Four Pinocchios for Ron Johnson’s campaign of vaccine misinformation

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/07/16/four-pinocchios-ron-johnsons-campaign-vaccine-misinformation/

“The fact of the matter is it looks like natural immunity is as strong if not stronger than vaccinated immunity. ... There is a risk to the vaccine. Again, it’s very small, but there are some pretty serious side effects, including death. We are already over 5,200 deaths reported on the VAERS system. That’s a CDC, FDA’s early warning system.”

— Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), in an interview on “Hannity” on Fox News, July 14

Johnson has emerged as the leading vaccine skeptic in Congress this year.

For months, the senator has been peddling misinformation about coronavirus vaccines, undeterred by fact checkers, federal health agencies, medical experts and a growing body of scientific research.

We previously dug into two Johnson claims that resurfaced in this interview on Fox News, a network whose right-wing personalities consistently bash the Biden administration’s vaccination efforts.

Harris' office does damage control over student’s Israel 'ethnic genocide' comment

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/30/harris-office-does-damage-control-over-students-israel-comment-514837 

 The incident involving Harris took place on Wednesday, when a student attending an event with the VP to promote voting, said that Israel was conducting an “ethnic genocide” in Palestine and felt that the U.S. was ignoring protests even though Harris had been discussing the power of demonstrating. Harris responded: “Your voice, your perspective, your experience, your truth cannot be suppressed, and it must be heard.”

Israeli news outlets jumped on the comments. “VP Harris to student who accused Israel of 'genocide': Your truth must be heard,” went the headline in The Jerusalem Post. The Times of Israel also chimed in: “Kamala Harris doesn’t reject US student’s ‘ethnic genocide’ claim against Israel.”

Mellman quoted Harris’ senior staff as reassuring them that the vice president “strongly disagrees with the George Mason student’s characterization of Israel.”

Israel and the shameful, dangerous final days of Donald Trump

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-and-the-shameful-dangerous-final-days-of-donald-trump/

 Few if any national leaders were more closely allied with the disgraced US President Donald Trump, inciter of last week’s assault on the Capitol in Washington, on American democracy, than Benjamin Netanyahu.

Few if any nations would consider themselves to have been greater beneficiaries of Trump-backed policies than Israel, even though Israelis were deeply conflicted over the man now nearing the end of his White House term in such ignominy.

The implications of these two facts are already being felt, and will continue to resonate in the coming days, weeks, months and years. And not for the good.

Cancer survivor blows the whistle on 'toxic positivity'

 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/30/opinions/toxic-positivity-and-cancer-survivor-column-powers/index.html

 In this paradigm, God rewards you with health, wealth and happiness if only you have the right kind of faith. As the pandemic has demonstrated, scientific facts and common sense fall to the wayside as people declare they will "trust God" to protect them from a deadly virus that is befalling people all around them who God apparently doesn't care about. (Weirdly, many of these same people own guns rather than trusting God to protect them.)

Rand Paul blocked swift passage of a bill boosting Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system.

 https://www.politico.com/minutes/congress/09-30-2021/rands-iron-dome-opposition/

 What happened: Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) objected to swift passage of a bill to replenish Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, five congressional sources told POLITICO.

The bill, which cleared the House overwhelmingly last week with more than 400 votes in favor, would appropriate $1 billion for the Iron Dome, a state-of-the-art system that prevents rockets from striking inside Israel’s borders.

The House-passed bill was brought up as a “hotline” for both parties — a process that requires the consent of all 100 senators in order for the bill to hit the Senate floor immediately for a vote. Democrats cleared the hotline unanimously, three people said, but the GOP hotline didn’t go through due to Paul’s concerns that the new funding for the Iron Dome was not offset with spending cuts elsewhere.

An effort — supported by Republicans — to hotline an amendment to the funding bill that would add the Iron Dome money also fell apart this week.

Paul's perspect: “He proposed that we pay for the House bill with money that is going to go to the Taliban,” a spokeswoman for the Kentucky senator said. A Senate GOP staffer confirmed that Paul held the measure over Afghanistan aid.

High Court grants further delay in razing of West Bank Bedouin village

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/high-court-grants-further-delay-in-razing-of-west-bank-bedouin-village/

In 2018, the Supreme Court approved the demolition of the village, which is located not far from Ma’ale Adumim and is believed to be home to fewer than 200 Bedouin residents. Since 2018, the government led by then-prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has requested a series of delays in the demolition, the latest of which came in November 2020 in response to the Regavim petition.

US government will run out of money by October 18, Treasury secretary says

 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/09/28/economy/debt-ceiling-deadline-yellen/index.html

 Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned lawmakers that the federal government will likely run out of cash and extraordinary measures by October 18 unless Congress raises the debt ceiling.

The new estimate from Yellen raises the risk that the United States could default on its debt in a matter of weeks if Washington fails to act. A default would likely be catastrophic, tanking markets and the economy, and delaying payments to millions of Americans.

"It is uncertain whether we could continue to meet all the nation's commitments after that date," Yellen wrote in a letter, adding the projection is based on estimated tax payments.

Trump lies again says Biden “didn’t win in Arizona. He lost in Arizona based on the forensic audit.”

 https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2021/sep/28/donald-trump/trump-falsely-describes-arizona-audit-findings/

 Arizona state Senate Republicans ordered a review of 2 million ballots in Maricopa County. The review found that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in Maricopa County by about 45,000 votes. That number was virtually the same as the county’s official canvass.

'No major incidents of illegal activity': DHS told Pentagon as pro-Trump mob breached Capitol

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/09/28/dhs-pentagon-jan-6-capitol-riot-514527 

 On Jan. 6, more than 30 minutes after the first attackers breached barricades erected to protect the Capitol, the Department of Homeland Security sent an incongruous update to the Pentagon.

“There are no major incidents of illegal activity at this time," read an internal Army email sent to senior leaders at 1:40 p.m. that day, referring to an update the service had just received from DHS’s National Operations Center (NOC).

THE KIDDUSH CLUB by Amudim

Kiddush Club Is Not the Problem

 https://mishpacha.com/kiddush-club-is-not-the-problem/

 How are we still discussing banning alcohol when edibles are getting hechshers? A communal event without alcohol is unheard of. Rabbis ply congregants with alcohol, high school rebbeim knowingly look the other way (at best) as their students drink and vape. Can we afford not to counter these confusing messages in our communal spaces?

(Tuesdays with) Morrie Schwartz: Lessons on Living, Ted Koppel Nightline Interview

Can Angels Sin?

 https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1055341/jewish/Can-Angels-Sin.htm

 At first glance the answer seems simple enough. After all, did we not receive the Torah precisely because angels cannot sin? As Moses retorted in his winning argument to the angels during his epic debate in heaven over who should receive the Torah. "It is written in the Torah 'Thou shall not murder,' 'Thou shall not commit adultery,' 'Thou shall not steal.'" Moses said. "Is there jealousy among you!? Do you have an evil inclination!? Obviously the Torah is not meant for you."

Bereishis Rabbah (50:9) 9. AND THE MEN SAID TO LOT... FOR WE WILL DESTROY THIS PLACE (XIX, 13). R. Levi said in R. Nahman's name: Because the ministering angels revealed God's secret, they were banished from their precincts a hundred and thirty-eight years. R. Tanhuma expressed it in the word .kelah. R. Hama b. Hanina said: [They were punished] because they expressed themselves boastfully,

 

Behind Tucker Carlson’s white replacement rhetoric, a frightening antisemitic history

 https://forward.com/culture/467965/behind-tucker-carlsons-white-replacement-rhetoric-a-frightening/?utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_2918892

 That prompted Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, to take the rare step of calling for Carlson’s removal in a letter to Fox News Media CEO Suzanne Scott.

“At ADL, we believe in dialogue and giving people a chance to redeem themselves, but Carlson’s full-on embrace of the white supremacist replacement theory on yesterday’s show and his repeated allusions to racist themes in past segments are a bridge too far,” Greenblatt wrote.

Carlson’s comments are far from original. His invocation of “importing a brand-new electorate” was originally “le grand remplacement,” the title of a 2011 book by Renaud Camus—no relation to Albert Camus.