We have heard so much talk about "Good Samaritans" these days – especially with the Daniel Penny case in the news. Penny was just cleared of charges in the Manhattan criminal case against him.
Penny physically subdued Jordan Neely, a homeless, allegedly mentally ill man, who was threatening other riders in a subway in New York City in May 2023. Neely, who had previously been arrested 42 times, including three times for assaulting women on the subway, died shortly after the incident, which was recorded on video by a bystander. Penny is white; Neely was black.
Many opine that it's criminal that Daniel Penny was ever even charged, with Neely's death having been a clearly unintentional tragedy occasioned by Neely's threatening behavior. Others call Penny a vigilante racist. Already some critics have noted that any potential would-be Good Samaritans might think twice before trying to help. Why get involved?
To many, it was tragic that Daniel Penny had to go through the anguish of the case. To Black Lives Matters protesters, Penny is a racist.
But step back a moment from this particular case, and look at the notion of a "Good Samaritan," which is deeply imbedded in society. Where does this ideal even come from?
Jesus told a parable one day, and He changed all of history. It is the parable of the Good Samaritan. It's found in Luke 10.
To paraphrase the story, a traveler is robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. A priest walks by and goes to the other side, ignoring the poor man. So also does a Levite – a Levite being a man of the tribe of Levi who served as an assistant to the priests.
But then another stranger sees the man in danger and stops to help him and to bring him to safety. The kind man was a Samaritan. And the parable concludes with Jesus telling His hearers, "You go, and do likewise."
Today we think of a Samaritan as one who goes around doing good, precisely because of the influence of this particular parable. But Samaritans were viewed as "half-breeds" whose blood and worship were no longer Jewish, and therefore looked down upon by the Jews. Thus, the parable of Christ had a twist for its first-century audience. The hero of his story was a hated Samaritan.
Jesus changes everything. He changed our views on charity, and He changed our views on treating others with dignity, regardless of their socio-economic class.
The Good Samaritan ethic, showing kindness to a stranger in need, has become a hallmark of our civilization. And like many aspects of our culture, it gets back to the Bible.
This influence is even recognized by legal scholars. For example, in a U.S. District Court case from 1983, Crockett v. Sorenson, the judges wrote of the influence of the Scriptures on American law – including the concept of the Good Samaritan.
They wrote, "Anglo-American law as we know it today is also heavily indebted to principles and concepts found in the Bible. … The 'good Samaritan' laws use a phrase lifted directly out of one of Jesus' parables."
Jesus went around doing good, taught others to do the same, and thereby unleashed the forces of charity in our society – through the Luke 10 parable and others as well.
The link between believing in Jesus and charitable giving and volunteering is well-documented.
Dr. Byron Johnson, a Baylor professor of social sciences, who is the founding director of the Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion, has been documenting the positive impact of practical Christianity.
For example, one of his 2021 research papers is entitled, "How Religion Contributes to the Common Good, Positive Criminology, and Justice Reform." He writes of the "staggering economic benefit to American society" by volunteers.
And whence come the volunteers? "As it turns out, religious affiliation and participation is one of the key factors predicting volunteer engagement, both in sacred and secular organizations. In sum, the more religious people happen to be, the more likely they are to volunteer."
Johnson adds, "Americans not only give financially, but they are also generous with their time. Volunteers donate to charity at considerably higher rates than non-volunteers."
As the late Mother Teresa, a quintessential Good Samaritan, once said: "Today God has sent us into the world as he sent Jesus, to show God's love to the world. And we must sacrifice to show that love, just as Jesus made the greatest sacrifice of all."
Good Samaritanism is good for society, even if some naysayers abide by the principle that "no good deed should go unpunished." Above all, Jesus' imprimatur of the Good Samaritan ethic alone makes it worthwhile, whatever the cost.
For years, and especially in more recent history, various lies from Palestinians and other leftists about their "victories" in disputes with Israel have been accepted by people in the Middle East.
And often, the statements are acted on.
But that's now at an end, according to Bassam Tawil, a Muslim Arab based in the Middle East who writes for the Gatestone Institute.
Now, he said, people no longer are accepting the claims from the likes of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Those are Iran-sponsored proxies for violence against Israel in Gaza and Lebanon.
Tawil explained in his column that, "many Arabs are no longer fooled by the lies and propaganda of Iran's terror proxies in the Middle East. Over the past 14 months, Hamas and Hezbollah have dragged the Palestinians and Lebanese into wars that have claimed the lives of thousands of people — all to serve their patrons in Iran. Instead of admitting their defeat, both in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, the terrorists, at the behest of Iran's mullahs, are continuing to sell imaginary victories to the Arabs to encourage them to join the Jihad (holy war) against Israel. The good news is that many Arabs are evidently aware of the lies and deceptions of Hamas and Hezbollah."
He explained, "After the recent ceasefire deal with Israel, supporters of the Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah claimed 'victory.' Some celebrated the alleged victory by firing guns into the air and flashing V signs. Many Arabs, however, saying that Hezbollah had lost hundreds of its members, including top leaders, and caused significant damage to Lebanese homes and the country's economy, have been mocking the terrorist group."
He said the claims were like those from Hamas. "After earlier rounds of fighting with Israel that severely damaged the Gaza Strip's civilian and military infrastructure, Hamas commanders would typically emerge from the debris and proclaim 'victory.'"
But Tawil noted the responses of late, from Egyptian political analyst Abdul Latif Al-Manawi, who wrote, "I was not surprised when [Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal] announced Hamas's victory in the Gaza war. He said: 'Our losses are tactical, our enemy's losses are strategic, and victory is coming.' Is this how Mashaal sums up a whole year of devastation inflicted on the Palestinian people? If Mashaal means what he says, we have to ask him: Do the tactical losses he refers to include the war victims who have reached more than 42,000 Palestinians? Do they include more than 80,000 [Palestinians] who were injured? Do they include more than 90% of the Gaza Strip's population who have been displaced from their homes and neighborhoods that were razed to the ground? Victory, Khaled Mashaal, is not like this."
The column noted Hezbollah already has agreed "to disconnect itself from the war in the Gaza Strip and to withdraw its men from the border with Israel."
"This reversal is precisely why many Arabs cannot understand Hezbollah's claim of 'victory,' especially in light of the elimination of most of the group's top political and military leaders, including Hassan Nasrallah, killed by an Israeli airstrike on his bunker in Beirut last September," he explained.
The column also noted prominent Lebanese journalist Nabil Bou Monsef scoffed at Hezbollah's false victory.
"He accused Hezbollah of engaging in self-delusion, linking Lebanon to regional arenas (the Gaza Strip) and 'throwing Lebanon into a catastrophic massacre.'" His demand? "Where is the victory?"
Other responses included:
Tunisian philosopher Khaled Mansour: "Hezbollah's claim of victory over Israel is a farce and a mockery of the minds of the Lebanese and a 'political shamelessness' that is both laughable and disgusting!"
Lebanese lawyer Omar El-Yafi: "This is the text of Hezbollah's surrender that the Lebanese state agreed to, which stipulated that there would be no weapons on Lebanese territory except in the hands of the Lebanese army, in addition to other conditions, including the withdrawal of Hezbollah elements to the north of the Litani River. Where is the divine victory that these victors celebrate?"
Lebanese social media activist Fouad Tarabay: "Despite the killing of [Hassan] Nasrallah and most of the leaders of Hezbollah, 3,500 dead, 20 billion in material losses, 1.5 million displaced, and 46,000 housing units destroyed, they (Hezbollah) still say 'we won.' They fire their guns in celebration and raise the victory sign after the humiliating ceasefire agreement. What a complete farce and deception."
Social media user Abu Al-Ahrar: "What kind of victory are you talking about? This is considered a defeat. Hezbollah rose up to support Gaza and said it will not stop until the siege on Gaza is lifted. How is this victory when Israel has eliminated all the leadership of Hezbollah? This is not called victory, but defeat."
Yemeni politician Ali Albukhaiti: "Hezbollah has surrendered, yet there are those who call it a victory!"
A constitutional expert is issuing a warning about this being the season for a "smash-mouth Santa" after a coalition of leftists launched a promotion of merchandise that celebrates Antifa.
That's the far left ideology that is personified in militant rioters who, following the death of George Floyd, inflicted billions of dollars in damages on America cities from coast to coast, for a political cause.
It is law professor, legal commentator and constitutional expert Jonathan Turley who cited the sales gimmick, and said right now, with tensions following the 2024 presidential election, it "is not the time to go full naughty list to celebrate a group that regularly beats reporters and others with opposing viewpoints. While this may appeal to your own special smash-mouth Santa, tis the season for political violence."
Antifa is characterized as left-wing and anti-fascist and anti-racist, although some of its agenda points would inflict more racism in order to address the racism it sees.
It has no control center, as it involves a multitude of decentralized groups that use incivility and violence to achieve their aims.
Doxing, harassment and property damage often are associated with the "left-wing ideologies" as they are described online, and their "anti-authoritarian, anti-capitalist, and anti-state views."
Fox News earlier documented the products, including an "ANTIFA Baby Onesie" being offered by an organization of former staffers for Barack Obama.
Fox reported, "The items can be bought via a digital merchandise store run by Crooked Media, which was co-founded in 2017 by former Obama staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett and Tommy Vietor. Oftentimes referred to as the 'Obama bros,' the three communications professionals co-host 'Pod Save America,' one of the most listened-to political podcasts in the nation, per Apple Podcasts U.S. rankings."
The report noted the violence associated with the political agenda: "'ANTIFA' is a common term used to refer to far-left 'anti-fascists' who were at the forefront of the George Floyd protests during the summer of 2020. Many of those protests devolved into violent riots, even resulting in the deaths of dozens of people and billions of dollars in property damage because of the unrest. Following that summer, ANTIFA continued to deploy violent tactics."
Turley said, "It appears no liberal Christmas is complete without the ultimate stocking stuffer: an actual stocking to wear over your face while rioting. While not yet selling face coverings for anonymous violence, Crooked Media … is selling a line of Antifa items for liberals wanting to make a statement against any 'Peace on Earth.'"
He explained, "There is no apparent backlash for their support of one of the most violent groups in the world, which routinely attacks journalists and anyone who holds opposing views. Imagine the media response if a conservative site started selling 'Proud Boy' items."
He explained, "As discussed in my new book, 'The Indispensable Right: Free Speech in an Age of Rage,' I explore the history of Antifa as a movement that began in Germany:"
That is: "Antifa originated with European anarchist and Marxist groups from the 1920s, particularly Antifaschistische Aktion, a Communist group from the Weimar Republic before World War II. Its name resulted from the shortening of the German word antifaschistisch. In the United States, the modern movement emerged through the Anti- Racist Action (ARA) groups, which were dominated by anarchists and Marxists. It has an association with the anarchist organization Love and Rage, which was founded by former Trotsky and Marxist followers as well as offshoots like Mexico's Amor Y Rabia. The oldest U.S. group is likely the Rose City Antifa (RCA) in Portland, Oregon, which would become the center of violent riots during the Trump years. The anarchist roots of the group give it the same organizational profile as such groups in the early twentieth century with uncertain leadership and undefined structures."
He noted the movement has threats built in.
"Former Democratic National Committee deputy chair Keith Ellison, now the Minnesota attorney general, once said Antifa would 'strike fear in the heart' of Trump. This was after Antifa had been involved in numerous acts of violence, and its website was banned in Germany. Ellison's son, Minneapolis City Council member Jeremiah Ellison, declared his allegiance to Antifa in the heat of the protests this summer. During a prior hearing, Democratic senators refused to clearly denounce Antifa and falsely suggested that the far right was the primary cause of recent violence. Likewise, Joe Biden has dismissed objections to Antifa as just 'an idea.'"
Liberals, this season, "can bring a small part of that political violence into their homes for the holiday to pledge that there will be no peace or silent nights so long as opposing views are heard," he warned.
Peter Navarro, who advised President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House on trade deals and negotiations, is returning to that institution as the new senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, the president-elect has announced.
"I am pleased to announce that Peter Navarros, a man who was treated horribly by the Deep State, or whatever else you would like to call it, will serve as my Senior Counselor for Trade and Manufacturing," Trump said in a social media statement.
"During my First Term, few were more effective or tenacious than Peter in enforcing my two sacred rules, Buy American, Hire America."
Trump noted that Navarro's work then included helping with renegotiations of NAFTA and more.
By being "treated horribly," Trump likely was referring to a prison term for contempt of Congress imposed by Democrats as part of their lawfare campaign against Trump himself.
It was when ex-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi set up a partisan committee to "investigate" the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol. That body now is known to have concealed evidence that benefited Trump, such as that he proposed authorizing National Guard troops to prevent violence that day, and was refused.
The committee released a report that essentially claimed Trump wanted an "insurrection" that day, even though the evidence shows it was a protest that turned violent when a few hundred people rioted.
The committee then, according to reports, destroyed the evidence it used for its report.
Navarro was caught up in that agenda against Trump.
The committee demanded he testify about Trump and events that day, and he refused, citing executive privilege. Members of Congress disputed that, had him charged and convicted, and sent to the Federal Bureau of Prisons for four months.
He was released just in time to be a speaker at last summer's Republican National Convention, at which Trump was formally nominated to his second term in the White House, which he won by a landslide in November.
Navarro was the first former White House official to go to prison following a contempt of Congress conviction. However, months later, Steve Bannon, a Trump ally who served as White House chief strategist, became the second.
His offense essentially was the same as Navarro's: refusing, based on executive privilege, to tell the Democrat-run Pelosi committee the details it demanded to use against Trump.
At the convention, Navarro warned, "I got a very simple message for you. If they can come for me, if they can come for Donald Trump. Be careful. They will come for you."
In Navarro's trial, a judge ordered that he could not use executive privilege as a defense.
A new report from the Institute for Justice is warning Americans that their banks – and the federal government – secretly are spying on their money, their spending habits, their banking accounts and more.
With the punishment up to and including closing those accounts if the owner strays from what the government approves.
Such as shopping at specific retailers, or making cash deposits just under $10,000.
The institute explained, "Most Americans have no idea their financial accounts are being monitored. And that's by design. The same federal law that mandates this surveillance also prohibits banks from telling customers about these reports."
That means the first indication that a consumer may have about a government bureaucrat's issue with their activity is when their accounts are closed.
The institute explained Bryan Delaney, a bar owner in New York City, learned the hard way in 2023 when his corporate and personal accounts were shut down.
It seems he offended Deep State members by often depositing cash amounts under $10,000 from his bar business.
The feds demand that such deposits over $10,000 are reported, and those under $10,000 are documented "because they do not trigger" that requirement.
"Bryan wasn't trying to avoid any $10,000 reporting requirement; his bar's revenue simply happened to fall below that threshold," the institute reported.
Other suspicious activities include regular cash deposits or withdrawals, overseas transfers, donations to "controversial" groups, purchases at gun shops or shopping at Dick's Sporting Goods or Cabela's.
The Institute explained, "This is called 'de-banking,' and it's far more common than you might think. Thousands of Americans have had their accounts closed with little warning or explanation."
It's all because of a federal law that imposes demands on bank to monitor accounts.
Actually, the institute said, "Federal law provides that any transaction can be 'suspicious' if the 'bank knows of no reasonable explanation for the transaction.'
"In other words, ordinary financial activities are presumed guilty until proven innocent."
And it gets worse, the IJ explained: "These surveillance laws more broadly harm Americans by creating a vast database of financial information that is susceptible to abuse by bad actors both within and outside government."
That's because federal, state and local – even foreign – agencies are given access to the reports without any warrant.
The IJ is fighting the schemes.
"The Fourth Amendment guarantees our right to be 'secure' in our 'persons, houses, papers, and effects.' That protection for 'papers' should, on its face, extend to the kind of sensitive financial information held by banks," the organization explained.
Dinesh D'Souza has issued an apology to a Georgia man who sued the conservative filmmaker after his "2000 Mules" movie wrongly identified him as a so-called mule repeatedly dropping off ballots.
D'Souza posted a lengthy statement online explaining the situation:
As those who have seen the film or read the book know, "2000 Mules" was based on cell phone geolocation data collected and reviewed by True the Vote. An analysis of this data revealed highly suspicious patterns of certain cell phones, which were recorded in the location of ten or more dropboxes. This data was the premise of the film.
During the production of this film, as a supplement to the geolocation data, True the Vote provided my team with ballot drop box surveillance footage that had been obtained through open records requests. We were assured that the surveillance videos had been linked to geolocation cell phone data, such that each video depicted an individual who had made at least 10 visits to drop boxes. Indeed, it is clear from the interviews within the film itself that True the Vote was correlating the videos to geolocation data.
We recently learned that surveillance videos used in the film may not have actually been correlated with the geolocation data.
I know that the film and my book create the impression that these individuals were mules that had been identified as suspected ballot harvesters based on their geotracked cell phone data. While all of these individuals' images were blurred and unrecognizable, one of the individuals has since come forward publicly and has initiated a lawsuit over the use of his blurred image in the film and the book. I owe this individual, Mark Andrews, an apology. I now understand that the surveillance videos used in the film were characterized on the basis of inaccurate information provided to me and my team. If I had known then that the videos were not linked to geolocation data, I would have clarified this and produced and edited the film differently.
Footage from '2000 Mules'
We operated in good faith and in reliance on True the Vote. We continue to have confidence in their work and also in the basic message of "2000 Mules," namely, that the 2020 election was not the "most secure election in US history"—far from it!—and that there was systematic election fraud sufficient to call the outcome into question. We also continue to have faith that True the Vote's underlying geolocation data and analysis uncovered highly suspicious cell phone travel patterns, including a significant number of cell phone IDs that were recorded at more than ten drop box locations. While the video in the film created an incorrect inference as to Mr. Andrews, the underlying premise of the film holds true.
Indeed, the accuracy of the general proposition of '2000 Mules" was publicly confirmed recently by the disclosure of a leading Democratic organizer, who admitted to an undercover journalist that the premise of "2000 Mules" is accurate.
Again, I apologize to Mr. Andrews. I make this apology not under the terms of a settlement agreement or other duress, but because it is the right thing to do, given what we have now learned. While I do not believe Mr. Andrews was ever identified by the film or book, I am sorry for any harm he believes he and his family has suffered as a result of "2000 Mules."
D'Souza is also critical of some news coverage of his apology, as Mediaite ran a story with the headline: "Dinesh D'Souza Quietly Admits 2020 Stolen Election Film Was Wrong, Apologizes to Man He Identified As a 'Ballot Harvester.'"
Dinesh D'Souza sporting one of his 'Let's Go Brandon' T-shirts (Courtesy Dinesh D'Souza Store)
The filmmaker responded to the Mediaite story, stating: "Contrary to the impression given here, I emphasize that the general conclusion of '2000 Mules' is sound. But the part of my statement that contradicts your headline has been quietly omitted from this article."
In response to a student's objections to her school district's mask mandate during COVID, the district suspended her three times, told police to cite her for trespassing, and then had her arrested and jailed.
So of course she has standing to sue for the treatment, according to an appeals court decision.
It is the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which oversees federal judges in Wyoming, that rejected and overturned a decision from Judge Nancy Freudenthal, who had dismissed the complaint from Grace Smith and her parents Andy and Erin Smith.
They sued the Albany County School District in August 2023 over its attacks over the mask demand.
Freudenthal claimed that Smith had no standing, so dismissed the action, a move that was reversed in a ruling from Harris Hartz, Gregory Phillips, and Allison Eid of the 10th Circuit.
The ruling explains when a government regulation forbids or requires some action by the plaintiff, she almost invariably can show she's been harmed.
"Grace has easily met the requirements for standing. She alleges that the defendants repeatedly punished her for opposing the mask mandate. They suspended her three times and requested that local law enforcement issue her two trespassing citations, arrest her, and take her to jail," the appellate judges noted.
Smith, now a former Laramie High School student, now can continue her court battle against the school.
The Cowboy State Daily report noted, "Smith had refused to wear a mask, had declined to take virtual instead of in-person schooling, organized a walkout in protest of the mask mandate, was suspended for three different two-day stints, and was ultimately arrested for trespassing while at school."
As a result of the school's demands, "Police officers arrested and handcuffed Smith, drove her to the police station, booked her for trespassing, then released her to her father."
She then withdrew from the school.
The report explains she has accused the school of violating her right to free speech by compelling her "to utter what was not in her mind" by wearing a mask.
Then, her claims include, there was retaliation by the school and a violation of due process.
A plan for states to secede from the union of United States because they disagree politically with the majority is something that's been tried before.
Unsuccessfully, as the horrendous death tolls of the Civil War and its after-war punishments, like "carpet-baggers," document.
But Democrats in New York apparently believe it would produce a better result this time.
That's because they are considering a plan to become, along with several nearby states, a province of Canada over President-elect Donald Trump's coming administration.
It is the Washington Examiner that has reported that the rage from leftists is over Trump's plans to address the catastrophic results of the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris open borders agenda.
That has left millions of illegal aliens spread across the United States, taking jobs, taking government financial benefits, taking up housing and space in schools and more. Among them are criminals and terrorists.
The report said it is New York state Sen. Liz Krueger, a Democrat from New York City, who proposed withholding taxes from the federal government, or leaving entirely.
She is chairwoman of the state Senate Finance Committee and suggested the plans "as state Democrats only have weeks to counter President-elect Donald Trump before he takes office," the report said.
"It's not unreasonable to think outside of the box," she said in an interview with Politico.
Both proposals seem far-fetched. She hinted that if Trump chooses to send less federal funding to New York, a move already threatened against cities whose officials won't work with federal immigration authorities, the state should refuse to forward tax collections to the federal government.
The report noted former ICE chief Tom Homan, named as Trump's "border czar," already has committed to blocking federal funding to states that don't help with the national crisis.
"That's going to happen. I guarantee you," he has warned.
The Examiner noted, "A complete block of federal funding would leave New York $85 billion in the hole. As Krueger suggested, they could make up those funds by sending less in the hundreds of billions of tax dollars it receives."
Or, as Krueger proposed weeks ago, perhaps New York should join Canada.
She wanted to take Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont along.
"But that's why I thought, 'Oh, why do I have to leave this country? I love this country, and if Trump wins a second term, it's not actually my fault or people in New York.' So I thought I would suggest to Canada that instead of us all trying to illegally cross the border at night without them noticing … that they should instead agree to let us be the southeast province, a new province of Canada."
She said those states are filled with "progressive Democrats" who would fit well into Canadian ideals.
Actually, 43% of New Yorkers voted for Trump this year.
JERUSALEM – Authorities in the United Arab Emirates made a shocking discovery Sunday after they found the lifeless remains of a Chabad movement emissary, who had been missing – feared abducted – since Thursday.
Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a dual Israeli-Moldovan citizen, who was a relative, through his wife of Rabbi Gavriel Holzberg, the Chabad emissary who was murdered, along with his wife, Rivka, in the Mumbai terrorist atrocity in 2008, was feared missing after he failed to appear at a number of scheduled meetings he had during the day.
After a prolonged period of failure to reach Kogan, his wife, also named Rivka, and who is a U.S. citizen, spoke to the Chabad house security officer, who promptly alerted the Abu Dhabi authorities. Information was also shared with the Israeli authorities, and the story about the hunt for the missing rabbi – and the palpable fears for his safety – caught the internet alight.
Both Kogan's body and his car were located in Al-Ain, an inland oasis city on the eastern border with Oman, approximately 90 miles from the capital Abu Dhabi. Israeli outlet Ynet claimed the authorities found signs of violence on the body, and there were also indications of a struggle in Kogan's car, although it did not provide evidence yet, for this assertion. Suspicion quickly fell on an Iranian-backed terrorist cell populated with Uzbek nationals.
"Israeli authorities are aware that the Uzbeks traveled to Turkey, and Israeli security agencies are coordinating with Turkish officials to uncover the truth. A delegation from Israel has been sent to the UAE to oversee the investigation," according to the Jewish News Syndicate.
Kogan's disappearance was front-page news in Israel, and now his body has been found, the country's leaders reacted with fury at the violence meted out to the religious emissary. Israel's President Isaac Herzog wrote on X: "I mourn with sorrow and outrage the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan."
"This vile antisemitic attack is a reminder of the inhumanity of the enemies of the Jewish people. It will not deter us from continuing to grow flourishing communities in the UAE or anywhere – especially with the help of the dedicated commitment and work of the Chabad emissaries all over the world."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke before the weekly Sunday cabinet meeting about Rabbi Kogan and also took to X to decry the brutality of his murder, adding those who sought to destabilize the region and drive a wedge between Israel and the UAE would not succeed.
The Prime Minister's Office also reiterated the warning about the UAE having a level 3 travel advisory warning according to the National Security Council. It stipulates only essential travel should be undertaken, and those already in the country should take extra precautions.
The Chabad organization, which operates its houses in most countries of the world and which has tens of thousands of emissaries (and their families), reacted with "great pain" to the discovery of Rabbi Kogan's body. The organization asked people to do a good deed in his memory.
The Biden administration's sudden lame-duck approval of Ukraine using U.S. longer-range missiles to attack deep inside Russia leaves many scratching their heads in disbelief, some even speculating that the outgoing president seems intent on starting World War III – all to disrupt the coming administration of Donald Trump.
With only two months remaining in office, Biden has authorized Ukraine to use Lockheed Martin's Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) rockets, which have a range of up to 190 miles and are designed to strike deep into enemy territory.
In response, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has signed a new nuclear doctrine stipulating that any attack on Russia, if that attack is supported by a nation with nuclear weapons, could serve as grounds for a nuclear response from Russia.
In other words, the use of nuclear weapons in the Russia-Ukraine war has suddenly become potentially much more imminent.
Putin's new nuclear policy came one day after Biden authorized Ukraine to attack Russia with American-made longer-range missiles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov argues that Ukraine's use of the American missiles will "continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict." And, concedes the Associated Press, "Biden's shift in policy adds an uncertain new factor to the conflict on the eve of the 1,000-day milestone since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022."
What is really going on? Some U.S. military members are outspoken regarding what they see as the real reasons for Biden's sudden escalation. One of them, Army Lt. Col. Darin Gaub, a former UH-60 Blackhawk pilot and co-founder of Restore Liberty, told WorldNetDaily: "This entirely has to do with trying to tie Trump's hands to a war, dampening his ability to achieve the agenda that the American people want him to achieve." According to Gaub, "This has been in the [Left's] plan for quite a while, in anticipation of the landslide victory that occurred earlier this month."
A "world on fire" for the Trump presidency is something Gaub predicted in an Oct. 6 Substack article. The ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine is only one of the contributors to the chaos that lies ahead.
Gaub told WND it's not about Biden attempting to extend his stay in the White House as some have suggested, because "he would have to declare an emergency that precluded the country's ability to hold an election or hold a change of leadership." He also pointed out that "we've successfully changed out leadership in much bigger wars," including World War II.
For Gaub, "The idea is really just to disrupt the future of Trump's presidency." Rather than trying to stop the transition of power on Jan. 20, he said, "The powers-that-be are attempting to put Trump in a position where he has to deal with a mega conflict which could derail some of what he wants to accomplish at the start of his second term and beyond."
To that end, Gaub added, "The American people must remember that we're dealing with people [on the Left] for whom the rules are sometimes a mild inconvenience."
Interestingly, in July Trump said he could end the war between Russia and Ukraine in one day. While Russia's United Nations ambassador is skeptical, Gaub suggests that, "based on his previous record, we should give him the chance even if it seems unrealistic for some."
