Gaza Post-War Plans, Ohio Prosecutor Misconduct, Comer Shell Company

Who's supposed to run Gaza when the war is over?

It's hard to imagine when thousands are dying and much of the region is rubble. U.S, Israel and Palestinians disagree on who should take charge of what remains.

I'm Steve Inskeep with Leila Fadl and this is up first from NPR News.

You'll find other jurisdictions in America which are equally shocking.

Also, one of the lawmakers investigating Hunter Biden faces questions of his own. House. Republicans highlighted shell companies linked with the president's son. The Associated Press reports that the head of a House committee has a shell company, too. What's going on? Stay with us.

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On the Ted Radio Hour, MIT psychologist Sherry Turkle, her latest research into the intimate relationships people are having with chatbots. Technologies that say, I care about you, I love you, I'm here for you, take care of me. The pros and Cons of artificial intimacy. That's on the Ted Radio Hour from NPR.

Apparently, it's hard for outside powers to imagine, too. The United States and Israel publicly disagree over who should run the territory next. President Biden's national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, is in the region, discussing that with Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

On the question of what happens in Gaza once the military operation are complete? The Israeli government has indicated that it does not have a long-term plan to occupy Gaza. And that, ultimately, the control of Gaza, the administration of Gaza and the security of Gaza has to transition to the Palestinians.

Transition to the Palestinians, that's the tricky part. The U.S wants to hand the territory to the Palestinian Authority, which runs other Palestinian land, while Israelis do not.

Let's turn to NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv for more Good morning Daniel.

Good morning Leila.

So tell us more about the proposals that are being discussed for what happens to Gaza and the Palestinians who live in Gaza when this war is over?

A lot of proposals being floated, but no real clear plan. The U.S has laid out three main topics. Who is going to be in charge of reconstruction of Gaza, all of the infrastructure and homes, and the extensive damage after the war? Who will be in charge of security?

So if Israel says the internationally recognized Palestinian leadership is out, then who's left to run Gaza and do Palestinians get a say here?

You know? Palestinian leaders say that any discussion of the future of Gaza should ensure a light at the end of the tunnel and an independent Palestinian state. A political solution to this long-running conflict? And Biden's top national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, is meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today in the occupied West Bank. Which just shows that the U.S does not want to sideline the current Palestinian leadership right now.

Now, before any of this can happen, any proposal can be implemented, the war has to end. Do we know how much longer this is going to go on?

Well, Israel and the U.

NPR's Daniel Estrin in Tel Aviv Thank you for your reporting, Daniel.

You're welcome.

Criminal prosecutors across Ohio broke rules in the courtroom that are supposed to protect the rights of defendants on trial, all in an effort to get convictions.

That's the finding of an examination by NPR News and Columbia Journalism Investigations.

NPR correspondent Cheryl W. Thompson is here to give us the details. Hi, Cheryl.

Good morning.

Good morning, So what did your investigation uncover?

So we found that scores of prosecutors across Ohio had violated standards meant to preserve a defendant's civil rights in criminal trials. We analyzed four years worth of state appellate court decisions and found improper conduct by those prosecutors. Including things like failing to disclose evidence or making inappropriate comments to the jury in closing arguments. But we also found that 13 of them did so more than once, and none of them was disciplined by the state Supreme Court. In fact, two of those prosecutors are now judges.

These standards are there to ensure people get fair trials, right? So that didn't happen here.

In the cases, we found Laila No. We reported on one case of a man facing six counts of abduction for taking his own grandchildren over the holidays. And the judge later questioning why he was even charged. But at trial, the prosecutor misstated the legal standard required for conviction and the man was found guilty. And that prosecutor, according to our investigation, has been cited seven times by appellate judges for improper conduct. Of course, that's not how the system is supposed to work.

Winning at all costs isn't the answer.

We have to defend not just the victims, but we defend the defendants too, because they're part of the system.

We have to make sure that their rights are not trampled in the process.

Now your investigation focused on one place over a period of four years. Is there evidence, though, that this is a problem that's more widespread?

Right, our investigation focused on Ohio, but there are cases of it happening elsewhere. Here's Bennett Gershman, a former prosecutor who now teaches at Pace University Law School in New York. He called the pattern of prosecutors acting improperly in cases in Ohio a microcosm of the criminal justice system in states across the country. Once you start focusing on these prosecutors, you can learn a lot about the prosecutorial psychology, mentality, and why prosecutors engage in unethical behavior, and why they consistently get away with it.

NPR Investigative correspondent Cheryl W. Thompson, Thank you for your reporting, Cheryl.

You're welcome.

And you can find more on this story at NPR.

Shell companies sounds ominous, a firm that is often created to hide someone's ownership or financial interest in a property. Now, the Associated Press reports that a leading investigator of the Bidens is connected with a Shell company. The AP bases its findings on interviews and records involving real estate in James Comer's home state of Kentucky. Comer has denied the characterization in an interview on Fox. To say that it's a Shell company is either a complete lie that some editor and publisher.

Allowed the AP to do? Or it's a perfect example of financial illiteracy.

I'm joined now by Brian Slodisco, the AP reporter who wrote that story. Good morning.

Good morning, thanks for having me.

So, Brian, we just heard Comer there, dismissing your story outright. Tell us what you did uncover about his business assets in Kentucky and the sources behind it.

Right, well, what's important to understand about James Comer is that he is a vast landowner in his home county in southern Kentucky. He owns about 16,000 acres of land. And all of those, he painstakingly details on his congressional financial disclosures, which all members of Congress are required to submit. That is, except this. Six acres of land he co-owns with a donor and are held through a limited liability company called Farm Team Properties.

So what potential violations of House rules or campaign finance rules, or any rules is Comer violating if this is all true?

Well, in this case, all members of Congress are required to reveal any asset they hold in a shell company or a limited liability company if its value is greater than $1,000.

Now, James Comer is leading this probe into Hunter Biden. And the big takeaway in your story is that the accusations that are being leveled against President Biden's son are very similar to what you've reported on Comer. If you could talk about that.

Yeah, well. He has accused Hunter Biden of using various companies of his to collect money for legal services or consulting fees. And the reality is that the company that he has is structured and functions in a very similar way. And it enables Comer to, in this case, avoid disclosure of the assets that he holds.

How are other lawmakers responding to what you found? We certainly heard what Comer thinks.

Well, I mean, in the hyper-partisan atmosphere of Washington, it falls out along pretty predictable lines, but Democrats have tutted comer over this. They've said, well, well, what do we have here? And so that has provoked a response from them, just because they feel like it's a case where the pot is calling the kettle black.

AP reporter Brian Slodisko on his reporting Thank you so much for your time.

Thank you for having me.

And that's up first for Friday, December 15th. I'm Laila Faulding.

And I'm Steve Inskeep. Today's episode of Up First was edited by Michael Sullivan, Robert Little, Alice Wolfley and Olivia Hampton. It was produced by Katie Klein, David West and Lindsay Toddy. We get engineering support from Stacey Abbott, and our technical director is Zach Coleman. Join us here tomorrow.

And Don't Forget Up First airs on Saturday, too. Ayesha Roscoe and Scott Simon have the news. It'll be here in this feed.