White House Dossier's

White House presses Israel to wind it down . . . Biden administration officials want Israel to end its large-scale ground and air campaign in the Gaza Strip within weeks and to transition to a more targeted phase in its war against Hamas, American officials said Thursday. Jake Sullivan, President Biden’s national security adviser, met with Israeli leaders on Thursday about the direction of the war. Mr. Sullivan did not specify a timetable, but four U.S. officials said Mr. Biden wants Israel to switch to more precise tactics in about three weeks. It's part of a gradual move by the administration to communicate that American patience with widespread civilian deaths is running out. “I want them to be focused on how to save civilian lives — not stop going after Hamas, but be more careful,” Mr. Biden said. New York Times

Did America move to a "targeted" strategy in Iraq, Germany or Japan? And those weren't even existential battles. Israel can't afford Biden's milquetoast warfighting strategies or help him with his left-wing political base.

Kamala Harris wants White House to be more sympathetic to the Palestinians

Republicans want to cut funding for antisemitic UN agency . . . A coalition of Republican senators is seeking to slash American taxpayer funding for a United Nations agency that promotes anti-Semitism and employs Hamas-linked Palestinians. Legislation introduced this week by Sen. Bill Hagerty (R., Tenn.) and two GOP colleagues would end U.S. funding for the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), an aid organization that works in the Gaza Strip and has been linked in recent weeks to Hamas's war crimes. Free Beacon

Video | Even the liberal media get that Joe Biden changed his story

IRS whistleblowers unable to verify Joe Biden "loans" . . . “So Joe Biden is being paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for, quote, ‘repayments’ to him of loans that he gave. Were you prevented from actually finding out whether or not those checks from Joe Biden’s account were ever given to those people who are now repaying him?” Republican Texas Rep. Beth Van Duyne asked the whistleblowers. “I don’t believe we ever obtained records that would have shown us any light on those transactions,” Shapley replied. Daily Caller

Hunter legal woes take a toll on Joe . . . Some days it’s with a text. On others, it’s a call, even just to leave a message. President Joe Biden reaches out to his son Hunter regularly to check on him. And increasingly, those messages have taken on a fresh sense of urgency. The younger Biden is facing new criminal charges and could soon be held in contempt of Congress after refusing to testify in a Republican-led hearing meant to impugn the reputations of both him and his father. Those closest to the president have grown more worried about the personal toll it is taking on the older man. Politico

Houthi rebels hit two more Red Sea cargo ships . . . Two cargo ships in the Red Sea have been attacked by missiles fired from territory in Yemen, the US says. One was hit with a drone and another by missiles, both launched from a part of Yemen controlled by the Houthis - a rebel movement backed by Iran. The Houthis did not confirm the drone strike, but said they did fire missiles at the second boat - and a third one. It is the latest attack on foreign ships in the area since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. BBC

International

Ordinary Gazans joined in the Oct. 7 massacre . . . As Hamas terrorists carried out a highly choreographed massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, they received a source of support that amplified the horror that took place that day. A mob of ordinary Palestinians spontaneously joined in what became the deadliest pogrom against Jews since the Holocaust, according to videos, eyewitness accounts, and the Israel Defense Forces. Young men with knives, overweight dads, and at least one elderly man on crutches were among those who exploited Hamas's rampage to create a second wave of carnage that rivaled the barbarism of the professional terrorists. Women and children joined in too. Free Beacon

Ukraine's people snatchers . . . With Ukraine’s military facing mounting deaths and a stalemate on the battlefield, army recruiters have become increasingly aggressive in their efforts to replenish the ranks, in some cases pulling men off the streets and whisking them to recruiting centers using intimidation and even physical force. Recruiters have confiscated passports, taken people from their jobs and, in at least one case, tried to send a mentally disabled person to military training, according to lawyers, activists and Ukrainian men who have been subject to coercive tactics. New York Times

Money

Elon Mush to launch new university . . . Elon Musk wants to create his own university in Austin, Texas, according to a recent report from Bloomberg. But first up is a school for younger students. Musk has donated about $100 million to a new charity that plans to launch a school that will cater to elementary school through high school-age children, according to tax filings viewed by Bloomberg. The program will be "focused on teaching in STEM subjects" and plans for an initial enrollment of about 50 students, according to the filing that was posted by the publication. Business Insider

Culture

University of Wisconsin backtracks on DEI . . . The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents abruptly changed course Wednesday and approved a deal with state Republican lawmakers to limit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in exchange for funds for new buildings and salary raises. In an 11-6 vote, the university's board reversed a vote it had taken over the weekend rejecting the deal. Under the terms of the agreement, the University of Wisconsin system will freeze all hiring for diversity, equity, and inclusion positions and shift the focus of more than 40 current DEI employees to "student success." Washington Examiner

I've got an idea for a new safe space for college students: The library.

Billions in Middle East donations to US universities linked to antisemitism . . . The same U.S. universities that increasingly are seen as breeding grounds for antisemitism have taken billions of dollars in previously undisclosed donations from the Middle East — and their critics don’t believe in coincidences. The Lawfare Project filed a lawsuit this week on behalf of former Carnegie Mellon University student Yael Canaan, saying she was subject to “pervasive anti-Jewish discrimination” and tying her allegations to the half-billion dollars received by the university since 2021 from Qatar. Washington Times

Biden LGBT rule sparks religious criticism . . . Public comment recently closed on a new Department of Health and Human Services rule requiring child welfare providers to undergo affirmation training for youths who identify as gay or transgender, which conservatives and religious liberty advocates say could threaten faith-based or religiously affiliated foster care and adoption organizations. Washington Examiner

Teens turn to social media for life lessons, not parents . . . More teenagers than ever spend most of their free time in the online worlds of TikTok and Instagram than in the physical world with family and friends, according to recent research. Nearly half of teens aged 13 to 17 say they use the internet “almost constantly,” roughly double the 24% who said the same in 2014-2015, the Pew Research Center found in a survey released Monday. And nearly 1 in 5 say they use YouTube or TikTok “almost constantly.” Washington Times

That's because parents are turning them over to social media. Ever walk into a restaurant and see all those kids on their electronics?

Curb your Enthusiasm to end its run . . . The award-winning comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm, created by and starring Larry David, is coming to an end after 24 years.  The 12th season of the show will be its last, said Warner Brothers-Discovery, which owns the HBO network. The comedy, which premiered in 2000 and stars David in a fictionalised version of his own life, is HBO's longest-running scripted comedy series. BBC

Are you a morning person? You may be descended from Neanderthals . . . Do you find it easy to wake up early? You may have Neanderthals in your ancestry. A study published this week in Genome Biology and Evolution has found that Neanderthal DNA remains in some present-day humans and may determine whether someone is naturally an early riser. Neanderthals are our closest extinct human relative, according to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, and had defining physical features such as larger noses, angled cheek bones and stockier bodies. Washington Post

Those Cro-Magnons just love to sleep in.

Hermes hier to give $7B fortune to his gardner . . . Nicolas Puech, the 80-year-old heir to the French luxury brand Hermès fortune, is reportedly planning to distribute his wealth to his 51-year-old gardener, who he also intends to legally adopt. According to Swiss publication Tribune de Genève, cited by the New York Post, the heir of the luxury brand is planning to pass his wealth to his "former gardener and handyman" from a "modest Moroccan family." Fox Business

Man stabs wife to death after refusing to eat her pancakes . . . The Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) arrested an 85-year-old man Thursday due to allegations that he stabbed his 81-year-old wife to death, according to authorities. “Steven Schwartz, 85, of Washington, D.C., was arrested earlier today on the charge of second-degree murder while armed in the stabbing death of his 81-year-old wife, Sharron Schwartz, at their D.C. home, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves announced.” During a preliminary investigation authorities alleged Schwartz killed his wife due to not wanting to eat pancakes she had made for him, claiming the elderly man then stabbed her in the back, the press release stated. Daily Caller

Looks like this would have been a good day to make her waffles.