Putin Responds With Nuclear Threats After Ukraine Launches Long-Range Missiles
Plus, gay & Jewish people advised to hide their identities in Berlin neighborhood with large Arab population
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Good morning,
YOU are one of the 21% of American adults who get their news from a “news influencer.” Or at least, that’s what Pew Research would call us. A new study shows that, while 1 in 5 US adults turn to social media influencers for headlines. That number is nearly double for adults under 30.
Guilty as charged: The Pew Research study looked at accounts run by people who post regularly about current events and have more than 100,000 followers on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X or TikTok. (So, Mo News!)
The most popular site used by these “news influencers” is X, where 85% of them have a presence. Nearly half of news influencers have pages on Instagram and YouTube.
The accounts studied ranged from politicians to Dr. Phil to Joe Rogan to Mo News.
Coverage: Over three weeks this summer, the group of about 500 influencers posted most about US politics (55%), followed by social issues (18%) like race and abortion, and international events (14%), including wars abroad.
A look at the audience: 65% of followers reported that the pages helped them better understand current events and civic issues. A similar number said the information they get from “news influencers” is at least somewhat different from the news they get from other sources.
Mo News Reacts: Mo News was mentioned as one of the “news influencers” studied (we had no idea until the report was released!). We are one of the few accounts led by people with traditional news backgrounds, as opposed to the 77% of “news influencers” who have no affiliation or background with a news organization.
We’re glad you’re here!
Mosheh, Jill, Sari, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
🇺🇦 UKRAINE RAMPS UP ATTACKS ON RUSSIA AFTER US GREEN LIGHT; PUTIN ANNOUNCES NEW NUCLEAR DOCTRINE
With just two months until President-elect Trump takes office, Ukraine is escalating its attacks against Russia. On Tuesday, for the first time in its 1,000-day war against Russia’s Feb. 2022 invasion, Kyiv fired long-range American-made missiles. President Biden gave the go-ahead.
It comes with just weeks left in the Biden administration, and promises by the incoming Trump White House to cut off aid to Ukraine and force a ceasefire deal. That has both Russia and Ukraine scrambling right now to gain as much momentum and leverage as possible.
Biden recently warned Russia that its recruitment of thousands of North Korean troops to help fight against Ukraine was a “significant escalation.” His approval of Ukraine using long-range ATACMS missiles was seen as a warning message to North Koreans that they should not send more troops to Russia.
Tracking Ukraine missile strike, where Ukraine holds territory. Via: FT
THE AFTERMATH
The pre-dawn Ukrainian attack struck an ammunition storage facility in Russia’s Bryansk region. Moscow shot down five of the six long-range ballistic missiles sent by Ukraine. There were no casualties reported.
In response, and in an apparent warning to Washington, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday signed an amendment to his country’s nuclear doctrine, lowering the potential threshold for when the country might deploy nuclear weapons.
The new nuclear doctrine states that any aggression against Russia by a non-nuclear state (i.e. Ukraine), if supported by a nuclear power (i.e. the US), will be considered a joint attack.
Experts say the move is potentially symbolic, noting that Russia has made nuclear threats before:
2022 Headlines: Putin has repeatedly invoked nuclear weapons over three years.
CNN’s Jim Sciutto told the Mo News Interview podcast that in 2022, Putin seriously debated using a tactical nuclear weapon against Ukraine — leading the US to seek help from China and India to discourage him.
Russia has not been slowing down its attacks in the region either. Over the weekend, in one of the largest and most complex bombardments of the war, Russia sent around 120 missiles and 90 drones to destroy Ukraine’s battered power grid. Dozens of civilians have been killed in recent days.
STATE OF THE WAR
Ukraine’s newfound ability to use long-range weaponry could position the nation for some success ahead of a change in American leadership.
While Russia currently occupies about 20% of Ukraine, Ukrainian soldiers seized hundreds of square miles of Russian territory in the Kursk region over the summer (see map above).
The land could give Ukraine leverage as Trump plans to bring the two sides to the negotiating table when he takes office.
Russia, in addition to trying to secure more of Ukraine’s land before Trump gets in office, is also trying to reclaim the seized Kursk territory. 50,000 soldiers, including 10,000 North Koreans, are currently said to be preparing an assault.
📌 RISE IN ANTISEMITISM AROUND THE 🌎 BRINGS STARTLING WARNINGS
The head of police in Berlin, Germany is warning Jews and LGBTQ people to hide their identity in neighborhoods with large Arab populations. Noting rising antisemitism and hate crimes, Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik advised anyone in those groups to “be more careful” in the wake of recent events.
MORE THAN A WARNING
“There are certain neighborhoods where the majority of people of Arab origin live, who also have sympathies for terrorist groups,” Slowik said. She warned about people who are “openly hostile” towards individuals who “wear a kippah or are openly homosexual or lesbians.”
While Slowik told a local newspaper that “violent crimes against Jewish people are few and far between,” there has been an increase in public attacks (by 4x) following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Since then, Berlin's police have investigated over 6,000 antisemitic incidents — most involving online hate speech and graffiti.
However, physical intimidation and assaults have occurred too. Two weeks ago, players on a Jewish youth soccer team in Berlin were reportedly chased by a group of Arab teens wielding sticks and knives. The team was subsequently placed under police protection.
In a separate incident earlier this month, a fan was wearing a scarf in the Jewish team’s colors, and was reportedly punched by an individual who asked him if he was Jewish.
For the LGBTQ community: Berlin’s Neukölln district, while known for its large Arab population, is also famous for its gay-friendly nightlife. While the two groups have coexisted for years, there have been incidents of gay couples being physically assaulted in recent years.
Some members in the Mo News community in Germany have told us that an influx of refugees from Syria over the last decade has changed the culture in certain neighborhoods and led to increased antisemitism. At the same time, we got notes from Germans who said they believe the headline is not representative of the situation in the vast majority of the country, and are more concerned about the antisemitism of the German far right.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Hacker accesses sealed testimony of woman alleging Matt Gaetz had sex with her when she was 17 (NBC)
📌 Trump picks Wall Street investor Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary (NPR)
📌 Linda McMahon nominated for Secretary of Education (AP)
📌 Oklahoma official under fire for bibles in public schools mandate (MO NEWS)
📌 Manhattan DA agrees to postpone Donald Trump’s sentencing in hush money case but opposes dismissal (CNBC)
📌 Republican introduces anti-transgender bathroom resolution at Capitol after first transgender woman elected to Congress (CNN)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 US envoy says Lebanon ceasefire ‘within grasp’ as soldier killed in drone strike (TIMES OF ISRAEL)
📌 Tens of thousands crowd New Zealand’s Parliament grounds in support of Māori rights (AP)
📌 Finland urges NATO, EU to shield critical networks after undersea cables damaged (POLITICO)
📌 Residents in Haiti’s capital stand with police in a battle to repel the latest gang attack (AP)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 As Trump, Elon Musk watch, as SpaceX launches largest rocket ever (WASHINGTON POST)
📌 Boeing set to lay off more than 2,000 workers amid plans to cut 10% of workforce (CNBC)
📌 As Americans bargain shop, six-figure earners flock to Walmart (CNN)
📌 Comcast spins off cable channels like USA, CNBC, MSNBC as cord-cutting quickens (VARIETY)
📌 Microsoft pitches AI ‘agents’ that can perform tasks on their own at Ignite 2024 (AP)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight scores over 108 million viewers worldwide, Netflix says, becomes the most-watched global sporting event (THE WRAP)
📌 Cher’s memoir includes new details about her divorce from Sonny Bono (CNN)
📌 NBA legend and motivational speaker, Bob Love, who overcame a significant stutter, dies at 81 (NBC)
📌 John Stamos shows solidarity after Dave Coulier’s cancer diagnosis with bald cap — not all fans are pleased (TODAY)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: NOVEMBER 20
1942: Joe Biden was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He turns 82 today, the oldest American president in US history.
Trump, who turned 78 in June, will be several months older than Biden was at his inauguration when he takes office.
1947: The future Queen Elizabeth II married Philip Mountbatten at Westminster Abbey.
1983: TV-movie ‘The Day After’ was watched by over 100 million Americans, including then-President Ronald Reagan. It's credited with changing his mind against nuclear war.
1992: 'Home Alone 2: Lost In New York' (which Trump made an appearance in) premiered in theaters.