Garland defends DOJ: In an op-ed published this morning in The Washington Post, Attorney General Merrick Garland says that the Justice Department will not be intimidated by the baseless, personal and dangerous attacks on it from the right-wing in the U.S. He said that the attacks are dangerous for our democracy. Garland said that unfounded attacks on department employees, such as FBI agents, are dangerous for their safety. He said the attacks must stop.
Reproductive rights: Donald Trump, in a speech to the new right-wing religious organization The Danbury Institute, said that he will work side-by-side with them to wipe out women’s reproductive rights nationwide. Trump, who does not attend church, said President Biden and the Democrats are against religion. The Danbury Institute is a coalition of churches that promotes the idea that cultural and public policy should be based on their religious beliefs. Â
Internal messages: The Wall Street Journal reports that it has seen messages to Hamas’ political leaders sent by Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that say Hamas believes civilian deaths have been necessary to achieve its goals. Sinwar also said that Hamas believes it has the upper hand against Israel right now. He urged the other leaders of Hamas not to make concessions in negotiations and instead of accepting a temporary cease-fire push for a permanent end to the war on terms set by Hamas.
Boat capsizing: At least 49 migrants have died and 140 others remain missing after a boat capsized off the coast of Yemen. There are 71 known survivors. The vessel was carrying 260 migrants. According to survivors, the boat departed from Somalia at around 3:00 a.m. on Sunday carrying 115 Somali nationals and 145 Ethiopians, with 90 women among them. The U.N.’s International Organization for Migration mobilized two mobile medical teams to provide immediate assistance to the survivors who included six children. Sixty-three of the survivors received first aid, trauma care and wound dressing from the on-site mobile clinic.
Apple AI: Apple today introduced Apple Intelligence, which brings artificial intelligence to iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. New operating systems for some of the Apple devices now include artificial intelligence features that, among other things, collect information on the device user. The artificial intelligence is said to be able to understand and create language and images, take action across applications, and draw from personal context to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks. “We’re thrilled to introduce a new chapter in Apple innovation. Apple Intelligence will transform what users can do with our products,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Starbucks Studios: Starbucks has announced that it’s getting into the movie and TV production business with the launch of Starbucks Studios. The coffee chain is teaming up with the production and talent management firm Sugar23 to create what it says will be premium entertainment. In the past, Starbucks has been involved in producing a TV series that highlighted people who made unique contributions to their communities and also was a producer of a documentary series on football and a documentary on coffee production in Rwanda.
