Death ruled the headlines this weekend. It began Saturday with the news that two U.S. soldiers and one civilian interpreter were murdered in Syria. Three soldiers were also injured in the attack.
 
They were ambushed by a jihadist member of the Syrian security forces. Reports indicate that the Syrian government was about to fire him for his connections to “extremist Islamic ideas.”
 
President Trump reacted to the news in a Truth Social post, writing:
 
“We mourn the loss of three Great American Patriots in Syria, two soldiers, and one Civilian Interpreter. Likewise, we pray for the three injured soldiers who, it has just been confirmed, are doing well.
 
"This was an ISIS attack against the U.S., and Syria, in a very dangerous part of Syria, that is not fully controlled by them. The President of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is extremely angry and disturbed by this attack. There will be very serious retaliation. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
 
 
 
Death At Brown University
 
Saturday afternoon came the news that Brown University, an Ivy League school in Providence, Rhode Island, was under lockdown after a shooting on campus. Two people were killed, and nine were injured.
 
A suspect, a 24-year-old man from Wisconsin, was taken into custody. Police thought they had the shooter. But late Sunday night, officials announced that this individual was being released.
 
This was a major setback for the investigation. Providence Police Department Chief Col. Oscar Perez announced at a press conference that his officers had stopped their search once they arrested the initial suspect.
 
When the shooter entered the classroom and opened fire, he reportedly “yelled something.” But no one in the media and no one in the Providence Police Department can find anyone who knows exactly what he yelled.
 
Maybe it was in a foreign language. “Allahu Akbar,” perhaps? The classroom where the murderous attack took place was used by economics professor Rachel Friedberg, who is also part of the Judaic Studies Program and previously taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
 
One of the two murdered students has been identified as Ella Cook, a Christian and vice president of the Brown University College Republicans.
 
 
 
Bondi Beach Massacre
 
Then came news of the massacre in Sydney, Australia. Members of Sydney’s Jewish community had gathered on iconic Bondi Beach to celebrate Chanukah. As the Festival of Lights began, darkness immediately descended.
 
Two Islamic supremacists opened fire on the gathering, killing 15 and wounding at least 40 others. The death toll likely would have been higher were it not for the courage of one heroic unarmed civilian who fought one of the jihadists and physically disarmed him.
 
Many Islamists and Hamas sympathizers often claim that they don’t hate Jews. They just don’t like the actions of the Israeli government, or they don’t like Zionism. That’s just a poor attempt to disguise their antisemitism.
 
Bondi Beach was not a celebration of Benjamin Netanyahu. It was not a pro-Zionist rally. It had nothing to do with Israel. It was a celebration by Australian Jews of a Jewish holiday.
 
Among those murdered were 10-year-old Matilda Britvan, gunned down in front of her sister; Alex Kleytman, an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who was killed while shielding his wife; and Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, father of five children.
 
Ironically, Rabbi Schlanger wrote a letter in September to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese warning of rising antisemitism in the country when Albanese announced he would recognize a Palestinian state. Schlanger warned:
 
“To Anthony Albanese, I say this with urgency – stop fueling terrorism by legitimizing those who spread hate. Listen to the voices of those who understand it firsthand.”
 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly told Albanese that he has blood on his hands. At the opening of the Israeli cabinet meeting Sunday, Netanyahu blasted Albanese, saying:
 
“Your government did nothing to stop the spread of antisemitism in Australia. You did nothing to curb the cancer cells that were growing inside your country. You took no action. You let the disease spread, and the result is the horrific attacks on Jews we saw today.”
 
 
 
Stop Importing Hate
 
There is an ongoing pogrom in Australia against Jews. Jewish businesses, synagogues, homes, etc., are regularly attacked. And Prime Minister Albanese’s only solution is more gun control laws in a nation that already has strict anti-gun laws.
 
But more gun control would not have prevented this atrocity. The murderers’ weapons were legally purchased and licensed. Limiting the number of firearms that individuals can purchase would not have prevented this atrocity either. If the jihadists had only two guns instead of six, they still would have murdered Jews.
 
What Australia and much of the West desperate need is immigration control—commonsense immigration reforms designed to make sure we stop importing hate.
 
I often hear it said, “We may not agree with Muslims on everything, but at least they are pro-family.” Well, I suppose that’s true. But what kind of family values? It was a father and son duo, Sajid and Naveed Akram, who carried out this heinous attack. The jihadist family that kills together, stays together.
 
By the way, Naveed was another “known wolf” who had been previously investigated by Australian law enforcement for his jihadi ties.
 
Meanwhile, the “wonders of diversity” have introduced Europe to a new phenomenon—family rape. Rape was not a common crime in many European nations. Gang rape was virtually unheard of. How about family gang rape? Several of the Pakistani grooming gangs in England involved multiple male members from the same families raping young, vulnerable, “infidel” British girls.
 
 
 
More Islamic Terror
 
In another example of the “wonders of diversity,” German authorities arrested five men for plotting an attack on a Christian Christmas market in Bavaria. The men included three Moroccans, one Egyptian, and one Syrian.
 
The Egyptian suspect is a prayer leader at a local mosque, where he reportedly recruited the other men. Apparently, he missed the memo that Islam is a “religion of peace.” 
 
Christmas markets have been a tradition in Germany for decades. But there have been so many Islamist attacks on them that local governments are struggling to pay for the additional security costs. They are warning that future Christmas markets may be canceled as a result.
 
So, a great Christian tradition may well be lost because of Germany’s suicidal migration from radical Islamic societies.
 
One tradition has already been lost in France. French officials announced this weekend that New Year’s Eve celebrations on the famed Champs-Elysees in Paris have been canceled due to security concerns over “migrant-related violence.”
 
Are they worried that American tourists are going to riot? Of course not. They are worried about Muslim migrants, who have already turned many French neighborhoods into “no-go zones.”
 
And in Nigeria, there are dire warnings that Islamic extremists are planning a new wave of terror attacks against Christians during the days leading up to Christmas.
 
 
 
More Left-wing Violence
 
Closer to home, the FBI has broken up a terrorist plot targeting multiple sites in Los Angeles. The Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF) planned to really start 2026 with a “bang” by bombing U.S. businesses and attacking federal immigration police on New Year’s Eve. Four TILF members were arrested while testing explosive devices in the Mojave Desert.
 
In case you’re wondering what this terrorist plot has to do with turtles, the answer is nothing. “Turtle Island” is the name some indigenous activists use to refer to America. TILF is a radical far-left group that calls for “Free Palestine. Free Hawaii. Free Puerto Rico” and “Freeing the world from American imperialism.”
 
TILF’s social media account claims that “peaceful protest will never be enough” to achieve the group’s goals. Their solution: “Death to America. Death to colonizers. Death to capitalism. Death to imperialism.”
 
 
 
Rob Reiner, R.I.P
 
Liberal activist, actor, and filmmaker Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found murdered in their home Sunday. Their son, Nick, has been arrested and is being held without bail.
 
In one of his last interviews, Piers Morgan asked Rob Reiner about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. To his credit, here’s what Reiner said:
 
“Absolute horror, and I unfortunately saw the video of it. It’s beyond belief what happened to him. That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are. That’s not acceptable. That’s not a solution to solving problems.
 
"And I felt like what his wife [Erika] said at the service at the memorial they had was exactly right. I’m Jewish, but I believe in the teachings of Jesus, and I believe in ‘do unto others,’ and I believe in forgiveness, and what she said to me was beautiful. She forgave his assassin. And I think that is admirable.”