I want to once again thank all of you for your support over the last nearly two years, it has truly been my privilege to be in your inbox every weekday morning. Each week, thousands of you have read my sometimes unconventional, often irascible summary of world events and I’ve come to think of you as my family. The decision to end the Morning Newsletter was not an easy one and I will miss all of you far more than you will miss me. But you’re not rid of me quite yet. Starting this weekend, the Weekly Newsletter will debut, with more detailed coverage and analysis and more snark than ever before. I’ll see you then. Now, without further ado, the final Morning Newsletter….
What do we know?
The question of how much disgraced and deranged former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani must pay Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss is now in the hands of the jury. In closing remarks, the attorney for the two women, Michael Gottlieb, urged the jury to award the women $24 million each for defamation and damages wrought by Giuliani, who turned their lives into a Kafkaesque hell. “He has no right to offer defenseless civil servants up to a virtual mob in order to overturn an election,” Gottlieb said during his closing argument. Even if the jury chooses to award Freeman and Moss what their attorney asked for, it’s likely the women will never see the money. Giuliani’s finances are believed to be in shambles and his lord and master’s legal defense fund has not offered any financial assistance. ETTD
Speaking of Giuliani’s lord and master, a New York appeals court on Thursday rejected Trump’s effort to have the gag order in his $250 fraud trial lifted. The panel rejected Trump’s efforts on procedural grounds and said he can try again through the “ordinary appellate process,” but added that “the gravity of potential harm is small, given that the Gag Order is narrow, limited to prohibiting solely statements regarding the court’s staff.” In other words, he’s free to give it another shot but he shouldn’t get his hopes up
New York Republicans have nominated Mazi Melesa Pilip as their candidate to run for the vacated seat of statesman and scholar George Santos. Pilip is a surprising choice, given that she’s been registered as a Democrat since 2012. Currently, Pilip serves as a Nassau County legislator, a seat she won on the Republican ticket. As a matter of politics, Pilip is actually an excellent choice, she served in the Israeli Defense Forces as an Ethiopian-born Jew who fled to Israel as a child
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to block a Democratic-backed state ban in Illinois on assault-style rifles and large capacity magazines enacted after a deadly mass shooting in Chicago's Highland Park suburb in 2022. The decision by the high court leaves the law in place pending an appeal by the National Association for Gun Rights, Robert Bevis, and his firearms store, Law Weapons & Supply of a lower court's decision. The case is one of several challenging the Illinois law
The National Defense Authorization Act that passed the Senate Wednesday contained a key provision that’s received little notice. The massive defense spending bill, which President Biden is expected to sign into law in the next few days, includes a provision that prevents any president from withdrawing the United States for NATO unilaterally. The measure was spearheaded by Democrat Tim Kaine and Republican Marco Rubio, and requires Senate approval or an act of Congress for the US to pull out of the alliance. The provision was added in response to Donald Trump’s constant threats to pull the United States out of the single greatest military alliance in history
What do we know in Israel?
A plot by Hamas to kill Jews throughout Europe was thwarted by law enforcement, who arrested suspects in Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen described the plot as “as serious as it gets.” Historically, Hamas has not targeted Jews outside Israel but this latest plot could be a sign of a dangerous change in tactics that would have implications for Jewish communities across Europe and possibly in the United States
The United States is pressing Israel to shift from its current high-intensity military operation to a “more precise” approach. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan arrived in Israel on Thursday, where he discussed how to better protect Palestinian civilians with Israeli leaders. In response to Sullivan’s entreaties for a more targeted approach, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said of the current offensive, "It will last more than several months - but we will win and we will destroy them." Not an answer that will give great comfort to the Biden administration
What do we know in Ukraine?
Russia fired six Kinzhal hypersonic missiles at Ukraine on Thursday, hitting targets in Kyiv and the Starokostyantyniv air base 150 miles to the west. Typically, Russia has fired cruise missiles and generally at night. The hypersonic missiles were fired during daylight hours. The only air defense system capable of shooting down hypersonic missiles is the US-made Patriot missile battery, of which Ukraine has only two
There was some hope Thursday that the Senate could vote on a bipartisan package of aid for Ukraine and funding for border security as soon as next week. Negotiations were ongoing Thursday night and the two sides remained far apart, particularly in regard to the border, but several senators, including Majority Leader Schumer, expressed optimism that a deal could be reached before the end of the year. Schumer said the Senate would delay its holiday break so negotiations could continue. The House, however, has already taken its holiday recess, so a vote there could be delayed until January
Hungary has blocked the European Union from approving an aid package for Ukraine, even as leaders of the bloc agreed to open accession talks with Kyiv. The EU has been attempting to pass a $52 billion aid package for Ukraine but Hungarian President Viktor Orban, who has a warm relationship with Vladimir Putin, has consistently blocked new aid from passing. Europe and the United States have begun to waver on additional aid for Ukraine as Russian forces have taken on a more offensive posture all along the frontlines. Though Ukraine can survive a brief delay in new funding, a lengthier delay could be catastrophic
Just ‘Cause
Alright let’s go out with style, shall we? The backstory for this one goes something like this: Prince was asked at the last minute to join Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and others to perform While My Guitar Gently Weeps as part of the 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for the late George Harrison. The show’s producer, Joel Gallen, asked Prince to perform the big guitar solo but things didn’t go well at the rehearsal. There was some confusion about who would be performing which guitar solo (there are two) and in the end Prince never got to properly rehearse with the rest of the band. The bad rehearsal left Petty, Lynne and Gallen concerned, but Prince assured them there was absolutely nothing to worry about. The next night, as the band stepped on stage, none of them quite knew what they’d be getting from Prince. They needn’t have worried:
And that's exactly why when someone asked Eric Clapton how it feels to be the greatest guitar player on earth, he responded, "I don't know. Ask Prince!"
Jaw dropping stuff.
That performance was legendary! And a fitting one to close out the weekly newsletter. I’ll be here ready for any words you have to share. Thank you!