Beltway Insider: Biden/Israel, Ukraine Hits Fuel Depot, DOJ/Uvalde, Election 2024: New Hampshire, Scott Peterson

Details: Category: Beltway Insider; Published on Sunday, 21 January 2024 12:10; Written by Janet Walker

President Biden spoke with Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu this week explaining the critical significance to stop indiscriminate bombing of the Gaza Strip, even as it maintains pressure on the Gaza military, and the need to permit greater humanitarian access.

The President's job approval rating, according to the website fivethirtyeight.com, for the period ending January 21, 2024 increased by 0.1% to 39.1% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness decreased by 0.7% 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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Israel/Palestine War

As the Israel Palestine war closes in on four months, the deaths in Gaza have reached more than 25,000 the world has become more critical of the action under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as retaliation and annihilation are clearly two different courses of action.

"The deaths, destruction and displacement from the war are without precedent in the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The war has divided Israelis while the offensive threatens to ignite a wider conflict involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen that support the Palestinians," APnews.com reported.

The United State remains committed to continued exploration of a two-state solution, although this idea has been repeatedly rejected by Netanyahu and once this latest conflict ends, it's doubtful that the Gaza Strip will revert to Palestinian control. An occupied territory is most likely the only solution to maintain surveillance of Hamas, control over the seeded generational hatred, and safety for the Israeli nation.

Ukraine Drone Strike Hits Russia Fuel Depot

Ukraine forces used a long-range Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile to strike a fuel depot in St. Petersburg, Russia, which is located less than 400miles form the nation's capital of Moscow.

"A successful attack on such a terminal not only causes economic damage to the enemy, depriving the occupiers of the opportunity to earn money to wage war in Ukraine, but also significantly complicates the logistics of fuel for the Russian military," Reuters reported.

Although the drone strike has not been confirmed by the United States, the ability of the Ukraine to penetrate Russia borders with a determined effort to strategically hamstring the enemy. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has rallied his troops since the war began February 24, 2022, when the world's war pundits gave the neighboring nation a zero chance against the expected strength of the Russia military.

With a global alliance, Ukraine military has managed to hold against the disorganized and overrated Russian military. After two years, and a global campaign for military munitions and weaponry, Zelenskyy appears able to finally reach the targets that will disrupt Russia's fuel, transportation and communications systems, and strike close to the unaffected streets of Moscow, and possibly even the Kremlin.

Texas Mass Shooting: 14 Children, 1 Educator Dead, 14 Others Injured

DOJ Issues Blistering Report on Uvalde Police Response

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a scathing report after two years of investigation by the Department of Justice that found "cascading egregious failures," that resulted in the unnecessary loss of life after a shooter entered Robb Elementary school, found his way to a pair of connecting school rooms on the last day of the school year, May 24, 2022.

"A near-total breakdown in policing protocols hindered the response to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 21 people dead — and the refusal to rapidly confront the killer needlessly cost lives, the Justice Department concluded on Thursday after a nearly two-year investigation," reported The New York Times.

The horrific details were compounded by the misinformation spread by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, followed by School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who had been the first responding officer on the scene and became the lead officer in charge, which in law enforcement is essentially the principal of claiming the scene and leadership of all other responding officers.

Arredondo's training had qualified him to handle the scene; however, the actuality of the scene resulted in grievous errors and fatal mistakes, most glaring was the decision to classify the scene as a "stand-off" instead of an "active shooter," which would have resulted in immediate action. The justice department report meticulously examined each of Arredondo's decisions.

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For more than one hour, 78 minutes, officers meandered in the hallway of the school, as the children and teachers in the classroom bled out from their wounds. Even after 14 calls to 911 emergency from children, pleading with officers to hurry, police stood down, and forcibly stopped parents from rescuing their children.

"Since the shooting, blame for the delayed police confrontation with the gunman has shifted: In the immediate aftermath, the top state police official, Steven McCraw, blamed the local school police chief, Pete Arredondo. Then it turned out that state police officers were also among those who failed to actively confront the gunman," The New York Times reported.

May 24, 2022, the last day of school, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Texas, a small town near the southern border of Mexico, began with the end of the year awards ceremony. For some, the smiling pictures of pride over their child's achievement would be the last. Some parents took their kids home for the day, others went back to the classroom for an afternoon movie.

By 11:33 A.M. CST, a local boy nicknamed "school shooter," would enter the school and begin indiscriminately killing fourth graders in what would become a never-ending nightmare. By days end, 19 of the 27 fourth grade students at Robb Elementary school would be dead. Two educators would also die. A total of 21* dead; the third highest fatalities among school shootings. For the community, the loss is constant and without end.

"Justice Department officials issued blunt, unambiguous guidance for the future: Officers must rapidly confront a gunman, even if it costs them their lives," reported The New York Times.

The report in its entirety can be read here: Justice Department Report on the Uvalde School Shooting Response.

Coronavirus Totals

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 January 21, 2024, the total of confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide reached 774,075,242 confirmed cases, an increase over the past 7 days of 255,386 cases worldwide. The total worldwide death toll increased by 2,418 to 7,012,986 deaths. The United States has stopped providing Covid data to the World Health Organization. (Data updated January 7, 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 January 21, 2024, new Covid hospitalizations in the U.S. increased by 33,672 to 6,727,163. The coronavirus has claimed 1,169,666 total U.S. deaths, adding 2,456 deaths, over the past 7 days. (Data updated January 13, 2024, posted January 19, 2024, from the CDC).

New Hampshire Primary – Road to the White House 2024

Trump's Followers See White Knight

If the Iowa Caucus is the barometer of the Republican Party, former president Donald Trump, has once again blinded voters with a mystifying allegiance that places him above his rivals, all of whom tout the same polarizing message.

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"Trump, a former president who is facing 91 criminal charges across four criminal indictments, is closing in on a second straight dominant victory in New Hampshire on Tuesday, polls show, a win that many Republicans say could effectively end the GOP nominating contest as quickly as it started," The Washington Post reported.

Whether it is the underdog complex or pure retribution for the major 2020 loss to President Biden, Trump followers are loyalist even in the face of clear criminality. They see him as a chance for payback to those liberal democrats who have so often shoved their liberal polices on the rest of the nation.

The encroachment of gender-based lifestyle choices, and policies have Trump loyalists crying foul and will transfer their loyalty and align with anyone who promises to revert the overt infringements that advocates are attempting to mask as equality.

The New Hampshire Primary is scheduled for Tuesday, January 23, 2024, and the field has narrowed to the former President, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Trump's victory in Iowa may have bolstered his confidence but "New Hampshire has a more moderate political tradition and primary rules that allow unaffiliated voters to participate in the race. Trump-backed MAGA candidates have struggled here in recent years," APnews.com reported.

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Innocence Project Accepts Scott Peterson Case

The Los Angeles Innocence Project, an organization that considers the cases of those convicted while maintaining their innocence, has announced that they have taken on the Scott Peterson case.

Peterson was convicted in the first-degree murder of his pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, in 2004, and the second-degree murder of their unborn son, Conner. The two badly decomposed bodies were found in San Francisco Bay harbor, three months after the December 2002 Christmas Eve murder. Much of the evidence was circumstantial which clearly painted an incriminating picture, but not beyond a shadow of doubt.

"In a statement, the LAIP said it was "investigating his claim of actual innocence," The Washington Post reported.

The horrific details that surrounded the case created a media frenzy, derailing other news stories around the nation, as every major outlet dropped any other high profile case coverage to exploit every aspect of this compelling tiered tragic crime, with all the media elements to create sensationalism.

Stalking Crimes Acknowledge by WH

January has been designated as National Stalking Awareness Month by the Biden Administration. The violence inflicted by stalking can hardly be described by words. The financial damage has long term effect on stalking victims, not only in the immediate, but if the victim is fortunate to live longer or escape the stalker, long term financial security is deeply scarred.

"In their lifetimes, one in three women and one in six men will be affected by stalking. Stalking is increasingly facilitated by technology and takes place both online and offline. It can disrupt victims' lives, forcing them to miss work or move from their homes, and it can severely impact physical and mental health," per a White House press release.

The judicial system, which is inundated and overloaded, barely has concern for the cases set before them. When police and detectives refuse to intervene for any number of reasons, or worse try to insinuate the victim really wants the attention, only embolden the perpetrator which is translated as permission. And they never stop.

* Records state 22 dead, this media will not mention the name of the perpetrator nor does not consider the loss of the perpetrator in the total dead.

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