In a vicious attack on President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the U.S.-Israel relationship, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom called for rethinking the American support for Israel, vilified Israel as an apartheid state, and ripped into Trump.
Speaking with former Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor during an event to promote his autobiography, “Young Man in a Hurry,” Newsom was asked whether Democrats should reconsider U.S. military aid to Israel in light of Netanyahu&#8217;s leadership.
“Well, he&#8217;s making that easy right now,” Newsom began, as he started maligning Netanyahu. “The issue of Bibi is interesting. Because he&#8217;s got his own domestic issues. He&#8217;s trying to stay out of jail. He&#8217;s got an election coming up. He&#8217;s potentially on the ropes. He&#8217;s got folks, the hard line, that want to annex the West Bank.”
Newsom then quoted the infamously anti-Netanyahu New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman to traduce Israel with the leftist false claim of Israel moving toward &#8220;an apartheid state,&#8221; adding, &#8220;For two years, they haven&#8217;t even been able to solve the Hamas question in Israel.”
He turned to implying that Trump attacked Iran because of Israel.
“In so many ways, that influence in the context of the conversation of where Trump ultimately landed on this is pretty damn self-evident,&#8221; said Newsom. &#8220;When you bring two aircraft carriers out there and you assemble the kind of military force that Trump did over the last few weeks, it didn&#8217;t surprise me ultimately that they moved that direction.”
The governor was asked, “Do you think, looking down the road, that the United States should consider, maybe, you know, rethinking our military support for Israel?”
Newsom then offered his crocodile tears: “It breaks my heart because the current leadership in Israel is walking us down that path where I don&#8217;t think you have a choice but that consideration.&#8221;
He also referenced what he characterized as &#8220;the grift and the corruption&#8221; connected to broader regional dynamics, naming members of the Trump family, including the president&#8217;s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“The fact that we are in this now, a regional war. All these proxies and all the grift and the corruption that also marks a huge part of this,” he said. “And that&#8217;s a real conversation we need to have, this Board of Peace. In the piece that the Witkoff family is getting, in the piece that Kushner is getting, in the peace that Trump Jr. is getting.”
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NEW 
Tonight, at a book event in Los Angeles, Governor Gavin Newsom said that the United States is being pushed by Israel into a position where it may have to reconsider military support.
Newsom said that those who say Israel is an apartheid state are doing so “appropriately.”… <a href="https://t.co/6UUBEH7hYD">pic.twitter.com/6UUBEH7hYD</a>
&mdash; Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) <a href="https://twitter.com/yashar/status/2029104738818789739?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Governor Newsom blasts Trump over strikes on Iran

‘APARTHEID STATE’: Newsom Trashes Israel, Vilifies Netanyahu, Claims Trump Strikes Driven By ‘Grift’

Apartheid

Benjamin Netanyahu

Donald Trump

Gavin Newsom

Israel

Hawaii’s hard-Left Democratic senator Brian Schatz, ever-eager to join the chorus of anti-Israel activists and the &#8220;horseshoe&#8221; Right in vilifying the Jewish state, found himself in the crosshairs of reality this week after peddling a blatant falsehood regarding President Trump’s leadership.
Following the decisive U.S. and Israeli strikes on the Iranian regime’s nuclear infrastructure — an operation necessitated by the regime’s own admission that they were a week away from a bomb — Schatz took to X to suggest the American Commander-in-Chief was MIA. “Why is the Prime Minister of Israel going on TV to explain this war and not the President of the United States?” Schatz demanded.
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Why is the Prime Minister of Israel going on TV to explain this war and not the President of the United States?
&mdash; Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) <a href="https://twitter.com/brianschatz/status/2028643018757038174?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The only problem? It was a complete fabrication. Schatz was immediately taken to task by observers who pointed out that President Trump had already addressed the nation, providing the very clarity Schatz claimed was missing.
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Trump literally did this morning.
So did Hegseth.
So did Vance.
So did Rubio.
Such a pathetic attempt here.
&mdash; Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) <a href="https://twitter.com/EYakoby/status/2028660035711091082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The administration did explain this, including the president himself . 
PM Netanyahu did not give an address to the nation, He simply gave an interview to Shawn Hannity, as he frequently does. 
Go touch some grass dear.
&mdash; Lola (@Lola90408) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lola90408/status/2028773722828509230?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 3, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The Senator’s attempt to frame the conflict as being driven solely by Jerusalem, rather than a joint effort to neutralize an existential threat, was a transparent play to the radical base of the Democratic Party and the horseshoe Right.
Schatz’s dishonesty on social media follows a pattern of hysterical opposition to the administration’s foreign policy. He quickly labeled the strike a “war of choice” and a “mistake,” clinging to the failed Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) as if a piece of paper would stop a regime that Trump negotiator Steve Witkoff <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxoVFhzMn4A">revealed</a> was &#8220;proud&#8221; of evading oversight to build 11 nuclear bombs. “Had President Trump stuck to negotiations or not exited the JCPOA, this could have been avoided,” he hyperventilated.
This is the same senator who recently likened the administration’s actions against Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro to the Iraq War, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEnufJ0T7t0&amp;t=2s">calling</a> the incursion a “fantasy” and a “dumb war.” Ironically, considering the mission was a huge success, he concluded, “We all know how this is likely to end, and it will not be good for us.”
Schatz has even gone so far as to <a href="applewebdata://823629BC-F5DC-4E69-984C-885F0E79D6F2/attacked">accuse</a> the President of “making people poorer on purpose,” bizarrely claiming Trump was more focused on a “$300 million ballroom” than the cost of living.
Whether it’s the economy or national security, Schatz seems less interested in the facts and more interested in a &#8220;peace at any price&#8221; narrative — even if that price is a nuclear-armed Iran.

Senate Dems Presser

Dem Senator Shredded After Falsely Claiming Trump Remained Silent On Iran Strike

Brian Schatz

Hawaii

Iran

Visiting the site of the synagogue in Beit Shemesh — where an Iranian strike murdered nine Israelis, including four young teenagers, three of whom came from the same family — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the effort President Trump made to attack Iran was no less than to “save the world.”
“If this regime, this terrorist regime of the kind we&#8217;ve never seen in the world, if they get nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, ballistic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles, they will threaten all of humanity,” Netanyahu declared. “We set out to protect ourselves, but in so doing, we protect many others. I want to say special thanks to our great friend and a great leader of the world, Donald Trump, for joining us in this crucial effort to save the world.”
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🇮🇱🇺🇸❌🇮🇷 Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: If this regime, this terrorist regime of the kind we&#39;ve never seen in the world, gets nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, ballistic missiles, intercontinental ballistic missiles, they will threaten all of humanity. 
We set… <a href="https://t.co/z2lhbJk27t">pic.twitter.com/z2lhbJk27t</a>
&mdash; Visioner (@visionergeo) <a href="https://twitter.com/visionergeo/status/2028491718245417294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 2, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Netanyahu has good reason for insisting that the tyrannical Islamist regime would be a threat to the world. In response to the U.S.-Israeli attack targeting military installations in Iran, the Iranian regime has indiscriminately launched weapons at civilian areas all around the Middle East. Given the possibility of developing nuclear weapons, the regime would likely have no qualms about using them to further terrorize humanity.
Trump and Netanyahu have shared an unblinking view of Iran for decades. In 2015, during the announcement of Trump’s first campaign, he famously called the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA) “one of the worst and most one-sided transactions” in history. He said Iran was a &#8220;paper tiger&#8221; that was nevertheless being handed “the path to a nuclear weapon” by the Obama administration.
In October 2017, as president, he <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-iran-strategy/">stated</a>, “History has shown that the longer we ignore a threat, the more dangerous that threat becomes. For this reason, upon taking office, I’ve ordered a complete strategic review of our policy toward the rogue regime in Iran. Today, I am announcing our strategy, along with several major steps we are taking to confront the Iranian regime’s hostile actions and to ensure that Iran never, and I mean never, acquires a nuclear weapon. Our policy is based on a clear-eyed assessment of the Iranian dictatorship, its sponsorship of terrorism, and its continuing aggression in the Middle East and all around the world.”
For three decades, Netanyahu has been the world’s most consistent and vocal advocate for treating the Iranian regime as an existential threat. As far back as 1996, during his first term as prime minister, he spoke to Congress, stating, “We admire America for its moral force. As Jews and as Israelis, we are proud that this moral force is derived from the Bible. &#8230; In the 20th century, every free person looks to America as the champion of freedom. Yesterday my wife and I spent a very moving hour at Arlington Cemetery, and we saw there the evidence of the price you paid for that freedom — in the lives of your best and brightest young men. And it’s a toll that is exacted from you — from all of us, but from you, these very days.”
“I have touched on the problem of the Middle East that is largely undemocratic, and part of it is strongly anti-democratic,” he continued. “Specifically, it is being radicalized and terrorized by a number of unreconstructed dictatorships whose governmental creed is based on tyranny and intimidation. The most dangerous of these regimes is Iran, that has wed a cruel despotism to a fanatic militancy. If this regime, or its despotic neighbor Iraq were to acquire nuclear weapons, this could presage catastrophic consequences, not only for my country, and not only for the Middle East, but for all mankind.”

US-ISRAEL-POLITICS-DIPLOMACY-TRUMP-NETANYAHU

Netanyahu’s ‘Save The World’ Line Cut Through The Rubble — A Direct Nod To President Trump

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded a three-hour meeting at the White House on Wednesday, with Trump saying “nothing definitive” was reached.
The meeting comes amid the United States building up its military presence in the Middle East as negotiations continue with the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel has pushed for any potential agreement to fully address its security concerns, including strict limits on Iran’s nuclear program, constraints on its missile capabilities, and measures to curb Tehran’s support for its regional proxies.
&#8220;There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue to see whether or not a Deal can be consummated,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;If it can, I let the Prime Minister know that will be a preference.&#8221;
Trump called the meeting “very good” and said that the “tremendous relationship between our two Countries continues.”
If an agreement is not reached, Trump said, “we will just have to see what the outcome will be,” warning that Iran previously faced serious consequences after failing to make a deal last year when the United States bombed its nuclear facilities.
“That did not work well for them,” Trump said. “Hopefully, this time they will be more reasonable and responsible.”
The Prime Minister’s Office said the discussions also addressed the situation in Gaza and other regional developments.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the security needs of the State of Israel in the context of the negotiations, and the two leaders agreed on continued coordination and the close contact between them,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
In recent weeks, Trump has ordered a substantial buildup of U.S. forces in the region, deploying numerous aircraft, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, and additional warships as part of what he described as a powerful “armada” ready to respond if the Iranian regime does not make a deal.
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pentagon-prepares-second-aircraft-carrier-to-deploy-to-the-middle-east-e7140a64?mod=hp_lead_pos1">reported</a> that a second aircraft carrier strike group is being readied to join the deployment.
United States-Iran talks concluded on Friday, with additional rounds expected. Trump described the meeting as “very good.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters that the discussions took place in “a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats.”
Araghchi also stressed that the “missile issue,” a key concern for Israel and the United States, is “in no way negotiable, neither now nor at any time in the future.” He added that if the United States were to launch an attack, the Iranian regime would retaliate by striking American bases in the region.
The meeting marked the seventh between Trump and Netanyahu during the president’s second term.
Their previous meeting in December came several days before Trump’s warnings of potential military action to deter the Iranian regime from harming protesters. Iran ignored the warning and carried out a brutal crackdown, with some estimates putting the death toll as high as 36,000. Afterward, Trump shifted his focus, noting that the regime had not executed all detained protesters and warning that Iran’s Islamic leadership would face severe “consequences if they don’t make a deal” on its nuclear issue.

Donald Trump – Benjamin Netanyahu meeting in Washington DC

Trump And Bibi’s Closed-Door White House Meeting Stretches Three Hours

Trump and Netanyahu Meet For Three Hours At White House — 'Nothing Definitive Reached'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday to discuss the ongoing negotiations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. 
The meeting is expected to focus on Israel’s position that any deal must include limits on Iranian ballistic missiles and an end to support for Iran’s regional proxies.
The upcoming meeting will mark their seventh meeting during Trump&#8217;s second term, underscoring the continuation of a year of tensions with Iran that have necessitated close coordination between the United States and Israel. 
In recent weeks, Trump ordered a significant buildup of American forces in the region, including numerous aircraft, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group, and additional warships as part of what he described as a powerful “armada” positioned to respond if Tehran refuses to negotiate. 
Trump initially threatened military intervention in early January, not over stalled negotiations, but to deter the Iranian regime from harming protesters. Iran ignored the warning and proceeded to kill demonstrators in the streets, with some estimates as high as 36,000 dead. After the massacre, Trump pivoted, claiming the regime had not executed the protesters it detained and now warns that Iran&#8217;s Islamic regime will face severe “consequences if they don’t make a deal.”
United States-Iran talks concluded on Friday, with additional rounds expected. Trump described the meeting as “very good.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told journalists that the talks took place in &#8220;a calm atmosphere, without tension and without threats.&#8221;
Araghchi <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/world/iran/israel-netanyahu-meet-trump-wednesday-iran-talks-rcna257997">also said</a> the “missile issue,” a key concern for Israel, is “in no way negotiable, neither now nor at any time in the future.”
He added that if the United States does attack, the regime will retaliate by striking American bases in the region.
While Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has led U.S. delegations throughout the past year, this session included President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, known for brokering deals once thought impossible, including the agreements behind the Abraham Accords. Also attending for the first time — and in his full military dress uniform — was U.S. Navy Adm. Brad Cooper, head of Central Command (CENTCOM) and overseer of the current buildup of American assets in the Middle East, including <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-is-sending-more-than-an-armada-to-the-middle-east?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=5&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Is+Sending+More+Than+An+Armada+To+The+Middle+East">Trump’s armada</a>.
Ahead of the negotiations, the U.S. military said it downed an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-shoots-down-iranian-drone-after-it-aggressively-approached-uss-abraham-lincoln?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=U.S.+Shoots+Down+Iranian+Drone+After+It+%E2%80%98Aggressively+Approached%E2%80%99+USS+Abraham+Lincoln">unmanned Iranian drone</a> as it “aggressively approached” the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday.
U.S. Central Command spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins said the Iranian Shahed-139 drone was shot down by an F-35C fighter jet from the USS Abraham Lincoln “in self-defense and to protect the aircraft carrier and personnel on board.”
Hours later, forces with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated foreign terror organization, harassed a U.S.-flagged and crewed oil tanker, Stena Imperative, that was passing through the Strait of Hormuz. According to Hawkins, two Iranian boats and an Iranian Mohajer drone approached the American vessel “at high speeds and threatened to board the tanker.”
Taking questions prior to his sixth meeting in December with Netanyahu this term, a reporter asked Trump if he would support Israel striking Iran if the latter country <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-he-supports-israel-attacking-iran-again-as-he-welcomes-netanyahu-to-mar-a-lago?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=28&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Trump+Says+He+Supports+Israel+Attacking+Iran+Again+As+He+Welcomes+Netanyahu+To+Mar-A-Lago">continues advancing</a> its missile or nuclear programs.
“The missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast,” Trump said. “One would be yes, absolutely, the other was, we’ll do it immediately.”

Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump

Trump Huddles With Netanyahu As U.S. Military Show Of Force Builds Near Iran

Netanyahu To Meet Trump, Urging Tougher Stance In Iran Talks

Global Politics

Politics

The body of the final hostage held in Gaza was returned to Israel on Monday.
The body of Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old special-forces police officer who was killed in action on October 7, 2023, was returned to Israel, ending a long effort to force Hamas terrorists to hand over hostages. Gvili was killed while fighting off Hamas terrorists and Gazan civilians who crossed into Israel, massacring, raping, and kidnapping more than a thousand people near the Gaza border. His body was held captive for 842 days.
“We have returned Ran Gvili, of blessed memory, a hero of Israel,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the Knesset. “There are no more hostages in Gaza.&#8221;
Netanyahu added that the yellow ribbon pin worn by people around the world to draw attention to the hostages held can now be removed.
“For &#8216;the sons have returned to their borders and the daughters have returned to their borders,’” Netanyahu said, quoting the Bible.
Israeli Defense Forces’s Southern Command completed Operation &#8220;Courageous Heart” to return Gvili after searching since October for his body. His body was found in a cemetery near Gaza City.
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Footage of the IDF recovering the body of the final hostage.
The return of Ran Gvili means all of the hostages are home after 842 days. <a href="https://t.co/AvinMQxzPQ">pic.twitter.com/AvinMQxzPQ</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/2015849942795841629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Gvili’s parents fought tirelessly to keep their son&#8217;s name in the news after the remaining living hostages returned in October. They met with Netanyahu, President Donald Trump, and other members of his administration.
Trump celebrated the news of the final hostage body returning to Israel, congratulating his “great team of Champions.”
“Just recovered the last Hostage body in GAZA. Thus, got back ALL 20 of the living Hostages, and ALL of the Dead!” he <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/115962223670668620">posted</a>. “AMAZING JOB! Most thought of it as an impossible thing to do.”
Gvili was recovering from a serious shoulder injury on October 7, 2023, but left the hospital, put on his uniform, and headed south to join the fight against Hamas. He reportedly helped survivors of the Nova music festival before going to join the fight at Kibbutz Alumim.
At 10:50 a.m., he sent text messages saying he had been wounded in the leg. That was the final time his loved ones heard from him.
In total, 255 hostages from the Gaza Strip were rescued and brought back home – 168 of them alive and 87 deceased. Twelve Americans were kidnapped, with only eight being freed alive.
Gvili’s return marks the first time since 2014 that no Israelis are being held in Gaza. Before Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack, four Israelis were already in the Strip, including Hisham al-Sayed, a Bedouin Israeli who crossed into Gaza in April 2015, and Avera Mengistu, who entered in 2014. Both were later released alive in February 2025. Hamas had also held the bodies of the Israeli soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed in the 2014 war and whose remains were returned in 2025.
Many of the hostages who have returned testified that they were held for long periods in dark tunnels and subjected to torture, severe starvation, and physical and sexual abuse.

The Israeli army found the body of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza

‘Most Thought Of It As Impossible’: Final Hostage Body Returns From Gaza After 842 Days

Gaza

Hamas

October 7

President Donald Trump puts Iran and its proxies on notice, the judge in the Charlie Kirk case rules on the side of transparency, and the United States sees a historical single-year drop in murders.
It’s Tuesday, December 30, 2025, and this is the news you need to know to start your day.
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<h2>Trump Hosts Netanyahu At Mar-a-Lago</h2>
President Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at Mar-a-Lago on Monday as both countries face new tensions with Iran. The meeting came as Trump makes an end-of-year push on some of his foreign policy priorities. After the meeting, Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-he-supports-israel-attacking-iran-again-as-he-welcomes-netanyahu-to-mar-a-lago">said</a> that the United States would step in if Iran attempted to rebuild its military, especially its nuclear weapons program. Trump and Netanyahu also discussed the future of Gaza. The president said that “there will be hell to pay” if Hamas refuses to disarm so his peace plan can move forward.
<h2>Judge Orders Release Of Hearing In Kirk Case</h2>
A Utah judge has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-orders-transcripts-audio-to-be-made-public-from-hearing-for-accused-charlie-kirk-assassin?author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Judge+Orders+Transcripts%2C+Audio+To+Be+Made+Public+From+Hearing+For+Accused+Charlie+Kirk+Assassin">ordered</a> the release of sealed hearings in the trial against Charlie Kirk’s alleged killer, Tyler Robinson. On Monday afternoon, during a hearing on the extent of media access in this case, Fourth District Judge Tony Graf Jr. ordered the release of transcripts and an audio recording from a previously closed-door session held in October. Graf ruled that, given the case&#8217;s high profile, the public has an interest in certain portions of the hearing. He said those portions that could risk the safety of anyone involved in the case can be redacted. Meanwhile, Turning Point USA continues to press forward with Kirk’s conservative mission. Reports indicate that more than 32,000 students have signed up, and the organization is now opening dozens of chapters daily.
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<h2>Murder Rate Plummets In 2025</h2>
According to a new report, 2025 saw the largest single-year drop in murders in American history. There was roughly a 20% drop in homicides from 2024 to 2025, according to the Real Time Crime Index. The drop was 13% from 2023 to 2024. Crime surged in 2021 due to the pandemic, according to the Department of Justice. Democrats have mainly attributed that increase to lockdowns; Republicans say that left-wing policies fueled the rise and led to soft-on-crime officials reaching influential positions in the justice system.

Morning Brief: Trump Warns Iran & Charlie Kirk Murder Revelations

Charlie Kirk

Crime

Morning Wire

Turning Point USA

United States

President Donald Trump will become the first non-Israeli to receive Israel’s top civilian honor, the “Israel Prize,” announced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a press conference with the two leaders at Mar-a-Lago.
“In almost our 80 years, we’ve never awarded it to a non-Israeli, and we’re going to award it this year to President Trump,” Netanyahu said. “It’s going to be awarded to President Donald J. Trump for his tremendous contributions to Israel and the Jewish people.”
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NEW: Benjamin Netanyahu announces that President Donald Trump is being awarded with the &#8220;Israel Prize.&#8221;
It has never been awarded to a non-Israeli, according to Netanyahu. <a href="https://t.co/VK7OfJsRju">pic.twitter.com/VK7OfJsRju</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/2005746113735717048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
The award will be for the newly established peace category. 
Netanyahu said that he hopes Trump will visit Israel on its Independence Day in May to accept the prize. 
“I have to say that this reflects the overwhelming sentiment of Israelis across the spectrum,” Netanyahu said of Israeli citizens who are often split on a variety of issues but are grateful to Trump for securing the release of all living hostages from Hamas captivity. 
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Trump learned that he was being awarded the prize by Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kisch, who called into the Trump-Netanyahu meeting.
“That really is a great honor,” Trump responded, adding that it was “really surprising and very much appreciated.”
Following his sixth meeting with Netanyahu this year, Trump said he is focused on the future of Gaza, including the objective of getting Hamas to finally disarm, adding that it would be “horrible for them” if the terror group does not.
&#8220;It&#8217;ll be horrible for them — horrible, really, really bad for them,” Trump said. “I don&#8217;t want that to happen, but they made an agreement that they were going to disarm.&#8221;
The president said that if Hamas continues to resist, the 59 countries that backed the ceasefire will get involved, adding, &#8220;This is a real peace in the Middle East.”
&#8220;Based on the fact that Hamas pledged, they swore that they were going to disarm. Now, if they&#8217;re not going to disarm, those same countries will wipe out Hamas,” Trump said. 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
&#8220;Based on the fact that Hamas pledged, they swore that they were going to disarm. Now, if they&#8217;re not going to disarm, those same countries will wipe out Hamas.&#8221; &#8211; President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/mYIBfZzCV0">pic.twitter.com/mYIBfZzCV0</a>
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2005757621278761205?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
Upon welcoming Netanyahu to his Palm Beach estate, Trump said he would support an Israeli military strike on Iran if its regime continues advancing its ballistic missile and nuclear programs.
“The missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast,” Trump said. “One would be yes, absolutely, the other was, we’ll do it immediately.” 
The president also noted that the Iranian people were expressing discontent as their country suffers from inflation, a “bust” economy, and the threat of violence or death when protesting.
“Every time they have a rioter, or someone forms a group, little or big, they start shooting people. You know, they kill people,” Trump said. “They’re vicious, vicious people.”
On Sunday and Monday, protests and strikes erupted across Tehran <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tehran-in-turmoil-irans-currency-collapse-triggers-civil-unrest-anti-regime-protests?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tehran+In+Turmoil%3A+Iran%E2%80%99s+Currency+Collapse+Triggers+Civil+Unrest%2C+Anti-Regime+Protests">following a historic collapse</a> of Iran’s currency, which reportedly plunged to 1.42 million rials to the dollar on Sunday.

President Trump Meets With Israeli PM Netanyahu At His Palm Beach Estate

Netanyahu Crowns Trump As First Non-Israeli To Win His Country’s Most Prestigious Award

Trump To Be First Non-Israeli To Win ‘Israel Prize,’ Netanyahu Announces After Mar-A-Lago Meeting

President Donald Trump welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Mar-a-Lago on Monday, saying he would back another Israeli attack on Iran.
Taking questions prior to his sixth meeting with Netanyahu this term, a reporter asked Trump if he would support Israel striking Iran if the latter country continues advancing its missile or nuclear programs.
&#8220;The missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast,&#8221; Trump said. “One would be yes, absolutely, the other was, we’ll do it immediately.” 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">“The missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast. One would be yes, absolutely, the other was, we’ll do it immediately.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/lTq9ocFh00">pic.twitter.com/lTq9ocFh00</a>
— Kassy Akiva (@KassyAkiva) <a href="https://twitter.com/KassyAkiva/status/2005724769287872776?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
The president also noted that the Iranian people were expressing discontent as their country suffers from inflation, a “bust” economy, and the threat of violence or death when protesting.
“Every time they have a rioter or someone forms a group, little or big, they start shooting people. You know, they kill people,” Trump said. “They’re vicious, vicious people.”
On Sunday and Monday, protests and strikes erupted across the Iranian capital of Tehran <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tehran-in-turmoil-irans-currency-collapse-triggers-civil-unrest-anti-regime-protests?author=Hank+Berrien&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Tehran+In+Turmoil%3A+Iran%E2%80%99s+Currency+Collapse+Triggers+Civil+Unrest%2C+Anti-Regime+Protests">following a historic collapse</a> of Iran’s currency, which plunged to 1.42 million rials to the dollar on Sunday, according to the Associated Press.
Trump and Netanyahu’s last meeting focused on the Trump-brokered 20-point plan for Gaza, which led to the release of all living hostages held by Hamas and the return of the bodies of every deceased hostage except Ran Gvili’s.
Over the weekend, Gvili’s parents met with Netanyahu when he arrived in Florida and with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Jared Kushner, and Steve Witkoff on Monday. The family called the conversation “very positive” and said that the three advisors “stressed that the return of Ran is of great importance to President Trump, and that significant efforts are being made to bring him back.” 
“We have one wonderful young man whose parents are right here now inside,” Trump said of the Gvili family. “He’s the only one left, and we’re doing everything we can to get his body back. The parents just said, hopefully he’s alive, and I said, ‘I love you to think that way.&#8217;”
Netanyahu also met with Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth hours before his meeting with Trump.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
I had a great meeting in Florida with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. 🇮🇱🇺🇸
פגישה מצוינת עם מזכיר המדינה של ארה״ב, מרקו רוביו.<a href="https://twitter.com/SecRubio?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SecRubio</a> <a href="https://t.co/zh2xaOrGhZ">pic.twitter.com/zh2xaOrGhZ</a>
— Benjamin Netanyahu &#8211; בנימין נתניהו (@netanyahu) <a href="https://twitter.com/netanyahu/status/2005661579212136478?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
Last week, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/netanyahu-announces-108-billion-domestic-arms-investment-ahead-of-trump-meeting?author=Kassy+Akiva&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Netanyahu+Announces+%24108+Billion+Domestic+Arms+Investment+Ahead+Of+Trump+Meeting">Netanyahu unveiled</a> a $108 billion plan to build an independent domestic arms industry amid ongoing debates on both sides of the aisle over foreign military aid to Israel and growing calls from some quarters to reevaluate American funding. 
Netanyahu said the investment will finance the expansion of Israel’s munitions production and other military capabilities over the next decade to “reduce our dependence on all players, including friends.” 
The United States <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL33222/RL33222.50.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">provides</a> Israel with roughly $3.3 billion each year, which is used exclusively to buy American defense equipment, along with an additional $500 million annually for joint missile defense programs.
Israel’s extremely cost-efficient “Iron Beam” laser system, which can shoot down missiles, mortar rounds, and drones, is expected to be delivered to the military by the <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-to-receive-iron-beam-laser-interceptors-at-the-end-of-the-month/">end of the month</a>. Each interception is estimated to cost as little as $2, which is a sharp decline from the Iron Dome interceptor missiles that can cost between $100,000 and $1 million each. 
The Iron Beam technology, which was developed with Israel’s Rafael Defense Industries and U.S.-based Lockheed Martin, is reportedly being shared with the U.S. Army’s directed energy program, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-unveils-iron-beam-laser-weapon-while-achieving-record-15b-arms-sales">reported Fox News.</a>

Trump Says He Supports Israel Attacking Iran Again As He Welcomes Netanyahu To Mar-A-Lago

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday unveiled a $108 billion, decade-long investment to build an independent Israeli munitions industry.
The announcement comes ahead of Netanyahu’s meeting with President Donald Trump next week and amid growing calls from voices on both the Left and Right to reduce or cut off United States military funding for Israel. The meeting will be the sixth time Netanyahu has met with Trump since he was inaugurated last January.
“I approved, along with the defense minister and finance minister, a sum of NIS 350 billion [$108 billion] over the next decade to build an independent Israeli munitions industry,” Netanyahu said at an Israeli Air Force pilot graduation ceremony, the Times of Israel <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-investing-more-than-100-billion-into-independent-arms-industry-netanyahu-reveals/">reported.</a>
Netanyahu said such an investment is necessary to “reduce our dependence on all players, including friends,” following several countries imposing restrictions on its weapons sales, including under former President Joe Biden’s administration.
Netanyahu will meet with President Trump on Monday at Mar‑a‑Lago, as he prepares to unveil a new governing entity for Gaza. The new Gazan government will be supported by a Trump-led Board of Peace with former U.N. envoy Nickolay Mladenov as the representative on the ground, <a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/26/trump-netanyahu-meeting-gaza-mar-a-lago">reported Axios</a>. 
Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have reportedly been coordinating with Arab partners and Turkey on the second-phase of the ceasefire, which includes disarming Hamas and demilitarizing the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu has long advocated for reducing Israel’s dependence on other countries for military equipment. Earlier this year he said Israel would become a “super-Sparta,” a remark that drew criticism until he clarified he was referring only to the defense industry, not the broader economy.
Israel is currently the world’s eighth-largest arms exporter with $15 billion in sales in 2024. However, the Jewish state has still relied on munitions and military equipment from other countries, especially since October 7, 2023.
Israel’s extremely cost-efficient “Iron Beam” laser system which can shoot down missiles, mortar rounds and drones is expected to be delivered to the military by the <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-to-receive-iron-beam-laser-interceptors-at-the-end-of-the-month/">end of the month</a>. Each interception is estimated to cost as little as $2, which is a sharp decline from the Iron Dome interceptor missiles that can cost between $100,000 and $1 million each. 
The Iron Beam technology, which was developed with Israel’s Rafael Defense Industries and U.S.-based Lockheed Martin is reportedly being shared with the U.S. Army’s directed energy program, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/israel-unveils-iron-beam-laser-weapon-while-achieving-record-15b-arms-sales">reported Fox News.</a>
Since Israel’s war against Hamas began, several countries have restricted or halted arms exports to Israel, including Belgium, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States under former President Joe Biden.
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The United States <a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs_external_products/RL/PDF/RL33222/RL33222.50.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">currently provides</a> Israel with about $3.3 billion annually, which Israel uses exclusively to purchase American defense equipment, plus an additional roughly $500 million per year for cooperative missile defense programs.
Supporters of United States military aid to Israel say it strengthens American and Israeli security by deterring Iran, Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups. They argue that because the aid must be spent on American defense equipment, it also subsidizes American defense companies, supports domestic jobs, and allows technology to be tested in real combat which provides data that can improve the technology and United States military readiness.
A growing number of lawmakers on both sides have called for a reduction or an end to funding for Israel, including Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R‑GA), Thomas Massie (R‑KY), Ilhan Omar (D‑MN), Rashida Tlaib (D‑MI), Summer Lee (D‑PA), and Al Green (D‑TX), who voted in July for <a href="https://www.jta.org/2025/07/21/politics/aoc-faces-backlash-vandalism-after-voting-against-cutting-us-aid-from-israels-iron-dome?utm_source=chatgpt.com">a failed amendment</a> to cut $500 million from the Iron Dome program. 
There is a growing number of voices within Israel opposed to accepting American funding, arguing that it limits Israel’s freedom to conduct military operations and exposes the country to political pressure associated with the aid.

Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu Meets With Trump At The White House

Netanyahu Announces $108 Billion Domestic Arms Investment Ahead Of Trump Meeting

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a letter to Australian officials warning of antisemitism in the country months before a terror attack target Jews at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach.
Netanyahu wrote to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in August warning of an “alarming rise of antisemitism” and pointing out a “lack of decisive action by your government to confront it.”
In the attack on Sunday, two gunmen <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/terror-attack-on-australian-hanukkah-celebration-leaves-11-dead-dozens-wounded">killed</a> at least 11 people and injured dozens more at a celebration attended by thousands of people. Families gathered at Bondi Beach in Sydney to welcome the first night of Hanukkah. The attack is the deadliest antisemitic attack against Jews since Hamas’ October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.
Netanyahu noted “a campaign of intimidation, vandalism and violence against Jews across the free world” waged by “pro-Hamas extremists and left-wing radicals.” The Israeli leader said the “campaign has intensified” under Albanese, noting a string of recent antisemitic incidents in what Netanyahu described as an “epidemic” of antisemitism.
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas&#8217;s refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace Australian Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets,” said Netanyahu.
Netanyahu praised President Donald Trump, offering Trump’s treatment of pro-Hamas immigrants in the United States as an example. The Trump State Department, led by Marco Rubio, has rescinded visas of immigrants who have voiced support for Hamas following the terror group’s attack against Israel.
“Prime Minister, antisemitism is a cancer. It spreads when leaders stay silent. It retreats when leaders act. I call upon you to replace weakness with action, appeasement with resolve, and to do so by a clear date: the Jewish New Year, September 23, 2025,” wrote Netanyahu. “History will not forgive hesitation. It will honor action.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Labor PM of Australia was warned <a href="https://t.co/BrqZtk7SMJ">pic.twitter.com/BrqZtk7SMJ</a>
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) <a href="https://twitter.com/marklevinshow/status/2000187904942100706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2025</a></blockquote>
Netanyahu <a href="https://x.com/IsraeliPM/status/2000218259526664216">spoke</a> about the letter from Dimona, Israel, on Sunday, rebuking Albanese for a lack of action taken after the Israeli prime minister’s warnings.
“Instead, Prime Minister, you replaced weakness with weakness and appeasement with more appeasement. Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia. You did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing inside your country. You took no action. You let the disease spread. And the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today,” said Netanyahu.

Benjamin Netanyahu, Anthony Albanese

Read Bibi Netanyahu’s Warning To Australia About Rising Antisemitism

antisemitism

Australia

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the second phase of a U.S. plan to end the war in Gaza was close, but cautioned several key issues still needed to be resolved, including whether a multinational security force would be deployed.
Netanyahu, speaking to reporters alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem, said that he would hold important discussions with U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of the month on how to ensure the plan&#8217;s second phase was achieved.
The prime minister&#8217;s office in November said that Trump had invited Netanyahu to the White House &#8220;in the near future,&#8221; although a date for the visit has not yet been made public.
Netanyahu said that he would discuss with Trump how to bring an end to Hamas rule in Gaza. A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is entering its second month, although both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the truce agreement.
Netanyahu said that it was important to ensure Hamas not only upholds the ceasefire but also follows through on &#8220;their commitment&#8221; to the plan to disarm and for Gaza to be demilitarized.
Israel retained control of 53% of Gaza under the first phase of Trump&#8217;s plan, which involved the release of hostages held by militants in Gaza and of Palestinians detained by Israel. The final hostage remains to be handed over are those of an Israeli police officer killed on October 7, 2023 fighting Gazan militants who had invaded Israel.
&#8220;We&#8217;ll get him out,&#8221; Netanyahu said.
Since the ceasefire started in October, the militant group has reestablished itself in the rest of Gaza.
According to the plan, Israel is to pull back further in the second phase as a transitional authority is established in Gaza and a multinational security force is deployed, Hamas is disarmed, and reconstruction begins.
A multinational coordination centre has been established in Israel, but there are no deadlines in the plan and officials involved say that efforts to advance it have stalled.
&#8220;What will be the timeline? What are the forces that are coming in? Will we have international forces? If not, what are the alternatives? These are all topics that are being discussed,&#8221; Netanyahu said, describing them as central issues.
Merz said that Germany was willing to help rebuild Gaza but would wait for Netanyahu&#8217;s meeting with Trump, and for clarity on what Washington was prepared to do, before Berlin decides what it would contribute but that phase two &#8220;must come now&#8221;.
Israel has repeatedly carried out air strikes since the ceasefire came into effect that it says are fending off attacks or destroying militant infrastructure. Gaza&#8217;s health ministry says 373 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire started. Three Israeli soldiers have been killed by militants.
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Netanyahu said that he would also discuss with Trump &#8220;opportunities for peace&#8221;, an apparent reference to U.S. efforts for Israel to establish formal ties with Arab and Muslim states.
&#8220;We believe there&#8217;s a path to advance a broader peace with the Arab states, and a path also to establish a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbours,&#8221; Netanyahu said, asserting Israel would always insist on security control of the West Bank.
Trump has said he promised Muslim leaders that Israel would not annex the occupied West Bank, where Netanyahu&#8217;s government is backing the development of Jewish settlements.
The &#8220;question of political annexation&#8221; of the West Bank remains a subject of discussion, Netanyahu said.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell and Andreas Rinke, additional reporting by Steven Scheer and Christoph Steitz; Editing by Louise Heavens and Philippa Fletcher)

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