U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida today. Blinken thanked Fumio for what he called Japan’s “strong leadership” of the G7 intergovernmental political forum and Japan’s humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza. Blinken is finishing his diplomatic tour of the Middle East, during which he met with various dignitaries and ministers from Turkey, Israel, Jordan, Cyprus, the occupied West Bank and Iraq.
Trump took to the stand yesterday against Attorney General Letitia James who accused Trump and his children of business fraud. James believes that Trump’s company is responsible for lying about the value of their assets, “to obtain beneficial financial terms” in the trial. Trump has also been issued a gag order which Judge Engoron, who is overseeing the trial, says Trump has already violated. Engoron then expanded the gag order to include Trump’s attorneys, after he says Trump and his counsel unfairly attacked members of the Court, including the court clerk. Despite this, the trial is scheduled to finish a week earlier than initially planned, now ending on the 15th of December.
A 69-year-old man named Paul Kessler died after sustaining a head injury during a pro-Palestinian protest in Thousand Oaks on Sunday. Kessler, a part of the “We Are Pro-Israel” counter protest, got into an altercation with a pro-Palestinian protester. Though the details are still unclear, the autopsy revealed the cause of death was blunt force head trauma, and the injuries were consistent with a fall. Kesler was pronounced dead early Sunday morning as a result of sustained head injuries. There is an ongoing investigation surrounding the altercation. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department identified the suspect as a 50-year-old man, who has been complying with police during the investigation. Police reported that there have been 21 protests surrounding the Israel-Hamas war since October, however this is the first time it has made way to physical violence. No arrests have been made and the Ventura County police department is asking those present at the time of the incident to send videos of the altercation.
The National Weather Service has issued a Los Angeles area fire weather watch that will go into effect at noon tomorrow and will remain until 6 p.m. on Thursday. Mountain areas will see winds of up to 30 miles per hour with gusts of up to 55 miles per hour, with low humidity. The regions impacted by the watch are the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, the San Gabriel Mountains, the 5 and 14 freeway corridors, the Malibu Coast, Calabasas and the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys.
Quarterback Caleb Williams was seen breaking down in his mother’s arms after USC’s ten-zero loss to Washington at Saturday’s homecoming game. It sparked a debate in the sports world about male athleticism and sensitivity. Some commentators said his tears showed that he was unready for professional play and the draft; others applauded his vulnerability.
For Annenberg Media, I’m Nicki Berelson.