Odds and Ends — 15 December 2023

Republicans battling to hold onto the New York House seat vacated by George Santos chose on Thursday another relatively unknown candidate with a remarkable biography but a thin political résumé to run in a special election next year.
After extensive vetting, Republican leaders selected Mazi Melesa Pilip, a local legislator who was born in Ethiopia, served as a paratrooper in the Israel Defense Forces and ran for office for the first time in 2021 vowing to fight antisemitism.
It was a bold gamble by Long Island Republicans, a group better known for nominating older, white establishment figures.

Brian Klaas on the “banality of crazy”

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1735326227496325530?s=20

Ohio prosecutors broke rules to win convictions and got away with it

https://twitter.com/AntiToxicPeople/status/1735106727018950930?s=20

E.U. Leaders Open Membership Negotiations With Ukraine

European Union leaders agreed on Thursday to officially open accession negotiations for Ukraine to join the bloc, an important breakthrough for Kyiv as it tries to bolster support from its allies.

https://twitter.com/BillKristol/status/1734941011225272701?s=20

Biden Wants Israel to Scale Down Ground War

The Biden administration has told the Israeli government that it wants Israel to end its large-scale ground campaign in the Gaza Strip around the end of the year and transition to a more targeted phase in its war against Hamas.

Is there any real chance of this happening? Netanyahu is under immense pressure at home, both from within his coalition and from outside it. Biden’s wishes might be far down on his list of concerns.

https://twitter.com/ZaleskiLuke/status/1735289528985018761?s=20

Florida Abortion Amendment Clears Major Hurdle

The citizen group that wants to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution has exceeded the threshold to get the measure on the Nov. 5 ballot by collecting more than 1.4 million voter signatures.
Under Florida law, sponsors of a proposed constitutional amendment need to collect 891,523 verified voter signatures by Feb. 1, 2024.
But that’s only the first hurdle. The Florida Supreme Court then needs to approve it. And then, if the measure does make the 2024 ballot, it still needs 60% approval to pass.

https://twitter.com/WalshFreedom/status/1735021638775685402?s=20

Supreme Court refuses to block Illinois assault weapons ban

https://twitter.com/ZaleskiLuke/status/1735369877550924010?s=20

Florida GOP balks at idea of buyout for party chair accused of rape

Binder of Russian Intelligence Went Missing Under Trump

A binder containing highly classified information related to Russian election interference went missing at the end of Donald Trump’s presidency, raising alarms among intelligence officials that some of the most closely guarded national security secrets from the US and its allies could be exposed…
The binder contained raw intelligence the US and its NATO allies collected on Russians and Russian agents, including sources and methods that informed the US government’s assessment that Russian President Vladimir Putin sought to help Trump win the 2016 election.

https://twitter.com/NoLieWithBTC/status/1735463476733100209?s=20