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Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
- The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed Friday morning that the group of murdered hostages Hamas handed over earlier this week included Oded Lifshitz and brothers Ariel and Kfir Bibas. However, forensic scientists were not able to identify a fourth body, which Hamas had claimed was Shiri Bibas, the children’s mother. The IDF described the revelation as a “very serious violation” of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist organization. Israeli authorities also concluded that Ariel and Kfir—just 4 years old and 9 months old at the time of their abduction from their Nir Oz home—were “brutally murdered” by terrorists in November 2023, not killed in an Israeli airstrike as Hamas claimed.
- Israel halted public transportation nationwide on Thursday after three buses across the Tel Aviv area exploded in a suspected terrorist attack. No injuries were reported as a result of the bombs, which detonated in empty vehicles. Police later recovered two unexploded devices on buses nearby. Responding to the apparent coordinated attacks on Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed the IDF to carry out a “massive operation” in the West Bank, where Israeli troops have in recent weeks been conducting frequent raids against terrorist cells.
- The Department of Homeland Security on Thursday revoked Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the U.S., putting an estimated 520,000 immigrants—many of whom fled rampant gang violence in their home country—at risk of deportation in August. The move reversed the Biden administration’s effort last year to extend the protections until February 2026. In a statement announcing the change, a DHS spokeswoman said the status had been “abused and exploited” by illegal immigrants for decades. The administration is “returning TPS to its original status: temporary,” she added.
- A federal judge determined on Thursday that the Trump administration had not fully complied with his court order pausing a 90-day freeze on the disbursement of foreign aid. In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Amir Ali directed the State Department and Office of Management and Budget to “immediately cease” its continuation of the blanket suspension of foreign assistance but stopped short of holding Trump officials in contempt for violating the temporary restraining order.
- A federal judge on Thursday denied an effort by five labor unions to block the Trump administration from ordering mass firings across the federal government. In the ruling, U.S. District Judge Christopher R. Cooper, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, indicated that while he sympathized with the unions’ argument, the court “likely lack[ed] the subject matter jurisdiction” to halt the executive order calling for “large-scale reductions” in the federal workforce. The judge said the case should be taken to the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which handles federal labor disputes.
- The Senate voted 51-49 on Thursday to confirm Kash Patel as director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski joining Democrats to oppose his bid. A Trump loyalist, Patel will lead the FBI amid the administration’s efforts to purge the federal agency. His nomination raised concerns among Democratic lawmakers, who argued Patel’s past embrace of “deep state” conspiracy theories could lead him to wield his authority as FBI director—a position theoretically shielded from political considerations—to seek retribution against Trump’s perceived rivals.
- Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky—the upper chamber’s longest-serving party leader in history—announced on Thursday that he won’t seek reelection next year, capping off a 40-year career in Congress. McConnell, 83, stepped down from his leadership position last year and has recently suffered several health challenges. His announcement set off early Republican jockeying for the seat in solidly red Kentucky; Rep. Andy Barr, former state Attorney General Daniel Cameron, and businessman Nate Morris have all signaled their interest in a Senate run.
We can end smoking faster.
The City (Hall) That Never Sleeps
Speaking before Maranatha Baptist Church in Queens on Sunday, embattled New York City Mayor Eric Adams likened himself to the biblical figure of Lazarus, whom Jesus brought back from the dead in the Gospel of John. “I’ve got a mission to finish,” he said. “I am going nowhere.”
But while Adams has (somewhat miraculously) survived his fair share of corruption scandals and legal challenges, we’d hardly consider President Donald Trump a messianic figure.
Last week, acting U.S. Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove ordered prosecutors to drop federal corruption charges against the Democratic mayor—a move that plunged New York City Hall into chaos and set off a nearly unprecedented power struggle at the Department of Justice. And he appears determined to plow ahead despite bipartisan opposition to the order, which would allow Adams to effectively sidestep charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, and soliciting and accepting a bribe.
Bove has repeatedly said that the federal judge overseeing the case, Dale C. Ho, has little power to stop the Justice Department from dropping the case, while New York Governor Kathy Hochul has signaled that she’s currently unwilling to use her authority to remove Adams. And although state and local authorities may step in to continue the corruption investigation, experts warn that the DOJ’s push to drop the high-profile case—which detractors said amounted to quid pro quo—could have far-reaching ...
As a non-paying reader, you are receiving a truncated version of The Morning Dispatch. You can read our 1,899-word item on Trump’s lifeline to Mayor Adams in the members-only version of TMD.
Worth Your Time
- Writing for Persuasion, Francis Fukuyama argued that Donald Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine is a betrayal of the U.S.-led liberal world order. “We are in the midst of a global fight between Western liberal democracy and authoritarian government, and in this fight, the United States has just switched sides and signed up with the authoritarian camp,” he wrote. “The United States since 1945 has supported a liberal world order built around norms like not using military force to change borders, and formal agreements for mutual defense like NATO and the security treaties with Japan and South Korea. This system has been spectacularly successful at promoting peace, prosperity, and democracy. The United States has used its soft power through instruments like the National Endowment for Democracy to support like-minded democracy proponents to resist authoritarian power from countries like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea. The United States under Donald Trump is not retreating into isolationism. It is actively joining the authoritarian camp, supporting right-wing authoritarians around the world from Vladimir Putin to Viktor Orbán to Nayib Bukele to Narendra Modi.”
Presented Without Comment
New York Times: U.S. Objects to Calling Russia ‘Aggressor’ in G7 Statement on Invasion
Also Presented Without Comment
The Hill: Former ‘Squad’ Members Launching ‘Bowman and Bush’ YouTube Show
In the Zeitgeist
The Screen Actors Guild is hosting its annual award show early next week, and while there are many strong contenders for best female actor in a leading role, we have a hunch it might be Demi Moore’s year after her chilling performance in The Substance.
Toeing the Company Line
- In the newsletters: Nick Catoggio considered how Twitter is becoming real life in the form of the U.S. government.
- On the podcasts: On The Dispatch Podcast roundtable, Sarah Isgur, Jonah Goldberg, Mike Warren, and Steve Hayes discuss DOGE, entitlement reform, and more.
- On the site: Mike Warren unpacks Donald Trump’s Ukraine fixation, Kevin Williamson pushes back against a National Review editorial in defense of DOGE, and Mara Rudman makes the case for reforming, not gutting, USAID.
