Israel strikes in and around Gaza’s second-largest city in a bloody new phase of the war
NAJIB JOBAIN and SAMY MAGDY
Upated Tue, December 5, 2023
KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel intensified its bombardment in and around Gaza’s second-largest city early Tuesday, sending ambulances and private cars racing into a local hospital carrying people wounded in a bloody new phase of the war.
Under U.S. pressure to prevent further mass casualties in the conflict with Hamas, Israel says it is being more precise as it widens its offensive into southern Gaza after obliterating much of the north — but Palestinians say there are no areas where they feel safe, and many fear that if they leave their homes they will never be allowed to return.
Satellite photos from Sunday showed around 150 Israeli tanks, armored personnel carriers and other vehicles just under 6 kilometers (4 miles) north of the heart of the city.
4 Republicans qualify for fourth 2024 presidential debate
By Daniel Strauss, CNN
3 minute read
Updated 10:00 PM EST, Mon December 4, 2023
Four candidates have qualified for the fourth GOP presidential primary debate taking place Wednesday night in Alabama, the Republican National Committee and debate broadcaster NewsNation announced Monday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will face off in Tuscaloosa in what will be the smallest debate stage lineup so far this year. Former President Donald Trump, the front-runner for the GOP nomination, will skip the event, as he has all previous debates and will instead attend a fundraiser in Florida for a super PAC supporting his candidacy.
Monday’s announcement comes with just six weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses open the 2024 GOP nomination calendar and as DeSantis and Haley compete fiercely to be seen as the top primary rival to Trump.
Earlier in the day, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum pushed back at the RNC’s tightening of the debate qualification thresholds while announcing that he was ending his campaign for the GOP nomination.
“These arbitrary criteria ensure advantages for candidates from major media markets on the coasts versus America’s Heartland. None of their debate criteria relate to the qualifications related to actually doing the job of the president. This effort to nationalize the primary system is unhealthy for the future of the party, especially for a party that proclaims to value leadership from outside of Washington,” he added.
It’s Time to Run This Anti-Gay GOP Wife Out of Politics
THREE’S A CROWD by Michael Daly
Bridget Ziegler crusades against the LGBTQ+ community but allegedly told police she slept with a woman—with her husband.
Updated Dec. 05, 2023 8:25AM EST / Published Dec. 04, 2023 10:24PM EST
Whether or not the allegations that Florida GOP head Christian Ziegler raped a Sarasota woman two months ago are substantiated, there will remain an affidavit that the police submitted to secure a search warrant for his phone.
And this sworn document attests that Ziegler’s wife, Bridget, acknowledged that she and her husband had consensual sex with this same woman a year ago.
Were Bridget Ziegler somebody else, the appropriate response to news that she had sex with another woman a year ago would have been: So what? Who cares if it was a thousand times?
But Bridget Ziegler has made herself a national figure by stoking anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry.
She co-founded Moms for Liberty, designated an extremist group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
She is on the Sarasota County School Board and served as its chair until her term expired last week.
She is also on the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District that Gov. Ron DeSantis put in place to punish Disney for voicing opposition to “Don’t Say Gay” legislation. She claims to have authored the bill, and she stood smiling behind DeSantis at the signing.
She is also executive vice president of the ultra–conservative Leadership Institute, serving as the national director of its school board leaders programs.
Dog in South Carolina rescued from dryer vent
Dec. 4 (UPI) — Police and firefighters rescued a curious dog whose head got stuck in a dryer vent at his owner’s home.
Washington city council candidate who didn’t vote loses by one ballot
Dec. 4 (UPI) — A Washington man who thought it would be “kind of narcissistic” to vote for himself ended up losing a city council position by one vote.
