Hi everyone!
The Chicago man who flew to DC with apparently the express purpose of murdering Jews has been charged with several counts, including two counts of first-degree murder. He was also charged with the murder of foreign officials, and causing the death of a person through the use of a firearm during a crime of violence. His social media is full of commentary opposing Israel, such as "Happy New Year, Death to Israel." That's some wacky New Year's resolution.
The movement represents itself with a watermelon, hence the watermelon emoji, which I use here entirely sarcastically. Also, we can't let the terrorists have the watermelons, especially not in summer.
The two who were murdered were advocates for peace. Sarah Milgrim was from Kansas and began to work on diplomacy after the devastation of the Oct 7 Hamas terror attack on Israel. She was shot from behind and then, as she lay bleeding on the sidewalk of Washington, DC, Elias Rodriguez stood over her and shot her repeatedly to make sure she was dead. When she tried to crawl away, he kept shooting, even reloading to shoot her again and again. She survived long enough to be transported to a medical facility, where she was pronounced dead. Yaron Lischinsky, who was about to be her fiancƩ, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The charging documents say: "Once Rodriguez walked past the decedents and two witnesses, he turned to face their backs and brandished a firearm from the area of his waistband. Rodriguez is captured on the video extending both his arms in the direction of the decedents and firing several times, as indicated by the muzzle flashes. Once the decedents fell to the ground, Rodriguez is captured on the video advancing closer to the decedents, leaning over them with his arm extended, and firing several more times.
"As Decedent- 1 attempted to crawl away from Rodriguez, he followed behind her and fired again. After a brief moment, Rodriguez appeared to reload his firearm. At the same time, Decedent- 1 sat up. Once he reloaded, Rodriguez fired several times at Decedent- 1. Rodriguez is then captured jogging back in the direction of 3rd Street, NW, and southbound in the direction of where the entrance to the Museum is located."
So how did this Chicagoan end up radicalized to the point where he believed it was his job to spread global intifada? Reports indicate that he was seeking vengeance for the death of Wadee Alfayoumi, a 6-year-old boy who was murdered by his mother's landlord. His killer was sentenced to 53 years in prison and charged with a hate crime, though of course that's little consolation for his mother and family.
Rodriguez also attended the University of Illinois in Chicago, graduating in 2018. There were a lot of 'free Palestine' protests in Chicago that year amid the Great March of Return. This was a massive protest on the Gaza side of the Israeli border in which Palestinians sought to go into Israel and stake a claim to land. It began on March 30, 2018. It was essentially a protest against the formation of Israel.
In Chicago, there were so-called solidarity protests and protests complaining about Trump having moved the US Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. There were also campus demonstrations in support of Palestinians, calling Israel an "apartheid state." A massive march was held by Students for Justice Palestine at the University of Illinois as well. Students walked through the streets screaming "free, free Palestine." Students also staged a "die in" on the streets, lying down to represent those killed in the conflict that followed the Great March of Return.
I don't know if Rodriguez attended these protests, but the language of violence of Israel and Gaza, the persistent propagandist call to "free Palestine," the demand for violence because of a political ideology about the borders of foreign nations, has been front and center of the progressive left for years now. It's no wonder that someone took to heart the call to globalize the intifada.
(Correction: I said yesterday the couple was planning to get married in Israel next week, but it turns out they were planning to get engaged.)
Also, just to note, I think former Governor Andrew Cuomo is going to win the New York City Democratic mayoral primary, and I think he'll win the general election, and I think he's gonna be the next mayor of New York City. My guess is he'll do right by the city, which means restoring quality of life. At the end of the day, that's really all New Yorkers care about. Keep the corner baskets clean, keep the rats out of the streets, keep the garbage pick-ups regular, the subways safe, the sidewalks walkable, and everyone is happy.
I hope you have a great holiday weekend!
Here's what's on my desk today:
Trumpās DHS revokes Harvardās ability to enroll international students
āIt is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign studentsā¦ā
DC āfree Palestineā shooting suspect charged with first-degree murder, praised Luigi Mangione, posted āDeath to Americaā: report
āViolence does not have to happen, but if it does, then it should,ā the account wrote in a post.
Top aides to Mexico City mayor gunned down in broad daylight executions
Ximena Guzman and JosƩ MuƱoz were attacked around 7 am on a main road in the Moderna neighborhood.
Supreme Court rules Oklahoma cannot have publicly funded religious charter schools
The one-page ruling did not specify how the justices ruled, but did say that Justice Amy Coney Barrett recused herself from the case, resulting in the 4-4 split.