Your First Look at Today's Top Stories

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Sponsored By

DaybreakInsider.com

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Hundreds of Thousands of People March for Israel in Washington DC

Times of Israel: Nearly 300,000 people rallied in Washington on Tuesday at the March for Israel, calling for the release of the hostages held by terrorists in Gaza and invoking the Holocaust while condemning Hamas’s October 7 onslaught with a cry of “Never Again.” Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations CEO William Daroff said over 290,000 people attended the event, making it the largest pro-Israel gathering in US history (Times of Israel). Reporter Sarah Raviani: A huge crowd gathering in Washington, DC today to show support for Israel (X).

House Passes Bill to Avoid Government Shutdown

Townhall: On Tuesday night, the House voted 336-95 to pass an interim spending bill so as to avert a government shutdown, days ahead of the Friday deadline. Even before voting closed, it was clear that the continuing resolution (CR) had more than the necessary two-thirds to pass. The bifurcated bill would extend funding at current levels for some agencies and programs until Jan. 19, and all others through Feb. 2 (Townhall). Daily Wire: The bill did not include spending cuts, which made it more palatable to Democrats, and did not attach supplemental funds for pressing national security matters that GOP leadership aims to tackle separately (Daily Wire).

State Department Staffers Sign Letter Complaining About Biden Supporting Israel

Daily Wire: A number of State Department staffers joined with staffers from the Agency for International Development — 100 in total — in criticizing President Joe Biden’s response to the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas. A five-page internal memo referred to as a dissent cable was “organized by a junior diplomat” and accused Biden of failing to deescalate the situation when Israel began to retaliate against Hamas — in addition to accusing Israel of committing war crimes in Gaza (Daily Wire). National Review: The message also cited a poll showing that 80 percent of Democrats, and a majority of independents and Republicans, somewhat or strongly agree with the sentiment. “The overwhelming majority of Americans support a cease-fire.” Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have argued that a cease-fire would only empower Hamas to increase its capabilities and carry out additional terror attacks like the one the group perpetrated on October 7. The administration has instead called for short-term humanitarian pauses in fighting to allow the inflow of aid and the evacuation of civilians from Northern Gaza. The letter comes one day after the Israeli Defense Forces released evidence that Hamas was using a children’s hospital in Gaza as a military base (National Review).

Muslim Law Groups Accuse Top Law Firms of Islamophobia

Bloomberg Law: Law firms’ “one-sided support for Israel” is contributing to rising “Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment” in the US, according to Muslim American lawyer groups. The groups, including the American Muslim Bar Association and the National Association of Muslim Lawyers, on Monday sent letters to the nation’s top 100 law firms. They urged the firms to take specific steps to support Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim legal professionals as the Israel-Hamas war continues, sparking protest and debate across the US. “Some firms’ uneven treatment of this highly sensitive issue is sadly dehumanizing Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim lives, creating a workplace that is less inclusive, less welcoming, and more hostile toward these underrepresented groups,” the organizations wrote (Bloomberg Law). National Review: Less than a week after Hamas’s surprise invasion of Israel – and before Israeli forces had invaded the Gaza Strip – the group released a public letter accusing the Jewish State of “intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure” (National Review).

Biden Forks Over Billions More to Iran

Associated Press: The Biden administration has extended by four months a sanctions waiver that will allow Iraq to continue to purchase electricity from Iran and gives Iran limited access to the proceeds to buy humanitarian goods. Secretary of State Antony Blinken signed the 120-day waiver extension and it was transmitted to Congress on Tuesday, U.S. officials said. The move is likely to draw criticism from Iran hawks on Capitol Hill and elsewhere who believe the extension will reward Iran at a time when it is coming under increasing pressure to end its support for proxy groups, including Hamas, that are destabilizing the Middle East. There is roughly $10 billion in Iraqi payments for Iranian electricity currently being held in escrow accounts in Iraq, and the waiver will allow Baghdad to maintain its energy imports without fear of U.S. penalties for violating sanctions on Iran. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision-making process, said Blinken signed the waiver mainly because the administration doesn’t want to cut Iraq off from a critical source of energy (Associated Press). Israel War Room: The US hands another $10 billion to Iran. Meanwhile, Congress is still fighting over sending aid to Israel (X).

President Biden to Meet with China’s Xi Jinping During California Summit

Politico: President Joe Biden, beset by conflicts around the world, is seeking to steady his fraught relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping so the White House can instead focus its energy on Israel, Ukraine and the upcoming reelection campaign, according to three senior administration officials. The two will hold their high-stakes meeting Wednesday — their first face-to-face meeting in a year, and likely their last before the U.S. presidential election — amid a growing threat of military conflict between the world’s two largest economies and a deepening mistrust that has pushed relations to their lowest point in a half century. Adding to the tension: Biden is expected to press Xi on China’s ties with Iran, including how the Chinese leader can use his influence with Tehran to prevent Iran and its proxies from turning the Israel-Hamas war into a wider regional conflict (Politico). Benny Johnson: Chinese President Xi is greeted by Governor Gavin Newsom in California (X).

American Taxpayers Could Be Footing a $451 Billion Bill Annually to Support Illegal Immigrants

Just the News: Caring for illegal aliens currently within the United States could cost American taxpayers up to $451 billion per year, a Monday interim staff report from House Republicans has concluded. The 49-page report entitled “The Historic Dollar Costs of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ Open-Border Policies” became public the same day that the House voted to refer a resolution to impeach the eponymous security official to the Homeland Security Committee. Mayorkas has ranked among the Republicans’ top targets in the Biden administration due in large part to his presiding over an unprecedented surge in illegal border crossings. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has reported more than 7 million migrant encounters at the Southwest land border alone since President Joe Biden took office (Just the News). Homeland Security Report: The range of costs inflicted by Mayorkas’ border crisis cover everything from emergency medical care to increased demands on law enforcement to housing and shelter benefits for illegal aliens (Homeland Security Report).

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to Include ‘Non-binary and Transgender Extravaganza’

HotAir: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is causing controversy this year with the inclusion of non-binary and transgender performers. The controversy caused the One Million Moms group to create an online petition voicing opposition to the move. One Million Moms (OMM), a conservative advocacy group created by the American Family Association, has gathered about 20,000 signatures online to protest what they call a ‘non-binary and transgender extravaganza’ during the family-friendly annual parade. The group claims the LGBTQ agenda will be exposed to millions of viewers of the parade that traditionally ushers in the Christmas season. As with everything else in our culture today, sexual agendas are a part of entertainment and have been politicized. The OMM petition is meant to voice an objection to this trend and stop it before it continues to try to normalize the inclusion (HotAir). Fox News: Supporters of the decision to include LGBTQ+ persons in the parade, including LGBTQ+ outlet Pink News, criticized the petition as “sensationalist.” LGBTQ Nation, another outlet, criticized it as “alarmist,” with both accusing One Million Moms and its parent organization American Family Association of being “anti-LGBTQ” (Fox News).

Finnish Lawmaker Päivi Räsänen Wins Free Speech Case, Charges Dismissed

Catholic News Agency: A court of appeal dismissed all charges of “hate speech” and “ethnic agitation” against Finnish lawmaker Päivi Räsänen on Tuesday in what has been hailed as a victory for free speech. The Finnish member of Parliament had been charged in 2021 after publicly sharing in 2019 her biblical, religious views on marriage as between one man and one woman. Though Räsänen, 63, was unanimously acquitted by a Finnish District Court in 2022, prosecutors appealed her acquittal to the Helsinki Court of Appeal. The former minister of the interior faced the possibility of tens of thousands of euros in fines and two years in prison. On Nov. 14, the Helsinki Court of Appeal unanimously ruled to uphold the 2022 acquittal, finding that it had “no reason, on the basis of the evidence received at the main hearing, to assess the case in any respect differently from the district court. There is therefore no reason to alter the final result of the district court’s judgment” (Catholic News Agency). Reporter Megan Basham: Finnish appeals court finds Päivi Räsänen NOT guilty of hate speech! Said Räsänen, “It isn’t a crime to tweet a Bible verse, or to engage in public discourse with a Christian perspective.” God bless ADF Legal for their tremendous work defending religious speech across the world (X)! Alliance Defending Freedom: The Court has ordered the prosecution to pay tens of thousands in legal fees to cover costs incurred by both defendants. The prosecution could appeal a final time to the Supreme Court, with a deadline of 15 January 2024 (Alliance Defending Freedom).

10.

Disney Provides Pronoun Pins to Employees

Daily Caller: Disney World is rolling out pronoun pins for its employees, according to multiple workers at the theme park who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Employees at the EPCOT theme park at Walt Disney World can now fill out a form with their preferred pronouns to have them added to their name pin by scanning a QR code, according to pictures taken Nov. 5 that were provided to the Caller. The initiative is still voluntary, according to the employees, and is currently being rolled out to all janitorial positions. The initiative is first being rolled out for the custodial department, before it moves to every department at the park, employees said (Daily Caller).