Friday, March 29, 2024

Putin Says Won’t Start War With NATO but Western Bases with Ukraine Jets Would Be Targets

6
Inna, 71, carries possessions rescued from the rubble of her house which was destroyed by a Russian drone attack in a residential neighbourhood, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday, March 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Andriy Andriyenko)

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin scoffed at the possibility of his country launching an attack on a NATO member, calling it “sheer nonsense,” but warned that any Western air base hosting U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets that are slated for deployment in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for the Kremlin’s forces.

“Their statements about our alleged intention to attack Europe after Ukraine is sheer nonsense,” Putin said late Wednesday, referring to warnings in the U.S. and Western Europe that Russia could turn its sights on other countries unless it is stopped.

He noted that the U.S. defense budget is more than 10 times higher than Russia’s. “In view of that, are we going to wage a war against NATO? It’s ravings,” he told military pilots during a visit to an air base.

Ukraine is awaiting the delivery of F-16s, which will increase military pressure on Russia, from its Western partners. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last year that 42 F-16s had been promised. Ukrainian pilots have been training in the West for months on how to fly the warplanes.

The F-16s require a high standard of runways and reinforced hangars to protect them from bombing attacks when they are on the ground. It is not clear how many Ukrainian air bases can meet those requirements, and Russia would be certain to quickly target a few that could accommodate them once the jets arrive.

Putin warned Ukraine’s Western allies against providing air bases in their countries from where the F-16s could launch sorties against the Kremlin’s forces. Those bases would become a “legitimate target,” he said.

“F-16s are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, and we will also need to take that into account while organizing our combat operations,” Putin added.

Military analysts have said the arrival of F-16s won’t be a game-changer in view of Russia’s massive air force and sophisticated air defense systems, though Ukrainian officials have welcomed them as an opportunity to hit back at Russia’s air dominance.

Putin insisted the F-16s “won’t change the situation on the battlefield.”

“We will destroy their warplanes just as we destroy their tanks, armored vehicles and other equipment, including multiple rocket launchers,” he said.

F-16s can be used to bolster Ukraine’s capability to target Russian facilities with long-range missile strikes. Ukraine’s counteroffensive last year came up short in part because it took place without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.

Russia has maintained air dominance in the war with Ukraine, though the provision of sophisticated Western air defense systems has forced Russian warplanes to avoid Ukrainian skies and launch attacks while remaining over Russian-controlled territory.

The Kremlin currently has a battlefield edge in weapons and troops, yielding recent incremental gains at points on the around 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, as Kyiv awaits more promised Western military support and mulls a broader mobilization.

Russia fired salvoes of drones and missiles overnight at southern and eastern regions of Ukraine, authorities said Thursday, injuring more than a dozen people as the Kremlin’s forces persevered with attritional attacks designed to wear down Ukrainian defenses.

Air defense systems intercepted 26 out of 28 Shahed drones, Ukraine’s air force said. Russian forces also launched five missiles overnight, it said.

The regular bombardment of Ukraine by the Kremlin’s forces during the war has recently gained momentum, with missile barrages of the capital Kyiv and strikes on energy facilities across the country. The attacks also aim to weaken Ukrainian morale and act as retribution for Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian soil.

One of Russia’s goals is to “deplete Ukraine’s inventory of ground-based air defense,” according to a recent military assessment published by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

That would erode some of Ukraine’s combat ability as it waits on pledged but delayed military support from the West, including ammunition for its artillery and air defenses.

“Kyiv is confronted by the threat that an attritional war in the air domain will increasingly favor Russia without adequate support from the U.S. and its allies,” the IISS said. “Ukraine’s ability to continue to counter Russian air threats and impose costs on the Russian Aerospace Forces remains important to the outcome of the war.”

Authorities in the Mykolaiv region, near the Black Sea in southern Ukraine, said 12 people were injured and six residential buildings were damaged in a Russian strike on the city on Wednesday afternoon with a ballistic missile.

In an overnight attack on the southern Ukraine region of Zaporizhzhia, Shahed drones struck a residential area, lightly injuring two women aged 72 and 74, according to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov. Rescue services said seven buildings were damaged.

The Black Sea city of Odesa repelled three missile and drone attacks, officials said.

Herzog Calls Biden ‘a Great Friend of Israel’

7
resident Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal Herzog, with Democratic Congress members in Jerusalem, March 28, 2024. Photo by Maayan Toaf/GPO.

JERUSALEM (JNS) – Israeli President Isaac Herzog told visiting congressional Democrats at his official residence in Jerusalem on Thursday that President Joe Biden is “a great friend of Israel.”

“President Biden is a great friend of Israel. When we hosted him less than two years ago here, I could see his love and affection and emotion towards the people of Israel and the State of Israel. The tears in his eyes when he saw so many great moments here. He is a true friend and I respect him a lot for that,” Herzog told the lawmakers participating in an AIPAC-led trip.

He spoke amid tensions between Washington and Jerusalem over the direction of the war being waged in Gaza since the Hamas-led invasion of Oct. 7, and in particular regarding the IDF’s pending offensive in Rafah, which the White House opposes but which Israel says is necessary to defeat the terrorist group.

The tensions hit a boiling point with Monday’s U.S. refusal to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for a temporary ceasefire not conditioned on the release of 134 Israeli hostages still being held by Hamas in Gaza.

This led Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to protest the move by canceling the planned visit of an Israeli delegation to Washington to discuss alternatives to the Rafah operation, before later in the week reversing the decision.

“We share with the United States of America, and with the president of the United States of America, our dear friend President Joe Biden, the same vision of eradicating terror, of bringing the hostages back home, a vision of moving towards peace with our neighbors—once we finish the ability of our enemies to carry out terror from Gaza against us,” Herzog said.

“And finally, most importantly, we share the vision of inclusion of Israel in the region, in which I believe strongly, including the normalization [of relations] with Saudi Arabia,” he added.

In concluding his remarks to the American lawmakers, Herzog emphasized the “unique bond” between the two nations and the importance of strengthening ties.

“We will work together to alleviate and upgrade the humanitarian aid to Gaza and we will work together endlessly to bring the hostages back home. And we will work endlessly to fight terror, stand up to the empire of evil, and lead the world and the region to a better future. Thank you very much,” he said.

French Lawmakers Are Weighing a Bill Banning All Types of Hair Discrimination

0
A customer has her hair trimmed, in a hairdressing salon, in Paris, Wednesday, March 27, 2024. French lawmakers are debating a bill Thursday that would ban discrimination over the texture, length, color or style of someone's hair. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

PARIS (AP) — French lawmakers are debating a bill Thursday that would ban discrimination over the texture, length, color or style of someone’s hair. Its authors hope the groundbreaking measure sends a message of support to Black people and others who have faced hostility in the workplace and beyond because of their hair.

“It’s about time,” exclaimed Estelle Vallois, a 43-year-old consultant getting her short, coiled hair cut in a Paris salon, where the hairdressers are trained to handle all types of hair — a rarity in France. “Today, we’re going even further toward taking down these barriers of discrimination.”

The draft law echoes similar legislation in more than 20 U.S. states. The bill was proposed by Olivier Serva, a French lawmaker from the French Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, who says if passed it would make France the first country in the world to recognize discrimination based on hair at a national level.

The bill would amend existing anti-discrimination measures in the labor code and criminal code to explicitly outlaw discrimination against people with curly and coiled hair or other hairstyles perceived as unprofessional, as well as bald people. It does not specifically target race-based discrimination, though that was the primary motivation for the bill.

“People who don’t fit in Euro-centric standards are facing discrimination, stereotypes and bias,” Serva, who is Black, told The Associated Press.

The bill has a chance of passing in Thursday’s vote in the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, because it is supported by members of President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist party Renaissance and left-wing parties. But it has faced opposition from conservative and far-right lawmakers who see it as an effort to import U.S. concepts about race and racial discrimination to France.

In the United States, 24 states have adopted a version of the CROWN Act — which stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair — banning race-based hair discrimination in employment, housing, schools and in the military. Federal legislation passed in the House in 2022 but Senate Republicans blocked it a month later.

Opponents of the French bill say France’s legal framework already offers enough protection to people facing discrimination over their natural Afro hair, braids, cornrows or locs.

Authors of the bill disagree. One example they cite is a Black French steward who sued Air France after he was denied access to a flight because of his braids and was coerced into wearing a wig with straight hair. Aboubakar Traoré won his case in 2022 after a decade-long judiciary battle. But the court ruled that he was not discriminated against over his hair but because he is a man, since his female counterparts were allowed to wear braids.

France does not collect official data about race, because it follows a universalist vision that doesn’t differentiate citizens by ethnic groups, which makes it difficult to measure race-based hair discrimination.

Advocates of the bill hope it addresses Black French people’s long struggle to embrace their natural hair, often stigmatized as coarse and unruly.

Aude Livoreil-Djampou, a hairdresser and mother of three mixed-race children, said that while some people view the draft law as frivolous, it’s about something deeper.

“It’s not only a hair issue. It will give strength to people to be able to answer, when asked to straighten their hair, they can say: ’No, this is not legal, you cannot expect that from me, it has nothing to do with my professional competence.’”

Djampou-Livoreil’s salon takes care of all kinds of clients, from those with straight hair to those with tight curls. “It’s very moving to have a 40-year-old woman, sometimes in a very high position, finally embracing her natural beauty. And it happens every day,” she said.

Salon customer Vallois hopes her 5-year-old daughter will live in the future in a society that doesn’t stigmatize their hair.

“When I was younger, I remember lamenting the lack of salons and even hair products (for frizzy hair) — there was a time when, unfortunately, we had to use products designed for European hair and not adapted to our hair. I’m glad, today, that things are more accessible and there’s change,” she said.

“There’s no reason to be ashamed of who you are, whether it’s your hair or even the fact that you don’t have any!”

Biden Announcing New Rule to Protect Consumers Who Buy Short-Term Health Insurance

8
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks at a campaign event at El Portal restaurant, March 19, 2024, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

(AP) – President Joe Biden on Thursday announced new steps to protect consumers who buy short-term health insurance plans that critics say amount to junk.

A new rule finalized by the Democratic president’s administration will limit these plans to just three months. And the plans can only be renewed for a maximum of four months, instead of up to the three years that were allowed under Biden’s predecessor, Republican Donald Trump.

The Biden administration is also requiring short-term plans to provide consumers with clear explanations of the limits of their benefits.

The White House said the rule is part of Biden’s efforts to reduce costs for consumers, which he has been promoting extensively as he seeks reelection in November.

“The president really believes the American people do not want to be taken for suckers and junk insurance takes them for suckers,” Neera Tanden, Biden’s domestic policy adviser, said during a call the White House arranged to discuss the rule with reporters.

Short-term insurance is meant to be temporary, providing a safety net for consumers as they transition between jobs, for example, or retire before they are eligible for Medicare.

But short-terms plans — critics call them “junk insurance” — too often mislead consumers into thinking they were buying comprehensive health coverage, Tanden said. Consumers would later be surprised to learn when they tried to use the insurance that their benefits were capped or certain coverages were not provided.

Tanden said Trump and other Republican-elected officials undermined the Affordable Care Act by allowing insurance companies to exploit loopholes and sell short-term plans that often leave consumers surprised when confronted by thousands of dollars in medical bills.

The ACA was signed into law in 2010 by President Barack Obama. Biden and his administration have spent this week marking the 14th anniversary of the landmark law’s enactment.

Short-term plans were expanded in 2018 during the Trump administration as a cheaper alternative to the Affordable Care Act’s costlier comprehensive insurance. Trump, who had promised to repeal and replace the law, has praised short-term plans as “much less expensive health care at a much lower price.”

In 2020, a divided federal appeals court upheld the Trump administration’s expansion of short-term health insurance plans.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the Trump administration had the legal authority to increase the duration of the health plans from three to 12 months, with the option of renewing them for 36 months. The plans do not have to cover people with preexisting conditions or provide basic benefits like prescription drugs.

R’ Shimon Bollag ז”ל

0
Family getting up: Wednesday (4/03/24)Morning

US Sanctions Media Site ‘Gaza Now’ for Allegedly Supporting Hamas

2
FILE- This June 6, 2019, file photo shows the U.S. Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington. The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on an online media site called Gaza Now and its founder Mustafa Ayash, for allegedly supporting Hamas. U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control says that after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel — the online entity began a fundraising effort in support of the militant organization.  (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Wednesday imposed sanctions on online media site Gaza Now and its founder Mustafa Ayash for allegedly supporting Hamas.

U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control says that after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas against Israel — the online entity began a fundraising effort in support of the militant organization.

Gaza Now’s Arabic channel has more than 300,000 followers on social media channel X, formerly known as Twitter, and a large following on the encrypted chat platform Telegram.

Included in the sanctions are firms Al-Qureshi Executives and Aakhirah Ltd., and their director Aozma Sultana, who are alleged to have partnered on multiple fundraising efforts alongside Gaza Now.

The sanctions were imposed in collaboration with the U.K.’s Office of Foreign Sanctions Implementation.

Treasury Under Secretary Brian Nelson said in a statement that the U.S. and its partners “will continue to leverage our tools to disrupt Hamas’ ability to facilitate further attacks.”

A representative for Gaza Now and Ayash were not immediately available. The sanctions block access to U.S. property and bank accounts and prevent those designated from doing business with Americans.

Powerball Jackpot Increases to $935 Million After No One Wins the Top Prize

0

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Powerball jackpot increased to an estimated $935 million after no one matched the six numbers drawn Wednesday night.

The numbers selected were: 37, 46, 57, 60, 66 and the Powerball 8.

The drawing came a day after a player in New Jersey won a $1.13 billion Mega Millions prize after 30 straight drawings without a winner.

The Powerball jackpot has been growing for months, since the last winner on New Year’s Day. There now have been 37 consecutive drawings without anyone hitting the top prize.

The game’s odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to create big jackpots that will grab attention and increase sales.

The $935 million prize for the next drawing Saturday night is for a sole winner who is paid over 30 years through an annuity. Winners usually opt for a cash payout, which for the next drawing would be an estimated $449.7 million.

Powerball is played in 45 states plus Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Russian Veto Brings End to UN Panel Monitoring Enforcement of North Korea Nuclear Sanctions

0

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Russia vetoed a U.N. resolution Thursday in a move that effectively abolishes the monitoring by United Nations experts of sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program, though the sanctions themselves remain in place.

Russia’s turnaround on the monitoring — which it repeatedly agreed to in the past — prompted Western accusations that Moscow was acting to shield its weapons purchases from North Korea for use in its war against Ukraine, in violation of the U.N. sanctions.

The vote in the 15-member council was 13 in favor, Russia against, and China abstaining. The Security Council resolution would have extended the mandate of the panel of experts for a year, but Russia’s veto will halt its operation. The U.N. sanctions against North Korea still remain in force.

Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia told the council before the vote that Western nations are trying to “strangle” North Korea and that sanctions have proven “irrelevant” and “detached from reality” in reining in the country’s nuclear program.

U.S. Deputy Ambassador Robert Wood told the council after the vote that Russia’s veto was nothing more than “the attempt by one council member to silence the independent objective investigations” into North Korea’s sanctions violations.

He said Russia acted because “the panel began reporting in the last year on Russia’s blatant violations of the U.N. Security Council resolutions.”

White House national security spokesman John Kirby condemned Russia’s veto as a “reckless action” that undermines sanctions imposed on North Korea, while warning against the deepening cooperation between North Korea and Russia, particularly as North Korea continues to supply Russia with weapons as it wages its war in Ukraine.

“The international community should resolutely uphold the global nonproliferation regime and support the people of Ukraine as they defend their freedom and independence against Russia’s brutal aggression,” Kirby told reporters.

Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Barbara Woodward said Russia’s veto follows arms deals between Russia and North Korea in violation of U.N. sanctions, including “the transfer of ballistic missiles, which Russia has then used in its illegal invasion of Ukraine since the early part of this year.”

The Security Council imposed sanctions after North Korea’s first nuclear test explosion in 2006 and tightened them over the years in a total of 10 resolutions seeking — so far unsuccessfully — to cut funds and curb its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

The last sanctions resolution was adopted by the council in December 2017. China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-sponsored resolution in May 2022 that would have imposed new sanctions over a spate of intercontinental ballistic missile launches.

The Security Council established a committee to monitor sanctions and the mandate for its panel of experts to investigate violations had been renewed for 14 years.

Yeshiva University Cancels Speech by Former Jewish Press Editor

32

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Yeshiva University has canceled an upcoming lecture by Elliot Resnick, former chief editor of The Jewish Press and a VINNews podcast host.

Resnick had been scheduled to speak about his book – America First: The Story of Sol Bloom, the Most Powerful Jew in Congress During the Holocaust – but several university officials complained about Resnick entering the capitol building on January 6, 2021.  They also objected to his public condemnation of the university.

It isn’t clear if the officials balked at an op-ed he wrote in September 2022 in response to YU proclaiming “unshakable” “love” for LGBT students on campus or if they had in mind a February 2024 podcast episode in which Resnick castigated YU for banning Rabbi Meir Kahane’s books from its Seforim Sale while tolerating radical left-wing behavior.

“In that podcast, I pointed out that YU – among other things – employed a transgender professor for 20 years and that it continues to employ a Bible professor who publicly said we should ignore the Torah’s views on homosexuality,” Resnick told VINNews.  “I couldn’t believe that YU would treat anti-Torah leftists so tolerantly and yet refuse to carry Rabbi Kahane’s books – especially after October 7 – at its Seforim Sale.

“So I spoke out.  And now I’m being punished – for the crime of objecting to a crime.”

Resnick was supposed to speak on April 2 under the aegis of “YU Library Book Talk.”  His book America First is based on his PhD dissertation, which he wrote at YU.

See the poster of Resnick’s canceled speech below:

Resnick was a reporter for The Jewish Press from 2006-2018, and its chief editor from 2018-2021, during which time he revitalized the paper.  He was let go as editor in May 2021 after Politico reported on his participation in the storming of the U.S. Capitol.  Last August, SawYouAtSinai (SYAS) kicked Resnick off its shidduch database, also citing his January 6 activities.

“Any person who is arrested and charged with a violent crime, whether it be domestic violence, physical assault, sexual assault or any related criminal activity, will not be permitted to use our matchmaking services,” SYAS CEO Marc Goldmann said in a statement.

On Jan. 6, 2021, Resnick held the wrist of a police officer for a little over two seconds.  The officer had been squirting pepper spray on people outside the Capitol’s East Rotunda Doors when Resnick grabbed his wrist.  The U.S. government initially charged Resnick with assault for this act, but it dropped the charge in January of this year when Resnick pled guilty to civil disorder, a non-violent crime.  Resnick, however, remains banned at SYAS.

Read SYAS’s explanation for banning Resnick.

 

Biden Fundraiser in NYC With Obama and Clinton Nets Whopping $25M. It’s a Record

11
FILE - President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, and former President Bill Clinton attend at a memorial service for Sen. Robert Byrd, July 2, 2010, at the Capitol in Charleston, W.Va. Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are teaming up with President Joe Biden for a glitzy reelection fundraiser Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The event brings together more than three decades of Democratic leadership. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A fundraiser for President Joe Biden on Thursday in New York City that also stars Barack Obama and Bill Clinton is raising a whopping $25 million, setting a record for the biggest haul for a political event, his campaign said.

The eye-popping amount was a major show of Democratic support for Biden at a time of persistently low poll numbers. The president will test the power of the campaign cash as he faces off with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has already proved with his 2016 win over Democrat Hillary Clinton that he didn’t need to raise the most money to seize the presidency.

The Radio City Music Hall event will be a gilded exclamation mark on a recent burst of presidential campaign travel. Biden has visited several political battlegrounds in the three weeks since his State of the Union address served as a rallying cry for his reelection bid. The event also brings together more than three decades of Democratic leadership.

The hourslong event has different tiers of access depending on donors’ generosity. The centerpiece is an onstage conversation with the three presidents, moderated by late-night talk show host Stephen Colbert. There’s also a lineup of musical performers — Queen Latifah, Lizzo, Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele — that will be hosted by actress Mindy Kaling. Thousands are expected, and tickets are as low as $225.

More money gets donors more intimate time with the presidents. A photo with all three is $100,000. A donation of $250,000 earns donors access to one reception, and $500,000 gets them into an even more exclusive gathering.

“But the party doesn’t stop there,” according to the campaign. First lady Jill Biden and DJ D-Nice are hosting an after-party at Radio City Music Hall with 500 guests.

Obama and Clinton are helping Biden expand his already significant cash advantage over Trump. Biden had $155 million in cash on hand through the end of February, compared with $37 million for Trump and his Save America political action committee.

The $25 million tally for the New York City event Thursday includes money from supporters who handed over cash in the weeks ahead of the fundraiser for a chance to attend. It’s raising $5 million more than Trump raised during February.

“This historic raise is a show of strong enthusiasm for President Biden and Vice President Harris and a testament to the unprecedented fundraising machine we’ve built,” said campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg. “Unlike our opponent, every dollar we’re raising is going to reach the voters who will decide this election — communicating the president’s historic record, his vision for the future and laying plain the stakes of this election.”

Trump has kept a low profile in recent weeks, partially because of courtroom appearances for various legal cases, the bills for which he’s paying with funds from donors. He is also expected to be in the area on Thursday, attending the Long Island wake of a New York City police officer who was shot and killed during a traffic stop in Queens.

His next political rally is scheduled for Tuesday in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Some Republican leaders have become concerned that his campaign doesn’t have the infrastructure ready for a general election battle with Biden.

Steven Cheung, a Trump campaign spokesperson, dismissed the import of Biden’s Thursday fundraiser.

“Crooked Joe is so mentally deficient that he needs to trot out some retreads like Clinton and Obama,” he said.

Leon Panetta, who served in top positions under Clinton and Obama, described the fundraiser as an important moment for Biden’s campaign.

“What it does, first and foremost, is to broaden and reinforce the support of all Democrats,” he said.

Panetta said Clinton and Obama, both known as effective political communicators, could help Biden develop a better pitch for his reelection.

“I can’t think of two people who would be better at putting together that kind of message,” he said.

Obama’s attendance on Thursday is a reminder of his role in boosting Biden’s reelection. A joint fundraiser with Biden and Obama raised nearly $3 million in December. And people who served in the Obama administration are also raising money for Biden, scheduling their own event on April 11.

“Consider what you’ll donate this cycle and do it now,” said an email that went out to a network of people. “Early money is far more valuable to the campaign.”

China’s Latest EV Is a ‘Connected’ Car From Smart Phone and Electronics Maker Xiaomi

0
Visitors to the Xiaomi Automobile flagship store look at the Xiaomi SU7 electric car on display in Beijing, Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Xiaomi, a well-known smart consumer electronics brand in China, is joining the country's booming but crowded market for electric cars. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

BEIJING (AP) — Xiaomi, a well-known maker of smart consumer electronics in China, is joining the country’s booming but crowded market for electric cars.

The tech company will start taking orders for the SU7, a sporty four-door sedan, following a launch event with founder Lei Jun in Beijing on Thursday evening. Analysts think it will be priced in the 300,000 yuan ($40,000) range.

Government subsides have helped make China the world’s largest market for electric vehicles, and a bevy of new makers are locked in fierce competition. Most of the industry’s sales have been domestic, but Chinese makers are pushing into overseas markets with lower-priced models, posing a potential challenge to European, Japanese and American auto giants.

Lei is not bashful about that challenge, saying at an unveiling of the SU7 in December that Beijing-based Xiaomi aims to become one of the world’s top five automakers in the next 15 to 20 years.

“I believe that one day, Xiaomi EVs will be a familiar sight on roads around the world,” he was quoted as saying in a company news release.

Xiaomi, founded in 2010, is entering an overcrowded market that analysts expect will undergo a shakeout in coming years, with weaker startups falling by the wayside.

The combined share of EVs and hybrids in China’s auto sales is likely to reach 42% to 45% this year, up from 36% in 2023, according to Fitch Ratings. But the agency said in a December report that the competition could put pressure on automakers’ short-term market share and profitability.

Known for its affordable smartphones, smart TVs and other devices, Xiaomi aims to capitalize on that technology by connecting its cars with its phones and home appliances in what it calls a “Human x Car x Home” ecosystem.

Tu Le, the founder of the Sino Auto Insights consultancy, said that Xiaomi is trying to close the loop by adding transportation to a product mix already integrated into its customers’ personal and professional lives.

“The ability to seamlessly be a continuous part of someone’s life is the holy grail for tech companies,” he said in an emailed response. “You probably don’t know anyone in Beijing that doesn’t have at least one Xiaomi product, be it a mobile phone, computer, TV, (air) purifier, or tablet.”

As a newcomer to automaking, the company is making an educated guess that it can design and develop a car that will sell, he said. Given the sluggish Chinese economy and an ongoing EV price war, he predicted it would take a year or two to see if Xiaomi can adapt to correct any missteps and succeed.

“They are a technology company, so that’s their advantage but they need to reconcile that with drinking through a fire hose to learn how to be a tech company that builds cars,” Le said.

CreditSights, a financial research firm, said it expects Xiaomi’s EV division to sell 60,000 vehicles in its first year and lose money for its first two years because of high marketing and promotion costs.

Chinese automakers trying to expand abroad face political headwinds.

The EU is investigating Chinese subsidies to determine if they give made-in-China EVs an unfair market advantage overseas. The U.S. announced an investigation last month into Chinese-made connected cars that it says could gather sensitive information about their drivers.

“China is determined to dominate the future of the auto market, including by using unfair practices,” President Joe Biden said when the U.S. investigation was announced. “China’s policies could flood our market with its vehicles, posing risks to our national security. I’m not going to let that happen on my watch.’′

China pushed back this week, filing a World Trade Organization complaint that alleges that U.S. subsides for electric vehicles discriminate against Chinese products.

The U.S. Defense Department put Xiaomi on a blacklist in 2021 over alleged links to China’s military, but removed it a few months later after the company denied the links and sued the U.S. government.

Disgraced Crypto Mogul Bankman-Fried Gets 25 Years in Prison

6
FILE - FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried leaves Federal court on July 26, 2023, in New York. The former crypto mogul faces the potential of decades in prison when he is sentenced Thursday, March 28, 2024, for his role in the 2022 collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for trading digital currency. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)

NEW YORK (AP) — Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unraveled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world’s most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.

Bankman-Fried, 32, was convicted in November of fraud and conspiracy — a dramatic fall from a crest of success that included a Super Bowl advertisement and celebrity endorsements from stars like quarterback Tom Brady, basketball star Stephen Curry and comedian Larry David.

U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan imposed the sentence in the same Manhattan courtroom where, four months ago, Bankman-Fried testified that his intention had been to revolutionize the emerging cryptocurrency market with his innovative and altruistic ideas, not to steal.

Kaplan said the sentence reflected “that there is a risk that this man will be in position to do something very bad in the future. And it’s not a trivial risk at all.” He added that it was “for the purpose of disabling him to the extent that can appropriately be done for a significant period of time.”

Prior to sentencing, Bankman-Fried had said, “My useful life is probably over. It’s been over for a while now, from before my arrest.”

Prosecutors said Bankman-Fried had cost customers, investors and lenders over $10 billion by misappropriating billions of dollars to fuel his quest for influence and dominance in the new industry, and had illegally used money from FTX depositors to cover his expenses, which included purchasing luxury properties in the Caribbean, alleged bribes to Chinese officials and private planes.

Philippine Leader Warns of Countermeasures in Response to Chinese Aggression at Sea

0
In this screen grab from video provided by the Armed Forces of the Philippines, a Chinese coast guard ship tries to block a Philippine resupply vessel Unaizah May 4 as it approaches Second Thomas Shoal, locally called Ayungin shoal, at the disputed South China Sea on Saturday, March 23, 2024. (Armed Forces of the Philippines via AP)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippine president said Thursday that his government would take action against what he called dangerous attacks by the Chinese coast guard and suspected militia ships in the disputed South China Sea, saying “Filipinos do not yield.”

Ferdinand Marcos Jr. did not provide details of the actions his government would take in the succeeding weeks but said these would be “proportionate, deliberate and reasonable in the face of the open, unabating, and illegal, coercive, aggressive and dangerous attacks by agents of the China coast guard and Chinese maritime militia.”

“We seek no conflict with any nation,” Marcos wrote on X, formerly Twitter, but said the Philippines would not be “cowed into silence.”

Marcos’s warning is the latest sign of the escalating disputes between China and the Philippines in the contested waters that have caused minor collisions between the coast guard and other vessels of the rival claimant nations, sparked a war of words and strained relations.

China and the Philippines, as well as Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, have overlapping claims in the resource-rich and busy waterway, where a bulk of the world’s commerce and oil transits.

Chinese officials in Manila or Beijing did not immediately respond to Marcos’s public warning, which he issued during Holy Week — one of the most sacred religious periods in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

Marcos said he issued the statement after meeting top Philippine defense and national security officials, who submitted their recommendations. He added without elaborating that he has also been in constant talks with “allies, partners and friends in the international community,” who he said had offered to help the Philippines protect its sovereignty.

In the latest hostilities on Saturday, the Chinese coast guard used water cannons that injured several Philippine navy crewmen and heavily damaged their wooden supply boat near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. The cannon blast was so strong it threw a crewman off the floor but he hit a wall instead of plunging into the sea, Philippine military officials said.

The Philippine government summoned a Chinese embassy diplomat in Manila to convey its “strongest protest” against China. Beijing accused the Philippine vessels of intruding into Chinese territorial waters, warning Manila not to “play with fire” and saying China would continue to take actions to defend its sovereignty.

The United States condemned the actions by the Chinese coast guard and renewed a warning that it is obligated to come to the aid of the Philippines under a 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty if Philippine forces, aircraft and ships come under an armed attack, including anywhere in the South China Sea.

Beijing has warned Washington to stay away from what it says is a purely Asian dispute.

Cargo Ship Had Engine Maintenance in Port Before It Collided With Baltimore Bridge, Officials Say

2
In this aerial image released by the Maryland National Guard, the cargo ship Dali is stuck under part of the structure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge after the ship hit the bridge, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. (Maryland National Guard via AP)

BALTIMORE (AP) — The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent “routine engine maintenance” in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday, as divers recovered the bodies of two of six workers who plunged into the water when it collapsed. The others were presumed dead, and officials said search efforts had been exhausted.

Investigators began collecting evidence from the vessel a day after it struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bodies of the two men were located in the morning inside a red pickup submerged in about 25 feet (7.6 meters) of water near the bridge’s middle span, Col. Roland L. Butler Jr., superintendent of Maryland State Police, announced at an evening news conference.

He identified the men as Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, who was from Mexico and living in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, who was from Guatemala and living in Dundalk, Maryland.

The victims, who were part of a construction crew fixing potholes on the bridge, were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, Butler said.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore addressed their families in Spanish during the news conference, saying, “Estamos contigo, ahora y siempre,” which means, “we are with you, now and always.”

All search efforts have been exhausted, and based on sonar scans, authorities “firmly” believe the other vehicles with victims are encased in material from the collapsed bridge, Butler said. Divers are to resume searching once the debris is cleared.

Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath said at the news conference that authorities were informed that the ship was going to undergo the maintenance.

“As far as the engine goes, we were not informed of any problems with the vessel,” he said.

The Baltimore region has reeled from the sudden loss of a major transportation link that’s part of the highway loop around the city. The disaster also closed the port, which is vital to the city’s shipping industry.

National Transportation Safety Board officials boarded the ship to recover information from its electronics and paperwork and to interview the captain and other crew members, NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy said during a separate news conference. Twenty-three people, including two pilots, were on the ship when it crashed, she said.

The vessel was also carrying 56 containers of hazardous materials including corrosives, flammables and lithium ion batteries, Homendy said. She added that some containers were breached, and that a sheen on the water from those materials would be handled by authorities.

Marcel Muise, NTSB investigator in charge, laid out a preliminary timeline assembled from the voyage data recorder comprising audio from the bridge and VHF radio ahead of the crash, which federal and state officials have said appeared to be an accident.

The vessel, the Dali, left port at 12:39 a.m. Tuesday and, after it entered the channel, signs of trouble came at about 1:25 a.m. when numerous alarms sounded, according to the NTSB. About a minute later, steering commands and rudder orders were issued, and at 1:26 a.m. and 39 seconds, a pilot made a general radio call for nearby tug boats.

Maryland Transportation Authority data from about the same time shows the pilot association dispatcher called the transportation authority’s officer on duty about the blackout, the NTSB said.

Just after 1:27 a.m., the pilot commanded the ship to drop an anchor on the left side of the ship and issued added steering commands. About 20 seconds later, the pilot issued a radio call reporting that the Dali had lost all power approaching the bridge.

At about that time, the state transportation officer on duty radioed two of its units already stationed at each end of the bridge saying to close the bridge to vehicle traffic. They were already there because of the construction.

Around 1:29 a.m., when the ship was traveling at about 8 mph (13 kph), recordings for about 30 seconds picked up sounds consistent with it colliding with the bridge, the NTSB said. A Transportation Authority dash camera also shows lights on the bridge going out.

At 1:29 a.m. and 39 seconds, the pilot reported to the Coast Guard that the bridge was down.

Muise said experts will review the entire voyage data recording and develop a detailed transcript.

At least eight people initially went into the water when the ship struck the bridge column, and two of them were rescued Tuesday, officials said.

Traffic was still crossing the span as the ship approached, and some vehicles appeared to escape with only seconds to spare. The crash caused the bridge to break and fall into the water within seconds.

Authorities had just enough time to stop vehicle traffic. One officer parked sideways across the lanes and planned to drive onto the bridge to alert the construction crew once another officer arrived, but he did not get a chance.

The debris complicated the search for the workers, according to a Homeland Security memo described to The Associated Press by a law enforcement official who was not authorized to discuss details of the document or the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Gov. Moore said the divers faced dangerous conditions, among the mangled metal and low visibility.

“They are down there in darkness where they can literally see about a foot in front of them,” Moore said.

The Dali, which is managed by Synergy Marine Group, was headed from Baltimore to Sri Lanka. It is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd., and Danish shipping giant Maersk said it had chartered it.

The vessel passed foreign port state inspections in June and September 2023. In the June inspection, a faulty monitor gauge for fuel pressure was rectified before departure, Singapore’s port authority said.

The ship was traveling under a Singapore flag, and officials there said they will conduct their own investigation in addition to supporting U.S. authorities.

The sudden loss of a highway that carries 30,000 vehicles a day and the port disruption will affect not only thousands of dockworkers and commuters but also U.S. consumers who are likely to feel the impact of shipping delays.

“A lot of people don’t realize how important the port is just to everything,” said Cat Watson, who used the bridge to get to work every day and lives close enough that she was awakened by the collision. “We’re going to be feeling it for a very long time.”

Baltimore is a busy entry point for vehicles made in Germany, Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom, along with coal and farm equipment.

Ship traffic has been suspended indefinitely. Windward Maritime, a maritime risk-management company, said its data shows a large increase in ships that are waiting for a port to go to, with some anchored outside Baltimore or nearby Annapolis.

At the White House, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the Biden administration was focused on reopening the port and rebuilding the bridge, which was completed in 1977. He did not put a timeline on those efforts, while noting that the original bridge took five years to construct.

Buttigieg also planned to meet Thursday with supply chain officials.

Barges, including some with cranes, were on their way to help remove the wreckage, Gilreath said.

Homendy said the NTSB investigation could take 12 to 24 months but the agency may issue urgent safety recommendations sooner. A preliminary report should come in two to four weeks.

“It’s a massive undertaking for an investigation,” Homendy said.

From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure.

Home Depot Buying Supplier to Professional Contractors in a Deal Valued at About $18.25B

0

(AP) – Home Depot will buy SRS Distribution, a materials provider for professionals, in a deal valued at approximately $18.25 billion.

It is Home Depot’s largest acquisition in its history and with it, it steps more aggressively into the fast growing professional builder and contactor business.

SRS provides materials for professionals like roofers, landscapers and pool contractors.

Home Depot is making a big bet on a housing market that is suffering a severe lack of new homes, which has driven prices sky high. The median sales price for new homes in the U.S. has climbed 29.4% over the past five years. In the fourth quarter, the median sales prices totaled $417,700, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

The U.S. housing market is coming off a deep, 2-year sales slump triggered by one-two punch of so few homes and sharp rise in mortgage rates. The overall decline in rates since their peak last fall has opened a tiny window for some, though a home remains out of reach for millions of Americans.

Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes rose in February from the previous month to the strongest pace in a year with homebuyers encouraged by that modest pullback in mortgage rates.

With mortgage rates still high, millions of people are spending money on upkeep for the homes that they own, another financial driver for the Home Depot, SRS deal.

Home Depot said that when taking the deal into account, it now believes its total addressable market is approximately $1 trillion, an increase of approximately $50 billion.

“SRS has built a robust and successful platform that will accelerate our growth with the residential professional customer while presenting future opportunities with the specialty trade pro,” Home Depot CEO Ted Decker said in a statement.

SRS’s has a sales team of more than 2,500 and more than 760 branches across 47 states. It also has 4,000-plus truck fleet and jobsite delivery capabilities.

“We are looking forward to combining our differentiated assets and capabilities, including our extensive branch network, experienced sales team, robust trade credit offering, and order management system, geared at serving the complex project purchase occasion, with The Home Depot’s competitive advantages,” SRS CEO Dan Tinker said. “We believe this will enable us to better serve pros and continue growing in our large and highly fragmented market.”

Tinker and his senior management team will continue to lead SRS, which is based in McKinney, Texas.

The deal is expected to close by the end of fiscal 2024.

Talks Resume on Bringing Israeli Officials to the US to Discuss Gaza Operation, the White House Says

0
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, at far left, speaks while meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, across table at far right, at the Pentagon, Tuesday, March 26, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Talks have restarted aimed at bringing top Israeli officials to Washington to discuss potential military operations in Gaza, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned visit this week because he was angry about the U.S. vote on a U.N. cease-fire resolution, the White House said Wednesday.

“So we’re now working with them to find a convenient date that’s obviously going to work for both sides,” said press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

No date has been finalized yet. One U.S. official said strategic affairs minister Ron Dermer and national security adviser Tzachi Hanegbi would be among the delegation to come to Washington. The official were not authorized to speak publicly about the sensitive discussions and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

An Israeli official said the White House had reached out with the goal of setting a new meeting. The official was not authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity. Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister “did not authorize the departure of the delegation to Washington.”

The prime minister canceled the trip this week after the U.N. vote to demand a cease-fire in Hamas-run Gaza; the U.S. abstained from the vote but did not veto it. Netanyahu accused the United States of “retreating” from a “principled position” by allowing the resolution to pass without conditioning the cease-fire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.

The delegation to the U.S. was meant to discuss a promised ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is overflowing with displaced civilians. Israel has so far rejected American appeals to call off the planned operation.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant was already in Washington by the time Netanyahu canceled the trip by other officials. Gallant met with Biden’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The Gaza operation was one of many topics they discussed.

Netanyahu on Wednesday said his decision to cancel was meant to deliver a message to Hamas that international pressure against Israel will not prompt it to end the war without concessions from the militant group, an apparent attempt to smooth over the clash between the allies.

Speaking to visiting Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., Netanyahu said the canceled visit “was a message first and foremost to Hamas: Don’t bet on this pressure, it’s not going to work.”

Netanyahu said the U.S. abstention on the U.N. vote was “very, very bad,” and that it “encouraged Hamas to take a hard line and to believe that international pressure will prevent Israel” from achieving its war aims. Israel wants to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and free the hostages taken by the militant group during its Oct. 7 attack against Israel.

The U.S. abstention and Netanyahu’s subsequent decision to cancel the delegation represented the strongest public dispute between the two allies since the war in Gaza began.

Us Economic Growth for Last Quarter Is Revised up Slightly to a Healthy 3.4% Annual Rate

0
The WestRock Paperboard Mill is in Solvay, N.Y., is shown on Jan. 16, 2024. On Thursday, March 28, 2024, the U.S. government issues the third and final estimate of economic growth in the October-December quarter. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a solid 3.4% annual pace from October through December, the government said Thursday in an upgrade from its previous estimate.

The government had previously estimated that the economy grew at a 3.2% annual rate last quarter.

The Commerce Department’s revised measure of the nation’s gross domestic product — the total output of goods and services — confirmed that the economy decelerated from its sizzling 4.9% rate of expansion in the July-September quarter.

But last quarter’s growth was still a solid performance, coming in the face of higher interest rates and powered by growing consumer spending, exports and business investment in buildings and software. It marked the sixth straight quarter in which the economy has grown at an annual rate above 2%.

For all of 2023, the U.S. economy — the world’s biggest — grew 2.5%, up from 1.9% in 2022. In the current January-March quarter, the economy is believed to be growing at a slower but still decent 2.1% annual rate, according to a forecasting model issued by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

The economy’s resilience over the past two years has repeatedly defied predictions that the ever-higher borrowing rates the Federal Reserve engineered to fight inflation would lead to waves of layoffs and probably a recession. Beginning in March 2022, the Fed jacked up its benchmark rate 11 times, to a 23-year high, making borrowing much more expensive for businesses and households.

Yet the economy has kept growing, and employers have kept hiring — at a robust average of 251,000 added jobs a month last year and 265,000 a month from December through February.

At the same time, inflation has steadily cooled: After peaking at 9.1% in June 2022, it has dropped to 3.2%, though it remains above the Fed’s 2% target. The combination of sturdy growth and easing inflation has raised hopes that the Fed can manage to achieve a “soft landing” by fully conquering inflation without triggering a recession.

Thursday’s report was the Commerce Department’s third and final estimate of fourth-quarter GDP growth. It will release its first estimate of January-March growth on April 25.

Rebbetzin Leah Althaus, Daughter Of Kfar Chabad’s Rabbi, Dies Of Pregnancy Complications At 29

1

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — BDE: Some 1500 people attended the levaya of Rebbetzin Leah Althaus, the wife of the Chabad emissary to Dnieper in Ukraine, who passed away Tuesday at the age of 29 from a rare complication in pregnancy.

Rebbetzin Althaus is the daughter of Rabbi Meir Ashkenazi, who has served as Rabbi of Kfar Chabad since the 2015 passing of his father Rabbi Mordechai Ashkenazi.

Mrs. Leah Althaus, 28, Shlucha in Dnipro, Ukraine, passed away on Tues., 16 Adar II, 5784. | Israel National News - Arutz Sheva

Rebbetzin Althaus a’hטרגדיה בחב”ד: מרת לאה אלטהויז ע”ה, בתו של הגר”מ אשכנזי, נפטרה - יוסף גרינבוים : חרדים10

Rebbetzin Althaus A’H and her family

She had started her shlichus [Jewish community service] in Dnieper together with her husband Rabbi Zelig who serves as one of the rabbis at the Tomchei Temimim yeshiva in Dnieper. The couple have four children.

In the wake of the rare complication, Rebbetzin Leah was flown to Israel last week in a complex operation which involved the assistance of the Ukrainian army. Despite all the medical efforts, she passed away at Tel Hashomer hospital and was laid to rest in Kfar Chabad.

Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzki, the rabbi of Dniepro and Chabad emissary, said that “Everyone here is in shock. The rebbetzin was a dominant figure and had an important role in running the Jewish studies programs, festivals, informal education, adult education and other school activities.”

He added that “She was a living example to parents of how Jews can combine the physical with spirituality. She always had plans on how to progress further, influence and break barriers. Even though she invested all of her energies in the school at their request, we wanted them to establish another community in a different part of the city where many Jews live.”

 

3 Injured, 1 Seriously, In Jordan Valley Terrorist Shooting

0

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A terrorist opened fire at cars and at a schoolbus travelling on the main road traversing the Jordan Valley. Two people were lightly injured and one other was moderately to seriously injured.

The attack occurred at 7 AM in the village of Ouja, a small village north of Jericho which the main road through the region passes through. Surveillance cameras show the terrorist standing on the road and opening fire at passing cars.

הפיגוע הקשה הבוקר בבקעת הירדן הוא קריאת השכמה כואבת לכולנו, ובמיוחד לקבינט ולמערכת הביטחון שנדמה שחזרו לשאננות של לפני טבח השביעי לאוקטובר בכל הנוגע לערביי יו״ש.

Terrorist opens fire at cars in Jordan Valley.

The bus was hit by several bullets but there were no injuries reported among the schoolchildren.

The injured people, who were members of a left-wing group who had come to assist Arab shepherds in the region, have been transferred to hospital. Security forces have initiated a manhunt for the terrorist.

WATCH: Steven Spielberg Discusses Antisemitism and the War in Gaza

11

CALIFORNIA (VINnews) — Over five months since the horrific Hamas terror attack, famed Jewish Director Steven Spielberg has made his first direct comments about the war in Gaza, during a speech commemorating the 30th anniversary of the founding of the USC Shoah Foundation. He said that “We can rage against the heinous acts committed by the terrorists of October 7th and also decry the killing of innocent women and children in Gaza.”

In his speech, which also condemned hatred of Jews and Muslims, the iconic director also said: “Those who can not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. I am increasingly alarmed that we may be condemned to repeat history – to once again have to fight for the very right to be Jewish.”

He added: “The echoes of history are unmistakable in our current climate. The rise of extremist views has created a dangerous environment, and radical intolerance leads a society to no longer celebrate differences but instead conspire to demonize those who are different to the point of creating ‘the Other’… This is happening alongside anti-Muslim, Arab, and Sikh discrimination. The creation of ‘the Other’ and the dehumanization of any group based on their differences, is the foundation of fascism.”

Spielberg has largely avoided making overt statements about the war. In December he was quoted in a Shoah Foundation statement about the October 7 massacre by Hamas, saying: “I never imagined I would see such unspeakable barbarity against Jews in my lifetime.”

Spielberg has not signed the open letter criticizing director Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar acceptance speech, which was viciously anti-Jewish.

In November, Spielberg announced that the Shoah Foundation would launch a new project in which it would interview survivors of the October 7th massacre and document the various acts of terror it included, similar to its efforts to gather testimony from Holocaust survivors to document the crime that led to the creation of the word genocide.

“I never imagined that I would see this kind of unspeakable barbarity against Jews in my lifetime,” Spielberg commented at the time.