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.
This is my first broadcast from the new office and studio in Washington, DC, where I'll be for a couple of years my neighborhood back in L.A. cleans up -- and as we follow the Trump administration from a little closer up than usual.
Topics:
- The anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump
- The escalating tariff battle with various different trading partners
- The future of the Middle East peace talks, and ongoing antisemitism
- The Jeffrey Epstein files and whether they mean anything at all
- The continued crisis of the Texas floods, and stories of heroism and survival
And more!
Special guests:
- James Rosen - Newsmax chief Washington correspondent
- Bob Price - Breitbart News Texas reporter, on the ongoing floods
- Robert Cahill - Trafalgar Polling, on a new alliance of reliable pollsters
- Rabbi Yaakov Menken - Coalition for Jewish Values - on Israel & antisemitism
Tune in: 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call: 866-957-2874
This week’s portion tells the grand story of the prophet who tried to curse people of Israel and instead ended up blessing them.
I am reminded that these portions continue to be relevant anew, as this particular reading lent the title for Israel’s recent 12 Day War against Iran, “Operation Rising Lion.”
This week's portion includes the commandment of the red heifer -- one of the classic "irrational" commandments whose fulfillment is an expression of faith. It also includes the regrettable episode in which Moses strikes the rock.
I referred to this story in a wedding speech last night. Why was Moses punished for striking the rock in Numbers, when he struck the rock without incident in Exodus -- both for the purpose of providing water to the people?
The answer is that in the interim, the Jewish people had received the Torah, which is like the marriage contract between the people of Israel and God. In a marriage, you do not resolve things by breaking boundaries, but through love.
The additional reading, from Judges Chapter 11, is the story of Jephthah (Yiftach), a man whom the leaders spurn, but to whom they must turn to save the nation. The parallels to our present political circumstances are striking.
Shabbat Shalom and Happy Fourth of July!
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