AP The Morning Wire by Saarah Naffa January 05, 2024 - Israel’s defense minister details his vision for the next phase of the war in Gaza; a look at the Capitol riot three years on; and court records shed light on how Jeffrey Epstein leveraged connections to the rich and powerful to abuse vulnerable girls.

 

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By Sarah Naffa January 05, 2024

In the news today: Israel’s defense minister details his vision for the next phase of the war in Gaza; a look at the Capitol riot three years on; and court records shed light on how Jeffrey Epstein leveraged connections to the rich and powerful to abuse vulnerable girls. Also, a holiday treat at the Berlin Zoo. A Palestinian boy sits on rubble after an Israeli strike in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 29. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR Israeli defense minister lays out vision for next steps of Gaza war ahead of Blinken visit Israel’s defense minister laid out his vision for the next phase of the war in Gaza, describing how Israeli forces would shift to an apparently scaled-down “new combat approach” in northern Gaza, while continuing to fight Hamas in the south “for as long as necessary.” Read more.

Why this matters: Yoav Gallant also outlined a proposal for how Gaza would be run once Hamas is defeated, with Israel keeping security control while an undefined, Israeli-guided Palestinian body runs day-to-day administration and the U.S. and other countries oversee rebuilding. The United States has pressed Israel to shift to lower-intensity military operations in Gaza that more precisely target Hamas, but the vagueness of Gallant’s provisions made it difficult to assess how much they mesh with the U.S. calls. The document issued by Gallant is not official policy, which would have to be set by Israel’s war and security cabinets. Israel has come under heavy international pressure to spell out a postwar vision but so far has not done so.

Related coverage ➤  Families in Gaza search desperately for food and water, wait in long lines for aid Houthis launch sea drone to attack ships hours after US and allies issue final warning  Blinken heads to the Mideast again as fears of regional conflict surge U.S. NEWS Capitol riot, three years later: Hundreds of convictions, yet one major mystery is unsolved Members of far-right extremist groups, former police officers and an Olympic gold medalist swimmer. They are among the hundreds convicted in the prosecution of the Jan 6, 2021, riot. Washington’s federal courthouse remains flooded with trials, hearings and sentencings stemming from what has become the largest criminal investigation in American history. And the hunt for suspects is far from over. Read more.

What to know: What are the numbers? Over 1,230 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot. 730 people have pleaded guilty to charges, while an additional 170 have been convicted of at least one charge at a trial, according to an Associated Press database. Only two defendants have been acquitted of all charges in trials decided by a judge rather than a jury. What about the pipe bomber? One of the biggest remaining mysteries is the identity of the person who placed two pipe bombs outside the offices of Republican and Democratic national committees the day before the attack. Investigators have spent thousands of hours conducting interviews, combing through evidence and have offered a $500,000 reward for information, but no suspect has been found. What’s going on in the Supreme Court? Justices agreed last month to hear one rioter’s challenge to prosecutors’ use of the charge of obstruction of an official proceeding, which refers to the disruption of Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory. The justices will likely make a decision by early summer and the outcome could impact hundreds of Jan. 6 defendants.

Related coverage ➤ Proud Boys member who went on the run after conviction in the Jan. 6 riot gets 10 years in prison Prosecutors recommend six months in prison for a man at the center of a Jan. 6 conspiracy theory Voters file an objection to Trump’s name on the Illinois ballot U.S. NEWS Court records bring new, unwanted attention to rich and famous in Jeffrey Epstein’s social circle After Jeffrey Epstein killed himself while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in 2019, many of the world’s elite who ran in his circles have apologized and said they were unaware he was abusing underage girls. But newly released court records have revved up interest in the big names who associated with both Epstein and his socialite girlfriend, Ghislaine Maxwell. Read more.

Why this matters: In addition to false claims that the documents represent some kind of list identifying Epstein’s “clients,” the internet is rife with misinformation about exactly who is named in the records and what that means. Many of the people named have never been accused of any wrongdoing and have instead been mentioned in passing during depositions – this includes prosecutors, a journalist and a police detective.

Related coverage ➤ With more records, the world sees how Jeffrey Epstein leveraged powerful people to abuse vulnerable girls Dozens more Jeffrey Epstein documents are now public. Here’s what we know so far FACT FOCUS: Images made to look like court records circulate online amid Epstein document release ADVERTISEMENT HAPPENING TODAY The U.S. jobs report for December will be released this morning. “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” “Foe,” and Dan Levy’s directorial debut, “Good Grief,” today all join the list of shows available to stream. IN OTHER NEWS Iowa shooting: Teen kills 6th grader, wounds 5 others and takes own life in Iowa high school shooting, police say Subway derailment: New York City subway train derails in collision with another train, injuring more than 20 people Deep freeze: Extreme cold leaves thousands without power in Nordic countries as floods persist in Germany Immigration: New York City is suing charter bus companies for transporting migrants from Texas Hijab crackdown: Taliban arrest women for ‘bad hijab’ in the first dress code crackdown since their return to power Lunar landing: Two companies will attempt the first US moon landings since the Apollo missions a half-century ago Glynis Johns: ‘Mary Poppins’ star who first sang Sondheim’s ‘Send in the Clowns,’ dies at 100 ADVERTISEMENT TODAY IN HISTORY On Jan. 5, 1933: Construction began on the Golden Gate Bridge. In the image above, workers complete the catwalks for the bridge in 1935. (AP Photo, File)   A look at what else happened in history on January 5 A CHANGE OF PACE An Asian elephant plays with a Christmas tree at the Berlin Zoo. (Jens Kalaene/dpa via AP) Berlin Zoo animals enjoy leftover Christmas trees There’s a bit of post-Christmas cheer on the menu for elephants, European bison and reindeer at the Berlin Zoo as they are getting to chomp on unsold Christmas trees. WATCH: Peru claims record bird diversity The Peruvian Bird Records Committee says the recent discovery of 19 unrecorded species solidifies their position as the country with the most avian species in the world. ADVERTISEMENT

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