For today, links to eight reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, the Anadolu Agency, Middle East Monitor, and the Associated Press; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Israeli strikes kill 20 Palestinians in Gaza, some in attacks on tents, medics say, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi andHussam Al-Masri | Reuters  CAIRO / GAZA — Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed 20 Palestinians today, including six people in attacks on tents housing displaced families, medics said. READ MORE . . .

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Large Gaza food convoy violently looted; 98 trucks lost. From Reuters. CAIRO – A convoy of 109 trucks was violently looted on Saturday after entering Gaza, resulting in the loss of 98 trucks in what aid workers say is one of the worst such incidents in the more than 13-month-old war, according to an aid official. READ MORE . . .

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Palestinians detail field executions by Israeli forces in north Gaza, by Mera Aladam | Middle East Eye  Israeli forces have carried out field executions of Palestinians in northern Gaza, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor in a new report. READ MORE . . .

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Germany warns Israel against questioning Palestinian right to exist in Gaza, by Oliver Towfigh Nia | Anadolu Agency  BERLIN — Germany today warned Israel against questioning the right of Palestinians to exist in Gaza. “We have said clearly that there must be no [Israeli] settlement of Gaza and no expulsion from Gaza, and that still applies,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. READ MORE . . .

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Families stuck in Nabatieh watch as Israel destroys historic neighbourhoods, by Hanna Davis | Middle East Eye  NABATIEH, Lebanon — Since Israel escalated attacks on the country on Sept. 23, it has pounded the southern Lebanesecity of Nabatieh with nearly-daily air strikes. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 11  Israel blows up historic shrine in southern Lebanon. From Middle East Monitor. Israeli occupation forces destroyed a historic religious shrine in the village of Chamaa in southern Lebanon on Nov. 8, Lebanese media reported. Lebanese sources revealed that the occupation forces deliberately rigged explosive charges on . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 17  Pope Francis calls for investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, by Giada Zampano | AP  ROME — Pope Francis has called for an investigation to determine if Israel’s attacks in Gaza constitute genocide, according to . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 17  Israel sends draft orders to more ultra-Orthodox, by Emily Rose | Reuters  JERUSALEM — The Israeli military issued call-up notices to more members of the ultra-Orthodox community on Sunday to bolster its forces as it fights on its southern and northern borders, a move that may further inflame tensions between religious and secular Israelis. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to eleven reports: from the Kyiv Independent, Kyiv Post, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, the Moscow Times, Reuters, and Tass; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a MEDIA entry are HERE and HERE.)— MCM

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Russian missile attack on Odesa hits residential area, kills 10, injures 47, by Martin Fornusek | The Kyiv Independent  Russian forces launched a ballistic missile attack against the port city of Odesa today in which 10 people have been reported killed and 47 injured. The fatalities included seven police officers, a medic, and two civilian residents. READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from Kyiv Post.

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Biden removes long-range missile restraint on Ukraine’s armed forces. Reported by Greg Myre and Leila Fadel | NPR  For the first time, President Biden has given Ukraine the green light to use powerful American long-range weapons, known as the Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, for strikes inside Russia. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Moscow warns U.S. over allowing Ukraine to hit Russian soil with longer-range weapons, by Samya Kullab and Illia Novikov | AP  KYIV — The Kremlin warned today that President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles adds “fuel to the fire” of the war and would escalate international tensions even higher. Biden’s shift . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE for report from the Moscow Times.

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Long-range strikes against Russia: too late to save Ukraine? by Tom Balmforth, Max Hunder and Lili Bayer | Reuters  KYIV — The U.S. decision to authorise long-range Ukrainian strikes could help Kyiv defend the foothold in Russia’s Kursk region that it seized as leverage in any war talks, but may come too late to change the course of the war, analysts said. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 17  Biden authorizes Ukraine to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles for deeper strikes inside Russia, by Aamer Madhani, Colleen Long, Zeke Miller, Matthew Lee and Ellen Knickmeyer | AP  MANAUS, Brazil — President Biden’s authorization, made known by a U.S. official and three other people familiar with the matter, eases limitations on the weapons as Russia deploys thousands of North Korean troops to reinforce its war. READ MORE . . . Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, NPR and Tass.

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Russian troops liberate Novoalekseyevka community in Donbass region over past day. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the community of Novoalekseyevka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said today in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

Links to a report from National Public Radio and to commentary from jonathan-cook.net via Consortium News; other published material is accessible by clicking on the names below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 14  How The Onion came to own the website Infowars. Reported by Erika Ryan, Ari Shapiro and John Ketchum | NPR  The website Infowars, home to right-wing conspiracy theories, is now owned by The Onion, home to fake headlines like “Oklahoma Law Requires 10 Commandments To Be Displayed In Every Womb.” Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM NOV. 16  Deliberate lies about Amsterdam violence, by Jonathan Cook | jonathan-cook.net / Consortium News  The media’s role in peddling disinformation over last week’s violence in Amsterdam just keeps getting darker. Owen Jones has interviewed a Dutch woman who shot the footage used by major outlets . . . Click HERE for article and videos.

For today, links to six reports: from Reuters, Middle East Eye, Middle East Monitor, the Associated Press, National Public Radio, and the Anadolu Agency; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a COVID ETC. entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Dozens killed and wounded in Israeli strikes across Gaza, medics say, by Nidal Al-Mughrabi | Reuters  CAIRO — Dozens of Palestinians were killed or injured in an Israeli strike on a multi-storey residential building housing at least six families in northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya town today, medics and residents said. READ MORE . . . Click HERE and HERE for reports from Middle East Eye and Middle East Monitor.

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A rare Israeli strike on central Beirut kills Hezbollah’s spokesman, official says, by Natalie Melzer, Fadi Tawil and Bassem Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — A rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut killed Hezbollah’s chief spokesman today, an official with the militant group said. Earlier, officials said Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people in the Gaza Strip, where . . . READ MORE . . . Click HERE to listen to report from NPR.

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Israeli warplanes target vicinity of 2 churches, hospital in southern Beirut. From Anadolu Agency. ANKARA — Israeli warplanes carried out at least 27 airstrikes targeting civilian and religious sites in Lebanon today, state media reported. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to six reports: from the Associated Press, Reuters, Agence France-Presse, the Kyiv Independent, and Tass, and to two articles of commentary from Kyiv Post; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA entry for this date and a COVID, ETC. entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Russia launches one of the fiercest missile and drone attacks at Ukraine’s infrastructure. From AP. KYIV — Russia today launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine, described by officials as the largest over the past months, targeting energy infrastructure and killing civilians — amid fears that Moscow intends to devastate the country’s power generation capacity ahead of the cold winter. READ MORE . . .  Click HERE, HERE and HERE for reports from Reuters, AFP and the Kyiv Independent.

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Russia grinds deeper into Ukraine after 1,000 days of grueling war, by Hanna Arhirova | AP  KYIV — When Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine in February 2022, the conventional wisdom was that the capital, Kyiv, would soon fall and the rest of the country wouldn’t last long against a much larger enemy. Instead, it was that narrative that quickly collapsed. The Ukrainian army proved . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 16  Russian troops liberate DPR’s Leninskoye, Makarovka. From Tass. MOSCOW — Russian troops liberated the communities of Leninskoye and Makarovka in the Donetsk People’s Republic over the past day in the special military operation in Ukraine, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday in a broader statement. READ MORE . . .

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The U.S. and Ukraine’s circular predicament, by Alida Blendonohy | Kyiv Post  U.S. President-elect Trump has promised a swift end to Russia’s war against Ukraine. However, addressing . . . READ MORE . . .

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India — an unlikely peace broker between Russia and Ukraine, by Anita Inder Singh | Kyiv Post  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s hope that India can influence Russia and reduce its capacity to wage war against his country by stopping its huge purchases of cheap Russian oil is either a case of wishful thinking or diplomatic rhetoric. READ MORE . . .

Link to a report from National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on its name below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 16  Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s ‘Make America Healthy Again’ effort is poised for real power. Reported by Will Stone and Scott Detrow | NPR  If confirmed, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will have broad influence over federal agencies and health care policy — a prospect that worries many in public health given his history of conspiracy theories. Click HERE to listen and read.

For today, links to five reports: from the Anadolu Agency, National Public Radio, the Associated Press, and Middle East Eye; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (UKRAINE entry for this date and a COVID ETC. entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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Fuel shortage in southern Gaza leaves 1.2m without water, by Mohamed Majed | Anadolu Agency  GAZA CITY, Palestine  The southern Gaza city of Khan Younis warned today that a week-long fuel shortage has left more than 1.2 million residents and displaced individuals in the area without access to clean water, amid ongoing Israeli strikes. READ MORE . . .

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Israel’s escalating attack on Lebanon is destroying entire communities. Reported by Jane Arraf and Scott Simon | NPR  We look at the efforts to broker a ceasefire between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel. Fighting has escalated between the two, pushing the conflict deeper into Lebanon. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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Israeli troops reach deepest point in Lebanon since Oct. 1 invasion, Lebanese media say, by Bassein Mroue | AP  BEIRUT — Israeli ground forces reached their deepest point in Lebanon since they invaded six weeks ago before pulling back today after battles with Hezbollah militants, Lebanese state media reported. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV.  14  Palestinians are nervous as Mike Huckabee is named ambassador to Israel. Reported by Michele Kelemen | NPR  Trump has named the ambassador to Israel as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who says there is no such place as the West Bank. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM NOV.  14  Israel says it’s close to mission accomplished in southern Lebanon. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Israeli officials say they’re closer to declaring “mission accomplished” in southern Lebanon. They aimed to push Hezbollah militia away from the border so thousands of Israelis can return to the area. Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM NOV. 15  Malcolm X’s daughters sue CIA, FBI and NYPD for $100m over his assassination. From Middle East Eye. Malcolm X was assassinated at the age of 39 on Feb. 21, 1965, by three men who opened fire on him as he was speaking at the Audobon Ballroom in New York City. Two of the three men convicted and sentenced for his murder were exonerated decades later. READ MORE . . .

For today, links to only two reports: from the Associated Press and National Public Rado; others are accessible by clicking on their initials below. NOTE: the UKRAINE entry for Nov. 17 should be longer. (GAZA entry for this date, so far, and a COVID, ETC. entry are HERE and HERE.) — MCM 

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Investigation reveals a Russian factory’s plans to mix decoys with a new deadly weapon in Ukraine, by Ema Burrows, Hanna Arhirova and Lori Hinnant | AP  KYIV — A high-tech factory in central Russia has created a new, deadly force to attack Ukraine: a small number of highly destructive thermobaric drones surrounded by huge swarms of cheap foam decoys. Dubbed Operation False Target, the plan . . . READ MORE . . .

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‘Even the Forest Hums’ is a new compilation of music from Ukraine.  Scott Simon of NPR talks with Vitalii Bardetskyi, a Ukrainian DJ and music journalist, about a new compilation of music from that country called “Even the Forest Hums.” Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to four reports: from Reuters and National Public Radio; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 15  RFK Jr. vow to purge FDA sets up collision with Big Pharma, by Ahmed Aboulenein and Michael Erman | Reuters  WASHINGTON — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. vowed to purge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration shortly before being chosen as President-elect Donald Trump‘s nominee for health secretary. Any changes he wants to make . . . READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 14   Trump picks RFK Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services. Reported by Jeongyoon Han and Susan Davis | NPR  President-elect Donald Trump has tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to oversee the Department of Health and Human Services. “For too long,” Trump said in a statement on Truth Social, “Americans have been . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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FROM NOV. 14  How the CDC could change under the next Trump administration. Reported by Pien Huang | NPR  In its 78-year history, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has evolved from its origins tackling malaria to an agency that aims to safeguard almost every aspect of Americans’ health. But its mission . . . Click HERE to listen and read.

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Nursing aides plagued by PTSD after ‘nightmare’ COVID conditions, with little help. Introduced by Scott Simon of NPR reported by Amy Maxmen of the Kaiser Family Foundation. Some of the lowest-paid essential workers during the pandemic also suffered the most trauma. Nursing aides have had trouble getting healthcare officials to pay attention to their plight. Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

For today, links to five reports: from Substack, Reuters, Middle East Monitor, and National Public Radio; to commentary from Middle East Eye; and to an imaginary conversation from ScheerPost; other published material is accessible by clicking on their names and initials  below. (UKRAINE and MEDIA entries for this date are HERE and HERE.) — MCM

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FROM NOV. 12  The accusations that could bring Bibi down, by Seymour M. Hersh | Substack  Menachem Mizrahi is a highly respected judge in Israel, a conservative jurist whose magistrate court is the most basic in the country’s court hierarchy, with jurisdiction over criminal matters and family disputes. He has now jailed five senior military and government officials in a rapidly expanding criminal investigation that . . . READ MORE . . .

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Gaza aid access ‘at a low point’, UN official says, by Emma Farge | Reuters  GENEVA — Aid access in Gaza is at a low point with deliveries to parts of the besieged north of the enclave all but impossible, a U.N. humanitarian official said today. The remarks run counter to a U.S. assessment earlier this week . . . READ MORE . . .

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HRW: Israel conducting forced population transfer in Gaza. From Middle East Monitor. Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of deliberately forcing the displacement of Palestinian civilians in Gaza, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 14  The status of Israel’s operation in southern Lebanon. Reported by Daniel Estrin | NPR  Israeli officials say they’re closer to declaring “mission accomplished” in southern Lebanon. They aimed to push Hezbollah militia away from the border so thousands of Israelis can return to the area. Click HERE to listen and read.

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Iran backs Lebanon in ceasefire talks, seeks end to ‘problems,‘ by Maya Gebeily and Riham Alkousaa | Reuters  BEIRUT — Iran will back any decision taken by Lebanon in talks to secure a ceasefire with Israel, a senior Iranian official, Ali Larijani, said today, signalling Tehran wants to see an end to a conflict that has dealt heavy blows to its Lebanese ally Hezbollah. READ MORE . . .

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FROM NOV. 14  Hezbollah rebuilds resistance as national unity prevails, for now, by Paul Khalifeh and, on video, Daniel Levy | Middle East Eye  Hezbollah is currently fighting on two fronts: resisting the Israeli army, while also managing internal political and social pressures within Lebanon. On Monday . . . Click HERE for article by Khalifeh and talk by Levy.

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FROM NOV. 13  As Gazans starve, recall your granddad fled the Great Hunger in Ireland. Robert Scheer of ScheerPost in the role of President Biden and Ray McGovern, who was the CIA’s daily briefer to a succession of U.S. presidents, as himself as if he had not retired. In an imaginary post-election “briefing,” McGovern appeals to the grandson of someone who migrated to the United States to escape possible starvation. Click HERE to listen and watch.