Monday morning news: May 13, 2024

SOUND: [Airstrike]

Israel-Gaza » Columns of black smoke rose from parts of the city of Jabalia in northern Gaza over the weekend as Israel carried out more airstrikes against Hamas targets.

Israeli Defense Forces are also pushing further into the southern city of Rafah over strong objections from the White House. That after cease-fire talks broke down again last week. But Secretary of State Tony Blinken said Sunday:

BLINKEN:  It remains our view that the fastest way to get to a cease-fire, the fastest way to get hostages home, is through an agreement. And we're determined every single day to pursue that, and to try to get it to happen.

Blinken also delivered some of the Biden administration’s strongest criticism yet of Israel’s offensive in Gaza. He said it has resulted in “a horrible loss of life of innocent civilians” but has failed to neutralize Hamas leaders and fighters and could drive a lasting insurgency.

White House again makes case against Rafah ops, defends policies » Meantime, in Rafah Israel has ordered thousands of civilians to evacuate ahead of a larger offensive.

But UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk argues …

TÜRK:  The latest evacuation orders affect close to a million people in Rafah. So where should they go now? There is no safe place in Gaza.

Rafah is considered the last refuge in Gaza for more than a million civilians.

National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan tells ABC’s This Week that a major offensive there would be a humanitarian catastrophe. And he said President Biden believes it would not accomplish the goal of destroying Hamas.

SULLIVAN: While Israel would also be able to kill some Hamas folks, many Hamas folks would melt away, because they’re terrorists. They’re not really organized fighters in the way that we think about a typical military.

Israel: Washington debate over Israel policy » Israel, though, is adamant that Rafah is the last remaining Hamas stronghold and there is no way to win the war without going into the city.

Republican Sen. Rick Scott defended Israel’s position on Sunday:

SCOTT: Hamas is, you know, the last battalions are in Rafah. Uh, if they're going to destroy Hamas, which they have to do for any security, uh, they have to go in.

The president says the United States is withholding certain heavy bombs and artillery shells until or unless Israel abandons its Rafah plans. And that is drawing some bipartisan backlash on Capitol Hill.

A group of House Democrats is pressing the White House for answers, and centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin added …

MANCHIN:  Now making decisions on what you can and what you can't use, you gotta do it our way or no way at all, uh, that's not who we are and that's not what we should be doing.

Republican Sen. Mike Lee called the decision “reprehensible.”

Trump trial » Donald Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen is expected to take the witness stand today in a Manhattan courtroom. He is the prosecution's star witness in the state’s criminal fraud case against him.

The former president’s son, Eric Trump said Sunday that his father has done nothing wrong.

ERIC TRUMP:  They try and slander him, they try and keep him off the campaign trail, they try and waste his time, they try and destroy his reputation and his image with a nonsense case.

Cohen will testify that he paid $130,000 dollars to a pornographic film actress on Trump’s behalf … to keep quiet about an extramarital affair. Prosecutors allege that Trump reimbursed Cohen … and then illegally disguised that payment as a valid business expense.

Trump says neither the supposed affair, nor the alleged fraud ever happened.

The defense will call Cohen’s credibility into question. He has admitted in the past to lying under oath, both in a courtroom and to Congress.

Trump in NJ/Burgum » Meantime, former President Trump campaigned in an unexpected state over the weekend: New Jersey.

TRUMP:  As you know, I've come here from New York where I'm being forced to endure a Biden show trial, all done by Biden.

He told supporters that he believes the deep blue state is in play in this year’s election. But his appearance also drew media coverage in the nearby Philadelphia market, which is, of course, in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.

And at the campaign stop, he continued auditioning possible running mates.

TRUMP:  You won't find anybody better than, uh, this gentleman in terms of his knowledge of, you know, he made his money in technology, but he probably knows more about energy than anybody I know. But Doug Burgum has been incredible, and, uh, the country's lucky to have him.  

The governor of North Dakota is on Trump’s VP shortlist. A list that is also believed to include South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and Senators Marco Rubio and Tim Scott.

Northern lights » The Northern Lights could continue to light up the night sky in parts of the continental United States and beyond once again tonight and according to forecasters, possibly tomorrow night too.

Ian Cohen with Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory says what we’re seeing is basically a “sort of huge explosion.”

COHEN: This is sort of a huge explosion that can be associated with the flare, but basically what happens is part of the sun, this plasma, the charged particles, the magnetic field that makes up the sun, part of it actually lifts off the sun and streams away into space.

Scientists say even if you can't see it with the naked eye, snap a picture on your phone, and it may well capture the colorful lights.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: Arbitration cases at the Supreme Court on this week’s Legal Docket. Plus, the Monday Moneybeat.

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