Crooked Media - What A Day: Behind closed corridors

• In an emotional interview with Reuters, Andrés said that the Israeli attack that killed his workers in Gaza targeted them “systematically, car by car.” He continued: “This was not just a bad luck situation where ‘oops’ we dropped the bomb in the wrong place…This was over a 1.5, 1.8 kilometers, with a very defined humanitarian convoy that had signs in the top, in the roof, a very colorful logo.” Andrés called for investigations of the incident by the U.S. government and the governments of every home country of the seven aid workers. He also published an op-ed in the New York Times on Wednesday detailing his group’s work and memorializing the seven WCK staff who perished on Monday night. He called on Israel to “open more land routes for food and medicine today,” and “stop killing civilians and aid workers today.” 

• IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi released a rare statement on Tuesday saying “the strike was not carried out with the intention of harming WCK aid workers. It was a mistake that followed a misidentification—at night during a war in very complex conditions.” But Andrés and many others noted that WCK had been coordinating its movements with Israeli military officials for months, and had clearance to drive that route. United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a briefing on Tuesday that more than 180 humanitarian aid workers have been killed in Gaza since the war began on October 7.

• Videos of the attack and its aftermath obtained by the Washington Post showed the bodies of the deceased, some that were damaged beyond recognition, and others that were identified by the passport photos open on their vests. Seif Issam Abu Taha, the Palestinian man who drove the vehicle, was still wearing his WCK t-shirt. Chris Cobb-Smith, a security consultant and former weapons officer in the British army, said that the “small, confined detonation” suggests that the vehicles were struck with a drone-fired missile that is “very accurate with significant penetrating power.”

Andrés spoke to President Biden on Tuesday. The following day, he told Reuters: “The U.S must do more to tell Prime Minister Netanyahu this war needs to end now.” 

• Andrés expressed his confusion that “America is going to be sending its Navy and its military to do humanitarian work,” while simultaneously sending weapons that “are killing civilians.” Multiple reports described Biden as “privately enraged” by the strike, and he issued a statement declaring himself “outraged” and calling for “accountability.” Still, the White House has no plans to change its policy towards Israel.  Elise Jordan, a former advisor to Condoleeza Rice and the Bush Administration’s National Security Council spokesperson, told MSNBC that she was “so sick of hearing about how upset President Biden is. The buck stops with him. If he wants to stop arms sales, if he wants to stop the bombs that are indiscriminately killing civilians, he can. He has the power.”

• But after almost six months of fighting, Biden has rebuffed any calls to use real American leverage. The administration argues that such restrictions or conditioning would break America’s relationship with Israel, and that it would end the influence the U.S. has over Israel in protecting civilians. Critics of the administration’s handling of the conflict push back on that assertion, arguing that with conservative estimates of well over 30,000 civilians killed in Gaza, and the rest of the enclave on the brink of mass starvation, American influence over Israeli policy has been insufficient already. 

Former White House Deputy National Security Adviser and co-host of Pod Save The World Ben Rhodes said on MSNBC on Tuesday: “We keep hearing these statements [from the White House] that they object to the way Israel is carrying out its military strategy…[but] if there are no substantive consequences for those actions, if the U.S. weapons and support just continues…I just don’t know that that’s working in impacting Israeli calculus.” 

The strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in 25 years occurred on Wednesday, killing 9 people and injuring 900 more. Another 50 people are missing.

A new Wall Street Journal poll shows disgraced former president Donald Trump leading President Biden in six out of seven swing states. 

On a related note, almost 50,000 Democratic primary voters in Wisconsin voted for an “uninstructed” delegation on Tuesday, the latest protest vote effort over Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war. President Biden won Wisconsin in 2020 by just over 20,000 votes. 

Speaking of Wisconsin, voters approved a Republican-led effort on Tuesday to add language to the State Constitution that will forbid officials from accepting donations of money or staff to help run elections. This stems from unfounded accusations that local election offices in left-leaning districts receive more aid than those in right-leaning areas. 

Nebraska and Maine are the only two states to allocate their presidential electors by proportional representation. Republicans in conservative Nebraska want the state to move to a winner-take-all model ahead of November. 

Prosecutors in Michigan recommended at least ten years in prison for James and Jennifer Crumbley, the first parents in American history to be held criminally responsible for a school shooting committed by their son. Prosecutors said they failed to lock up a gun at home and ignored his mental health, and the two were separately convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier this year. Sentencing is scheduled for April 9th. 

Brothers Gerald and Michael Shvartsman, early investors in the company that took Trump’s social media group public, pleaded guilty to insider trading on Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan. It turns out that Trump’s personal Law of Attraction is securities fraud. 

Disney shareholders on Wednesday rallied behind longtime CEO Bob Iger, voting to dismiss an effort from investor Nelson Peltz and his ally, former Disney CFO Jay Rasulo, who sought seats on the company’s board of directors.

Tired? Stressed? Low energy? Low mood? You might just need some magnesium.

75% of American adults are deficient in magnesium, a mineral that’s essential to hundreds of functions in the body. That means that there’s a 3 out of 4 chance YOU are deficient. And guess what? Magnesium deficiency is a root cause of a whole host of modern ailments–from anxiety and depression to insomnia and stress. Suddenly the puzzle pieces are coming together!
 

Mellö Magnesium Superblend is a powerful daily supplement that contains the 3 MOST bioavailable & nutrient-dense forms of chelated magnesium on earth, the 2 MOST stress-busting aminos GABA and L-theanine, and over 70 trace minerals. 

• Mellö offers 300+ health benefits for better sleep, less stress and optimal health & wellness. 

• Mellö is the bestselling natural alternative to melatonin for sleep. Unlike melatonin that’s made from synthetic hormones and leaves you with that awful hangover feeling, Mellö is made from the highest quality natural ingredients and leaves you feeling refreshed.

• Ned spent over 3 years developing Mellö, a quest that took them from the hallowed halls of MIT to the rocky fjords of Iceland to the frigid waters of the Irish Sea. These guys literally went to the ends of the earth to create the best magnesium superblend on the planet! 

• Mellö comes in 4 REALLY delicious flavors!

• Full transparency: Ned shares all of its third-party lab reports, all right there for viewing on its site. 

• Ned’s products are backed by experts like Dr. Caroline Leaf and Dr. Gabrielle Lyon and have over 5,000 5-star reviews. 

Polls in the United Kingdom suggest that the Conservative Party’s reign is likely to come to an end in the upcoming election, with Labour slated to win more than 400 seats. Damn, a political party can’t even run a country into ruin anymore without facing consequences. Cancel culture strikes again!

First Lady Jill Biden will honor some of America’s top teachers with a state dinner later this year, a special event usually reserved for diplomats.