Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times News Brief for Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024. It’s Thanksgiving Day, and we’re glad you’re here. I’m Bill Thomas, we have some pressing stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on.
The fragile Middle East cease-fire appears to be holding, President-elect Donald Trump picks a special envoy for the war in Europe, and a number of Trump’s Cabinet nominees have just been threatened with violence.
Also, Trump’s border czar finds a surprising partner on the other side of the aisle, and Thanksgiving dinner this year is gonna be a bit less expensive—we’ll tell you all about it.
Cease-Fire Holds in Lebanon
In a follow-up to a story we shared with you yesterday, thousands of Lebanese residents have begun returning to their homes, following the recent truce between Israel and the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah.The agreement was followed by a warning from the Israeli military for residents to stay away from the evacuated areas. However, that warning was largely ignored. Shortly after the agreement came into effect, hundreds of cars were driving back into southern Lebanon, defying a warning from the Israeli military to stay away from the evacuated areas.
Celebratory gunfire was heard at the main roundabout in the southern city of Tyre.
You should know that Israel has said it will attack again if Hezbollah breaks the cease-fire agreement, and yesterday, the Lebanese prime minister urged Israel to abide by the terms of the deal.
So you know, the cease-fire has not been welcomed by all Israelis. One media poll found that only 20 percent of the people who support the country’s ruling coalition are in favor of the cease-fire agreement.
Meanwhile, one resident of southern Lebanon said the deal was a victory for Hezbollah, calling it a “moment of victory, pride, and honor” for all of Lebanon.
Under the agreement, Israel will evacuate all Lebanese territory within 60 days, and the Lebanese army will move in and secure the area.
Trump Picks Special Envoy for Ukraine-Russia War
Yesterday, Trump nominated Keith Kellogg to be his special envoy for the Ukraine–Russia conflict, which is a position that does not currently exist but is set to be created by the new administration early next year.Kellogg served as chief of staff for the White House National Security Council during Trump’s first term, and also as national security adviser to Vice President Mike Pence.
Earlier this year, Kellogg, along with another former Trump national security adviser, outlined a plan for ending the war, which would seek to freeze the front lines and push for a negotiation between the two countries.
So you know, Kellogg’s proposal would be a significant change in how the United States has approached the war, and it would likely face stiff opposition from both European allies and some members of the Republican Party.
However, the Trump campaign has emphasized that only comments made by Trump or authorized members of his staff should be considered official.
By the way, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that he is open to talks, but so far, he has rebuffed any suggestion that Russia should give up on its stated aims of demilitarizing Ukraine and preventing its proposed membership into NATO.
Cabinet Nominees Targeted by ‘Violent Threats’
A spokeswoman for the Trump transition team says that several of the president-elect’s hand-picked choices for his incoming administration have just been targeted by “bomb threats.”In fact, just yesterday, Trump’s incoming U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), confirmed that she and her family were targeted by a bomb threat to their residence when they were driving home to New York for Thanksgiving.
She also said that a number of law enforcement agencies responded to the incident, and that she was grateful for their efforts.
The Trump team’s spokeswoman said that in addition to Stefanik, a number of other nominees, along with several administration officials, were subjected to “violent, un-American threats” to their lives, and that the warnings were also aimed at “those who live with them.”
However, she did not specify who in particular had been targeted by the threats, which took place both yesterday and Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, the FBI said yesterday that it’s aware of the bomb threat incidents targeting Trump nominees and appointees, and that the agency takes all potential threats seriously.
Meanwhile, the spokeswoman for Trump said the incoming administration remains focused on uniting the country by ensuring a safe and prosperous future, and that “with President Trump as our example, dangerous acts of intimidation and violence will not deter us.”
Texas Democrat Finds Common Ground With Trump’s Border Czar
Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who represents a congressional district in Texas along the U.S.–Mexico border, says he’s willing to work with incoming border czar Tom Homan regarding national security.Cuellar says that earlier this week, he spoke with Homan about getting together soon in Washington, and that he thinks the two can “find a lot of common ground.”
The Democrat added that he and Homan do not agree on all of the administration’s proposed policies. However, he said that they can certainly agree to quickly deport “the criminals” who are a national security risk, including more than 1 million people who “have a final deportation order and are still here.”
Both Homan and Trump have said they will prioritize mass deportations of illegal immigrants starting on Day 1 of his administration.
So you know, the congressman has long been critical of the Biden administration’s border policies, and earlier this week, he said that the country can “deport people quickly,” make migrants stay in Mexico, and do many other things regarding immigration that “can work right away.”
By the way, earlier this year, Cuellar was charged by the U.S. Department of Justice with felony bribery and a number of other alleged crimes. However, just a few weeks ago, he won reelection with more than 52 percent of the vote.
Thanksgiving Dinner Is Cheaper in 2024
This year, the average cost of cooking a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 10 people will cost just under $60, which is the lowest price in three years, and it’s got a lot to do with the price of turkeys, which has been steadily dropping in recent years.However, the American Farm Bureau Federation says that the price for hosting the Turkey Day spread is still 20 percent higher this year than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic.
So you know, the federation gauged the average price of a dozen Thanksgiving staples in grocery stores around the country, including cranberries, sweet potatoes, cubed stuffing, and certain desserts, in order to calculate the cost of the meal.
Here’s something you might find interesting: One farm bureau analyst says that the American turkey flock is the smallest it’s been in nearly 40 years because of the bird flu, and that overall demand has also fallen.
By the way, the farm bureau says that just 9 cents out of every dollar spent on food goes back to the farmer.
The federation also mentioned that many retailers put whole frozen turkeys on special right before Thanksgiving—so if you’re waiting until the last minute to buy a bird, you just might get lucky and pay a little bit less, and right now, we’re all on a budget.
And now, our budgeted amount of time is just about up for today, so we’re gonna call it a wrap for the Thursday edition (the Thanksgiving Day edition) of The Epoch Times News Brief.
Don’t forget the News Brief Motto: We’re portable, affordable, and always on-demand. Anywhere you go, we’re happy to tag along.
And finally, as we do each and every day on this program, we wrap everything up with a very notable quote. And this one on Thanksgiving Day comes to us from Nora Ephron who said:
“The turkey. The sweet potatoes. The stuffing. The pumpkin pie. Is there anything else we all can agree so vehemently about? I don’t think so.”
Nora Ephron was an American journalist, writer, and fabulous filmmaker.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times News Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times News Brief program is written each day by David Ross.
Thank you for making us your one-stop source for a concise, accurate, and unbiased daily synopsis of many of the news stories you need to know about.
Enjoy the remainder of your Thanksgiving holiday and we’ll see you right back here next time for another edition of The Epoch Times News Brief.
For now, let’s all continue to watch out for one another and have an absolutely superb day today. Bye for now.
