A brief, politically incorrect thread on why Trump’s proposal for Gaza makes sense. It’s a provocative way to push the Arab world to take responsibility for the Palestinians, rather than the failed approach of placing the entire burden on Israel and the U.S. to compromise. (1/4) In the early hours after the October 7 attack, many Israelis and supporters of Israel said bellicose things aimed at restoring a sense that there was some kind of deterrent against the genocidal aims of Hamas, when the military deterrent had (for a moment) clearly faltered. (2/4)

A quick thread on California's water supply issues and the L.A. fires. There is a great deal of confusion on this topic. The 2 concepts are related, but not necessarily in a direct manner. L.A. was not generally short of water; it mismanaged the water supply it already had. (1/9) Dry, densely-populated Southern California obtains much of its water from wet, sparsely-populated Northern California. It does so through a system of federal & state reservoirs and aqueducts. It also gets water from the Colorado River and, to a lesser extent, desalination. (2/9)

How to return to the Pacific Palisades today, after @POTUS @realDonaldTrump pushed @MayorOfLA @KarenBassLA to let residents back in to see their lots, collect the pieces of their lives, grieve, & start the process of rebuilding. (Thank you, President Trump.) #PalisadesFire (1/10) 1. Enter Lot #3, southbound on PCH in #SantaMonica. (2/10)

Palisades Charter High School is largely destroyed and still burning, though the brick structures are mostly standing. The pool may have helped. Students travel here from all across Los Angeles. Other local schools were also destroyed, though I think Seven Arrows survived. (7/15)
Sunset Boulevard is a scene of destruction, including in the center of Palisades — though, notably, @RickCarusoLA’s Village Mall looks largely intact. Caruso’s employees apparently fought the fire themselves. He lost to Mayor Karen Bass in 2022. She was in Ghana yesterday. (8/15)

Just got back from a visit to the #PalisadesFire, a little over 24 hrs after evacuating. It is NOT safe & there are active fires as well as live power lines. This is what I was able to see & record. (Note: I will be doing a Space here at 8:00 pm PT to describe more fully.) (1/15) Much of Pacific Palisades is completely destroyed. The Alphabet Streets; the University Streets; much of Marquez Knolls; some homes in the Huntington; much of the Village (with a few exceptions); the El Medio Bluffs; many public buildings. I could not get to the Highlands. (2/15)

A brief, factual thread about the POLICY issues around the Palisades fire. I will stick to what I know personally. I am covering for @BreitbartNews and available to help @FoxNews, @MSNBC, or anyone needing information and ideas, including the incoming Trump administration. (1/9) FOREST MANAGEMENT: This is an issue in California generally, but I will say in this IMMEDIATE area I have personally witnessed brush clearance on the trails in the mountains where the fire began. Any hurricane-force wind pushing a fire will be destructive, despite clearance (2/9)

Some thoughts on the Jewish vote.

You *should not* believe polls that tell you Trump is winning the Jewish vote, especially polls with small samples and large margins of error.

Here is what you are more likely to see, given Harris's VP choice and other developments. (1/5) 🧵 Trump will do very well with Jews, given 1) his record on Israel; 2) Biden's perceived weakness on Israel; 3) Harris's snub of Josh Shapiro; 4) acute fears of left-wing antisemitism; 5) reduced fears of right-wing antisemitism.

But the ceiling for Trump among Jews is 40%. (2/5)

Allow me to respond to @TuckerCarlson's interview here with @MuntherIsaac by talking about the facts, rather than speculating about whether Tucker hates Israel, or is an antisemite. He says he is concerned about Christians; I'll accept that. But there's no excuse for this. (1/nn)

https://twitter.com/TuckerCarlson/status/1777800149818822809

First, a fact about Bethlehem. Christians used to be a majority there; they are now a minority. The Palestinian Authority has been Islamizing the city since taking control of Bethlehem 30 years ago. Israeli "occupation" is hardly the primary issue. (2/10)jcpa.org/jl/vp490.htm

I have spent an anguished 24+ hours thinking about the 3 hostages who were tragically killed by the @IDF as they escaped from Hamas. Here are a few thoughts about the event and what happens next. It's the darkest moment of the war thus far, but also perhaps a turning point. (1/9) First, a salute to the heroism of these young men -- one Arab, two Jews. They survived more than 70 days in captivity and escaped their captors. Who knows how long they lived without food or water. As the IDF Chief said, they did everything right. They should have survived. (2/9)

Some commentary on @ggreenwald interview with Rashid Khalidi about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I agree with Greenwald on free speech; this has always been his blind spot. He begins with providing "context" to October 7; however, no such context is needed/appropriate. (1/12)

https://twitter.com/ggreenwald/status/1730020368214085920

I may have missed it but I did not see Greenwald acknowledge Khalidi's history of association with the Palestine Liberation Organization during its days as a terror organization (he has said elsewhere that he was not a spokesman). Certainly that is some important "context" (2/12)

A thread on what is currently publicly known about rape and sexual assault during the Hamas terror attack on October 7, which some anti-Israel activists are attempting to deny (casting aside the principle of "believe every women" to which many of the same people subscribe). (1/8) There are several eyewitness testimonies to the rape of others, including one that has been partially revealed to the media, in which an account of gang rape is accompanied by descriptions of extreme violence, culminating in the murder of the victim. (2/8) breitbart.com/middle-east/20…

.@Peggynoonannyc's column obsessing -- STILL -- about a "Trump-Russia" connection is both hilarious and illustrative of the way in which those in the elite media and political classes fell completely for their own propaganda, originally concocted to explain Trump's victory. (1/5) Noonan finds it mysterious that Trump was so friendly to Russia. It was simple. Putin praised Trump in the GOP primary. Trump returned the compliment. If Putin attacked him, Trump would have attacked Putin. That's not how he is with *Putin*; it's how he is with *everybody.* (2/5)

The @FedSoc is currently hosting a CLE webinar on the practice of "lawyer-shaming," lately a habit of the left (think: intimidation of Trump's election lawyers). It's aiming to qualify for credit for "anti-bias" training -- normally a tool of left-wing indoctrination by the Bar. 2/n Initially there was bipartisan condemnation of lawyer-shaming (when aimed by right at terror defense attorneys or by left at lawyers who defended Defense of Marriage Act). Then in 2019 law students/activists on climate change began pressuring lawyers to drop fossil fuel firms

More from @TimCast with @Ye, Milo, Fuentes:

-Ye says all he was doing is pointing out prevalence of Jews (false: he was suggesting Jewish control, and issuing threats vs. Jews)
-Ye says it was "beautiful" that people can see how you are canceled for making that observation (1/x)

https://twitter.com/joelpollak/status/1597396563609149440

(What's "beautiful" is @Ye showing how little he knows and how hateful he is. He should not have been canceled or "debanked," even though -- and perhaps because -- his views are repellent: canceling people prevents them from showing how ignorant they are. Which he's doing.) (2/x)

Watching a delayed version of @SecBlinken's speech in South Africa... cliché after cliché for the first five minutes. Evidently his new "strategy" is to fart the ANC warm (1/n) @SecBlinken First priority: openness -- capacity of nations and individuals to "choose their own path." More clichés ... flattering the hosts rather than actually doing anything useful (2/n)

When are White House press going to get around to asking @PressSec @KJP46 the question that they asked of press secretaries during the Trump era: "Will you pledge never to lie to us from that podium?"

rev.com/blog/transcrip… @PressSec @KJP46 Question for @seanspicer, Jan. 23, 2017: "Is it your intention to always tell the truth from that podium, and will you pledge never to knowingly something that is not factual?"

cbsnews.com/news/sean-spic…

Drink every time @SenWhitehouse says DARK MONEY @SenWhitehouse drink

IMO the charges against the parents in the MI school shooting are a stretch. The prosecutor implied that they, and not the school, ought to have asked the shooter if he had his gun and searched his backpack. Can the principal be charged on the same basis? This is likely political The backpack, parents, child, and principal were all on school premises at the time. And there is no evidence yet that the parents knew the child had drawn disturbing images — in fact the evidence is contrary, suggesting warm relations between parent and child before the shooting

A thread on the #ImpeachmentTrial thus far.

The House impeachment managers are presenting an emotional case.

They can't prove incitement, so they are trying to hold Trump broadly responsible for the riot.

Trump's team has yet to present a basic outline of his defense.

(1/4) The House managers went too far yesterday by using faulty "evidence," and spinning a conspiracy theory that Trump *planned* the riot. They also lectured the Senate on accepting election outcome -- a bit rich, after Russia "collusion." And using @EricSwalwell was an insult.

(2/4)

House impeachment managers misquote @SenMikeLee. Chair @SenatorLeahy rules that material not in the record can be quoted. Lee appeals, saying his motion was different; the managers’ claims about his statements were false and he was the only witness to them #ImpeachmentTrial (1/4) Lee asks for vote on appeal; it starts; confusion ensues. @SenSchumer suggests absence of quorum. Staff takes attendance; chaos. Lee withdraws appeal; Schumer withdraws vote; @RepRaskin withdraws statement (which he says was accurate quote of news article) (2/4) #ImpeachmentTrial

What, exactly, did @JoeBiden find "offensive" about the 1776 Commission report? Was it Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.?

https://twitter.com/joelpollak/status/1354177455620145152

Or was it the part about the Constitution?