"Half of America is garbage"

Hi Global Recap readers,

Before diving into the highly controversial “garbage” story, I want to address the poll results. And of course, a big thank you to the many readers who frequently respond and leave comments—I recognize some of you!

As of now:

• ~62% of you believe Girdusky’s “beeper joke” implying Mehdi Hasan is a Hezbollah sympathizer was not sensitive.

• ~27% say it was insensitive.

• ~11% are undecided, responding with “maybe.”

✍️ Important Context: Evident in the video attached yesterday, is that Hasan seemed to be justifying calling Republicans Nazis. Yet, when Girdusky jokes and implies that Hasan is a Hezbollah sympathizer, Hasan is outraged and Girdusky gets banned from the network.

🤔 Personally, I see this as a double standard. But, of course, this is just my opinion, and others may view this controversy differently.

• I wanted to share my thoughts here for discussion because I believe in being transparent about how I see this.

In any case, let’s dive into the “garbage” story. 👇

🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Biden Insults Trump Supporters as “Garbage”

This is wild. I held off on saying anything to see how he’d respond or if maybe it was just a misunderstanding, but it seems there’s no way around it.

President Biden sparked outrage after calling Trump supporters as "garbage," though he later tried to clarify his remarks. Remember, he is calling his own citizens garbage.

Biden's Controversial Comments

• As you can see in the video above, at the Trump rally at Madison Square Garden, comedian Tony Hinchcliffe joked that Puerto Rico is a “floating island of garbage.”

  • Keep in mind, this didn’t go over well at the event, prompting Hinchcliffe to visibly backpedal.

• In response, during a Zoom call with Voto Latino, Biden said, “The only garbage I see floating out there is his supporters—his demonization of Latinos is unconscionable, and it’s un-American.”

• The White House later clarified that Biden was referring to the racist rhetoric, not Trump supporters. But as the video above shows, that’s not entirely accurate.

Sure, giving him the benefit of the doubt, we might conclude he was only condemning only the rhetoric. Still, he clearly referred to Trump supporters as “garbage”—there’s no way around that.

Republican Backlash

Biden’s comments drew swift backlash from Republicans, who likened it to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 remark calling Trump supporters a “basket of deplorables.”

• At Trump’s Pennsylvania rally, Senator Marco Rubio made a breaking news announcement to Trump supporters, saying that Biden had just called them “garbage.” The remark was met with audible anger and disgust from the crowd.

• Senator JD Vance, Trump's running mate, called the comments "disgusting" and an attack on "half the country."

• The Trump campaign quickly turned the incident into a fundraising appeal, saying "KAMALA'S BOSS JOE BIDEN JUST CALLED ALL MY SUPPORTERS GARBAGE."

Trump Trolling

Honestly, when I heard Biden call Trump supporters “garbage,” I immediately thought, “I’m going to lose it if Trump becomes a garbage truck man.”

And ladies and gentlemen, he did it.

He also said, “250 million people are not garbage.” However, it’s a bit odd to see a person wearing a safety vest on a private plane say this. 😂

Biden's Clarification

After the backlash, Biden issued a statement on social media trying to explain his remarks.

• He said he was referring to the "hateful rhetoric" about Puerto Rico, not Trump supporters.

• Biden wrote, "His demonization of Latinos is unconscionable. That's all I meant to say."

• Check out the comments section on the post—people aren’t buying it.

• Even greg, the notorious “shitposter” on X, got serious in the comments section.

MAGA Biden

But wait, there’s a wild theory going around—Biden is allegedly sabotaging Harris’ campaign because he’s still bitter about how she and the Democrats effectively staged a coup to push him out of the presidential race.

Could this be true..?

🇮🇷 IRAN
Iran Vows Response to Israel

Iran has threatened to deliver a "definitive and painful" response to Israel's recent attack on its territory, likely before the US presidential election on November 5.

Seems like a recipe for more violence.

The Threat

According to an anonymous senior source, Iran will retaliate against Israel's attack.

• The source tells CNN that Iran's response will be "definitive and painful."

• The source says Iran is likely to strike before the US election on November 5.

My Opinion

Israel has been anticipating a possible Iranian response to its recent strike. Therefore, if Israel detects any signs of an imminent attack from Iran, it will likely launch a preemptive strike.

• With almost no air defenses remaining, due to Israel’s latest attack, Iran is highly vulnerable to aerial assaults.

• However, maybe Khamenei is attempting to provoke conflict outside the country due to rumors of his terminal illness.

• He might be trying to distract the public while there’s an internal struggle for power.

Israel's Expectations

Israel anticipated Iran might retaliate for its recent attack.

• The strike was itself retaliation for Iran's October 1 ballistic missile barrage on Israel.

• But Iran has so far been seen as trying to minimize its response.

• Israel has warned Tehran that any further attacks will be met with "resolute action."

🇮🇱🇱🇧 ISRAEL & LEBANON
Leaked Draft Shows Ceasefire Deal

A leaked draft agreement reveals the details of a proposed ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, mediated by the US.

At this point, it’s not surprising at all when classified documents are “leaked” in situations involving the US.

60-Day Implementation Period

The ceasefire would begin with a 60-day implementation period.

• During this time, the Lebanese army would deploy along the border and confiscate Hezbollah's weapons.

• IDF forces would exit Lebanon within 7 days and be replaced by the Lebanese Armed Forces.

• A new International Monitoring and Enforcement Mechanism (IMEM) would be created to oversee the process.

• The US agrees to play a lead role in implementing the ceasefire and ensuring Lebanon meets its commitments.

Ongoing Negotiations

After the 60 days, Israel and Lebanon would hold indirect negotiations through the US.

• The goal would be to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and resolve border disputes.

• Israel would retain the right to "act against violations" and respond to threats from Lebanese territory.

• Israel could still conduct intelligence flights over Lebanon, but they must avoid being visible or breaking the sound barrier.

Hezbollah’s New Chief

This comes as the new leader of the Hezbollah terrorist group, Naim Qassem, delivered a fiery speech threatening Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's life. But surprisingly, he also opened the door for a ceasefire with Israel.

I guess he really did accept the role! 😂

• Qassem warned that Hezbollah had targeted Netanyahu's private residence with a drone strike, and that "perhaps his time has not yet come.”

• He said Netanyahu "survived this time, but perhaps an Israeli will kill him, perhaps during one of his speeches."

• Qassem claimed Hezbollah has "diplomatic contacts" that confirm Netanyahu is "very afraid" of the group.

• Despite the bellicose rhetoric, Qassem also said Hezbollah would agree to a ceasefire with Israel under "acceptable terms."

White House Response

Despite the leaked draft, the White House has asserted that "there are many reports and drafts circulating" and that they "do not reflect the current state of negotiations."

Guess we'll have to wait and see if this ceasefire actually happens.

🇦🇫 AFGHANISTAN
Taliban Bans Women From Hearing Other Women's Voices

The Taliban has imposed yet another oppressive decree.

This time, they are banning women from hearing other women's voices while praying. Seriously, what's next—banning women from breathing the same air as other women?

The Latest Decree

The Taliban's acting minister of the Vice and Virtue Ministry announced a new ban on women "hearing other women's voices" during prayer.

• Women are now forbidden from reciting Quranic verses or performing any kind of vocal expressions, even in their own homes (in case they can be heard from outside).

• The ban extends to common Islamic phrases like "subhanallah" (Glory be to Allah), which women are no longer allowed to say out loud.

• This comes on top of existing restrictions that require women to be fully covered and have a male guardian whenever they leave their homes.

• The Taliban claims that these measures are necessary to stop women from "temptation and tempting others.”

Honestly, at this point, why do women even exist in that country? What purpose do they serve? Is it just to bear children?

Crimes Against Humanity?

A UN report found that the Taliban's "system of gender oppression may amount to crimes against humanity."

• The report documented instances of sexual violence, including rape, being used against women arrested by the Taliban.

• UN Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett is set to present the findings to the UN General Assembly on November 1.

• He concluded that the Taliban's treatment of women could be considered "gender persecution," a crime against humanity.

🇲🇽 MEXICO
Ancient Mayan City Discovered

Okay, I just had to include this story here because:

• It’s historically significant

• There’s been so much negative news lately, and we all deserve something to bring us together. I feel like events like this help me connect to our shared ancient history as humans. Is it just me?

📰 What’s the story? A student accidentally stumbled upon a sprawling ancient Mayan city hidden deep in the Mexican forest, complete with pyramids and thousands of undiscovered structures.

The Unexpected Discovery

Luke Auld-Thomas, a PhD candidate at Northern Arizona University, made the remarkable find while analyzing publicly available lidar data.

• The data revealed a buried world, since named "Valeriana," with nearly 6,700 undiscovered Mayan structures.

• This includes pyramids, family homes, and other infrastructure dating back to 250-900 AD.

• The government and scientific community had no prior knowledge of this lost Mayan city.

Lidar Technology Revolutionizes Archaeology

In recent years, researchers have been using lidar scanning to uncover hidden Mayan ruins across the Yucatan peninsula.

• Traditional archaeological surveys only covered a tiny fraction of the region.

• Lidar allows them to analyze vast areas quickly and identify anomalies in the landscape.

• This has led to the discovery of numerous ancient Mayan cities and structures.

Insights into Ancient Urban Planning

Studying the newly discovered Mayan city could provide valuable lessons for modern urban development.

• The city had a "sprawling agricultural patchwork" and "hyperdense" layout.

• Researchers say understanding ancient urban models can help address challenges like rapid population growth.

• The findings challenge assumptions about what ancient Mayan cities looked like.