No, That Mac Factory in Texas Is Not New

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/us/politics/trump-texas-apple-factory.html
President Trump said on Wednesday that he opened a facility that makes computers for Apple. It’s been operating since 2013.

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2019/11/21/20975979/donald-trump-apple-plant-austin-texas-tim-cook

Tim Cook is just letting Trump lie about Apple

Trump keeps saying Apple just opened a plant in Texas. The problem: The facility in question has been around since 2013.

On Wednesday, Cook accompanied Trump, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, and the president’s daughter, Ivanka Trump, on a tour of a manufacturing plant in Austin, Texas. Both at the plant and after, the president suggested that the plant had just opened and that it was the result of his presidency. No one at Apple corrected him, even though it’s not at all the case: The plant, which is run by a company called Flex, has been making Mac Pro computers there since 2013.

https://apnews.com/f3073b1291e94d3289c9404c5936db3e

AP FACT CHECK: Trump’s false claim about Apple plant


President Donald Trump tried to take credit Wednesday for opening a plant that’s been in business for years.

He also tried to blame House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for closing Congress, but she didn’t.

TRUMP: “Today I opened a major Apple Manufacturing plant in Texas that will bring high paying jobs back to America. Today Nancy Pelosi closed Congress because she doesn’t care about American Workers!” — tweet early Wednesday evening.

THE FACTS: Neither happened.

Trump visited a factory in Austin, Texas, that has made the Mac Pro for Apple since 2013.

Apple announced in September that it would continue having the Mac Pro line made in Austin, after the Trump administration agreed to waive tariffs on certain computer parts from China. It also plans to expand its already deeply rooted business in Austin and said Wednesday it has started construction of its new campus in the city.

Rav Malinowtiz zt"l Levaya Recording

Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu will be indicted on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/21/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-charges-israel-intl/index.html

Charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust have been unveiled against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in three separate corruption cases, the Attorney General announced on Thursday evening, marking the first time in Israel's history that a sitting PM faces indictment in criminal investigations.

During a final pre-indictment hearing last month, Netanyahu's high-powered legal team tried to convince prosecutors to close the cases, including the most serious charge of bribery. But Avichai Mandelblit, a Netanyahu appointee who once served as his cabinet secretary, is moving forward. "It is a very sad day for Israel and for me personally," said Mandelblit, adding that the decision to indict "is not a matter of politics, of right and left."

Speaking in Jerusalem on Thursday night, Netanyahu described the charges as "an attempted coup against a Prime Minister."

Levaya Of Hagaon HaRav Chaim Zev Malinowitz ZATZAL

https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/boruch-dayan-emmes/1803045/levaya-of-hagaon-harav-chaim-zev-malinowitz-zatzal.html

The Levayah will be held at 9:30AM at 34 Nachal Refaim in Bet Shemesh. Kevurah will take place in Rechovot.

Boruch Dayan HaEmmes…

https://matzav.com/rav-chaim-zev-malinowitz-ztl/
https://www.kikar.co.il/337621.html

The levaya for HoRav Malinowitz will take place at Beis Tefillah Yonah Avraham on Erev Shabbos.

Hespedim will begin at 9:45 AM.

WOMEN: In Ulam Shabsai (with audio and visual connection to the hespedim) with chairs. Speakers will be set up outside for overflow.

MEN: In the Beis Medrash and Ezras Nashim/Vasikin. There will be some chairs set up for the older men. Speakers will be set up outside for overflow.

The Kevura will take place in the Rechovot Cemetery, on Yehuda Gorodiski street (בית העלמין רחובות רחוב גורודיסקי).

Plan to finish by 1 PM, the latest.

Gordon Sondland’s impeachment testimony on Trump and Ukraine adds up to bribery

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2019/11/20/trump-impeachment-sondland-quid-pro-quo-bribery-column/4248092002/

Sondland not only confirmed the Ukraine quid pro quo, he unequivocally tied it to Trump and his requirements for personally beneficial investigations.

Sondland declares quid pro quo, pundits call testimony damaging to Trump

https://www.foxnews.com/media/sondland-declares-quid-pro-quo-pundits-call-testimony-damaging-to-trump

The Donald Trump mega-donor who was awarded with an ambassadorship stepped into the impeachment spotlight Wednesday and said the president basically did what Democrats are accusing him of doing.

Gordon Sondland, who had already changed his testimony once, delivered a torrent of words, but none more important than these: “Was there a quid pro quo?...The answer is yes.”

What’s more, the ambassador who was once cast as a pro-Trump witness provided a road map to the Ukraine mess, made clear many top officials were involved, and said it was done at the “express direction” of the president. “Everyone was in the loop. It was no secret.”

The high-decibel rebuttals from the GOP could not drown out the fact that Gordon Sondland’s appearance was, to put it mildly, not helpful to the president.

Ingraham: Storytime with Adam Schiff

Judge Napolitano: Sondland gave the most compelling testimony of any Trump impeachment witness to date

https://www.foxnews.com/media/judge-andrew-napolitano-gordon-sondland-testimony-impeachment-hearings

Judge Andrew Napolitano claimed Wednesday that U.S. Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland was the most compelling witness of the Trump impeachment inquiry hearings to date.

Napolitano told Neil Cavuto on "Your World" that Sondland "painted a picture" that described President Trump's overtures to Ukraine in a negative light.

Wallace On Sondland's 'Blowtorch' Testimony: 'Today Changed Everything' | MSNBC

Gordon Sondland May Have Just Sealed President Trump's Impeachment

https://time.com/5735157/gordon-sondland-trump-impeachment/

Fox's Chris Wallace rips Trump over Sondland's bombshell testimony

A Pentagon official unexpectedly blew up Trump's defense in the Ukraine scandal and Gordon Sondland threw everyone under the bus. Here are the biggest takeaways from Wednesday's impeachment hearings.

https://www.insider.com/sondland-laura-cooper-hale-impeachment-testimony-key-takeaways-2019-11

Sondland was initially believed to be the key witness on Wednesday, but Cooper took the spotlight when she revealed damning new information that undermined President Donald Trump's entire defense in the snowballing Ukraine scandal.

Here are the biggest takeaways from Wednesday's hearings:

Cooper revealed that her staff received two emails from the State Department on July 25 asking about US military aid to Ukraine.

Petur Nafshi At Risk?

BS"D

By Binyomin Feinberg, Contributor to The Jewish Press*

FeinbergBinyomin@gmail.com

* The perspectives and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the ownership or management of The Jewish Press.

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To check for updates throughout the week please visit ("Updates for Cheshvan" at: )

https://docs.google.com/document/d/11EUa2a_8OwXs7T1vMfek3MehHfC2Rd9mWt6NetNxLm0/edit?usp=sharing

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We received late word of the incarceration of yet another innocent Orthodox girl, Adel bas Ilana Naavah, a 19 y/o languishing in Military Prison number 6. We hope to provide more details as confirmation becomes available.

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Parshas Chayei-Soroh, 5780 °° Nov. 21, '19 (ver.2)

Major News Relevant to IDF Female Draft: Psychological Military Exemptions Under Fire

Just about a week after Maariv reported on the IDF goal of targeting 40% of national religious high school girls for military service (see https://daattorah.blogspot.com/2019/11/online-updates-in-culture-wars-parshas.html ) -- Maariv reported (Fri., Nov.11) on another major development that could have a massive impact on religious girls of all sectors seeking IDF service exemptions. In the wake of the recent difficulties in obtaining Religious Exemptions (Petur Dat), many girls have been advised by some organizations (like Bnos Melech) to seek the primary alternative legal avenue - heretofore more acceptable to the IDF - a "Petur Nafshi," an exemption for psychological reasons. The IDF has been particularly accommodating of this type of exemption. That government policy has encouraged many, many religious girls, via many of the activists helping them, to avail themselves of this legal provision, especially where the alternative is a frequently uncomfortable dispute with the government over a Religious Exemption.

However, as repeatedly warned about by a leading Giyus Banos opponent, Rabbi Laizer Yehuda Weiss, the government accommodation of a Petur Nafshi (PN) may be short lived, and, worse, serve as a trojan-horse method of calling into question the exemptions already granted to hundreds of religious girls, girls who were unwilling or unable to fight for their Religious Exemptions, or, in many cases advised not to bother.

The IDF claims that in 2018CE, applications for PN rose 30% from 2017, from about 3,500 to 4,500. According to the Army numbers, over 53% of those 4,500 [total] PN 2018 exemptions were for religious youth.

Moreover, over a TWO year period, in the secular community, PN exemptions rose about 30%, while among religious boys they rose about 50% (from 262 to 391 religious boys) in just one year. Interestingly, the statistics for religious girls weren't provided in that report. (If indeed the IDF plans on targeting past exemptions of girls en masse, R"L, it is feared that they may now opt to draw public attention to the boys, and away from girls.)

The article indicated that the IDF plans on vigorously investigating this PN phenomenon, a trend which until now they've actively encouraged, while sometimes illegally denying Religious Exemptions to girls seeking that conventional path. The government now may likey crack down on the PN exemptions, not only going forward, but even retroactively. Such a policy shift could potentially endanger the status of many, many hundreds of girls who were advised or compelled by circumstances to seek a PN exemption. This could spell disastrous for untold numbers of families. (We're informed that roughly about 45 years ago the IDF had disqualified a large number of IDF exemptions retroactively, and required their recipients to redo the exemption process. If that would recur nowadays, given recent human and religious rights abuses perpetrated under the "rightwing" government of Netanyahu in their forced enlistment of girls, the scenario could become one of bedlam.)

At this point, it's imperative for any draft-age girl in Israel, including dual citizens from Chutz La'Aretz visiting Eretz Yisroel, to ensure that she obtain sound advice in securing her IDF exemption, if at all possible by securing her legal rights to a religious - rather than psychological - exemption. (She should also ensure she obtain her permanent exemption, not just a temporary deferment).

The "Chomosaich" volunteer network has been providing advice on such an approach, recently attaining a 95% success rate of obtaining Religious Exemptions. Call them 24/6 (in Israel: ) 03-545-6770 for free expert assistance anytime day or night. Chomosaich provides information for girls regardless of their religious affiliation or background.

Israel May Hold New Elections After Netanyahu's Rival Fails To Form Government

https://www.npr.org/2019/11/20/781260650/israel-may-hold-new-elections-after-netanyahus-rival-fails-to-form-government

Israel is set to continue without a government and may be heading to new elections after Benny Gantz, rival of longtime Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Wednesday that he missed a deadline to form a government.

Netanyahu, who is facing the possibility of imminent indictment on corruption charges, also failed to form a coalition following the hotly contested election in September.

Gantz's announcement that he could not meet the deadline set by President Reuven Rivlin doesn't automatically trigger new elections. Rather, it kicks off another wave of political haggling — Israel's parliament has 21 days to nominate another lawmaker to try to form a majority government. If no other lawmakers are successful, it could usher in a third and unprecedented election this year, which Netanyahu has described as "institutional insanity."

Gantz, a longtime military leader and relative political newcomer, said his Blue and White party did everything it could.