Is a Ceasefire in Lebanon Imminent?

Multiple diplomatic sources suggest a breakthrough in negotiations for a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel could be on the horizon. International mediators are reportedly closing in on an agreement, but political and logistical challenges remain, making an immediate resolution uncertain.

Israel wants a deal that allows it to say it had won. Hezbollah wants an arrangement that leaves the outcome obscure. Of course, it’s possible to dismiss all this as a pointless game of words. Let each say what they want.

According to soldiers’ testimonies, reports of an approaching cease-fire are not discernible on the ground. “I don’t feel like the fighting is about to stop, because whenever it feels like it is stopping, they call us for another mission,” says Reichman…

Israel’s war in Lebanon with Hezbollah, while ongoing, appears to be winding down. Negotiators always posture but there is reason to anticipate a ceasefire deal, even if solidifying it may take a while.

Should Congress Release the Gaetz Ethics Report?

With Matt Gaetz nominated for Attorney General, pressure mounts for Congress to release a long-awaited ethics report on allegations of sexual misconduct and misuse of funds.

…given the gravity of the accusations, this won’t be the end of it. The Senate has every right to demand to see the report on Mr. Gaetz before confirming his nomination as President-elect Trump’s next Attorney General.

From Crossfire Hurricane, to the pee-tape dossier, to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation, unsupported and unbelievable accusations leaked to the public hampered Trump’s ability to advance his agenda… Why then is anyone giving credence to the accusations against Gaetz, especially given the FBI — after thoroughly investigating the matter for two years — decided not to charge Gaetz?

Even if the Ethics Committee’s members never agree to release the Gaetz report, Democrats can bring a privileged resolution to the House floor to force a vote by the entire House on whether to unveil the findings.

Will Trump Get Rid of the DOE?

Donald Trump has revived his 2016 campaign pledge to eliminate the Department of Education, arguing it’s a federal overreach into local schools.

Much of that pain would likely fall on the country’s most vulnerable students: poor students, students in rural areas, and students with disabilities. That’s because the department’s civil rights powers help it to support state education systems in providing specialized resources to those students.

America’s founders never intended for us to have a national Department of Education, and they specifically did not want the government intruding into education. They knew such overreach would lead to the destruction of our schools and our nation, and now we have modern proof that they were right.

This will help Americans think differently about the federal government. If Trump actually does this, there will be panic at first. That panic will be successfully drummed up by Democrats and the media. And then everything will be fine. Nothing in their lives or at the schools will have changed.

Should Liberals Follow Joe & Mika’s Example?

Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski met with President-elect Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago, resuming a dialogue for the first time in years. Brzezinski explained the decision, saying that in these “fraught times,” engaging directly with Trump might offer a different way forward.

It’s long past time for the Jewish members of the anti-Trump resistance to stop playing politics and start fighting the real bad guys, including those they might otherwise consider their political allies. Much like Joe and Mika, they have to tone down the rhetoric about Trump…

What’s next for Joe and Mika? An apology might help, but it won’t fix the damage. Every word they utter now will be scrutinized through this lens of betrayal. And that’s what it was, a betrayal of the most callous type.

To their credit, by reaching out to Trump, Scarborough and Brzezinski are proving that they are finally putting their audience first again. Their job is not to reinforce their friends’ biases, but to report and analyze the truth.

Should Trans Lawmakers Be Welcome in Women’s Spaces on Capitol Hill?

Speaker Mike Johnson has supported a plan to ban transgender women from using female bathrooms on Capitol Hill, citing the need for women-only spaces.

A lot of countries have unisex bathrooms and it’s not a big deal. Locker rooms and changing spaces, however, are a different matter.

I get that it’s uncomfortable for trans people to go to the bathroom of their biological sex. But it is not on women to make themselves less comfortable on their behalf.

There is no evidence that suggests that trans women perpetrate sexual violence when they use the women’s restroom. But these sorts of policies aren’t about reality; they are about cultural posturing and fomenting division between cisgender straight women and L.G.B.T.Q. people (who otherwise would be natural allies).

Is It Safe to Walk Through the World Visibly Jewish?

Antisemitic incidents are on the rise globally, with many Jewish people feeling increasingly unsafe in public. Recent reports of harassment and violence, especially in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war, have prompted calls for better security and education to combat this growing threat.

A Jewish man wearing a yarmulke was shot multiple times on his way to synagogue in Chicago. A rabbi in Maryland was attacked by a man wielding a wooden stake. In Manhattan, a man wearing a yarmulke was called “dirty Jew” before being punched in the face. Each of these assaults occurred within a two-week span last month. One year ago, such scenes would have been unimaginable; few American Jews thought twice about publicly identifying as Jewish.

“I was wearing my black hat; I was very identifiably Jewish,” Crispe said. “I was yelled at, harassed, pushed and shoved numerous times. Every time I tried to take a step someone confronted me inches from my face, telling me not to move.” Tartak said she was hit in the left eye by a Palestinian flag held by a demonstrator. She ended up in the hospital, luckily without permanent injury.

Designating Jews as visible is nothing less than a license to injure — if not cause death. Because killing is what the Muslim Amsterdam mobs would have done had the Dutch police not so feebly intervened this week. Kill is what their Gaza brethren did so wantonly when freed from the rules of law – or logic – 400 days ago.

Today’s Hot Issues

Is a Ceasefire in Lebanon Imminent? Should Congress Release the Gaetz Ethics Report? Will Trump Get Rid of the DOE? Should Liberals Follow Joe & Mika’s Example? Should Trans Lawmakers Be Welcome in Women’s Spaces on Capitol Hill? Is It Safe to Walk Through the World Visibly Jewish?