Here we go. Again.

President-elect Donald Trump pulled off a remarkable political comeback Tuesday night.

Trump — impeached twice, indicted on 88 criminal charges with 34 convictions, accused of rape, convicted of sexual assault, and found guilty of slandering his victim, insurrectionist, and alleged ketchup thrower — will be the 47th president of the United States.

He assumes office in 73 days.

Trump is the first president since Grover Cleveland to win non-consecutive terms and, at 78, is the oldest ever elected. Meanwhile, Vice President-elect JD Vance will be one of the youngest to serve at age 40.

Polls leading to election day indicated a close race between Harris and Trump. Yet Trump achieved substantial gains from his 2020 performance, ultimately defeating Harris by a decisive margin. How did he manage it?

More on that below, but first, the latest developments:

AMSTERDAM

Five Israeli football fans were injured in Amsterdam on Thursday night after riots broke out following a match.

In the days leading up to the game, eyewitnesses recorded Israeli fans tearing down Palestinian flags, chanting racist slogans, and singing, "Fuck the Arabs" and "There are no schools in Gaza because there are no children left," Al Jazeera reports.

After the game Thursday night, tensions escalated, with Israeli football fans claiming they were attacked.

Israeli and other world leaders condemned the violence, labeling it anti-Semitic.

Israeli media advanced reports of a hostage situation, but they are not true, according to local officials.

Police arrested at least 62 people and say they will not comment on the race or ethnicity of those arrested.

I'd share some links here, but of the dozens of headlines, nearly none of them provide context for the incident, which – according to witnesses – was instigated by Israeli football fans. While this doesn't excuse the violence inflicted upon them, ignoring this is disingenuous, at best.

GAZA

A United Nations report released today covering six months of the war—from November 2023 to April 2024—has received scant attention compared to the Amsterdam riots despite its revelations.

Among them, the report deemed these outcomes as "the direct consequence of the Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) failure to comply with fundamental principles of international humanitarian law":

• 70% of those killed in Gaza were women and children.
• 80% of those who died were killed in their homes.
• 44% of those killed in their homes were children.
• The most common age among verified fatalities in residential buildings in Gaza was 5-9 years old.
• At least 10,000 people are presumed dead and buried under rubble.
• At least 200 families lost between 5-9 family members

North Gaza

Israeli media outlet KAAN reports that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will permanently block civilian return to their land and homes in northern Gaza and restrict all humanitarian aid from entering except through the south.

Israel has severely restricted humanitarian aid in the north since late September, and it is believed to be intentional in carrying out what is known as the "General's Plan."

"They will either have to surrender or starve... It doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to kill every person. It will not be necessary. People will not be able to live there (the north). The water will dry up." Giora Eiland, AP

The plan, introduced to Netanyahu by retired Israeli general Giora Eiland, proposed cutting off aid to north Gaza and giving civilians a deadline by which to leave. Anyone left after the deadline would be treated as a combatant. It does not consider the thousands who are immobile because of illness or injury and those with elderly relatives or small children.

The IDF claims that only a few thousand remain in north Gaza. The UN estimates it is closer to 400,000.

Israel asserts that Hamas attempted to prevent tens of thousands from leaving, allegedly executing some as they tried to flee.

Israel wants to cut off the north, partly to keep Hamas from regrouping there. The Guardian has additional coverage, underscoring the IDF's intention to maintain a strict separation between northern and southern Gaza, effectively displacing many residents permanently.

LEBANON

"On September 27, Israel dropped more bunker-buster bombs in a single operation targeting Hassan Nasrallah in a densely populated suburb of south Beirut than during the entirety of the Iraq War." (The Nation).

The death toll in Lebanon has reached nearly 3,100, marking the highest casualty count in any recent conflict between Israel and Lebanon. More than 14,000 people have been injured, while Israel has reported 72 fatalities, 30 of whom were soldiers. AP reports.

Israel's" military actions have caused widespread destruction in Lebanon.

According to AP analysis, Israel may be pursuing a strategy similar to Gaza by creating a depopulated buffer zone in southern Lebanon. The plan would involve displacing residents and destroying structures to establish a greater distance from Hezbollah.

In the Lebanese town of Ramyeh, "barely a single structure still stands on the village's central hilltop," following a controlled detonation that Israeli soldiers displayed in social media videos. Controlled detonations have also taken place in Odeissah, "with an explosion so strong it set off earthquake alerts in Israel."

Israel's incursion into Lebanon has also led to extensive damage to historic and religious sites.

Israeli strikes in the ancient city of Baalbek killed at least 38 people and wounded 54 on Wednesday.

"The region is one of the poorest in Lebanon. Despite the danger, many residents have stayed because they have no place to go. In late September on a Hezbollah press tour of the Bekaa [Valley], hospitals were filled with civilian casualties of Israeli airstrikes. At one site, a food warehouse, local residents had swarmed the destroyed site to try to recover bags of lentils and beans. NPR

Baalbek is home to the Roman temples of Jupiter and Bacchus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back over 2,000 years, and considered among the best-preserved Roman ruins. The city also hosts the shrine of Prophet Muhammad's granddaughter. Although Israel has labeled Baalbek a Hezbollah stronghold, it only advised residents to evacuate after killing 60 in the city through unannounced airstrikes.

TRUMP: WHY HE WON

Trump defied expectations. Polls showed the race as essentially tied until the final moments, but Trump defeated Harris decisively, winning both the popular vote and a range of states he lost in 2020.

Harris out-raised Trump by nearly three to one—almost $1 billion compared to Trump's just under $400 million (through October). Yet, despite months of Democratic warnings that Trump posed a danger to democracy, he improved his performance in at least 92% of districts compared to 2020.

Exit polls indicate that Democrats were not in tune with voters' concerns, mainly about the economy and immigration.

"Nearly every corner of the nation shifted rightward. While ballot counting continues in some states, Trump is on track to win the popular vote. He would be the first Republican to do so in two decades. This was not inevitable. Though Democrats lost the Senate, nearly every Democratic Senate candidate outperformed Harris, while progressive policy referendums succeeded nationwide." Zeteo's Prem Thakker

BELIEVE, OBEY, FIGHT.

Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator and the father of fascism, "led" by the motto: Believe! Obey! Fight!

Trump forgot to read the fascist playbook, so he learned the hard way: Loyalty is more important than experience. This second Trump administration will likely look different from his first.

“At the start of his first term, Trump assembled an original Cabinet that featured some more mainstream Republicans and business leaders who ultimately disappointed, or broke publicly with him, or both. This time, Trump has promised to value loyalty as much as possible — a philosophy that may ensure he makes picks that are more closely aligned to his ideological beliefs and bombastic professional style,” (AP).

Between now and inauguration day, Trump and his team will be working on filling 4,000 political appointments.

TRUMP TRANSITION

Trump’s transition team is partially led by Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick.

If that name sounds familiar, it’s because more than 600 Cantor employees were killed on 9/11—the highest toll of any company. Lutnick was CEO then, and his brother died in the attacks. Lutnick survived because he took the morning off to take his son to his first day of kindergarten.

Although his wife was a former Harris supporter, the Lutnicks are firmly backing Trump for his support of Israel.

“[Support of Israel} was huge for me,” Lutnick has said about his support of Trump.

At Trump’s pre-election MSG rally, which some compared to a 1939 pro-Nazi rally, Lutnick’s viral soundbite was: “We must crush jihad.”

Trump appointed his campaign manager Susie Wiles as his Chief of Staff.

Wiles, a seasoned Republican operative with longstanding ties to Trump, is credited with helping orchestrate his return to power and instilling discipline in a team often viewed as chaotic and vindictive."

Wiles, the first female chief of staff, is known for her loyalty and calm amid Trump's "mercurial" temper.

Trump has appointed Yechiel Leiter as Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Leiter, a former chief of staff for Netanyahu during his tenure as Finance Minister, supports annexing the West Bank and lives in an illegal settlement there. His son, an IDF soldier, was killed in combat last year. Israeli newspaper Haaretz describes Leiter as a "hardline settler."

Trump's top priority will be deporting undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes. CNN reports: "Early discussions among Trump's team have focused on removing undocumented immigrants who have committed crimes… A key issue under consideration is how, when, and if to deport immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, commonly known as Dreamers."

Netanyahu was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump. The two spoke by phone on Wednesday, and a Trump spokesperson confirmed the president-elect's intent to end the war as soon as possible. However, the two did not outline specific conditions beyond a successful outcome for Israel.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Trump spoke by phone on Friday, Axios reports, in what both parties described as a cordial and warm Axios.

According to officials briefed on the call, Trump expressed a desire to end the Gaza conflict. This marks the first time the two leaders have spoken since 2017, following Trump's controversial decision to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

Now that Trump is president-elect, special counsel Jack Smith is working to wind down cases against him related to election interference and classified document retention. DOJ policy bars the prosecution of sitting presidents. NBC News reports that this process is underway.

BALANCE OF POWER

Republicans now control not just the presidency but nearly every lever of power. They hold the Senate, are poised to gain the House and command a conservative majority in the Supreme Court. This trifecta raises questions about whether the founders' "checks and balances" can still serve as the country's safeguard against authoritarianism.

QUICK HEADLINES

Plot Twist: The Department of Justice announced Friday that it has charged three individuals in connection with a plot to assassinate Trump. Police arrested two New York residents, while an Afghan national remains at large in Iran. The plot allegedly involved targeting a Brooklyn-based journalist critical of the Iranian regime and two Israeli activists.

On Fire: A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California has destroyed 132 structures, mostly homes, and injured ten people in less than two days. The fire, driven by powerful winds, has spread across approximately 32 square miles, with only 5% containment. Officials ordered roughly 10,000 residents to evacuate, as conditions remain critical with more high winds expected next week. NPR

Monkey Business: Forty-three young female monkeys have escaped from a research facility in South Carolina after a caretaker failed to secure two doors. Police are actively searching and warning the public not to engage with the primates. The monkeys are part of a research program on Monkey Island run by Alpha Genesis, which conducts medical research. Animal rights advocates argue that such facilities haven't yielded significant advancements in medical science and should be closed down. NBC News

Winter is Coming: For those struggling with seasonal depression, experts suggest trying a "dopamine menu," a mental health technique that encourages activities to boost dopamine levels. CBS News

PARTING WORDS

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