Your First Look at Today's Top Stories

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Sponsored By

DaybreakInsider.com

Friday, October 20, 2023

IDF Receives Green Light to Enter Gaza, Root Out Terrorist Groups

Daily Wire: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has the “green light” to enter Gaza to eradicate the Islamic terrorists responsible for murdering 1,400+ Israelis in a terrorist attack last weekend. Economy Minister Nir Barakat said that the IDF was given the “green light” to enter Gaza and that their primary objective is to find all the terrorists and to “wipe them out” … “even if it takes a year.” There are approximately 200 hostages being kept inside Gaza by terrorists from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Those two terror groups are estimated to have approximately 50,000 fighters total. Barakat said that Israel would turn Hamas’ underground terrorist tunnel into the “world’s biggest cemetery” (Daily Wire). ABC: Humanitarian groups have urged Israel to call off the evacuation and urged a cease-fire, even as the country has asserted a right to defend itself, a right the U.S. endorses (ABC).

Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Calls for Ceasefire in Israel, Two-State Solution

National Review: Chinese president Xi Jinping has come out in support of an immediate Israel-Hamas ceasefire, breaking from Western leaders who have visited the Jewish state this week to voice their full-throated support for Israel’s efforts to neutralize the terror group. To prevent the conflict from escalating further, Chinese officials have said they were willing to work with Egypt and its Arab allies to come to a resolution. Xi also said both sides compromising on establishing an independent state for Palestinians is the “fundamental way out” (National Review). CNN: Hours before Biden landed in Israel, Russia’s Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing for the Belt and Road Forum. The diplomatically isolated leader was received as a guest of honor, seated next to Xi and speaking directly after him at the opening ceremony ahead of three hours of bilateral talks. China and Russia have both called for a ceasefire in the spiraling conflict and have declined to explicitly condemn Hamas (CNN).

U.S. Embassy Urges Americans to Evacuate Lebanon

Katie Pavlich: The U.S. Embassy in Beirut is warning Americans to leave the country after issuing a “do not travel” advisory earlier in the week. The warning comes as Iranian backed Hezbollah continues to launch rocket attacks on Israeli civilians. The official government of Lebanon is controlled by the group (Townhall). OSINTdefender: At least 20 Rockets have been launched so far from Southern Lebanon into Israel within the last few minutes (X). Reporter Joe Truzman: Hezbollah says it attacked an IDF post with guided missiles (X).

Boston City Council Member Describes Hamas as a “militant group”

Boston Herald: A Boston city councilor’s description of the Hamas terrorist organization as a “militant group” and characterization of the attack that killed over 1,400 Israelis, among them women, children and babies, as a “military operation” has sparked outrage at City Hall. The resolution filed by Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson calling for de-escalation and a cease-fire in Israel and “occupied Palestine” was introduced at a Wednesday City Council meeting in response to one filed earlier in the week by Councilor Michael Flaherty, who wanted to condemn “Hamas and their brutal terrorist acts against Israel.” “To call them a militant group that launched a massive military operation is completely absurd and disgusting,” Flaherty told the Herald. “That wasn’t a military operation. That was a terrorist attack — and it was the worst barbaric aggression towards innocent Jewish people since the Holocaust.” Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada and the European Union (Boston Herald). RNC Research: Democrat Rep. Rashida Tlaib, an unhinged antisemite, goes after Biden and her fellow Democrats: “A lot of people are not gonna forget this! It’s not a threat — it isn’t” (X).

House GOP Looking to Subpoena Former Iran Special Envoy Robert Malley

New York Post: House Republicans are preparing to subpoena the State Department for documents about the suspension of Robert Malley — and compel testimony from the former Iran special envoy after his security clearance was quietly revoked earlier this year. The House Oversight Committee is requesting information and a personal interview with Malley to determine the circumstances under which he was placed on unpaid leave. The Oversight Committee is also asking for information about a security clearance granted to one of Malley’s advisers, Ariane Tabatabai, who participated in a program with Tehran’s Foreign Ministry to influence nuclear negotiations with the US (New York Post). Senator Ted Cruz: Rob Malley, Biden’s Special Envoy to Iran, appointed Iranian operatives to key positions in the US government. Democrats have yet to allow the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold a hearing about this. This is disgraceful (X).

UC Davis Professor Threatens to Kill Jews in Homes, School

Mediaite: A UC Davis assistant professor sparked an outcry and demands for her firing over inflammatory comments appearing to threaten “zionist” journalists and their families amid the Israel-Hamas war. Jemma Decristo, an assistant professor of American studies at University of California, Davis, wrote in a post last week on X that “Zionist journalists” spread “propaganda & misinformation.” She followed that up with an apparent threat to those journalists and their families, as well as three different emojis: a knife, an ax, and blood droplets (Mediaite). Heritage Foundation Research Fellow Jason Bedrick: Hey UCDavis, do you think it’s appropriate that one of your faculty advisors, Jemma, is publicly threatening to murder Jews at their homes and their children at their schools (X)? Carol Platt Liebau: Many on campus are impervious to the facts. It all highlights just how deep the moral rot has grown at what used to be our institutions of “higher learning” (Townhall Review).

FTC to Consider Reinstituting Net Neutrality Regulation

Washington Examiner: The Federal Communications Commission voted to consider a proposed rule to reestablish Obama-era “net neutrality” rules. The FCC voted 3-2 on Thursday in favor of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would reestablish the FCC’s authority to pursue net neutrality, which is the requirement that internet service providers do not discriminate based on the source or destination of data, by classifying providers as common carriers under Title 2 of the Communications Act, meaning they could be regulated more heavily as if they were telecommunications providers (Washington Examiner). CNBC: Now that the commission voted to approve the notice of proposed rulemaking, the public will get a chance to comment on the proposal. After that, the agency will read and consider feedback from the public in crafting a final rule (CNBC).

Biden Softens Sanctions on Venezuela’s Oil Industry

Fox Business: The Biden administration agreed to ease Trump-era sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industry Wednesday, after the country’s leaders signed an electoral roadmap agreement expected to lead to more democratic elections in 2024. The Venezuelan government — led by socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro — signed the agreement, and in turn, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued four general licenses suspending some, but not all the sanctions imposed under the Trump administration in 2019. The sanctions were lifted as fighting in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas continued, putting oil prices and supply in jeopardy (Fox Business). Daily Wire: The announcement also comes after Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced a bill that would ban the purchase of fossil fuels from Venezuela and Iran. “The idea of importing oil from our adversaries is a complete slap in the face of working Americans,” Cramer said. Gas prices have remained high since Biden took office as Saudi Arabia has cut oil production, and the war in Ukraine has hurt supply. At the same time, Biden has slashed approvals of new leases for gas and funneled billions toward a “transition” to green energy (Daily Wire).

Former Campaign Attorney for Trump Sidney Powell Pleads Guilty in Georgia Election Interference Case

Sidney Powell. Washington Examiner: Former President Donald Trump 2020 election campaign attorney Sidney Powell pleaded guilty to criminal charges as part of a deal with Fulton County prosecutors in the Georgia 2020 election subversion case. Her “guilty” plea came Thursday morning during a livestreamed court hearing, just days before a criminal trial is slated for Oct. 23 with co-defendant Kenneth Chesebro. Prosecutors agreed to diminish her seven felony counts to six misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to commit intentional interference with performance of election duties (Washington Examiner). Ed Morrissey: Note that the agreement requires her to “testify truthfully” against all her co-defendants, as well as to refrain from media appearances until the end of the trials. Needless to say, that’s a stunning reversal for Powell, who seemed at one time to be the truest of True Believers in Stop the Steal. Willis clearly calculated the broad RICO indictment to flip some of the defendants against Trump, but Powell is likely the closest possible figure to the former president in this indictment, save Rudy Giuliani and Mark Meadows. And we know that Powell and Giuliani worked closely together on election issues (HotAir).

10.

Maxim Lists Biological Male in “Hottest 100 Women” List

Daily Wire: Maxim magazine named a biological male and former Australian rules football player, Danielle Laidley, to its “Hottest 100 Women” list in Australia for 2023, with the trans-identifying man landing in the number 92 spot. Laidley, who played and coached in the Australian Football League (AFL), joins actress Margot Robbie on the “Hot List,” who was named the hottest woman for the fourth time. The magazine released the list on Wednesday and is being blasted not only for honoring a biological male in a list of hot women, but also because three years ago Laidley, who formerly went by the first name of Dean, was arrested for stalking (Daily Wire). Riley Gaines: 92 of top 100 hottest ‘women’ in the world according to Maxim magazine in Australia. How did we get to a point where companies, institutions, publications can do this with no fear of backlash (X)?