LA Times editorial board demands Biden administration push for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war

The Los Angeles Times editorial board is arguing for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, following weeks of fighting after Hamas launched the October 7 terrorist attacks on Israel.

The editorial board claimed that it “has become impossible to distinguish between Israel’s decidedly non-surgical operation against Hamas militants in Gaza and the indiscriminate killing of Palestinian civilians.”

“It is time for a cease-fire,” the board wrote. “It is time for the Biden administration to assert strong and sustained pressure on the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to stop attacks that have reportedly already killed more than 11,000 Gazans. The world cannot stand by to witness more slaughter of civilians.”

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“Remaining mindful of America’s mistakes, it is incumbent upon the Biden administration now to avoid complicity with Israel’s,” the board wrote. “We are past the time to excuse the horror in Gaza. Biden has to press Netanyahu hard to stop the mass, indiscriminate killing. That starts with a call for a cease-fire.”

The board conceded that while Hamas is a “radical militant organization” that also is in control of the Gaza government, “Hamas’ atrocities do not justify atrocities in kind.” 

The board continued: “Following Hamas’ initial attack, Israel instructed the people of northern Gaza to leave their homes and made no commitment that they would ever be able to return. Israel’s reprisal destroyed homes and cut off power and communications, making it impossible for survivors of the bombing even to search for the remains of family and neighbors beneath the rubble.”

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Prominent members of Congress and big-name Democratic politicians are divided on the issue of a cease-fire. 

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., was criticized this week for saying that by calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, he was “uplifting deeply what it actually means to be Jewish.” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has also led renewed calls for Biden to support a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas over the “grave violations” being committed against children in the war. 

On the other side, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rejected calls for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war on “The View” in early November, instead throwing her support behind “humanitarian pauses.” 

Biden’s press office did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. 

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Fox News’ Alexander Hall and Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media.

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Alex Murdaugh's lawyers slam court clerk's 'illegal' behavior as they push for new trial

An attorney for convicted killer Alex Murdaugh called South Carolina court clerk Rebecca Hill’s conduct during his murder trial “highly improper” and “frankly, illegal,” according to a new interview.

Lawyers Dick Harpootlian and Jim Griffin sat down Wednesday with Craig Melvin of the “Today” show less than 24 hours after dropping a bombshell motion demanding a new trial based on allegations of jury tampering. 

“Any time there’s outside influence in the sanctity of the jury room, it is improper,” Griffin said. 

The defense team alleges Hill had inappropriate, private chats with the jury foreperson and presented false information to the judge to get a juror she thought was sympathetic to Murdaugh kicked off the panel.

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They also allege she discussed Murdaugh’s guilt with jurors and tried to coerce a conviction so she could secure a book deal.

The Colleton County clerk, an elected official, published a memoir Aug. 1 about her role in the case, “Behind the Doors of Justice: The Murdaugh Murders.” 

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Murdaugh, 55, was sentenced to two life terms in prison in March for fatally shooting his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and his son, Paul Murdaugh, in June 2021.

The attorneys said Hill’s conduct was so egregious Murdaugh deserves another shot in the courtroom even if the verdict had been the same without her alleged meddling.

“The legal question is not whether the outcome of the trial would have been different. The question is whether the information provided to the jury outside the confines of the courtroom is prejudicial,” Griffin told Melvin. 

“You can never go back and rewind the clock or put the toothpaste back in the tube. That’s a game we can’t play. But what we do know is the conduct the jurors have reported to us is highly improper and, frankly, illegal,” he added.

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Hill, 55, stood in the Colleton County Courthouse March 2 and read the guilty verdict, which took the panel less than three hours to reach.

Many spectators were stunned by the swiftness of the decision, especially after a six-week trial. But the motion argues that Hill hurried the deliberations by denying the six smokers on the panel smoke breaks and threatening to send them to a hotel if they didn’t wrap up that night. 

Griffin and Harpootlian said at a press conference Tuesday the filing is based on new evidence, including interviews with two jurors who were so annoyed by Hill’s grandstanding and new book that they decided to speak to Murdaugh’s legal team.

Murdaugh has insisted he’s innocent and has the backing of his surviving son, Buster Murdaugh, who gave an exclusive interview to Martha MacCallum on Fox Nation’s docuseries “The Fall of the House of Murdaugh.”

The disgraced attorney from a prominent legal family has admitted stealing more than $9 million from his former law firm and clients to fuel an opioid addiction.

“A fraudulent lawyer does not equate to a murderer, and he did not murder his wife and son,” Griffin told Melvin. 

Missouri AG Schmitt says lifting Title 42 will unleash ‘tsunami’ of illegal immigration as states push back

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