Chronicle of a War Foretold
A drone attack in Jordan this weekend killed three American soldiers and injured many more, adding American names to the death tally in the Israel-Hamas war and threatening to further metastasize the conflict.
U.S. President Joe Biden blamed Iran-supported groups for the strike — which Iran denied — and promised a response.
Also, the U.S. and a number of other prominent western countries have pulled funding from the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, after Israel accused members of taking part in the October 7th attacks.
Five Fast Things
STATES’ RIGHTS, EVERYONE’S WRONGS: U.S. President Joe Biden is in a tense standoff with Texas Governor Greg Abbott over the immigration at the Texan border. Biden wants to “shut down the border” ahead of the election, but he’s waiting on a legislative deal. Meanwhile, Governor Abbott has ignored orders from the federal government to cease its measures to beef up security, which has included blocking federal access and setting up razor wire.
LOOSEN UP: The European Parliament will vote next week on whether to slacken restrictions on genetically modified organisms, a crucial step in opening the door for genetically modified foods. Gene editing, in general, is made important strides last year, with the first CRISPR treatment approval for sickle cell in the U.S.
A FAIR ADVANTAGE: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission opened an antitrust investigation into multi-billion dollar investments between artificial intelligence companies. The truly big behemoths — Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon and OpenAI — were included.
THE LESSON IS CANCELED: Museums in major American cities have shuttered displays thanks to new federal rules that demand they “‘obtain free, prior and informed consent’ from tribes before exhibiting cultural items or human remains, or allowing research of them.”
KILL THEM SOFTLY: Alabama claimed the dubious honor of becoming the first state to kill a man with nitrogen gas. American states have had a hard time with the torturous lethal injection process, and this presents an alternative. Ohio — which has unofficially paused executions — has expressed even interest in following Alabama’s lead. But witnesses to the execution say Alabama is simply lying when it says the method is “perhaps the most humane method of execution ever devised.” (Didn’t they say the same thing about the guillotine?) The state has allegedly kept key details hidden.
Swift Provocations
WORK PLACEMENT: If you nosh in the U.S., there’s a chance your food was made by incarcerated people coerced to work for nearly nothing, and possibly even on a former slave plantation. (AP News) — Life, liberty, and impressment into the food supply chain.
STREET CREED: For the first time, the “Nones” — Americans who don’t identify with any traditional religious affiliation — are the largest group (at 28 percent). (NPR) — Still, the country has rarely been more superstitious.
WANT POWER? SWIPE RIGHT: What’s with all those unelected Silicon Valley authoritarians? (The Atlantic) — To an authoritarian, power is an end, as the saying goes. But at least the cell phones run on time.
The World In Numbers
3.3 million
The number of American households with children and without stable access to food in 2022, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
15
The number of American states that have refused federal dollars meant for summer meal programs for kids, either because of affiliated costs or antipathy to “just another form of welfare.”
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