10 Things in Politics: Israel defies Biden’s plea

Welcome back to 10 Things in Politics, your weekday look at the biggest stories in DC and beyond. Sign up here to receive this newsletter. P.S.: LeBron is still the GOAT even when he's seeing "three rims."

Send tips to [email protected] or tweet me at @BrentGriffiths.

Here's what we're talking about:

• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rebuffs Biden's call for de-escalation
• A wildly popular fundraising gimmick used by Trump and Pelosi could be breaking the law
• Thirty-five Republicans broke with party leaders to support a January 6 commission

One thing to look out for today: President Joe Biden is set to sign the COVID-19 hate-crimes bill into law at 2 p.m. ET.

1. BIDEN AND BIBI: Israel unleashed more strikes on the Gaza Strip early Thursday, following through on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vow that fighting would not cease until the operation's "aim is met." Netanyahu's move is in defiance of Biden and a White House that is increasingly public in its push for a cease-fire. Biden had earlier told Netanyahu he wanted "a significant de-escalation today" in Israel's offensive against Hamas.

• The latest on the ground: "Explosions shook Gaza City and orange flares lit up the night sky, with airstrikes also reported in the central town of Deir al-Balah and the southern town of Khan Younis. As the sun rose, residents surveyed the rubble from at least five family homes destroyed in Khan Younis," the Associated Press reports.
• There are reports of a cease-fire in the works, but it's unclear how quickly it might develop: Israeli officials told The New York Times they expected an agreement by the end of the week. The deal to end the worst fighting since the 2014 war would come in stages.

At home, Biden is encountering an increasingly impatient party: Staunch liberal defenders of Israel began calling for concrete steps toward a cease-fire last weekend. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and other progressive lawmakers are going even further by moving to block a pending $735 million arms sale to Israel.

• More details: Democrats on the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee are expected to question a senior administration official about the deal as early as today, The Washington Post reports.

2. Thirty-five Republicans broke with party leaders to support a January 6 commission: The House easily passed legislation that would create a bipartisan commission to investigate the Capitol riot even after some of the party's most powerful figures voiced their opposition to such an investigation. The number of defections far exceeded expectations and were viewed as a rebuke of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Politico reports.

• It's not over yet: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell came out in opposition to the commission before the House vote, calling it "a slanted and unbalanced proposal." Democrats will need at least 10 Republicans for the commission to become a reality. McConnell's opposition makes it a tall task.

3. Pelosi and Trump have been put on notice for a frequent fundraising ploy: Former President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other major political figures love promising that your donation will get a "3x" or "5x match." But the spammy fundraising gimmick may be coming to an end thanks to a federal indictment of a political scam artist that cited the accused man's use of the ploy.

Two former leaders of the Federal Election Commission tell Insider that political candidates and committees should now proceed with great caution.

• Key quote: "The most recent case should be a wake-up call for political fundraisers," said Lee Goodman, a former Republican chairman of the FEC who's now a partner at the law firm Wiley Rein LLP.

4. New York reportedly opened a criminal tax investigation into the Trump Organization: Both the New York attorney general's office and the Manhattan district attorney's office are looking into the taxes and personal finances of Allen Weisselberg, a top Trump Organization executive, in an attempt to find leverage that could persuade the longtime Trump employee to cooperate with authorities, CNN reports. The district attorney's office is also looking into Weisselberg's finances and benefits he and his son received from Trump.

5. Jill Biden reportedly said "go f--- yourself" after Kamala Harris attacked Joe Biden at a tense debate: The first lady, Jill Biden, is the self-described keeper of family grudges. Perhaps it is no surprise, then, that she is said to have reacted strongly after then-Sen. Kamala Harris lit into the then-candidate Joe Biden for his record on race. During a Democratic presidential debate, Harris told Biden "I do not believe you are a racist" before taking him to task for his views on busing.

According to a new book, Jill Biden was incensed by Harris' accusations, telling close supporters on a call, "With what he cares about, what he fights for, what he's committed to, you get up there and call him a racist without basis? Go f--- yourself."

• Obama reportedly called Trump a "corrupt motherf---er" in private: Former President Barack Obama was reportedly so exasperated with his successor that he would send emails to aides containing links to articles along with the line "Can you believe this?" according to the new book. "Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats' Campaign to Defeat Trump" by The Atlantic's Edward-Isaac Dovere is out next week.

6. There will be no policing deal before the anniversary of George Floyd's death: The president's hope of a bipartisan policing deal by May 25 will not happen, The Washington Post reports. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle downplayed the significance of missing the deadline, saying they were just trying to get the best legislation possible. The main stumbling block remains changes to legal protections for police officers.

7. Lachlan Murdoch makes clear he's not leaving Fox News anytime soon: The Fox Corp. CEO defended Tucker Carlson, calling some of the host's points "brave" as critics worry that Carlson's deceptive use of government vaccine data and general coverage of COVID-19 vaccines will worsen vaccine hesitancy. Murdoch, in an exclusive interview with Insider, also defended Fox News' approach. "Trump was attacking us nonstop, and we didn't bend to that," he argued.

8. Texas has almost completely banned abortions: Republican Gov. Greg Abbott signed one of the nation's most restrictive anti-abortion measures into law, banning the procedure after six weeks with no exceptions for rape or incest. The new law comes one day after the Supreme Court signaled it was ready to reconsider its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling. Texans can now sue abortion providers or anyone who helped someone obtain an abortion after a fetal heartbeat was detected for up to $10,000 for every abortion performed.

9. Bitcoin tumbles as low as $30,000 amid a broad crypto sell-off: Bitcoin and other digital currencies plunged Wednesday after the People's Bank of China announced digital tokens couldn't be used as a form of payment by financial institutions. More on the sell-off here.

10. Ford F-150 Lightning debuts with a $39,974 starting price: Following years of speculation and anticipation, Ford took the wraps off of its debut all-electric pickup truck: the F-150 Lightning. The battery-powered version of America's favorite truck offers extra performance and some added functionality over its gas-powered siblings but comes in a familiar package. It is expected to go on sale in mid-2022.

Today's trivia question: From where did President Woodrow Wilson deliver what's now known as the first modern State of the Union address? Email your guess and a suggested question to me at [email protected].

• Yesterday's answer: LBJ used a 1962 Amphicar, the only mass-produced civilian amphibious automobile, to terrify guests at his Texas ranch. Johnson even involved the Secret Service in his ruses.