UK House of Commons votes against cease-fire amendment, over 50 labour lawmakers go against leader

ADAM SABES
November 15, 2023 

Members of Parliament in the United Kingdom House of Commons voted against an amendment demanding its government call for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

The amendment was added to the government's legislative agenda for 2024 on Wednesday, but wasn't passed by Members of Parliament.

According to Reuters, the Scottish National Party introduced the amendment which reads, "(We) call on the government to join with the international community in urgently pressing all parties to agree to an immediate cease-fire."

Two-hundred-ninety Members of Parliament voted against the amendment, with 183 in favor of the call for a cease-fire.

Fifty-six members of the Labour Party voted for the amendment, in what's being considered a major blow to its leader Keir Starmer, who wanted to make his party appear united ahead of a national election next year.

"I regret that some colleagues felt unable to support the position tonight. But I wanted to be clear about where I stood, and where I will stand," Starmer said in a statement after the vote.

REP. JAMAAL BOWMAN TAKES HEAT FOR SAYING SUPPORTING A CEASE-FIRE IS 'WHAT IT ACTUALLY MEANS TO BE JEWISH'

Keir Starmer, leader of Britain's Labour Party, speaks during the Prime Minister's Questions, at the House of Commons in London, on Wednesday.

Similar to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Starmer has called for "humanitarian pauses" in order for aid to get to Gaza.

Eight members of a "shadow" ministerial team run by Starmer left their roles after the vote.

"On this occasion I must vote with my constituents, my head and my heart," Member of Parliament Jess Phillips wrote in a letter to Starmer.

Reuters contributed to this report.

US lets UN Security Council resolution calling for pauses in Gaza fighting pass without Hamas condemnation

ADAM SABES
November 15, 2023 

The United States allowed a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for pauses in the fighting within Gaza to pass despite a lack of condemnation for Hamas.

Fifteen members of the security council passed the resolution Wednesday, which calls for a cease-fire for a "sufficient number of days" in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas. The resolution also calls for the "unconditional release" of hostages taken by Hamas during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack.

Twelve members of the council voted in favor of the resolution, while the U.S., Russia and Britain, who have veto power, abstained from the vote Wednesday.

The resolution doesn't include a condemnation of Hamas' actions. It attempted to pass a resolution four times before the council was successful.

UN FORMALLY CONDEMNS ISRAEL BUT STAYS MUM ON HAMAS TERRORIST ATTACKS: WATCHDOG

U.S. Rep. to the United Nations Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield speaks during a UN Security Council meeting.

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said in her explanation of the vote that the U.S., "could not vote yes on a text that did not condemn Hamas or reaffirm the right of all Member States to protect their citizens from terrorist attacks."

"Although the United States is deeply disappointed by what is not in this text, we support many of the important provisions this Council has adopted," Thomas-Greenfield said. "For starters, while this text does not include a condemnation of Hamas, this is the first time we have ever adopted a resolution that even mentions the word ‘Hamas.’"

Anne Bayefsky, director for the Touro Institute on Human Rights and the Holocaust, criticized the vote in a comment to Fox News Digital.

The UN Security Council holds a meeting at UN Headquarters in New York, on March 7, 2023. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)

"In an outrageous display of moral chaos and diplomatic cowardice, the Biden administration threw Israel under the bus at the UN Security Council. Almost six weeks after the barbaric attacks of October 7th the Council has finally acted for the first time, and incredibly refused to condemn Hamas," Bayefsky said. "The Council resolution said the hostages were ‘held by Hamas and other groups’ — not that they were raped, mutilated and kidnapped by Hamas. It never mentioned Israel’s UN Charter right of self-defense. It refers only to civilians ‘in Gaza' and never in Israel. It never mentions ongoing rocket attacks against Israelis. And yet the Biden administration refused to veto it."


Civil defense teams and civilians conduct search-and-rescue operations after Israeli attacks in Gaza City, Gaza.

"The United States voted the same way as that moral stalwart Russia and merely abstained. It is shocking, morally bankrupt and bodes very badly for the future of humanity, since make no mistake: use of the United Nations to invert right and wrong is just as bad for Americans as it is for Israelis," Bayefsky added.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations Gilad Erdan called the resolution, "disconnected from reality and is meaningless."

A bombarded Gaza Strip on the border with southern Israel.

"Regardless of what the Council decides, Israel will continue acting according to international law while the Hamas terrorists will not even read the resolution at all, let alone abide by it. It is unfortunate that the Council continues to ignore, not condemn, or even mention the massacre that Hamas carried out on Oct. 7, which led to the war in Gaza. It is truly shameful!" Erdan said. "Hamas's strategy is to deliberately deteriorate the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and increase the number of Palestinian casualties in order to motivate the UN and the Security Council to stop Israel.

"It will not happen. Israel will continue to act until Hamas is destroyed and the hostages are returned."

Original article source:US lets UN Security Council resolution calling for pauses in Gaza fighting pass without Hamas condemnation

White House denies US OK'd Israeli raid on Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza

SARAH KOLINOVSKY
November 15, 2023 

The White House denied Wednesday that U.S. confirmation of intelligence that Hamas uses Al Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a control center had anything to do with the timing of the Israeli military operation there, which began just hours earlier.

"My delivery of some downgraded information yesterday, that, the timing of that really came after work by the intelligence community to prepare that information for downgrade. It has nothing to do with any operational timing or any decision making by the Israeli Defense Forces," White House spokesperson John Kirby insisted, referring to the declassification of information.

Kirby also denied the U.S. gave any "OK" for the Israeli operation at Al Shifa Hospital.

"We did not give an OK to the military operations around the hospital in similar fashion to the fact that we didn't, you know, we don't give OKs to their other tactical operations. These are Israeli military operations that they plan and they execute on, you know, in accordance with their own established procedures that the United States is not, was not involved in," Kirby said.

PHOTO: Men walk past patients at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Nov. 10, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)

Kirby also said the operation was "not a focus" of President Joe Biden's conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night, and wouldn't say if the U.S. got a heads up about the operation.

"I won't go into a great detail about the conversation that the president had with the prime minister. I can tell you that this was not a focus of that conversation. Again, we don't, we don't expect the Israelis to advise us or inform us when they are going to conduct operations. ... We talked to them routinely every day, and certainly we talked to them about our continued concerns over civilian casualties and sharing our perspectives on the best way to minimize, but these are their operations," Kirby said.

Kirby was asked about the evidence Israel and the IDF is providing to prove Hamas was using Al Shifa as a command center, but Kirby simply stuck to the U.S.'s own assessment.

"I would say we are comfortable with our own intelligence assessment about the degree to which Hamas was and is using Al Shifa Hospital as a commanding control node, as a storage facility underneath. We're, we're very comfortable with our own intelligence," he said.

PHOTO: Patients and internally displaced people are pictured at Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on November 10, 2023. (Khader Al Zanoun/AFP via Getty Images)

Israel has been criticized for fighting near Gaza hospitals -- especially the Al Shifa Hospital.

Kirby did emphasize the care that needs to be taken when it comes to conducting military operations in hospitals in particular.

"We have been very consistent, very clear with our Israeli counterparts about how important it is to minimize civilian casualties. We have also been very clear about the special care that must be taken when you're talking about hospitals because there are patients and even pediatric patients and medical staff and that hospital is an active, legitimate hospital, and [it's] serving the legitimate medical needs of the people of Gaza," Kirby said.

American Teen in Gaza Blames Israel for Horrific Injuries: ‘My Fingers Are Gone Now’

Mark Alfred
Tue, November 14, 2023 

via CNN

American teenager Farah Abuolba and her mother were left stranded at Al-Quds, a hospital in Gaza, after an Israeli airstrike upended their escape to Egypt and left them with horrific injuries, they said in an interview filmed last week and aired by CNN on Monday. “I want to feel like ‘oh I can move my fingers.’ My fingers are gone now,” Abuolba told CNN. She said she sustained her injuries while traveling south on a bus as her and her mom again tried to make it to the border crossing with Egypt. Abuolba said an Israeli strike hit the bus. Israeli officials denied to CNN that they struck that street at that time. “I walked from the beach—probably like three miles from the beach to the hospital. I could have given up … all my blood dripped all over me,” Abuolba said. In Pennsylvania, her father pleaded with State Department officials to stop the fighting. “I pay tax for United States of America to support Israel to shoot and to bomb my daughter and my wife,” he said. Operations at Al-Quds, Gaza’s second-largest hospital, have since ceased due to fuel shortages.

Read it at CNN

A Pennsylvania family waited weeks to be evacuated from Gaza. Then they were bombed

Richard Hall
Wed, November 15, 2023 

Farah Abuolba, Noha Abuolba, Saja Abuolba and Karam Abuolba. (Courtesy)


Pennsylvania mother Noha Abuolba and her two teenage daughters were travelling south on a bus through Gaza on their way to the border. They didn’t know if they would be able to cross, since only a limited number of American citizens had permission to leave each day, but after weeks of being stranded in a warzone, they were desperate enough to try.

As the family made their way along the coastal road, what they believe to be an Israeli airstrike hit their vehicle, followed by gunfire. Multiple people died around them. Eighteen-year-old Saja Abuolba suffered shrapnel wounds in her shoulder and back. Her sister, 17-year-old Farah, lost two fingers on her left hand.

The family had to walk more than a mile to the nearest hospital. There, 51-year-old Noha was filmed by an Al Jazeera reporter on the floor, in tears, and brandishing their American passports in desperation.

Noha Abuolba holds up her American passport in a Gaza hospital after a car carrying her and her daughters is hit by an apparent airstrike (Al Jazeera)

“There they are, our American citizenships, look what they did to us!” she shouted, as medical staff treated her daughter’s wounds in the background. “May God take revenge for us, here, see for yourself.”

That moment encapsulated the frustrations felt by many Palestinian-Americans trapped in Gaza who feel abandoned by their government.

Ahmed Abuolba, Noha’s son, had been desperately trying to help his mother and siblings escape the warzone from their home in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. He and his father had repeatedly asked the State Department and the US consulates in the region for assistance, to no avail.

“It makes us so furious. We’re being treated like we are second-class citizens,” 26-year-old Ahmed told The Independent. “We have our citizenship, we have our papers, we have our passports, we work in this country, we pay our taxes just like everybody else, but they are treating us like we’re nothing. Other people’s lives matter more than ours.”


The Abuolbas are among dozens of American dual-citizen families still stuck in Gaza after more than a month of relentless Israeli bombardment that has killed more than 11,000 Palestinians, including more than 4,500 children.

Ahmed, a microbiologist, saw the video of his mother sobbing on television from the family home.

“I can’t bear watching my mother like that,” Ahmed said. “It completely breaks my heart. Anytime any of my siblings see it, they just break down crying.”

Since the war began, those wishing to escape it have been navigating a chaotic process to evacuate Gaza that came about as a result of negotiations between the US, Israel, Egypt and Qatar, which acted as a mediator with Hamas.

Americans must submit their names to the embassy in Jerusalem, which then passes it on to the other parties for approval. People must then check a Facebook page maintained by the Palestinian Authority every day to see if their names have made the approved list, published on a Google document, to cross the border. Who is approved and when is a murky and bureaucratic process, leaving US citizens in the dark.

The US State Department has insisted that it is doing all it can to assist its citizens and their families escape the war-torn territory, but Palestinian-Americans have recounted to The Independent weeks of confusing communications with the agency, and a chaotic process that left them stranded in the line of fire.

These delays almost cost the Abuolba family their lives.

The family hails from Gaza, and all of Noha and Karam’s six children were born there. But in 2010, after several successive wars, they came to the US as refugees in search of safety. This summer, Noha took Saja and Farah back to Gaza for the first time since they left as young children, to visit family and see their birthplace. Saja had just graduated from high school.

Israel launched its war in Gaza in response to a deadly massacre of some 1,200 people by Hamas, who also took more than 200 hostages. Israeli forces quickly imposed a total siege on the territory, blocking aid deliveries of food and medicine, in addition to cutting water and electricity to the 2.3 million who call it home.

Ahmed said they first sought help from the State Department, which is responsible for US citizens abroad, on 8 October, the day after war broke out.

The first dual-citizen Americans began to leave Gaza on 3 November, almost a month after the war began. US president Joe Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that 74 “American folks, dual citizens” had been able to leave the territory on that day, and that more would follow.

That same day, Noha received notice from the US consulate that her name would be on the list of names approved for evacuation at the Rafah crossing into Egypt. But when they checked the list, her daughter’s names were not there. She didn’t know whether they would all be able to cross, but with the situation in Gaza getting more dangerous, they decided to try, packing their bags and getting on a bus to the border. Then, disaster struck.

The IDF did not respond to a request for comment about the strike that hit the vehicle from The Independent. A video showing what appeared to be the aftermath of the attack that injured the Abuolba family, taken on al-Rashid street on the same day, showed at least seven bodies lying in the road. Israel ordered all civilians to leave northern Gaza last month and its forces have targeted vehicles and ambulances travelling along the main roads through the territory.

Israel has cut internet access for Gaza, so Ahmed didn’t receive news of the attack against his mother and sisters until the next day. He only knew that there had been a shooting and that they suffered severe injuries. It took many more hours to confirm they hadn’t been killed. “It was absolutely horrifying,” he said. “My older sisters were crying nonstop. We were very worried, constantly trying to find people to call, trying everything to make sure that they’re still alive.”

Ever since, Ahmed’s communication with his mother has been fleeting and sporadic. Most of Gaza is without power, and the internet is down most of the time. Noha has been staying in the hospital with her daughters.

In an interview with CNN from her bed in the Quds Hospital, broadcast on Tuesday, Farah recounted the attack on their vehicle and losing her fingers.

Farah in hospital during a CNN interview (CNN)

“I could have given up. All my blood dripped all over me,” she says, as the sound of bombs can be heard from outside the hospital.

“When I sleep, I dream of what happened to me. I can hear the rockets when they hit me and my sister and my mum,” she tells the interviewer.

Since the attack, Farah’s father Karam has been in almost constant communication with the US consulate in Jerusalem and the State Department. He too believes their family is not being given the proper help by the US government.

“We are US citizens. We are loyal to this country. Send the Red Cross,” he told CNN.

A State Department spokesperson told The Independent that the US does not control the Rafah border crossing into Egypt and that the list is determined by a “series of negotiations and discussions about process, procedure, and security vetting.”

“The situation remains fluid, and there have been delays and periodic, unexpected closures. Nonetheless, we expect exits to continue, and we will not stop working to get U.S. citizens and their immediate family members out as safely as possible,” the spokesperson added.

Over the weekend, after weeks of waiting, Ahmed’s sisters’ names appeared on the list for evacuation — but the family was too afraid to make the journey after their last attempt, and there have since been further reports of ambulances being fired upon on the road to Rafah.

The hospital where they were being treated announced on Sunday that it was “no longer operational” because it didn’t have any fuel for its generators. Ahmed got word on Tuesday that his mother and sisters had been evacuated from the hospital and were attempting to make their way to the border again. He is now waiting to hear if they made it through.

— Additional reporting by Bel Trew

Their families wiped out, grieving Palestinians in Gaza ask why

SAMYA KULLAB AND NAJIB JOBAIN
November 15, 2023 at 11:20 PM


KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The night a blast struck his family's home in the Gaza Strip, Ahmed al-Naouq was more than 2,000 miles away but he still jolted awake, consumed with inexplicable panic.

He reached for his cellphone to find that a friend had written — and then deleted — a message. Al-Naouq called him from London. The words that spilled from the other end of the line landed like world-shattering blows: Airstrike. Everyone killed.

Four nights later, Ammar al-Butta was startled from sleep in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis when the wall of his bedroom collapsed over him. A missile had pierced his top-floor apartment and exploded one floor below.

He lurched over the rubble, shining the light of his cellphone into the wreckage, calling out to his 16 relatives.

“Anyone there?” he cried. There was only silence.

Entire generations of Palestinian families in the besieged Gaza Strip — from great-grandparents to infants only weeks old — have been killed in airstrikes in the Israel-Hamas war, in which the Israeli army says it aims to root out the militant group from the densely populated coastal territory.

Attacks are occurring at a scale never seen in years of Israel-Hamas conflict, hitting residential areas, schools, hospitals, mosques and churches, even striking areas in southern Gaza where Israeli forces ordered civilians to flee.

Israel says the goal of the war is to destroy Hamas following the militant group’s deadly Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel that killed at least 1,200 people, and it maintains that the attacks target militant operatives and infrastructure.

It blames the high death toll — more than 11,000 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry — on Hamas, saying the group endangers civilians by operating among the population and in tunnels underneath civilian areas. Israel says the death toll includes Hamas fighters.

But the scope of the destruction and loss of life in Gaza, with entire families wiped out in a single strike, has raised troubling questions about Israeli military tactics.

GENERATIONS LOST

It would take many hours of horror and mayhem before the truth would settle like the ash from the Oct. 20 explosion that leveled al-Naouq’s family's home: 21 relatives killed.

They included his 75-year old father, two brothers, three sisters and their 13 children.

“I can’t believe this actually happened,” al-Naouq, a graduate student in London, told The Associated Press. “Because if I calculate what it means, I will be destroyed.”

His father, Nasri, had recently told him that his sister Aya’s home was destroyed in northern Gaza and she was staying with them in the central city of Deir al-Balah, south of the area Israel had ordered Palestinians to leave.

A home can be rebuilt, al-Naouq recalled replying, all that matters is that she and the children are alive.

But just hours later, they were all dead: Wala'a, the most accomplished of the al-Naouq children with a degree in engineering, and her four children; Alaa and her five children; Aya, known for her wry sense of humor, and her three children; older brother Muhammed; and younger brother Mahmoud, who was preparing to travel to Australia for graduate studies when the war broke out.

Nine of the 21 are still under the rubble; dire fuel shortages prevented civil defense crews from digging them out.

Identifying the dead was another traumatizing endeavor; many bodies were unrecognizable, most were in pieces.

Al-Naouq’s sister, Doaa, who was not in the house at the time of the strike, told him she couldn’t bear the smell of the rotting flesh of their loved ones under the rubble. Someone showed her body parts retrieved from the site and told her it was one of their sisters.

There were two survivors: Shimaa, al-Naouq’s sister-in-law, and Omar, his 3-year-old nephew. His 11-year old niece, Malaka, was taken to al-Aqsa hospital with severe burns but died after doctors gave her ICU bed to another patient with a better chance of survival, his sister Doaa said.

Doctors have to make extraordinarily difficult triage decisions, and severely wounded patients are being left to die because of shortages of beds, medical supplies and fuel, said Dr. Mohammed Qandeel, in Nasser Hospital, Gaza’s second-largest.

“We leave most as we don’t have ventilators or beds,” he said of patients in need of intensive care with complicated blast wounds. “We’ve reached full collapse.”


COMPETING CLAIMS

Israel doesn't say how it chooses targets in densely populated Gaza. But Israeli officials say many strikes on homes are based on intelligence assessments that wanted Hamas operatives are inside. Though it gives few details, Israel says every airstrike is reviewed by legal experts to ensure they comply with international law.

Many Gaza families deny any Hamas targets were operating from their homes.

The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but says a majority of Palestinians killed have been minors and women, about 4,500 and 2,200 respectively. At least 304 families have lost at least 10 relatives; about 31 families have lost over 30, according to a Nov. 6 health ministry report. That number is likely higher now as intense Israeli bombardment has continued.

Among the families with the highest number of casualties, many have been children.

The al-Astal family lost 89 relatives, 18 of them children under the age of 10, including three babies not yet a year old, according to an Oct. 26 ministry report. The Hassouna family had 74 killed, including 22 children ranging in age from 1 to 10 years old, it said. The Najjars lost 65 relatives: Nine were under 10 years old and 13 were under 4.

Ammar al-Butta says his relatives were all civilians with no links to Hamas.

The Saqallah family, his cousins known for their sweet shops in Gaza City, had taken shelter with al-Butta’s family in their four-story house in Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, heeding Israeli evacuation orders.

The family arrived with trays of confections for their hosts. Joking with his cousins in the family’s living room was a rare moment of respite in the fog of war and displacement, the 29-year-old teacher said.

One cousin, Ahmed Saqallah, 42, spoke of rebuilding his family's bomb-damaged home and looked forward to fixing the plumbing and painting.

“Simple, sweet dreams,” al-Butta said.

Ten days later all 16 Saqallahs, from 69-year old Nadia to baby Asaad, not yet a year old, were killed in the Oct. 24 pre-dawn attack.

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

A question left by al-Naouq in his family's WhatsApp group the night the blast leveled their home — “Tell me, how are you guys?” — remains unanswered.

The distance has made the devastating news all the more surreal. Observing London’s peaceful nights, where sounds of mirth resonate from restaurants and bars, al-Naouq imagines the airstrikes lighting Gaza’s skies, the screams of panicked residents. His family, lying lifeless under the rubble.

He has no idea where his relatives' bodies are buried. There was no space in the hospital morgue to keep them. They could be in a mass grave, but al-Naouq has no way of knowing.

Al-Butta said the Saqallah family was buried in his family grave in Khan Younis. The entire neighborhood mourned when they were interred. “Our eyes are dry,” he said. “There are no tears left.”

In the chaos of the war, taking account of the dead is a rushed, heart-rending process.

It begins with relatives scribbling the names of the dead and missing. They dig into the rubble with their hands, calling out for survivors. Hospitals later issue death certificates.

Grieving relatives, who maintain no one in their households had links to Hamas, ask: Why them?

“Why would they kill children and an old man?” asked al-Naouq. “What is the military justification for bombing my house? They were all civilians.”

“I wish, one day, I can meet the one who pulled the trigger. I want to ask him: Why did you do it?”

US Capitol police clash with protesters demanding Gaza ceasefire

November 15, 2023 



WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Capitol Police officers in riot gear clashed with dozens of demonstrators who gathered outside the Democratic National Committee (DNC) headquarters in Washington on Wednesday evening to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

The protest was organized by three advocacy groups and held in an area near the U.S. Capitol. Lawmakers who were inside the DNC building said police had evacuated them from the area.

Protesters linked arms in front of the DNC building's entrance, where some sang: "Which side are you on?" Officers pushed and pulled the protesters to try to remove them from the area, at one point shoving one protester down a staircase leading to the entrance.

Police also used pepper spray and fired projectiles containing chemical irritants.

U.S. Capitol Police said approximately 150 people were "illegally and violently protesting". It said six officers were treated for injuries, ranging from cuts to being pepper sprayed and punched.

"One person has been arrested for assault on an officer," Capitol Police said on social media.

The organizers rejected allegations that demonstrators were violent.

Public demonstrations - both pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel - have rippled around the world since Hamas gunmen rampaged through southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 people, according to Israel, and taking about 240 hostages back to Gaza.

Israel has retaliated with a strict blockade on Hamas-controlled Gaza, and an aerial bombardment and ground offensive that Palestinian authorities say has killed around 11,500 people, around 40% of them children.

Congressman Sean Casten said he was evacuated from the DNC building after it "was surrounded by protesters who had blocked all modes of ingress and egress."

He added: "We were rescued by armed officers who did not know the protesters’ intent; they knew only that Members of Congress were inside, could not leave and that protesters would not let police through."

A DNC spokesperson said officials were monitoring the situation outside the DNC headquarters and were in touch with U.S. Capitol and local Washington police.

The organizers of the protest were IfNotNow, which urges U.S. Jewish groups to end their support of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians, Jewish Voice for Peace, a group that advocates for Palestinian independence, and the Democratic Socialists of America.

Jewish Voice for Peace wrote on social media that the protesters had gathered to lay out candles for Palestinians killed during Israel's bombardment and to call for a ceasefire.

(Reporting by Leah Millis, Dan Whitcomb and Rami Ayyub; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

Top House Democrats evacuated from DNC headquarters as police clash with protesters calling for Gaza ceasefire

SAM FOSSUM AND MORGAN RIMMER, CNN
November 15, 2023 at 9:55 PM

Alex Wong/Getty Images


Law enforcement clashed with protesters calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war outside of the Washington headquarters of the Democratic National Committee Wednesday night after authorities said the demonstration turned violent and lawmakers were evacuated from the building.

“Tonight 6 officers were treated for injuries – ranging from minor cuts to being pepper sprayed to being punched. One person has been arrested for assault on an officer. We appreciate our officers who kept these illegal & violent protesters back & protected everyone in the area,” US Capitol Police, who responded with DC Metropolitan Police, said in a statement on X.

Officers, according to USCP, had worked “to keep back approximately 150 people who are illegally and violently protesting” in the area – a characterization activist groups later disputed – and escorted members of Congress from the area. Top House Democrats were among those evacuated.

According to a person familiar with the matter, the Democratic leaders — House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, the No. 3 Democrat — were inside as the clash between protesters and police erupted.

About 10 members were there, according to the source, including Suzan DelBene, the chairwoman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and Michigan Rep. Debbie Dingell. The members had been meeting with House candidates who were in town for training sessions and to connect with fellow Democrats.

California Rep. Brad Sherman told CNN’s Abby Philip on “NewsNight” that he was among the members evacuated to the Capitol and slammed protesters for “their willingness to attack police.”

“The one point I want to make is, yesterday, there were 200,000 pro-Israel demonstrators, with a permit, entirely peaceful,” Sherman said. “And, here, you have a demonstration, less than 1000th as large, that’s also getting publicity and it’s getting publicity because their willingness to attack police – as they did with pepper spray – is a force multiplier.”

A DNC spokesperson told CNN they were monitoring the situation and had been in touch with Capitol Police and DC Police.

Earlier, a group organized by Jewish Voice for Peace Action, IfNotNow Movement, and Democratic Socialists of America held a candlelight vigil near Capitol Hill, asking Congress to call for ceasefire.

Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, said in a statement Wednesday night that “hundreds of peaceful anti-war activists came to the DNC to call for an end to bombs and violence in order to save Palestinian and Israeli lives.”

“They were met with brutal assaults by the police,” Miller continued. “The Democrats need to decide: will they stand on the side of peace and justice, or will they continue to support war and genocide?”

Eva Borgwardt, IfNotNow’s national spokesperson, said in the statement that “instead of heeding our call for a ceasefire, police violently attacked nonviolent protesters with pepper spray.”

As the gathering outside of the DNC turned tense Wednesday night, with protesters face-to-face with law enforcement, a CNN crew on the scene reported police setting up a barricade around the building.

Just after 9 p.m. ET, Capitol Police sent out an alert saying they had sealed all House office buildings and exits. “All House buildings: Significant demonstration activity, no entry or exit is permitted at this time. You may move throughout the buildings,” it said.

Most members and their staff had already left the House buildings, as the chamber took its last votes before the Thanksgiving recess earlier in the day.

Rep. Sean Casten of Illinois said on social media that he was one of the members of Congress evacuated during the protest, writing that he was “grateful to Capitol Police for getting all members and staff out safely.”

“You have the Constitutional right to peaceably assemble and protest. But blocking all entries to a building with multiple members of Congress in it, protected by Capitol Police officers who have lived through January 6 is putting you and other innocent people at risk,” he added.

CNN’s Manu Raju and Kaanita Iyer contributed to this report.

Police and pro-Palestinian demonstrators clash at DNC headquarters

REBECCA COHEN AND FRANK THORP V AND REBECCA KAPLAN AND KELLY O'DONNELL AND GARY GRUMBACH
November 15, 2023


Alex Wong

Police said they evacuated the area around the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in Washington, D.C., after making arrests at a chaotic pro-Palestinian rally Wednesday night.

U.S. Capitol Police said on X that a "large group of illegal protesters...have cleared out, but USCP officers will stay on scene out of an abundance of caution." They previously put the number of demonstrators at about 150 and said they were "violently protesting in the area."

Six officers were treated for injuries as a result of the demonstration, and one person was arrested and accused of assault on an officer, Capitol Police said on X.

Capitol Police said in a separate notice to reporters that they had restricted entry and exit to the nearby House office buildings.

"We’re monitoring the situation outside the DNC and are in touch with USCP and Metro Police, who are directing the security response," A DNC spokesperson said in a statement.

Numerous lawmakers were in the DNC headquarters when the protest erupted.

The top three House Democratic leaders were all inside the DNC headquarters as protests started outside tonight, according to a source familiar with the group of lawmakers attending the DNC event.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar were in the building with other Democrats for a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) candidate week leadership reception, according to a source familiar with the group of lawmakers attending the DNC event.

The source did not say how long the lawmakers were inside.

Spokespeople for Jeffries and Aguilar would not comment on members in attendance, and Clark’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Capitol Police said that all lawmakers were moved from the area for their safety.


IfNotNow, a group that describes itself as “American Jews organizing our community to end U.S. support for Israel’s apartheid system,” said it was at the protest, and accused officers of being violent toward demonstrators.

“BREAKING: Police are being extremely violent outside @TheDemocrats headquarters,” the group posted on X. “We are linking arms, threatening no one, and begging our politicians to support an end to the killing and the suffering in Gaza. Begging, peacefully, for a ceasefire. And this is the response.”

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., posted on X that he was evacuated from the DNC "after pro-terrorist, anti-#Israel protestors grew violent, pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building."

NBC News hasn't independently verified Sherman's characterization of the protest. Capitol Police didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on his remark about pepper spray being used on police. The Metropolitan Police Department also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

IfNotNow spokesperson Eva Borgwardt said in a statement that Sherman's account was inaccurate, adding that the congressman was " spreading dangerous and reckless misinformation about our nonviolent movement."

"Calling hundreds of progressive Jews fighting for peace, many of whom have family members in Israel, 'pro-Hamas' is beyond the pale and the Congressman should apologize for his remarks," Borgwardt said.

She added that the protest was "nonviolent" and a "moral act of civil disobedience to call on Democrats to support a cease-fire and an end to our government’s funding of violence against Palestinian civilians by Netanyahu’s far-right government."

Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., posted on X that he was “rescued” from the DNC building by “armed officers” who “did not know the protestors’ intent; they knew only that Members of Congress were inside, could not leave and that protestors would not let police through.”

“Forcing police to guess intent is irresponsible and dangerous,” Casten added.

Video posted to social media appeared to show protesters wearing shirts emblazoned with "CEASE FIRE NOW" clashing with officers on the steps of the DNC, who appeared to be working to remove demonstrators from the scene.

The protest comes a day after thousands gathered in Washington for a March for Israel rally against antisemitism.

The security level for Tuesday's event was raised to the highest designation. There were no immediate reports of arrests or counterdemonstrations.

Police and protesters clash outside Democratic HQ during demonstration over Israel-Hamas war

MIKE PESOLI AND CHRIS MEGERIAN
November 15, 2023 a



WASHINGTON (AP) — Police and protesters clashed outside Democratic National Committee headquarters on Wednesday night during a demonstration for a cease-fire in the war between Israel and Hamas, the latest reflection of boiling tensions over the bloody conflict.

Scores of Democratic representatives and candidates, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, were inside the building for a campaign reception when it was interrupted by chanting outside. Protesters said they wanted to block entrances and exits to force politicians to encounter their candlelight vigil and their calls for an end to the fighting. Many of them wore black shirts saying “Cease Fire Now.”

However, the situation swiftly devolved. U.S. Capitol Police said about 150 people were “illegally and violently protesting” in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington. But protesters blamed police for the violence, saying officers rushed them without warning.

“It is shameful the way that nonviolent protesters and members of our community were met with violence tonight," said Dani Noble, who came from Philadelphia for the demonstration. "It is absolutely shameful.”

Noble said police, some of whom were wearing riot gear, started “pulling on folks that are disabled or have have chronic illnesses, pulling people to the ground.”

Inside the Democratic headquarters, police rushed into the reception and directed lawmakers to the basement, according to Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif. Some were later evacuated in police vehicles.

Capitol Police said six officers were treated for minor injuries and one protester was arrested for assaulting an officer. Video posted on social media showed shoving and scuffles as police moved in.

The Metropolitan Police Department said its officers also responded to the disturbance. Congressional staffers received an alert telling them no one would be permitted to enter or exit any House office buildings, but authorities later reopened the entrances.

Sherman accused protesters of trying to break into the Democratic headquarters in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, protesters denied that was their intention.

The protest was organized by a coalition of groups, including If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace Action, that have spearheaded other demonstrations in Washington and elsewhere.

Wednesday's clashes were the latest example of roiling tensions over the war between Israel and Hamas.

Last week, a large number of House Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian American in Congress, over her criticism of the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians. Tlaib, who has family in the West Bank, came under heavy criticism for not immediately condemning Hamas after the attack. She since has called out the militant group while also calling for a cease-fire.

President Joe Biden has also faced increasing pressure from the Democratic Party’s left flank over his support for Israel’s military operation. He has resisted calls for a cease-fire, instead saying there should be pauses in the fighting to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the potential extraction of hostages.

Among the participants Wednesday night was Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg, who interrupted Biden's speech at a recent fundraiser in Minneapolis.

She said Democrats are “not listening to the people who they claim to represent," adding that "actions like this are only going to increase.”

“We are not slowing down," she said. "The call for a ceasefire is going to keep growing. And our representatives need to take action, yesterday.”

__

Associated Press writers Farnoush Amiri, Mary Clare Jalonick, Lisa Mascaro and Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.

Pro-Palestinian violent protest erupts outside DNC headquarters in Washington DC, Capitol police injured

SARAH RUMPF-WHITTEN, ADAM SABES, KELLEY KRAMER, MICHAEL RUIZ
November 15, 2023 

Police in the nation's capital responded to the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee as pro-Palestinian demonstrators grew violent as they called for an immediate cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) said about 150 people were "illegally and violently protesting" near the DNC headquarters building in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington.

Protesters told Fox News Digital that there were 300 people protesting the war.

"Officers are making arrests," USCP said on X. It advised people to stay away from the area.



Members of U.S. Capitol Police take a protester away from the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee during a demonstration against the war between Israel and Hamas on November 15, 2023 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

Protesters block the entrance of the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee during a demonstration against the war between Israel and Hamas on November 15, 2023 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

USCP confirmed on X that six officers were injured during the clash on Wednesday evening.

Authorities said that the officers suffered injuries ranging from minor cuts, pepper spray burns or being punched by protesters who turned violent alongside peaceful protesters.

Approximately 150 officers and at least 50 police cruisers from The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) were seen at the protest, with videos showing protesters violently clashing with officers.

Videos on social media showed protesters shoving police officers and trying to grab hold of metal barricades at the DNC headquarters as the officers forcefully removed the individuals.

The U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department did not immediately confirm to Fox News Digital how many protesters were arrested during the evening.

The group was heard shouting "Ceasefire Now!" while standing against officers.

Protesters included members of If Not Now and Jewish Voice for Peace, who have organized other demonstrations in Washington D.C. since Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.

Many of the protesters were wearing black shirts that read "Cease Fire Now."

Olivia, a protester at the DNC headquarters, insisted that the protesters were peaceful.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, a pro-Palestinian protester insisted that they were peacefully protesting, and that officers were reacting violently.

"We were peacefully saying, ‘ceasefire now,’ and the cops violently pushed us to the ground, threw us to the ground," Olivia said. "The violence happening around the world is happening in our backyard."

The protester declined to share how the protesters were organizing, saying that they were "concerned citizens."

"We're demanding a ceasefire now," Olivia said. "Eleven-thousand people have been murdered. Millions of our taxpayer dollars go to Israel to carry out this genocide."

Members of U.S. Capitol Police lead protesters away from the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee during a demonstration against the war between Israel and Hamas on November 15, 2023 in Washington D.C.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., told The Associated Press that initially about 100 people — House leaders, lawmakers and Democratic candidates running for the House — were at a reception at party headquarters, and speeches were interrupted by the chants outside.

About seven lawmakers were huddled in the basement and evacuated into police SUVs.

Sherman took to social media following his evacuation, calling the protestors "pro-Hamas."

"Was just evacuated from the DNC after pro-terrorist, anti-Israel protestors grew violent, pepper spraying police officers and attempting to break into the building. Thankful to the police officers who stopped them and for helping me and my colleagues get out safely," Sherman wrote in an X post.

"Apparently, these pro-Hamas demonstrators want Republicans to prevail in the next Congressional election," Sherman added.

Illinois Rep. Sean Casten wrote that he was also evacuated from the DNC headquarters, thanking police for safely evacuating the members of Congress.

Former Michigan Representative and Senate candidate Peter Meijer was quick to point out the difference between the protesters at the DNC and the "March for Israel" event on Tuesday.

"A quarter-million folks rallying on the Mall yesterday to support Israel? Peaceful, orderly, strong," Meijer wrote. "Two hundred anti-Israel protesters outside DNC tonight? Chaos, weakness, Capitol buildings locked down. Says a lot!"

Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton wrote that President Joe Biden should treat the "pro-Hamas insurrectionists" the same as they have treated the January 6 cases.

"Biden admin must use every law-enforcement tactic against these pro-Hamas insurrectionists that it has used in the January 6 cases," Sen. Cotton wrote on X. "Track them down, arrest them, convict them, and lock ‘em up."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Protesters in San Francisco attempted to shut down APEC summit: 'We can have a better society'

TERRY COLLINS, USA TODAY
November 15, 2023 

SAN FRANCISCO — Hundreds of protesters scattered across downtown San Francisco Wednesday in an attempt to shut down the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit amid key meetings among global and business leaders.

Instead of their planned shutdown, or marching around similar to previous demonstrations this week, protesters from the "No to APEC" coalition formed human barriers, blocking the streets at three different locations and the path of numerous attendees walking to the summit under a heavy police presence.

In between chants of "People over profits," or "from Palestine to the Philippines, stop the U.S. war machine," and "governments for working people, not bosses," the demonstrators swarmed attendees who visibly wore blue APEC badges. Some protesters who closed in often yelled and intentionally bumped the attendees as police quickly intervened to break up the confrontations.

"If you see someone in a suit, let them know how you feel," said Marie Derek of San Francisco, a protester who chased down many attendees to express their frustration.

With the 21 heads of state, foreign dignitaries, and about 1,200 CEOs and other executives attending APEC, Wednesday turned into the biggest day for various demonstrations in San Francisco. The anticipated protests came a day after hundreds of protesters gathered downtown and marched down the city's Market Street and a main shopping thoroughfare en route to Chinatown demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

In addition to Wednesday's at times chaotic street closures downtown by the "No to APEC" coalition, a collective of more than 100 organizations, a separate group of protesters demonstrated at the Chinese Consulate opposing China President Xi Jinping's presence in San Francisco. They also planned to protest outside a gala sponsored by President Joe Biden in the evening.

Meanwhile, a third large group of protesters slowed morning street traffic just outside of downtown also in opposition to the Chinese president. The demonstrators waved Tibetan flags and chanted slogans including "Free Tibet," and "Free Hong Kong." Other protests against Biden and Xi as well as clashes between pro- and anti-China demonstrators occurred at various points across the city on Wednesday.

'Being blunt with one another': Biden and Xi agree to curb fentanyl production, resume military talks at San Francisco summit
'Trying to make it a bit inconvenient'

As for the "No to APEC" coalition, many protesters hoped to disturb Wednesday's APEC festivities as up close as possible, determined to apply pressure on world leaders and CEOs.

"Hundreds of people will put their bodies on the line, reflecting the diversity of groups and communities impacted by APEC’s militarism, neo-liberalism, and climate destruction. We envision colorful and festive actions that will creatively block CEOs and dictators from meeting," the organization Rising Tide North America, which focuses on climate change issues, said on its website. "We will make space and encourage mutual respect for a variety of action styles reflecting our different groups and communities."


Instead, the anti-APEC demonstrators had to get a bit creative to contend with tall black steel fencing that stretched within a four-square-mile perimeter as well as many of the 1,000 uninformed law enforcement personnel standing guard which led to some tense moments.

"We're here to protect you, too," one San Francisco police officer told protesters as they stood face-to-face with each other during one exchange. At one point during the protest, police took a man into custody who allegedly hit a female protestor and collapsed.

Police said the man, whose name has not been released, could face assault charges. No other arrests have been reported.

Rhonda Ramiro an organizer with the No to APEC Coalition, a group of more than 100 organizations, talks during a protest to block people from attending the APEC summit on Nov. 15, 2023 in San Francisco.

'There are still a lot of challenges'

Beyond that incident, Rhonda Ramiro, an organizer for "No to APEC," said that Wednesday's turnout was "a great showing of unity" as organizations supporting labor and human rights, and climate change came together for one cause.

"Those steel barriers are there to protect the 1% so they can cut more deals to make the wealthy wealthier," Ramiro said. "We're trying to make it a bit inconvenient for the attendees and hard for them to do business as usual."

Chey Scovell, an entrepreneur from New Guinea and a member of APEC's business advisory council, who was shoved by protesters while trying to cross an intersection, said he understands their frustrations.

"We don't diminish their concerns. If they would look at some of the things we are working on, in terms of trying to create new jobs and opportunities for groups to help close the gaps," Scovell said. "It's not so cookie cutter. There are still a lot of challenges."

There needs to be more solutions, and more people from different backgrounds at the table at such a huge event like APEC, said protester Fenner Merlick, of Oakland, California.

"I'm sick of people in power making decisions that are not for the betterment of humanity," said Merlick, who is a teacher and an actor. "I think we have so many resources that everyone could benefit from, but it's being used to exploit people to line other people's pockets. We can have a better society."

Starbucks faces walkout at hundreds of US stores

MICHELLE FLEURY - BBC NEWS, NEW YORK
November 15, 2023 

Starbucks Workers United said this year's Red Cup walkout would be bigger than in 2022

The union representing thousands of Starbucks workers in the US is staging a walkout on one of the coffee chain's busiest days of the year.

The action comes amid a bitter fight between Starbucks and Starbucks Workers United, which started organising workers at the company in 2021.

The two sides are fighting over pay, scheduling and other issues.

Roughly 200 stores are expected to be affected by the 16 November work stoppage.

Barista Michelle Eisen, one of the union's leaders, said the company could afford to "do better by its workers".

The protest is the second to coincide with Starbucks' 'Red Cup' day, when the company distributes reusable, holiday-themed cups.

In some locations, the walkout is set to last just a few hours, while in others it is expected to shutter the store for most of the day.

The union said the action was aimed at calling attention to Starbucks' refusal to fairly negotiate contracts with the unionised stores.

Members are also protesting work conditions, including inadequate staffing on promotional days.

Ms Eisen said she expected more customers and community activists to join the action this year in a warning sign for the coffee brand.

Michelle Eisen helped launch the union movement at Starbucks

"That's what's going to set this apart," she told the BBC. "That's what should scare the company. Their reputation is everything."

Starbucks, which operates roughly 10,000 stores across the US, said it did not expect major disruption.

It said it had spent hundreds of millions of dollars on higher wages, training and new equipment and it blamed the union for delays in talks, noting successful negotiations at several stores in Canada.

"Starbucks remains ready to progress in-person negotiations with the unions certified to represent partners," the company said in a statement.

Since 2021, workers at about 350 of the company's roughly 10,000 locations in the US have voted to join the union.

Starbucks has fiercely opposed the campaign.

Union members say it has dragged its feet at the negotiating table and gone so far as to fire workers and shut stores in an effort to stop the movement.

Administrative law judges in the US have found the company has repeatedly violated labour laws.

Starbucks, which typically appeals the findings, has denied wrongdoing.

Last year, former boss Howard Schultz was forced to appear before Congress to answer for the union's claims.

The union campaign at Starbucks has been closely watched, and is credited with helping to galvanise workers at other companies.

Ms Eisen, who was involved with the first Starbucks store to unionise, said watching other unions win big wage increases at other companies, such as UPS, had been "bittersweet".

"It feels like this campaign really lit a fire under the labour movement in this country and we are still sitting here fighting super hard," she said.

FTC warns influencers over ‘inadequate’ disclosures of artificial sweetener promotions

ANGELA YANG
Updated November 15, 2023 at 8:00 PM


Iryna Imago


A dozen social media influencers and two trade associations received warnings from the Federal Trade Commission on Monday for endorsing the safety of aspartame, an artificial sweetener, or for promoting the consumption of products containing sugar.

By using health and diet creators, many of whom have large platforms on Instagram and TikTok, to market these products without adequately disclosing their connection to the advertiser, the American Beverage Association and the Canadian Sugar Institute may have violated FTC rules, according to warning letters the commission sent the two groups.

“Consumers should be able to notice the disclosure easily, and not have to look for it,” said the letters, which the FTC shared in a news release.

That means that in a promotional TikTok video or Instagram reel, the disclosure should be made audible in the video itself as well as visible in the text description. The rule applies to paid sponsorships, promotions in exchange for free products, and in cases of any business or familial relationships.

None of the posts targeted by the FTC included any disclosures in the videos themselves, with some creators failing entirely to indicate their material connection to the beverage association anywhere in the post.

“It’s irresponsible for any trade group to hire influencers to tout its members’ products and fail to ensure that the influencers come clean about that relationship,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement. “That’s certainly true for health and safety claims about sugar and aspartame, especially when made by registered dieticians and others upon whom people rely for advice about what to eat and drink.”

Some in-text disclosures labeling a post as “#sponsored” or an “#ad” buried those hashtags multiple lines down in the post description, the letters stated, making them insufficiently clear to the average scroller — especially because users must click to open the full post when they have lengthier descriptions.

Using the in-app “Paid partnership” disclosure labels is also not enough when used alone, according to the FTC, because viewers may too easily miss them.

The FTC’s warnings fall in line with its recently revised advertising guides, published in June, addressing “deceptive” reviews and endorsements.


In its letters involving the beverage association, the FTC laid out concerns about TikTok and Instagram posts by influencers — some who are dietitians — who have built followings online in large part for giving health advice.

Those listed in the letter include: Valerie Agyeman, Nichole Andrews, Leslie Bonci, Keri Gans, Stephanie Grasso, Cara Harbstreet, Andrea Miller, Idrees Mughal, Adam Pecoraro and Mary Ellen Phipps. The FTC said it also examined Instagram videos by Jenn Messina and Lindsay Pleskot in its research into CSI. The influencers each have followings that range from a few thousand to a few hundred thousand followers. Two of them — Grasso and Mughal — have more than 1 million each.

Harbstreet, a dietitian with about 38,500 TikTok followers, wrote in a statement to NBC News that she shares the FTC’s goal of transparent disclosure and protecting audiences from disinformation, and that she plans to ensure her compliance with its updated guidelines.

“Conflicts of interest are not something I take lightly and I have stringent standards in place to determine which partners I work with. One of those many considerations is the quality of the science,” Harbstreet wrote. “In this case, I stand behind what the evidence currently indicates regarding the safety of aspartame. This is supported by numerous domestic and international health organizations and food safety review committees.”

NBC News has reached out to the other influencers who were named in the letter for comment. They did not immediately respond Wednesday.

The Canadian Sugar Institute did not immediately respond with a comment Wednesday.

A spokesperson for the American Beverage Association wrote in an email statement that the association appreciates the FTC’s guidance and will continue its “ongoing commitment” to disclose its relationships with dietitians.

“We took proactive, prudent and meticulous steps to be transparent about our partnership with credible experts who spoke to the science behind the safety of aspartame and the FDA’s determination that it is safe,” the spokesperson wrote. “Importantly, no question has been raised about the substance of these posts.”

Both the trade associations, as well as each of the influencers involved, are facing possible civil penalties of up to $50,120 per violation. Each recipient has 15 working days to tell FTC what they have done or will do to address the agency’s concerns, according to the letters.

FTC warns food industry trade groups and influencers about disclosures on paid social media posts

November 15, 2023 



NEW YORK (AP) —

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday said it issued warnings to two food and beverage industry groups, as well as a dozen online influencers, for failing to adequately disclose paid social media posts that promoted a sweetener and sugary products.

The letters point to Instagram and TikTok posts made by the influencers who were apparently hired by the American Beverage Association, a lobbying group whose members include Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo, and the Canadian Sugar Institute, which represents Canadian sugar manufacturers.

The warnings follow updated guidelines the agency published this summer requiring influencers to prominently disclose advertisements and paid social media posts that promote products for companies.

The FTC said it reviewed posts by health influencers — including registered dieticians — who endorse “sugar-containing products” and appear to be paid by the Canadian Sugar Institute.

Meanwhile, the agency warned the American Beverage Association about posts that tout the safety of aspartame, a sweetener found in diet soda and countless other foods. In July, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency deemed the sweetener could be a possible cause of cancer, though other experts assembled by the health organization have said aspartame is safe to consume in small quantities.

William M. Dermody Jr., a spokesperson for American Beverage Association, said the trade group took “meticulous steps” to be transparent about its partnership dieticians who "spoke to the science behind the safety of aspartame and the FDA’s determination that it is safe.”

“Importantly, no question has been raised about the substance of these posts,” Dermody said. "We will continue our ongoing commitment to disclose the relationship between dietitians and American Beverage and we appreciate the FTC’s guidance on how to best ensure transparency for consumers.”

The FTC said some of the posts it reviewed had no disclosures. Others had disclosures in the text description of the videos, but not in the videos themselves. Some of the dieticians identified “ameribev” as their partner, but the agency said that was inadequate since viewers may not understand the abbreviation for the American Beverage Association.

“It’s irresponsible for any trade group to hire influencers to tout its members’ products and fail to ensure that the influencers come clean about that relationship,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.

The agency wrote in the letters to the trade groups that the posts may violate federal law and could cost them up to $50,120 in penalties per violation. The Canadian Sugar Institute did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

'Time's finally up': Impending Iceland eruption is part of centuries-long volcanic pulse

Hannah Osborne
Tue, November 14, 2023 

Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland erupting at dusk


Iceland's potentially imminent eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula is part of a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity that will likely cause eruptions for centuries, scientists say.

"Time's finally up," Edward W. Marshall, a researcher at the University of Iceland's Nordic Volcanological Center, told Live Science in an email. "We can get ready for another few hundred years of eruptions on the Reykjanes."

Seismic activity began increasing in the south of the peninsula in October, with hundreds of earthquakes recorded there each day. On Nov. 10, authorities evacuated the town of Grindavík, with experts warning an volcanic eruption could take place in just days.


Infographic showing the seismic activity that has hit Iceland in recent weeks


According to the Icelandic Met Office (IMO), a magma tunnel stretching 9.3 miles (15 kilometers) formed beneath the ground between Sundhnúkur in the north and Grindavík. The area affected also encompasses the Blue Lagoon geothermal spa — a tourist hotspot that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors annually.

Related: Underwater volcanic eruption gives birth to new island in the Pacific

Magma in the tunnel — also known as a dike — appears to be rising to the surface, and there is a high risk of it breaking through. The greatest area of magma upwelling is currently close to Sundhnúkur, about 2 miles (3.5 km) northeast of Grindavík, according to the IMO. Researchers believe the amount of magma in the tunnel is "significantly more" than what was present during the eruptions at Fagradalsfjall, which sparked back to life in 2021 after more than 800 years of inactivity.

That 2021 eruption marked the start of a new cycle of volcanic activity on the Reykjanes Peninsula. Geological records show periods of inactivity last between 600 and 1,200 years, which is then followed by pulses of eruptions lasting between 200 and 500 years, Clive Oppenheimer, a professor of volcanology at the University of Cambridge in the U.K., told Live Science in an email.

"It looks like 2021 kicked off a new eruptive phase which might see the several fault zones crossing the [Reykjanes Peninsula] firing on and off for centuries," he said.

vehicles leaving the town of Grindavik, southwestern Iceland, during evacuation following earthquakes., with the sea in the background

The Reykjanes Peninsula sits above two tectonic plates that are being pulled apart. The strain that builds up is released in bursts as part of the cycle. "We are now in one of these pulses," David Pyle, a volcanologist and professor of Earth sciences at the University of Oxford, U.K, told Live Science in an email. "Each eruption releases just a bit more of the stored-up strain, and eventually, when all of that strain has been released, then the eruptions will stop."

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It is currently unclear if an eruption will take place as a result of the magma tunnel. "These sorts of dikes are actually a tectonic, not a magmatic feature. In other words, the lava is filling a fracture, not forcing its way into the rock," Marshall said.

Should a fissure emerge, an eruption could last for several weeks. The large amount of magma involved compared with previous eruptions in the region could result in more lava flow at the surface, Oppenheimer said.

What happens next is a waiting game, Marshall said. "I predict — if an eruption occurs — that it will occur between a few days to threeish weeks. If it hasn't erupted in three weeks, I don't think it will happen. Cooling will begin to close the fractures."

Iceland volcano: Peninsula faces 'decades' of instability

Jessica Parker - in Reykjavik
Thu, November 16, 2023

Iceland has some "ingenious ways" to fight lava, says Dr Roberts, but he concedes "nature always wins if the eruption is long enough"

Iceland's south-western peninsula could face decades of volcanic instability, warns the Icelandic Met Office (IMO).

Earthquakes and fears of an impending eruption have led to the evacuation of the small fishing town of Grindavik.

After an 800-year hiatus, eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula began again in 2021, which may mark a new "eruptive cycle", the IMO's Matthew Roberts says.

"We expect to see volcanic eruptions along the peninsula, not just repeatedly in the same location."

This instability, he adds, could last decades.

Huge cracks have appeared on the roads of Grindavik, as the fishing town continues to sink every day

Dr Roberts, who is a managing director in the IMO's Reykjavik headquarters, takes us into a room where staff are intensely monitoring seismic activity 24 hours a day.

Last Friday, the team were shocked to realise magma was coursing into the ground, fracturing rock over a distance of 15km (nine miles).

It cut beneath Grindavik "almost like an underground freight train", says Dr Roberts. A phenomenon unknown in modern times.

The order was quickly given to evacuate, and soon after stark images began emerging of severely cracked roads and damaged houses following repeated earthquakes.

The town will continue to subside, Dr Roberts says, exacerbating damage to buildings and roads.

The western part of Grindavik has sunk by more than a metre (3.3ft) since last Friday, and continues to do so at a rate of about 4cm (1.6in) a day.

The situation is being monitored by IMO experts 24 hours a day

A colour map shows the recent levels to which land has collapsed and in one area the situation remains "highly volatile", with an eruption likely within days or weeks.

If there is an eruption, there could be significant damage to local infrastructure and a release of toxic fumes.

Fascinatingly, aerial photographs suggest that the magma is running underneath a previous, centuries-old, visible fissure.

"The magma intrusion is exploiting this exact same location again," says Dr Roberts.

Iceland is very used to volcanic activity because it sits over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The Eurasian and North American plates are pulling apart from each other, a few centimetres each year.

But this kind of evacuation of an entire community has not happened in 50 years.

In 1973, a fissure started spouting molten red lava on Heimaey, the largest of Iceland's Westman Islands.

Currently, within the Reykjanes Peninsula, it is estimated that the magma is now sitting about 800m (0.5 miles) beneath the surface.

Residents may have to wait for weeks, at least, before it is clear whether they can return to the area.

"We're not expecting an explosive eruption," says Dr Roberts, although that is not necessarily a good thing.


A low-intensity eruption could mean lava pouring from a series of fissures over weeks and weeks.

"If that were to occur there would be lava flow to the south - possibly towards Grindavik - and also possibly north and westwards" towards the Svartsengi power station and Blue Lagoon, says Dr Roberts.

Contingency plans include protective barriers - known as "levees" - which are being built near the geothermal plant while the famous Blue Lagoon spa remains closed.

Iceland has all sorts of ingenious ways to fight lava, says Dr Roberts, but "nature always wins if the eruption is long enough".

Map of Reykjanes peninsula



A Volcano in Iceland Could Erupt Any Day. Here’s What to Know

Mallory Moench
Wed, November 15, 2023 



Iceland is preparing for a possible volcanic eruption after hundreds of small earthquakes have rocked the island nation in the North Atlantic. Seismic activity has fissured roads, shut down tourist attractions and led the government to evacuate a town in the potential path of an eruption.

Iceland averages a volcanic eruption every five years, the country’s tourism board said. Three eruptions in the past three years occurred on the same peninsula where activity is being monitored, the government said, without harming people or disrupting flights.

That hasn’t always been the case, though. Another Icelandic volcanic eruption in 2010 sent clouds of ash into the atmosphere and crippled air travel across Europe off and on for a month.

Here’s what we know about the unfolding situation in Iceland.

What’s happening in Iceland?

Seismic activity near Grindavík, which is about 31 miles (50 km) southwest of the capital Reykjavik, began around Oct. 25, but took a sudden worrying turn on Nov. 10, raising the risk of a volcanic eruption, according to the Icelandic Met Office.

The office has warned of a “significant likelihood of a volcanic eruption in the coming days.” On Nov. 14 alone, meteorologists tracked more than 700 earthquakes near the volcano, the office said.

“The likelihood of a volcanic eruption is high and an eruption could be possible on a timescale of just days,” the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue’s website SafeTravel warns, explaining that the eruption is likely to occur on land just outside Grindavík, with some chance of an undersea explosion as well.

What is the risk for people in Iceland?

The government declared a state of emergency and evacuated Grindavík, a fishing village with a population of 3,400, on Nov. 11 after determining that magma extended beneath the surface of the town, the Associated Press reported.

Earthquakes opened up deep cracks in the roadways west of Grindavík on Nov. 13, closing the streets and making travel impossible for the foreseeable future, according to the Icelandic Road and Coastal Administration.

Will this have an impact on travel?

In recent years, Iceland has become a more popular tourist destination and growing transit hub for flights from North America to Europe. In 2010, the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano spewed clouds of ash into the atmosphere and caused a month of travel disruption with flights being grounded and re-routed.

The volcano currently under watch had not erupted at the time of publication, so there are no current impacts to flight operations at Keflavik Airport in Reykjavik. All roads to the airport are open, the government said. The airport is only about 18 miles (31 km) from the evacuated town.

Iceland’s tourism website said it’s impossible to conclude whether flight travel will be impacted if the volcano erupts, but added that “while the possibility of air traffic disturbance cannot be entirely ruled out, scientists consider it an unlikely scenario.”

“The potential disruption to flight traffic would depend on factors such as the location and size of the eruption. Typically, the impact of volcanic eruptions is confined to specific, localized areas,” the agency said.

The agency pointed out that three eruptions on the Reykjanes Peninsula, where the currently active volcano is located, in the past three years didn’t impact flight travel.

The U.K. and U.S. governments have warned citizens and tourists about traveling to Iceland at this time. The country’s popular Blue Lagoon tourist attraction closed last week as earthquakes rattled the area.

How can we help people impacted by the situation in Iceland?

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was caring for hundreds of evacuees in shelters as of Nov. 14. The organization’s local branch, the Icelandic Red Cross, has launched an emergency fundraising campaign to support their efforts.

Iceland volcano LIVE: Authorities create makeshift defenses to protect geothermal power plant

Hannah Osborne
Wed, November 15, 2023

Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland erupting at dusk .

Iceland is bracing for an imminent volcanic eruption on the Reykjanes Peninsula, in the southwest corner of the island. Grindavík, a small fishing town with a population of around 2,800 people, has been evacuated after a sinkhole measuring 3.2 feet (1 meter) deep appeared in the town.

Seismic activity began increasing in the area on Oct. 25, when more than 1,000 earthquakes north of Grindavík occurred in the space of just hours. Two strong earthquakes, measuring magnitudes 3.9 and 4.5, hit at a depth of around 3 miles (5 kilometers). Over the following two weeks, seismic activity continued, with hundreds of earthquakes and uplift recorded each day, indicating that magma is accumulating beneath the ground.

On Nov. 11, Icelandic Met Office (IMO) data showed there was a "magma tunnel" about 9.3 miles (15 km) from Sundhnúk in the north down to Grindavík and into the sea. Experts say an eruption could take place anywhere along this tunnel — also known as a dike.

Timeline of events:

Nov. 10 — Grindavík evacuated due to the increase in seismic activity gravitating towards the fishing vilage. Icelandic authorities declare a state of emergency


Nov. 9 — The largest recorded earthquake since the swarm began reaches a magnitude of M4.8. Blue Lagoon geothermal resort, one of the country's most famous tourist attractions, is temporarily closed.


Nov. 4 — Seismic activity decreases considerably, but Icelandic Meteorological Office continues to monitor the situation.


Oct. 25 — Seismic activity in the Reykjanes Peninsula increases with more than 1,000 earthquakes registered in the area, the largest with a magnitude of M4.5.
'Time's finally up': Impending Iceland eruption is part of centuries-long volcanic pulse

A volcano pictured at dusk spewing lava, dust and ash

Iceland's potentially imminent eruption in the Reykjanes Peninsula is part of a 1,000-year cycle of volcanic activity that will likely cause eruptions for centuries, scientists say.

"Time's finally up," Edward W. Marshall, a researcher at the University of Iceland's Nordic Volcanological Center, told Live Science in an email. "We can get ready for another few hundred years of eruptions on the Reykjanes."

Seismic activity began increasing in the south of the peninsula in October, with hundreds of earthquakes recorded there each day. On Nov. 10, authorities evacuated the town of Grindavík, with experts warning an volcanic eruption could take place in just days.

'Time's finally up': Impending Iceland eruption is part of centuries-long volcanic pulse
800 earthquakes recorded since midnight

Around 800 earthquakes have been recorded since midnight, Nov. 15. Most hit at the center of the magma dike, according to a translated statement from the IMO.

The continuing ground deformation is likely being caused by magma flowing into the dike, experts say

"Part of the magma dike seems to be solidifying, especially at the edges, but not at the magma inflow area, which is believed to be near Sundhnúk," according to the statement. "The probability of an eruption is still considered high. In the event of an eruption, the most likely location is at the magma dike."

Officials scramble to protect vital power plant from imminent lava flows

A geothermal power plant in Iceland with steam rising from vents

On Tuesday (Nov. 14), Icelandic authorities started creating makeshift defenses to protect the Svartsengi geothermal power plant from lava flows that may emerge if the magma dike erupts over the next few days, Reuters news agency reported.

The Svartsengi plant uses heat from the underground magma in the region to heat water and turn turbines. It is located around 4 miles (6 km) from Grindavík, which has been evacuated over fears of the imminent eruption, and supplies power across the country, as well as hot water to the local area.

Workers have begun digging out channels to divert the lava away from the plant if molten rock heads in that direction

Iceland prepares to shield geothermal plant from risk of volcanic eruption

Updated Tue, November 14, 2023 
By Ben Makori

GRINDAVIK, Iceland (Reuters) -Icelandic authorities were on Tuesday preparing to build defence walls around a geothermal power plant in the southwestern part of the country that they hope will protect it from lava flows amid concerns about an imminent volcanic eruption.

Seismic activity and underground lava flows intensified on the Reykjanes peninsula near the capital Reykjavik over the weekend, prompting authorities to evacuate nearly 4,000 people from the fishing town of Grindavik on Saturday.

The probability of an eruption remained high despite a decrease in seismic activity, the Icelandic Meteorological Institute said in a statement on Tuesday.

Nearly 800 earthquakes were recorded in the area between midnight and noon on Tuesday, fewer than the two previous days, it said.

"Less seismic activity typically precedes an eruption, because you have come so close to the surface that you cannot build up a lot of tension to trigger large earthquakes," said Rikke Pedersen, who heads the Nordic Volcanological Centre based in Reykjavik.

"It should never be taken as a sign that an outbreak is not on the way," she said.

Authorities said they were preparing to construct a large dyke designed to divert lava flows around the Svartsengi geothermal power plant, located just over 6 kilometres (4 miles) from Grindavik.

Justice Minister Gudrun Hafsteinsdottir told state broadcaster RUV that equipment and materials that could fill 20,000 trucks were being moved to the plant.

Construction of the protective dyke around the power station was awaiting formal approval from the government.

A spokesperson for HS Orka, operator of the power plant, said it supplies power to the entire country, although a disruption would not affect power supply to Reykjavik.

Almost all of Grindavik's 3,800 inhabitants were briefly allowed back to their homes on Monday and Tuesday to collect their belongings, Iceland's department of civil protection and emergency management said.

In Grindavik, long cracks ran through the town centre, leaving its main street impassable, while steam could be seen rising from the ground.

Some of the houses still had their lights on, but the town was deserted beyond the odd car and a handful of locals there to collect their most important belongings before Grindavik was once again declared out of bounds.

Local resident Kristin Maria Birgisdottir, who works for the town municipality, told Reuters on Tuesday she only had the clothes she had worn for work on the day the town was evacuated.

"I'm getting prepared in case I get a chance to visit my house and get some of my belongings," said Birgisdottir, who has moved to a summer house with her family.

Some residents had to be driven into Grindavik in emergency responders' vehicles, while most inhabitants were allowed to drive into Grindavik in their private cars accompanied by emergency personnel.

Most pets and farm animals had been rescued from Grindavik by Monday night, according to charity Dyrfinna.

During the afternoon, new metres installed near Grindavik by the meteorological office detected elevated levels of sulphur dioxide, leading Grindavik to again be fully evacuated at short notice slightly ahead of schedule.

The agency said in an update that while there were no other indications of an eruption starting, it could not be ruled out since the gas does not appear unless magma is high in the earth's crust.

(Additional reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, Johannes Gotfredsen-Birkebaek, Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen and Niklas Pollard; editing by Christina Fincher, Alex Richardson, Mark Heinrich, Alexandra Hudson)