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Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Concurs With Trump’s Saturday Demand for Hostage Release

Wall Street Journal: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanded that Hamas release Israeli hostages by noon Saturday or face a return to war, a deadline President Trump said he didn’t think the militant group would meet. Hamas set off a rupture in the talks Monday by saying it would postpone the release of the three hostages scheduled to be freed this weekend to protest delays in deliveries of humanitarian goods. Trump, commenting on the possible delay, warned Hamas on Monday that he would “let hell break out” if the hostages weren’t returned Saturday (Wall Street Journal). Mossad Commentary: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “In light of Hamas’ announcement of its decision to violate the agreement and not release our hostages, last night I ordered the IDF to amass forces inside and around the Gaza Strip. This operation is being carried out at this time. It will be completed in the very near future. The decision that I passed unanimously in the cabinet is this: If Hamas does not return our hostages by Saturday noon – the ceasefire will end, and the IDF will return to intense fighting *until Hamas is finally defeated” (X).

CNN Claims the U.S. is Close to a “Constitutional Crisis”

Townhall: With President Donald Trump and his administration moving at full speed for his second term, Democrat-supported and -appointed judges have put a stop to many such plans. The term “constitutional crisis” has been thrown around quite a bit, including and especially on CNN, where there have been some heated conversations… For all of Collins’ freaking out about the timeline of three weeks, with Trump actually doing what he promised to do, it’s worth reminding that there were no such freakouts from Democratic allies in the mainstream media when it comes to the coverup that President Joe Biden was supposedly fit for office, for the four years of his term. When the media did react, it was too little too late, and there were no doubt ulterior motives afoot when it came to urging Biden to be replaced, as he ultimately was, by then Vice President Kamala Harris, so Democrats would have a better chance at winning last November (Townhall). Matt Whitlock: Amazing that we weren’t close to a “constitutional crisis” when Joe Biden pardoned his family members and allies, defied court orders on policies he knew were illegal, and tried to tweet amendments into the constitution. Nobody takes this seriously anymore (X). Scott Jennings: If there’s a “constitutional crisis” it’s caused by activist federal district judges with narrow jurisdictions usurping the powers of the presidency (X).

Trump Secures Release of American Marc Fogel From Russian Prison

He was a school teacher working in Moscow—imprisoned for three and a half years. Katie Pavlich: White House National Security Advisor Michael Waltz announced Tuesday American Marc Fogel, a school teacher previously working in Moscow, is coming home after spending more than four years in a Russian prison. “Today, President Donald J. Trump and his Special Envoy Steve Witkoff are able to announce that Mr. Witkoff is leaving Russian airspace with Marc Fogel, an American who was detained by Russia,” Waltz released in a statement. “President Trump, Steve Witkoff and the President’s advisors negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine” (Townhall). Chief Deputy Whip: Guy Reschenthaler: Our prayers have been answered. Thanks to President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, Marc Fogel has been freed from Russia! Marc spent 1,255 days locked away in a Russian penal colony under the Biden Administration. President Trump freed Marc in just 22 days (X).

Democrats Protest DOGE in DC

Libs of TikTok: Democrats are marching in DC to protest DOGE’s crackdown on government waste (X). Guy Benson: Rallying in the middle of the work day, against taxpayers, demanding the sort of unaccountable job security that no one in the private sector could even dream of. They have a right to speech. Not sure their speech is helping (X).

PBS Eliminates DEI Department in Compliance With Donald Trump’s Executive Order

Townhall: Public broadcasting company PBS announced this week that it shuttered its office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Two DEI executives were fired and the department was wiped out after journalist Bari Weiss published in The Free Press that the company was ignoring President Donald Trump’s executive order directing companies to do away with DEI initiatives. Reportedly, PBS CEO Paula Kerger informed staff of the changes via email. The email stated that Cecilia Loving, senior vice president of DEI, and Gina Leow, director of DEI, would be parting ways with the company (Townhall). New York Post: A PBS spokesperson provided a statement to The Post which read: “In order to best ensure we are in compliance with the President’s executive order around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion we have closed our DEI office…” The executive order was signed on the day Trump was inaugurated and took effect immediately, but PBS waited until Monday to eliminate its DEI positions (New York Post).

Trump to Sign Executive Order Introducing Tougher Crime Policies in DC

Washington Times: President Trump is expected to sign as early as this week an executive order calling for tougher prosecutions for gun crimes and clearing out homeless encampments in the District. The order would direct prosecutors to seek out federal charges against gun offenders, when applicable; remove homeless camps; and pursue criminal charges for other quality of life crimes. The exact language in the pending order has not been hammered out yet, but it appears Mr. Trump is planning to take direct action to reverse the District’s descent into the “nightmare of murder and crime” he characterized on the campaign trail (Washington Times). Daily Wire: Crime decreased in D.C. in 2024 compared to 2023, a particularly violent year, but there are questions about the District’s crime reporting methods. The Metropolitan Police of Washington, D.C. (MPDC)’s reported crime data does not include “crime totals as reported to the FBI’s National Incident-Based Reporting System”, which itself has reporting issues (Daily Wire).

DOGE Begins Shredding the Department of Education

Townhall: The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is setting its sights on the Education Department as it continues its mission to eliminate wasteful spending among federal agencies. In a Monday post on X, the organization indicated that it “terminated 89 contracts worth $881mm.” It has also eliminated 29 grants related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training… Federal control over education was never going to end well. It has only given the federal department the power to exert its will over state education systems. Over the past decade, it has been used to push far leftist ideology in the classroom instead of focusing on preparing children for adult life. Perhaps it is time to say “goodbye” to this particular agency (Townhall). DOGE: Also today, the Department Of Education terminated 89 contracts worth $881mm. One contractor was paid $1.5mm to “observe mailing and clerical operations” at a mail center” (X).

Trump Utilizes Spy Planes to Hunt Mexican Drug Cartels on the Border

Daily Wire: President Donald Trump is proving how serious he is about targeting the Mexican drug cartels that he has designated as terrorist organizations, as the U.S. military is reportedly using high-tech spy planes to monitor the southern border. At least 18 missions have been flown over the southwestern U.S. and around the Baja California Peninsula in the past two weeks, CNN reported. Eleven of the flights used Navy P-8s, and one used the famed U-2 spy plane initially used to spy on the former Soviet Union (Daily Wire). US Homeland Security News: US Northern Command is conducting numerous combat patrols over the Mexican border to gather information and intelligence (and targeting information) on Narco-Terrorist facilities and forces! Strikes are Coming (X).

Elon Musk Defends DOGE: “Your tax dollars need to be spent wisely, on things that matter”

Hill: Elon Musk on Tuesday defended the work of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) alongside President Trump, who invited Musk to speak and sat at the resolute desk as the tech mogul gave a lengthy address. “The people voted for major government reform and that’s what the people are going to get,” Musk said in response to pushback his work at DOGE has received. “That’s what democracy is all about.” Musk also said he wants to add “commonsense controls” to government, arguing that his ideas are not “draconian.” And, when asked about personal conflicts of interest with his work overhauling the government, Musk replied, “transparency is what builds trust” (Hill). Just the News: When asked about specific examples of wasteful spending in the government, Musk cited instances of people in the Social Security Administration’s databases who are still receiving paychecks, despite being 150 years old and “probably dead…” Trump also praised the work that Musk has done so far, and claimed “we had no idea we were going to find this much” fraud and corruption in the federal government (Just the News).

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Former USAID Employee Warns of Corruption, Applauds Trump’s Effort of Transparency

Just the News: A former executive inside the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) warns of corruption in the agency that is currently being reviewed and purged by the Trump administration, alleging that among politicians, it is mostly Democrats who benefited from its funding… The Trump administration identified USAID programs ranging from contraceptives for Afghanistan to LGBT diversity programs for European countries as clear evidence that foreign aid needed to be paused and reevaluated, a task that fell to the State Department (Just the News).

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