[guest post by Dana]

President Biden had a strained conversation with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the heels of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers killed by Israeli military forces. (WCK head José Andres said that “he believed the seven aid workers killed by the strike in Gaza were targeted “systematically, car by car.” An investigation is underway.)

“President Biden emphasized that the strikes on humanitarian workers and the overall humanitarian situation are unacceptable,” the White House said in a statement. “He made clear the need for Israel to announce and implement a series of specific, concrete, and measurable steps to address civilian harm, humanitarian suffering, and the safety of aid workers. He made clear that U.S. policy with respect to Gaza will be determined by our assessment of Israel’s immediate action on these steps.”

Additionally:

John F. Kirby, a White House spokesman, said the president wants to see “concrete tangible steps” to reduce the violence against civilians and increase access for humanitarian aid to Gaza. He said the White House expects Israel to make announcements of specific changes within hours or days.

But Mr. Kirby would not outline specific metrics for judging Israel’s response or what Mr. Biden would do if not satisfied. “What we want to see are some real changes on the Israeli side and, you know, if we don’t see changes from their side there will have to be changes from our side,” he said.

BREAKING: Biden told Netanyahu an immediate ceasefire is essential to stabilize & improve the humanitarian situation & protect innocent civilians & he urged Netanyahu to empower his negotiators to conclude a deal without delay to bring the hostages home, the White House says

— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) April 4, 2024

Hamas should be feeling pretty encourage right about now.

—Dana

[guest post by Dana]

It will be interesting to see if this gains any traction with Democrats:

A Democratic senator is turning up the heat on Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor to step down while Democrats can select her replacement.

Speaking with NBC’s Sahil Kapur for a story published Wednesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) made a veiled reference to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg — who ignored calls to step down for years during former President Barack Obama’s tenure. She passed away in 2020, with former President Donald Trump choosing her successor.

“I’m very respectful of Justice Sotomayor,” Blumenthal told NBC. “I have great admiration for her. But I think she really has to weigh the competing factors. We should learn a lesson. And it’s not like there’s any mystery here about what the lesson should be. The old saying — graveyards are full of indispensable people, ourselves in this body included.”

Can’t you just hear the cries of “Ageism!,” “Racism!,” “Sexism!”?

Of course RBG’s refusal to step down cost the Democrats. However, I don’t know if pressuring the first Latina Supreme Court Justice is going to do anything but rile up the left which prides itself on embracing and promoting minorities in every field. And how would the Hispanic voting bloc react to Sotomayor being pressured to step down just as President Biden is trying hard to win them over for 2024?? (Of course, what’s so amusing about this is that Sotomayor remains in control of her faculties at 69 years young, while Democrats are firmly endorsing the re-election of a sometimes seemingly confused elderly man 12 years Sotomayor’s senior.)

Anyway, this is something that I imagine Democrats would need to consider:

“Wouldn’t a replacement for Sotomayor that Senator Joe Manchin has to approve be less progressive, and more centrist, than our sole Latina, super-progressive justice?” Hasan wrote. “Perhaps. But, again, consider the alternative. Would we rather Biden replace Sotomayor with a centrist in 2024 … or Trump replace her with a far-right Federalist Society goon in 2025?”

Can we now all agree that both sides of the political aisle stack the Court to the best of their ability when they are the ones in power?

—Dana