The Daily Signal - Santos Removed From House, Fighting Resumes Between Israel and Hamas, Sandra Day O'Connor Dies | Dec. 1

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Starting point is 00:00:30 Hi, I'm Brian Gottstein, and this is the Daily Signal Top News for Friday, December 1st. Here are today's headlines. Last night, California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis faced off on a debate stage in Georgia. The debate was intended to highlight the differences in viewpoints and policies between one of the most conservative governors in the U.S. and one of the most liberal. Fox News host Sean Hannity served as the moderator, and the debate. The two governors discussed issues ranging from their COVID-19 policies to the southern border and abortion. Hannity asked the governors to respond to data from the CDC showing that both Florida and California had very similar per capita death rates during COVID-19, despite their very different approaches.

Starting point is 00:01:30 Newsom was the first to respond and said that the CDC data was inaccurate. And by the way, both your states with such different approaches, which is pretty fascinating, were both, lower, significantly lower, than the national average. These numbers come straight from the CDC. So, Governor Newsom, how do you explain that? Per capita death rates in the state of Florida were 29 percent, 29 percent per capita higher. That's not what the stats say right there. Tens of thousands of people, tens of thousands of people are necessarily died. He put the graphic up there. Don't lie about it. You don't need to lie about it. Because your policies, you're lying about your record.

Starting point is 00:02:10 No, it's not. You were a lockdown, Governor. No, it's not. One of the time, Gavin Newsom finished your thoughts. You're not in restaurants. That's just a fact. A decent amount of the debate sounded a lot like that, with Newsom and DeSantis speaking over one another. Throughout the night, DeSantis and Newsom tried to paint a picture of their state's successes under their leadership and the failures of the other governor. Gavin Newsom, one point, tried to say that California was the freedom state. I just kind of laugh like you're locking people down. You're doing all this. But then I thought about it. You know, California does have freedoms that some people.

Starting point is 00:02:40 don't, the other states don't. You have the freedom to defecate in public in California. You have the freedom to pitch a tent on Sunset Boulevard. You have the freedom to create a homeless encampment under a freeway and even light it on fire. You have the freedom to have an open air drug market and use drugs. You have a freedom if you're an illegal alien to get all these taxpayer benefits. So those are freedoms. They're not the freedoms our founding fathers in vision, but they have contributed to the destruction of the quality of life in California. Newsom shot back, criticizing DeSantis' school policies and efforts to remove Disney's special governing status in Florida. Well, I love the rant on freedom.

Starting point is 00:03:18 I mean, here's a guy who's criminalizing teachers, criminalizing doctors, criminalizing librarians, and criminalizing women that seek their reproductive care. You're making it harder to vote. You're banning books. I mean, spare me this notion of freedom. Ask the folks at Disney about freedom. Check out the link in today's show notes for Jarrett Stepman's full report on last night's Red State versus Blue State debate.

Starting point is 00:03:42 We now turn to Israel, where fighting with Hamas has resumed. Today at 7 a.m. Israeli time and midnight here in D.C., the extended ceasefire expired. The Israel Defense Force said it was restarting combat operations because Hamas violated the operational pause and fired toward Israeli territory before the formal end of the ceasefire. The ceasefire lasted seven days, and in that time, over 100, Israel's war. Israeli hostages were returned home in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. Today, the Israeli military said their fighter jets were striking Hamas terror targets in the Gaza strip. The Hamas controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza said nearly 200 people were killed in those

Starting point is 00:04:26 strikes. Earlier today, the Israel Defense Force said that Central Israel was under a heavy barrage of rockets from Gaza. Sirens have reportedly sounded across Israel today. mediators are continuing to work with Hamas and Israel to see if a deal can be brokered for the release of more hostages. For the first time in over 20 years, a lawmaker was expelled from the House of Representatives today. New York Republican George Santos was ousted in a bipartisan vote of 311 to 114. It takes a two-thirds majority vote to oust a sitting member of Congress. He survived two previous votes to remove him, but, today, he wasn't so fortunate. His removal comes after new information came to light regarding

Starting point is 00:05:12 his handling of his campaign finances. House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the results of the vote on the House floor earlier today per Newsmax. On this vote, the yeas are 311, the nays are 114, with two recorded as present. Two-thirds voting in the affirmative, the resolution is adopted. Under Clause 5D of Rule 20, the chair announces to the House that in light of the expulsion of the gentleman from New York, Mr. Santos, the whole number of the House is now 434. Santos has been making headlines for months over reports that he lied about his former employment and used campaign funds to pay for personal luxury purchases. It became increasingly evident that Santos would be ousted after the House Ethics

Starting point is 00:05:59 Committee released a damning report on him last month. In the report, the Ethics Committee reported that he, sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit and blatantly stole from his campaign. Santos allegedly spent campaign funds on spas, the only fan's website, and its stores like Sephora. He called the ethics report slanderous and said that efforts to remove him were bullying and theater. But he also said that he expected to be ousted. He reportedly left his house office building not long after the vote today. This is the first time since the Civil War that a congressman has been removed without a criminal conviction.

Starting point is 00:06:41 Santos will face a federal trial next year after being indicted on 23 charges related mainly to his campaign finances. He has pled not guilty to all charges. The International Climate Meeting, known as the Conference of the Parties or COP28, is in full swing in the United Arab Emirates. COP28 is also referred to as the United Nations Climate Change Conference, with countries from all over the world participating. But leaked documents published by the BBC show that the host nation this year, the United Arab Emirates, may have had hypocritical objectives in hosting the conference. The leaked documents show that the Emirates' talking points for the meeting with foreign governments were prepared by Emirati State Oil and Renewable Energy Companies. The leaked documents promoted outcries from climate organizations. A statement from the Climate Group Greenpeace reads,

Starting point is 00:07:37 The Climate Summit Leader should be focused on advancing climate solutions impartially, not backroom deals that are fueling the crisis. The summit started yesterday and is slated to last three days. Retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor passed away today. She was the first female Supreme Court justice. She died in Phoenix at the age of 93 after suffering from a respiratory illness and having had dementia for several years. O'Connor was nominated to the Supreme Court by President Ronald Reagan. She sat on the bench for 24 years and voted on cases related to abortion and affirmative action.

Starting point is 00:08:18 One of the most notable cases she was a part of was the case of Bush v. Gore that led to George W. Bush's 2000 election win. The case was a 5-4 vote, and she voted with the majority. O'Connor retired in 2006 and withdrew from public life in 2018 after being diagnosed with dementia. Chief Justice John Roberts said today, quote, We at the Supreme Court mourn the loss of a beloved colleague, a fiercely independent defender of the rule of law, and an eloquent advocate for civics education. And that'll do it for today's episode.

Starting point is 00:08:54 Thank you for listening to the Daily Signal's top news. If you haven't had a chance, be sure to check out our morning show right here in this podcast feed, where we interview lawmakers, experts, and leading conservative voices. Join us tomorrow morning for the Daily Signal interview edition. Virginia Allen will be sitting down with Vicar General of the Sisters of Life, Sister Maris Stella, and the president and CEO of the Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, Mark Rienzi. They'll discuss the sister's recent legal victory for life, in the pro-abortion state of New York.

Starting point is 00:09:27 Also, make sure you subscribe to the Daily Signal wherever you get your podcast and help us to reach more listeners by leaving a five-star rating and review. We read all of your feedback. Thanks again for listening. Have a great night, and we'll be back with you all tomorrow morning.

Starting point is 00:09:46 The Daily Signal podcast is brought to you by more than half a million members of the Heritage Foundation. Executive producers are Rob Blyui and Kate Trinko. Producers are Virginia Allen and Samantha Asheras. Sound designed by Lauren Evans, Mark Geinney, and John Pop. To learn more, please visit DailySignal.com.

The Daily Signal - Santos Removed From House, Fighting Resumes Between Israel and Hamas, Sandra Day O'Connor Dies | Dec. 1

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