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Two soldiers are dead, a prime minister is promising destruction, and a Justice Department is quietly looking at one of the president’s own friends. Today’s Morning Sixpack takes you from a West Bank on edge to a Washington revolving door, a satellite lifeline in dispute, and a gas pump that refuses to forgive.
Netanyahu Vows Massive West Bank Military Offensive After Hamas Attack Kills Two Israeli Soldiers
Two Israeli soldiers were killed and three wounded Friday when Palestinian gunmen attacked a checkpoint near Hebron, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a military response unlike anything since the 1967 Six-Day War. Hamas claimed responsibility, and Israeli officials said the two attackers were killed at the scene. Netanyahu ordered forces to surround Hebron, close checkpoints across the West Bank, and prepare to evacuate residents and demolish buildings, following the model of earlier operations in Jenin and Tulkarm. The attack lands just days before Israel’s election, where security is the defining issue and challenger Gadi Eisenkot holds a narrow polling edge. Far-right coalition partners Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir are demanding even harsher action, while Hamas says it will not disarm, which complicates President Trump’s peace initiative.
Source: The Washington Post
Justice Department Investigates Trump Ally Corey Lewandowski Over Alleged DHS Contracting Fraud
The Justice Department is reviewing allegations that longtime Trump confidant Corey Lewandowski used his influential position at the Department of Homeland Security for personal financial gain. The inquiry follows a referral from the DHS inspector general and is the first publicly known instance of Trump’s second-term Justice Department examining someone in his inner circle. Lewandowski, a former top adviser to ex-Secretary Kristi Noem, reportedly reviewed nearly every department expenditure above $100,000 despite being an unpaid, part-time special government employee. He has also been reported to have approached Middle Eastern countries about private work while serving. Lewandowski denies wrongdoing, and the review is an inquiry into allegations, not a charge or a finding of guilt.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
Kristi Noem Lands New State Department Role After Special Envoy Appointment Expires
Former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has been named a senior adviser at the State Department after her six-month appointment as special envoy for the Shield of the Americas initiative expired. She will now advise Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau while continuing to work on the same program, which coordinates U.S. efforts with Latin American and Caribbean governments on economic issues, drug cartels, and regional security. Over her six months as envoy, she met with Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa, took part in United Nations General Assembly events, and drew praise from Trump at a September gathering. The State Department has not said whether the new job carries added responsibilities or how long it will last. The title changed, but her place in Washington did not.
Source: ExecutiveGov
Jared Kushner Accused of Secret $2 Billion Foreign Money Scheme Exposed by Hacked iPhone
Jared Kushner allegedly gained access to roughly $2 billion in secret financial arrangements involving the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia while helping shape American foreign policy, according to a new book excerpted in Vanity Fair. Matthew Cole’s Princes and Thieves reports that Dutch intelligence discovered the arrangements after gaining access to Kushner’s iPhone in early 2018, observing him accessing a UAE bank account that received hundreds of millions of dollars. A second account allegedly received about $1 billion routed through Azerbaijan into Israel’s central bank. Former prosecutors told Cole that promises made in exchange for the money could implicate federal bribery and foreign-agent laws. Kushner’s attorneys categorically deny that the accounts existed, and the allegations remain disputed and unproven.
Source: Vanity Fair
Trump Claims Musk Restored Ukraine’s Starshield Access, but Soldiers Say Disruptions Continue
President Trump says Elon Musk has restored Ukraine’s access to Starshield, the military-grade satellite network operated by SpaceX, but Ukrainian forces report that serious interruptions continued Friday. The slowdown last week disrupted Ukraine’s ability to conduct midrange strikes against Russian-occupied territory, and commanders say service remains unreliable even though speeds improved. The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk started the slowdown and Trump then called him to demand a fix, but public statements from both men leave responsibility unclear. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Thom Tillis, from opposite parties, are demanding answers about who holds the authority to restrict the network. Meanwhile, trilateral talks involving Ukraine are planned for November in Abu Dhabi.
Source: The Washington Post
Oil Exports Recover, but Fuel Prices Stay High as Refiners Reap Record Profits
Middle Eastern oil exports have reportedly returned to prewar levels, yet American drivers are still paying elevated gasoline and diesel prices while refiners collect extraordinary profits. Independent journalist Ken Klippenstein, citing the Financial Times, points to a diesel crack spread that climbed from $33 per barrel in February to more than $106 in early September, a record. Oil executives have been open with investors about the opportunity, and Trump has both ordered a price-gouging investigation and celebrated the windfall from high oil prices. Real pressures remain, including Brent crude near $112 and sharply higher tanker shipping costs, and high margins alone do not prove illegal price gouging. The question for consumers is when restored supply will show up at the pump.
Source: Ken Klippenstein
Six stories, one message: when the people in charge say it is handled, check the receipts, because the rest of us are the ones paying for it.
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