NOVEMBER 2024 - POLITICAL NEWS

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is the subject of an International Criminal Court arrest warrant, arrived smoothly in Mongolia for a state visit on Monday. Under international law, Mongolia — a member of the ICC — is supposed to act upon the court’s warrants. The European Union and Ukraine have both reminded the East Asian nation of this obligation in recent days, but Russian officials have said they have “no worries” about Putin’s visit.The ICC’s warrant, issued March 2023, accuses Putin of war crimes related to the deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.

Several cars at the back of a motorcade carrying Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz crashed while heading from the airport to a campaign stop in Milwaukee on Monday, but Walz was unhurt.

The Minnesota governor addressed the crash at the top of his remarks at Labor fest Monday afternoon. “We’ve spoken with the staff, I’m relieved to say that with a few minor injuries, everybody is going to be okay,” he said. Walz also thanked first responders and Secret Service for their “quick reaction” and response.

Russian forces launched another massive attack on Kyiv, firing more than 20 missiles at Ukraine’s capital the night before the start of the new school term. “Air defense forces destroyed more than a dozen cruise missiles and about a dozen ballistic missiles and an attack drone in the sky above Kyiv," said Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv city's military administration, in a morning statement on Monday. According to Popko, the attack caused multiple fires as debris fell in four districts of Kyiv. Two people were wounded.

An Israeli-American family that became an international icon in the struggle to free hostages from Hamas captivity in Gaza laid their son to rest on Monday after he was said to have been killed by militants as soldiers were approaching the spot where he was being held. Thousands of people thronged a Jerusalem cemetery to pay their respects to Hersh Goldberg-Polin, whose face became one of the most recognizable symbols of the nearly year-old hostage crisis.

The U.S. government has seized a plane used by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that officials say was illegally purchased through a shell company and smuggled out of the United States in violation of sanctions and export control laws. The Dassault Falcon 900EX was seized in the Dominican Republic and transferred to the custody of federal officials in Florida, the Justice Department said Monday. The plane landed at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport shortly before noon Monday, according to flight tracking websites.

Britain is suspending the sale of a raft of arms components being used by Israel in Gaza after concluding there is a real risk weapons could be used in violation of international humanitarian law. U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced Monday that 30 licenses, including parts for fighter planes, helicopters and drones will be immediately put on hold. After a review commissioned straight after Labour’s landslide election victory in July, the government concluded there have been possible breaches on humanitarian access and the treatment of detainees.

A rare general strike in Israel to protest the failure to return hostages held in Gaza led to disruptions around the country on Monday, while U.S. President Joe Biden added to the pressure by saying Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu isn’t doing enough to reach a deal for a cease-fire and hostage release. The strike was ignored in some areas, reflecting deep political divisions in Israel over a cease-fire deal after nearly 11 months of fighting.

Ben Shapiro, one of the most listened-to and controversial podcasters in America, is trying a new role: Republican fundraiser. During the final months of the election cycle, Shapiro plans to hold fundraisers for Republican Senate candidates in a handful of races that could determine which party controls the chamber. That’s after Shapiro, once a sharp critic of Donald Trump, co-hosted an event for the former president in late March. Those close to Shapiro say it’s possible he’ll hold another fundraiser for the ex-president ahead of the election.

A Washington startup pitched as a service to integrate AI into lobbying is covertly run by a pair of well-known, far-right conspiracy theorists and convicted felons who are using pseudonyms in their new business, according to four former employees as well as photo and email evidence. Lobby Matic was founded last year by Jacob Wohl, who in 2022 was convicted along with his longtime associate Jack Burkman of felony telecom fraud after running a robocall campaign in largely Black neighborhoods in several states telling people not to vote by mail. An Ohio judge ordered them to spend 500 hours registering people to vote, and the Federal Communications Commission fined them $5 million.

The deadline for putting forward names for the next European Commission has passed. Every EU country (even tardy Belgium) has made a nominee (or, in the case of Bulgaria, nominees). Here are the candidates. But it’s not over yet. Remember that all of them, except for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen herself, need to be approved by the European Parliament.

Germany’s far right is here — and it’s here to stay. The Alternative for Germany (AfD) on Sunday scored a stunning win in an eastern German state election, amid rising voter discontent at Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left national government. The AfD’s victory in Thuringia and strong second place in Saxony has prompted a new round of soul searching in Berlin, a year out from national elections which could see EU powerhouse Germany tilt to the right.

The House narrowly cleared its version of annual Pentagon funding legislation on Friday that Republicans loaded with conservative policy measures. Most of those provisions stand no chance of becoming law once they reach the Senate. The $833 billion defense appropriations bill passed almost entirely with GOP support, as Democratic leaders ripped Republicans for adding restrictions to abortion access, gender-affirming care, climate change efforts, and diversity and inclusion programs. The vote was 217-198, with only five Democrats supporting.