Thursday, July 04, 2024

Official death toll passes 38,000 so media amuses itself with talking points the White House feeds them

Today was news (or 'news' -- let's go with "talk") about a cease-fire or 'cease-fire." Julian Borger (THE GUARDIAN) notes:

The White House has described the latest Hamas ceasefire proposal for Gaza as a “breakthrough” establishing a framework for a possible hostage deal, but warned that difficult negotiations remained over the implementation of the agreement.

A senior US official said the Biden administration received the latest Hamas offer “a couple of days ago” and had been studying it ahead of a 30-minute telephone call between Joe Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.

“The conversation was detailed, going through the text of the agreement, constructive and encouraging, while also clear-eyed about the work ahead [and] the steps that must be put in place to finalise this deal and then begin the implementation,” the US official said of the call.

The same unnamed "senior US official" is noted by other outlets. It was a call with the press on "background" with the agreement that they not name the official. Anonymity is supposed to be utilized carefully by the press, however, whenever one of these calls is organized, all the outlets pretend like they aren't violating ethical rules when they are. If the administration wants to inject a claim into the news cycle, they should do so on the record. Here for THE FINANCIAL TIMES following the White House's rules if not the rules of journalism.

But, hey, it distracted from the reality that the official death toll passed 38,000 today, right? And isn't that the point of the media every day, to hide the ongoing slaughter in Gaza?

This is what the White House officially released today:

President Biden spoke this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Prime Minister congratulated the United States on the occasion of Independence Day, and thanked the President for his continued and steadfast support for Israel’s security.

President Biden and the Prime Minister discussed ongoing efforts to finalize a ceasefire deal together with the release of hostages, as outlined by President Biden and endorsed by the UN Security Council, the G7, and countries around the world.

The leaders discussed the recent response received from Hamas. The President welcomed the Prime Minister’s decision to authorize his negotiators to engage with U.S., Qatari, and Egyptian mediators in an effort to close out the deal.

President Biden reaffirmed his ironclad commitment to Israel’s security including in the face of threats from Iranian-backed terrorist groups such as Lebanese Hezbollah.

Both leaders welcomed the meeting to take place on July 15 between their national security teams in the Strategic Consultative Group format.

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I'd argue a more concrete press release, from the US Dept of Defense, was more worthy of press attention but got far less:

President Joe Biden posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, Wednesday, to two Army soldiers for their actions during the Civil War, April 12, 1862.

Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III inducted privates Philip G. Shadrach and George D. Wilson into the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes — where the names of all service members who have earned the Medal of Honor have been enshrined.

"The very first recipients of the Medal of Honor were a small band known as Andrews' Raiders, named for a spy for the Union Army, James Andrews, who led one of the most daring operations in the entire Civil War," Biden said. "Two soldiers ... died because of that operation but never received this recognition. Today, we right that wrong. Today, they finally receive the recognition they deserve."

At the Hall of Heroes ceremony, Austin described both men as being well-liked by their peers and eager to volunteer to help their nation.

"One comrade remembered that Pvt. Shadrach was solidly built, merry and reckless, with an inexhaustible store of good nature. Yet his brothers in arms could count on him, as one said, to sacrifice anything for a friend," Austin said. "Other soldiers said that Pvt. Wilson was tall and spare, with high cheekbones and sharp gray eyes. His battle buddies felt from him a greatness of soul which sympathized intensely with our struggle for national life."

In April 1862, Shadrach and Wilson, both part of the 2nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry, agreed to join a group called "Andrews' Raiders," which planned to execute a mission that has come to be called "The Great Locomotive Chase." The Raiders initially included 22 soldiers and two civilians.

The Raiders, led by Andrews, a civilian, planned a clandestine mission to travel undercover through enemy territory into Georgia, steal a locomotive, and then use it to travel north to Chattanooga, Tennessee, a city Union soldiers planned to capture.

"Along the train journey, they would destroy enemy bridges, railroad tracks, telegraph lines, disrupting communication and vital supply lines, sabotaging the railroad that the Confederate army used to move troops. All of that would make the Union capture of Chattanooga much more likely," Biden said. "And that would [also] cut off the Confederate army from both the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys. A huge ... strategic victory that could bring the war to a swift end."

Beginning April 7, the group departed on foot from their location near Shelbyville, Tennessee, to travel to Chattanooga, where they planned to catch a train southbound to Marietta, Georgia. During this initial part of the mission, two soldiers were captured by Confederate forces, leaving only 20 soldiers and two civilians to continue on.

By April 11, the remaining Raiders reached Chattanooga and in the late afternoon, boarded a southbound train headed for Georgia. By midnight they'd reached Marietta, where they spent the night.

On the morning of April 12, the group awoke and boarded another train, this time northbound, back to Chattanooga. Two soldiers, however, didn't make it aboard and were left behind.

During its trip northbound, the train paused at a stop called "Big Shanty" to allow passengers to eat breakfast. It was here the Raiders took control of the train's engine, which was called "The General."

"Quickly and quietly, they detached three boxcars and a locomotive, hopped in, and began moving at full speed north to Tennessee," Biden said.

Biden said the weather made their task difficult, as did the presence of other trains on the track that they hadn't expected. All of this slowed down the pace of their mission.

"By then, Confederate forces were in hot pursuit, but George and Philip and the rest of the Raiders didn't quit," Biden said. "They kept going nearly for seven hours, destroying as much track as they could along the way and cutting as many telegraph wires as they could."

While the Raiders did damage to Confederate communications — destroying rail and telegraph lines — the engine ran out of steam just north of Ringgold, Georgia, about 18 miles south of Chattanooga. It was there the group disbanded and were given orders to try to evade capture.

Eventually, however, every man who had been on the train, as well as the two men who had been left behind in Marietta, were captured by Confederate forces. Eight of those men, including Shadrach, Wilson and both civilians, were executed as prisoners of war.

"Pvt. Shadrach and Pvt. Wilson were among the first to be captured, and a Confederate military court sentenced them to hang," Austin said. "Pvt. Shadrach told his fellow prisoners that he sought comfort in his faith. Pvt. Wilson's thoughts also turned to his trust in God and to his belief in America. One account says that Wilson was surrounded by a scowling crowd, but he spoke to them while standing under the gallows. Pvt. Wilson told that angry crowd that they would yet see the time when the old union would be restored and when its flag would wave over them again — and he was right."

While the two civilians in the group were not eligible for the Medal of Honor, the soldiers were. Shadrach and Wilson, however, were never put in for the medal. More than 160 years later, the two soldiers were finally honored for their actions during the war.

"Their heroic deeds went unacknowledged for over a century," Biden said. "But time did not erase their valor."

The Andrews' Raiders were the first soldiers to ever receive the Medal of Honor, which at the time was a newly created military decoration.

"Nearly a year after the Andrews raid, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton welcomed the surviving Raiders to Washington, and he presented them with a newly-created award for valor, making them the first U.S. service members to receive the Medal of Honor," Austin said. "Today, more than 160 years later, we complete that arc of history, and we link the first recipients of the Medal of Honor to the newest recipients of the Medal of Honor."

At the Pentagon, Austin said the names of Shadrach and Wilson would finally join those of their fellow Raiders.

"The names of Pvt. Philip Shadrach and Pvt. George Wilson will be inscribed forever in the Hall of Heroes alongside their fellow Raiders," Austin said. "Their medals are new, yet their bravery is eternal. On this Independence Day, their story reminds us of the American patriots who risked everything for our freedom and for our union and for our future of liberty under law. Their story doesn't just inspire us, it challenges us. So we are not just here to honor their sacrifice, we are here to live up to their example."

Descendants of the two soldiers were on hand at both the White House and the Pentagon to represent them.

At the White House ceremony, Shadrach's great-great nephew Gerald Taylor received the medal on his behalf. Receiving the medal on behalf of Wilson was his great-great granddaughter Theresa Chandler.

That ceremony was also more in keeping with the Fourth of July. Per GOOGLE NEWS' news aggregator, only 12 US news outlets covered the story -- that included PBS, CBS, CNN, THE WASHINGTON POST and THE NEW YORK TIMES. TASK & PURPOSE, CINCINATTI ENQURIER and THE NATIONAL DESK.

Meanwhile, at SALON, Tatyana Tandanpolie reports on how foreign influence continues to stick its ugly nose into US politics:

The fundraising arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the nation's leading pro-Israel lobbying group, successfully helped defeat Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., in a brutal primary race last month — and now it's targeting progressive Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo.

The super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), over the weekend dropped more than $63,000 into the incumbent's Aug. 6 primary race, splitting a Friday sum evenly between ads and messaging opposing Bush and supporting her challenger, St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell. The group put another $13,000 behind Bell Sunday, according to Federal Election Commission reports.

[. . .]

AIPAC, along with other pro-Israel groups, has backed moderate pro-Israel candidates as part of its pledge to unseat lawmakers who have been critical of Israel, focusing particularly on the so-called "Squad" — progressives like Bowman and Bush who've been vocal in their opposition to Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza. Though the committee counts its supporters on both sides of the political aisle, its relatively recent foray into fundraising offers its slate of wealthy Republican donors — who accounted for nearly half of all donors to Democratic candidates this year, according to an early June Politico analysis — the opportunity to pour money into and exert influence over Democratic primary races.

Hopefully, Cori's district has real and patriotic Americnas. If so, they're not going to allow a foreign government to interfere in the election and they're going to see the opponent for what he is a tool of a foreign government. Wesley Bell is not a patriotic American and shouldn't be confused with one. When you're being backed by another government and a lot of losers in the US who think they're American with their dual citizenship, you're not a real candidate.

Wesley represents a foreign government. It's really important that people grasp that. He's taking their money for a reason: So he can serve AIPAC and the government of Israel and not Americans in the US.

Cori has represented her district and she wants to continue to represent those people. Wesley's taking all this money from foreign governments and their proxies. That's not minor. That's telling you who his base is and it's not the people of the district. Equally true, Cori has a spouse and two children. Wesley has no real ties to the community and doesn't want you asking why a 49-year-old male has never been married. The most obvious reason would be he was gay. And there's nothing wrong with being gay. And, in fact, in one of SCANDAL's greatest episodes, Olivia had an unmarried candidate on up there in the years, like Wesley, and she explained to him she could sell gay. People could relate to that. But, she also explained to him, that an unmarried man of his age with no actual ties to the community -- unmarried, no children -- that was going to be a harder sell because people don't relate to that.

Cori doesn't just work for her community, she's part of it.

Gaza? Nagham Mohanna (THE NATIONAL) reports:

A prominent Palestinian doctor and eight members of his family were killed in an Israeli air strike despite complying with military orders to evacuate their home in Khan Younis and move to a designated safe zone.

Dr Hassan Hamdan, 62, fled together with dozens of his family members and arrived in Deir Al Balah on Monday night where they sought refuge with other relatives.

The building was located inside the so-called humanitarian zone designated by the Israeli army – a place they had said would be safe for Palestinians to flee to.

But hours after they arrived, strikes shattered the fifth floor where the family was living, killing at least 12 people. Five children and three women were among the dead.

Dr Hamdan was the head of the burns and plastic surgery department at the Al Nasser Medical Complex which has been the scene of carnage caused by Israeli strikes.

On the Fourth of July, we'd hope that Americans across the country could grasp that the last thing this nation needs would be candidates indebted to other nations.

Gaza remains under assault. Day 272 of the assault in the wave that began in October. Binoy Kampmark (DISSIDENT VOICE) points out, "Bloodletting as form; murder as fashion. The ongoing campaign in Gaza by Israel’s Defence Forces continues without stalling and restriction. But the burgeoning number of corpses is starting to become a challenge for the propaganda outlets: How to justify it? Fortunately for Israel, the United States, its unqualified defender, is happy to provide cover for murder covered in the sheath of self-defence." CNN has explained, "The Gaza Strip is 'the most dangerous place' in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund." ABC NEWS quotes UNICEF's December 9th statement, ""The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. Scores of children are reportedly being killed and injured on a daily basis. Entire neighborhoods, where children used to play and go to school have been turned into stacks of rubble, with no life in them." NBC NEWS notes, "Strong majorities of all voters in the U.S. disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll. The erosion is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza." The slaughter continues. It has displaced over 1 million people per the US Congressional Research Service. Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) points out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide." The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza is grows higher and higher. United Nations Women noted, "More than 1.9 million people -- 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza -- have been displaced, including what UN Women estimates to be nearly 1 million women and girls. The entire population of Gaza -- roughly 2.2 million people -- are in crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse." THE NATIONAL notes, "More than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since October, according to the latest figures from the enclave's health ministry. A total of 58 people were killed in the 24-hour reporting period, taking the overall toll to 38,011. Another 179 people were wounded, taking the total number of injured to 87,445. The majority of victims are women and children, according to the ministry." Months ago, AP noted, "About 4,000 people are reported missing." February 7th, Jeremy Scahill explained on DEMOCRACY NOW! that "there’s an estimated 7,000 or 8,000 Palestinians missing, many of them in graves that are the rubble of their former home." February 5th, the United Nations' Phillipe Lazzarini Tweeted:

April 11th, Sharon Zhang (TRUTHOUT) reported, "In addition to the over 34,000 Palestinians who have been counted as killed in Israel’s genocidal assault so far, there are 13,000 Palestinians in Gaza who are missing, a humanitarian aid group has estimated, either buried in rubble or mass graves or disappeared into Israeli prisons. In a report released Thursday, Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said that the estimate is based on initial reports and that the actual number of people missing is likely even higher."

As for the area itself? Isabele Debre (AP) reveals, "Israel’s military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells." Kieron Monks (I NEWS) reports, "More than 40 per cent of the buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to a new study of satellite imagery by US researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University and Corey Scher at the City University of New York. The UN gave a figure of 45 per cent of housing destroyed or damaged across the strip in less than six weeks. The rate of destruction is among the highest of any conflict since the Second World War."

Kat's "Kat's Korner: The late Melanie releases a live album" and "Kat's Korner: Judy Garland, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!" went up today. A little after this goes up, Isaiah's got two comics that will be posting. The following sites updated: