A federal judge has blocked the removal of a Civil War memorial from Arlington National Cemetery over a lawsuit that says that its removal would damage the graves of the Confederate soldiers buried around the memorial.  U.S. District Judge Rossie Alston issued a temporary restraining order on Monday stopping the Pentagon’s removal of the Reconciliation Monument‚ also known as the Confederate Memorial‚ after the Defend Arlington group sued to stop the memorial’s removal. The memorial was ordered to be removed after Congress created a commission in 2021 to evaluate links to the Confederacy on any federal property.  Alston’s order blocks “any acts to deconstruct‚ tear down‚ remove‚ or alter the object of this case.” Defend Arlington has opposed the removal of the memorial‚ saying that taking it down would be illegal. The memorial was first erected in 1914 in a section of the cemetery meant for Confederate soldiers.  “The removal will desecrate‚ damage‚ and likely destroy the Memorial longstanding at ANC as a grave marker and impede the Memorial’s eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places‚” the lawsuit said.  The monument‚ which was designed by a prominent Jewish American sculptor named Moses Ezekiel‚ is at the center of the graves of Confederate soldiers. It was widely seen as a symbol of reconciliation in a war that took the lives of over 600‚000 Americans on both sides and left the South in ruins. The monument references Isaiah 2:4‚ which talks about turning swords into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks‚ a powerful message for a nation recovering from the trauma of war. Up to the present day‚ many presidents‚ including Barack Obama‚ have sent flowers to the monument on Memorial Day. CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP A group of House Republicans wrote a letter last week to the Pentagon saying that the removal was unnecessary and needlessly divisive.  “Despite bipartisan support for this monument‚ the Naming Commission‚ established by the Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Act‚ clearly overstepped its legislative authority when it recommended that the Department of the Army remove the Reconciliation Monument from Arlington National Cemetery‚” 44 Republicans‚ led by Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA)‚ wrote. “[T]he Reconciliation Monument does not honor nor commemorate the Confederacy; the memorial commemorates reconciliation and national unity.”

Chess legend and political activist Garry Kasparov‚ who was the youngest-ever undisputed world champion at the age of 22 and was ranked the number one player in the world for an astonishing 21 consecutive years‚ mocked CNN for calling the huge terror tunnel built by Hamas an “alleged Hamas tunnel.” CNN titled an article about the enormous 2.5-mile tunnel‚ which is big enough to drive a large vehicle through‚ discovered by the IDF‚ “What to know about the alleged Hamas tunnel Israel claims to have found.” Who writes these headlines @CNN? Subconsciously conveys don’t trust Israel‚ terrorist group Hamas is equally credible. Nothing alleged about this tunnel‚ unless the implication is @midjourney created the photo. If the goal was simply to attribute factually‚ remain neutral… pic.twitter.com/GlGwWPj6Py — Matt Higgins (@mhiggins) December 18‚ 2023 “‘Alleged Hamas tunnel Israel claims to have found’? Really‚ @CNN? Is it possible it’s not really a tunnel? That is was built by aliens? That Israel didn’t find it?” Kasparov tweeted. "Alleged Hamas tunnel Israel claims to have found"? Really‚ @CNN? Is it possible it's not really a tunnel? That is was built by aliens? That Israel didn't find it? — Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) December 18‚ 2023 “There has to be a balance where the news media can cite a source without independent confirmation but while also recognizing obvious facts instead of casting doubt‚” he continued. “I think it’s an overreaction to falling for the Hamas hospital hoax‚ although most still cite Hamas propaganda. But ‘alleged Hamas tunnel’ is absurd. But I’d be interested in estimates of how much it cost‚ where the materials came from‚ how much $ from the UN &; EU.” I think it's an overreaction to falling for the Hamas hospital hoax‚ although most still cite Hamas propaganda. But "alleged Hamas tunnel" is absurd. But I'd be interested in estimates of how much it cost‚ where the materials came from‚ how much $ from the UN &; EU. — Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) December 18‚ 2023 ‘Humanitarian terror tunnel’‚ funded by int’l aid that NEVER held Hamas terror org to account. Enabling genocidal terror to dictate equations &; conduct‚ in ANY context – empowers it &; its state sponsors to dictate equations &; conduct‚ in EVERY context.pic.twitter.com/Xp8PdjijIT — מיכל קוטלר-וונש | Michal Cotler-Wunsh (@CotlerWunsh) December 17‚ 2023 Kasparov‚ a staunch opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin‚ reacted to the October 7 massacre of 1‚200 Israelis by writing in The Wall Street Journal six days later‚ “Hamas’s terrorist war against Israel demands more than condemnation‚ thoughts and prayers. It demands action. The free world must stand with Israel and confront rather than negotiate with evil.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP Later that month he stated‚ “It’s a war of freedom and democracy against tyranny and dictatorships‚ and Israel has been fighting this war for a long time. … Our enemies have not lost hopes to eradicate Jewishness from history. Today‚ the Nazis of modern times‚ they want to have their final‚ final solution. … This is not an ordinary challenge. This is not an ordinary war. They believe that it’s a time to have the decisive blow to Jewry around the world and heart of Jewishness‚ the state of Israel. Unfortunately‚ can I say‚ the free world now is watching it‚ not indifferently as in the 1930s‚ but applauding. There’s so much work to be done.”