When religion was strong and science weak,
men mistook magic for medicine.
Now, when science is strong and religion weak,
men mistake medicine for magic.
—THOMAS SZASZ
Thursday, November 5, 2026
South Africa is first country to ban antisemitic conspiracy film saying Jews now aren't 'real Jews'
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-913736
South Africa has become the first country to issue a nationwide ban on screening and distribution of an antisemitic film that claims Black people are the "real Jews."
Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America is a 2018 film that puts forward the theory that Black Hebrew Israelites are the true descendants of biblical Israelites, and that today’s Jews are not the real Jews. The film also claims there is an international Jewish conspiracy that aims to defraud Black people.
It was screened in June 2023 at the Soweto Theatre in South Africa, and the film was reported to the ombudsman by the local Jewish community.
Trump says he’ll accept the results after weeks of priming voters to doubt them
Despite concerns about what President Donald Trump would do, the midterms proceeded normally on Tuesday.
Amid palpable anxiety that the Trump administration would interfere with the midterms, Tuesday’s elections unfolded smoothly, with mostly minor, standard-issue hiccups.
The Justice Department sent more than 900 monitors to polling locations across the country, a historically large deployment. But fears that they would interfere with the day’s operations — or that troops or ICE agents would be deployed — proved unfounded.
With sweeping wins for Democrats in both the House and the Senate, President Donald Trump told the New York Times late Tuesday night that he would accept the results. And across the country, losing candidates conceded their races to their opponents rather than suggesting any form of malfeasance.
AFTER THE ROUT: Trump Shrugs Off Republican Election Disaster, Shows Reporters His White House Ballroom and Helipad
President Donald Trump made his first public appearance Wednesday following one of the Republican Party’s most devastating midterm election defeats in decades, but rather than dwell on the political catastrophe that handed Democrats control of both chambers of Congress, the president invited reporters to tour his massive White House ballroom construction project, enthusiastically discussing marble floors, towering columns, chandeliers and a newly constructed helicopter landing pad.
Yet the president appeared largely untroubled by the results as he walked through the unfinished ballroom, surrounded by construction workers wearing hard hats. He spoke at length about the building’s architectural features, the quality of its materials and his ambitious plans to transform the White House grounds.
Asked why he continued devoting so much attention to construction projects while facing serious political challenges, Trump defended his priorities, explaining that he enjoys overseeing improvements to the White House and other Washington landmarks.
“I like it,” he said. “For me, it’s relaxing.”
NY Rep. Mike Lawler loses re-election in blue wave — despite swell of support from large bloc of Orthodox Jewish voters
Republican New York Rep. Michael Lawler lost to Democratic rival Cait Conley in Tuesday’s blue tsunami despite carrying the large bloc of Orthodox Jewish voters in the Hudson Valley’s 17th district, sources said.
The two-term congressman won 71% of election precincts in the Town of Ramapo, which has a large number of Orthodox and Hasidic voters.
Still, Lawler did not perform well enough in traditional Republican strongholds to counter the tide of Democratic and anti-Trump voters who supported Conley in heavily blue precincts in the Westchester portion of the district.
Trump blames Iran war for midterm loss while touting ballroom construction
https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6188142-live-updates-trump-democrats-congress-control/
In his first public appearance since Republicans lost big in the midterms, President Trump showed off the construction of the White House ballroom.
“It’s for the country, and it’s free,” he said.
Trump also told reporters that the Iran war was the “primary reason” for the GOP’s losses.
Hours earlier, Vice President Vance said in a lengthy post that that the conflict with Iran was the main reason why the GOP saw Democrats seize the House, the Senate and multiple governor’s mansions in Tuesday night’s midterms.
Trump agreed with Vance’s assessment but argued if he had to launch the war against the Islamic Republic again, he would do it.
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Wall Street Journal editorial board: Trump ‘main architect’ of GOP midterm ‘rout’
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board cast much of the blame on President Trump for GOP losses Tuesday, as Democrats are poised to take control of both the House and Senate.
“Republicans may console themselves that midterm defeats in second presidential terms are common. But this was more than a normal defeat,” the board wrote in a piece published early Wednesday.
“True to form, President Trump is already blaming everyone else, but he is the main architect of this rout,” the board added.
Vance says GOP lost midterms due to Iran war, and that voters want to ‘change our relationship to Israel’
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-november-4-2026/
US Vice President JD Vance, citing voters, says two lessons from Republicans’ heavy losses in yesterday’s midterm elections are that the Iran war must end and that the US must change its relationship with Israel.
Vance was widely reported to have opposed the war before the US and Israel launched it on February 28. Israel has largely not participated in strikes on Iran since April.
Vance’s post is retweeted by Trump’s son Donald Jr., who writes, “Every word of this is 100% 100% 100%.”
JD Vance blames Iran war and Israel for GOP midterm bloodbath
https://nypost.com/2026/11/04/us-news/jd-vance-blames-iran-war-and-israel-for-gop-midterm-bloodbath/
Vice President JD Vance broke his silence late Wednesday morning on the blue tsunami that completely wiped out Republicans across the country on Election Day, blaming the drubbing squarely on the war in Iran.
“In the next few months, there’s going to be a lot of gaslighting. Expect to hear any number of establishment politicians say the solution to our woes is amnesty,” Vance posted on X.“But anyone pushing amnesty is lying to you. The reason we lost is the war,” he added. “The president himself said so last night. If you’d like to argue it was worth it, that losing the Senate for the next 6 years was worth it, then do so.”
I felt negative going into Tuesday, but even I was shocked by this. In his polling, he saw that a lot of Trump 2024 voters were angry and planning to vote for Democrats. He asked those voters who had abandoned us what would cause them to come back on our team. The top four answers, accounting for nearly all of the responses were:
1) End the war
2) Focus on cost of living/inflation
3) Put America First
4) Change our relationship to Israel
Dispute
Yam Shel Shlomo (Introduction to Bava Kama): The Kabbalists wrote an explanation as to how two conflicting views could both be true. It is the consequence that all souls that would ever exist were at Sinai and accepted the Torah through 49 different conduits. The sounds that were both seen and heard (Shemos 20:15) refers to the information which was transmitted through these 49 conduits. Each person perceived the Torah through his own conduit and according to his ability to comprehend. Thus, he received the Torah according to the strength of his soul above and according to the degree of his spiritual elevation. Each one received information which differed from the others. Consequently, the Halacha would be for one that the object under discussion would be spiritually pure while a second person would inherently see the object as spiritually impure. A third person would see the object as not being in accord with either of the previous. Thus despite their disagreement, all of the views are true. This needs to be understood.
Trump blames Fox News while his MAGA media allies blame everything but him
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/11/04/media/trump-blames-fox-news-midterms-maga-media
President Donald Trump began election night by lashing out at Fox News. He implausibly tried to blame the conservative network for the GOP’s devastating midterm losses.
Fox “bears responsibility for these losses by constantly and consistently putting on the Dumocrat opposition, and worse,” Trump declared on Truth Social shortly before midnight Eastern time.
Tonight is one such time for the Republican Party,” radio host Buck Sexton wrote on X.
He went on: “Way too many mistakes. Bad messaging. Poor candidates. High prices. Unnecessary war that did not go as promises. We get up tomorrow and carry on. But there are lessons here.”
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