Bits n’ pieces from east, west and beyond

East, west or beyond, sooner or later events elsewhere may have a local impact. 

A recent sampling: The first commercial airliner to use 100% biofuel landed in New York after a recent flight across the Atlantic, BBC wrote. 

The fuel was derived from plant sugars and waste fats. An appeals court upheld a federal judge’s decision to remove a 1,000-foot-long floating barrier, linked to injuries of immigrants and meant to keep them out of the state, The Texas Tribune reported. An East Coast restaurant chain, Plaza Azteca, has settled for a payment of $11.4 million in back wages and damages to more than 1,000 employees, the Department of Labor reported.

NBC said the Senate Judiciary Committee has authorized subpoenas of Harlan Crow and Leonard Leo regarding lavish gifts they’ve given conservative Supreme Court justices.

Numerous media: Hunter Biden has refused to testify to Congress in a closed door session. Rather, he says he’s willing to testify in a public setting that dodges Republican spin on his testimony.

The American Farm Bureau scoured the nation and found this year’s Thanksgiving dinner cost 4.5% less than one year ago, averaging $6.12 per guest. The Lever reports that price increases are the “result of runaway greedflation: big corporations increased prices to pad their profits. 

New York’s Rep. George Santos, a year after being elected, was voted out of the House 311-114, The Guardian reported. Santos faces 23 federal charges; a House ethics committee said Santos used campaign funds for travel, cosmetic treatments and luxury goods. A majority of Republicans voted not to expel Santos.

Recently-introduced legislation would prevent lawmakers who’ve been expelled from Congress from receiving a congressional pension, Axios said. After a seven-day ceasefire, Israel-Hamas fighting resumed. ABC said the U.S. wanted Israel to avoid new mass displacement. The U.S. Vice President told Egypt’s president that the U.S. will not permit the forced relocation of Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank, or the redrawing of borders.

An independent UN Special Rapporteur for Occupied Palestinian Territories told BBC ending the truce was a “serious mistake” given Gaza’s humanitarian catastrophe. She said the international community should exercise “true leadership in upholding international law” and said the only way out for Israelis and Palestinians is to allow demilitarization of Hamas and withdrawal of Israel’s army; an independent peace-keeping operation is needed in occupied Palestinian territories.

New York Times: Israeli military officials knew of Hamas’ attack plans as early as fall of 2022. White House National Security indicated they were never informed about that information. Preliminary research, not yet peer-reviewed, indicates some Wall Street traders may have acted on and profited from advanced knowledge about the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas on Israel, CNN reported.

Israel’s expanded assault on Gaza has included warnings to Palestinians to clear out; 90 square miles remain as a “safe” refuge for those displaced -- about two million people. Areas Israel once said would be safe have now been bombed CBS reported.

Sen. Bernie Sanders stated he opposes “unconditional military aid” from the U.S. that would enable Israel’s government “to continue its current offensive military approach,” NBC said.

A federal appeals court released once-secret text messages from Rep. Scott Perry about attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, Politico reported. From a lengthy list of those contacted via text, no one reported the attempt to overthrow democracy. Meanwhile more and more media are examining the potential consequences of Trump regaining the presidency and deliberately ending democracy, including The Washington Post, Bullwark, The Atlantic and The New York Times.

Two federal courts have rejected Donald Trump’s argument that presidential immunity protects him from both civil and criminal cases stemming from his actions on Jan. 6, 2020, MSNBC wrote. Free Covid test kits: order at www.covidtests.gov or call 1-880-232-0233. 

Blast from the past: Henry Kissinger, Secretary of State during the Nixon Administration, died at age 100. In 1938 as a teenager he and his family fled Nazi Germany for the U.S. 

Kissinger’s mixed legacy: he advised numerous presidents, had “contempt” for human rights, and protected U.S. corporate interests to the point of being called a war criminal. 

The Guardian said he worked with the CIA to support dictators and to overthrow the democratically-elected president of Chile. With Nixon he made the decision to secretly bomb Cambodia; that prompted two Nobel Prize committee members to step down when Kissinger was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating an end to the Viet Nam war. 

The prize was shared with a North Vietnamese negotiator, who declined it. Kissinger supported the George W. Bush Administration’s invasion of Iraq; a journalist who supported that war said Kissinger should be tried for war crimes. Republican Party members regarded him as a “brilliant statesman.” 

And more: The first woman to be appointed the U.S. Supreme Court, Sandra Day O’Connor, died recently. She was known as a pragmatist and a person willing to rethink her impacts and her positions.