Matzav

President-elect Trump may be able to increase Americans’ incomes through a series of changes to the tax code, according to experts and insiders.

Throughout his campaign, Trump made repeated promises to reduce taxes on tips and Social Security benefits, and even proposed the full elimination of income taxes, aiming to replace the lost revenue with tariffs.

With the major tax cuts from Trump’s first term set to expire in 2025, and Republicans likely to hold full control of Congress, extending and potentially expanding these tax cuts is a top priority for him.

A key focus of Trump’s proposed tax changes is the reduction of corporate tax rates.

In 2017, Trump lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%—and now, he wants to cut it further to 15%.

“When you reduce the corporate rate by 2% wages go up 1%, corporations have more money to invest for workers,” Grover Norquist, an activist and president of Americans for Tax Reform, told The Post.

Norquist, a seasoned insider in GOP tax circles, predicted that both House and Senate leadership would fully support this reduction.

Trump has also vowed to undo one of the provisions of his 2017 tax reform: the $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions.

This cap primarily affects residents of high-tax blue states, where hefty state and local taxes fund large state governments. Trump’s pledge to repeal it could lead to a rare bipartisan achievement.

“I take President Trump at his word and will hold him accountable for his promise to eliminate the SALT cap. I will work with him and anyone to get things done on behalf of the people,” said Long Island Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, a vocal critic of the SALT cap.

However, insiders suggest that repealing the cap could prove much more challenging.

“The major problem is it pits high tax states against low tax states. Certain states like New York and California and New Jersey have really high and state and local tax rates, and it gives people who live there an advantage in their deductions over people who live in [low-tax] places like Florida or Texas,” said Phil Magness, an economic historian at the Independent Institute.

Far-left progressives might also be reluctant to support what they see as a tax break for the wealthy. Socialist Squad Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticized past attempts to remove the SALT cap as a “gift to billionaires.”

Norquist, however, expressed uncertainty about Trump’s ability to fully eliminate the cap but suggested that raising the deduction could serve as a reasonable compromise.

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Donald Trump secured a win in Nevada on Shabbos, officially clinching the final of the crucial seven swing states, as confirmed by Politico.

Trump triumphed with a 3-point margin, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in Nevada, 50.7% to 47.4%. This victory brings Trump’s electoral vote total to 312, while Harris stands at 226. Additionally, Trump’s popular vote count has surpassed 74 million. With this win, he becomes the first Republican to carry Nevada and its 6 electoral votes since George W. Bush in 2004.

Despite the state’s large Latino demographic, which led some experts to predict a smoother victory for Harris, Trump’s populist approach resonated with voters. In May, Trump introduced his proposal to make tips tax-exempt, a policy that garnered support among Nevada’s significant hospitality workforce.

In another notable development, Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen successfully defended her seat against a determined challenge from Republican Sam Brown, who attempted to flip the Nevada seat Rosen has held since 2018. Although Brown had Trump’s backing, he struggled with a major fundraising disadvantage and limited national support from Senate Republicans.

{Matzav.com}

A Democratic attorney, who previously made a loud spectacle of criticizing President-elect Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the 2020 election results, is now at the center of a controversial attempt to overturn Pennsylvania’s Senate race, the NY Post reports.

According to insiders within Dave McCormick’s campaign, this effort is part of a desperate bid to reverse the outcome in the race, even though McCormick has already been declared the winner by the Associated Press.

Marc Elias, a seasoned Democratic election lawyer known for his involvement in controversial political tactics, is pushing to initiate a recount in the Pennsylvania Senate race. This move comes despite McCormick’s victory being declared on Thursday by the Associated Press, with even some of the state’s most liberal news outlets backing that call.

While the race has been declared over, Democratic Senator Bob Casey has not yet conceded the result. Over the weekend, Casey sent out a fundraising email urging his supporters to continue pushing for a recount and to ensure that “every last vote in this PA Senate race is counted.”

Pennsylvania law stipulates that an automatic recount is triggered if the margin of victory is smaller than 0.5%. With 99% of the ballots counted, McCormick is ahead of Casey by over 41,000 votes — a margin that exceeds the recount threshold.

Even if a recount takes place, it seems improbable that Casey would be able to uncover enough additional votes to alter the results. However, the prolonged legal battle could result in a hefty cost to state taxpayers, potentially running into the millions.

The most recent statewide recount, which was conducted in 2022 following McCormick’s primary challenge against Dr. Mehmet Oz, reportedly cost Pennsylvania around $1 million, according to KDKA News.

“Election Day has past [sic], but the fight for democracy continues. Here is some of what my firm has been up to: Thursday: Intervened against rightwing lawsuit in Pennsylvania,” Elias wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

“The Pennsylvania Senate race is not over,” Elias warned in a separate X post on Thursday. He also referenced a statement from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office, which indicated that there were “at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated.”

McCormick’s campaign has filed two lawsuits aimed at blocking the counting of provisional ballots in Philadelphia, alleging “errors or inconsistencies in the adjudication process,” as reported by The Hill.

Elias has a long history of working on behalf of various Democratic causes, which have drawn significant criticism. In 2022, he was hired by the Black Lives Matter movement to address concerns over their financial dealings, and in 2016, he played a central role in commissioning the research that led to the now-infamous Steele dossier, which sparked the lengthy Russia collusion investigation into Donald Trump.

Elias has also been involved in several efforts to challenge voter ID laws in various states, projects that were heavily funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros, according to the Washington Post.

Critics have pointed out the hypocrisy in Elias’s actions, highlighting his outspoken condemnation of Trump’s legal challenges to recounts in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Elias described those efforts as “dangerous for democracy.”

“Elias is part of Kamala Harris’ campaign’s legal apparatus,” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a nonprofit organization focused on government accountability. “One of the big lies of the left is that they support democracy, but what they support is using the law to obtain and retain power for themselves and that’s what Marc Elias is about.”

Elizabeth Gregory, a spokesperson for McCormick, blasted Elias, calling him a “grifter” who was engaging in “frivolous legal challenges with zero merit.”

“McCormick’s lead is insurmountable, and that’s why the AP called the race. Senator-Elect McCormick is honored to have been elected by Pennsylvanians all over the commonwealth, and is moving forward to represent them,” Gregory said.

{Matzav.com}

a leading mental health professional advised MSNBC viewers that it may be necessary to sever relationships with relatives who voted for President-elect Donald Trump.

Dr. Amanda Calhoun, the chief psychiatry resident at Yale University, appeared on MSNBC’s Joy Reid show on Friday to discuss how liberals who are feeling disheartened by Trump’s re-election can manage their emotions. She suggested that one way to cope might be distancing themselves from certain family members or friends.

“So, if you are going into a situation where you have family members, where you have close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you… it’s completely fine to not be around those people and to tell them why,” Calhoun explained to Reid.

The discussion began when Reid brought up the feelings of vulnerability within the LGBTQ community and other minority groups, who, according to her, are feeling particularly threatened after Trump’s victory early on Wednesday morning.

Referring to a recent article from the progressive publication, The 19th, Reid remarked, “Yeah, and we know that there’s been a vast increase since the election – 700 percent increase in calls from …. youth to [ a project] which offers phone, online chat, or text to people – 700 percent increase in calls, texts, and chats compared to recent weeks.”

Reid then asked Calhoun how these individuals should approach family members or friends who supported Trump, especially considering her view that Trump’s election is harmful to the rights of many Americans.

“But I wonder if also, are people challenged with the idea of, how do you interact with people who voted for this?” she questioned.

Reid continued, “If … you know someone in your family voted essentially against your rights, or you’re a woman knowing, you know, … JD Vance was literally calling Kamala Harris ‘the trash.’ He said, ‘We’re going to take out the trash.’ I know a lot of Black women were incredibly triggered by that.”

{Matzav.com}

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that she spoke with President-elect Trump on Thursday to “reaffirm” their potential to collaborate on key issues, particularly in areas like infrastructure where the state is heavily dependent on federal assistance.

The conversation took place just one day after Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James held a tense press briefing in which James vowed to “fight back once again” against any Trump administration efforts, vowing to safeguard the rights of New Yorkers and uphold the rule of law.

“It was a very cordial call, and listen, I said I’ll work with anybody,” Hochul remarked during a post-election political event in Puerto Rico on Friday, as reported by Politico. She emphasized that it was only fitting to congratulate the election winner and extend the courtesy of cooperation.

“I basically just reaffirmed there are areas we can work together, like infrastructure, where we rely on federal money, and he seems to share my priorities,” she continued.

New York is counting on federal funding, specifically through the CHIPS and Science Act, to support a semiconductor manufacturing plant near Syracuse. The plant’s future was uncertain after Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Republicans might move to repeal the law, though he later revised his statement. This plant, operated by Micron, could potentially create 50,000 jobs in Central New York, according to Politico.

Additionally, the state plans to extend the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan, with Hochul highlighting the critical need for federal funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and for modernizing Penn Station, the nation’s busiest transit hub, which has become overcrowded with the city’s homeless population. Hochul has previously referred to Penn Station as a “hell hole.”

The expansion of Penn Station involves demolishing several city blocks and could cost up to $17 billion, according to the New York Post. This project is designed to run alongside the $16 billion Gateway Project, which will create a new tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey while also refurbishing Penn Station’s outdated tracks that were severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“I want Penn Station to be something that we’re all proud of. I said it can be beautiful. And he agreed,” Hochul stated, referring to her conversation with Trump.

The possibility of federal support for the MTA could depend on Trump’s backing, while Hochul has suggested implementing congestion pricing to generate an additional $1 billion for the MTA. However, Trump has previously promised to eliminate congestion pricing.

This controversial plan was postponed by Hochul earlier in the summer, just weeks before it was set to be enforced. The proposal would impose a $15 toll on vehicles entering Lower Manhattan. The MTA had also received over $15 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding.

{Matzav.com}

Geert Wilders, who leads the largest political party in the Netherlands, the Party for Freedom, wrote on today that he was “speechless” after leaning about Amsterdam police’s response to what has been described as a pogrom on Thursday night.

“Amsterdam Police just confirmed that no one has been arrested during the Islamic Jew-hunt in Amsterdam Thursday night,” Wilders wrote. “All arrests have been made before and during the soccer match and not during the pogrom.”

“Shades of Munich,” wrote John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary magazine. “And you know what Israel felt compelled to do after Munich.”

The Guardian reported today that “four suspects remained detained today on suspicion of violent acts, including two minors, and 40 people had been fined for public disturbance and 10 for offenses including vandalism, prosecutors said.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Donald Trump held a “warm and general” call with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, a Palestinian official told Axios, which reported that the two last spoke in 2017.

Abbas “extended his congratulations to President-elect Trump, wishing him success in his upcoming term in office,” according to Wafa, which is aligned with the Palestinian Authority. “The Palestinian leader expressed his hope that Trump would lead the United States towards further progress and prosperity.”

The Palestinian leader “also reaffirmed his readiness to work with President Trump in pursuit of a just and comprehensive peace, based on international legitimacy and principles,” per Wafa. “In response, President Trump emphasized his commitment to stop the war and reiterated his willingness to collaborate with President Abbas, as well as other regional and global stakeholders, in efforts to achieve peace in the region.”

In July, Trump stated that Abbas had sent him a letter condemning the assassination attempt against him. According to the post, Abbas wrote that “acts of violence must not have a place in a world of law and order. Respect for the other with tolerance and valuing of human life is what must prevail.”

Trump posted an image that he hand wrote, on Abbas’s letter, stating, “Mahmoud, So nice. Thank you. Everything will be good. Best wishes, Donald Trump.”

JNS

Today, President-elect Donald Trump revealed that former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not be joining his administration for a second term.
Trump shared the news on his Truth Social platform, stating, “I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation. I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Haley, who competed against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in the previous election, ended her bid after suffering several losses in the primaries, including in her home state of South Carolina. Later, she expressed her intention to vote for Trump and gave her full endorsement in July.

Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State from April 2018 until the conclusion of Trump’s first term in January 2021, had considered running for the Republican nomination in the election. However, he declared in April 2023 that he would not be pursuing the candidacy.

Both Haley and Pompeo have been vocal and unwavering supporters of Israel. Haley visited Israel in May of this year as a gesture of solidarity, while Pompeo made his own trip to Israel in February.

{Matzav.com}

Melhem Asad, a Druze-Israeli resident of Kisra-Sumei, is being hailed as a hero for his courageous actions in Amsterdam on Thursday, when he helped protect Jewish fans from a violent mob following a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and AFC Ajax. The violence erupted after the game ended, and Asad, a supporter of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team, witnessed the security that had previously been in place vanish once the match was over.

Asad explained to Kan Reshet Bet that he acted immediately when he saw the chaos unfolding: “Before the game, we were at Dam Square, and there was good security. They really accompanied us the whole time before the game. After the game ended, we left the field on the way to the hotel, and there was no security. There was nothing.”

When the violence began, Asad overheard attackers speaking Arabic, threatening the lives of anyone displaying Israeli or Maccabi symbols. He said, “I saw people speaking Arabic. They said, ‘Anyone who has a Maccabi shirt and Israeli symbols – beat him to kill.’ I tried to confuse them with my language, to tell them that the Jews left. I spoke in Arabic so that they would recognize us as ‘with an Arabic accent,’ I told the fans to hide their Maccabi Tel Aviv shirts and not to speak Hebrew.”

Despite his repeated attempts to protect others, Asad was unable to help everyone, as he recounted: “I went to restaurants in the area and I did it again, three or four times. Around me there were people on the floor, who had been beaten, and I could not help them. I was afraid.”

Asad admitted to feeling fear for his own life, knowing that his actions could put him in danger. “I was afraid that they would recognize me and kill me. The Council called me and my parents were worried about me but I didn’t want to answer the phone, so that they would not hear me or see that I am an Arab-Israeli and begin to beat me.”

He expressed pride in his Druze heritage, stating, “This is our culture – the Druze, we support our country.” However, Asad also voiced frustration about the lack of recognition for the Druze community’s contributions to Israel, noting, “We do not receive rights, they don’t give us respect, and we give everything to our country.”

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Trump is scheduled to meet President Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday, as announced today by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. This meeting is part of the ongoing transition of power, which will culminate with Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. “At President Biden’s invitation, President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Additional details to follow,” Jean-Pierre stated in her brief announcement.

On Thursday, President Biden spoke to the nation from the Rose Garden following the concession of the 2024 presidential race by Vice President Kamala Harris to President-elect Trump. Harris committed to a “peaceful and orderly” transition of power. In contrast, Trump had not welcomed Biden into the White House in 2020, as the former president challenged the election results. It is customary for the outgoing first lady to also host the incoming first lady during the transition period.

Since being declared the winner on Wednesday, Trump has focused on building his transition team, including a groundbreaking choice in naming Susie Wiles as the first female chief of staff. “Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump remarked in a statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again…. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”

Leading Trump’s transition efforts are Linda McMahon, a former professional wrestling magnate, and Howard Lutnick, a billionaire businessman. In addition, the Trump-Vance campaign revealed on Saturday the establishment of the “Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc.,” a 501(c)(4) entity responsible for organizing inaugural events.

The committee will be co-chaired by Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump ally, and Senator Kelly Loeffler.

“On Election Night, we made history and I have the extraordinary honor of having been elected the 47th President of the United States thanks to tens of millions of hardworking Americans across the nation who supported our America First agenda,” President Trump stated. “The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee will honor this magnificent victory in a celebration of the American People and our nation. This will be the kick-off to my administration, which will deliver on bold promises to Make America Great Again.”

“Together, we will celebrate this moment, steeped in history and tradition, and then get to work to achieve the most incredible future for our people, restoring strength, success, and common sense to the Oval Office.”

{Matzav.com}

According to internal polling conducted by the White House, President-elect Trump was poised to secure up to 400 electoral votes in a direct matchup against President Biden.

This revelation came from Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for President Obama and current host of the Pod Save America podcast.

“Then we find out when the Biden campaign becomes the Harris campaign, that the Biden campaign’s own internal polling at the time when they were telling us he was the strongest candidate, showed that Donald Trump was going to win 400 electoral votes,” Favreau shared.

Favreau continued, asserting that “Joe Biden’s decision to run for president again was a catastrophic mistake.” He criticized the campaign for ignoring public concerns about inflation, saying, “They refused to acknowledge until very late, that anyone could be upset about inflation. And they just kept telling us that his presidency was historic and it was the greatest economy ever.”

He further alleged that Biden’s team actively undermined Vice President Harris by leaking doubts about her electability to the press.

“I’m done being generous,” Favreau remarked, echoing sentiments held by many of Obama’s former aides who have long been critical of Biden’s approach and team.

David Axelrod, a former Obama strategist, has also been vocal in his criticism of Biden on news networks, frequently raising questions about Biden’s age and suitability for a second term well before the ill-fated debate in July.

Initially praised by his party, many Democrats have since distanced themselves from Biden, especially after Harris suffered a substantial defeat in the election.

House Speaker Pelosi, who had called Biden a “great president” when advocating for his departure, later commented that he should have stepped aside sooner.

However, a Biden team member disputed the poll findings, telling The Post, “there was a small hit after the debate, which worsened after the circular firing squad, but internal polling never showed him down 400.”

Trump ultimately won against Harris by a clear 312-electoral vote margin and led the popular vote by around 4 million.

{Matzav.com}

Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof spoke out on Friday against the violent assault on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam that took place the previous evening, labeling it a “terrible antisemitic attack.”

“It’s a terrible antisemitic attack. We will not tolerate (it). We will prosecute the perpetrators. And I’m deeply ashamed that this could happen in the Netherlands in 2024,” Schoof said during a press briefing at an EU summit in Budapest, according to AFP.

Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema also denounced the incident, calling it “an eruption of antisemitism that we had hoped never again to see in Amsterdam.”

Halsema explained that groups of men on scooters roamed the city, attacking the fans. She noted that the nature of the violence evoked memories of historical pogroms against Jews in Europe, adding that she finds this conduct utterly deplorable.

Expressing sympathy, the mayor extended her heartfelt support to the victims and their families, both in Amsterdam and Israel.

Dutch right-wing politician Geert Wilders responded by demanding Halsema’s resignation.

“A Jew hunt in Amsterdam. It is totally unacceptable that there was insufficient police protection to prevent this violence and protect the people. The mayor of Amsterdam must resign today,” he posted on social media platform X.

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering New York Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, a Republican known for her strong pro-Israel stance, as a potential nominee for U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Stefanik, a staunch supporter of Trump’s agenda, has consistently backed his policies and has taken a strong stand against antisemitism on college campuses.

Whether Stefanik would be interested in the role is unclear. She has been an outspoken critic of the United Nations due to its stance on Israel and has urged reductions in U.S. financial contributions to the organization as a result.

If Stefanik were to leave Congress to take on the UN role, her departure would trigger a special election in her district. Given that her district is solidly Republican, a shift in the House’s balance of power would be unlikely.

{Matzav.com}

The total amount spent on political ads during the 2024 election reached nearly $11 billion, setting a new record and reflecting a significant rise from the $9 billion allocated in 2020.

This information comes from AdImpact, a company that monitors political ad expenditures. The figure aligns with the firm’s prediction for 2023, which forecasted a record-breaking spending year in 2024.

As expected, the largest portion of the total spending was directed toward the presidential election. Despite their loss, Democrats spent more than Republicans on campaign ads.

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign operation, which includes joint fundraising efforts with President Joe Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee, spent over $880 million since the beginning of 2023. In comparison, President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign operation, encompassing his campaign, the national Republican Party, and related joint fundraising committees, spent approximately $425 million on ads.

In total, the Democratic campaign and its supporting outside groups spent around $1.8 billion, while Trump’s campaign and pro-Republican groups spent about $1.4 billion on advertisements.

Senate races, which will be controlled by Republicans starting next year, accounted for approximately $2.6 billion in ad spending. Of this, $1.4 billion came from Democratic candidates and supporting groups, while $1.2 billion was spent by Republicans and pro-Republican organizations. Ohio’s Senate race, which saw Republican Bernie Moreno’s victory, was the priciest, with over $538 million spent by both campaigns and outside groups.

House races attracted $1.7 billion in ad spending, with Democrats contributing $940 million and Republicans $760 million. New York’s 19th District, where NBC News projects Democrat Josh Riley will beat Republican Rep. Marc Molinaro, saw the most significant expenditure, with nearly $40 million spent on ads.

A smaller number of contested gubernatorial races this election cycle garnered nearly $530 million in ad spending, including races held in 2023. The North Carolina gubernatorial race, where Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein is expected to defeat Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, led the pack with almost $120 million in spending, following controversy surrounding Robinson’s alleged inflammatory remarks on a pornography site.

The other downballot races, including ballot initiatives, constitutional amendments, state legislative contests, and more, saw $2.9 billion in ad spending. Notably, Florida’s ballot amendment to legalize marijuana, which appears to have failed, drew more than $122 million in advertising—the highest amount spent on any downballot issue.

{Matzav.com}

Hamas has not received any notification that it is unwelcome in Doha, according to a report by the Qatari news source Al-Araby, which cited sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

Al-Araby claims that media reports, including those from The Times of Israel, have inaccurately portrayed the situation.

However, an Arab official informed The Times of Israel that the Al-Araby report is misleading, calling it a “smokescreen” set up by sources who oppose removing Hamas.

Senior Biden administration officials revealed to The Times of Israel that Qatar conveyed to Hamas over a week ago that it must close its diplomatic office in Doha.

Qatar has hosted Hamas leadership in Doha since 2012, when the organization moved from Damascus amid the Syrian conflict. At the time, both Democratic and Republican U.S. administrations encouraged Qatar to act as a potential liaison to the group.

After the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, the U.S. told Qatar that continuing normal diplomatic ties with Hamas would not be possible. Nonetheless, the administration initially held back from urging Qatar to shut the office, recognizing the importance of the diplomatic link for brokering a ceasefire and securing a hostage release.

A U.S. official explained to The Times of Israel that Hamas’s recent actions, including the execution of American-Israeli hostage Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five others in late August, as well as the group’s refusal of additional ceasefire proposals, prompted a reevaluation of its presence in Doha. This led the administration to determine that hosting Hamas was “no longer viable or acceptable.”

{Matzav.com}

A Federal Emergency Management Agency employee has been fired for directing relief staff responding to Hurricane Milton to avoid houses with signs supporting former president Donald Trump, the agency said Saturday.

FEMA Director Deanne Criswell called the action “reprehensible” and wrote online that the behavior wouldn’t be tolerated. She added that the situation has been referred to the office of the special counsel.

“I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct,” Criswell said. “I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.”

The 22,000-employee agency’s statement did not identify the worker. The individual supervised a survivor assistance team that was canvassing homes to locate people affected by Milton and in need of federal aid. A FEMA spokesperson said the agency was returning to houses assigned to the individual to ensure no one went without aid.

News of the firing was first reported by The Daily Wire on Friday, a day before Criswell’s comments. The right-wing online news outlet, co-founded by conservative firebrand Ben Shapiro, reported that a whistleblower said more than 20 homes in Lake Placid, Fla., were skipped because of Trump signs. The town is located in Highlands County, which just voted 70.1 percent for Trump.

The worker advised staff in a list of best practices to “avoid homes advertising Trump,” along with other recommendations, like practicing de-escalation, sticking with a partner and hydrating, according to photos of the messages shared by The Daily Wire.

Milton killed at least 15 people in the state in early October and caused, according to early estimates, $50 billion in damage.

While reposting The Daily Wire’s story, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) wrote online that this was a “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy.”

He wrote that the state Division of Emergency Management was investigating l “the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.”

A FEMA spokesperson said the agency has reached 365,000 Florida households between Hurricanes Milton and Helene, adding that $898 million in aid has been distributed throughout the state.

(c) Washington Post

The government in Amsterdam launched an inquiry into whether alerts from Yerushalayim were overlooked prior to the mob attacks carried out on Thursday night against Israeli soccer fans, Justice Minister David van Weel said in a letter to the Dutch Parliament, Reuters reported on Saturday.

“An investigation is still being conducted on possible warning signs from Israel,” Van Weel said in the letter, delivered on Friday.

He added that “the Public Prosecution Service has stated that it aims to apply fast-track justice as much as possible.” He went on to state that the investigation would also examine whether the assaults had been organized in advance and if their motive was antisemitic.

According to the Hebrew news outlet Ynet, Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs issued an unusual warning about a potential “violent pro-Palestinian protest” in Amsterdam hours before the UEFA Europa League soccer match took place on Thursday between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and local Ajax.

The report said that the ministry designated the level of threat as “very high,” pointing to several social-media accounts that framed the protest as a “direct clash with Israeli security forces and the Mossad.”

These accounts called on people to arrive near the stadium where the game was taking place, and openly called to commit violence.

One Instagram post by a Dutch Palestinian group, for example, showed Maccabi Tel Aviv fans with the text: “No Zionists in UEFA/FIFA.”

In light of the “open encouragement to violence from the protest organizers, the request not to involve minors in the protest and the expected thousands of soccer fans easily identified as Israelis near the stadium, this event can be classified as very high risk,” the ministry’s warning document read.

According to Ynet, this document was presented by the ministry to the Mossad, which then requested of its Dutch counterparts that they bolster local security forces to protect the Israeli fans visiting Amsterdam to attend the soccer match.

Nevertheless, the report said, despite discussions held between Israel’s Diaspora and Foreign Ministries, no warning was issued to the Maccabi team or the approximately 3,000 fans who traveled to the Dutch capital.

“It is unbelievable that they had a targeted warning for an event that was to take place hours later and we let [the fans] get beaten and humiliated. Publishing a public warning would have prevented much of what happened,” sources who were “involved in the situation” told Ynet.

Israeli authorities with the mandate to issue such warnings are the Foreign Ministry and National Security Council. On Friday morning, the NSC urged Israelis not to leave their hotel rooms, and warned against exhibiting any Israeli and Jewish symbols when leaving their hotels for the airport.

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, Amsterdam police told JNS that it has “launched a major investigation into multiple violent incidents. So far, it is known that five people have been taken to the hospital and 62 individuals have been arrested.”

Four people remained in custody on Saturday, according to the police, Reuters reported.

(JNS)

Qatar will end its role as a mediator between Hamas and Israel in pursuit of a Gaza-ceasefire and hostage-release deal, an official “briefed on the matter” told Reuters on Saturday.

“The Qataris have said since the start of the conflict that they can only mediate when both parties demonstrate a genuine interest in finding a resolution,” the official added, according to Reuters.

Since diplomatic negotiations have not yielded fruitful results for months, the Gulf state concluded that Hamas’s political office in Doha “no longer serves its purpose,” the official was cited as saying.

These statements come in the wake of a Reuters report on Friday, according to which a senior U.S. official told the outlet: “After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, [Hamas’s] leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas’s rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal.”

Doha passed on the message to Hamas around 10 days ago, the official said, adding that the United States was monitoring the situation and pressuring Qatar to close Hamas’s political office.

The last talks intermediated by Qatar broke down in mid-October, after a series of attempts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and a deal that would swap Palestinian prisoners with the remaining 101 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Qatar’s foreign ministry did not respond to a request by Reuters for a comment, though three Hamas officials denied they were being expelled from the Gulf state.

Qatar, a major American ally, which senior U.S. officials frequently thank for its role in negotiating on behalf of Hamas in ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage-release deal, has long harbored Khaled Mashaal, Hamas’s acting political leader.

At a press conference late last month, JNS asked State Department spokesman Matthew Miller why Washington wasn’t pressuring Qatar to push Mashaal into a deal, given that the terror leader is a guest in the Gulf state.

Miller cited the prior “tireless efforts” and “intense focus” of Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani to try to seal an agreement.

“They have a channel with Hamas that is productive for trying to reach this agreement,” Miller said. “The fact is it’s Hamas that holds the hostages, and so it’s Hamas with whom they have to negotiate.”

In September, the U.S. Justice Department unsealed charges against Mashaal for his role in orchestrating the Oct. 7 attacks.

In a press release, the Justice Department declared, “On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists, led by these defendants, murdered nearly 1,200 people, including over 40 Americans, and kidnapped hundreds of civilians … The charges unsealed today are just one part of our effort to target every aspect of Hamas’s operations. These actions will not be our last.”

Doha has welcomed Hamas officials since 2012 as part of an agreement with Washington.

On Friday, 14 Republican senators called on the State Department to immediately freeze assets of Hamas leaders living in Qatar. The senators also urged the Biden administration to ask Doha to “end its hospitality to Hamas’s senior leadership.”

Al Thani has reiterated his position since Oct. 7 that Hamas’s presence in his country is contingent on the usefulness of the ongoing negotiations.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 News, a senior official in Jerusalem lauded Doha’s decision, saying that “Israel and the United States have pressured Qatar’s leaders not to host Hamas seniors [in their country] for a long time. It is good that Hamas, which is nothing but a murderous terrorist group, will be persecuted everywhere in the world and not welcomed by any country.”

(JNS)

Qatar has reportedly issued a message to Hamas, informing the organization that it is no longer welcome within its borders, as reported by KAN on Friday through a source knowledgeable about the situation.

According to multiple sources, this decision has been unfolding over recent days, with three separate sources sharing insights with KAN. One of these sources indicated that the shift is a result of mounting pressure from the United States.

The report states that Qatar’s initial stance on hosting Hamas leaders was based on a strategy to aid in dialogue, particularly for negotiations related to hostages.

Additionally, Egyptian sources informed the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar that direct discussions with top Hamas officials are still ongoing, with the most recent meeting occurring on November 5, coinciding with the U.S. elections.

{Matzav.com}

NYC Mayor Eric Adams is discontinuing a program that provided migrants in city-run shelters with prepaid debit cards to purchase groceries.

This pilot initiative gave preloaded Mastercards to asylum-seeking families housed in hotels converted into shelters. Families of four typically received around $350 each week to buy groceries and essential supplies for children.

The city awarded a $53 million, one-year “emergency” contract to the New Jersey-based tech company Mobility Capital Finance to manage the program. The contract, which bypassed the usual competitive bidding process, sparked criticism.

With the one-year contract set to expire soon, the Adams administration opted not to extend it, as reported by ABC7.

“As we move towards more competitive contracting for asylum seeker programs, we have chosen not to renew the emergency contract for this pilot program once the one-year term concludes,” the mayor’s office explained in a statement to the news outlet.

The program began in late March, following the contract’s signing in January. Since its launch, New York City has distributed $3.2 million in prepaid cards to approximately 2,600 migrant families to cover food expenses, according to ABC7.

The intent behind the program was to cut costs and reduce the food waste that had resulted from the city’s boxed-meal delivery system. Officials observed that much of the boxed food was going uneaten, and allowing migrants to buy their own food was seen as a way to minimize waste.

The Adams administration awarded the contract without bids to expedite the program’s implementation, which was projected to save money.

City Comptroller Brad Lander later revoked the city’s authority to issue similar no-bid contracts for migrant services.

The administration did not specify why it chose to end the program on Thursday.

{Matzav.com}