Obama Created the Precedent for Trump to Use Recess Appointments

 

On Thursday’s edition of Salem Media’s “America First with Sebastian Gorka,” “Alex Marlow Show” host and Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow said that President Obama’s use of recess appointments during his presidency has created the precedent for President-Elect Donald Trump to use recess appointments for any nominees that can’t get Senate approval.

Marlow stated that while attorney general nominee former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) may not be able to get confirmed, but that might be irrelevant “because of the idea of a recess appointment, which, until Barack Obama, was rarely used. But Obama used it for routine appointments that weren’t going to get through the Senate.

 So, now, the precedent’s there and Trump can do this.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

House Democrat Calls for ‘Shadow Government’ to Undermine Trump, with Adam Schiff as Fake AG

 

by Hannah Knudsen

Democrat Rep. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) is so bereaved by Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss and President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet picks that he is suggesting Democrats take action and form a “shadow government,” operating to oppose the Trump agenda that the majority if the country voted for.

Nickel put forth his idea in an op-ed in the Washington Post, asserting that it is time for America to “borrow from our British friends and appoint a shadow cabinet to fight back against the worst excesses of a second Trump administration.”

He laid out his vision on the House floor, asserting that “new times call for new solutions.”

“Last week stung. As Democrats, we simply failed to convince the American people we have better ideas to solve their problems, but we do. Now we need to dust ourselves off and get ready to fight,” he said. “We can’t let Donald Trump’s extreme MAGA agenda go unanswered or unopposed,” he continued, walking through his pitch to “borrow from our British friends and appoint a shadow cabinet to fight back against the worst abuses of a second Trump administration.”

Schumer said:

The special relationship between the United States and Britain extends not just to our strength on the global stage, but also to our shared commitment to democracy. Across the Atlantic, the British have something we don’t: A team from the opposition that mirrors the government’s own Cabinet members. They watch the Cabinet closely, publicly, challenging, scrutinizing and offering new ideas.

He described this as “another form of checks and balances.”

The Charedi world: My love-hate relationship with a life I almost lived

 

When it comes to how I really feel about the Haredim, it’s a curious and confusing mixture of admiration, jealousy, yearning, and also a sincere intense relief that I have chosen another way to live.

I spent six suffocating years in a Bais Yaakov in South Africa, drowning in rules about skirt lengths and collar heights. I still remember the constant tugging at my shirt to ensure it covered every required inch. Three months in a Har Nof seminary followed – I couldn’t take more than that. Yet here I am, living in a Haredi neighborhood, my conflicted feelings as tangled as the eruv wires overhead.

There’s this woman I know, a Haredi mother of 11, her patience endless, her home a wellspring of love and Torah. I am in awe of her, today and every day.

What if I had stayed in that world? There’s an alluring simplicity to it. While I’m battling my kids over TikTok and fighting about which movies are acceptable, Haredi parents never face these dilemmas. Their boundaries are clear, their path well-marked. No gray areas. No endless negotiations. No cultural tug-of-war.

The security blanket of always having a rabbi to turn to – it’s both maddening and enviable. Need to buy a new phone? Ask the rabbi. Kid struggling in school? Ask the rabbi. There’s comfort in never having to shoulder life’s big decisions alone, yet it makes me want to scream”Think for yourself!”

But then comes the issue that tears me apart, the army. My son serves in the IDF, protecting their children too. I watch Haredi boys his age walking to yeshiva while he patrols our borders, and something burns inside me. Their Torah study is valuable, yes, but doesn’t our tradition also teach about defending our people?

The Haredi world is like a gated community within Judaism: safe, structured, insulated. Some days I peek over those gates with longing, craving their certainty, their unity, their unwavering faith. Other days, I want to shake those gates open and let in some reality.

And when I walk into the office of my Haredi co-workers, all I see is a sea of too many white shirts and I feel it all over again, I’m once again choking from the restrictions and I just can’t breathe. And it’s not them, obviously. The ones who aren’t too scared to talk to me are actually really normal and intelligent and interesting (who knew?) They are also weirdly up-to-date with current affairs and social media trends.

I’ve built my life in the space between, sending my kids to religious schools while letting them engage with the modern world, teaching them to think independently while respecting rabbinic authority, embracing Torah while serving in the army. It’s messy, it’s complicated, and sometimes it feels impossible.

But maybe that’s exactly where I need to be – in this uncomfortable space of questioning and growth. Perhaps my frustration with the Haredi world’s insularity and my admiration for their dedication are not contradictions but two sides of the same coin – the complex reality of being a Jewish parent in modern Israel.

I may never fully resolve these conflicting feelings. And maybe that’s okay. Because while the Haredi world offers answers, my world allows for questions. While their path is straight and narrow, mine winds and weaves, challenging me to find my own way to serve Hashem while raising proud, modern, Torah-observant Israeli children.

Some days I envy their certainty. But most days, I’m grateful for my doubts.

About the Author

Gila Isaacson is the proud Israeli mother of five sons who've grown from energetic boys into remarkable young men, including a warrior in the IDF who makes her heart swell with pride. When she's not following her sons' latest adventures or worrying like any good mama bear, she's pursuing her passion for journalism at Jfeed, where she continues to tell the stories that matter. The midnight chases may have ended, but the pride and love only grow stronger.

Trump Has to get rid of Matt Gaetz and RFK Jr

 

by Michael Goodwin

All victorious politicians get a honeymoon with the public and the press that can linger for months, perhaps even for 100 days into the term.

Except Donald Trump.

His lasted about a week and if you blinked, you missed the shortest love fest in political history.

He wouldn’t have it any other way.

Fresh off his landslide win, the president-elect had the spotlight to himself.

A smiling Biden’s greeting of “Welcome back” to the White House knee-capped the deniers and the resistance.

Take that, Kamala!

All the feel-good vibes must have been driving Trump mad.

He needed to break up the party by creating some trouble.

And so he did. His nominations of Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz for attorney general and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of Health and Human Services slammed the brakes on the honeymoon.

Perhaps Thanksgiving came early to Mar-a-Lago and a restless Trump felt the need to act presidential and pick out two turkeys to pardon.

Then again, calling Gaetz and Kennedy turkeys is an insult to the real thing.

CNN’s Dana Bash Tells Off anti-Israel protester who confronted her at Shul: You Have ‘No shame, no decency, and no clue’

CNN anchor Dana Bash slammed an anti-Israel protester who confronted her at a synagogue this week.

Bash was at the Main Line Reform Temple just outside of Philadelphia when a woman approached her, claiming to be a congregant, according to video of the incident posted to social media.

The woman, later identified online as Liz, falsely accused Israel of “genocide” against the Palestinians and called Bash “a mouthpiece” for Israel.

Video of the moment ended up on the X account of Code Pink, an activist organization with long-running extremist ties.

Bash was scathing in her response.

“You came to a place of Jewish worship, stood on the Bima, near the holy Torah scroll, and pretended to be congregants. You have no shame, no decency, and no clue what you’re talking about,” the CNN anchor said.

Bash, who is Jewish, has been a frequent target of antisemitic harassment since Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre in Israel and told the women agitators like her had been to the anchor’s house, labeled her “Zionist trash” and called for “intifada” against her.

It’s also not the first time Bash has been publicly confronted by Hamas-supporting protestors at public engagements.

During a Washington D.C. book event in September, they screeched from behind coronavirus facemasks that Bash “belonged behind bars” over the war in Gaza.

 

3 Leftists Including Senior Reserve Officer Arrested for Firing Flares Towards PM's Home

 

בלעדי: תיעוד פצצות התאורה ששוגרו הערב לבית ראש הממשלה והשריפה שפרצה מיד לאחר מכן.
טירוף מוחלט! הפצצה מתפוצצת סמוך לאחד המאבטחים. אין נפגעים. pic.twitter.com/DHdVRRYhvM

— almog boker (@bokeralmog) November 16, 2024

 Three suspects were arrested on suspicion of involvement in firing two flares towards Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house in Caesarea last night, the police announced on Sunday morning.

The three include a senior reserve officer. They were transferred for a joint investigation by the ISA and Israel Police. They have been forbidden from consulting a lawyer.

A judge has forbidden the details of the investigation and the identities of the suspects from being published for 30 days to prevent interference or harm to the investigation.

The flares were fired yesterday at around 19:30 near the Prime Minister's residence in Caesarea and landed in the yard of the house.

The Prime Minister and his family were not present at the house during the incident. The flares were suspected to have been fired from the direction of the sea.

As a result, a joint investigation by the ISA and the Israel Police was initiated. "This is a serious incident that represents a dangerous escalation, and appropriate investigative actions will be taken accordingly," the investigators stated.

Ivri sent his wife flowers and chocolate, it arrived after his funeral

 

Ivri Dickshtein, who fell in battle in southern Lebanon, sent his wife Miriam a delivery of chocolate and flowers before he was killed - but it did not arrive before his death.

Accompanying the gifts was a handwritten letter from Ivri. In it, he wrote:

"My beloved wife,

I am writing to you from the far north - hopefully for the last time. I am here, happy, and doing something significant for my nation. I ask that you smile and keep your head high. I am fine - don't worry about me. I love you the most in the world, pamper yourself with chocolate and enjoy the bouquet's beauty.

Yours always,

Ivri."

Ivri, however, did not live to hear his wife's thank-you: He was killed during combat in Lebanon, and his wife received his last gift and letter after returning home from his funeral.

Shlomo Carlebach - 30th Yahrtzeit

 Rabbi #ShlomoCarlebach , known for his deep love and support of Israeli soldiers, called them "the holy of the holiest" and devoted his music to uplift them.

As we commemorate his yahrzeit, we reflect on how his songs continue to inspire.

Since the tragic events of October 7, his music has become a vital source of comfort for IDF soldiers, volunteers, and those grieving, reminding us of his enduring legacy in these challenging times.

Shlomo Carlebach concert in Leningrad Russia 

Hunting Jews returning to the streets of Europe

 

 

by Danny Cohen

This week an American friend asked me whether it is safe to come to London. He asked me because he is Jewish. I was unsettled by the question but understood why he asked. My friend had been reading reports of violent Jew-hate in Europe.
The terrifying events in Amsterdam over the past few days have heightened many Jewish people’s sensitivities to the risks that may surround them. An extra degree of caution is seeping into the thoughts of a growing number as they go about their daily lives.

We now know more details of what took place in Holland and the planning that went into it. The messaging apps Telegram and WhatsApp were used by pro-Palestinian men to organise a “Jew hunt” or “Jodenjacht” in the city. 

The attacks were well-organised, with taxi drivers responding to calls to mobilise and help identify the whereabouts of Jews.

One message in a WhatsApp group called “Community Centre” thanked a member of the chat in Arabic for providing information about the movements of Jews, commenting further in Dutch “bro your tip was worth gold”. Ugly, racist violence followed. Jews were beaten, kicked and humiliated on the streets of a major European city.

It would be some solace to believe that these horrific events in Amsterdam were an isolated incident, but this is not the case. Accounts of violent racism against Jews have appeared across Europe over the past few days.

In Germany, a group of Jewish schoolchildren were attacked by a pro-Palestinian mob armed with knives and sticks. 
The teenagers from Makkabi Berlin’s youth football team said they were “hunted down” by a gang of Arab youths after a match. The attackers shouted “Free Palestine” and “F--- Jews” before threatening them with weapons.

It is a painful irony that the club these children play for was set up in the 1970s by Holocaust survivors as the capital’s first Jewish sports’ club since the end of the Third Reich.

In Belgium, police arrested five men as part of a pro-active effort to stop a suspected “Jew hunt”. Snapchat accounts were used by local men seeking to organise attacks on Jews. Their plan was to target Antwerp’s Jewish quarter. We must be grateful to police in the city for their timely intervention which disrupted another outbreak of anti-Semitic violence in Europe.

The use of the phrase “Jew hunt” to target Jews is particularly disturbing, with its echoes of the most traumatic and deadly period in Jewish history.

It has been used by historians to describe Nazi attempts to search out and kill Jews during the Holocaust. “Jew hunts” were especially prevalent after the liquidation of Jewish ghettos in Poland, with the Nazis seeking out any remaining Jews, of any age, who had escaped their genocidal plans.

It will be very hard for many in the Jewish community to absorb the idea that a phrase such as this has become a call to action in Europe in the 21st century.

Yet it must be confronted head on by governments, police and security agencies across the continent. Fears of copycat attacks are growing as the term “Jodenjacht” becomes established on social media apps.

This means that the social media giants also carry great responsibility. They must ensure that their platforms do not become a communications weapon used by anti-Semites to plan attacks on Jews.

You may be wondering how I replied to my American Jewish friend when he asked whether it was safe to come to London. 
I told him to come and not to be intimidated. Jewish people must not even begin to cede their rights to a normal life, to their use of public spaces, to visit friends and family wherever they happen to be.

We must stand up to the anti-Semites and never allow Jews to be hunted again.

Schumer the Hypocrite now begs for" bi-partisanship" after having promised to jam Democrat agenda Just days before Election!

 

With Republicans sweeping to a red trifecta in last week’s elections, stunningly capturing the White House and majorities in the House and Senate, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is cutting a different tone, compared to his pre-election hype where he posited a Democrat win in the Senate and then potentially getting rid of the filibuster, among other radical proposals. 

Ending the filibuster rule – which requires 60 votes to pass bills – would have made it easier for Democrats to supercharge their agenda and essentially railroad any Republican opposition. 

Schumer and the Democrats tried to kill the filibuster in 2022 when they had 50 votes – the vice president could have broken the tie – but Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema refused to toe the Democratic party line. They eventually became Independents.

With Manchin and Sinema leaving the Senate, Schumer was confident of having at least 50 Senate seats after this year’s election with a then-potential Vice President Walz breaking the tie on a filibuster vote. 

"We got it up to 48, but, of course, Sinema and Manchin voted no; that’s why we couldn’t change the rules. Well, they’re both gone," Schumer told reporters on the Tuesday during the week of the Democratic convention, according to NBC News.

"Ruben Gallego is for it, and we have 51. So, even losing Manchin, we still have 50."

The result would have essentially meant one-party rule in the Senate, with Schumer also toying with expanding voting rights nationwide by passing the Freedom to Vote Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. 

He also discussed a potential rule change to codify abortion rights in federal law, a party priority after Roe v. Wade was overturned, which would have faced staunch Republican opposition and lacking a path to 60 Senate votes.

Schumer also posited reforming the Supreme Court by slapping 18-year term limits on justices and touted reversing the Supreme Court’s presidential immunity ruling, which determined that presidents are immune from prosecution for some "official acts."

He has previously announced his intention to move legislation that would expand the Supreme Court from nine to 13 members.

But this week, he went to the floor of the Senate to tell Republicans to essentially go easy on their legislative colleagues on the other side of the aisle, since Republicans will have a 53-to-47 majority. 

"To my Republican colleagues, I offer a word of caution in good faith," Schumer said. 

"Take care not to misread the will of the people, and do not abandon the need for bipartisanship. After winning an election, the temptation may be to go to the extreme. We’ve seen that happen over the decades, and it has consistently backfired on the party in power."

"So, instead of going to the extremes, I remind my colleagues that this body is most effective when it’s bipartisan. If we want the next four years in the Senate to be as productive as the last four, the only way that will happen is through bipartisan cooperation."

Schumer’s about face wasn’t lost on Byron York, chief political correspondent for the Washington Examiner and a Fox News contributor.

"The short version of that is: Please don’t do to us what we were going to do to you," York writes in the Washington Examiner. 

"Schumer is obviously concerned that Republicans might embrace a scheme to eliminate the filibuster and pass all sorts of consequential legislation with no Democratic input at all. That wouldn’t be bipartisan!"

"Fortunately for Schumer, Republicans have been more principled than Democrats when it comes to the legislative filibuster, and to the filibuster in general. Republicans realize that even though they will have the majority for the next two years, they might be back in the minority at any time after that. So Schumer will not get it good and hard the way he planned to give it to Republicans."

York writes that Schumer’s "brand of hypocrisy is particularly egregious" since he was advocating changing Senate rules on a partisan basis to eliminate the minority party’s ability to demand a higher standard of approval for controversial legislation, as opposed to advocating to get a particular bill across the line. 

"He was. And then, when Schumer’s party loses, he instantly turns around and becomes Mr. Bipartisanship. For that, there should be a word that goes beyond mere hypocrisy."

Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., will replace Schumer as Majority Leader and is planning to make ushering in President-elect Trump's immigration agenda the first item on his to-do list when he succeeds. He has not indicated that he intended to vote on the filibuster rule.

He said repairing the economy is also near the top of his list. As crucial elements of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Trump are set to expire in 2025, Thune said Republicans will take action through the budget reconciliation process to renew them.

The trifecta will make Trump's agenda easier to pursue without opposition from a Democratic majority. Republicans held a governing trifecta from 2017 to 2019. The GOP achieved much of their agenda, including sweeping tax reform and confirming justices to achieve a conservative majority in the Supreme Court.

But Thune said he would protect the filibuster rule, even if it stands in the way of the Trump agenda it hopes to advance.

Fox News’s Jamie Joseph, Julia Johnson and Tyler Olson contributed to this report. 

Original article source: Schumer now pleads for bi-partisanship having promised to railroad Democrat agenda through