CBS News
Palestinians’ hopes and fears as Trump heads back to the White House
Tel Aviv — After more than a year of bombing and homelessness, Gazans are looking to a new administration in Washington for help. President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory has raised hopes and fears among the five million residents of the Palestinian territories — the warn-torn Gaza Strip and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Gaza resident Rakan Abdul Ahman told CBS News he wants the new U.S. president to make Israel end the war.
“We’ve witnessed enough killing of women and children,” he said. “I’m looking for Trump to end the suffering in the Gaza Strip.”
Abed Rahim Khatib/Anadolu/Getty
In the eyes of Ahmed Harb, a Gazan journalist, the incoming Trump administration faces a real test. In his victory speech, Trump said he’d end wars. Harb hopes that means the one in Gaza.
“I hope he was telling the truth,” he told CBS News, adding: “But he shouldn’t stop the war at the expense of the Palestinian people.”
That is the big worry for Palestinian politicians, too, including Mustafa Bargouti. Still a practicing physician, he leads the Palestinian National Initiative, a party that champions democratic government for all Palestinians in both the West Bank and Gaza.
The question, Bargouti said, is “how you stop the war? Do you stop it by annexing occupied territories? By ethnically cleansing Palestinians? Or do you stop the war by forcing Israel to end its illegal policy of settling Israelis on our land?”
Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the U.S. and Israeli-designated terrorist group’s massacre of some 1,200 people on Oct. 7, 2023, has diverted international attention away from growing violence in the West Bank by Israeli settlers determined to encroach on what has been Palestinian land.
In 2023, there were a record number of so-called outposts — makeshift Jewish encampments set up by settlers in what has been Palestinian land. They can be as simple as a couple of shipping containers that function as a de-facto Jewish real estate claim. The settler groups then lobby Israel’s courts and government to retroactively make the outposts official Jewish settlements.
Right-wingers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet support Jewish expansion, including the outposts, in the West Bank. They openly advocate driving the Palestinians out, and annexing the whole area for Israel. Not only would that be illegal under international law, Bargouti warns that it would also lead to even more conflict.
“We will struggle for our rights,” he said. “It will take time. We will suffer. We know that. But what’s the alternative? To cease to exist? It’s ethnic cleansing. We cannot accept that.”
Palestinians everywhere are watching Trump’s choosing of pro-Israeli officials for key positions with dismay, especially Mike Huckabee, the president-elect’s pick to serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, is on the record as saying, “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian.”
“When you hear a person like Huckabee saying there is no occupation, and there are no settlements, they are just Israeli communities…. he might as well say there is no international law,” said Bargouti.
During Trump’s first term, he opposed the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and, in 2020, proposed what he called “the deal of the century” — a template for a long-sought Palestinian state.
Under his proposal, the new state would have been a scattering of isolated Palestinian lands, each surrounded by Israel. The plan was rejected by both the Palestinians and by Jewish settlers and, since then, both sides have dug in.
Even if the new Trump administration revives some version of its proposal for a Palestinian state, it will face Palestinians and their Arab allies whose resolve has only been hardened by a devastating year of war in Gaza that has killed almost 44,000 people.
On the Israeli side, hardliners in Netanyahu’s government oppose any form of Palestinian sovereignty. Netanyahu himself has flatly rejected the prospect repeatedly.
Bargouti, however, sounded ready for the fight.
“I’m sure it will be a rough year for everybody,” he told CBS News. “But whatever happens, we, the Palestinian people, will never give up our right to struggle for our freedom.”
NEW JERSEY — Rep. Mikie Sherrill is joining the race to become New Jersey’s next governor.
Sherrill, a Democrat first elected to the U.S. House in 2018 and reelected this year, announced her campaign for governor early this morning in a video on YouTube.
A former military helicopter pilot, Sherrill is entering her fourth term representing New Jersey’s 11th district. She does not have to resign to run for governor.
List of candidates for NJ governor grows
The field to succeed Gov. Phil Murphy, who is term-limited and cannot run in 2025, is getting deeper on the Democratic side.
Last week, Rep. Josh Gottheimer launched his campaign for governor, joining former State Sen. Stephen Sweeney, Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, who all previously announced their bids.
Sources indicated at the time to CBS News New York that Sherrill’s announcement would be not far behind Gottheimer’s.
On the Republican side, State Sen. Jon Bramnick, Jack Ciattarelli, who narrowly lost to Murphy in 2021, and Bill Spadea have all entered the race.
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Gold shattered historic records in 2024, hitting $2,790 per ounce in October, its upward price trajectory stemming from heavy central bank buying, ongoing inflation concerns and expected Federal Reserve rate cuts. As a result, the investors who bought in early this year have already seen impressive returns, defying gold’s reputation as only a long-term investment.
While the price of gold has dipped over the last couple of weeks, this could still be a good time to invest. Luciano Duque, chief investment officer of C3 Bullion, points to China’s shift toward physical gold ownership and new banking regulations that favor physical gold over paper assets as key drivers for continued growth.
But what are the best gold investments to make before 2025? We asked industry professionals this exact question. Here’s what they had to say about each gold option, how they work and who they’re best for.
Find out how to get started with gold investing now.
These are the best gold investments to make before 2025, experts say
Below are four promising gold investments to consider before the new year. Each offers different benefits and levels of risk. Your best choice will depend on your investment timeline, risk tolerance and whether you prefer direct ownership or market exposure.
Physical gold
Physical gold in the form of coins and bars stands out as one of the safest and most reliable investment options. A key reason to invest in physical gold is there’s no counterparty risk.
“[It’s great if you’re] looking to preserve wealth, diversify [your] portfolio and maintain direct control of [your] assets,” says Alex Ebkarian, COO and co-founder of Allegiance Gold.
For beginners, he recommends the following:
- Start with one-ounce gold bars from well-known brands.
- Understand key terms such as “spot price” and “premiums” before buying.
- Know the difference between investment-grade gold and gold that isn’t investment-grade.
- Work with reputable dealers who offer education, secure storage options and transparent pricing.
- Remember that physical gold requires a longer-term outlook and comes with storage fees and upfront premium costs.
Brandon Aversano, founder of The Alloy Market, recommends investing in smaller gold bars.
“They’re cheaper and easier to manage [than] larger bars,” Aversano says. This is ideal if you need to make quick portfolio adjustments.
Add the right gold investment to your portfolio today.
Gold ETFs
Gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs) offer a convenient way to add gold to your portfolio without the hassle of storing physical metal.
“They’re easy to [buy] via brokerages and fairly liquid in case you need cash quickly,” says Ebkarian.
But before investing in gold ETFs, consider their ongoing costs. Most funds charge annual management fees. For example, popular ETFs may charge around 0.4% per year. Also, remember that your investment depends on stock exchange operations and electronic trading systems (unlike physical gold which you can hold directly).
Aversano points out that ETFs can contribute to a balanced gold investing strategy.
“Many miss out on [returns from] gold-related assets [such as] ETFs [because they] focus [too much] on physical gold,” he says.
Diversifying your investment type can expose you to other opportunities while minimizing risks.
Gold mining stocks
“If you want to leverage the potential move in gold and have an appetite for risk, then investing in a mining company is a good option,” says Ebkarian. As gold prices rise, mining company profits often increase even faster. You could gain higher returns than gold itself.
However, successful investing in gold mining stocks requires careful research and due diligence. You must evaluate each company’s management track record, production costs and growth prospects. Ebkarian warns that mining companies may operate in foreign countries, exposing them to political risks. They also face challenges with business partnerships and daily operations.
As a result, this investment option tends to suit experienced investors who understand the gold market and stock analysis. Unlike physical gold or ETFs, mining stocks can be affected by factors beyond gold prices.
Gold futures and options
Gold futures and options let you trade gold without owning the metal. But you’re essentially betting on the precious metal’s future price.
“This is the most risky of the ways to invest and requires specialized knowledge,” cautions Ebkarian.
These complex financial instruments work best for sophisticated investors who understand gold markets well. You must be familiar with derivatives and stay on top of changing margin requirements. Market conditions can shift quickly, leading to significant gains or losses in short periods.
The bottom line
Smart gold investing before 2025 may require a mix of strategies. “Looking into the future, I expect to see more interaction between physical gold and derivatives,” says Aversano. Physical gold offers reliable protection and derivatives provide flexibility for market changes.
Before investing, consult a financial advisor to determine which gold investments fit your goals and risk tolerance. They can help you create a balanced strategy that protects your wealth while maintaining proper portfolio diversification.
Wildlife officials are offering a reward of $103,500 for information as they probe the death of a protected wolf in Arizona.
A female Mexican gray wolf, which is protected by federal law under the Endangered Species Act, was found dead on Nov. 7 in an area northwest of Flagstaff, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Arizona Game and Fish Department said in a joint statement. They have not shared details about the animal’s cause of death but noted that “the mortality was not related to agency management actions.”
Officials said they initially documented the deceased wolf, called F2979, over the summer, when she was captured and given a GPS tracking collar before being released back into the wild in July. The animal was tagged outside the Mexican Wolf Experimental Population Area, a designated space near Flagstaff where conservation efforts have focused for decades. Following a period in the 1970s when the population of Mexican wolves in the southwestern U.S. and Mexico declined almost to the point of extinction, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started releasing Mexican wolves born through a breeding program into the conservation area in 1998.
The wolf called F2979 eventually strayed from her pack within the MWEPA, officials said, and efforts to transfer her and a companion back into the management region were underway when the wolf was found dead.
Federal and state wildlife agents have opened an investigation into the incident and they are offering separate rewards for information that leads to the conviction of the person or people responsible for the death of the Mexican wolf. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service put forward a prize of up to $50,000, while the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish are offering $1,000 each.
Other organizations and private citizens have pledged additional reward money, amounting to up to $50,500 depending on the information provided in the case, according to the government.
The Western Watersheds Project, a non-profit based in Idaho, said the individual or individuals responsible for the wolf’s death should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The group referred to the animal by the name Hope and shared images of her receiving a health check with her tracking collar.
“In every photo we saw of Hope, her collar was plainly visible. If she was shot, the shooter had to know she wasn’t a coyote,” said Cyndi Tuell, the Arizona and New Mexico director at Western Watersheds Project, in a statement. “If someone killed Hope, the full weight of the federal and state law should be brought to bear against the person or persons who took her away from our human community which found inspiration and joy in her existence, and from the non-human community that depends upon top predators to bring balance to the landscape.”