Israeli paper Haaretz (Lean Left bias) reported on Tuesday that just before Hamas' October 7, 2023, terror attack, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Hamas was planning a major operation against Israel. Netanyahu has since described the report as "false."

The Report: Haaretz said bin Zayed was surprised that Netanyahu reacted calmly when he told him this, and assured him Israel was prepared for any scenario. The paper also reported speaking to "a close adviser to bin Zayed, a Palestinian who had emigrated years ago from Gaza to Abu Dhabi and maintained strong ties in the Strip." The adviser said bin Zayed "explained that, in his assessment, Sinwar was preparing for a major event" and "hoped that despite his reserved response, Netanyahu would take the message seriously and take action."

2023 Political Context: Haaretz reported speaking to a Palestinian official also trusted by Israeli intelligence who said Israel and Gaza were closer than ever to a deal during the summer of 2023 and that the only main thing to be worked out was prisoner exchanges. Haaretz framed this as happening amid "ongoing internal upheaval in Israel." Haaretz wrote, "Netanyahu repeatedly postponed [finalizing the hostage deal]. Perhaps he did so out of fear of reaching an agreement with Hamas, or perhaps out of fear of the reaction from his extremist partners in his new government."

Netanyahu's Response: Netanyahu's office told Haaretz its investigation is an "absolute lie" and that "Netanyahu didn't speak to the president of the UAE during the period in question and received no warning from him." Netanyahu said on behalf of his Likud party that the report was politically motivated and demanded that a criminal investigation be opened into Haaretz, the reporters, and his political opponent Yair Golan and his Democrats party. His office also said, "This is a sinister libel with clear political timing, as part of the left's election campaign, and there will be more such false libels."

UAE Comment: The UAE's Foreign Ministry said it "does not comment on reports or speculations published in the media regarding conversations between government leaders."

Current Political Context: Israel will hold parliamentary elections on October 27. Netanyahu's "right-wing" Likud party has held a significant lead in polls, though in recent months the "centrist" Yashar party has closed the gap, even leading in some polls. Most recently, Netanyahu has called on right-wing leaders Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich to unite their parties since Smotrich's party is currently polling below the threshold of votes needed to enter parliament.

Biden Admin Misinfo?: Haaretz also claimed that immediately after the October 7 attacks, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani told Israel Hamas was ready to release all the hostages it had taken. Israel reportedly did not want to speak to Hamas, so al-Thani then called Biden administration Secretary of State Antony Blinken to request help in mediating a release deal. Haaretz reported that Blinken said "there's no one to talk to" and that he would "speak with Netanyahu personally" in three days. Of the reporting, Blinken wrote on X, "For the record, this is false. Complete fiction."

RELATED: USAID Report Claims Over 100 UNRWA Employees Participated in October 7 Attacks | AllSides

Past Speculation: Haaretz noted that on October 9, 2023, Israeli outlet Ynet reported that one week before the attack, Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel warned Netanyahu that "something fierce will happen from Gaza." One year ago, Haaretz reported that the Nova music festival – where, on October 7, 378 Israelis were killed and 44 were taken hostage – was originally slated to end on October 6 but was permitted to extend to October 7 by the IDF. Haaretz said at the time that the IDF had expressed concern that the festival took place too close to Gaza. Notably, in American media, five days after the October 7 attacks, Charlie Kirk (Right) appeared on the Patrick Bet-David Podcast and questioned why Israel took so long to respond to Hamas' attack. He argued that in the nine months leading up to the attack, Israel was "on the brink of civil war" and framed the attack as a "mandate" for Netanyahu's government to "try to ethnically cleanse Gaza."

RELATED: Israeli Minister Ben Gvir Says He's 'Pleased' With Worsening Conditions for Palestinian Prisoners Ahead of Elections | AllSides

How The Media Covered It: Haaretz's original report was picked up by several major mainstream US publications. NBC News (Lean Left) described it as a "political bombshell." The New York Post (Right) described it similarly in its headline, though as a "bombshell" that Netanyahu "furiously" disputed. Several major outlets also covered Netanyahu's denial and plans to sue Haaretz. In its coverage of this, The Times of Israel (Center) reported that "an Emirati source familiar with the conversation confirmed the Haaretz newspaper's report to The Times of Israel on Tuesday." Haaretz has stood by its reporting.

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An engineer at Anthropic, the company that owns the artificial intelligence (AI) model Claude, resigned and starkly warned the public about the dangers of AI.

The Details: Jacob Coxon performed pre-training research at Anthropic and OpenAI, the owner of ChatGPT, for the last three years. After his resignation, Coxon said that "neither company is acting responsibly" and posted a thread on X, which read, "Do not underestimate the power of this technology. These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources… The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." Another researcher at Anthropic, Evan Hubinger, responded that many researchers "really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans! I personally think it is >10% within the next decade." Hubinger continued, "I believe Anthropic is trying its best, but we do not yet have a plan to solve alignment for superintelligence and are not clearly on track to."

For Context: In July, an AI model by OpenAI allegedly hacked the AI company Hugging Face with no human direction. Anthropic and Meta also acknowledged that some of their own AI models had carried out rogue hacks. A bill called the "AI Kill Switch Act" that would give Congress the authority to turn off AI models that threaten the public was introduced to the House of Representatives after the Hugging Face hacking incident, according to CBS News (Lean Left bias).

How the Media Covered It: Fortune (Center) wrote that both Anthropic and OpenAI "seem to be struggling to find the right balance between prioritizing safety research—and public messaging about AI safety—and prioritizing model development." Fortune also noted calls to action from several AI employees, including Coxon, who asked, "If you are a lab researcher, I urge you to consider what the next few years will actually feel like. Should you put your head down because 'it's happening anyway'—or take this moment to call for different conditions?" New York Post (Lean Right) highlighted an X thread from one of Anthropic's safety experts, Samuel Marks, who wrote, "I work on safety research at Anthropic because I hope my work will reduce the chance of these extinction-level bad outcomes." CBS noted that the notion that AI has the potential to threaten humanity "is not new," and "many top executives within both OpenAI and Anthropic have stated as much in the past."

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One year after conservative commentator Charlie Kirk's death, media outlets across the political spectrum are reflecting on his impact, the future of Turning Point USA and where campus speech stands today.

For Context: Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10 at Utah Valley University. Tyler Robinson is accused of killing Kirk after allegedly firing a rifle from a rooftop near the Turning Point USA "Prove Me Wrong" campus event that Kirk was speaking at. Robinson pleaded not guilty of several charges in connection with the assassination, including aggravated murder, on Sept. 1.

From Conservative Commentators: Fox News (Right bias) shared interviews with Ben Shapiro (Right), Michael Knowles (Right) and Turning Point reporter Savanah Hernandez who reflected on Kirk's death and shifts in violence and "potentially antagonistic audiences" following the incident, specifically from the left. Knowles called Kirk's death the "apotheosis of a decade of leftist threats and violence against conservatives" while Shapiro said it seemed the "permission structures for violence have become commonplace in American public life."

The Meme-ification of Kirk: An opinion for The Intercept (Left) focused on the memes that've followed Kirk's death, including the AI-generated song, "We are Charlie Kirk" and insertions of his face into popular movies and video games. The writer argued, "The ridicule comes as a product of the American right's insistence that Kirk's violent death be taken seriously," and noted instances where the Trump administration attempted to crack down on these memes. They said the attempts to memorialize Kirk have "failed spectacularly" and that "One year after Kirk's killing, the conservative movement has descended into in-fighting," while Turning Point has "no heir apparent to energize young conservatives."

What's Next for Turning Point: Other outlets on the left also focused Turning Point's role leading up to the midterms. The Washington Post (Lean Left) emphasized challenges that the GOP faces with young voters and wrote that "Republicans are bracing for losses." It reported that the organization was in "good financial shape," despite undergoing challenges like finding another leader and dealing with "a proliferation of conspiracy theories about Kirk's death," including those fueled by "onetime allies including Candace Owens." Wired (Left) wrote that Turning Point is expected to spend tens of millions of ads and turnout ahead of the midterms, with a focus on New Hampshire, Arizona and Nevada.

Speech on Campus: Many outlets cited a FIRE (Center) report that showed 121 of the 261 colleges surveyed (46%) received "F" grades when it came to promoting free expression on campus. The Washington Times (Lean Right) quoted FIRE's chief researcher who said Kirk's assassination has negatively impacted speech on campus and cited responses from both liberal and conservative students who said threats of violence, like Kirk's shooting, kept them from sharing their views. Opinion writers in the Wall Street Journal (Center) called the findings "troubling." The writers argued, "If our free society is to function at all, it must never be considered OK to stop Kirk from spreading his message with the ultimate heckler's veto: a bullet." 

In an opinion for Fox News, University President Dr. Kent Ingle argued Kirk didn't take open debate away from colleges; the role of maintaining dialogue was up to higher education, and "We vacated it." Ingle wrote, "We taught a generation that disagreement is a form of injury, then acted surprised when they began treating a speaker as a threat." He highlighted speaker events hosted on his campus, Southeastern University, and urged university leaders to "Adopt a real free expression policy." Ingle concluded by saying, "[Kirk] should not have needed the tent. The room was ours. It is time we starting using it for what it was built for." 

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British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband announced that the United Kingdom will join France and Canada in blocking imports of products from Israeli settlements in the West Bank in defense of a two-state solution to the conflict in the Gaza region.

The Details: Miliband said, "Our argument is not with the people of Israel, with whom the U.K. has unshakeable bonds; our argument is with the conduct of its government." He told members of Parliament, "The British government agrees that there is ethnic cleansing of Palestinians in areas of the West Bank, perpetrated by settler terrorists." NPR (Lean Left bias) noted that "measures announced today are understood to be limited but symbolically significant," with the government expected to target goods specifically originating from the Israeli settlements rather than Israeli products as a whole.

For Context: The UK made this announcement in conjunction with Canada and France, joining Ireland, Spain, Norway, and others, who have also taken steps to restrict trade on goods produced in the West Bank. The countries released a statement together that said, "Together, we are resolute: the two-state solution must be protected, and we will take action in pursuit of a just and lasting peace." Reuters (Center) reported that Israel's government "is ​financing some of the West Bank's most radical settlers, who use illegal outpost farms to displace Palestinians."

Response in the US: Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, called the move "irrational" and told BBC (Center), "I don't understand what it's supposed to achieve. If the U.K. is really interested in dealing with issues they feel like are wrong, where are the sanctions against North Korea, China, and Russia?"

How the Media Covered It: Both Reuters and NPR highlighted the symbolic nature of the trade ban, as products from the West Bank represent a very small portion of Israel's exports. Both outlets mentioned the criticism from Huckabee but focused largely on statements from participating countries about the importance of peace in the region and a two-state solution that recognizes Palestine. Fox News (Right) noted that the UK's decision could "create an early point of friction" between President Donald Trump and the UK's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, as Trump has strongly backed Israel. Fox also included a social media post from Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, which translates to "We will not be a doormat for an antisemitic government in a country occupied by radical Islam that is trying to escape economic and social collapse by attacking Jews and the State of Israel. The British Mandate in Israel is over."

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After Canadian tariffs took effect on roughly $20 billion of US goods on Tuesday, President Trump has issued an import ban on Canadian dairy products, large motorcycles, and alcoholic beverages, and a 50% tariff on additional goods.

The Details: The new tariffs will take effect on September 15, and the import bans will take effect on September 29.

Trade Context: After tensions escalated earlier this year between the two countries, in July, the Trump administration announced a 50% tariff on $20 billion worth of various Canadian imports set for August 19th, arguing that the US experienced "trade discrimination" from Canada. Then in August, right before the deadline, the two countries almost reached a deal, but it ultimately fell through, prompting Canada to go ahead with its retaliatory tariffs. Most recently, President Trump has stirred controversy with Canada by signing an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to Lake America.

RELATED: US-Canada Tensions Rise Amid Brewing 'Trade War' | AllSides

US Position: US trade ambassador Jamieson Greer said, "After weeks of good faith and intensive efforts between U.S. and Canadian negotiators, Canada walked away from a near-final trade deal that offered better treatment than any other trading partner, and instead Canada chose to embark on senseless retaliation against the United States. Today's action… is a natural consequence of Canada's continued discriminatory treatment of crucial American... President Trump will continue to leverage the tools at his disposal to defend the interests of American workers and exporters, and restore reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships."

CAN Position: Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada is "assessing" Trump's latest move and that Canada's "first priority remains on protecting and supporting Canadian workers, farmers, families, and businesses from these unjustified actions." He added that he is "in contact with Ambassador Greer" and that "when the United States is ready to engage in dialogue, our government will work in good faith and constructively toward establishing safer and mutually beneficial trade relations that fully respect Canadian sovereignty."

How The Media Covered It: As has been the case with previous developments in the US-Canada trade saga, outlets from the left and center more prominently noted the depth of the US-Canada trade relationship and potential consequences, though outlets across the spectrum have noted concerns. Axios (Lean Left bias) concluded in its news coverage, "The two economies are so deeply intertwined that escalating trade tensions could run into political and economic limits." Fox Business (Lean Right) concluded, "Neither government has indicated when formal trade negotiations will resume, leaving uncertainty over whether the latest restrictions represent another negotiating tactic or a longer-term shift in North American trade relations." German state broadcaster DW News (Center) included a section that said with his recent maneuvers, President Trump has "pushed Ottawa to explore a deeper relationship with the European Union."

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A US appellate court on Friday determined that the federal constitution doesn't guarantee a right to clean water.

The Details: In a 10-5 vote, the court concluded that there are no clearly established rights to clean drinking water and that public officials aren't required to provide accurate information about water quality under the 14th Amendment. The decision upholds a lower court's dismissal of a 2022 lawsuit from Jackson, Mississippi residents who claimed the contaminated water they were drinking violated their bodily integrity under the 14th Amendment's due process clause. 

2022 Lawsuit: In 2022, several residents of Jackson, Mississippi sued over the quality and safety of the city's drinking water, arguing that the city falsely claimed the water was safe to drink despite it having high levels of lead and other contaminants. The lawsuit said that the water supply had been "neglected for decades" and argued that "access to clean, poison-free water is a fundamental human right." 

How the Media Covered It: USA Today (Lean Left bias) quoted Judge Kurt Engelhardt, who wrote the majority opinion, saying the judges were "skeptical" that the Plaintiffs' argument "fits within the right to bodily integrity" and that there was no existing precedent to go off of. Mother Jones (Left) also quoted Engelhardt, but emphasized he was a Trump-appointed judge and framed him as a central figure behind the decision. The outlet wrote that the ruling comes as "the Trump administration moves to weaken clean-water-related protections." Reason (Center) said there might be an opportunity for the Supreme Court to review the case, however "it is difficult to see the [Court] being any more sympathetic" than the appellate court. AllSides didn't find coverage from the right.

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