Biden speech on Israel and Ukraine: President Biden used an Oval Office address to the nation to announce that he would be asking Congress for emergency funding to aid Israel in its war against the Hamas terrorists and Ukraine against the Russian invaders. Biden did not specify how much money he would be seeking or how it would be divided into the two campaigns. The president reaffirmed that Israel was not responsible for the destruction of a Gaza hospital that sparked riots across the Islamic world, and he also lamented about a rise of antisemitism and Islamophobia in the nation following Hamas’ Oct. 7 invasion of Israel. Biden made no mention of the American citizens held hostage by Hamas.
Senate stands with Israel: The U.S. Senate voted 97-0 in favor of a resolution stating the Senate stood with Israel against Hamas terrorism. The resolution was introduced by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who noted the Senate spoke “in one voice that Israel is our friend, that Hamas’ attack is reprehensible, and that we will stand with our friends to defend themselves.” Three senators were not present for the vote: Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Tim Scott (R-SC).
Music awards show cancelled over Middle East conflict: The MTV Europe Music Awards were cancelled by its production company Paramount, which cited the “devastating events in Israel and Gaza” for its decision. The BBC reported the event was slated to be held in Paris on Nov. 5, but Paramount opted to nix the show because “this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration. With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning.” The show has been rescheduled for November 2024.
Jordan presses on for the Speaker’s seat: Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) has opted to push ahead with his effort to become Speaker of the House of Representatives, reversing an announcement from Thursday that he would withdraw his candidacy to have the interim speaker, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), take on a temporary leadership role. Jordan’s proposal generated pushback from within his party, who said having McHenry in a temporary leadership role would cede House control to the Democrats. Jordan has twice failed to gather the full membership of his party behind him to take on the Speaker’s role.
A surprise discovery on Jupiter: New images of Jupiter captured by the James Webb Space Telescope has identified a hitherto unknown jet stream that is twice the speed of a Category 5 hurricane. According to a Space.com report, researchers identified a high-speed jet stream on the planet that’s more than 3,000 miles wide and travels at about 320 mph. “That totally surprised us,” said Ricardo Hueso of the University of the Basque Country in Bilbao, Spain, who shared the news of the Jupiter discovery in a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy. “What we have always seen as blurred hazes in Jupiter’s atmosphere now appear as crisp features that we can track along with the planet’s fast rotation,” Hueso said.
AI spokesperson in Japanese beverage campaign: The Japanese beverage company Ito En has brought in a new face as its product spokesperson – so new that it never existed before the campaign began. The Japan Times reported an artificial intelligence (AI) generated actress is the star of a 15-second commercial (see below) for Oi Ocha Catechin Green Tea, an advertising first in Japan. The commercial was produced with AI Model, a company that specializes in creating AI-generated performers for marketing and fashion. Local reaction was mixed, with some people praising the quality of the AI spokesperson and others questioning if this spells the beginning of the end for real-life actors and models in Japan.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEoG1NCdmdY
Cover photo courtesy of AI Model
