How's your new year going? Mine is incredible. I mean, really good.
That's not to say the world's in a better place, but I certainly am.
I hope some of my newfound optimism is something you'll enjoy...
Today we're looking ahead to the Iowa caucuses, which take place Monday, on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (sort of an odd choice, no?). We'll also look at what's happening in the Middle East -- and how it is affecting politics here in the U.S.A. as we head into the election.
We'll also look at MLK Day and how it intersects some of these themes. In particular, I'm going to play an excerpt from my 2021 book, "The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it)," which I'm busy recording on audiobook. The section I'll play deals with Black Lives Matter and what it can learn from Israel. Yes, you heard that right -- the BLM movement has opposed Israel, but there is actually a lot it can learn.
We'll also talk to John Bryan, who bought a home rumored to have an old Revolutionary War fort inside it. Not only did he discover the fort, but he also restored it. You'll want to hear the amazing story.
Special guests:
Richie Greenberg - on San Francisco calling for a Gaza ceasefire
John Bryan - on restoring a Revolutionary War fort
Frances Martel (tentative) - on the war against the Houthis
Tune in: SiriusXM Patriot, 7-10 p.m. ET, 4-7 p.m. PT
Call in: 866-957-2874
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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