Israel-Hamas, U.S. Border Negotiations, Jimmy Lai On Trial
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Defense secretary loyd Austin is in israel today.

The White house wants leaders to wind down major combat Operations, and pressure is growing on at yahoo after israeli troops mistakenly killed .

three israeli hostages. I meta hell, barton. And this is a burst from M, P, R news before republicans in congress make a deal on funding for ukraine and israel.

They want democrats to tight migration of the U. S. Of the order. How much is the White house willing to give up? And what could I mean for asylum seekers?

And in hong kong, road democracy activists Jimmy lies on trial today. After three years in detention, he's facing a maximum sentence of life in prison under china's sweeping national security law. Why is beijing prosecuting his case so aggressively? Stay with us. We've got the new.

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Defense secretary, loyd Austin, visits israel today. He is there as the biden administration continues to urge israel to scale back at the air and ground campaign in gaza.

The U. S. Wants israel to a more carefully target homes and its leaders as a death toll. Gaza stands at nearly nineteen thousand. That's according to the gaza ministry of held for more.

We're joined by mp cat law ster, who is levy of cag. Good to talk with you.

Hey.

so let's start with the situation in gaza. What can you tell us? Well.

it's been really, really difficult to get information here. And that's because there was an extended communications blackout in gaza for the past four days or so. No cell service, no internet comes were partially restored.

Last night, we finally heard from our producer there on a baa who is safe, which was a huge relief. But comes are really still shaky. We have been able get some information both from groups in gaza, but also from the israeli military.

For example, the military confirmed yesterday that they have completed a four day what they called RAID on the come out addin hospital in the north in gaza city. The israeli military claims the have been, quote, used by hamas as a major command center, and that weapons have been seized there. But I should know the situation to come.

Edwin was already extremely dire. A senior doctor, they're earlier described mp R, A stream of wounded patients with complex injuries who overwhelm the hospital, which was also being used as a shelter for thousands of people. We've been unable to reach that doctor for several days as well. And and this is all as intense fighting continues, and more and more people are fleeing to the south, which is becoming overcrowded.

Yes, can you tell us anymore about the humAnitarian an situation they are?

Yeah, I mean, it's really bad. In an around rough, a city where people have been told by israel to flee, there are now about a million people, or nearly half of goths population. Some are sane, intense.

Many people are staying apartments packed with more than fifty people in them, making IT really hard to maintain, you know, any kind of sAnitary conditions. So disease is spreading, according to the world health organization, and food is really hard to come by. Now there was some good news. Israel opened a second crossing for aid yesterday, and the current tio one crossing, which goes in and out between israel, gaza and a few dozen aid trucks, did get through them as well as the aid that is coming through afa across sing from egypt. Uh, but you know, a group say that it's just not nearly .

enough and limits. Ask about the big news in israel over the weekend with the three israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot and killed by israeli troops. What are you hearing about that where you are?

Yeah, I mean, people were really shocked here when the news broke on friday night. Know three hostages were all israeli, all men in their twenties, and they were killed on friday in an active combat area in northern gazza. The men were dressed in civilian clothes and waving a White cloth, walking toward israeli soldiers when they were shot.

According to a preliminary report by israeli military. A military spokeswoman said that the shootings were against the army's rules of engagement and were being investigated at the highest level. But know people here are upset.

There have been protest here in teleview of this weekend with people you know increasingly calling for and demanded for a new hostage deal or even a permanent ceasefire. And the families of the hostages were already putting a lot of pressure on the government, saying that these hostages have to be the top priority. And those calls are getting even louder now. They've started camping out twenty four seven in front of the world cabinet building here, until of, until a new deal is reach. They say.

that is empires, cat lawn, or from television at, thank you so much.

Thank you.

The U. S. Senate has postponed its winter break so lawmakers can try to reach a deal on immigration.

Republican presidential candidates have been talking a lot about immigration, and president by is facing a decision about how much to zon as congressional republicans demand tighter border security as a condition for aid to ukrainian israel.

Talk about the latest. And that is in paris, Daniel court, slevin. Daniel, good morning. Good morning. Just help us understand what's going on between biden and congress.

sure. So like you out at the top, the White house has been seeking more aid for ukrainian israel, and republicans have said that they will approve that money, but only if they get tighter border policy. So not just resources at the border of, for example, but substantial changes to make immigration policy much tighter.

So as a result, the White house has said it's willing to give up some ground on immigration in order to get that funding. For example, republicans want to make IT harder for immigrants to get asylum. So that could be part of a deal.

But again, we are in early stages here. Details are sketchy, but for context here, if there, there were ideal on this that could be big. As one immigration expert told me over the weekend, this could be the biggest immigration policy change since the late nine bees. But it's unclear with the tiny would look like the White house has said the need for money for ukraine is urgent but then again, republican south CarOlina senator Linda graham told nb, meet the press this weekend that there won't be a deal before the new year that things are just slow going.

So you know this might be helpful for context too, because you've been reporting on the race for the republic lan presidential nominee. What are those candidates saying about immigration?

Oh, immigration is absolutely huge. Among the republican candidates. The candidates and voters are like talk about immigration a lot about fears about immigration, about threats that they think IT poses.

And in particular, the candidates use immigration to hit president biden. So of course, this means that immigration will probably be important to biden in twenty twenty four, because the republican omino will attack him on IT no matter what. And depending on how much biden compromises here again, if the deal happens, he could also anger progressives.

I spoke to one democratic strategists this weekend who told me that compromise could be a huge let down for some progressive democrats and non progressives. He pointed out that if funding for these war zones weren't on the line, democrats would ask for, for example, a path to citizenship in exchange for making asylum harder. The fear for some democrats is that their party will get no immigration concessions here, and no one knows when the next opportunity to change immigration policy would even be so.

So back to the republican side. The former president, donal trump, is still the candidate to be in the top primary. You know, attacking immigrants has always been at some immigrants has always been part of his political message. What's even saying recently.

while immigration is central, this message, as usual, this weekend in new hampton e, in a campaign speech, in fact, trump said that immigrants are, quote, poisoning the blood of the united states. And that is language that echoes language. Af, hitler once used as the biden, he was quick to point out, and this is not the first time that trump has used this phrase he used in on a right wing talk show earlier this year.

Furthermore, last month, he also called left leaning america's vermont in the speech. That's another echo of nazi language. Now, I reached out to the trump campaign asking why he repeated that poisoning the blood phrase. I have not heard a response.

But to zoom out here, let's remember that in his twenty fifteen campaign announcement speech, like he pointed out there, Michelle, he used in flaming language against immigrants then as well, he linked them to violent crime, for example. And rather than alienating voters, that indeed many to him. And that campaign showed the G O P just how much appetite there is among their base for hard line immigration policy. So what we're seeing on capital hill, in part is a party that learn from trump just how motivating immigration is for voters.

That is amperes, Daniel, curtly and Daniel. Thank you.

yeah. Thank you.

A major trialist kicking off in hong kong this week, Jimmy lie, the media tycoon and democracy activist going to court after more than a thousand days in detention.

Lie was arrested in twenty twenty. The newspaper he started called apple daily was shut down the following year. China's prosecuting lie under the country's sweeping national the law. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

With us to explain why this trial is so important is empire Emily fan, who is nearby in taiwan. Good morning.

my good ning.

So why is hong kong prosecuting lies so aggressively? Well.

because Jimmy lie has become a symbol of opposition against beijing's control of the region. Everyone in hong gung knows his story, how he escaped as a child's, still wait to hong kong, and then have his extraordinary rise as a textile clothing mogo. And his fortune is what get apple daily going.

This was an influential tabloid that was unabashed ally in supportive democratic reform, in antigovernment protests, and then put line across here. He's currently serving a fighter sentence for fraud, but today he is on trial for much more serious charges of collusion with foreign forces under the national security law. This is a closely watched trial in hongkong today. They were journalists outside of the courthouse, a few supporters, but mostly hundreds of police, uh, guarding the courthouse where he's being tried. Here's lison sebastian my, who is always trying to tell .

the rest of the world that they are open for business, that they want foreign direct investment. But if you essentially criminalize journalism, you know, just supporting democracy, what is very hard to do that?

He says, his father's cases being turned into a political show for beijing to show just how aggressively IT will punish any decent.

Are other people besides live being targeted by authorities?

Oh, absolutely. I mean, they're basically smothered all opposition in hong kong, independent media outlets have mostly closed like apple daily, or a few people who have not been arrested have moved abroad, uh, they've sentence many activists and lawmakers who spoke out of protester, sometimes years before the national security law of effect. And they're also going after people living abroad.

So this month, for example, hong kong s government issued more arrest warns, offering for words of hundreds of thousands of dollars for anyone who could turn in five activists to live outside of hong kong. G, one of these activists is Simon chain. He was detained for a working as a trade officer at the british consulate in hong kong, and it's as advocacy against beijing in the united kingdom that he is wanted for.

They try to do a political show, no matter of where you are, no matter what nationality you're holding, provide that your critical of the chinese leadership or the governments policy, and you will be the target, and you violating their own law, and they will hunt you down.

So when do we expect a verdict? And is there any chance there might be in a qual lies?

Legal team is saying that the trial is going to take at least a few weeks. There's estimates of up to eighty days. So this trial is onna stretch far into early twenty twenty four.

Chances for in a quitter le for lie are very low. So far, there has been a one hundred percent conviction rate with people charged under the national security law. Even if he is acquitted, he faces multiple other sentences that he already been found guilty.

That is emps Emily fang in tai. Emily, thank you so much.

And that's a first for monday, december eighteen .

was a ton. Alicia and IT was produced by clear sea, David west, N. K. cline. We get engineering support from fill at force and our technical director, is that common and is always join us again tomorrow.

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