Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Chris Stein

White House condemns protest targeting Philadelphia Jewish restaurant as ‘completely unjustifiable’ – as it happened

White House United States Ukraine Joe Biden Mike Johnson Republican Russia
Social media footage showed protesters outside the Goldie restaurant in Philadelphia.
Social media footage showed protesters outside the Goldie restaurant in Philadelphia. Photograph: Twitter

Closing summary

Lawmakers condemned a Sunday evening protest in Philadelphia that called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza while also specifically targeting a Jewish restaurant owned by an Israeli chef. The White House said the demonstration was “antisemitic and completely unjustifiable”, while Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, decried the protesters’ “hate and bigotry” – comments echoed by numerous members of Congress. Elsewhere, the White House is warning that it will run out of money to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion within weeks. A proposal to send military assistance to both Ukraine and Israel is tied up in negotiations over stricter border security, which reportedly have broken down.

Here’s what else happened today:

  • Doug Burgum, the North Dakota governor, dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination, winnowing the field to five major contenders.

  • Antisemitism and Islamophobia have both increased since the 7 October terrorist attack and Israel’s invasion of Gaza, advocacy groups say.

  • Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, said lawmakers who oppose aid to Ukraine are helping Vladimir Putin’s invasion succeed.

  • The US defense industry would benefit from increased aid to Ukraine and Israel, the White House is arguing, as it presses Congress to approve a new military assistance package.

  • Liz Cheney said she hopes Democrats will win next year, arguing the GOP will help turn the country into a dictatorship.

Opposing Ukraine aid 'will make it easier for Putin to prevail', national security adviser warns

Speaking at the White House press briefing today, national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned members of Congress who oppose military assistance to Ukraine that they are helping Russian president Vladimir Putin’s campaign to conquer the country:

Earlier today, the White House office of management and budget warned that the funds allocated for military assistance to Ukraine will run out by the end of the year. Joe Biden has proposed legislation that would approve more money for Ukraine and Israel’s militaries as well as to pay for tighter US border security, but it needs Republican support to pass, and the party wants even stricter border security before they will agree.

Speaking of former members of Congress, the Guardian’s Ramon Antonio Vargas reports that ex-House lawmaker Liz Cheney is rooting for the Democrats:

Liz Cheney, whose opposition to Donald Trump’s presidency alienated her from her fellow Republicans, has said she would prefer Democrats to win in the 2024 elections over members of her own party because she feared the US was “sleepwalking into dictatorship”.

In an interview with CBS on Sunday, Cheney suggested a Republican congressional majority that would be subservient to another Trump White House presented a tangible “threat” to American democracy.

“I believe very strongly in those principles and ideals that have defined the Republican party, but the Republican party of today has made a choice, and they haven’t chosen the constitution,” the former Wyoming congresswoman said when asked if she was rooting for Democratic victories in the 2024 election cycle. “And so I do think it presents a threat if the Republicans are in the majority in January 2025.”

She went on to say that the US was “sort of sleepwalking into dictatorship” with Trump emerging as the clear favorite for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, notwithstanding the fact that he faces more than 90 criminal charges, including some for attempting to overturn his defeat in the 2020 election against his Democratic rival Joe Biden.

George Santos’s departure has created a vacancy in Congress that must be filled via a special election.

Democrats are keen to see one of their own win the open seat, as it would put them closer to retaking the chamber in 2024. Tom Suozzi, the congressman who Santos defeated last year, is running again, and Axios reports that he today announced endorsements from several mayors in the Long Island district:

Here’s more from the Guardian’s Edward Helmore on the big news of this morning, when the White House warned it may run out of money to assist Ukraine within weeks:

The White House has said it is “out of money and nearly out of time” to provide more weapons to Ukraine as it tries to ward off Russia’s invasion unless Congress acts to approve additional funding and support.

The warning, issued on Monday in a letter to congressional leaders, laid out how the government had already gone through about $111bn appropriated for Ukraine military aid.

“I want to be clear: without congressional action, by the end of the year we will run out of resources to procure more weapons and equipment for Ukraine and to provide equipment from US military stocks,” Shalanda Young, director of the office of management and budget, wrote in the letter, parts of which were published by the Hill.

The latest plea for money comes after the White House asked Congress to act on a $100bn supplemental funding request in October, arguing that it “advances our national security and supports our allies and partners”.

The request identified border security, allies in the Indo-Pacific, Israel and Ukraine. About $61bn covered money for Ukraine, which included $30bn to restock defense department equipment sent to support the country after Russia invaded in February 2022.

In the letter to leaders in the House and Senate, Young said a failure to provide more funding would “kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories”.

The day so far

Lawmakers are condemning a Sunday evening protest in Philadelphia that called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza while also specifically targeting a Jewish restaurant owned by an Israeli chef. The White House said the demonstration was “antisemitic and completely unjustifiable”, while Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, decried the protesters’ “hate and bigotry” – comments echoed by numerous members of Congress. Elsewhere, the White House is warning that it might run out of money to help Ukraine fend off Russia’s invasion within weeks. A proposal to send military assistance to both Ukraine and Israel is tied up in negotiations over tightening border security, which reportedly have broken down.

Here’s what else has happened today:

  • Doug Burgum, the North Dakota governor, dropped out of the race for the GOP presidential nomination, winnowing the field to five major contenders.

  • Antisemitism and Islamophobia have both increased since the 7 October terrorist attack and Israel’s invasion of Gaza, advocacy groups say.

  • The US defense industry would benefit from increased aid to Ukraine and Israel, the White House is arguing, as it presses Congress to approve a new military assistance package.

Updated

Today is meanwhile the first day that the House of Representatives will convene without George Santos, the prodigious liar who represented a New York district until Friday, when the chamber voted to expel him.

Throughout his tumultuous months in office, Santos juked and dodged when confronted about the many fibs, distortions and whoppers he issued – none of which saved him from getting booted out of office. The Guardian’s Edward Helmore went through many of them, so you don’t have to:

The war between Israel and Hamas continues, with reports that communications have been cut in the northern Gaza Strip.

We have a live blog covering the latest news from the conflict, and you can find it here:

Criticism of the protest at Philadelphia Jewish restaurant Goldie continues to roll in, most recently from Democratic New Jersey congressman Josh Gottheimer:

As well as from Mondaire Jones, a progressive and former Democratic congressman from New York who is campaigning to claim back his old seat next year. He’s faced criticism in the past for a comment allegedly insulting Jews, and was forthright in condemning the Philadelphia protest:

Updated

Fetterman and Schiff condemn protest at Jewish restaurant in Philadelphia

Pennsylvania’s Democratic senator John Fetterman also condemned the protest at Goldie in Philadelphia:

As did Adam Schiff, a Democratic congressman from California who is running to represent the state in the Senate:

Updated

Since the start of the war in Gaza, the United States has experienced an uptick both in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidences, the Guardian’s Maya Yang reported last month:

Islamophobia and antisemitism are seeing sharp increases across the US after war between Israel and Hamas erupted last month.

According to a new report by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair), the Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization received a total of 1,283 requests for help and reports of bias between 7 October and 4 November.

Cair, which has called the spike “unprecedented”, revealed that the recent increase in Islamophobia and anti-Arab sentiment across the US mark a 216% increase over the previous year. In an average 29-day period in 2022, Cair received only 406 complaints.

The top reported type of case was first-amendment – or free speech – issues, marking 23.39% of the anti-Arab and Islamophobia reports received by Cair. The organization also said 20.56% of the reports involved targeting employment, and 15.32% consisted of hate crimes. Cair said 9.2% of the anti-Arab and Islamophobia reports revolved around education and bullying.

“The Islamophobic and anti-Palestinian rhetoric that has been used to both justify violence against Palestinians in Gaza and silence supporters of Palestinian human rights here in America has contributed to this unprecedented surge in bigotry,” said Cair’s research and advocacy director, Corey Saylor.

Back in Philadelphia, Brendan Boyle, a Democratic congressman representing the city, condemned the protest outside Jewish restaurant Goldie as “despicable”.

From his account on X:

Here’s Doug Burgum’s statement announcing his intention to suspend his presidential campaign:

Republican North Dakota governor Doug Burgum quits presidential race

Doug Burgum, the North Dakota governor who staged a long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination, is suspending his campaign, the Associated Press reports.

With his departure, the field of major GOP presidential candidates has narrowed to five: Donald Trump, the former president who polls show has a sizable lead for the nomination, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. The latter four will this Wednesday debate in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, an event that Trump plans to skip, as he has with the previous three debates.

Burgum, who as governor signed North Dakota’s near-total abortion ban, sought to cast himself as having the experience necessary to serve as president in the two debates when he appeared. There were few signs voters were convinced – polling aggregator FiveThirtyEight shows him with less than 1% support.

Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, last night’s protest in the city was organized by local groups and called for a ceasefire in the conflict in Gaza.

There was no immediate reaction from the organizers to criticism of the protest outside Goldie, the Jewish restaurant where the demonstrators stopped and chanted outside. Here’s more from the Inquirer’s report:

Led by the Philly Palestine Coalition, protesters also marched through Center City chanting “while you’re watching, bombs are dropping” to Eagles fans in bars.

Some weekend revelers and shoppers were supportive of the message, stepping out to cheer or take a video. Others were less receptive. One driver threw a plastic bottle at protesters because they were blocking traffic.

…

Protesters in Philly Sunday included families, people of various faiths, and a range of nationalities.

Marzieh, who didn’t want to give her last name over safety concerns, said she made the 30-minute drive from South Jersey with her three young children and husband. The 38-year-old Iranian said Sunday was her fourth protest supporting a cease-fire; the family traveled to New York City and Washington for other protests.

“We couldn’t live our normal life,” she said. “We’re following the news. Nowadays, it’s getting so horrible. We thought this was a way we could show our sadness.”

The family marched in a long line holding hands.

White House says protest targeting Philadelphia Jewish restaurant 'completely unjustifiable'

The White House has decried a Sunday evening protest targeting a Jewish restaurant in Philadelphia as “antisemitic and completely unjustifiable”.

Video circulating on Twitter shows protesters chanting outside Goldie, a Kosher restaurant in the city owned by Israeli chef Michael Solomonov:

Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor Josh Shapiro condemned the protest as “blatant antisemitism”, saying the restaurant was targeted simply because its owner is Jewish:

In a statement from spokesman Andrew Bates, the White House echoed that criticism:

It is Antisemitic and completely unjustifiable to target restaurants that serve Israeli food over disagreements with Israeli policy, as Governor Shapiro has underlined. This behavior reveals the kind of cruel and senseless double standard that is a calling card of Antisemitism. President Biden has fought against the evil of Antisemitism his entire life, including by launching the first national strategy to counter this hate in American history. He will always stand up firmly against these kinds of undignified actions.

According to Punchbowl News, the key point of contention in negotiations over a deal to approve aid to Ukraine and Israel was Republicans’ insistence on passing parts of their immigration plan.

Earlier this year, the Republican-controlled House approved the Secure the Border Act, which would, among other things, crack down on asylum seekers by limiting their ability to remain in the United States after making their claim for refuge. It would also force the Biden administration to restart construction of the border wall Donald Trump championed.

The border wall is a nonstarter among Democrats, and many in the party also oppose changes to the asylum system. The White House already threatened to veto the bill, saying it “does nothing to address the root causes of migration, reduces humanitarian protections, and restricts lawful pathways, which are critical alternatives to unlawful entry.” Punchbowl reports that the GOP nonetheless made approval of its provisions a condition of supporting a combined Israel and Ukraine aid package, causing negotiations to reach a stalemate.

GOP wants border concessions in return for Israel and Ukraine aid

For Congress to pass their aid package for Israel and Ukraine, the White House will need to convince the Republicans who control the House and make up a sizable minority in the Senate.

In return for their support, the GOP has demanded changes to US border policies that they argue are necessary to deal with the large volume of people entering the country from Mexico. The two parties have been negotiating in the Senate to reach a compromise on their demands, but Punchbowl News reports those talks have broken down:

It’s unclear what will happen next. It’s possible the negotiations could resume again, or that the two parties could break up the request made by Joe Biden and approve aid for Israel and Ukraine individually.

Updated

While some Republicans are resisting Joe Biden’s efforts to continue arming Ukraine, his proposal to send Israel new military assistance is alienating Muslim voters, many of whom live in swing states that will be crucial to the president’s re-election campaign, the Guardian’s Edward Helmore reports:

Muslim community leaders gathered on Saturday in Dearborn, Michigan, home to the largest concentration of Arab Americans in the US, to protest President Biden’s refusal to call for a ceasefire in Gaza, reiterating that the president’s stance could affect his support in crucial swing states next year.

Jaylani Hussein, director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said that Biden’s unwillingness to call for a ceasefire had damaged his relationship with the American-Muslim community beyond repair. (Cair-Minnesota is not involved in his work on the Abandon Biden effort, which the organization said Hussein is doing in his personal capacity.)

“We are not powerless as American Muslims. We are powerful. We don’t only have the money, but we have the actual votes. And we will use that vote to save this nation from itself,” Hussein said. “Families and children are being wiped out with our tax dollars,” he added. “What we are witnessing today is the tragedy upon tragedy.”

After Israel resumed its bombing offensive on the territory after a five-day pause, the health ministry said 15,200 Palestinians, roughly two-thirds of them women and minors, have been killed thus far. Israel’s air and ground strikes began after Hamas militants killed 1,200 Israelis and took around 240 hostage in a cross-border attack on 7 October.

From behind a lectern that read “Abandon Biden, ceasefire now”, leaders from Michigan, Minnesota, Arizona, Wisconsin, Florida, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania issued similar warnings that the president could not afford to lose the support of the Arab-American community in states critical to his chances for re-election.

US industries would benefit from sending military aid to Israel, Ukraine, White House argues

In her pitch to Congress to approve new military aid infusions to both Ukraine and Israel, White House office of management and budget director Shalanda Young argues American factories would be among the biggest beneficiaries of the new spending.

“The President’s most recent national security supplemental request will build on our successful efforts to date and will direct over $50 billion into our nation’s (defense industrial base), which builds on the funding that has already been invested in manufacturing lines across 35 states,” writes Young.

She then alludes to the opposition among some Republicans to providing new funding to Ukraine by naming both swing and GOP-led states whose businesses could benefit from the new funding:

While we cannot predict exactly which U.S companies will be awarded new contracts, we do know the funding will be used to acquire advanced capabilities to defend against attacks on civilians in Israel and Ukraine — for example, air defense systems built in Alabama, Texas, and Georgia and vital subcomponents sourced from nearly all 50 states. We will modernize vital munitions and equipment like Javelins made in Alabama; Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) made in West Virginia, Arkansas and Texas; tactical vehicles made in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana; and 155mm artillery shells made in Pennsylvania, Arkansas, and Iowa and many other states.

Warning 'we are out of money', White House urges Congress to approve new support for Ukraine

In a new letter to Republican House speaker Mike Johnson, the Biden administration issued a stark warning about its ability to continue supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia. “We are out of money – and nearly out of time,” top White House budget official Shalanda Young wrote. “Cutting off the flow of U.S. weapons and equipment will kneecap Ukraine on the battlefield, not only putting at risk the gains Ukraine has made, but increasing the likelihood of Russian military victories.”

While Joe Biden has long been a proponent of continued aid to Ukraine, in October, he proposed approving new funding alongside aid to Israel and funds to improve US border security. Republican and Democratic lawmakers have been holding talks on passing that package for weeks, and it’s unclear if an agreement is near. One obstacle the request faces is that a growing number of Republican lawmakers oppose new aid to Ukraine, even though many of their leaders, including Johnson and Mitch McConnell, the top GOP lawmaker in the Senate, say they’re in favor. We’ll see if the White House’s letter moves the needle at all.

Here’s what else is going on today:

  • You’ve heard of Bidenomics, now get ready for “MAGAnomics”. In a new memo, the White House uses the term to brand Republican efforts to weaken the Affordable Care Act. Expect to hear the line much more if Donald Trump becomes the Republican presidential nominee.

  • House Republicans are reportedly planning a vote to authorize their impeachment inquiry against Biden as soon as next week.

  • The White House press briefing will be at 1pm eastern time, and feature Karine Jean-Pierre alongside national security council spokesman John Kirby.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Brad Pitt swears by this luxurious De'Longhi coffee machine for perfect hot and cold foam beverages – and it's reduced for a limited time
The actor's beloved coffee machine was called one of the best of the year by our coffee editor – now, it's on sale for Black Friday
Homes & Gardens
Homes & Gardens
Keira Knightley Revisits "Trauma" of Being Accused of Having an Eating Disorder
"I'll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because, ultimately, it's public shaming."
Marie Claire
Marie Claire
Keira Knightley recalls ‘public shaming’ she felt amid claims she had an eating disorder
‘It’s obviously part of my psyche, given how young I was,’ she recalls about the eating disorder claims
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
The Simpsons: Hit & Run dev says they could've made 3 sequels without paying a penny for the license: "Some crazy person at the publisher - we never found out who - said no"
"We never imagined it would still be bringing some people happiness 20 years later!"
GamesRadar
GamesRadar
Wrestler, film star – and future president? Why we should all take Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson seriously
The WWE icon, already one of Hollywood’s highest-paid film stars, has shown himself to be ‘focus group-proof’
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Eating this fruit before bed can help you sleep better – but expert opinions are divided
TikTok strikes again with its avocado sleep hack – but does it actually work?
T3
T3
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play