THE SHOW NOTES: No Ceasefire, Obsessing Over Ron's Shoes, & Is Car Jacking a Crime?

Welcome! Politico is obsessed with Ron DeSantis’ shoes.

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No Ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forcefully rejected the notion of a ceasefire in the pages of yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (paywall).

“Calls for a cease-fire are calls for Israel to surrender to Hamas, to surrender to terrorism, to surrender to barbarism. That will not happen.

The Book of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time for peace and a time for war. This is a time for war—a war for our common future. Today we draw a line between civilization and barbarism. It is a time for everyone to decide where they stand. Israel will stand against the forces of barbarism until victory.”

Why this matters: Israel’s invasion of Gaza has been shrouded in secrecy with minimal details provided by the IDF. We do know that Israel has increased its number of targeted ground invasions resulting in the elimination of 300 Hamas targets around Gaza City within the past 24 hours. IDF forces raided a network of Hamas tunnels killing a number of terrorists and freeing a captured Israeli soldier.

New: On Monday, Israeli forces seized control of the vital Salah-al-Din road which connects Gaza City with the southern portion of the territory. The news is significant because it signals the Israeli military has surrounded Gaza City where a significant portion of the 240 Israeli hostages are being held.

Hezbollah: In addition to fighting Hamas, Israel is stepping up military actions against Hezbollah militants in Syria and Lebanon where Iran-backed militias are provoking attacks on Israel’s northern border. The United Nations warned the situation in Syria is “at its most dangerous for a long time” as Iran-backed militias have grown in influence.

More Violence?

“Violent conflict is increasing in multiple parts of the world. In addition to Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel, and the Israeli offensive on Gaza, raising the specter of a wider war in the Middle East, there has been a surge in violence across Syria, including a wave of armed drone attacks that threatened U.S. troops stationed there. In the Caucasus in late September, Azerbaijan seized the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh—forcing an estimated 150,000 ethnic Armenians to flee their historical home in the territory and setting the stage for renewed fighting with Armenia. Meanwhile, in Africa, the civil war in Sudan rages on, conflict has returned to Ethiopia, and a military takeover of Niger in July was the sixth coup across the Sahel and West Africa since 2020.”

Read the full quote from John Ellis on Substack.

How To Avoid Carjacking

As the number of carjackings continues to surge in Washington, DC police are telling residents to drive in the center lane and never ride alone in order to avoid becoming a victim.

Context at WaPo: When police arrived after Stephanie Traub was carjacked at gunpoint on October 2nd, officers sat with the victim and watched the vehicle speed away on her laptop as her Apple device tracked the vehicle. Officers sheepishly told Traub they were not allowed to pursue.

Why this matters: After DC’s city council passed a “no chase” policy that precludes officers from pursuing bad guys, the total number of 2023 carjackings have more than doubled last year’s total.

Trending news:

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• Ex-North Dakota Lawmaker Accused Of Flying To Prague To Rape Minor - HuffPo

• Depression and anxiety may impact young adults twice as much as teens, Harvard survey finds - Fox News

• ‘This war is prophetically significant’: why US evangelical Christians support Israel - The Guardian

• DC Freshens Up ‘Black Lives Matter’ Street Art Despite Hamas Endorsements - Daily Signal

• Sen. Josh Hawley To Introduce Bill Reversing Citizens United - RCP

• ‘You Can Apply for the Job!’ Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney Absolutely LOSES IT On a Fan Who Called Him Out for His Mediocre Record - Mediaite

• Democrats Risk Long-Lasting Rift Over Israel-Hamas War - WSJ (paywall)

• China’s Economy Shows Fresh Signs of Slowing - WSJ (paywall)

• The Star of Half Baked Harvest Inspires Loyalty — and Controversy - NYT (paywall)

Market snapshot: