The Bang and the Whimper

 https://mishpacha.com/the-bang-and-the-whimper/

By “welcoming people as they are,” the Conservative movement is declaring that they accept intermarriage

Two questions seem not to have occurred to this blue-ribbon committee: a) if they wish to “engage” (whatever that means) those who want to “build Jewish lives,” how is it that the desire to build Jewish lives was not strong enough to deter them from marrying out of our faith? And b) did the committee ever wonder why it is that among Orthodox Jews, intermarriage is practically nonexistent? Could it be that for the Orthodox, the performance of mitzvos is a must , as is intensive Torah study, as is strong prayer and family life, as is unequivocal disapproval of interdating and intermarriage? Could it be that for the Orthodox, observance of Judaism is not the subject of consensus from focal groups and listening sessions, but instead emanates from Above? Which leads to another point: The news release is very verbose, but one word is missing. That word is “G-d.”

US announces next phase of Gaza ceasefire plan as committee is formed to run battered enclave

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/14/politics/us-announces-gaza-ceasefire-next-phase

The US moved to the second phase of the ceasefire deal despite Israeli opposition over the lack of progress on Hamas disarmament and the remains of one hostage, Ran Gvili, still being held in Gaza. In response, Israel has refused to open the Rafah crossing between Israel and Egypt.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent the start of the second phase. “Until Ran returns, the State of Israel cannot close its deepest wound, nor begin the healing and recovery it so desperately needs,” the forum said in a statement. Netanyahu, who did not address Witkoff’s announcement directly, said in a statement that Israel still demanded the return of Gvili’s remains.

Eager to advance what is arguably President Donald Trump’s biggest foreign policy accomplishment in his second term, the US announced the transition into the far more difficult next phase of the deal.

The second phase requires the creation of an International Stabilization Force (ISF) to deploy to Gaza in order to support a Palestinian police force and allow Israel to begin withdrawing from the territory it still occupies. Yet few countries have been willing to commit personnel to the ISF, without which much of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement becomes even more challenging.

The Palestinian Authority welcomed the announcement, thanking Trump for “efforts to consolidate the ceasefire and to move to the second phase of its implementation, including reconstruction.” The so-called Palestinian factions, an umbrella organization of militant groups led by Hamas, also hailed Trump’s efforts “while affirming the factions’ full commitment to continuing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the remaining stages” of the plan. Earlier this week, Hamas said it had “issued directives” to cede power from its government agencies to the committee.

No mention of Rafah: Gaza phase two raises questions, Israel weighs renewed military action

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1sbssshzl#autoplay

The American announcement made no reference to opening the Rafah crossing in both directions, a component Israel has viewed as one of its last remaining levers for the return of Gvili’s body. Israeli officials say preparations are underway for possible military action to dismantle Hamas if it becomes clear the terror organization does not disarm on its own.

US launches Gaza plan’s 2nd phase as Palestinian technocratic government unveiled

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-launches-gaza-plans-2nd-phase-as-palestinian-technocratic-government-unveiled/

Israel pushed back on transitioning to phase two before Hamas had given up its weapons and returned the body of Master Sgt. Ran Gvili. Top US officials told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his Mar-a-Lago meetings last month that Washington is committed to those two goals, but doesn’t want to condition the commencement of phase two on either, a US official and two sources familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel last week.

Steve Witkoff announces: Moving to Phase 2 of Gaza peace plan

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/420905

US Special Envoy says the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement will now begin even though Hamas has not fulfilled its obligations to return all of the hostages,

"Today, on behalf of President Trump, we are announcing the launch of Phase Two of the President’s 20-Point Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction," Witkoff stated.

He continued: "Phase Two establishes a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in Gaza, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and begins the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel. The US expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the final deceased hostage. Failure to do so will bring serious consequences."

Witkoff's announcement comes as the body of Ran Gvili, the last hostage, continues to be held in Gaza. All hostages were supposed to be returned during the first phase under the terms of the agreement. The Israeli government has maintained its opposition to the implementation of the second phase before Hamas fulfills all of its obligations from the first stage, including the return of Gvili.

‘I’m Embarrassed’: ICE Agents Speak About the Shooting in Minneapolis

 https://time.com/7345954/ice-agents-renee-good/

But behind the scenes, current and former ICE agents have expressed concerns about the agent’s conduct, about the agency’s operations in Minneapolis, and about a broader push by the Trump administration to aggressively recruit more agents.

“If someone is able to make the argument that she was trying to hit him, he feared for his life, and all he could do was shoot…then sure, he can justify it that way. 
But I think when you look at it a little bit more, it's … very problematic for him,” the agent said. 

But videos of the incident contradict that account. They appear to show Ross positioned to the side of Good’s vehicle when he fired three shots that killed her, with her wheels turned away from him.

Both the former agent and the current agent also questioned why Ross was assigned to this operation in the first place, given a previous injury involving a driver at the wheel of a vehicle just a few months before the confrontation with Good.

“That, to me, has red flags all over it,” the former ICE agent said.

Trump’s Greenland gambit is a sideshow the forces of freedom don’t need

 https://nypost.com/2026/01/14/opinion/trumps-greenland-gambit-is-a-sideshow-the-forces-of-freedom-dont-need/

We’re not loving President Donald Trump’s Greenland sideshow, and Wednesday’s White House talks don’t improve the plot.

Growling at the Danes won’t yield any better, and it’d be beyond nuts for Trump to actually use force — a guarantee that Democrats would win the House this fall, for starters, and maybe even gift them the Senate.

Fine, it’s very hard to read if the prez is in any way serious; maybe this is just his typical all-relationships-be-damned Trump “maximalist” negotiating tactic.

But it raises fears he’d blow up the Western alliance needlessly — and for all Europe’s modern errors, that alliance is one of history’s great successes. Abandoning it (what, to retreat to the American “sphere”?) is tantamount to handing the world’s future to freedom’s enemies.

No one is buying Trump's ICE shooting narrative and videos of ICE abuses are making it worse

DOJ prosecutors resign in protest over handling of ICE shooting investigation

 https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/doj-prosecutors-resign-in-protest-over-handling-of-ice-shooting-investigation

It's so rare for this unit not to investigate fatal shootings involving federal officers, and that is what's taken away the breath of a lot of people in the Department of Justice. And now this unit, these leaders, we are told by multiple sources, Amna, are trying to send up an alarm bell and ring that bell very loudly to the American people, making a statement that this is not copacetic, this is not kosher.

Republicans Ripped For Flipping on Trump War Powers Effort

 https://www.newsweek.com/republicans-ripped-for-flipping-on-trump-war-powers-effort-11362864

Republican Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana were hit with some backlash on Wednesday evening for flipping on a previous vote and ultimately ending the war powers resolution aimed at curbing President Donald Trump's authority.

Earlier this month the Senate initially advanced a resolution designed to curtail President Trump's ability to initiate new military actions in Venezuela without congressional consent. The procedural vote passed 52-47, with five Republican senators—Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Hawley, and Young—siding with Democrats.

The VoteVets X account also posted, "Pathetic collapse by @HawleyMO and @SenToddYoung. They talked tough on war powers last week but folded the second the pressure turned up. They’ve officially surrendered their Congressional authority to the White House. Rubber stamps, not Senators."

Can ICE Legally Shoot a Fleeing Suspect? Here's What The Law Says

Trump administration efforts to shift blame for ICE shooting wreak havoc on Minnesota US attorney’s office

 https://edition.cnn.com/2026/01/13/politics/resignations-minnesota-prosecutors-trump-ice-shooting

The Trump administration’s efforts to investigate Renee Good and others around her, and not the ICE officer who shot her in Minneapolis, is wreaking havoc on the US attorney’s office in Minnesota, which is leading the probe.

At least half a dozen federal prosecutors in Minnesota resigned amid growing tensions between state and federal officials since the shooting on Wednesday, a source familiar with the matter told CNN. The Trump administration quickly declared that the agent, Jonathan Ross, acted appropriately and alleged that responsibility for the fatal shooting lay with Good and those around her.

Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis initially struck an agreement with local prosecutors and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to jointly investigate the shooting, a routine arrangement that typically follows federal officer-involved shooting incidents. Minnesota authorities said they were later informed by the FBI that the US attorney’s office had ordered federal agents to conduct the investigation alone, without the involvement of local authorities.

What Does the Law Say About the ICE Shooting in Minnesota?

After Trump's lies about Renee Good shooting, exodus at DOJ over botched investigation