The first senior Biden official confirms: Famine is underway in Gaza

The MoJo Daily newsletter, Monday through Friday. [View in browser]( [Support our nonprofit journalism]( [Mother Jones Daily Newsletter](     April 11, 2024 For months, Palestinians in Gaza have experienced catastrophic hunger, [eating animal feed and boiling weeds]( to survive Israel's military campaign. Now, at least one US official is publicly confirming that [famine has officially arrived]( in northern Gaza. That's the word from Samantha Power, the head of USAID, who told the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday that officials have seen "credible" evidence that famine is underway. Power also told Congress that [one in three children in Gaza]( is suffering from acute malnutrition from the war—a rate all but certain to worsen with Israel's unrelenting assault. You might recall that Power wrote A Problem From Hell, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2003 for its searing look at the US's historic failures at preventing genocide. My colleagues Noah Lanard and Julianne McShane have a terrific piece comparing [Power's clear-eyed view of America's role]( in stopping genocide and the role she has today in the Biden administration. It had me wondering, with genuine interest, how Power manages to square away her previous beliefs with Gaza's devastation, much of it done with US weapons. Which isn't to say that I doubt her nobility; I don't, not even for a minute. But you've got to wonder if Power privately disagrees with the president's stance on this war. And if so, what would it take for the president to listen? —Inae Oh Advertisement [Dignity Not Debt]( [Top Story] [Top Story]( [Samantha Power Confirms Famine Is Likely Underway In Parts of Gaza]( Power's Pulitzer-prize winning book on US failures to stop genocides once celebrated the power of public resignation. BY NOAH LANARD AND JULIANNE MCSHANE FROM MOTHER JONES   Mother Jones and Grist team up for an Earth Week event! Join Mother Jones, Grist, and the Tishman Environment and Design Center at The New School on April 23 at 7:30 p.m. ET as leaders in the environmental justice space discuss equity, infrastructure, jobs, and the urban energy transition. Featuring the “father of environmental justice,” Dr. Robert Bullard (Texas Southern University, Bullard Center for Environmental & Climate Justice), Jade Begay (Indigenous rights advocate and climate researcher), and Leah Thomas (intersectional environmentalist), we’ll dig into the issues, opportunities, and solutions driving an equitable transformation for America. For tickets, click this [link](. [Trending] [America's 806 billionaires are now richer than half the population combined—a lot richer]( BY MICHAEL MECHANIC   [Can Maine lead the way to a future without forever chemicals?]( BY BRIDGET HUBER; PHOTOGRAPHY BY TRISTAN SPINSKI   [It’s no secret our tax system punishes low-income people. It doesn't have to.]( BY MAYA SRIKRISHNAN AND ASHLEY CLARKE   [Utilities use customers' money to advance fossil fuels. This coalition aims to stop them.]( BY DHARNA NOOR Advertisement [Dignity Not Debt]( [Special Feature] [Special Feature]( [Ruben Gallego’s battle against Kari Lake could decide the fate of the Senate—and our democracy]( No pressure. BY ABBY VESOULIS MOTHER JONES MEMBERSHIP UPDATE   An important update on our finances We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals—and we can’t sustain coming up short on [donations]( month after month. It is [impossibly hard]( in the news business right now, and the [crisis]( facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. Neither is Mother Jones. Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and [joined forces]( with the Center for Investigative Reporting, which creates the amazing podcast and public radio show [Reveal]( and other investigative projects. It’s going to be hard making it all work, and we simply can’t afford to fall behind our fundraising targets month after month. If you can part with even just a few bucks, [please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today](. And thank you so much to everyone who recently has. We’re grateful. [Donate]( Did you enjoy this newsletter? Share it on [Facebook]( and [Twitter](. [Mother Jones]( [Donate]( [Donate Monthly]( [Subscribe]( This message was sent to {EMAIL}. To change the messages you receive from us, you can [edit your email preferences]( or [unsubscribe from all mailings.]( For advertising opportunities see our online [media kit.]( Were you forwarded this email? [Sign up for Mother Jones' newsletters today.]( [www.MotherJones.com]( PO Box 8539, Big Sandy, TX 75755