Pax Americana. The Test Is for Nobel Committee, Not DJT. Katie Porter Fiasco Shows Why Harris Couldn’t Answer Questions Either. And More
“BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS” is the way President Donald J. Trump concluded his message of a peace deal in the Middle East. Hostages could be released as soon as this weekend. CNN acknowledges that President Trump “willed” phase one of the negotiations over the finish line.
The New York Times is forced to admit that with this deal, President Trump is on the brink of a major diplomatic accomplishment. President Trump called the families of the hostages before issuing his statement. Then, the hostage families called him.
Congratulations to The Free Press for rounding up comments on what this means from people from whom we’d like to hear. TFP posed the question, “Is the war in Gaza Finally Over?“
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren responded:
It may not be the end of the war—Hamas apparently still has its guns and is still embedded in Gaza—but neither is it merely the beginning of the end. It promises to be the end of the unspeakable suffering of the living hostages and the families of both the survivors and the dead. It suggests an end to the enervating and traumatic military service of tens of thousands of Israeli reservists. It holds out the hope for ending the agony and homelessness of millions of Gazans and for reviving a diplomatic horizon for the Palestinians. One end is certain—of America’s isolation and withdrawal from the Middle East. President Trump may yet achieve a lasting peace, but he has already restored the Pax Americana.
Matthew Continetti responded:
The Gaza deal is a triumph of coercive diplomacy. By pairing support for Israel with negotiations, President Trump leveraged IDF hard power to gain Hamas concessions. Just as he did in Iran, Trump used the credible threat of military force to achieve his goal. Americans are often tempted to separate force from peace talks, thinking that one must precede the other. Trump doesn’t make this mistake. For him, talk without action is meaningless. Talk with action gets results. And demonstrations of power are integral to the bargaining that culminates in a transaction.
Fox’s Brit Hume proclaimed the Israel-Hamas plan a “very big deal,” but admits he’ll believe it when the hostages are actually released. President Trump has not been coy about his desire for the Nobel Peace Prize, the same prize that was awarded aspirationally to Barack Obama less than a year after his first inauguration. A USA TODAY columnist quotes “peace experts and historians” saying President Trump doesn’t deserve the prize. The lofty lefty Daily Beast sneers. The BBC has a story headlined “Inside the Room Where the Nobel Peace Prize Is Decided—but Will Trump Get His Wish?“
Of course, this is much more a test for the Nobel committee than it is for Donald Trump, who, if the deal comes off and the hostages are released, already has won the biggest peace prize in recent history. President Trump reflected last night on Hannity on how the peace deal came about. Bravo Senator Fetterman!
Another Prize Nomination. A Pulitzer for the AP photographer who snapped the picture of Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispering into President Trump’s ear what appears to be news of a breakthrough in peace negotiations.
It appears that California gubernatorial favorite Katie Porter failed her anger management classes. When a reporter asked Porter what she would do to win California’s Trump voters (40%), Porter exploded:
The exchange grew tense as Porter pushed back on the question, arguing over whether she needs to court Trump voters, particularly if she’s running head-to-head against another Democrat.
“So you don’t need them to win,” Watts asked Porter.
“I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative,” Porter said, prompting the reporter to point out that she had asked the same question to the other candidates in the race, and they answered it.
“I don’t want to keep doing this, I’m going to call it,” Porter said.
Politico says this fiasco plunged the Porter campaign into “disaster.” Porter’s particular beef was that the reporter asked “follow-up questions.” Porter is a special case. Her temper and propensity to fling about the f-word, especially at staff, are legendary. Porter’s ex-husband alleged that she dumped a pot of boiling potatoes on his head. But Porter’s most recent meltdown illustrates a deeper truth about California politics: Democrats aren’t asked follow-up questions. Former Vice President Kamala Harris is the poster girl boss for this. Like Porter, Harris is in dire need of some mouth soap.
USA TODAY’s Ingrid Jaques gives advice to Jay Jones (and Virginia Democrats) in a column headlined “Two Bullets to the Head’? Virginia Democrat’s Texts Should End His AG Campaign.” But Jones is visiting early voting sites, telling voters, “When we vote, we make our voices heard and shape Virginia’s future.” It will be interesting to learn what Virginia voices say about a man who embodies what we now call “assassination culture.” Nancy Pelosi says that “on balance” (!) Jones is the better candidate for VA AG.
Burning Man. The authorities have arrested a man accused of starting, on purpose, the Palisades fires that caused untold damage and cost the lives of 12 innocent people. The DOJ statement identifies the suspect as Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, a former Uber driver. Let’s hope he rots … in prison.
Wow. City Journal has three must-read stories this morning.
One is about Calla Walsh, the young American who chants “Death to America” and works for the enemies of the United States. Stu Smith writes:
Walsh, now 21, took an interest in politics in high school. Her campaigns for prominent figures like Boston city councilor Julia Mejia and Senator Ed Markey once earned her praise in Boston magazine as part of the “Gen Z” takeover of Boston politics. Four years later, Walsh’s latest campaign is in Lebanon, where she effectively serves as a mouthpiece for the Axis of Resistance. She now considers the label “terrorist” a “badge of honor.” Walsh did not respond to requests for comment for this article.
While Walsh’s story has its own unique aspects, she represents a new kind of foot soldier in a fifth-generation war playing out across an increasingly multipolar and digital world. Once a young talent and asset to the Democratic Party, she now agitates against American interests. What measures can the government take to prevent American citizens from becoming weapons of foreign regimes?
City Journal’s other two recommended stories are “Gavin Newsom Vetoes Bill Expanding Abstinence Programs for the Homeless” and “A Judge Just Upheld Religious Liberty in New York.”
But let’s also remember freedom of speech this morning. Don’t miss Federalist co-founder and CEO Sean Davis’s testimony yesterday for the Senate Commerce Committee on the Biden administration’s war on The Federalist. Gotta hand it to Davis—the man knows how to deliver a rousing conclusion:
Prove your commitment to the First Amendment is real by finally admitting to the censorship schemes many of you cheered, and working to make sure nothing like that ever happens again.
Predictably, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker is charging that it is President Trump’s “dementia” that makes him send the National Guard and ICE to Chicago. Can’t help thinking it’s the wrong day for that accusation. Ditto Karl Rove, whose otherwise fine column this morning is headlined “Trump’s Problem Is Lack of Focus.” He maybe should have used that column for another week.
Meanwhile, CNN’s Harry Enten says President Trump “is who the voters thought he would be,” an editorial in the Wall Street Journal fat-shames some gal named “Fannie Mae,” and Hugh Hewitt tells Chuck Schumer why he would be wise to end the Schumer Shutdown. Something about the 2024 election.
