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Biden admin threatens to restrict Israel aid and Tyron McAlpin arrest under scrutiny: Morning Rundown

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Biden admin threatens to restrict Israel aid and Tyron McAlpin arrest under scrutiny: Morning Rundown

The Biden administration threatens to restrict military assistance to Israel over conditions in Gaza. The arrest of a deaf Black man with cerebral palsy in Arizona draws national attention. And centuries of Egyptian artifacts get an enormous new home. 

Here’s what to know today.

The Biden admin’s warning to Israel about military assistance

Omar Al-Qattaa / AFP via Getty Images

The Biden administration may restrict military assistance to Israel if the humanitarian situation in Gaza doesn’t improve within the next 30 days, according to a letter sent last weekend to Israeli Defense Minister Yaov Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. A U.S. State Department spokesperson confirmed the existence of the letter yesterday.

In the letter, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the U.S. must continually assess under its own law whether Israel is “directly or indirectly” impeding the transport of U.S. humanitarian assistance to Gaza. If it is, they warned that the U.S. could halt additional military financing, two U.S. officials and a defense official said.

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The Biden administration sent a similar warning to Israeli officials in April but ultimately determined the actions taken by Israel to improve the humanitarian situation afterward met the requirements under the law. Since then, the situation in the Gaza Strip has further deteriorated.

Read the full story here.

More coverage of Middle East conflicts: 

  • The Biden administration also signaled support for Israel’s operations against Hezbollah in hopes that the Iran-backed group will withdraw from southern Lebanon. But a State Department spokesperson said Israel’s incursions should be “limited.”

Harris says Trump wants to ‘please dictators’ in radio interview

Vice President Kamala Harris opened a new line of attack against former President Donald Trump, criticizing his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin and connecting it to the well-being of Black Americans. The comments came during a live radio town hall hosted by Charlamagne Tha God as she tries to stem a small but steady erosion of support from voters of color. 

On Trump, Harris said he “admire[s] dictators” and sent hard-to-find Covid tests to Putin for personal use “when Black people were dying every day by the hundreds.” The claim that Trump sent testing devices to Putin came to light last week in a new book from journalist Bob Woodward. 

Harris also tried to belittle Trump, which could be an attempt to chip away at his appeal among male voters. She has ramped up efforts this week to appeal to Black male voters in particular. “This man is weak, and he is unfit,” she said. 

The wide-ranging interview also covered the idea of slavery reparations, which Harris first embraced but has since distanced herself from, and touched on her record as a prosecutor. Read the full story. 

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More election coverage: 

➡️ A Georgia judge blocked a rule backed by Trump allies that would have required ballots cast on Election Day to be counted by hand.

➡️ Trump doubled down on calling Democrats “enemies from within” in a taped Fox News town hall set to air today.

➡️ Despite a rousing DNC speech urging voters to “do something,” former first lady Michelle Obama has yet to hit the campaign trail in support of Harris. Here’s why.

➡️ House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries hopes voters will help flip control of the House and, as a result, potentially pave the way for a historic speakership.

➡️ Republican Sen. Ted Cruz and Democratic Rep. Colin Allred clashed over abortion, trans athletes and Jan. 6 in a feisty Texas Senate debate

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➡️ ISIS-K was behind a foiled U.S. Election Day terror plot that resulted in the arrest last week of an Afghan man in Oklahoma, two senior U.S. officials said.

➡️ “While Biden isn’t on the ballot anymore, voters are certainly feeling his presence,” NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes. The clock is ticking for Harris, who needs to find more ways to differentiate herself from the president. Read the full analysis here.

➡️ Harris recently proposed to have Medicare cover the costs of at-home care. For those feeling the financial sting of caring for ill and aging loved ones, it could be a lifeline.

Arrest of deaf Black man with cerebral palsy under scrutiny

Public outcry is mounting against a pair of Phoenix police officers who repeatedly punched and Tased a deaf Black man with cerebral palsy as he was arrested outside a convenience store — a case that this week a public official acknowledged “merits additional scrutiny.” The incident involving Tyron McAlpin happened in August but recently drew national attention when one of his attorneys released police body camera video and surveillance footage from his arrest. 

According to a police incident report, the Aug. 19 incident began when two police officers responded to an emergency call of a fight at a Circle K convenience store. They spoke to a white man, who a 911 caller said had been the aggressor in the fight. That man, who had dried blood on his T-shirt, pointed to McAlpin, who was walking nearby, and said he was the person who assaulted him. The two officers pursued McAlpin and intercepted him in the parking lot of another store. After his arrest, McAlpin, 34, was charged with aggravated assault and resisting arrest.

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Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said on Monday she plans to “personally review” the case. The Phoenix Police Department also said this week that McAlpin’s arrest is the subject of an ongoing internal investigation. Read more about the case and see video of the confrontation.

Read All About It

  • The Menendez brothers’ extended family is expected to gather outside a Los Angeles courthouse today as the district attorney weighs a possible resentencing. 
  • Facing a long road to recovery after Hurricane Helene, Asheville musicians fret about scraping by until crowds can come back.
  • Nearly 10 million pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products, from major stores such as Trader Joe’s, Kroger and 7-Eleven, were recalled over a listeria risk.
  • A man was arrested in the fatal shooting of a woman who was killed while exercising on a popular Nashville walking trail. 
  • The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show returned after a yearslong hiatus, featuring past Angels like Adriana Lima, Tyra Banks and Kate Moss.

Staff Pick: Ancient Egyptian artifacts have a grand new home

Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza
Khaled Desouki / AFP – Getty Images

If Egypt wasn’t already on your travel bucket list, it should be now. The country is finally opening the doors of its sprawling new archaeological museum today, after nearly two decades of delays to the project. The site, a mile from the Pyramids of Giza, is destined to become a staple of the tourist trail, but for now only a portion will be open to visitors. Among the 100,000 artifacts set to entice visitors are the gold mask of Tutankhamun and a colossal 3,200-year-old statue of Ramesses the Great. I bet they have a great gift shop too.— Nick Duffy, platforms editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Sick of waking up with a crick in your neck? One NBC Select reporter tested out the Marlow memory foam pillow from Brooklinen and has been sleeping soundly ever since. Plus, as cooler weather rolls in, it’s time to turn on your space heater. Here are the 11 best heaters at every price point, plus safety tips from the experts.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

Thanks for reading today’s Morning Rundown. Today’s newsletter was curated for you by Elizabeth Robinson. If you’re a fan, please send a link to your family and friends. They can sign up here.

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Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City

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Map: 2.3-Magnitude Earthquake Reported North of New York City

Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown.  All times on the map are Eastern. The New York Times

A minor, 2.3-magnitude earthquake struck about 12 miles north of New York City on Tuesday, according to the United States Geological Survey.

The temblor happened at 10:17 a.m. Eastern in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., data from the agency shows.

The Westchester County emergency services department said in a statement that it had not received any reports of damage.

As seismologists review available data, they may revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.

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Source: United States Geological Survey | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Eastern. Shake data is as of Tuesday, March 10 at 10:30 a.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Tuesday, March 10 at 2:18 p.m. Eastern.

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Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics

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Ed Martin, outspoken Justice Department lawyer, is formally accused of ethical violations | CNN Politics

Ed Martin, an outspoken Trump administration official, is facing attorney discipline proceedings in Washington, DC, for a letter he sent to Georgetown Law about its diversity programs, the district’s professional conduct investigator announced on Tuesday.

Martin is formally accused of violating his ethical codes as an attorney for telling Georgetown Law’s dean last year that his Justice Department office wouldn’t hire students because of the school’s diversity, inclusion and equity initiatives programs, according to the filing from Hamilton Fox, the disciplinary counsel for DC who acts as a quasi-prosecutor on attorney discipline matters.

Unlike unsolicited complaints, Fox’s formal disciplinary complaint kicks off professional conduct proceedings for Martin in which he will need to respond and could be sanctioned or ultimately lose his law license.

Fox’s announcement on Tuesday marks the first major bar discipline proceeding against a high-profile administration official or attorney supporting President Donald Trump during Trump’s second term. Several Trump lawyers faced disciplinary proceedings after the efforts to overturn Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, including Rudy Giuliani, who lost his law license.

“Acting in his official capacity and speaking on behalf of the government, he used coercion to punish or suppress a disfavored viewpoint, the teaching and promotion of ‘DEI,’” Fox wrote in the complaint. “He demanded that Georgetown Law relinquish its free speech and religious rights in order to continue to obtain a benefit, employment opportunities for its students.”

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Martin was removed from the top prosecutor job in DC after senators made clear he would not be confirmed to the role, but has remained at the Justice Department in several roles, including as pardon attorney.

“Mr. Martin knew or should have known that, as a government official, his conduct violated the First and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution of the United States,” Fox wrote.

Martin is being represented by a Justice Department attorney, a source told CNN.

A spokesperson for DOJ attacked Fox’s complaint. “The DC bar’s attempt to target and punish those serving President Trump while refusing to investigate or act against actual ethical violations that were committed by Biden and Obama administration attorneys is a clear indication of this partisan organization’s agenda,” DOJ said.

Martin had sent the letter to Georgetown Law while serving temporarily as US attorney for DC, a prominent Justice Department position, and told the school his federal prosecutors’ office wouldn’t hire Georgetown’s law school students. It came at a time when the Trump administration was beginning to crack down on universities for their DEI efforts.

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In his letter, Martin claimed a whistleblower told him that the school was teaching and promoting DEI.

Martin also violated attorney ethics rules by contacting judges of the DC court directly, Fox alleged, rather than going through official channels, once he was informed he was under investigation for his professional conduct. The DC Court of Appeals ultimately signs off on attorney discipline findings.

Early last year, Fox’s office had formally asked Martin to respond to a complaint it received by a retired judge regarding the Georgetown letter.

Martin instead wrote to the judges on the DC court complaining about Fox.

“In that letter, he stated that he would not be responding to Disciplinary Counsel’s inquiry, complained about Disciplinary Counsel’s ‘uneven behavior,’ and requested a ‘face-to-face meeting with all of you to discuss this matter and find a way forward,’” Fox wrote.

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“He copied the White House Counsel ‘for informational purposes because of the importance of getting this issue addressed,’” Fox said.

The top judge in the DC courts told Martin the court wouldn’t meet with him about the disciplinary matter and that he would need to follow procedure.

With Fox’s complaint, there will now be several steps ahead of bar discipline authorities looking at Martin’s action, and Fox didn’t specify how Martin should be reprimanded or punished if the discipline boards and the court ultimately determine he violated his ethical codes.

Spokespeople for the Justice Department didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on Tuesday morning.

In recent days, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced her office would have a more powerful role in reviewing attorney discipline complaints against Justice Department attorneys, potentially setting up an approach that could keep the department at odds with the bar on behalf of DOJ attorneys facing their own individual disciplinary proceedings.

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CNN’s Paula Reid contributed to this report.

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Europe and Asia battle for LNG as Iran war chokes supply

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Europe and Asia battle for LNG as Iran war chokes supply

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Asian and European buyers are battling to source liquefied natural gas after the war in the Middle East choked off shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, blocking a fifth of global supplies.

In an indication of the intensifying contest for LNG since the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, a handful of gas carriers have abruptly changed course while sailing to Europe and swung towards Asia instead, according to ship monitoring data analysed by the FT.

Countries across Asia are highly dependent on oil and gas sent through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway where shipping has slowed to a near standstill.

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Most of the LNG produced in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates is ordinarily shipped through the strait to Asia, and Asian LNG prices surged almost immediately after war broke out, creating an incentive to divert US gas to the region.

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Taiwan, South Korea and Japan are among the countries that need to source LNG to make up for supplies they will not receive from the Gulf, said Massimo Di Odoardo, head of gas and LNG analysis at consultancy Wood Mackenzie.

Taiwan relied on Qatar for more than 30 per cent of its gas consumption in 2025, according to Citigroup, while for South Korea and Japan the figures were 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Asia typically uses more gas than Europe in the hotter summer months because of more air-conditioning use, creating urgency for Asian utilities to secure cargoes.

The vast majority of LNG is sold under long-term contracts rather than on the spot market, but some buyers are able to change the final destination of their purchases and some sellers are willing to break contracts if prices rise high enough.

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By Thursday, surging European gas prices and rocketing shipping rates had swung the balance back against diversion of US LNG to Asia, according to data company Spark Commodities.

The decision on where to send gas carriers can depend on the relative levels of the European gas price, Asia’s JKM benchmark for LNG and shipping rates.

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For European buyers, the battle with Asia for LNG supplies is eerily familiar to the situation four years ago after Russia slashed pipeline natural gas flows to the continent following Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Competition for spare cargoes then pushed prices to record levels.

On Monday, European gas prices reached as high as €69.50 per megawatt hour, more than double their level before the Iran conflict began. Even so, prices are still far from the €342 per megawatt hour reached in 2022.

JKM gas prices also more than doubled since the start of the war to $24.80 per 1mn British thermal units by Monday, equivalent to €73.10/MWh.

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European buyers have learnt from their experience in 2022. “Europe has more weapons at its disposal in this extreme price scenario to try and fight,” said Alex Kerr, a partner at law firm Baker Botts.

Buyers had started putting clauses in contracts to say that suppliers would face much higher penalties if they diverted cargoes for commercial gain, Kerr said.

There is also much more LNG on the market now that is not committed to set destinations, largely because of new projects starting in the US.

While producers such as Qatar impose strict rules on where its LNG can be sent, almost all US exports are allowed to sail wherever buyers want. Several analysts said there had also been an increase in the willingness of some producers to break contracts for financial advantage.

This makes diversions more likely, while the reluctance of some European buyers to sign long-term supply contracts before the outbreak of war this month could prove costly.

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Expectations of a global supply glut convinced some European buyers that it would be cheaper to wait until later in the year to sign supply deals.

Wood Mackenzie’s Di Odoardo said the buyers had also held off on LNG purchases because new EU legislation on methane emissions made it unclear whether they could incur penalties in the future.

The risk of prices rising as Europe and Asia fight for available cargoes is increasing every day the Strait of Hormuz stays almost closed.

Gas is more difficult to store and to carry in tankers than oil, making its markets more vulnerable to shortages and price shocks.

“The longer the Strait remains shut, the greater the risk that the shipping disruption turns into a genuine gas shortage, as tankers cannot load and facilities have limited storage,” said consultancy Oxford Economics in a research note.

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Additional reporting by Harry Dempsey in Tokyo. Data visualisation by Jana Tauschinski

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