Israeli Cabinet Approves Ceasefire Deal

YNET: Israel’s government early Friday approved a long-awaited deal with Hamas for the release of hostages, setting into motion a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and marking what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “a decisive development” in Israel’s war against the terror group. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the first phase of the agreement was signed Thursday morning in Egypt, and at 1:20 a.m. Friday the government gave its final authorization (YNET). Jerusalem Post, quoting Netanyahu: “We couldn’t have achieved it without the extraordinary help of President Trump and his team, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner. They worked tirelessly with Ron and his team, our team. That, and the courage of our soldiers who entered Gaza, had a combined military and diplomatic pressure that isolated Hamas. I believe these brought us to this point. “I want to personally thank both of you, Steve, Jared. It’s been long hours. You worked around the clock, but not only worked – I think you put in your brains and your hearts. We know that it’s for the benefit of Israel and the United States, for the benefit of decent people everywhere. And for the benefit of these families who will finally get to be with their loved ones. And I want to thank you on their behalf, as well as on behalf of the people of Israel. Thank you” (Jerusalem Post).

Schumer Shutdown Continues as Dems Refuse to Support Clean Continuing Resolution

The seventh time Republicans have given their colleagues an opportunity (The Hill). Minority Leaders Schumer (D-NY) and Jeffries (D-NY) are playing with America’s servicemen and women. Hugh Hewitt: When the troops don’t get paid, the “Schumer shutdown” will cross a red line in the eyes of most normal Americans. The men and women in uniform got their paychecks on October 1 and are scheduled to receive their next check on October 15. Unlike almost everyone else in the federal government currently not getting paid because of the showboating of Chuck Schumer and most of the Senate Democrats, soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and the Coast Guard do not have that option of quitting because they have not been paid…. Schumer has got to have figured out that he’s taken his entire party into a political box canyon. It takes 60 votes under the Senate’s rules to pass the clean CR. So, it’s up for five more Democrats to join the 52 Republicans and Democratic Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (Nev.) and John Fetterman (Pa.) plus independent Sen. Angus King (Maine) in voting for the House-backed Republican stop-gap funding bill (Fox News). Duane Patterson: The Democrats currently sport a 36% approval rating in the RealClearPolitics average of polling, which is an all-time low for them in the modern era. They can lie and spin all they want, but they’re shutting government down to force Republicans to restore funding and reimbursement for healthcare costs of illegal aliens (Hot Air).

Letitia James Indicted on Mortgage Fraud

The New York Attorney General who pursued Trump on his New York real estate transactions has found what goes around comes around. Bonchie of Red State: After building her career on the promise to target Donald Trump, the Democrat has now been indicted for bank fraud. That comes after reports that the supervisor of the Department of Justice’s Norfolk office was refusing to file charges, claiming no probable cause. In the end, the matter ended up in front of a grand jury, and that grand jury decided otherwise. A mother lode of schadenfreude has followed the news, both regarding press reactions and James’ own past statements, all of which seemed to assume that the alligator they raised and fed would never eat them. Trump ended up winning the 2024 election, though, and that means the standards put in place by Democrats are going to be enforced in kind. Over on MSNBC, Nicolle Wallace and Andrew Weissmann, the latter of whom has a long history of weaponizing the justice system against Republicans, were almost in tears (RedState).

Turning Point USA Announces Super Bowl Half-Time Show

An alternative to Bad Bunny-headlined show which TPUSA has labeled the “All American Half-Time Show” (TPUSA). Axios: Turning Point USA on Thursday said it will host a competing show to Bad Bunny’s 2026 Super Bowl halftime performance. The announcement capitalizes on MAGA outrage over the NFL’s selection of the Puerto Rican artist, who skipped shows in the continental U.S., partly because of concerns with ICE raids. Performers and event details were not yet announced for the “All American Halftime Show,” which will, per Turning Point, celebrate “faith, family and freedom” on Feb. 8. Conservative uproar followed the announcement of Bad Bunny, one of the world’s most popular artists, as the Super Bowl halftime headliner. An adviser to the Department of Homeland Security signaled that ICE officials might be sent to the 2026 Super Bowl. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this month there is “no tangible plan for that in store right now.” Bad Bunny’s tongue-in-cheek response to critics was to tell them in Spanish to learn the language during a Saturday Night Live monologue (Axios).

University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Delays Recognition of Turning Point USA Chapter, Citing Designation as “Hate Group”

David Strom: So far, the administration has not banned TPUSA. However, the approval of a new chapter has been delayed because the Student Government Association, which advises the administration on student groups, has voted against allowing TPUSA on campus, citing its classification as a “hate group.” …  TPUSA may overcome this hurdle because, well…Tennessee. But  The University of Tennessee is a state school, so I doubt that the Dean who will make the final decision is unaware that his institution requires state funding in a pretty Red state, so I suspect that a solution will be found. Academic institutions are not held in high regard these days by conservatives, and yet another attack on Charlie Kirk and Turning Point USA just weeks after Kirk was assassinated on a college campus would be a bad move (Hot Air).

Southern Poverty Law Center Facing Demands for Revocation of Non-Profit Status Over “Hate” Designations

SPLC has long featured a hate map on their site (SLPC). Included among their “hate groups” are PragerU, Focus on the Family and Turning Point USA—relevant and particularly damning in light of recent events. Shawn Fleetwood of The Federalist: The IRS should probe and consider revoking the tax-exempt status of the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) for its hyper-partisan political activity, a complaint filed with the agency on Thursday argues. “American taxpayers should not be expected to subsidize an organization that engages in daily attacks on Republicans, compares those who hold mainstream conservative beliefs to the KKK, and who consistently labels conservatives as engaging in ‘hate’ without any reference to any other political parties or ideologies,” Center to Advance Security in America (CASA) Director James Fitzpatrick told The Federalist. “We believe the American people are entitled to a full investigation into this urgent matter” (The Federalist).

What Made Trump’s Middle East Peace Deal Possible? Part I

“You don’t bring peace without power.” Assuming the deal continues, there will be books written about this moment in history, but an indispensable component part of the deal we’re seeing take is America’s willingness to use our military strength to change the dynamic on the ground. Michael Oren, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States and an esteemed historian of Israeli and Middle Eastern history: The 20 point plan developed IC Woff with Jared Kushner is one of the most elegant pieces of diplomacy we can remember in recent years. It’s overwhelmingly pro-Israel….And that is an extraordinary achievement here of bringing all of these disparate states together who don’t agree with one another and certainly not with Israel—to end the war by putting pressure on Hamas. And that is a tremendous difference between anything that proceeded during the Biden administration. And that was predicated on America’s willingness to use force in the Middle East. Friends, you don’t bring peace without power. And President Trump demonstrated—again and again–first with the Houthis and them with Iran, he was willing to exercise power and that gets you a lot of credibility in the Middle East (Oren).

What Made Trump’s Middle East Peace Deal Possible? Part 2

“Trump forced Qatar to stop backing Hamas.” The willingness of President Trump to use American hard power strengthened his hands with other key players—but none more so than Qatar. Israeli journalist Haviv Rettig Gur: This deal became possible when Trump forced Qatar to stop backing Hamas for ten minutes. That’s what you need to know about Qatar – it supported this war, it extended this war. Every day, every step of the way (Gur). Saul Sadka—Israeli author and Substack writer: This was the moment it became clear that Trump was over the target. He told his people to start trash-talking Hamas patron Qatar publicly—a clear threat of an American pullback from Qatar, which would mean the immediate end of the emirate. They got a taste of that five days later. The carefully choreographed denials and face-saving gestures didn’t fool anyone. The U.S. knew—and it was all part of the dance. Qatar wasn’t going to risk erasure for its nearly destroyed Gazan beneficiary, and so it sold them out—to the Israelis and to Trump—in return for a security guarantee and a Netanyahu apology. Expect Qatar to continue playing nice and winding down its influence operations like Al Jazeera and Tucker, since its security assurances are easily revocable. In the end, defeating Hamas wasn’t the real issue—not even subduing Iran. It ended by pointing a gun at Doha and forcing them to euthanize their mad dog (Sadka).

What Made Trump’s Middle East Peace Deal Possible? Part 3

Hamas “has deteriorated and it fears worse if it fights on.” In Israel, we are seeing Netanyahu’s opponents and critics effusive with their gratitude to Trump—without a mention of their own Prime Minister’s leadership. See, e.g., former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett: (Bennett). The bottom line: Netanyahu pressed the campaign on Hamas against significant swaths of his own nation that wanted him to capitulate. Elliot Kaufman of the Wall Street Journal: Hamas has turned down deals far better than this one. It’s taking this one because its position has deteriorated and it fears worse if it fights on. Even a few weeks ago, the conventional wisdom was that new Israeli military pressure was pointless (Kaufman). Israel’s military campaign weakened Hamas—and Israel’s other terror adversaries. Israeli journalist Amit Segal: After two years of war, the IDF’s cannons—or more precisely, its fighter jets—now threaten Damascus. They have struck six Muslim capitals. Gaza, once the world’s epicenter of terror, lies in ruins. Hamas no longer threatens Israelis, and if Israel resists the temptation to return to its old habits of restraint, it will not rise again. Iran has been dealt a severe blow, and its nuclear project crippled. Hezbollah, Israel’s most dangerous enemy since Gamal Abdel Nasser’s Egypt—is taking hits daily and no longer dares fire even a single mortar at the Jewish state (Israel Hayom).

Most Popular Name in the UK: Mohammed; Fasting-Rising Name: Yahya

We have a problem. Dominic Green in the Washington Examiner: The biggest increase in popularity among male names in Britain in 2024 was for “Yahya.” There is, or was, only one world-famous Yahya: the late Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. His name surged in the year bookended by Hamas’s rampage of murder, rape, torture, and kidnapping on Oct. 7, 2023, and his demise in the rubble of Rafah on Oct. 16, 2024. There are 583 little Brits whose parents thought it a grand idea to name their newborn sons after one of the most evil men of our times. These infants are a living tribute to the mass murderer who offered his own people, the Arabs of Gaza, in mass sacrifice as a down payment on a caliphate…. Yahya blew up in 2024, jumping 33 places from 126th in the 2023 rankings to 93rd in 2024. Mohammed took the top spot among boys in 2024. It’s possible that not all 583 Yahyas are named because their parents idolize a torturer and killer. But it’s highly unlikely. There’s a long-standing historical correlation between admired leaders and baby names, and it runs across free and unfree societies. Consider the massed ranks of baby Winstons, who, like Winston Churchill, were bald, fat, napped in the afternoons, and spent their days in a jumpsuit (Washington Examiner). Albert Mohler: The problem is so bad they won’t talk about it, they won’t acknowledge it, and you can already see that that point has been reached in Great Britain. And that is a very ominous sign (Briefing).