extended the pause on her ruling, which was set to expire this weekend," CNN reported.

Hefty New York Civil Fines Remain in Place

The former president appealed the recent financial penalty of $450million, plus interest, for inflating his personal wealth for the purpose of securing low interest loans, seeking to delay payment maintaining hardship. The appellate judge rejected the former president's argument but did allow his two sons to remain active in the Trump Organization's business dealings.

"Associate Justice Anil C. Singh in the New York State Supreme Court's Appellate Division swiftly rejected the attempt to delay the judgment. Singh did not directly address the request to let Trump post the $100 million amount, but his brief decision declined to delay "the enforcement of monetary judgment," which appears to mean Trump has to pay the full amount," reported The Washington Post.

Catastrophic Late Winter Blizzard Buries Sierra Nevada's

A late winter catastrophic blizzard, driven by hurricane force winds, pummeled the Sierra Nevada region over the weekend dumping up to 14 feet of snow, creating near white out conditions as winds were clocked at 191 mph. The high winds generated by this storm whipped across Nevada, as far south as Las Vegas, causing delays in departures from Harry S. Reid Airport, where a record established in 1985 was broken when the wind gusts reached 68 mph.

The four-day weather phenomenon, is not uncommon during the traditional winter months, is fueled by atmospheric moisture, which travels like a river in the higher elevations, essentially a river of moisture in the atmosphere. Atmospheric rivers, especially along the west coast account for unprecedented rainfall, resulting in mudslides, and other hazardous conditions.

For more information on President Joe Biden w ww.whitehouse.gov.