Your First Look at Today's Top Stories

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Sponsored By

DaybreakInsider.com

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis Make Their Cases for Second Place in Debate

Iowa caucuses are in six weeks. News Nation: DeSantis was asked if recent polling numbers suggest 2028 would have been a better time to run, given most Republican voters still prefer Trump. “We’re going to earn this nomination,” DeSantis responded. ”I will fight for you and I will win for you.” A nine-minute segment focused largely on the fentanyl scourge, with Haley and Ramaswamy focused more on China than Mexico as a source of the drug. When asked about the U.S.-Mexico border, both DeSantis and Haley say that if elected, they would use U.S. military assets at the southern border to go after Mexican drug cartels to stem the flow of fentanyl coming over the border (News Nation). Never Back Down: Ron DeSantis on ensuring the 21st century is an American century, not a Chinese century: “Deterring China’s ambitions is the number 1 national security task that I will do as President” (X). NBC: And though Trump was physically absent again, the specter of his bid to return to the Oval Office hung in the background throughout the night. DeSantis and Haley, who are within shouting distance of each other in national polls and some state surveys, tussled to gain an upper hand in the fight to move into sole possession of second place (NBC).

Rep. Ayanna Pressley Wishes to Allow 16-Year-Olds, Incarcerated Felons to Vote

Fox News: Democrat Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a far-left ‘Squad’ member, called for allowing “incarcerated citizens” to vote in federal elections while referencing her support for permitting individuals as young as 16 years of age to cast a ballot. Pressley made the comments during a Wednesday press conference while introducing legislation alongside Democrat Vermont Sen. Peter Welch that would restore felons’ voting rights (Fox News). Tom Elliot: Rep Ayanna Pressley: We must “expand access to the ballot box, Including for incarcerated citizens” & teenagers as young as “16” (X). Associated Press: In late 2022, approximately 4.6 million people were unable to vote due to a felony conviction, according to a study by the Sentencing Project, a nonpartisan research group. The same study found that Black and Hispanic citizens are disproportionately likely to be disenfranchised due to felony convictions (Associated Press).

Leaders Extremely Displeased With Presidents of Elite Institutions

Daily Wire: Billionaire Bill Ackman, who gave $26 million to Harvard in 2014, called for the resignation of the presidents of Harvard, UPenn, and MIT after they would not say calling for the genocide of Jews on campus violated their rules against bullying and harassment. On Tuesday, New York Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik repeatedly asked Harvard President Claudine Gay, University of Pennsylvania President Liz Magill, and MIT President Sally Kornbluth whether calling for the genocide of Jews constituted bullying and harassment. They all dodged the question, citing the need for “context” (Daily Wire). Bill Ackman: Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate (your university’s) code of conduct or rules regarding bullying or harassment? The answers they gave reflect the profound moral bankruptcy of Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth. They must all resign in disgrace. If a CEO of one of our companies gave a similar answer, he or she would be toast within the hour. Why has antisemitism exploded on campus and around the world? Because of leaders like Presidents Gay, Magill and Kornbluth who believe genocide depends on the context (X). Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla: I was ashamed to hear the recent testimony of 3 top university presidents. In my personal opinion, it was one of the most despicable moments in the history of U.S. academia. The 3 Presidents were offered numerous opportunities to condemn racist, antisemitic, hate rhetoric and refused doing so hiding behind calls for “context” (X). Jewish Insider: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro called for Penn’s board to “meet soon” to decide whether Magill’s testimony “represents the views and values of the University of Pennsylvania” but said he would wait to see what action they take before taking action himself (Jewish Insider).

Biden Cancels Another $4.8 Billion in Student Loans for 80,000 People

CBS: Nearly $5 billion in additional student loan debt forgiveness for over 80,000 student borrowers has been approved, the White House announced Wednesday. The relief is made possible by fixes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. This latest $4.8 billion in relief brings the grand total of approved debt cancellation by the administration to $132 billion for over 3.6 million Americans (CBS).

Tuesday Sees a Record Number of Encounters at the Southern Border

Katie Pavlich: During remarks at the White House Wednesday afternoon, President Joe Biden rejected offers by Republican lawmakers to fund Ukraine’s defense against Russia, Israel’s war on terrorist group Hamas and U.S. border security through recently passed legislation in the House. Biden demanded only the foreign aid be funded and punted on securing the U.S. border. His rejection came less than 24 hours after 12,000 illegal immigrants, the vast majority single adult males, crossed the southern border on Tuesday — a new record (Townhall). Townhall: BIDEN: “Extreme Republicans are playing Chicken with our national security, holding Ukraine’s funding hostage to their extreme partisan border policies” (X). Bill Melugin: Per CBP sources, there were more than 12,000 migrant encounters at the southern border yesterday, the highest single day total ever recorded. This includes 10,200+ Border Patrol apprehensions of illegal immigrants, amongst the highest daily totals for BP ever recorded (X).

Kevin McCarthy to Resign End of December

National Review: Representative Kevin McCarthy (R., Calif.) announced Wednesday that he will not seek reelection and will instead retire from office at the end of December, leaving Republicans with an even thinner majority in the lower chamber until a special election is held to find his replacement (National Review). Kevin McCarthy: No matter the odds, or personal cost, we did the right thing. That may seem out of fashion in Washington these days, but delivering results for the American people is still celebrated across the country. It is in this spirit that I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways. I know my work is only getting started (Wall Street Journal).

Democrat Congresswoman from Texas Calls Her Own State “Deplorable”

Fox News: A Texas congresswoman called her state and Florida “deplorable” during a Tuesday hearing on trans athletes in women’s sports over co-called conservative legislation by lawmakers there. Jasmine Crockett, a Democrat, issued her remarks during a House Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee on Health Care and Financial Services hearing to discuss proposed changes to Title IX by the Biden administration that would redefine the definition of sexual discrimination to include gender identity. During her open statement, Crockett called out the Heritage Foundation, which was represented by Sarah Parshall Perry, a policy expert for the conservative think tank, and her own state (Fox News). RNC Research: Democrat Rep. Jasmine Crockett dismisses Texas and Florida as “deplorable states” because their duly elected legislatures pass conservative bills (X).

Shooter at UNLV Murders Three

CBS: Las Vegas police on Wednesday said there appear to be multiple victims in a shooting on the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus. Police said the suspect was dead. Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Sheriff Kevin McMahill said Wednesday afternoon that there were at least three victims and that the number could change. The university asked people to continue to shelter in place as police evacuated buildings one at a time. “Police Services continues to respond and clear buildings systematically,” the university wrote on social media (CBS). Fox News: The University of Nevada, Las Vegas announced it will close for the remainder of Thursday (Fox News).

Arab Israelis Identify More with Israel and Their Issues Than Any Other Factor

Commentary: The truth is more complicated but also more rewarding for anyone who wants to understand the conflict. Israeli columnist Nadav Eyal points to a new study, which finds a decrease in Arabs’ description of their “most important identity factor” as Arab and an increase in those “who say the most important part of their identity is Israeli citizenship, which now stands at over 33%, surpassing all other factors (religious affiliation, Palestinian identity, and Arab identity).” Israeli was the top choice for the most important facet of Arab-Israeli identity. The least popular choice? Palestinian, with 8 percent. It’s not too difficult to understand the trend. After all, on October 7, a foreign army invaded their state and butchered Jews and Arabs alike (Commentary). Times of Israel: The poll by the Israel Democracy Institute found the percentage of both Jewish and Arab Israelis who said they feel a part of the State of Israel and its problems at a 20-year high, at 94% and 70% respectively. Among Arabs, the figure stood at 48% in June (Times of Israel).

10.

CNN Questions Biden’s Motives for Running in 2024

Townhall: CNN’s Jake Tapper questioned the “stunning admission” President Biden made to supporters on Tuesday about why he’s seeking a second term. During a private donor event in Boston, the president reportedly said, “If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win for the sake of the country” (Townhall). Townhall: Biden makes “stunning admission” that if Donald Trump wasn’t running for president, he’s not sure he’d be running either (X). Associated Press: Americans actually agree on something in this time of raw discord: Joe Biden is too old to be an effective president in a second term. In the poll, fully 77% said Biden is too old to be effective for four more years. Not only do 89% of Republicans say that, so do 69% of Democrats. That view is held across age groups, not just by young people (Associated Press).