US, Israel Tension Over Gaza: The politics of Biden and Bibi
Study: Americans increasingly breathing unhealthy air
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Good morning,
Ok lovebirds, if you’re heading out for some last-minute chocolate for Valentine’s Day (it’s tomorrow!), get ready to pay more. Chocolate prices are going up, as cocoa hit an all-time high this month.
🍫 Cocoa, a key ingredient in chocolate, has doubled in cost over the past year. The previous record was set in 1977.
Why? Extreme weather in West Africa, where most of the global cocoa growers reside.
💲And candy companies (like Nestlé and Cadbury) have been bumping up prices over the past few months to offset the higher costs of not just cocoa, but also sugar and labor.
Don’t expect any relief for Easter; a new cocoa crop won’t come for months, leading to even higher candy costs this spring and fall.
Looking for a chocolate-alternative for Valentine’s Day? Nothing says love like a Mo News mug or Premium Group Plan membership (see below). ☕️ ❤️
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
🇺🇸🇮🇱 US-ISRAEL DISAGREEMENT OVER NEXT STEPS IN GAZA WAR
After extremely close coordination between the US and Israel during the first four months of the war, it appears there is an increasing divide between the nations’ leaders. President Biden is pushing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for a “credible plan” to evacuate and protect the more than 1.4 million civilians in the town of Rafah before launching the next phase of the war.
Rafah, a city on the border with Egypt, currently houses hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians (it has grown 3-4x over the last 130 days) who have fled there since the war began.
On Monday, Biden and Jordan’s King Abdullah spoke at the White House, addressing their humanitarian concerns over an Israeli invasion of the city.
Since the war started, over half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have fled to Rafah — a senior US official said they “have nowhere to go.”
Israel’s proposed plan would put Egypt in charge of creating 15 campsites, with about 25,000 tents each, across the southwestern part of the Gaza Strip.
HAMAS’ LAST STRONGHOLD
Israel says Hamas’ top leaders are hiding behind the remaining Israeli hostages in Rafah and a ground offensive is necessary eradicate the terrorist group.
Israelis are pointing to the rescue of two hostages in Rafah Monday as proof of why there needs to be a ground operation in the area. The IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police rescued Fernando Merman, 60, and Luis Har, 70, from an apartment building in the city. They were kidnapped from their kibbutz on Oct. 7. During the operation, several dozen Palestinians were killed, according to Hamas.
Over 100 Israeli hostages remain in Hamas captivity, in addition to 29 others who are believed to be dead.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says about 18 of the original 24 Hamas battalions are effectively destroyed. Of the six left, four are in Rafah.
It is also believed that Hamas’ remaining Gaza leadership, including Yahya Sinwar, are in the area. Israel says capturing or killing them is necessary to freeing hostages, and preventing the next October 7th.
THE OPTICS
The Biden administration has become increasingly critical of Israeli military operations and is instead pushing for a negotiated compromise. CIA Director William Burns is expected to travel to Egypt today to continue hostage negotiations with senior officials from Israel, Egypt, and Qatar.
Growing frustration: Last week, Biden publicly called Israel's operations in Gaza "over the top.” Privately, White House officials say he is calling Netanyahu an “asshole,” and has criticized the Israeli prime minister for not de-escalating military force in Gaza, despite US recommendations.
On the political front, Biden is in the tough spot in an election year. He’s trying to win back the support of many younger, progressive and Arab Americans who are critical of Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
Biden’s most recent remarks aim to appease voters who are concerned about maintaining unlimited support for Israel despite the increasing death toll in Gaza (2/3 of the 28,000 killed were reportedly civilians).
At the same time, Netanyahu, whose approval is at a record low domestically and who faces his own elections after the war, actually benefits from the attacks. The criticism from Washington allows him to appear strong to many Israelis, who see him as standing up to American pressure as the country defends itself.
💨 AIR QUALITY WORSENING: OVER 25% OF US BREATHING UNHEALTHY AIR
After decades of cleaner air, new research says climate change will lead to deteriorating air quality over the next thirty years.
Already, 83 million Americans are exposed to at least one "unhealthy" day a year on the air quality index (AQI) — a way to measure the health concerns of air pollution. By 2054, 42 million more people in the US are expected to fall into that category.
HAZY SKIES
Poor air quality is linked to increases in particulate matter and ozone. PM2.5, fine inhalable particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers, can get deep into lungs and have negative health impacts; ozone air pollution (think smog) aggressively attacks lung tissue.
Over the same 30-year timeframe, the research projects “Very Unhealthy” (Purple Days) to rise by 13% and “Hazardous” (Maroon Days) by 27%.
CLIMATE CHANGE BEATS REGULATION
The research, from the nonprofit First Street Foundation, found that clean air regulation won’t keep-pace with the impacts that climate change-related events — like heatwaves, droughts, and wildfires — have on the air.
WHAT HELPED: Federal regulation, like the 1970 Clean Air Act, helped to limit pollutants emitted by factories and automobiles.
“The major concern moving forward is that climate is much harder to regulate than industry,” Matthew Eby, CEO of First Street said.
Climate events are impacted by carbon dioxide and methane emissions.
The data comes from the EPA’s air quality sensors across the US and First Street’s peer-reviewed fire and heat models. The predictions are not peer reviewed.
Via: The Verge
NOT EQUAL IMPACT
People living in the Western US will see the greatest impact on their air quality. And they already have: Compared to 2000, today the West had 2x as many poor air quality days a year.
Washington, Oregon, and California will be mostly impacted by wildfire smoke (though the East Coast and Mid-West saw impacts of Canadian wildfire smoke this past summer).
Other parts of the US could see ozone-related air pollution when there are heat spikes.
🏠 You can see what the researchers say about your address here.
⏳ SPEED READ
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📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
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🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Jon Stewart mocks Biden, Trump during return to 'The Daily Show' (THE HILL)
📌 Did Usher get married in Las Vegas wedding ceremony during Super Bowl weekend?! (PAGE SIX)
📌 Marathon world record-holder Kelvin Kiptum has died in a car crash (ABC NEWS)
📌 New Orleans, Rio, Cologne — Carnival joy peaks around the world as Lent begin Wednesday (AP)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: FEBRUARY 14
1633: Galileo Galilei, Italian astronomer, arrives in Rome to face Vatican heresy charges due to his finding that the Earth revolves around the Sun.
1920: The League of Nations, the international organization formed at the peace conference after World War I, recognized Switzerland as neutral.
1972: “Cabaret,” starring Liza Minnelli and Michael York and directed by Bob Fosse, was released in theaters.
2000: “Peanuts” comic strip ran for the last time in Sunday newspapers hours after the creator, Charles Schulz, died.