Remembering
James Robison

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The Brew: A Ceasefire Deal in Gaza, and a Farewell From the Big Guy

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - JANUARY 15: People take part in a rally calling for the return of hostages held in the Gaza Strip amid reports of a possible Gaza cease fire and hostage release deal being reached on January 15, 2025 in Tel Aviv, Israel.

By Al Perrotta Published on January 16, 2025

Happy Thursday!

Today’s Brew opens with welcome news: The hostages still being held in Gaza will be coming home.

Hamas and Israel Reach Ceasefire Deal

Israel and Hamas have reportedly reached a ceasefire agreement that will see the release of 33 Israeli hostages who’ve been held since the October 2023 terrorist attack in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners (including terrorists).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cautioned Wednesday afternoon that final details had not been worked out, but hoped they would be finalized last night. That didn’t stop President-Elect Donald Trump from celebrating the deal on Truth Social. He had demanded that the two parties reach a ceasefire deal before Inauguration Day, promising there would be “hell to pay” if hostages weren’t released.

This EPIC ceasefire agreement could have only happened as a result of our Historic Victory in November, as it signaled to the entire World that my Administration would seek Peace and negotiate deals to ensure the safety of all Americans, and our Allies. I am thrilled American and Israeli hostages will be returning home to be reunited with their families and loved ones.

With this deal in place, my National Security team, through the efforts of Special Envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, will continue to work closely with Israel and our Allies to make sure Gaza NEVER again becomes a terrorist safe haven. We will continue promoting PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH throughout the region, as we build upon the momentum of this ceasefire to further expand the Historic Abraham Accords. This is only the beginning of great things to come for America, and indeed, the World!

We have achieved so much without even being in the White House. Just imagine all of the wonderful things that will happen when I return to the White House, and my Administration is fully confirmed, so they can secure more Victories for the United States!

Assuming all goes well, the deal will roll out in two phases — the first starting as soon as this weekend, reportedly with the release of three hostages. Groups of hostages will then follow over the next six weeks, starting with women, children, and the elderly. Sixteen days after it begins, peace negotiations to end the war will begin.

Biden Gives Farewell Address and Letter

Joe Biden delivered a farewell address to the nation last night, as well as a farewell letter, five days before leaving office. “Wait. He’s still there?” some Americans are thinking.

Biden boasted about his administration’s accomplishments, claiming that when he took office, “We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War.

“But we came together as Americans, and we braved through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure,” he said.

By “we,” we can only assume he means the Biden family. Ordinary Americans didn’t really experience the things he claims they did under his watch.

“It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States,” Biden wrote.

(That’s true, of course: some foreigner born somewhere else on earth wouldn’t be eligible to serve as president of the United States. But we get his point.)

“I have given my heart and my soul to our nation,” he said. “And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people.” (To say nothing of millions in foreign cash.)

At this stage, who has the heart to tell him the vast majority of the citizenry is ecstatic to see him go? Not to be harsh, but is Biden going to be remembered for anything other than inflation, Afghanistan, “Let’s Go Brandon!” and the many gaffes that were clear evidence of his cognitive decline?

Then again, the aviator glasses and slick blue Corvette were kind of cool. And characters like the gender-fluid klepto with a fondness for stealing women’s luggage, or the disappearing Secretary of Defense, or the cackling, word-salad-serving vice president did make the jobs of many talk show hosts much easier the past four years.

Plus, admit it, we’re going to miss him saying, “C’mon, man!”

Biden Administration Goes After Musk … Again

Actually, Joe Biden will be remembered — and condemned — for using the power of the federal government to pursue his political enemies — primarily Donald Trump, but there were many others as well, which senators pointed out repeatedly during Wednesday’s confirmation hearing for Pam Bondi, nominated by Trump to be the next U.S. Attorney General.

Those efforts have not yet stopped. With only days left in his administration, Biden is again going after Elon Musk.

The SEC is suing the tech whiz-turned Trump sidekick, claiming he failed to disclose his initial purchase of Twitter stock in a timely manner.

Several of Musk’s companies have been targeted since he started dipping his toes into politics, to the ire of the regime. And he’s not the only one. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg complained just the other day that his companies had come under fire from the federal government the minute he started resisting Biden’s demands to censor free speech on his platforms.

Inauguration Update

What a difference a few years makes. A couple of years ago, Musk and Zuckerberg were set to square off in an actual boxing match. Now the two billionaires will be joining Jeff Bezos at Trump’s inauguration ceremony Monday.

They’ll not only get to hear Carrie Underwood perform, but Lee Greenwood has confirmed he’ll be on hand to sing “Proud to Be an American.”

GOP Congresswoman Asks Progressive Congresswoman If She Wants to “Take It Outside.”

Washington is turning into a trashy reality TV show.

While the main attraction Tuesday was Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth squaring off against female Democratic senators in his confirmation hearing, there was some intense action on the undercard over in the House. During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) became enraged when Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) called her a “child.” Mace, the first female to graduate from the Citadel military school, snarled, “If you want to take it outside, we can do that,” and started to rise from her seat.

Crockett, who has a habit of speaking like a villain on Real Housewives of the District of Columbia rather than a representative of the people, had lit into Mace during a debate over transgender rights.

“Somebody’s campaign coffers are struggling right now,” she said “So she gon’ keep sayin’ ‘trans, trans trans’ so that people will feel threatened and child, listen …”

To which Mace responded, “I’m no child! Do not call me a child! I’m no child. Don’t even start! I’m a grown woman. I’m 47 years old. I’ve broken more glass ceilings than you ever have… You will not do that. I’m not a child… If you wanna take it outside, we can do that.”

Poor gentlemanly James Comer was left pounding the gavel as others shouted, “Order! Order! Order!”

Afterward, the two continued bickering on X.

Palisades Fire: No Response for 45 Minutes, No Prepositioning

Say it ain’t so: The residents of Pacific Palisades didn’t just have an empty reservoir and dry fire hydrants to help turn the blaze into a beast that swallowed homes and lives, but video evidence indicates it took 45 minutes for the fire department to respond to the first 911 call.

We’re not talking about a fire breaking out in the middle of nowhere. We’re talking about one breaking out in a populated area of L.A. County when the region was under a fire warning, with fierce winds whipping into a frenzy. Taking 45 minutes to get to a fire, in those conditions, is hard to comprehend.

Freddie Escobar, president of the United Firefighters of Los Angeles County (UFLAC), complained to Breitbart on Monday that despite the high danger, Fire Chief Kristen Crowley did not “pre-deploy” fire department assets because she had already made an “operating funds decision.”

“You have to pay overtime,” he explained. As has been widely reported, Mayor Karen Bass had previously slashed the LAFD’s budget by $17.5 million.

Along The Stream…

Yesterday, we posted on The Stream Pastor Shane Idleman’s reflection: “Los Angeles Fires: God’s Judgment or Man’s Failures.” Idleman lives in Southern California near Los Angeles, and has some very cogent thoughts on this.

Meanwhile, John Zmirak tell us: “As a Catholic, I Want an Evangelical on the Supreme Court. (Okay, I Want a Calvinist.)”

 

Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.