BREAKING: Terrorism at US/Canada Border? How Yemen Attacking a Cargo Ship Could Increase American Inflation, Israel/Hamas Cease-Fire (The Five for 11/22/23)
Hey, welcome to The Five.
This publication normally doesn’t report on breaking news…but news happened just as I was finishing this issue, so it’s included (story 5). Details may change by the time you read this.
Now, let’s get into the news.
[one]
Could the first move towards peace between Israel and Hamas be coming?
A temporary cease-fire agreement to facilitate the release of dozens of people taken hostage during Hamas’ raid on Israel is expected to bring the first respite to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza and a glimmer of hope to the families of the captives.
Israel and Hamas agreed to the four-day halt, which was announced Wednesday and will also see the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The deal, brokered by Qatar, the U.S. and Egypt, was made public as fighting intensified in central neighborhoods of Gaza City. Egypt’s state-run Qahera TV channel said the truce would take effect Thursday morning local time.
It caps weeks of fitful indirect negotiations and sets the stage for a tense period that could determine the course of the war, which was set off by Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid and has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities. Hamas and other militant groups abducted some 240 and killed at least 1,200 people.
After the hostage exchange, it’s estimated that Hamas is still holding 200 Israeli civilians.
[two]
Two time Georgia gubernatorial hopeful Stacey Abrams (she lost in both 2018 and 2022, but made claims to have rightfully won both elections—despite the fact that her appeal was defeated in Georgia Court) has been a media darling for the last half decade, including a cameo role in Star Trek: Discovery as the “President of Earth” (another race she legally won, no doubt). Now, her family is in hot water, which the national press is (mostly) ignoring.
Jimmie Gardner, the brother-in-law of former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, was arrested on allegations of human trafficking, according to Tampa authorities.
Tampa police said they arrested the 57-year-old Friday for allegedly attempting to engage in sexual acts with a 16-year-old girl.
A release from the Tampa Police Department stated Gardner met the minor at 1:43 a.m. and invited her to his room at the Renaissance Hotel at International Plaza.
The girl accepted his invitation, and when she got there, he allegedly offered her money for sex, police said.
“The victim initially agreed but later told Gardner that she no longer wanted to engage and he became angry,” the release said. “Gardner advised the victim that she needed to leave his hotel room. The two got involved in a verbal altercation that escalated to a physical dispute after Gardner placed his hands around the victim’s neck, impeding her breathing. After the dispute, Gardner left the hotel room, and the victim called 911.”
When officers arrived, Gardner had already left the hotel, but they found the victim at the scene, according to police.
Although the story has been picked up by Fox News and the Washington Examiner, it’s unlikely that many other politicians in the U.S. could enjoy the suppression of such a negative story.
[three]
Sigh. Just when some hostages are being freed….more are being taken.
The Associated Press reports:
Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized an Israeli-linked cargo ship in a crucial Red Sea shipping route Sunday and took its 25 crew members hostage, officials said, raising fears that regional tensions heightened over the Israel-Hamas war were playing out on a new maritime front.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel and would continue to target ships in international waters that were linked to or owned by Israelis until the end of Israel’s campaign against Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
“All ships belonging to the Israeli enemy or that deal with it will become legitimate targets,” the Houthis said.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, later added in an online statement that the Israelis only understand “the language of force.”
“The detention of the Israeli ship is a practical step that proves the seriousness of the Yemeni armed forces in waging the sea battle, regardless of its costs and costs,” he added. “This is the beginning.”
I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that “any ship that deals with Israel” includes American cargo transports.
This could lead to a cascade of secondary effects, including even more inflation…as the costs of import could skyrocket if every cargo ship needs a private army.
[four]
Remember Iraq? We’re bombing it again.
The US military has taken a number of retaliatory actions after multiple close-range ballistic missiles were launched against US and coalition forces at Al-Asad Airbase in Iraq on Monday evening.
A US military aircraft – an AC-130 gunship – had responded immediately to the attack, firing on a vehicle and killing a yet unknown hostile forces, a US official told CNN on Tuesday. Later in the day, US Central Command announced that the US had also launched precision airstrikes on two facilities used by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq.
Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh said Tuesday that the attack by Iranian-backed militants resulted in “several non-serious injuries and some minor damage to infrastructure.” It marked, according to Singh, the first time that a ballistic missile was used since attacks on US and coalition forces began on October 17.
[five]
A possible terrorist attack occurred at the US/Canada border just moments ago.
The Rainbow Bridge connecting the U.S. and Canada at Niagara Falls, New York, has been closed after a vehicle explosion, according to the FBI and local authorities.
The Niagara Falls mayor's office said the incident involved a vehicle crossing into the U.S. from Canada.
The FBI is at the scene.
Ron Rienas, GM of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority, told ABC News all four Canada-U.S. bridges over the Niagara River have been closed out of an abundance of caution while the Rainbow Bridge investigation continues.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, "At my direction, the New York State Police is actively working with the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force to monitor all points of entry to New York. I am traveling to Buffalo to meet with law enforcement and emergency responders and will update New Yorkers when more information becomes available."
Until the next one,
-sth