A few non-expert observations from my experience this week in 3 countries with very different coronavirus experiences (I received travel exemptions to go to these places as a journalist traveling with the secretary of state). 1/
Let me emphasize, I’m not making judgements; I’m not a medical expert and these places are at different stages in the corona battle. Between DC, Copenhagen and London, mask-wearing is vastly more abundant in DC. 2/
I traveled first to the UK, which has at times had the highest death rate in the world. The lack of mask use in central London was quite noticeable compared to DC. I popped into some small shops with @NickKalmanFN and shoppers and store-owners indoors weren’t wearing masks. 3/
You’ll see some people wearing masks on a busy street in London, but far fewer than in DC. I asked a few people why so few people were wearing masks and the response was: “It’s not mandatory.” 4/
Mask wearing became mandatory yesterday in DC, but even before that became the rule, it was still much more common than in the places of central London I was in. 5/
It’s becoming mandatory in London very shortly, so I expect this to change, but it’s interesting how much more aggressively DC residents took up non-government mandated mask-wearing. 6/
In Copenhagen, Mask-wearing is also not mandatory, but the country has contained its outbreak with relative success, confirming about 13,000 infections and 611 deaths related to the pandemic. There the non-mask-wearing contrast is most stark. 7/
I spoke to one local about it who said: We did a real lock down for two months, and it seemed to significantly set back the virus. Now the feeling is that the only real risk is outsiders. 8/
The combination of Copenhagen's relaxed outlook on masks, and its view that foreigners pose a bigger threat to spread, is probably why incidents like this happened yesterday: washingtonpost.com/world/2020/07/… 9/9
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Iran's President met with reporters in New York for an off record Q&A today that evolved into a rare on-record discussion after negotiations with the journalists ended in the journalists' favor 🧵
When asked about the hostilities in Lebanon, President Pezeshkian said Iran will continue to back Hezbollah so long as Israel is being armed by the United States.
He defended Hezbollah’s rocket fire into Israel, which has increased steadily since Oct. 8, saying it represented the bare “minimum” in response to Israel’s campaign in Gaza.
There's a striking contrast between the Israeli and U.S. response to the killing of the hostages. Israeli press contains significant condemnations of Netanyahu for not taking the hostage deal when it could've saved their lives 🧵:
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan is being held hostage in Gaza, directly criticized Netanyahu, saying: Netanyahu has "decided to bury them in the rubble of his politics ...His hands are covered in the blood of the hostages who are being murdered in captivity.”
The hostage deal is a U.S. proposal but the Biden administration has tried to avoid criticizing Netanyahu for holding up the deal. Biden's statement says "Hamas leaders will pay for these crimes," while reaffirming support for a deal.
NEW: The Israeli unit dogged by accusations of abuses toward Palestinians and found by the State Department to have committed gross violations of human rights will not face restrictions of U.S. funding. Blinken decided the violations have been "effectively remediated"
In 2022, a commander of the unit, Netzah Yehuda, was reprimanded and the platoon commander and company commander removed from their positions following the death of Omar Assad, a 78-year-old Palestinian American man who had been detained at a West Bank checkpoint
State Department officials had long said the only way the unit could escape aid restrictions is if real accountability occurred for what was done. This is what State is now saying accounts for real accountability:
SCOOP: Leaked document shows J.D. Vance’s effort to rid ‘wokeness’ from U.S. foreign policy
The Ohio senator froze dozens of ambassador nominations over issues like gender transition care and diversity hiring in a “anti-woke” questionnaire obtained by The Post.
The questionnaire asked would-be ambassadors if they would increase the number of “gender-neutral bathrooms” in U.S. embassies, boost resources for “gender dysphoria and gender transition care” and raise the “Progress flag” during “regional Pride celebrations"
For many conservatives, Vance’s oversight was a welcome response to concerns that the U.S. has elevated left-leaning social values at the expense of American interests and alienating partners in more conservative regions of Africa, Latin America or Asia, says @WadeMiller_USMC
Breaking: Jake Sullivan traveled in secret to Kyiv in a trip aimed at reaffirming U.S. support for the beleaguered ally despite an impasse in Congress over U.S. funding. “We are confident we will get this done, we will get this aid to Ukraine," Sullivan said
Sullivan arrived in Kyiv as the country’s forces are on their back foot having retreated from the eastern city of Avdiivka and facing Russian advances across the front lines. “You should believe in the United States,” Sullivan said
A faction of Republicans in Congress have held up additional funding for Ukraine, faulting the administration for failing to spell out a vision for victory and saying the tens of billions spent already have only achieved a stalemate.
Scoop: A secret assessment from the Defense Intelligence Agency casts doubts about Israel’s prospects for success if it mounts a significant escalation against Hezbollah, saying IDF resources will be spread too thin given the war in Gaza, per sources. 🧵
The assessment has bolstered concerns among some in the Biden administration who are wary of comments from senior Israeli officials that Israel will need to expand military operations against Hezbollah
U.S. officials remain concerned that Netanyahu may see an expanded fight in Lebanon as key to his political survival amid domestic criticism of his government’s handling of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack