TRADING PLACES:  After a third swap of hostages for prisoners yesterday, 58 people taken by Hamas on October 7^th have been traded for 117 imprisoned Palestinians and Hamas appears to be interested in an Israeli offer to extend the cease fire one day for every 10 hostages released.

  A fourth swap is expected today. As it stands now, the cease fire will expire at 7 am tomorrow in Israel.

  Among the hostages released yesterday was four-year-old Israeli/American Abigail Edan who had been taken October 7^th after militants killed both her parents. Abigal and her two older siblings, 10 and 6, are reported to have seen their their mother killed in front of them. Other family members say Abigail’s father was killed while he was holding her. The two siblings managed to hide while Abigail was abducted.

  Former hostages have told their families that they were kept isolated from the outside world and didn’t know that their names and faces were familiar to the world. They said they were fed, but not regularly, and lost weight. Some of them slept on chairs pushed together.

  Hamas seized an estimated 240 hostages in their October attack while killing about 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Israeli air and ground attacks have since killed about 13,000 people in Gaza in a campaign to eradicate Hamas.

AT SEA: A US Navy destroyer fended off missiles fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen as it went to the rescue of a Liberian-flagged tanker that was under assault by pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

  The pirates initially took control of the ship then fled in their small boat when the destroyer came to the rescue. Five pirates were captured.

HATE: Three 20-year-old Palestinian college students who grew up together in the West Bank were shot and wounded Saturday night in Burlington, Vermont as they walked down the street.  Two are in stable condition and the third was more seriously injured.

 The three were visiting a relative of one of them for the holiday weekend. Two of the three young men were wearing the traditional keffiyeh scarves. Police say 48-year-old Jason Eaton walked up to them with a handgun and started shooting.

  Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad said in a statement Sunday; “In this charged moment, no one can look at this incident and not suspect that it may have been a hate-motivated crime. And I have already been in touch with federal investigatory and prosecutorial partners to prepare for that if it’s proven.”

OFF KEY: Hall has sued Oates. The music duo Hall & Oates, who were inseparably in tune with each other in the 1970s and 80s with such No. 1 hits as “Rich Girl, “Maneater” and “She’s Gone,” are now in discord. 

  Daryl Hall, 77, who started making music with 75-year-old John Oates in 1967 John Oates, sued his partner for unknown reasons. The assumption is that it’s a contract dispute, but the lawsuit was filed under seal in Nashville.

THE OBIT PAGE: Jean Knight, the New Orleans soul singer who belted out the 1971 hit “Mr. Big Stuff,” has died at age 80.

  She was working as a baker when she cut the track for “Big Stuff,” which sold three million copies, went double platinum, and blasted form radios everywhere.

        “Mr. Big Stuff
         Who do you think you are
         Mr. Big Stuff
         You’re never gonna get my love “

THE SPIN RACK: Russia said it shot down 24 Ukrainian drones aimed at the Moscow area a day after a wave of 60 Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. — New York Rep. George Santos, who has been indicted on charges of stealing from donors, says he expects to be expelled from Congress this week.  — Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis cop who held a knee on George Floyd’s neck until he was dead, was stabbed in a federal prison in Tucson and taken to a hospital. Chauvin is serving just over 20 years. — Oscar Pistorius, the former South African sprinter known as “Blade Runner” who was famous for competing on prosthetic legs but became even more famous for murdering his girlfriend, is scheduled for parole in January after serving 11 years in prison.  

BELOW THE FOLD: Thanksgiving was last week, but it’s not too late to share with you the cheery holiday message posted by the likely Republican nominee for President of the United States:

“Happy Thanksgiving to ALL, including the Racist & Incompetent Attorney General of New York State, Letitia “Peekaboo” James, who has let Murder & Violent Crime FLOURISH, & Businesses FLEE; the Radical Left Trump Hating Judge, a “Psycho,” Arthur Engoron, who Criminally Defrauded the State of New York, & ME, by purposely Valuing my Assets at a “tiny” Fraction of what they are really worth in order to convict me of Fraud before even a Trial, or seeing any PROOF, & used his Politically Biased & Corrupt Campaign Finance Violator, Chief Clerk Alison Greenfield, to sit by his side on the “Bench” & tell him what to do; & Crooked Joe Biden, who has WEAPONIZED his Department of Injustice against his Political Opponent, & allowed our Country to go to HELL; & all of the other Radical Left Lunatics, Communists, Fascists, Marxists, Democrats, & RINOS, who are seriously looking to DESTROY OUR COUNTRY. Have no fear, however, we will WIN the Presidential Election of 2024, & MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!”

  We can’t wait until Christmas.

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