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Tuesday, October 1, 2024

IDF Soldiers Enter Southern Lebanon

Jerusalem Post: IDF soldiers entered southern Lebanon as part of a ground assault on Monday night as the conflict with Hezbollah continues to escalate… A key focus of the invasion will be to remove the infrastructure that Hezbollah’s Radwan special forces could have tried to use to invade Israel and threaten the northern border towns (Jerusalem Post). Dr. Eli David: Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon has begun (X).

Hamas Commander Killed by IDF Was Employed by UNRWA; UNRWA Chief Claims Ignorance

This comes after Biden, Harris want to give immunity to UNRWA workers caught being terrorists, leftists wanting to refund the organization. National Review: A Hamas commander in Lebanon who was killed in an Israeli airstrike overnight was an accredited member of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, the embattled agency confirmed after his death. Hamas’s Fateh Sherif and his family were killed in an airstrike at a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday. “Sherif was responsible for coordinating Hamas’ terror activities in Lebanon with Hezbollah operatives, as well as Hamas’ efforts in Lebanon to recruit operatives and acquire weapons.” While leading terrorist activities, Sherif also headed the UNRWA teachers’ union in Lebanon. Though employed by the U.N. agency, Sherif was suspended without pay in March due to allegations involving “his political activities” (National Review). Times of Israel: The chief of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees and their descendants (UNRWA) denies knowing that its employee Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was a Hamas commander in Lebanon, calling on states to push back against Israeli accusations against the agency (Times of Israel).

Ryan Routh Pleads “Not Guilty” to Attempted Assassination Charges

Fox News: Ryan Routh, the man accused of attempting to assassinate former President Trump, pleaded not guilty to new charges in federal court in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday. Through his public defenders, the alleged would-be assassin pleaded not guilty to five counts, including the attempted assassination of a presidential candidate and assault on a federal officer. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart accepted the plea and noted that the defense requested a jury trial… These new charges are in addition to the federal gun charges he appeared in court for last Monday (Fox News). Axios: The incident was the second attempt against the Republican presidential nominee this year. His next court date was not announced as of Monday afternoon. He’s being held without bail… Routh was previously convicted of felonies in North Carolina in December 2002 and March 2010, per court records cited by the Justice Department (Axios).

Democrat Senator Introduces Bill to Expand Supreme Court by Six Seats

Hill: Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden (D) introduced a bill on Thursday that would bring fundamental changes to the nation’s high court, including adding six additional seats and forcing all justices to have their tax returns publicly disclosed. The senator’s office said the Judicial Modernization and Transparency Act aims to “restore balance among the three branches of government, increase transparency to improve public trust in America’s courts, and modernize the courts to ensure greater access to justice for more Americans” (Hill). Townhall: Earlier this year, Townhall covered how President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris announced that they backed several Supreme Court “reforms” that included adding more justices and instating term limits. In a statement, Harris said that Congress should pass the reforms (Townhall).

NYT Editorial Board Labels Trump Supporters as “Unpatriotic” While Endorsing Kamala Harris

Remember when Hillary Clinton called Trump supporters “deplorables?” Townhall: The New York Times editorial board has endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, calling the Democrat “the only patriotic choice for president.” In a piece published Monday, the editorial board begins not speaking highly of Harris, but lambasting the 45th president as “unworthy to serve,” citing “his many criminal charges, his advancing age, his fundamental lack of interest in policy and his increasingly bizarre cast of associates,” in addition to his temperament. The editorial board urges voters to put their “political disagreements” with Harris aside and support her in the November election (Townhall). Byron York: The New York Times editorial board didn’t just endorse Kamala Harris for president. It declared Donald Trump supporters unpatriotic (X).

Babylon Bee Sues California Over Newly-Implemented Anti-Satire Laws

Washington Times: The Babylon Bee, a website that skewers liberals, filed a lawsuit Monday challenging California’s new anti-satire laws, saying Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to take the fun out of politics. One law forbids posting or sharing online “deceptive” content that harms a candidate’s “electoral prospects” ahead of an election, while another prods social media companies to police their platforms for anything that would run afoul of the new standard. Those who want to practice political satire — an area where Babylon Bee has few rivals — must attach a sort of product warning label which, The Bee says, effectively destroys the point of the satire. “Unfortunately for them, the First Amendment secures our right to tell jokes they don’t like,” Bee CEO Seth Dillon said. Joining The Bee in the lawsuit is Kelly Chang Rickert, a lawyer who is active online with her own thoughts on politics and social issues (Washington Times). Daily Wire: The complaint explains that one of California’s new laws will require social media platforms to become “state snitches” and force them “to field reports about user posts with ‘materially deceptive content’ and then remove or label them.” Newsom defended the state’s new laws, saying they focus on AI-generated content that could “undermine the public’s trust through disinformation.” But buried in one of the new laws is a requirement for satire and parody content to either be clearly labeled or removed (Daily Wire).

IDF Strikes Back Against Houthi Terrorists in Yemen After They Launched an Attack on Israel

Daily Wire: The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) punched back at Houthi terrorists in Yemen on Sunday after the Iranian-backed terrorist group fired missiles at Israel the last two days. The strikes come just a couple of days after Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in southern Lebanon. The Israel Air Force “struck military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in Yemen in response to their recent attacks against Israel,” the IDF said a statement. “The targets included power plants and a seaport, which were used by the Houthis to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil.” The Houthis have disrupted global shipping routes in the Red Sea over the last year with terrorist attacks on ships and attacks on Western navies defending the area. Israel’s strikes against the Houthis in Yemen are in sharp contrast to the Biden-Harris administration failing to respond to dozens of missiles and drones that were fired at the U.S. Navy late last week (Daily Wire). Reporter Lucas Tomlinson: Iran-backed Houthis fire nearly two dozen ballistic and missiles and drones at U.S. warships in Red Sea Friday. No response. Houthis fire one missile and a drone at Israel Friday. This is the response (X)

Tim Walz Flips Off Crowd After Being Heckled by Some Students at College Football Game

Post Millennial: Vice presidential candidate Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) appeared to give the finger to Michigan college students in Ann Arbour Sunday where he was attending the Michigan-Minnesota college football game. Michigan fans booed Walz, told him to “get out of here” and shouted “Trump 2024, baby” at the governor. Walz watched the game in a private box shared by former US Rep. Beto O’Rourke. The Michigan football team ended up defeating Minnesota’s football team 27-24 (Post Millennial). Charlie Kirk: Tim Walz gets heckled by students at the Michigan game and then appears to flip off the students. Really showing his ex-teacher, vice presidential maturity getting rattled by some college kids. Weak (X)!

FBI Agrees to Settle Class-Action Lawsuit From 34 Recruits Who Were Sexually Harassed at Training Academy

Just the News: The FBI has agreed to settle a class-action lawsuit by paying more than $22 million to 34 female recruits alleging sexual harassment. The settlement is still subject to approval by a federal judge. The women who sued were dismissed from FBI’s training academy in Quantico, Virginia. If the payout is approved, it would be among the largest lawsuit settlements in the history of the FBI (Just the News). Associated Press: Filed in 2019, the lawsuit contends that female recruits had been subjected to a hostile working environment in which they were judged more harshly than their male peers and “excessively targeted for correction and dismissal in tactical situations for perceived lack of judgment” and subjective “suitability” criteria… The latest settlement comes less than six months after the Justice Department announced a $138.7 million settlement with more than 100 people who accused the FBI of grossly mishandling allegations of sexual assault against the sports doctor Larry Nassar (Associated Press).

10.

DirecTV Buys Dish For $1

Just the News: DirecTV agreed on Monday to purchase EchoStar’s satellite television business that includes Dish TV, which will create the nation’s largest pay-TV service. The deal is worth close to $10 billion. Discussions between DirecTV and Dish TV were off and on over the last 10 years (Just the News). CNN: The companies said the “combination of DirecTV and Dish will benefit US video consumers by creating a more robust competitive force in a video industry dominated by streaming services owned by large tech companies and programmers.” Under the deal, DirecTV will pay Dish’s owner, EchoStar, just $1 for Dish in exchange for assuming its billions of dollars in debt (CNN).