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Tuesday, October 17, 2023

Israel Evacuates Citizens Living Near Lebanon Border

Fox News: The Israel Defense Forces announced they will be evacuating 28 communities along the northern border with Lebanon. Northern Israeli residents who live in the area up to 1.2 miles, from the Lebanese border will be evacuated to state-funded guesthouses. As cross-border fire between Israel and the Iran-backed terror group Hezbollah in Lebanon has increased in recent days, the plan to move Israelis will be implemented by the heads of the local municipalities. Hezbollah released video showing snipers shooting out cameras on several Israeli army posts along the border that had been monitoring movements on the Lebanese side (Fox News). Times of Israel: Opening Israel’s wartime Knesset session in the midst of rocket barrages aimed at Jerusalem and elsewhere on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Hezbollah and Iran, urging them to stay on the sidelines of the fighting, as the Israel Defense Forces prepares to launch a ground operation in the Gaza Strip in its bid to uproot Hamas. Calling on the world to unite to join Israel’s push to defeat Hamas, Netanyahu issued a stark warning to the Hezbollah terror group and its Iranian backers, saying: “Don’t try us, you will be severely harmed” (Times of Israel).

Michael Oren: Instead of the Ground Assault in Gaza, Israel Should First Deal with Hezbollah

Michael Oren: Today, Israel faces a multi-front challenge and needs to make strategic decisions regarding the priority of different areas. Contrary to the prevailing opinion that ground forces should be sent into Gaza, I believe that the northern front against Hezbollah should take precedence. A golden opportunity to act Hamas cannot escape anywhere; it is trapped within Gaza, which can be sealed off gradually, and the air force can strike it at any time without significant hindrance. Rooting out Hamas can be done at a later stage. On the other hand, Hezbollah has a vast geographic area and open supply lines. In terms of military capabilities, the organization poses a much greater threat than Hamas, including hundreds of thousands of missiles (some with precision capabilities) and many experienced fighters with combat experience in Syria. As long as Hezbollah remains unchallenged, it will continue to pose an intolerable strategic threat to the State of Israel (Israelhayom). Israeli Defense Force: The IDF is currently striking Hezbollah terrorist targets in Lebanon (X).

Florida Governor DeSantis Helps 270 Americans Evacuate Israel

National Review: Florida governor and presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis welcomed a plane of 270 American evacuees, including 91 children, back from Israel on Sunday evening. DeSantis signed an executive order last week authorizing the Florida Division of Emergency Management to carry out “logistical, rescue and evacuation operations” for Florida residents who are in Israel. The state partnered with Project Dynamo, a veteran-run coalition, to charter the first rescue flight to return to the U.S. “I am proud of how quickly we have been able to activate resources and do what the federal government could not — get Floridians and other Americans back home, reunited with their families, free of charge,” DeSantis said in a statement. Commercial airlines have canceled hundreds of flights out of Israel as Hamas wages war against Israeli civilians (National Review). Axios: The number of Americans killed by Hamas in the attack on Israel climbed to 30, the State Department said on Sunday. At least 13 U.S. citizens are unaccounted for. Florida officials estimate about 20,000 U.S. citizens remain in Israel without the means to return home (Axios).

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer Asks Special Council Robert Hur to Share Documents Related to Biden’s Foreign Business Dealings

National Review: House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer sent a letter Monday to special counsel Robert Hur, who is investigating President Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, asking that he turn over any documents related to the Biden family’s extensive foreign business dealings. The letter comes after Hur interviewed Biden last week. The White House Counsel Office said a “voluntary interview was conducted at the White House over two days” last week. Comer writes that the committee is “concerned that President Biden may have retained sensitive documents related to specific countries involving his family’s foreign business.” The Biden family and its business associates received millions of dollars from oligarchs in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine while Joe Biden was vice president, according to bank records obtained by the House Oversight Committee (National Review). Just the News: Biden has not been charged since classified documents were found on several occasions from November 2022 through January 2023 at his former office in Washington, D.C., as well as at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, but he was interviewed for several days earlier this month in the probe (Just the News).

Governor Newsom Signs Bill Permitting Mexican Residents Near the Border to Pay In-State Tuition at Community Colleges

Townhall: California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law last week that gives certain Mexican residents access to in-state tuition rates. Low-income Mexican students who live within 45 miles of the state’s border will be allowed to attend some community colleges in southern California at a cost of $1,246, compared to the out-of-state rate of $6,603. According to the Sacramento Bee, approximately 7,000 students cross the California-Mexico border each day. Assemblyman David Alvarez, who authored the proposal, argued the measure is necessary because some students might be U.S. citizens living across the border due to the cost of living in California (Townhall). Fox News: The California bill took a note from a decades-old Texas law, allowing students living near its border to also waive nonresident tuition. Under the California law, 150 students at the eight partner community colleges — all in San Diego and the Imperial Valley — will get a “nonresident fee exemption.” Alvarez noted that “California tends to lead” the nation on many issues, but in this area Texas was ahead of curve, having graduated more than 70,000 students through the program so far (Fox News).

Biden Wants to Run Again in 2024 to Achieve World Peace

Bizpac Review: As the White House has continually touted Bidenomics to the American people, it came as little surprise that on the brink of a third World War the president was spinning up success. During a sit-down Thursday for the latest edition of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” Scott Pelley summed up the state of disaster as he challenged the certainty of a 2024 bid. “Mr. President, given these two wars and the dysfunction in Congress, are you sure that you want to run again?” he asked, noting both the declaration of war by Israel after the terror attack from Hamas and the roughly 20 months of fighting between Ukraine and Russia (Bizpac Review). RNC Research: “Are you sure that you want to run again?” Biden says yes because he thinks he’ll achieve world peace. He does not mention the American people (X). Congressman Wesley Hunt: The world under Joe Biden: Afghanistan fell and 13 service members died. Putin invaded Ukraine. China plans to move on Taiwan. Israel is under attack. I would like to remind the American people: under 4 years of Donald Trump we had world peace. Putin didn’t invade a country, China was not moving against Taiwan, Afghanistan didn’t collapse, we had the The Abraham Accords, and 13 service members were still alive. This is an issue of world peace. In 2024, choose wisely (X).

Judge Issues Gag Order on President Trump Preventing Him from Targeting Special Counsel Jack Smith

National Review: U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan issued a limited gag order on Monday, banning Donald Trump from making public statements that target special counsel Jack Smith, the prosecutor in the January 6 case, or “any other court personnel.” Trump’s lawyer, John Lauro accused prosecutors of seeking to “censor a political candidate in the middle of a campaign,” but Chutkan said that Trump “does not have a right to say and do exactly as he pleases.” Lauro plans to appeal the order. Trump’s right to free speech, she added, doesn’t give him the right to “vilify and implicitly encourage violence against public servants who are simply doing their jobs.” Chutkan’s order comes weeks after a New York City judge placed Trump under a similar gag rule, after the president made “disparaging” comments about a court clerk on his Truth Social platform (National Review). J.D. Vance: Just a direct assault on the First Amendment. Disgraceful. Something that should be appealed as quickly as possible all the way to the Supreme Court (X).

Federal Judge Maintains Georgia’s Election Integrity Act

Just the News: A federal judge has upheld Georgia’s Election Integrity Act, marking the second time in a year that a court affirmed the law in the face of Democrat allegations the state’s voter ID requirement is racist. U.S. District Judge J.P. Boulee, a Trump appointee for the Northern District of Georgia, last week rejected an effort by the U.S. Justice Department to stop portions of the state’s Election Integrity Act, which Georgia passed in 2021, from being enforced. The Justice Department had asked the court to stop various portions of the Election Integrity Act from going into effect, including regulations on absentee ballot drop boxes, an ID requirement for absentee ballot applications and a ban on line warming, where voters are provided food and water as they wait to cast their ballots (Just the News). Associated Press: The voting advocacy and civil rights groups expressed disappointment in Boulee’s ruling, which means the challenged provisions of the law will remain in effect for the 2024 election cycle. But they pointed out that it was a preliminary decision and said they will continue to fight (Associated Press).

Governor Newsom Makes it Far More Difficult for Public Schools to Suspend Students for Behavioral Issues

Newsom just removed most authority a teacher has in a classroom. CBS: By July of next year, it will be illegal for public schools in California to suspend students for low-level behavior issues after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation banning “willful defiance” suspensions among TK through 12th grade students throughout the state. Newsom approved Senate Bill 274, which takes effect July 1, 2024. Under SB 274, introduced by state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, willful defiance suspensions are barred in grades 6-12, with a sunset of July 1, 2029, in all California public schools. According to Skinner’s office, SB 274 builds on Skinner’s 2019 legislation, Senate Bill 419, which was signed into law by Newsom and permanently banned willful defiance suspensions in grades TK to 5 and prohibited them in grades 6 to 8 until 2025 (CBS). Guardian: The new law, signed by the governor, Gavin Newsom could represent a model for how other states approach reforming disciplinary practices, which disproportionately affect Black and Latino students, as well as those with disabilities and those from low-income backgrounds. Black students accounted for 14% of willful defiance suspensions by the end of the 2021-22 school year, even as they made up just 5% of students across the state. Latino students, who account for 55% of students in California, received 57% of willful defiance suspensions (Guardian).

10.

One of Taylor Swift’s Bodyguards Flew Back Home to Israel to Rejoin the IDF in Their War Against Hamas

Jerusalem Post: One of Taylor Swift’s bodyguards on her Eras Tour might have been humming her hit song, “Look What You Made Me Do,” to Hamas as the Israeli-born security agent headed home and back to his army unit, to fight for the IDF in the wake of the terror attack. The guard, who preferred not to give his name, said, “I have a pretty great life in the US, a dream job, great friends, and a comfortable home. I didn’t have to come here, but I couldn’t stand by while families were slaughtered and burned alive in their homes. Don’t stand by and do nothing. Don’t be on the wrong side of history” (Jerusalem Post). Inbar Cohen: Taylor Swift’s Israeli security guard, a former IDF soldier, flew to Israel to volunteer in the reserve duty! Well done (X)!