I'm on my way to New York City to attend the annual dinner of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), where former President Donald Trump will receive an award honoring his contributions to Israel and the Jewish people.
It's a long-overdue award, delayed by the left-wing bias of the institutional Jewish leadership and -- let's be frank -- by some of the controversial things Trump has said and done. But it's well-deserved, for reasons you probably know.
The timing of the ceremony is awkward, given the ongoing fights between Trump and everyone else in the Republican Party, notably Ron DeSantis (R). Trump is on the verge of announcing for president, but sinking his own chances.
The puzzle facing Republicans is this: the party lost for years until Trump came along, who not only won an election but also governed conservatively and achieved things that once seemed impossible, thanks in part to weak leaders.
Trump attracted new voters to the party. But Trump also alienated voters whose support he needed to remain in power, and now he risks alienating even GOP voters. It's unclear whether the GOP can win with him -- or without him.
The approach his opponents have taken for years has been to try to bully him out of politics -- especially by ganging up on him, as News Corp.'s various properties did this week. And now there seems to be an alternative in DeSantis.
The trouble is that some of these people are the same bunch who guided the party to defeat in the past -- and many of them are corrupt or incompetent. Even the detestable "Lincoln Project" is now claiming to back DeSantis.
Perhaps the right way to do this is to thank Trump for his service. Give him his due, and acknowledge his success, as well as the fears and hopes of those he brought into the party. It's the high ground, and the only way to succeed.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
