STANDING UP AGAINST BIGOTRY: UCLA student files petition against Cultural Affairs Commissioner who allegedly warned against hiring ‘zionists.’

“STRIKES STRAIN CEASEFIRE,” REALLY? REALLY: Israel threatens to ‘go deeper’ into Lebanon as strikes strain ceasefire.

As tit-for-tat strikes strain a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah less than a week since it went into effect, Israel’s defense minister on Tuesday threatened to directly target the Lebanese state should the agreement fall apart.

Monday was the deadliest day since that agreement came into force last Wednesday, with Israeli strikes killing nine in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah fired at Israeli-occupied territory, citing Israeli truce violations.

“If we return to war, we will act with strength, go deeper,” Israel Katz said during a visit on Tuesday to the 146th Division of the Israel Defense Forces, near the Lebanese border.

Were the ceasefire to collapse, he said, “there will no longer be any exemptions for the State of Lebanon. If until now we separated the State of Lebanon from Hezbollah – and the entirety of Beirut from Dahiyeh, which took very hard hits – this will no longer be the case.”

More to come, I’m sure.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Attack Dems and Squish Republicans Have Knives Out for Hegseth. “The only time that Lindsey Graham wasn’t an insufferable squish was a brief period during Trump’s first term. Even that didn’t last long. It isn’t at all surprising that he would pop up as one of the early problems now.”

HEH: “The Bidens are the only crime family where everyone is Fredo.”

PEOPLE ARE ASKING HOW TO DONATE TO INSTAPUNDIT AGAIN, SO HERE YOU GO. You can donate via stripe using the silver “Donate” button at the top of the right sidebar, or by using this link to go to Stripe. You can mail a check (made out to Glenn Reynolds, not InstaPundit) — people still do that — to 118 N. Peters Rd. #12-230, Knoxville, TN 37923. Or you can become a paid subscriber to my Substack, which is always appreciated. Any way you choose to do it, I thank you, and my family thanks you.

11 YEARS AGO THIS COLUMN OF MINE WAS THE #1 ITEM ON THE ENTIRE USA TODAY SITE: Abolish the TSA.

LEAKING TO THE PRESS IS ITSELF UNETHICAL: More Leaks in the NY Times About The “Supreme Court Ethics Debate.”

The left is leaking because it’s losing. The new strategy is to delegitimize the Court. They do this with any institution they don’t control, even as they pretend it’s unAmerican to criticize the ones they do.

DOGE: US spent $151 BILLION on illegal immigration in 2023 alone.

The figure as reported by DOGE would be comparable to the $151 billion the government spent on security programs for veterans and those who survive them in 2023, per the Daily Mail. Under the Biden-Harris administration, illegal immigration has skyrocketed, with record-breaking numbers of people flowing into the country.

DOGE, a non-governmental entity, will provide recommendations to the Trump administration on slashing regulations as well as cutting down spending. In recent weeks, since the organization took shape, it has been highlighting government waste on its X account.

The government spent the staggering $151 billion on illegal immigration, but has other areas that could be cut, as highlighted by DOGE. The National Institutes of Health spent $1.8 billion on studying the health impacts of “racism” in 2024. DOGE highlighted the spending in a post late in November, “In 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent $1.8 billion studying racism.”

“Progressive” causes will become even less popular than they already are — particularly on the supply side — if DOGE manages to derail the gravy train.

CDR SALAMANDER: When Your VLS Hobbyhorse Goes Mainstream. “The fact we threw away an ability to reload/rearm forward was an old story inside the surface Navy when I picked it up in the last years of the previous century. We had a clunky erector set like contraption that was hard to use and took up VLS cell space, but instead of finding a better way, we just chunked the whole idea, slid in our Jesus Jones CD, and figured we had ownership of the seas until the crack of doom. There is nothing ‘until recently’ about this. Not to get off topic, but the real story here is why time and again this century’s senior leadership decided it was ‘too hard’ or ‘too dangerous’ while they were in full knowledge not just of the operational experience demanding this capability, but what we discovered over and over again in wargames. . . . We do not need to take a few POM cycles to appreciate the problem some more. This is a decades old requirement screaming for a solution.”

Elon Musk’s people would have solved this inside of six months. I’m not suggesting that they should be put on the problem — they have enough to do — but if they can do it, there must be someone else out there who could, if allowed.

Plus: “Time is not our friend. Faster. Now.”

YES. Trump’s Notre Dame Appearance Means More Than You Think. “It will be a grand affair, attended by 50 heads of state, and Donald Trump is being treated as one of them even before he returns to power on January 20th, 2025. That’s a big deal, because it is a symbolic acknowledgment that in the eyes of the world, including Europe, Donald Trump is already the president who matters. Joe Biden is PINO (President in Name Only). I like that neologism.”

VICTORIA TAFT: Seattle Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Illegal Alien Deportations in the Most Hilarious Court Decision Ever.

K-12 IMPLOSION UPDATE:

Government schools spend nearly $16,000 per year per student. Meaning by 8th grade they've spent $128,000 failing to teach kids to read or count ✌️ https://t.co/ujdchcyh7e

— Peter St Onge, Ph.D. (@profstonge) December 3, 2024

LIMITED TIME DEAL: Bowflex SelectTech 552 Adjustable Dumbbells. #CommissionEarned

SOON, IT WILL SEEM VERY STRANGE THAT THEY EVER DIDN’T: Federal student loan borrowers in default may again face wage garnishments, collections.

Struggling student loan borrowers can see if they qualify for a deferment or forbearance, experts say.

If you’re out of work, you can request an unemployment deferment with your servicer. If you’re dealing with another financial challenge, meanwhile, you may be eligible for an economic hardship deferment. Those who qualify for a hardship deferment include people receiving certain types of federal or state aid.

Other, lesser-known deferments include the graduate fellowship deferment, the military service and post-active duty deferment and the cancer treatment deferment.

Student loan borrowers who don’t qualify for a deferment may request a forbearance.

Under this option, borrowers can keep their loans on hold for as long as three years, according to the U.S. Department of Education. However, because interest accrues during the forbearance period, borrowers can be hit with a larger bill when it ends, advocates warn.

Income-driven repayment plans can be a great option for borrowers who are worried they won’t be able to afford their bills for a longer period. Those plans cap your monthly payments at a percentage of your discretionary income and forgive any of your remaining debt after a certain number of years. Some people wind up with a $0 bill.

It’s best to explore these options sooner rather than later.

Trump and the GOP congress should explore the option of making schools co-sign for loans.

THE 21ST CENTURY ISN’T TURNING OUT AS I’D HOPED: Hydration as a Lifestyle Trend.

LOL.

John Bolton has been wrong about everything so I guess Kash must be pretty awesome. https://t.co/V2wYNcqhmh

— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 1, 2024

KEVIN DOWNEY JR: Libs Are Shocked That Biden Is a Liar. Wait Until They See His Encore. “As his term winds down, Biden is going scorched earth on the Democratic Party and the rest of the world.”

He was never a nice guy — and then his own party booted him from the office he’d effectively sold his soul 50 years ago to win. The results ought to be at least entertaining.

For what it’s worth, I went long on popcorn back in July.

FROM SARAH A. HOYT, ON SALE FOR 99c:  Christmas In the Stars: A collection of Christmas Short Stories.

#CommissionEarned

This is a collection of four Christmas short stories.
It starts with a star-explorer stranded in unknown coordinates listening very hard for sleigh bells. Then there are two deserters of a doomed planetary war, in a forsaken planet, trying to do the right thing to secure peace and good will, even if one of them happens to be dead. And did you know there was a small, sweet robot at the nativity? Also, sometimes, all you need for a Merry Christmas is a cat.
This is a short collection, but it’s heartwarming and cozy, and the sort of thing to read on a snowy afternoon, by your fireplace, with a cup of eggnog nearby.

JOEL KOTKIN: Sometimes History Demands A Bastard: Some leaders in Europe may resist a new alliance with Trump’s America, but in a world dominated by bullies, sharp elbows and unpredictability may be what the times demand. “The new realpolitik marks the end of an era in which politics was defined largely by ideology and religion. As in the 19th century, world events now revolve around control of markets, resources, technology, and military aptitude. In this new paradigm, institutions like the United Nations and the International Court of Justice are largely irrelevant, as are climate confabs and the high-minded pronunciamentos of the World Economic Forum. Joe Biden’s foreign policy was informed by Wilsonian notions of global liberalism, an ideology that also permeated US policy during the presidencies of George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Although these administrations approached foreign relations very differently, they both embraced the allegedly democratising influence of free trade and the need to protect the ‘rules-based’ postwar order. Yet the legacy of this approach has been involvement in open-ended wars that often resulted in strategic defeats.”

I CAN’T STOP SNICKERING LONG ENOUGH TO COME UP WITH ANYTHING FUNNY:  ABC News staffers working in near decrepit building with ‘no Wi-Fi, no heat’ as ‘GMA’ ratings tank.

FORTUNATELY FOR THE DEMS, NOBODY SAW IT:  CNN’s Kaitlan Collins calls Hunter Biden pardon a ‘political timebomb’ that left Dems in ‘the blast radius’.

I’D RATHER RAGE, RAGE AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT:  Go out in style with the National Death Service.