We begin today with what appears to be a significant shift in the mainstream media's coverage of Israel's assault on Gaza. For the first time in two years since Israel’s war on Gaza began, The New York Times dedicated its entire front page, above the fold, to the starvation and humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza. This is a stark departure from previous coverage, which has often been criticized as one-sided, leading to the suppression, arrest, blacklisting, and silencing of individuals and groups advocating for the dignity and self-determination of Palestinian people.
Remarkably, the word "genocide" is now appearing on the front page, a striking contrast to last week's opinion piece by Brett Stephens, who callously dismissed the scale of death in Gaza by stating that "only 60,000 people have died." One is left to wonder what number, what level of suffering—how many children killed, how many limbs lost, how many mothers, fathers, journalists, and doctors perished—would be "enough" for him to acknowledge it as genocide.
One of the featured headlines, "For Trump, Mass Starvation in Gaza Tests His Foreign Policy Approach," suggests that he will have to decide whether America will take a leading role in confronting one of the biggest humanitarian catastrophes of the 21st century. However, let's be clear: America is a primary reason this humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Without the $3 billion a year that Israel receives from the United States in taxpayer dollars, it would not possess the financial, military, and political power to orchestrate such atrocities.
Despite claims of "acknowledgment," Trump's responses to questions about starving children in Gaza have been consistently evasive. He has deflected, distracted, and even fabricated stories about Venezuela and Iran. During a 75-minute Q&A session in Scotland with Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump offered only vague promises to open new food sites in Gaza, without detailing how aid would reach the largely demolished enclave. This comes after he notoriously reposted an AI video on his social media platform depicting Gaza as a "French Riviera of the Mediterranean" with "Trump Gaza Plaza," explicitly endorsing ethnic cleansing to clear land for his gaudy hotel schemes.
Growing Dissent Within Israel and the World's Awakening
Another headline, "Revenge is Not a Policy: Israelis Voice Dissent Against the War in Gaza," signals a significant internal shift. After a long period of silence, prominent Israelis and activists are increasingly raising alarms about potential war crimes being carried out by their government. While international abhorrence for Israel's devastating war has resonated for months in capitals and university campuses abroad, a growing number of Israelis are now openly criticizing what they describe as atrocities committed in their name. Israeli protesters are holding aloft portraits of Palestinian children killed in Gaza, and academics, authors, politicians, and retired military leaders are accusing the Israeli government of indiscriminate killing and war crimes.
While protests against Netanyahu have been ongoing in Israel for some time, often unacknowledged by the American mainstream media, the sheer scale of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is forcing a global reckoning. It is unfortunate and disgusting that it took hundreds of thousands of deaths and images of mothers holding skeletal babies for the world to finally acknowledge what many have called an apartheid state for decades.
According to recent polls, a majority of Israelis have long desired a deal to end the war in exchange for the release of all hostages and relief for their exhausted soldiers. On social media, photos have emerged of young Israelis burning their requests to join the IDF, opting for jail time rather than being complicit in what they, too, recognize as a genocide. These harrowing images are finally shaking the world, and it is a tragedy that such extreme suffering was necessary for people to speak out against the muzzles placed on them by this country's media and politicians, who often dismiss criticisms of the conflict as uninformed. This is the same condescension faced by young students protesting on college campuses, many of whom have been detained, lost their degrees, or faced jail time for speaking out against the use of their tuition money to fund these atrocities.
The Unignorable Truth: War Crimes and American Complicity
The facts emerging from Gaza are undeniable: UNICEF reports that 80% of those who have starved to death in Gaza since the beginning of the war are children. This is an episode that shames the world, and the U.S. is particularly complicit.
Further substantiating claims of war crimes, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Aguilar, a retired Green Beret and Special Forces veteran of the U.S. Army, shared his experiences in Gaza. He witnessed Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shooting at crowds of Palestinians, firing tank rounds into crowds of people, destroying civilian cars, and launching artillery and mortar rounds at starving populations. Aguilar, with a long career as a professional soldier, described the operations as "amateur, inexperienced, untrained," and in his "most frank assessment," "criminal." He stated, "In my entire career, have I never witnessed the level of brutality and use of indiscriminate and unnecessary force against a civilian population, an unarmed, starving population... until I was in Gaza at the hands of the IDF and U.S. contractors."
An IDF officer even told Haaretz that the limited food aid stations in Gaza have become a "killing field," where soldiers are instructed to shoot starving Palestinians. It is not enough that hospitals, universities, and all infrastructure in Gaza have been bombed to rubble; now, the population is starved to death, and then killed while attempting to obtain food. This is undeniably a war crime.
Trump's Mental Decline and Sinking Polls
Meanwhile, back in Europe, Donald Trump continues to unravel. Rolling Stone reported that Trump "rages about windmills and whales, claims he sent aid to Gaza, but no one said thank you." During a press conference in Scotland, he declared he was "not in a good mood" and launched into a bizarre rant about "incompetent Democrats" and "conspiracy theories." This is the same man who for years built his platform on pedophile conspiracy theories against Democrats, yet cannot bring himself to call Jeffrey Epstein a pedophile, despite their association.
Trump's bad mood is understandable, as the "Epstein summer" has intensified, with new headlines emerging daily. For the first time, the "Teflon Don" finds himself with accusations sticking. If the Epstein case proves to be his undoing, it would be a fitting end.
His poll numbers are equally grim. Harry Enten of CNN highlighted the "biggest warning sign" for Trump's second term: his net approval rating among independents has plummeted from -2 points in January to -35 points now. This drop of over 25 points is the worst on record for any president six months into their term, breaking even Trump's own previous record of -23 points. The issue dragging him down most is inflation, where his net approval among independents is an abysmal -45 points, worse than Biden's was a year ago. Even his signature legislative achievement, which essentially cut Medicaid to fund tax breaks for the wealthy, polls at -25 overall and -44 among independents. If these numbers hold until the 2026 midterms, Enten predicts the Republican majority in the House will be lost.
Media's Shifting Stance and Ghislaine Maxwell's Appeal
In light of Trump's struggles, even some mainstream journalists are finding their voice. Kirsten Welker of Meet the Press notably challenged Lindsey Graham directly, questioning whether he was "trying to rewrite history to distract from the Epstein matter." She similarly pressed House Speaker Mike Johnson on the premature adjournment of the House, hinting at a cover-up related to Epstein files. This marks a refreshing shift from mere stenography to confrontational journalism.
Perhaps most tellingly, Jake Tapper of all people, often criticized for his soft-ball interviews, directly fact-checked Senator Markwayne Mullin, who attempted to rewrite history by falsely claiming Obama was president during Epstein's 2008 plea deal. Tapper pointed out that it was actually George W. Bush who was in office, and the U.S. attorney who gave Epstein the "sweetheart deal" was Alex Acosta, later Trump's Secretary of Labor. The media, for the first time in years, seems unwilling to let these blatant lies stand.
Adding to the chaos, Ghislaine Maxwell's attorneys have filed a reply brief to the Supreme Court, seeking to overturn her conviction for her role in Epstein's sex trafficking ring, claiming the U.S. violated an immunity deal. With Trump's legal troubles mounting and his base hungry for distraction, the possibility of a Supreme Court intervention or a presidential pardon for Maxwell cannot be entirely dismissed. If this "MAGA Supreme Court" decides to rehear her case or if Trump pardons her, it could signify the ultimate breaking point.
Democrats' Missed Opportunity and a Call to Action
While Trump’s political fortunes decline, the Democratic Party's image has also hit a 30-year low, with only 33% favorability and 63% un-favorability, according to a recent Wall Street Journal poll. This suggests that simply relying on Trump's unraveling isn't enough.
Even figures like Gavin Newsom, often criticized for opportunistic political maneuvering, are acknowledging the urgent need for Democrats to "wake up." In a recent interview, Newsom expressed his frustration, stating, "I'm sick and tired of being on our heels. Got to be on our toes... I'm sick of this party needs to wake up. These guys aren't screwing around... they're assassins when it comes to the way they weaponize grievance and the way they play politics." He emphasized that the current moment is "existential," urging Democrats to abandon the "status quo" and "past mindsets" and re-engage with the vigor necessary to protect democracy, the rule of law, and popular sovereignty.
The confluence of these events—the undeniable humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the growing scrutiny of Trump's mental state and his past connections to Epstein, the plummeting poll numbers, and the media's shifting stance—presents a critical juncture. Will the Democratic Party seize this opportunity to develop a cohesive strategy and demonstrate the leadership necessary to navigate these turbulent times?
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