Wednesday morning news: November 27, 2024

Israel latest » A cease-fire officially took effect this morning between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, across Israel’s northern border.

The deal calls for at least a 60-day pause in the fighting. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says exactly how long the cease-fire lasts is up to Hezbollah.

NETANYAHU: A good deal is a deal, agreement, that one enforces, and we will enforce it.

He said if Hezbollah violates its terms, Israel won’t hesitate to strike.

But at least for now, Israeli troops are believed to be withdrawing from Lebanon, and Hezbollah has agreed to move its forces about 20 miles away from the Israeli border.

BLINKEN: This has been  an intensive diplomatic effort by the United States, partners like France, working with Israel, working with Lebanon over many months.

The United States brokered the agreement with the help of France and others.

The Iran-backed group has been firing rockets into Israel since the start of the war in Gaza last year. Israeli forces launched a ground invasion into Lebanon last month.

Possible effects on Gaza war » President Biden announced the Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire from the White House on Tuesday. And he said the deal should send a message to another Iran-backed terror group in the region

BIDEN: Now Hamas has a choice to make. Their only way out is to release the hostages, including American citizens, which they hold, and in the process, bring an end to the fighting, which would make possible a surge of humanitarian relief.

Biden administration officials say Hamas was banking on Israel having to fight the war not only in Gaza, but on a second front in Lebanon, and that the ceasefire may put more pressure on Hamas to agree to a cease-fire.

But Republican Sen. Mike Rounds says whether that happens or not, Washington must stand united behind Israel.

ROUNDS: I know that President Biden wants to bring these folks home, but at some point, when you’re worried all the time about escalation, at some stage of the game, you have to stick with your allies, you have to show a strong front.

Rounds said he believes Donald’s Trump impending return to the White House turns up the pressure on Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah and Hamas.

Trump tariffs » And speaking of the president-elect,  Canada and Mexico have responded to his threat to impose 25 percent tariffs on all imports from those countries. Trump said he’d put those penalties in place until the neighboring countries get serious about halting the flow of illegal immigrants and illicit drugs into the U.S.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he called Trump hours later.

TRUDEAU:  We obviously talked about, um, laying out the facts, talking about how, uh, how the intense and, uh, effective connections between our two countries, uh, flow back and forth. We talked about some of the challenges that we can work on together. Um, it was a good call.

Mexican president Claudia Sheinbaum says she is sending Trump a letter but is threatening a tit for tat tariff war between the U.S. and Mexico. She said one tariff will come another and so on until we put our common businesses at risk.

Republican Congressman Byron Donalds says, ultimately, Mexico will have to fall in line.

DONALDS:  The Mexican government knows that Donald Trump's not playing around. He wants this border secured. He wants the drug cartels to stop this infestation of people going into the United States through our southern border.

Critics of Trump’s planned tariffs warn that the duties would fuel inflation … and that ultimately, Americans would pay for them in the form of higher prices.

Tom Homan border visit » The president-elect’s incoming border czar, Tom Homan, traveled to the US southern border in Texas on Tuesday alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott. The governor said his state is already working with incoming federal officials to tackle the border crisis.

ABBOTT:  Everything that needs to be done is being done, uh, to make sure that there is no time gap whatsoever, that as soon as January the 20th occurs, uh, there is going to be a change in the way that the United States of America protects our border and protects the sovereignty of the United States of America.

The governor has been at odds with the Biden administration for years, locked in legal battles over border enforcement.

For his part, Tom Homan, echoed Abbott’s remarks, saying Americans will see a night and day difference on the southern border quickly.

HOMAN:  President Trump's going to come in January, like the governor says, we're not waiting to January. We're already talking. We're already planning. We're going to put, we're going to put a plan in place and secure this nation at the highest level it's ever seen.

Homan and Abbott served Thanksgiving meals to members of the Texas National Guard and Department of Public Safety who are supporting the Border Patrol in Texas.

Holiday travel » The Thanksgiving travel rush is expected to be bigger than ever this year. AAA predicts that nearly 80 million people in the U.S. will venture at least 50 miles from home through next Monday.

AAA spokeswoman Aixa Diaz says if you’re hitting the road today

DIAZ: You may encounter some of that rush hour traffic in the morning, but once you get past that window, you should be good mid morning as you're heading into noon. The problem is after afternoon, if schools are getting out, people are getting off work. Plus people are hitting the road. It becomes super congested.

She said it might be work considering getting up really early tomorrow morning and heading out on Thanksgiving when traffic tends to me much lighter.

Airports, though, will be pretty crowded into next week. The TSA expected 18 million travelers over the Thanksgiving travel period.

I'm Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: congress reconvenes next week with competing priorities. Plus, the rest of our conversation with Israeli hostage Aviva Siegel.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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