What Will It Take?
Good evening,
The horrific conditions in Gaza—driven by Israel’s blockade of life-sustaining aid and incessant bombardment—show no signs of improvement as President Donald Trump returns from the Middle East tonight, more personally enriched and no closer to a peace deal.
After 18 months of bombs, starvation, and collective punishment—broadcast in real time to the world—the suffering in Gaza shows no sign of ending. What will it take for progress?
Meanwhile, congressional Republicans show the first signs of division over a bill that would cut Medicaid benefits for millions of Americans. And we now know the real reason George Clooney called on former President Joe Biden to step down as the Democratic nominee last year.
GAZA
Israel intensified its attacks on Gaza this week, killing at least 300 people and bringing the death toll since October 7, 2023, to more than 53,000, according to the enclave’s health ministry. Israeli newspaper Maariv reports that Israel has been attacking Gaza every four minutes over the last 24 hours. It's been the deadliest week since Israel broke the ceasefire in March.
SYSTEMATIC STARVATION
Israel has prevented any food, water, or aid from going into Gaza for 76 days.
In a report released on Monday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) initiative – a UN group tasked with monitoring malnutrition – declared that every person in Gaza is facing food insecurity. One in five people are facing starvation.
It doesn't have to be this way. The UN says it has enough food and aid for everyone in Gaza to last four months in trucks lined up at the border but Israel will not let them in.
While Israel continues to publicly deny that there is a crisis of any kind in Gaza, in private, Israeli officials are aware of the dire circumstances that will result unless they lift the blockade– which is illegal under international law. (New York Times)
DEAL OR NO DEAL?
On Monday, Hamas released IDF Staff Sergeant Edan Alexander—the last American-Israeli hostage. Alexander was born in Israel and raised in New Jersey. On October 7, Hamas captured Alexander while on active duty. Hamas is still holding at least 58 more hostages. Only 24 are believed to still be alive.
Hamas described the release as a “goodwill" gesture, hoping Israel would open the borders for aid, which has not happened.
On Tuesday—one day after Alexander’s release and a day before sending a delegation to ceasefire talks in Doha—Israel struck the European Hospital with a series of attacks that killed 28 people. Israeli officials said the target was Hamas leader Muhammad Sinwar—brother of Yahya, who was killed by the IDF last year—and believed to now be Hamas’ chief negotiator. There is no confirmation from either side yet about Sinwar's fate. (If you're serious about a deal, do you try to kill the opposition's key decision maker one day before? Israel claims he was an obstacle to "peace.")
Israel claimed there was a Hamas control center and tunnels under the hospital – a common refrain used to justify attacks on hospitals. But Sky News reports that the "evidence" offered by the IDF actually shows those "tunnels" are just water pipelines. Of the 160+ attacks Israel has made on hospitals, they've only offered credible evidence to support their claim in one of those instances. A UN analysis determined that Israel's "evidence" was "vague, unsubstantiated or plainly absent." Israel has shown itself to be an unreliable—if not outright deceptive—source of information and should not be trusted.
In keeping with the charade, Israel sent a delegation to Qatar on Wednesday for ceasefire talks. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told CNN he had hoped Alexander’s release would bring the “talks on track,” but instead, Israel responded with more airstrikes.
On Friday, Trump said, “We’re looking at Gaza, and we got to get that taken care of. A lot of people are starving.” This wasn’t the first time – but hasn’t taken any action.
Now, at least 17 of those children treated in Jordan have been sent back to Gaza. Middle East Monitor
U.S. News
President Trump wrapped up a four-day visit to the Middle East and is expected back in the U.S. Friday night.
He began the trip in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, where he met with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (“MBS”), who rolled out the red carpet: a mobile McDonald’s, a Saudi fighter jet escort, and a personal airport greeting—something he did not do for President Biden.
The White House says Saudi Arabia has committed to $600 billion in investments in the U.S., including partnerships with American companies like Google, Oracle, Salesforce, Boeing, and GE. The deal also includes $142 billion in agreements between a dozen U.S. companies to sell Saudi Arabia “state-of-the-art war-fighting equipment and services” and to help train Saudi armed forces. (The U.S. may view this as protecting its regional interests by strengthening Saudi Arabia as an ally.)
In a surprise move, Trump announced that the U.S. will lift all sanctions on Syria imposed during the rule of Bashar al-Assad, who was overthrown and is now in exile in Russia. It’s been a few months under new leadership—President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who remains on a U.S. terror watch list. Still, Trump met with al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia, the first meeting between U.S. and Syrian leaders since 2000.
Al-Sharaa is seeking international legitimacy, and experts say lifting sanctions could help Syria regain its economic footing. The sanctions had barred Syria from accessing the global banking system, severely limiting trade and stifling its economy.
LEAVING ON A QATARI PLANE: Outrage continues over Trump’s acceptance of a $400 million jet from Qatar—even his allies are calling him out. The optics are damning: a sitting president accepts an extravagant gift from a foreign government, one he will personally profit from. Is someone buying off our president? Beyond ethics, how do we know it’s even safe? Is the plane structurally sound? Is it bugged?
THE BIGGEST GRIFT: "The three countries on Trump’s itinerary—Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates—are places where the Trump Organization, run by Trump’s two oldest sons, is developing major real estate projects. They include a high-rise tower in Jeddah, a luxury hotel in Dubai, and a golf course and villa complex in Qatar.” AP
CONGRESS
Five Republicans voted with Democrats on the House Budget Committee to block Trump’s pride and joy: The Big Beautiful Bill Act—yes, that’s the official name. The bill would make steep cuts to Medicaid to keep giving tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.
Republicans—and Trump—want to extend his 2017 tax cuts, which are set to expire soon, slashing $4.9 trillion in government revenue over the next decade. To offset that loss, they propose cutting $1.5 trillion from the budget—nearly half of it ($880 billion) from Medicaid. (And it still leaves a massive deficit.)
Here’s where Republicans are split: “Fiscal conservatives worry the bill doesn’t cut Medicaid spending enough, while Republicans from competitive swing districts warn that they can’t support a bill that would jeopardize access to health coverage and food assistance for constituents.” (AP)
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that as many as 7.6 million people could lose coverage due to the bill’s changes and new eligibility requirements.
Republicans are also proposing steep cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and green energy programs. While the bill includes higher deductions for families and eliminates taxes on tips, what it takes away could render those benefits negligible.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) said that cutting Medicaid to pay for tax breaks is both “morally wrong and politically suicidal.”
Reminder: Even if it makes it through the House, it still must pass through the Senate.
COURTS
Trump’s efforts to end birthright citizenship—guaranteed under the Constitution—reached the Supreme Court this week.
After three lower courts ruled against him in lawsuits brought by immigrant rights groups and 22 states, the White House asked the Court to overturn those rulings. Based on the justices’ questions during oral arguments, the Court appeared divided—and confused.
“Justice Brett Kavanaugh asked a series of practical questions, such as: ‘What do hospitals do with a newborn? What do states do with a newborn?’ ‘Federal officials will have to figure that out,’ Sauer answered, prompting Kavanaugh to ask, ‘How?’” NPR
A decision is expected this summer.
After two months of detention, a federal judge ordered ICE to release a postdoctoral scholar from Georgetown University who had been held for two months. Dr. Badar Khan Suri was freed from a Texas detention facility on Wednesday. Judge Patricia Tolliver Giles ruled that the government had presented no evidence he posed a national security threat. Suri says he was targeted because his father-in-law once served as an adviser to Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. Suri himself has never attended a protest.
HEADLINES
RUSSIA: The first direct ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine ended with an agreement to exchange prisoners—but no deal to stop the fighting. AP
Speaking of which… Trump’s envoy to Russia, sent to negotiate a ceasefire with President Vladimir Putin, relied on Kremlin-provided interpreters during all three of their meetings. Steve Witkoff—who does not speak Russian—should have brought his own interpreter to avoid potential miscommunication or manipulated translations, but he didn’t. NBC News
FLUORIDE GOES BYE-BYE? The FDA says it plans to phase out fluoride supplements but won’t complete its scientific review until October. Dentists prescribe these supplements to children to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities caused by wear and tear. AP
NEWARK NIGHTMARE: A third power outage—and reports of a severely understaffed control tower—have experts and fliers concerned about safety at Newark Airport. During one shift, the airport had just one or two air traffic controllers instead of the required minimum of 14. New York Times
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says he changed his wife’s flight from Newark to another airport—not because of safety concerns, but because of delays. The Hill
BY GEORGE: A new book co-authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper claims Joe Biden didn’t recognize his longtime friend George Clooney when they saw each other at a fundraiser before the election—prompting Clooney to write an op-ed calling on Biden to step aside, which he did about 10 days later. Tapper and co-author Thompson write that others noticed Biden’s “obvious brain freezes and clear signs of mental slide.” The Hill
DON’T ASK, DO TELL: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has repealed a Biden-era policy that would have prevented data brokers from selling Americans’ sensitive personal information—including Social Security numbers—without their consent. Wired
GOOD NEWS: Drug overdose deaths dropped 27% in 2024—the largest year-over-year decline ever reported by the CDC. Med Page
PROMISING NEWS: There was a slight uptick in measles cases this week, but Texas—the epicenter of the outbreak—reported its lowest increase since February, when the first case was reported. CDC
OOPSIE, DAISY: HHS has re-hired 328 federal employees—responsible for screening coal miners and 9/11 first responders for illness—after previously firing them. NBC News
UPDATE: A federal grand jury has indicted a Wisconsin judge for allegedly helping a man evade ICE agents. Wisconsin Public Radio