Ro Khanna pulls a Greta Thunberg with his camera crew and NY Times "reporter"

Last Wednesday California Democrat Ro Khanna took a page from the Greta Thunberg coloring book and arranged his own capture. This time the villains were not the Taliban but Israeli settlers in the West Bank, as if that was a real thing.

The leftist congressman, probably wearing facial makeup, wandered down a road closed to civilians. He had a camera crew and New York Times reporter in tow, creating the ideal conditions for a political stunt that collapsed faster than a Karen having 'the vapors.'

Khanna had skipped meetings with October 7 survivors and passed on any briefing about Israel’s actual border threats. He was far too busy chasing a dramatic capture in what he hoped would be some violent event.

When the footage finally dropped the so-called hostage video turned out to be as calm as Hindu cows.

The obvious goal was to gin up anti-Israel hatred at home and float a 2028 presidential bid. Behold the circus.

Even New Jersey Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer called him out: "Let’s be honest, this was a publicity stunt. Channels exist to protect elected officials, and Khanna intentionally entered a restricted, unstable area without coordinating to provoke a response.What’s appalling is that Ro ignored requests to meet 10/7 survivors and hostages, or...Rep Josh Gottheimer (@RepJoshG July 13, 2026)

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Democrats livid over new plan to house illegal aliens in NJ, Indiana military bases

Spartacus unleashed!

The Democrats are at it again, poor dears, clutching their pearls and crying foul over the Trump administration’s latest move to house illegal immigrants at military bases in New Jersey and Indiana. Because apparently, using secure facilities to manage a border crisis is the height of "inhumane" behavior. 

According to Fox News Digital, the Defense Department, under Secretary Pete Hegseth, has decided to repurpose parts of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey and Camp Atterbury in Indiana as "temporary soft-sided holding facilities" for illegal aliens. You know, the kind of common-sense move you make when you’re trying to get a handle on an immigration system that’s been a hot mess for years. But New Jersey Democrats, those champions of open borders, are positively apoplectic, claiming it "jeopardizes military preparedness" and is just so mean.

Cue the kazoos.

Here’s their melodramatic joint statement, signed by Reps. Herb Conaway, LaMonica McIver, Donald Norcross, Rob Menendez, Frank Pallone, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Josh Gottheimer, Nellie Pou, and Sens. Cory Booker and Andy Kim:

"This is an inappropriate use of our national defense system and militarizes a radical immigration policy that has resulted in the inhumane treatment of undocumented immigrants and unlawful deportation of U.S. citizens, including children, across the country. Using our country’s military to detain and hold undocumented immigrants kindizes military preparedness and paves the way for ICE immigration raids in every New Jersey community. We have the greatest military in the world and using it as a domestic political tool is unacceptable and shameful."

"Kindizes military preparedness"? Did they mean "jeopardizes"? Someone get these folks a proofreader. And let’s not miss the irony here: these are the same people who cheered when the Biden administration used these very bases to house thousands of Afghan refugees in 2021 after the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal. Back then, it was all humanitarian kumbaya. Now? It’s a war crime. Funny how the goalposts move when Trump’s in charge.

The Defense Department says it’s still working out when these facilities will open, depending on operational needs and coordination with Homeland Security. Hegseth, in a letter to Rep. Conaway, assured him the move won’t mess with military training or readiness. But don’t expect the Democrats to take his word for it—they’re too busy grandstanding about "inhumane treatment" while ignoring the fact that New Jersey already has privately run immigration detention centers like Delaney Hall and Elizabeth Detention Center. Oh, and speaking of Delaney Hall, let’s not forget when Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver got themselves arrested there in May for clashing with federal immigration officials. Real profiles in courage, those two.

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, a massive 42,000-acre tri-service base, and Camp Atterbury, a 34,000-acre Army and Air National Guard facility, are apparently too sacred to be used for anything but progressive-approved causes. Never mind that they’re perfectly suited for secure, temporary housing while the government processes migrants for asylum hearings or deportation. Nope, to the Democrats, this is “militarizing” immigration policy. Meanwhile, they’re silent on the $150–$170 billion Big Beautiful Bill Trump signed two weeks ago, which includes $45 billion to expand detention facilities as part of the largest deportation operation in U.S. history. You’d think they’d have bigger fish to fry than whining about a couple of military bases.

And let’s not forget the cherry on top: the Trump administration’s new "Alligator Alcatraz" detention camp in the Florida Everglades, surrounded by—you guessed it—alligators. If that doesn’t scream “America’s back,” I don’t know what does. Naturally, the same Democrats throwing a tantrum over New Jersey and Indiana haven’t said a peep about that one. Probably too busy drafting their next sanctimonious press release.

So, here we are: Democrats are mad that the government is using secure, existing facilities to enforce immigration laws, but they’re fine with military bases being used for their pet projects. It’s almost like the outrage is selective. Shocker.

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Anti-Semitism fight making progress in the USA

Jew-hatred, that most protean of hatreds, has a way of shape-shifting through the ages, but the response in Congress, it seems, is finally evolving with it. Consider the journey of the Antisemitism Awareness Act (AAA).  Back in December 2016, it passed the Senate by unanimous consent - a voice vote so anodyne it hardly ruffled a feather. Fast forward to last year, and then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is Jewish, wouldn't even allow a standalone vote, fearing it might split his party down the middle. So, despite passing the House 320-91 in May, the AAA went nowhere.

But last week, a quartet of Representatives - Mike Lawler (R-NY), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Max Miller (R-OH), and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) - reintroduced the bill, giving Congress another chance to do the right thing. Yet, with so much misinformation swirling around this legislation, it's crucial to grasp its content, its implications, and the concerns of its detractors.

The AAA essentially codifies into law President Donald Trump's 2019 executive order on antisemitism. It adopts the widely accepted International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition to adjudicate complaints of anti-Jewish discrimination at educational institutions under the U.S. Department of Education.

Pastor John Hagee, the founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), who describes antisemitism as "a sinful abomination," told me, "You cannot defeat what you will not define."

The Jewish community agrees - having a standard definition is vital. The AAA is backed by Jewish organizations from across the political divide, from the left-leaning Anti-Defamation League and American Jewish Committee to the right-leaning Republican Jewish Coalition and Zionist Organization of America.

Mark Goldfeder, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, pointed out, "Because Jewish identity is so multifaceted, without a standard definition for authorities to reference, it is too easy for antisemites to hide behind this ambiguity, commit heinous acts with impunity, then claim it was not antisemitism because it was not based on this or that characteristic." He further added, "The Office of Civil Rights [at the Department of Education] has been operating slowly, and there is a need to make sure that those who are trying to re-muddy the waters and create carve-outs for their favourite kinds of antisemitism cannot do so."

Now, to the opposition. Last year, 70 House Democrats and 21 House Republicans voted against the AAA. Both parties raised free speech concerns, but Democrats were particularly uneasy about the IHRA's characterization of anti-Zionism as antisemitism, while some Republicans had issues with IHRA's stance on "claims of Jews killing Jesus."

Goldfeder clarified, "The bill explicitly does not, in any way, restrict or prohibit speech of any kind, including hate speech, and of course religious speech. Every person is free to think, or believe, or say whatever they want, however abhorrent, about Jews and/or the Jewish state. Nor does the bill add any new crimes, classes, punishments, or enhancements." He continued, "AAA simply defines a term within the context of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which regulates behavior — not speech — and ensures that already existing laws will be consistently applied as intended."

Concerned Democrats should note that Schumer has now flipped and supports the bill.

On the Republican concern about Jesus, Pastor Hagee offered, "The Word of God says 'No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily' (John 10:18). Accordingly, if you're a Christian who believes the Bible is true, then we believe that Jesus Christ willingly laid down His life. If you believe that any one group is responsible for the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, save and except God Almighty, then you do not believe in the sacrificial and substitutionary death of our Saviour." He added that CUFI supports "AAA because it's right, and it is never the wrong time to do the right thing."

Luke Moon, executive director of the Philos Project and another Christian supporter of AAA, remarked, "There is a unique hatred of the Jewish people. I believe it is because the Jews were the people through who God brought his moral revelation into this world, and the world hates them for it. I believe Christians should stand with Israel and the Jewish people because we affirm that same moral revelation."

One can only hope that members of Congress are hearing these messages from their constituents. After all, Americans are overwhelmingly supportive of their Jewish neighbors, and the AAA merely seeks to make Trump's first-term policy on antisemitism in educational settings more durable.

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A Defunding Bill for Universities that Boycott Israel

Universities that give in to anti-Israel and antisemitic groups on their campuses by agreeing to cut ties with Israel might soon face a big penalty — if a new bill in Congress passes, which it probably will — they could lose their federal funding.

U.S. Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) introduced a bill on Tuesday called "The Protect Economic Freedom Act" that would stop federal money from going to universities that join the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. This would mean they wouldn't get federal student aid anymore. Schools would have to prove they're not involved in commercial boycotts against Israel.

“Enough is enough. Appeasing the anti-Semitic mobs on college campuses threatens the safety of Jewish students and faculty and it undermines the relationship between the US and one of our strongest allies. If an institution is going to capitulate to the BDS movement, there will be consequences — starting with the Protect Economic Freedom Act,” Foxx, who leads the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, stated.

Gottheimer explained that this law is needed because of the rising anti-Semitism at colleges. He pointed out that while students can freely express their views on the Gaza conflict, boycotting Israel puts Jewish students and others at risk.

“The goal of the anti-Semitic BDS movement is to annihilate the democratic State of Israel, America’s critical ally in the global fight against terror. While students and faculty are free to speak their minds and disagree on policy issues, we cannot allow anti-Semitism to run rampant and risk the safety and security of Jewish students, staff, faculty, and guests on college campuses,” Gottheimer said. “The new bipartisan Protect Economic Freedom Act will give the Department of Education a critical new tool to combat the anti-Semitic BDS movement on college campuses. Now more than ever, we must take the necessary steps to protect our Jewish community.”

The bill requires the U.S. Department of Education to keep track of universities that don't confirm they're not boycotting Israel. This list will be made public.

This legislation doesn't just cut funding; by making this information public, it warns alumni about their school's actions, possibly leading them to stop donating. For instance, big donors at Harvard have already withheld millions due to the university's handling of anti-Semitism.

Since the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas in southern Israel, universities have been dealing with a lot of controversy over campus anti-Semitism. After the attacks, many students and faculty held protests against Israel, with some groups at schools like Harvard and Columbia even blaming Israel and supporting Hamas.

Now, universities that have largely ignored calls for common decency, as seen in their lack of action against anti-Semitic student behavior, face the possibility of losing federal aid, including student financial support. This could make students and faculty very upset with the anti-Semitic protesters, the faculty who support them, and the administrators who complied with their demands. It might be interesting to see how these administrators react when they have to distance themselves from the BDS movement for financial reasons.

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