Pardon Me? Some Dems Criticize Biden Move
Plus, how Amazon fulfills Cyber Monday orders and Trump ultimatum for Hamas
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Good morning,
The word of 2024 is… ‘brain rot.’ That’s according to the Oxford University Press.
For anyone other than Gen Alpha or Z: Brain rot is when you’ve scrolled for so long that it feels like your brain is decaying. The publisher says use of the word jumped 230% from 2023 – in part due to its popularity on platforms like TikTok.
Oxford defines brain rot as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”
Earlier this year, Dictionary.com chose 'demure’ as its word of the year.
Use of the word demure, which also made Oxford’s shortlist, soared after TikToker Jools Lebron used it in her signature catchphrase "very demure, very mindful." It means “reserved, modest, and shy.”
Stick with Mo News today to avoid the brain rot!
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
PS: It’s Giving Tuesday, a day to celebrate your favorite charities and the services they provide. In each of the past two years, more than $3 billion was raised for nonprofits on this day. Happy Giving!
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📌 DEMOCRATS DIVIDED ON BIDEN’S USE OF PARDON POWER
Did prosecutors in President Biden’s own Justice Department unfairly target the president’s son? Was Biden just being a loving father in giving him a blanket pardon for all potential crimes committed over 11 years? Why did the President lie to the American people for so many months? These are some of the questions people are asking in the days following Biden’s ‘full and unconditional pardon’ of his son Hunter, after years of legal troubles.
Everyone seems to have an opinion on the matter: some are firmly for it, others against it, and the rest are so tired of politics they are running into the next room. The divide exists even within the Democratic party.
FIRST, HOW WE GOT HERE
After months of saying he would not use his executive powers to change the outcome of federal gun and tax evasion cases against Hunter, the president said he decided over the weekend to pardon his son before leaving office.
Under the terms of the pardon, Hunter Biden is protected from charges over a sweeping 11-year period, shielding him from more than just the gun and tax charges. This means that prosecutors from Trump’s Justice Department cannot charge him with any federal crimes committed from the beginning of 2014 to the end of 2024.
ONCE UNITED ON JUSTICE, DEMS TORN
Some Democrats are saying Biden’s flip-flop is hypocritical and hurts the party. Others say Democrats campaigned on “no one is above the law,” but the move shows that his family is.
Colorado’s Democratic Senator Michael Bennet said the move “further erodes Americans’ faith that the justice system is fair and equal for all.” The state’s governor, Jared Polis, believes “this is bad precedent that could be abused by later Presidents and will sadly tarnish his reputation.”
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) said the pardon is proof of America’s two-tiered justice system that treats the powerful differently from regular Americans.
Other prominent Democrats, including former Obama Attorney General Eric Holder, agreed with Biden that his son was targeted just for being part of the first family.
Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-MO) said “way to go Joe” and pointed to Trump’s felony conviction.
REPUBLICANS REACT
Meanwhile, some Republicans have zeroed in on the 11-year time frame of the pardon. They have accused the Bidens of hiding additional crimes that Hunter committed during that time period, and protecting him from future charges.
A few have pointed out that Hunter Biden joined the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma in 2014. Republicans have tried to pin Hunter’s dealings in Ukraine as politically corrupt, even trying to impeach President Biden over the matter in 2023.
📌 MO NEWS GOES BEHIND-THE-SCENES AT AMAZON WAREHOUSE ON CYBER MONDAY
We’re still waiting for the official totals, but Americans were set to spend a record $13 billion yesterday on Cyber Monday. And apparently, that’s because we’re wired to overspend, especially during the holidays.
Brad Klontz, a psychologist and behavioral finance expert, told CNBC that the short term gratification of giving gifts can often trump our desire to focus on long-term savings that are more abstract.
A TIP TO PREVENT OVERSPENDING
It’s not too late to set up a spending plan for the holidays (remember, you can return things!). There are even gift tracking apps to hold yourself accountable.
INSIDE AMAZON
Mo News got to see firsthand what it takes to get all those purchases out to customers. Mosheh went to an Amazon fulfillment center in Robbinsville, New Jersey to see how they process so many orders in such a short amount of time.
Automation is king: Massive robots help ship hundreds of thousands of packages per day in an almost choreographed dance in the facility.
About 3,000 people work at the 1 million square foot New Jersey warehouse, which is the size of 28 football fields and has 14 miles of conveyor belts.
BEHIND THE SCENES INSIGHT
Mo News spoke with Jenny Freshwater, Amazon’s Vice President of U.S. Fashion and Fitness who said:
Apparel, toys, and electronics were the big sellers this weekend.
More than 60% of sales in the Amazon store come from independent sellers.
Amazon is working on the next generation of technology to make sure products get to consumers even quicker.
📌 TRUMP: HAMAS WILL HAVE “HELL TO PAY” IF HOSTAGES NOT FREED BEFORE INAUGURATION DAY
After the U.S. helped broker a ceasefire deal in Lebanon between Israel and the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah last month, there is renewed focus on negotiating a deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
President-elect Donald Trump said Monday that “there will be ALL HELL TO PAY in the Middle East” if hostages in Gaza are not released prior to his Inauguration in January.
This comes as Israeli offices announced on Monday that American-Israeli hostage Omer Neutra was killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. The 21-year-old had been doing military service in Israel and was believed to be alive until yesterday. His body is still being held in Gaza.
NEARLY 425 DAYS IN CAPTIVITY
Omer is one of seven Americans still in Hamas captivity. Over the weekend, Hamas released a propaganda video showing Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander alive. Of the more than 100 hostages remaining in Gaza, about a third are believed to be alive.
The Biden administration has been ramping up last-ditch efforts to restart talks between Israel and Hamas – but the administration has said Hamas has been unwilling to negotiate.
THE OTHER FRONT
However, unofficially, the Biden administration is concerned the fragile deal in Lebanon could unravel. It comes as Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire in recent days, and Israeli drones were seen above Beirut for the first time since the agreement was signed.
Lebanese officials say Israeli forces have violated the ceasefire agreement dozens of times since it began Wednesday. Israel says Hezbollah has been moving weapons close to its border. Hezbollah fired two mortar shells at IDF positions on the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Defense Secretary Nominee Pete Hegseth was forced out of veterans’ advocacy groups over drinking, sexual misconduct allegations (CNN)
📌 Trump suggests Canada become 51st state during dinner with PM Justin Trudeau (FOX NEWS)
📌 TSA screened more than 3 million travelers at U.S. airports Sunday, breaking record (PBS)
📌 Police officer became ‘double agent’ for Proud Boys, prosecutor says (AP)
📌 Supreme Court grapples with FDA's refusal to approve flavored vapes (NBC)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Pro-Putin leader backs harsh crackdown as over 40 people hospitalized amid protests in Georgia (FOX)
📌 French government teeters after PM Barnier forces through budget (BBC)
📌 President Biden makes long awaited trip to Africa (NPR)
📌 German leader Scholz vows more Ukraine aid and defends his phone call with Putin (AP)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Fresh organic eggs distributed to Costco recalled due to salmonella concerns (ABC)
📌 Intel CEO abruptly out as company falls behind in AI transition (VERGE)
📌 Oil companies blocked plan to stop plastic pollution; Efforts start again (VERGE)
📌 Tesla CEO Elon Musk loses bid to get $56 billion pay package reinstated (CNBC)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 ‘Moana 2’ sails higher with $389M worldwide opening; biggest ever for an animated movie (DEADLINE)
📌 Harvey Weinstein taken back to hospital in New York City, lawyer says (ABC)
📌 Chris Martin and daughter Apple share a sweet slow dance during her society debut in Paris (PEOPLE)
📌 Village People singer defends Trump's use of 'Y.M.C.A.,' says song isn't a 'gay anthem' (NBC)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: DECEMBER 3
1947: Tennessee Williams's play “A Streetcar Named Desire” premiered on Broadway, starring Jessica Tandy, Kim Hunter, and Marlon Brando. Hunter and Brando would also star in the 1951 film adaptation.
1971: ‘The Oregon Trail’ computer game was first released.
1992: The first SMS text message reading “Merry Christmas” was sent by Neil Papworth, a 22-year-old engineer, on his computer to a colleague’s phone.
1994: Adam Sandler performed "The Chanukah Song" on SNL’s Weekend Update. The single was released the next year and reached #10 U.S. charts.