#FranklySpeaking: With a ceasefire, could @UNICEF could avert a humanitarian catastrophe in #Gaza? This is what spokesperson @1james_elder had to say | Full episode: [_link] pic.twitter.com/TWivvpEAiD

— Arab News (@arabnews) March 31, 2024

On the day new data is out on famine in #GAZA, the Israeli Authorities deny my entry to Gaza.

-Famine is imminent in the northern Gaza Strip, expected to arrive between now and May.
- Two million people= the entire population of Gaza is facing crisis levels of food insecurity...

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 18, 2024

The renewed binding order from the @ICJ yesterday is a stark reminder that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is man made + worsening.
It can however still be reversed.

The order calls on the State of Israel to cooperate with the United Nations to...

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 29, 2024

Staggering. The number of children reported killed in just over 4 months in #Gaza is higher than the number of children killed in 4 years of wars around the world combined.

This war is a war on children. It is a war on their childhood and their future.#ceasefireNow for the... pic.twitter.com/tYwSNHecpy

— Philippe Lazzarini (@UNLazzarini) March 12, 2024

It said the measures would apply to the export of products from 54 different categories, including iron, marble, steel, cement, aluminium, brick, fertilizer, construction equipment and products, aviation fuel, and more.

"This decision will remain in place until Israel, under its obligations emanating from international law, urgently declares a ceasefire in Gaza and allows the unhindered flow of sufficient humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip," it said.

Shortly after the Israel-Hamas war started, Turkey and Israel pulled back their ambassadors. Tuesday's move is the first significant measure taken by Ankara against Israel since the start of the conflict. President Tayyip Erdogan has faced growing criticism over his government's commercial ties to Israel.

hurriyetdailynews | US troops head to region as fears grow of Gaza war's spread (13.04.24)
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 33,634 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry there.

Police detained dozens of protestors demanding an end to the trade with Israel in Istanbul on Saturday. Authorities suspended two police officers involved in the incident, as the government works to restore popular support after a thumping opposition win in March 31 local elections.

Responding to the developments, Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz ordered the Economic Division of his ministry "to prepare an extensive list of products that Israel will prevent Turkey [?!] from exporting to Israel," his office said in a statement.

"Turkey is unilaterally violating the trade agreements with Israel, and Israel will take all necessary measures against it," the statement said. In addition, Israel will "appeal to pro-Israel countries and organizations in the US to stop investments in Turkey and prevent the import of products from Turkey."

Israel will 'pay' for Gaza atrocities, Erdoğan tells Abbas (12.04.24)
"The president has underlined that all means, including the U.N. Security Council resolution, must be deployed for a cease-fire. Israel needs to be fought with full solidarity,"  Communications Director Fahrettin Altun told Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber. Separately, the communications director condemned an Israeli airstrike targeting a TRT crew in Gaza, saying the international community "must not stay silent in the face of such attacks "which embolden Israel."

[...]
The Turkish leader also repeatedly attacked Israel on the campaign trail ahead of local elections held on March 31. His party nevertheless suffered a significant defeat, losing control of many cities, especially to the Islam-based Yeniden Refah (New Welfare) Party. The party, which won seats in the Turkish parliament last year after allying with Erdogan's AKP, fielded its own candidates in the March elections, with its leader Fatih Erbakan attacking Erdogan for maintaining Turkish trade with Israel despite the war in Gaza.

Prof. Elise Brezis, head of the Azrieli Center for Economic Policy at Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, explained the extent of the importance of Turkish exports to Israel. She told The Media Line that Turkish exports to Israel were $6.8 billion in 2022 and $4.6 Billion in 2023, while total imports [from] Israel are $110 billion.
[...]
Dr. Lucrezia Leon Savasta, a Middle East and Eurasian expert, told The Media Line that she doubts a comprehensive ban will be implemented immediately. Instead, she sees Turkey's public announcement as a political move to pressure Israel and get more countries to join.

trtworld | Türkiye reaches a record-high share in global exports in 2023 (11.04.24)
Türkiye's exports in 2023 hit a record high of $255.8 billion, ticking up 0.6 percent from the previous year.

"Except for July, our trade gap shrank annually in the last seven months of 2023," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan explained. Adding that Türkiye aims to boost its goods and services exports in 2024 to over $375 billion, the country has "more than enough power to achieve this target," he said.

[...]
"Let's just focus on the fact that, very smartly, did not say that they would stop the import of goods from Israel," she said, noting that in 2022 [!], Israel was among the top 5 countries from where Turkey was importing refined petroleum.

trtworld | Türkiye debunks "false" claims of providing fuel to Israeli military (09.04.24)
The Combating Disinformation Centre of Türkiye confirms that the fuel in question is jet fuel purchased for Israeli passenger aircraft at airports in Turkish territory and has no connection with Israeli military aircraft.

That is why she says a total ban is not sustainable for the Turkish government. "The country is facing a sort of internal fragmentation. See the last elections, and how Erdogan lost major cities, and when the economy comes to be touched negatively, general discontent grows. It can be dangerous for the central government," she asserted. In addition, she notes that Turkey is very "money-oriented," and its decision-making is usually very well economically calculated. "It is difficult to think that they will make a decision that might harm their economic status. The elites would not allow this to happen," she asserted.

The Corps announced launching the strikes in a statement on Saturday night.

"In response to the Zionist regime's numerous crimes, including the attack on the consular section of Iran's Embassy in Damascus and the martyrdom of a number of our country's commanders and military advisors in Syria, the IRGC's Aerospace Division launched tens of missiles and drones against certain targets inside the occupied territories," the statement read.

axios | Iran launched drone attack on Israel, U.S. and Israeli officials say

It's unclear what the targets are.

Iran launched attack drones from its territory towards Israeli territory, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement. Hagari said the IDF is implementing a defense plan together with U.S. Central Command and other partners in the region to intercept the drones before they reach Israel.

Meanwhile... 'Dozens' of rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon (12.04.24)
Hezbollah fighters targeted "enemy artillery positions... with dozens of Katyusha rockets" the group said in a statement, adding it was "in response to the enemy's attacks on... southern villages and civilian homes." The Israeli army said "approximately 40 launches were identified crossing from Lebanese territory, some of which were intercepted."

A senior Israeli official says the Iranian attack includes "hundreds of attack drones."

U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson in a statement said the White House is in "constant communication with Israeli officials as well as other partners and allies."

"This attack is likely to unfold over a number of hours. President Biden has been clear: our support for Israel's security is ironclad," the statement said.

presstv.ir | Iran launches retaliatory strikes against Israel following some IDF reports

The strikes were launched on Saturday night, with some reports saying that the Islamic Republic launched a number of attack drones towards the occupied territories.

Iran has not officially acknowledged retaliatory strikes yet.

Reuters news agency reported that the Islamic Republic has not yet launched missiles in its retaliatory military action against the occupying regime, adding that there is likelihood of it targeting the occupied city of Haifa and the occupied territories' coastline with "ballistic missiles" in the coming hours.

Israel's Channel 12 confirmed that the regime had been attacked, claiming that Iran launched tens of drones towards the occupied territories.

i24news.tv | IDF confirms Iran launched drone attack toward Israel | LIVE UPDATES
IDF twitter loops. No damage reports.

Trump posts bizarre solar eclipse ad - with his head blocking out the sun, plunging US into darkness | The Independent |

During the August 2017 total solar eclipse, the then-president went viral when he ignored all eclipse safety recommendations by gazing directly at the sun with his naked eyes

Have a peaceful cultural summer

[...]
Johnson told Republicans Tuesday morning that combining the bills into one package would force the Senate to consider everything the House passes, Rep. Mark Amodei, R-Nev., said.

"So you can't cherry-pick it, and say, `Yee-haw, there goes Ukraine,' and the rest of them get the usual sentence of death from the Senate leadership," Amodei, a senior appropriator, said.  

The process of merging separate bills into one package after each measure has passed the House separately is known in procedural parlance as a "MIRV" rule. Normally, that's an acronym for multiple independently targetable re[-]entry vehicle, or a ballistic missile that carries multiple warheads.

The effect is similar on the Senate; after House passage of each bill, the rule, if adopted, provides that they all be attached to the same underlying vehicle before being transmitted to the Senate. House leaders have employed this tool at least 14 times since the mid-1990s, such as one notable attempt in 2000 to attach a small-business tax cut measure to legislation that would increase the minimum wage....

[...]
Appropriators released three separate bills for Ukraine, Israel, Indo-Pacific allies, and the domestic submarine industrial [TikTok ?] base totaling $95.3 billion.

"Johnson, R-La., in a text message Wednesday morning to GOP conference members, said a fourth bill would be posted later in the day. It would include measures to seize frozen Russian assets, force the divestiture of the Chinese-owned social media app TikTok, and impose sanctions on Russia, China and Iran, among other things."

The contents are similar to the Senate-passed version, with $60.8 billion for the Ukraine war effort, and nearly $26.4 billion [!] in military aid to Israel and humanitarian assistance for Gaza. A third bill, totaling $8.1 billion, would provide nearly $4 billion in security assistance to Taiwan and other regional allies along with money to replenish depleted U.S. stocks, $3.3 billion for submarine infrastructure and more. But there's a key difference: roughly $9.5 billion in economic aid to Ukraine would be structured as a loan, with repayment terms set by the president.

"in a new twist, Johnson also said he would move an additional bill, handled under a separate rule, to toughen security measures at the southern U.S. border. He said the bill would contain the 'core components' of HR 2, which passed the House last year over solid Democratic opposition."

The repayment requirement could be waived on an installment plan, with up to 50 percent of the loans forgiven shortly after the November elections, and the remainder starting in 2026. But Congress would get a shot to override any presidential waiver with a resolution of disapproval that's subject to expedited procedures, with debate limited to 10 hours in the Senate and no amendments.
[...]

[...]
Anadolu Agency: The US vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution demanding Palestine's full membership at the UN. Twelve member states including China voted in favor but the resolution couldn't be passed because of US veto. What's China's comment about the US veto and the outcome of the vote? 

Lin Jian: China's Permanent Representative to the United Nations has fully stated our position in his explanation of vote. An independent State of Palestine has been a long-cherished dream for generations of Palestinians. Full UN membership for Palestine is a crucial step in this historic process. Palestine first submitted a membership application as early as 2011. It was US opposition then that the Council's action was put on hold. Thirteen years later, It was again US veto that denied Palestine full UN membership and shattered the decades-long dream of the Palestinian people. History and people of the world will not forget this unconscionable act. 
[...]
China Daily: We noted that recently the US has kept hyping up the issue of China's "overcapacity". Do you have any further comment on the issue of "overcapacity"?

Lin Jian: Blaming China for "overcapacity" is not new. Years ago, the US accused China of "overcapacity" for exporting many high-quality, low-cost products. Now it is sticking the label of "overcapacity" to China's export of new energy products. The US exports 80 percent of its chips, especially advanced chips and is a large exporter of pork and agricultural products. Is that "overcapacity" according to US logic? In fact, the ratio of export to production for Chinese new energy vehicle is far lower than that of Germany, Japan and the ROK. This is certainly not "dumping extra products into the global market". "overcapacity" may look like an economic issue, but truth is, the US is using it to hit Chinese industries and give the US itself an unfair advantage in market competition. It's another example of US economic coercion and bullying.
[...]

The $95.3 billion supplemental spending measure passed under an unusual procedure in which lawmakers voted on four separate bills that were then put together into one vehicle, replacing the text of a similar Senate-passed bill that came over from that chamber two months ago.

Lastly, the House voted 360-58 to pass a "sidecar" package consisting of some measures related to the foreign aid bills, such as authorizing the seizure of about $5 billion in frozen Russian assets for distribution to Ukraine and toughening sanctions on Russia, Iran and China.

H.R.8038, 21st Century Peace through Strength Act [ROLL CALL 360-58]

That measure would also force the divestiture [sic] of Chinese-owned TikTok or the social media app would be banned in the U.S., and ban data brokers from selling Americans' personal information to countries such as China, Russia, Iran and North Korea or organizations controlled by those governments.

Here's what the bill would do:
• Place sanctions on ports and refineries that receive and process Iranian oil.
• Place sanctions on anyone involved in activity covered under the UN missile embargo on Iran that lapsed last year or in the supply or sale of Iran's missiles and drones.
• Further restrict the export of goods and technology of US origin to Iran.
• Empower the executive branch to seize and transfer frozen Russian assets held in the US to Ukraine.
• Give TikTok's Chinese parent, ByteDance, nine months to sell the social media company or it would be banned from US app stores.

...Secretary of Stalking Antony Blinken's trip to Beijing this coming week will spotlight how this strategy is holding firm almost five months later, despite unresolved issues and global conflicts threatening to break the relationship apart at any moment.

"We believe that intense competition requires intense diplomacy on a range of issues, and in-depth, face-to-face diplomacy is particularly important to managing tensions," a senior administration official told reporters in a call Friday, previewing Blinken's trip.

"The Secretary will make clear that the United States intends to responsibly manage our competition with the PRC [People's Republic of China]." ...

Tesla is to cut the price of some of its cars in an effort to combat declining sales and growing competition. Prices will be reduced in Germany—Tesla's biggest European market—and elsewhere in Europe as well as the Middle East and Africa, the company has revealed. In Germany, the cost of the Model 3 rear wheel drive will fall from  €42,990 to €40,990 [$45,770-$43,641].
[...]

The news comes after the world's largest EV maker [not TSLA] cut around a third off the price of its "Full Self Driving" system—which is not a self-drive [FKA "autonomous vehicle"] which means drivers must remain alert and be ready to intervene—to $8,000 (€7,505) from $12,000 (€11,258).
[...]
Tesla also took $2,000 off the prices of three of its five models in the United States, the Model Y, a small SUV which is Tesla's most popular model and the top-selling electric vehicle in the US, and also of the Models X and S, its older and more expensive models.
[...]
The company has been struggling with falling sales and an increasing biennial price war cuts in the market for EVs, especially against Chinese competitors [in China]. There are reports that CEO Elon Musk's personal reputation $56B value pricing also plays a role in how the company is perceived.

Below is the number of initial filings for unemployment insurance.

How is this statistically possible?

Five of the last six weeks, the exact same number.

Effectively the same number in the last 11 weeks, except for the holiday weeks (President's Day and Easter).
---
Consider... pic.twitter.com/vZbWWC7DRr

— Jim Bianco (@biancoresearch) April 18, 2024

Secretary Antony Blinken will travel to Saudi Arabia April 29-30 to meet with regional partners. The Secretary will discuss ongoing efforts to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza that secures the release of hostages and how it is Hamas that is standing between the Palestinian people and a ceasefire.
[...]

GCC (FTA 1981): AE, BH, KW, OM, QA, SA

The Secretary will participate in a Ministerial meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] to advance coordination on regional security.  At the World Economic Forum's [WEF] special meeting on Global Collaboration, Growth, and Energy for Development, the Secretary will coordinate with our partners to ensure continued progress on climate change mitigation and the global energy transition.

thehill | Blinken to travel to Saudi Arabia to discuss cease-fire efforts, 27 Apr

...Apart from discussions about a cease-fire in Gaza, Blinken will talk about the increased delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and the "importance" of it being "sustained."...

defense.gov | U.S. Begins Construction on Temporary Pier to Deliver Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, 25 Apr

Construction of the pier is expected to be completed in early May. Once completed, it will initially facilitate the delivery of an estimated 90 truckloads of international aid into Gaza and scale to up to 150 truckloads once fully operational. The beginning of construction marks a significant milestone following President Joe Biden's call for the military to conduct the emergency operation during his State of the Union Address last month.

Soldiers from the Army's 7th Transportation Brigade at Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia, and sailors from Naval Beach Group 1 at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California, were tapped to deploy the Defense Department's Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore capability, or JLOTS.
[...]

Reps. Michelle Steel, R-Calif., and Joseph D. Morelle, D-N.Y., plan to introduce legislation that would leave in place a more generous deduction aimed at encouraging companies to keep intellectual property such as patents and trademarks in the U.S., rather than abroad. A draft of the measure was shared with CQ Roll Call ahead of the formal introduction.

The provision has caught the interest of some heavy hitters in the private sector, including aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co.; defense contractor RTX Corp., formerly known as Raytheon Technologies; biotech company Genentech Inc.; and Google Client Services LLC.

Absent congressional action, the deduction for foreign-derived intangible income—known as FDII, pronounced "fih-dee" in tax circles—would shrink at the end of 2025, but not fully expire. President Joe Biden proposed eliminating the deduction, which effectively lowers the tax rate for foreign-derived income, as part of his fiscal 2025 budget proposal.

DICTION CORNER foreign-derived intangible income
proceeds (money) from the sales of products related to intellectual property (IP)
reference
Journal of Accountancy, "Understanding the FDII deduction" (01.02.19)

In the spirit of increasing the U.S. tax system's competitiveness, Congress added Sec. 250 to the Internal Revenue Code and with it the FDII deduction, which provides an incentive to domestic corporations in the form of a lower tax rate on income derived from tangible and intangible products and services in foreign markets. As a result, a corporation can claim a 37.5% deduction, which results in a permanent tax benefit and 13.125% effective tax rate, as compared with a 21% corporate rate, for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2017, and before Jan. 1, 2026, after which the deduction is reduced to 21.875%, resulting in an effective tax rate of 16.406%.

The FDII deduction is available to domestic enTITIes across a broad range of industries that are taxed as C corporations. This includes U.S.-based companies and non-U.S. companies doing business in the United States.

The House Administration Committee has approved the use of ChatGPT, the popular artificial intelligence (AI) powered computer programmed chatbot application, for some of its staffers, the panel revealed in a new report. The committee approved the use of ChatGPT Plus [01.02.23], a paid subscription plan for the chatbot, for "a cross-section of CHA committee staff" and held an initial training on the tool, according to the report on AI strategy and implementation in the House.

archive RollCall "Fireside" Chat software products (06.08.22)

[...]
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who leads the chamber's bipartisan working group on AI, held several AI insight forums to inform potential legislation late last year, and the House announced a bipartisan task force on AI in February. However, Congress still has yet to pass legislation.

whitehouse.gov | Remarks by President Biden at the IBEW Construction and Maintenance Conference (19.04.24)
...You know, since the 1930s—and I have to admit to you, in my early days in the Senate, I didn't realize this law said it would—the law that established the rights of a union to organize back in the `30s—well, that law said—a little piece in it no one paid much attention to.

The law said that when the federal government spends taxpayers' dollars, it has to—it has to buy American products with it and it has to use American labor. But that was honored in a—in the exception. The vast majority of the presidents didn't do it, and the last guy didn't even know it.  (Laughter.)  A lot of things he doesn't know.  (Applause.)
[...]
Through my American Rescue Plan, I also enacted the Butch Lewis Act, the most pro-labor union worker law for retirees in 50 years. (Applause.) All we're doing is protecting pensions for thousands of IBEW workers and others. The idea made—they made it hard for you to get it done is just—it blows my mind. But we made it happen, while my predecessor never lifted a finger to do hel-—any help.  A matter of fact, he lifted a finger—he put a thumb on it.
[..]
Today, I can announce that the IBEW plant in southern Ohio has already produced the first 200 pounds of that powerful enriched uranium—the first ever—first ever made in America. And it's on track to produce nearly a ton by the end of the year, enough to power 100,000 homes in this country.
[...]
We're giving tax breaks that are five-times greater to projects that are prevailing—providing a prevailing wage. If you don't provide a prevailing wage, you don't get the tax break. And we use registered apprenticeships to train their workers....

U.S. production of uranium concentrate (U3O8) in the fourth quarter of 2023 totaled 12,653 pounds U3O8. This quarter's total uranium production occurred at four facilities, three in Wyoming (Nichols Ranch ISR Project, Lost Creek Project, and Smith Ranch-Highland Operation) and one in Nebraska (Crowe Butte Operation).

Trump's good day in the Supreme Court came even as the justices appeared likely to reject his most extreme position: blanket ["absolute"] presidential immunity from prosecution for anything potentially falling inside the "outer perimeter" of his duties.

Trump v. US
audio | transcript (193 pp)

said in a March 11 interview on CNBC, "I would not allow countries to go off the dollar because when we lose that standard, that will be like losing a revolutionary war. That will be a hit to our country."

concluded that too many Americans didn't know what "Bidenomics" meant and because inflation has proven stubbornly high, the slogan became synonymous with an economy that, despite several strong metrics, many Americans fear is headed in the wrong direction.

will continue to use TikTok to reach out to voters—despite the president enacting a law Wednesday that could see the social media app banned in a matter of months. That timeline could also be pushed back by legal challenges, which TikTok has already threatened in response to the new law. Hours after Biden signed the bill, his 2024 campaign posted a new video on its TikTok page that featured Biden ridiculing former President Donald Trump for thinking "windmills cause cancer." The "bidenhq" account has more than 300,000 followers and has posted more than 100 videos since it launched in February.

and at least 80 protesters were arrested at Washington University in St. Louis during a pro-Palestinian demonstration Saturday. It is unclear if Stein will face any charges.