The U.N. Gaza Resolution & The Rise Of Benadryl Abuse

Hi readers, happy Tuesday! Today we’re covering a U.N. resolution on Gaza, Trump’s Epstein reversal, selling F-35s to the Saudis, a death sentence in Bangladesh, North Carolina’s immigration sweep, a shift in international students, and the dangers of Benadryl abuse.

“All paths lead to the same goal: to convey to others what we are. And we must pass through solitude and difficulty, isolation and silence in order to reach forth to the enchanted place where we can dance our clumsy dance and sing our sorrowful song.” – Pablo Neruda

A New Future For Gaza

Yesterday, the U.N. Security Council passed a U.S.-backed resolution that might (hopefully) build towards a lasting peace in Gaza. Building upon the Trump administration’s 20-point peace plan for the region, the new resolution will see the implementation of an international stabilisation force in Gaza and also establishes a possible path towards an independent Palestinian state.

The U.N. resolution will allow members of the Security Council to participate in a Trump-chaired Board of Peace, which will oversee Gaza’s recovery from Israel’s bombing campaign, and will also establish a board of Palestinian technocrats to lead that recovery. As for the international stabilisation force (ISF), it’s currently unclear what country’s troops will make up the peacekeeping group. The ISF will have a mandate to use violence to dismantle armed groups in Gaza, including Hamas (which rejected the whole resolution) – that mandate will last until the end of 2027.

According to the text of the resolution, “conditions may finally be in place for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood” once a U.S.-approved government is put in place and Gaza’s recovery advances far enough. “The United States will establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence” once that bridge is crossed, the resolution reads. Basically, the entire resolution is stuffed with imprecise wording and wishy-washy thresholds in order to make it palatable enough to pass the Security Council, and the U.S. will likely be the main arbiter of progress in Gaza moving forward.

Big Don, Backed Into A Corner

Over the weekend, President Trump changed course on the Epstein files. After previously fighting against calls to make the files in the Jeffrey Epstein case public, the president gave in to the political tides, as even loyal MAGA Republicans had begun joining in on calls to release the Epstein files. 

“We have nothing to hide, and it’s time to move on from this Democrat Hoax perpetrated by Radical Left Lunatics in order to deflect from the Great Success of the Republican Party,” Trump posted on TruthSocial, the social media platform that he owns. Besides even MAGA faithful like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene pushing for the release of the Epstein files, Trump also had his hand forced by House Democrats, who recently used a discharge petition to secure a vote on a bill that will force the Justice Department to release the files. That bill is expected to pass the House with ease, but it’s unclear how it might fare in the Senate.

Despite Trump’s insistence that he has nothing to hide, the past week hasn’t been kind to him in relation to the Epstein files. Last week, House Democrats released documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s email account in which the sex trafficker writes that Trump “knew about the girls.” On Sunday, when asked about the email, the president went berserk at a Bloomberg reporter aboard Air Force One, pointing at her face and snapping, “Quiet. Quiet, Piggy.”

Meet Your New Fav Shower Essentials

A Jet! My Kingdom For A Jet!

• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is headed to the White House later today. Ahead of his visit, President Trump announced that he would be approving the sale of 48 U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets to the Saudi Kingdom, putting some of the world’s most effective stealth fighters into the hands of an oil-powered monarchy known for chopping up a Washington Post journalist and maintaining a system of quasi-slavery up until just a few weeks ago.

• Saudi Arabia is the largest purchaser of U.S. weapons, and has been pushing for access to F-35s for years at this point. The only other Middle Eastern country with access to the stealth fighters is Israel, which has been abusing the jets’ unmatched stealth and surveillance technologies to maintain superiority over its many enemies. The sale of F-35s to the Saudis will likely upset the balance of power in the region, though the kingdom has stated that it only wants the jets in order to counter threats from Iran.

From Prime Minister To Prime Suspect

• Last August, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted in the face of a massive protest movement, which was sparked over a quota system for government jobs. Yesterday, Hasina and one of her top aides were both sentenced to death over her government’s violent crackdown on the protests. According to Bangladesh’s interim government, roughly 800 people were killed (and 14,000 injured) in Hasina’s crackdowns, though the U.N. has estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed by security forces.

• The International Crimes Tribunal convicted both Hasina and former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on five counts of crimes against humanity, and also sentenced a third individual (a former police chief turned state’s witness) to five years in prison. While those charges are a slap to the face, Hasina and Khan both escaped to India before the protests reached them. India’s government has so far refused to extradite them, meaning they’re unlikely to ever actually face the consequences of their actions.

Additional World News

• Reselling tickets for profit to be outlawed in UK government crackdown (Guardian)

• ‘They have total impunity’: West Bank settler violence surges after Gaza ceasefire (Guardian)

• Google boss Sundar Pichai warns 'no company immune' if AI bubble bursts (BBC)

• Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. rejects his sister's accusation he uses cocaine (WaPo, $)

• Aiming to Shock Japan, China Pushes a Wave of Reprisals (NYT, $)

• Ukraine plans to buy up to 100 Rafale warplanes and air defense systems from France (AP) 

Cracking Down In The Carolinas

• Over the weekend, federal immigration agents carried out an “immigration sweep” of Charlotte, North Carolina. The operation led to the arrests of over 130 individuals – while immigration officials tried to justify the mass detentions by claiming that some of those arrested had criminal records which include gang membership, aggravated assault, and shoplifting, the Department of Homeland Security declined to give any concrete information about those claims.

• “We’ve seen masked, heavily armed agents in paramilitary garb driving unmarked cars, targeting American citizens based on their skin color,” said North Carolina governor Josh Stein, a Democrat. “This is not making us safer. It’s stoking fear and dividing our community.” According to Charlotte Mayor Janet Cowell (also a Democrat), local officials have been notified that federal immigration authorities are planning to expand their operations in and around the city. “I ask Raleigh to remember our values and maintain peace and respect through any upcoming challenges,” she said in a statement.

The Land Of Less Opportunities

• Brain drain is when highly skilled individuals leave a country, usually due to instability or to better opportunities elsewhere. But what do you call it when skilled individuals avoid a country because of its current government? The Trump wall, maybe?

• According to a report published on Monday, the number of international students enrolling in U.S. colleges and universities dropped by 17% this academic year. That decline marks the largest dip in international student enrollment in more than a decade, not counting the Covid-19 pandemic. 

• “Concerns about the visa application process, such as visa delays and denials, have long been the leading factor noted by institutions for enrollment declines,” said the report. “Additionally, institutions cite that student concerns about feeling unwelcome in the US (67%) or about the broader social and political environment (64%) may have affected new enrollment.” Those concerns are probably well-founded, given the current administration’s high-profile attempts to arrest and deport student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil and Rümeysa Öztürk for their political views.

Additional USA News

• Judge says possible errors by Lindsey Halligan could imperil Comey case (Politico)

• How Jeffrey Epstein used SEO to bury news about his crimes (Verge)

• President Donald Trump unveils 'FIFA Pass' to help World Cup travelers get their visas faster (AP)

• FEMA acting chief David Richardson departs after 6 months on the job (NPR)

• MacKenzie Scott Gives $700 Million to Historically Black Colleges (NYT, $)

• Meet CoreWeave, the AI industry’s ticking time bomb (Verge)

The Hat Man Cometh

• Forget LSD and shrooms – kids these days are tripping on something you can pick up at your local CVS. A growing number of young adults are abusing Benadryl for its hallucinogenic properties, which have been highlighted by the “Benadryl challenge,” a social media challenge that dares people to take more than 12 Benadryl pills at once to induce a trip.

• While the allergy medicine is technically a hallucinogen like LSD or shrooms, those drugs induce “psychedelic effects and particularly hallucinations through your serotonin system,” according to one user. “Benadryl does not induce hallucinations that way.” Instead of the good vibes and trippy visuals you might associate with normal hallucinogens, Benadryl makes users see things like bugs or shadows that dart across their vision, or feel like spiders are crawling over their bodies. Another effect of tripping on Benadryl is visualizing the “Hat Man,” a shadowy human-like figure that’s become a meme among Benadryl abusers.

• Besides the disturbing hallucinations, there are other serious side effects associated with abusing Benadryl. Those include severe memory loss, heart problems, seizures, and even coma. Thanks to TikTok and other social media platforms, Benadryl abuse is becoming a growing problem in the U.S. In 2020, the U.S. Poison Centers reported 4,618 cases of extreme Benadryl usage, and that number rose to 5,960 in 2023. 

Additional Reads

• OpenAI's Fidji Simo Plans to Make ChatGPT Way More Useful—and Have You Pay For It (Wired, $)

• Your online reservations are telling restaurants all about you (Verge)

• Why are thyroid cancer cases increasing across the world? (BBC) 

• With 'Baby Botox,' young adults strive to keep wrinkles from ever forming (NPR) 

• These rare whales had never been seen alive. Then a team in Mexico sighted two (Guardian)

• Murderer sues for right to eat Vegemite in prison (AP)

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