National

change,” AIPAC’s statement said. “Hyper-partisanship, high congressional turnover, and the exponential growth in the cost of campaigns now dominate the landscape.”

Rapid Retirements in Congress

On Monday, Florida Rep. Stephanie Murphy announced that she will not seek a fourth term in Congress.

Murphy is not alone. Less than 24 hours before her announcement, New Jersey Rep. Albio Sires said he would be retiring at the end of this Congress. California Rep. Alan Lowenthal made his retirement announcement just before Sires.

In all, there are now 22 Democrats retiring or running for other offices this election cycle. On the Republican side, 11 members are doing the same. It seems that Democrats may have a hard time holding onto their slim majority come election time.

Two years ago, just nine Democrats had announced their retirement plans at this point of the election, while 24 Republicans had done the same, according to CNN’s political unit.

Even more than that, the Democrats who are jumping ship are those who have clout within the party. Murphy is widely regarded as a rising star within the party and was expected to run for Senate in 2022 until fellow Rep. Val Demings (D) got into the race against Sen. Marco Rubio (R).

John Yarmuth (Budget Committee) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (Science, Space and Technology Committee) are also retiring.

First Female to Head NYPD

Keechant Sewell is set to become the first woman to ever head the New York Police Department, as well as the first black person to hold the position in nearly 30 years. Her appointment to position of commissioner was announced at a Wednesday morning press conference by NYC Mayor-elect Eric Adams.

Speaking at the press conference, Sewell said, “We are at a pivotal moment in New York. As our city faces the twin challenges of public safety and police accountability. They are not mutually exclusive.”

Speaking on Thursday morning with CNN, Sewell said that stemming the flow of guns into the city is her “number one priority” and emphasized that it is her belief that “we certainly can stop the flow of guns.”

She added, “I will always have the backs of my officers – one hundred percent. We want the community to have the backs of the officers as well. We have to get them to talk to the community so we can build that morale and let them know they are doing the work that we asked them to do.”

Sewell, 49, has worked with the Nassau County Police Department since 1997. Fifteen months ago, Sewell became the first Black woman to oversee the Nassau County detective division.

At the time, she said, “What I’ve been able to accomplish, I hope it inspires women, young girls, men — anyone who wants to be an officer and be able to take advantage of the things that have been afforded to me. I would hope that they see representation. And representation matters.”

Landscaping & Hardscaping

COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL Design-Build-Maintain Patios, Driveways & Walkways Outdoor Kitchens, Fireplaces & Fire Pits Playing Courts & Putting Greens Landscape Design & Water Features Artificial Turf & Install Specialists Green: Spaces, Roofs & Architecture

MOH Awarded to 3 Heroes

U.S. President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor last week to three soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The three soldiers who were decorated were Master Sgt. Earl Plumlee, a member of the Army’s elite Special Forces who fended off an attack by Taliban suicide bombers in Afghanistan in 2013; Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Celiz, a member of the Army Rangers who died in combat in Afghanistan in 2018; and Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe, who suffered mortal injuries while famously saving several soldiers from a burning vehicle in Iraq in 2005.

Praising the soldiers, Biden said, “Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude today as we honor unparalleled courage, commitment to duty, indispensable, indisputable gallantry. It is hard to explain where the soldiers got the courage.”

Cashe is the first Black service member to be granted the honor for actions in Afghanistan or Iraq. In October 2005, his unit was ambushed, and his vehicle rolled over a compression plate that triggered an improvised explosive device that caused the vehicle to burst into flames. At that point, Cashe began pulling his comrades from the vehicle, returning again and again even after his uniform caught fire. He later died of his wounds.

Plumlee is currently serving with the 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis, Washington. The only living service member to receive the Medal of Honor on Thursday, Plumlee was joined by his wife and two young children after they were called up to the stage by the President.

Jet Fuel Contaminates Water in Hawaii

placed from a Hawaiian base after jet fuel contaminated their supply of drinking water. The families were relocated due to ongoing problems from a World War II-era fuel tank farm located above an aquifer.

Earlier this month, petroleum 350 times the level considered safe was detected in a water sample from the Red Hill fuel tank farm, Hawaii’s Department of Health said. “Gasoline range organics” were found to be 66 times the safe level.

The detection was followed by calls from government officials to shut the fuel tank down.

Meanwhile, Hawaii Governor David Ige ordered the U.S. Navy to halt operations at the facility and to take steps to install a drinking water treatment system.

As of now, the displaced military members and their families are living in hotels, and thousands have been evaluated by medical staff.

In a statement earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said, “My expectation is that military leaders in Hawaii will continue to do everything they can – as fast as they can – to return residents safely back to their homes and to communicate clearly and frequently the steps they are taking to do so.”

Biden Confirms 40 Judges in 1st Year

U.S. President Joe Biden has confirmed twice the number of judges in his first year as his predecessor did. Throughout 2021, the Senate confirmed 40 district court nom-

Meadowbrook Estate premier destination for your next vacation or simcha

10 BEDROOMS 11 BATHROOMS SLEEPS OVER 30

DINING AVAILABLE for up to 70 PEOPLE OVER 5 PRIVATE ACRES

BRAND NEW OUTDOOR HOT TUB KOSHER CATERING AVAILABLE

TORAH and SIDDURIM OPTIONS AVAILABLE

LOCATED IN MARLBOROUGH, CT 2 HOURS FROM NEW YORK OR BOSTON

CONTACT KIA (860)455-6057

HELPLINE SOVRl'7J.o

Emotional Support For Victims Of Unwanted Touching 888-613-1613 Confidential & Anonymous

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE ALONE

Staffed by trained volunteers who provide help, support, information and referrals

inees, 21 more than former U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed in 2017.

The confirmations made last week will likely be the last of 2021, but the Senate voted to advance the nominations of Gabriel Sanchez and Holly Thomas, who will have their final votes in January.

According to Thomas Jipping, a senior legal fellow at the Heritage Foundation, the last president to have confirmed at least 40 judicial nominees in his first year was Ronald Reagan, with 41.

6.2M Earthquake Hits CA

A 6.2 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Northern California rattled a wide swath of the state shortly after noon local time on Monday, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake occurred just off Cape Mendocino near Humboldt County and was felt as far away as San Francisco and Chico, California.

“It was slow rolling at first, but then it really got going,” Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal said. “We haven’t had a shake like this since 2010.”

Thankfully, there were no major injuries reported. Some minor damage to buildings, including broken glass, occurred.

California’s early earthquake warning system worked for those who are signed up for alerts to their mobile devices. Honsal said he received the alert about 10-15 seconds before feeling the earth shake.

The state’s Office of Emergency Services is “actively monitoring” and “coordinating closely with local partners in the region to protect communities from any secondary impacts,” the agency tweeted.

Humboldt County is sparsely populated, with about 135,000 residents spread over about 4,000 square miles. The area is near the California/Oregon border, about 270 miles north of San Francisco.

Several aftershocks have been detected.

CA Sues Walmart

California filed a lawsuit against Walmart on Monday for allegedly disposing of hazardous waste at a rate of “more than one million items each year.”

The lawsuit alleges Walmart has illegally dumped 159,600 pounds of hazardous waste a year in landfills in the state that aren’t equipped to handle the materials, including lithium batteries, pesticides, and cleaning supplies, according to the complaint.

The complaint also alleges Walmart has been breaking California environmental law for the past six years. When toxic waste is in landfills, it can make its way into drinking water or into the air.

Walmart said that the lawsuit is “unjustified.”

This is not Walmart’s first legal battle in California. In 2010, the California Attorney General’s Office reached a $25 million settlement against Walmart for illegally disposing of hazardous waste. However, in 2015, an inspection revealed Walmart continued to dump waste.

Walmart said in its statement that it has met the requirements of the settlement, and it also claimed that audits of its compactors show it is “far cleaner than the state average.”

“We have met with the state numerous times and walked them through our industry-leading hazardous waste compliance programs in an effort to avoid litigation. Instead, they filed this unjustified lawsuit,” Walmart spokesperson Randy Hargrove said. “The state is demanding a level of compliance regarding waste disposal from our stores of common household products and other items that goes beyond what is required by law.”

Haitian Migrants Sue U.S. for Mistreatment

A group of Haitian migrants is suing the Biden administration over its treatment of migrants, recounting in detail squalid conditions at a makeshift camp in Del Rio, Texas, this year and confrontations with officers on horseback, according to a lawsuit filed on Monday.

In September, an influx of migrants – primarily Haitian – caught the Biden administration flatfooted, resulting in thousands amassing under the Del Rio International Bridge waiting to claim asylum. During that time, images of Border Patrol agents on horseback confronting migrants drew swift condemnation from advocates, lawmakers, and senior administration officials who pledged to investigate the incident.

Mirard Joseph, a plaintiff in the case, said he watched his family suffer from hunger and dehydration while waiting at the makeshift camp under the Del Rio International Bridge in September. He decided to cross into Mexico to buy food and water, but upon returning, he encountered a mounted officer.

“After Mirard stepped out of the river, holding two bags of food for Madeleine and his daughter, he encountered a mounted officer. As other officers looked on—some on foot, others on horseback or in official vehicles—the mounted officer shouted at Mirard, lashed at him with split reins, grabbed his neck, and held his collar,” the lawsuit states.

“For several minutes, the officer attempted to drag Mirard back to the river, destroying Mirard’s shirt and causing his shoes to fall off in the process. The officer released Mirard only when the horse was about to trample him,” it continues.

Monday’s lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. It includes accounts from 11 Haitian asylum seekers, all of whom say they fled dangerous conditions in Haiti and in South America where some of those in the complaint had been living prior to coming to the United States.

Some of the migrants were ultimately expelled to Haiti under a public health order, known as Title 42, that allows for the swift removal of migrants. The Biden administration has leaned on the order to expel tens of thousands of migrants including many of those who had been under the Del Rio International Bridge.

Monday’s lawsuit states that the Title 42 process “has been brutally deployed against Haitians.” It also claims that the Department of Homeland Security violated the rights of thousands of Haitian migrants in Del Rio, alleging that the administration knew there would be an increase of Haitians seeking asylum.

Democrats’ $2T Bill Looking Shaky

Democratic Senator Joe Manchin on Sunday said he cannot support his party’s $2-trillion social and environmental bill, potentially dooming it.

Speaking to “Fox News Sunday,” Manchin said, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation. I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible. I can’t get there.”

He also said that the bill would not make it unless it meets his demands for a smaller package.

Currently, the bill is set to offer hundreds of billions of dollars to millions of families who would receive a larger child tax credit, free preschool, and more child care aid. The bill also includes $500 billion in tax breaks and efforts to reduce carbon emissions, as well as provisions to cap the price of prescription drug increases and other social initiatives.

Responding to Manchin’s announcement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said the decision is “a sudden and inexplicable reversal in his position” and “a breach of his commitments.”

“We will continue to press him to see if he will reverse his position yet again, to honor his prior commitments and be true to his word,” Psaki said.

For his part, Manchin said he was opposing the bill due to concerns over inflation, increased federal debt, and a need to focus on management of the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the Omicron variant.

In a written statement, he said that Democrats were trying to “dramatically reshape our society in a way that leaves our country even more vulnerable to the threats we face.”

Biden’s Approval Ratings Plummet

U.S. President Joe Biden’s approval rating has sunk to a new low as his first year in office comes to a close.

According to the new NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll, Biden’s approval rating currently stands at 41%, compared to 55% who disapprove of his performance.

Among independents, Biden’s has a 29% approval rating; in the 2020 elections, 54% of independents voted for him.

Among Democrats, 42% “strongly approve” of Biden’s performance, compared to 86% of Republicans who “strongly disapprove.”

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, noted, “There’s lots of uncertainty out there — inflation, the latest pandemic addition [of Omicron], Congress is still crawling along on his main agenda. So he’s being hit for a lack of leadership, hit for the fatigue over the pandemic and the concern over inflation.”