U.S. and world news for Oct. 17
Biden going to Israel: President Biden is scheduled to visit Israel tomorrow, it was announced by Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a televised appearance from Tel Aviv at about 3 a.m. Israeli time. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu had invited Biden this past weekend. Biden canceled a planned trip to Colorado yesterday so he could remain at the White House for meetings about trip logistics and the discussion agenda. After meeting in Tel Aviv with Netanyahu, Biden is scheduled to go to Amman, Jordan, where he will meet with Arab leaders including the head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. Biden is expected to push for both sides in the Israel-Hamas conflict to allow more humanitarian aid to people in Gaza as well as the release of hostages by Hamas.
Funeral for six-year-old: A funeral was held yesterday in Joliet, Illinois, for six-year-old Wadea Al Fayoume who was stabbed 26 times by the landlord of the house in which his family lived. The landlord, Joseph Czuba faces state charges of murder and a hate crime. He supposedly was a devoted follower of right-wing radio commentators and killed the boy because he was a Muslim. The boy’s parents moved to the U.S. from the West Bank more than a decade ago. The boy had been born in the U.S. The landlord also is charged with stabbing the boy’s mother, who survived. The Justice Department has opened its own hate crime investigation.
Cohen too ill to testify: Former Trump Attorney Michael Cohen says that he is ill and unable to testify today in the trial of Donald Trump, Trump family members and The Trump Organization on business fraud charges brought by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. Trump is in New York to attend the trial. Cohen said he expects to testify in a week or two. James is seeking at least $250 million in penalties from Trump.
Chip export limit: The Department of Commerce said today that the U.S. plans to cut off the shipment to China of advanced artificial intelligence computer chips made by Nvidia and other manufacturers. Included in the ban will be tools used in the production of those chips. The government expressed concern about China using the advanced chips for military purposes. It said that less capable chips still will be allowed to be sold to the Chinese.
Justice calls for ethics code: During an appearance yesterday at the University of Minnesota Law School in Minneapolis, Conservative Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett called for the Supreme Court to adopt a code of ethics. The justices, especially conservative justices who took gifts from billionaires, have been criticized recently for not having to comply with a code of ethics as is applied to all other federal judges. About 10 minutes into Justice Coney Barrett’s appearance, student protesters interrupted the proceedings, objecting to her having voted to overturn of Roe v. Wade.
Belgium terror shooting: Belgium’s Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said this morning the shooting and killing of two people in a stadium in Brussels during a soccer match yesterday was an act of terrorism. The shooter, a Tunisian national, escaped but was spotted this morning in a cafe and killed by police. Belgium’s team was playing against Sweden in a soccer game to quality for the Euro 2024 championship playoffs.
Cover photo by Gage Skidmore / Flickr Creative Commons