ISRAEL BALKS: Israel is already backing away from an agreement with Hamas for a 42-day cease fire in Gaza ,saying the militants have reneged on parts of the deal that would exchange 33 hostages for Palestinians held prisoner in Israel. 

  The agreement had raised raises hopes that the 15-month war in which 47,000 Palestinians have been killed might come to an end. About 100 hostages are still held in Gaza, although a third of them are believed to be dead.

  The deal, if it survives, still needs to be approved by the Israeli cabinet.

  Israel’s assault on Gaza in response to the October 7^th 2023 massacre has killed thousands of Hamas fighters and leaders, but it has also destroyed 70 percent or more of the housing and infrastructure in a slice of land occupied by more than two million people. Israeli Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly that he will not stop the war until Hamas no longer controls Gaza 

CONFIRMATION CLASS: Attorney general nominee Pam Bondi yesterday became the latest confirmation hearing convert, promising senators that there will be no political enemies list if she takes the office. 

  This comes despite her pre-nomination promise of. retribution for the people who prosecuted Donald Trump. She had said, “The Department of Justice, the prosecutors will be prosecuted, the bad ones. The investigators will be investigated.” 

  The 59-year-old Bondi promised yesterday that she will be independent from the White House and be an impartial prosecutor. She said “politics will not play a part” in deciding who to investigate.

  Among other promises she made, Bondi said she will not go after the media as has been threatened by Trump’s nominee for the FBI, Kash Patel. Bondi said, “Going after the media just because they are the media is wrong, of course.” But again, it’s not a flat denial.

  Bondi is a Trump loyalist who’s part of the chorus claiming the 2020 election was stolen from Trump, but with a history as a prosecutor and attorney general of Florida, she’s one of few Trump cabinet appointees who’s qualified to do the job. 

GOODNIGHT, MR. PRESIDENT: President Biden delivered his farewell address to the nation last night, taking credit for the Gaza ceasefire, recapping his accomplishments in office, making veiled digs at President elect Donald Trump, and warning of the danger of a billionaire oligarchy taking over the country.

  He spoke of the promise and threat of artificial intelligence and the influence of social media on public discourse.

  Comparing the influence of billionaire tech executives to President Dwight Eisenhower’s warning about the military-industrial complex, Biden said there’s “dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultrawealthy people.” Without mentioned them by name, Biden was talking about people like MEGA’s Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, and Tesla’s Elon Musk who sits at Donald Trump’s ear. Biden said, “Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”

  As evidence of his point, Trump has invited to the inauguration Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, which Congress voted to ban by January 19^th.

  In his jab at Donald Trump, Biden said, “I know that believing in the idea of America means respecting the institutions that govern a free society — the presidency, the Congress, the courts, a free and independent press.”

  Biden signed off saying that as he leaves, “Now it’s your turn to stand guard. May you all be the keeper of the flame. May you keep the faith.”

PORN FREE: The Supreme Court heard arguments yesterday about the Texas law that requires viewers of pornographic material to present government or other personal identification to prove that they are adults before they can access the material. 

 The law obviously was passed to shield kids from pornography, but the porn mongers argue that the requirement is an infringement on their 1^st Amendment rights to free speech.

  The Free Speech Coalition, which represents the porn industry, argued that the law is overly vague and “imposes significant burdens on adults’ access to constitutionally protected expression.” They also say that submitting identification to access the material poses security and privacy vulnerabilities … like maybe your mother or your wife might find out.    

THE FIRE LINE: A lull in the winds is making it possible for firefighters in the Los Angeles area to increase containment. Homeowners of houses both burned and still standing are pressing authorities to get back into their neighborhoods.

HOME AND AWAY: Three Stanley Cup championship rings belonging to Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin are missing after a burglary at his home this past Saturday.

  Whether there’s a connection is unknown, but the break-in follows a string of burglaries at the homes of prominent professional athletes in recent months, including the homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr., Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis Jr., Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin and Dallas Mavericks point guard Luka Dončić.

THE SPIN RACK: The Dow Jones jumped 703 points on news that the core inflation rate slowed in December at 3.3 percent. — The New York City subway system has begun to install sharp-toothed dividers between the turnstiles to thwart fare jumpers who use the dividers as handholds to vault themselves over. — The Food and Drug Administration banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in food, beverages, and drugs, more than 30 years after the petroleum-based synthetic coloring was first found to cause cancer in male laboratory rats. It has been used to give a cherry red color to candy, soda, and other products. 

BELOW THE FOLD: A townhouse owner in New York’s West Village was granted permission to build a gate to stop fans of the television show ‘Sex and the City’ taking their picture on the iconic front stoop.

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