The Real Reason Hamas Just Released Two American Hostages

According to Israeli officials, Iranian-backed terrorist organization Hamas released two American hostages Friday afternoon for “humanitarian” purposes after kidnapping and holding them in the Gaza Strip for nearly two weeks. The release of Natalie and Judith Raanan, a mother and daughter from Illinois, was reportedly negotiated by Qatar – a major non-NATO U.S. ally under heavy scrutiny for harboring Hamas leaders who live in luxury in the capitol of Doha.

“Today, we have secured the release of two Americans taken hostage by Hamas during the horrific terrorist assault against Israel on October 7. Our fellow citizens have endured a terrible ordeal these past 14 days, and I am overjoyed that they will soon be reunited with their family, who has been wracked with fear,” President Joe Biden released in a statement. “These individuals and their family will have the full support of the United States government as they recover and heal, and we should all respect their privacy in this moment.”

“From the earliest moments of this attack, we have been working around-the-clock to free American citizens who were taken hostage by Hamas, and we have not ceased our efforts to secure the release of those who are still being held. I thank the government of Qatar and the government of Israel for their partnership in this work,” the president continued. “Jill and I have been holding close in our hearts all the families of unaccounted for Americans. And, as I told those families when I spoke with them last week—we will not stop until we get their loved ones home. As president, I have no higher priority than the safety of Americans held hostage around the world.”

(Read more from “The Real Reason Hamas Just Released Two American Hostages” HERE)

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State Says High Schoolers Can Graduate Without Knowing Math, Reading

High school students in one state have been relieved, by state officials, of the responsibility to document their understanding of math in order to graduate. . .

The stunning free-for-all has developed in Oregon, where the state Board of Education has decided – unanimously – that a pause on those “controversial” graduation requirements will be extended at least until 2029, according to a report from Oregon Live.

The vote disregarded the wishes of Oregon voters who submitted dozens of public comments asking that the standards be restored.

The requirements originally were lifted as part of the state’s schemes to deal with COVID-19.

State Department of Education officials claimed that documenting proficiency, such as through a standardized test or other ways, “was a harmful hurdle for historically marginalized students, a misuse of state tests and did not translate to meaningful improvements in students’ post high school success,” the report explained. (Read more from “State Says High Schoolers Can Graduate Without Knowing Math, Reading” HERE)

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Democrat Lawmaker Plans to Announce Primary Bid Against Biden Next Week

Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN) is reportedly planning on announcing a presidential campaign in New Hampshire next week to challenge President Joe Biden, who Phillips does not believe has what it takes to win a second term in office.

POLITICO reported that Phillips will launch his bid on October 27 in Concord, New Hampshire, but cautioned he could still back out of it.

Phillips has played footsie with the idea for months as he has tried to encourage other, more prominent Democrats to jump into the race after saying earlier this year that he planned on running for president one day, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready at this moment in time.

A Democrat consulting firm obtained a permit for the State House Plaza next Friday morning for the alleged forthcoming announcement, the report said. (Read more from “Democrat Lawmaker Plans to Announce Primary Bid Against Biden Next Week” HERE)

Photo credit: Kelly Kline via Flickr

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Jim Jordan’s Surrender Clears Path for New Candidates — Here Are the Ones We Know About

Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) waved the white flag Friday in his battle to be named the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Jordan failed to win the gavel in a third round of voting Friday, with 25 members — more than in either of the earlier ballots — voting against him.

The House Judiciary Committee chairman and founding member of the Freedom Caucus struggled to win over moderates in his last bid for the speakership, winning just 194 votes from his colleagues on the House floor Friday before suspending his run hours later.

Potential replacements filled the void soon after, with Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) and Reps. Kevin Hern (R-Okla.) and Jack Bergman (R-Mich.) throwing their hats in the ring, in hopes of being the one to replace Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who was stripped of the speakership in an Oct. 3 vote. (Read more from “Jim Jordan’s Surrender Clears Path for New Candidates — Here Are the Ones We Know About” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr

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CVS Pulls Popular Cold Medicines From Store Shelves

CVS said on Thursday that it is voluntarily removing certain common oral cough and cold products after a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel determined last month that its active ingredient doesn’t work.

“We are voluntarily removing certain oral cough and cold products that contain phenylephrine as the only active ingredient from CVS Pharmacy stores,” a CVS spokesperson said. “Other oral cough and cold products will continue to be offered to meet consumer needs.”

“We are aware of the FDA Advisory Committee’s position on oral phenylephrine (PE) and will follow direction from the FDA to ensure products we sell comply with all laws and regulations,” the spokesperson continued.

The move comes just a month after all 16 members of the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee (NDAC) agreed that oral phenylephrine, found in common versions of Sudafed, Mucinex, Vicks, Allegra and Dayquil, isn’t effective in offering relief from nasal congestion.

The FDA clarified that neither the agency nor the committee raised concerns about safety issues with the use of oral phenylephrine at the recommended dose. (Read more from “CVS Pulls Popular Cold Medicines From Store Shelves” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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GOP Candidate Suspends Long-Shot Presidential Campaign

Long-shot Republican presidential candidate Perry Johnson announced the suspension of his campaign.

Johnson failed to reach 1% in any national polling but still garnered headlines for his innovative campaign tactics, including selling $1 T-shirts to meet the 40,000 individual donor requirement. Despite this, Johnson failed to meet the criteria to reach the Republican debate stage, leading to the businessman lambasting the Republican National Committee for alleged corruption, going so far as to file a Federal Electoral Commission complaint against it. He blamed the RNC for his campaign failing to take off and for his move to suspend his campaign.

“I must admit, the corruption among leaders at the RNC during this process was appalling,” Johnson said in the statement. “Not only was the debate process set up to keep outsiders off the stage and without a voice, but when we did meet their arbitrary metrics, corrupt leaders used their authoritarian power to kick me off the stage at 11 p.m. the Monday before the debate, despite our team working with Fox News all weekend on logistics.”

“With no opportunity to share my vision on the debate stage, I have decided at this time, suspending my campaign is the right thing to do,” he said.

(Read more from “GOP Candidate Suspends Long-Shot Presidential Campaign” HERE)

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McCarthy Screams at Gaetz as Fellow GOP Rep ‘Almost Lunged at Him’

The Republican conference meeting grew heated following the announcement that Rep Jim Jordan is relaunching his campaign for the gavel after putting a pause on his speakership bid.

Rep Kevin McCarthy, the recently ousted speaker, reportedly screamed at Rep Matt Gaetz, who brought the motion to vacate against Mr McCarthy earlier this month, to sit down and Rep Michael Bost was seen “almost lunging at him,” a person who was in the room told Axios.

Mr Jordan backtracked on a pause on his speakership bid on Thursday (19 October), announcing in the afternoon that the members of the House GOP had rejected a temporary solution to empower interim speaker Patrick McHenry until January.

“We made the pitch to members on the resolution as a way to lower the temperature and get back to work. We decided that wasn’t where we’re gonna go. I’m still running for speaker and I plan to go the floor and get the votes and win this race,” he said, according to the Washington Examiner.

According to Punchbowl News, Majority Whip Tom Emmer said: “As I have made very clear over the last few days, we should never allow a Democrat-backed coalition government. Ever. The only coalition we should be looking to build is a Republican coalition uniting all of our conference.” (Read more from “McCarthy Screams at Gaetz as Fellow GOP Rep ‘Almost Lunged at Him’” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

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‘Israel Will Be Gone Soon,’ Iranian Official Says

Israel “will be gone soon and the Palestinian nation will be victorious in the final battle,” a senior Iranian official said on Monday amid fresh attempts by the Islamic Republic to rally militant forces across the region against the Jewish state.

Israel’s destruction is certain, Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said in public remarks as he hosted Hamas representatives in Tehran. Velayati urged Hamas leaders to continue their assault on Israel nearly a week after the Iranian-backed group conducted an unprecedented slaughter of nearly 1,500 Israeli citizens, according to a report in Tehran’s state-controlled media.

Iran’s coordination with Hamas, highlighted in Monday’s meeting, comes amid parallel efforts by top Iranian officials to rally Arab countries in the region against Israel. Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian held talks with Tunisia on Monday and said the Islamic “resistance is fully ready to respond to Zionists’ warmongering.”

Iran’s role in galvanizing Arab nations against Israel threatens to ignite a broader Middle East conflict, particularly along Israel’s northern border where Hezbollah forces backed by Tehran have been steadily increasing their strikes on Israeli territory. It also serves as a test for the Biden administration as it works to prevent the Hamas-Israel conflict from spreading into a wider war that could entangle American forces. U.S. officials are said to be “increasingly anxious” about a full blown attack on Israel by surrounding Arab countries. (Read more from “‘Israel Will Be Gone Soon,’ Iranian Official Says” HERE)

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Watch What Happens to These Hamas Terrorists When the IDF Arrives

The October 7 terror attacks in Israel were heinous. Hamas unleashed 1,000 terrorists to attack the Gaza border from land, sea, and air in a sophisticated attack made possible thanks to Iran’s training and equipment. The terrorist organization had detailed plans for the surrounding kibbutzim with one agenda: kill as many people as possible. Over 1,200 Israelis were killed. . .

One attack, reportedly around Sufa, captures the moment the IDF guns down a terrorist:

(Read more from “Watch What Happens to These Hamas Terrorists When the IDF Arrives” HERE)

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Epstein Victim Who Testified Against Ghislaine Maxwell Has Died—and Her Family Wants Answers

Carolyn Andriano, a victim of sex-trafficker Jeffrey Epstein whose testimony was crucial to putting away his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, has died.

There was no obituary or funeral service after she died earlier this year, and police in West Palm Beach, Florida, opened an investigation into her death. After The Daily Beast reached out for comment, police spokesman Mike Jachles told us that the investigation was concluding and that Carolyn died of an accidental overdose.

The 36-year-old mother-of-five had planned to start a new chapter in North Carolina, at a new house with a fireplace and half-acre lot with a chicken coop. Carolyn and her husband, John Pitts, had purchased the property just weeks before she was found unresponsive in a West Palm Beach hotel room on May 23.

Before her death, “she was ecstatic,” Carolyn’s mother, Dorothy Groenert, told The Daily Beast. “She was all set up for a whole new lifestyle.” . . .

The way Groenert sees it, some things about her daughter’s overdose don’t make sense, and she wants cops to investigate further. (Read more from “Epstein Victim Who Testified Against Ghislaine Maxwell Has Died—and Her Family Wants Answers” HERE)

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