Kyle Rittenhouse testifies he knew Joseph Rosenbaum was unarmed but acted in self-defense during fatal shooting

 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/11/10/us/kyle-rittenhouse-trial-wednesday/index.html

 Kyle Rittenhouse testified Wednesday that he acted in self-defense when he fatally shot a man who had thrown a plastic bag at him and chased him last year in Kenosha, Wisconsin, in what is likely to be the pivotal testimony of his homicide trial.

"I didn't do anything wrong. I defended myself," he testified.

But in cross-examination, Rittenhouse said that he knew the man, Joseph Rosenbaum, was unarmed when he ran at the teenager. Rittenhouse said he pointed his rifle at Rosenbaum in an attempt to deter him, adding that he knew pointing a rifle at someone is dangerous.

"He was chasing me, I was alone, he threatened to kill me earlier that night. I didn't want to have to shoot him," Rittenhouse testified. "I pointed it at him because he kept running at me and I didn't want him to chase me."

Angels run the world

 Ohr HaChaim (Devarim 10:17): Because the L‑rd your G‑d is G‑d of gods and L‑rd of lords. The explanation of this verse is that G‑d is the master of the angels which are also referred to as god (Job 1:6). The expression L‑rd of lords is referring to His ruling over the world…and in particular that the lords of the world do not have free will to do as they chose and wish. Rather G‑d controls them to direct them as He wishes. This principle is expressed in Mishlei (21:1) that “The heart of the king is in G‑d’s hand.” 

 Ramban Bereishis (28:12) AND BEHOLD A LADDER SET UP ON THE EARTH AND THE TOP OF IT REACHED TO HEAVEN; AND BEHOLD THE ANGELS OF G-D ASCENDING AND DESCENDING ON IT. In a prophetic dream, He showed Jacob that whatever is done on earth is effected by means of the angels, and everything is by decree given to them by the Supreme One. The angels of G-d, whom the Eternal hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth,Zechariah 1:10. would not do anything minor or major until they return to present themselves before the Master of the whole earth, saying before Him, “We have traversed the earth,See ibid., Verse 11. and behold it dwells in peace, or is steeped in war and blood,” and He commands them to return, to descend to the earth and fulfill His charge. And He further showed him [Jacob] that He, blessed be He, stands above the ladder, and promises Jacob with supreme assurance to inform him that he will not be under the power of the angels, but he will be G-d’s portion,Deuteronomy 32:9. and that He will be with him always, as He said, And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee wherever thou goest⁴Verse 15 here. for his [Jacob’s] excellence is superior to that of the other righteous ones of whom it is said, For He will give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.Psalms 91:11And in the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer the Great⁶Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, 35. this vision was akin to the one seen by Abram at the time of the covenant “between the parts”⁷Above, 15:9-18. for He also showed Jacob the dominion of the Four Kingdoms,See Ramban above, 14:1 and 15:12. The Four Kingdoms represent the great world powers seen in a vision by Daniel (Chapter 7), who in succession will subject Israel until such time when Israel’s final and complete deliverance will be effected by the Messiah. The power of the fourth kingdom, that of Rome, is still in sway. See Ramban further at the beginning of Seder Vayechi. Jacob, like Abraham, was thus shown the events that will happen to his descendants during all the generations of their exiles. their ascent and descent. This is the meaning of angels of G-d (mentioned here), just as it is said in the visions of Daniel: the prince of the kingdom of Greece,⁹Daniel 10:20. and the prince of the kingdom of Persia.¹⁰Ibid., Verse 13. Similarly, the angels mentioned in the verse before us are to be understood as the representatives of the various nations. And He promised him that He, exalted be He, will be with him wherever he will go among the nations, and He will guard him and rescue him from them. Thus the Rabbis have said: Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer, 35. “The Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the Four Kingdoms, their dominion and their destruction.

Steele dossier

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steele_dossier

 The dossier played a central role in the seeking of FISA warrants on Carter Page^[38] in terms of establishing probable cause.^[39][40] It did not play any significant role in the intelligence community's assessment about Russian actions in the 2016 election,^[41] nor was it the trigger for the opening of the FBI's "Crossfire Hurricane" counterintelligence investigation into whether the Trump campaign was coordinating, wittingly or unwittingly, with the Russian government's efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.^[38][42][43] The dossier is also a factor in several conspiracy theories promoted by Trump^[44] and many of Trump's supporters in the media^[45] and congress.^[38][42][43]

Trump says 'hats off' to Special Counsel Durham, predicts indictments are 'early building blocks'

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-special-counsel-john-durham-indictments

 Former President Trump is touting Special Counsel John Durham's probe, predicting that the early indictments in his yearslong investigation into the origins of the Trump-Russia probe are "just the early building blocks," saying he anticipates the findings are "only going to get deeper and deeper," and that it "all leads back to the Democrats."

Court rules: Child who survived cable car crash to be returned to Italy

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/316772

The Tel Aviv District Court on Thursday evening rejected the appeal filed by Shmuel Peleg, grandfather of Eitan Biran whose parents were killed in the cable car crash in Italy, and ordered that the child be returned to Italy to his aunt Aya Biran within 15 days.

The court also ruled that until the child is returned to Italy, he will stay with the Peleg family in Israel and that farewell meetings will be held in accordance with the decision of a social worker.

"Although the appellant unlawfully removed the minor, the minor will also be allowed to meet his grandfather in Italy," ruled the judges, who delayed the execution of the decision for a week in order to allow the grandfather to appeal to the Supreme Court.

Dozens rally in Jerusalem in another protest against death of settler teen

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/dozens-rally-in-jerusalem-in-another-protest-against-death-of-settler-teen/

Dozens of protesters are gathered near the String Bridge at the entrance to Jerusalem in yet another rally against the death last year of settler teen Ahuvia Sandak.

The entrance to the city has reportedly been closed off, and police and Border Police officers are at the scene.

Sandak, 16, was killed in a car crash last year while fleeing from police, allegedly after throwing rocks at Palestinians. Over the past couple weeks, repeated protests over Sandak’s death have escalated into violence and arrests.

Jordan on Durham indictments: 'We told you so' - more fakenews from Fox

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/jordan-durham-indictments-we-told-you-so

"Those of us who were in this, you know, back when no one else was, it's sort of like, we told you so," Jordan said. "That sounds arrogant, and I don’t mean to be, but this is what we said. This is what they were doing – what they were accusing President Trump of doing, they were actually doing – they were working with the Russians and it goes right to the Clinton campaign." 

At the conclusion of Mueller’s probe in 2019, Barr appointed Durham, who at the time served as the U.S. attorney from Connecticut, to investigate the origins of the FBI’s original Russia probe, also known as Crossfire Hurricane, which began in July 2016. Durham was instructed to review that probe through the appointment of Mueller in May 2017.

Durham is not exonerating Trump

 https://www.nationalreview.com/2021/11/where-john-durhams-investigation-is-heading/

Last week’s indictment of Igor Danchenko has the commentariat buzzing. If special counsel John Durham has cracked the core of the Russiagate case, if he has established that the Steele dossier on which the FBI substantially based its spy warrants was fraudulent, does that mean he is nearing a sweeping conspiracy indictment? Will there be criminal charges that target the real 2016 collusion — not between the Trump campaign and Russia, but between the Clinton campaign and U.S. officials who abused government investigative powers for political purposes?

 Almost certainly not.

All signs are that Durham will end his investigation with a narrative report. It has looked that way for a long time. There are reasons why then-attorney general Bill Barr appointed then-Connecticut U.S. attorney Durham as a special counsel shortly before the Trump administration ended.

Durham indictments

Durham’s Attempt to Discredit Trump’s Enemies Is Falling Apart

 https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/09/durham-indictment-of-trumps-russia-enemies-is-falling-apart.html

Durham’s indictment does not even allege that the FBI committed any wrongdoing. Instead, it charges that the FBI was lied to — by Michael Sussmann, a lawyer who passed on leads about Trump’s ties to Russia that the bureau was unable to verify. Durham’s indictment claims Sussmann committed perjury by denying he was working for the Clinton campaign at the time he brought his information about Trump to the FBI in 2016.

 The first weakness in the indictment is that even if every word Durham writes is true, the charge he has amounts to a very, very small molehill. Interested parties uncover crimes all the time. There’s just no reason to believe that Sussmann’s relationship with a law firm working for Clinton would have made any difference to the FBI — which was already investigating Trump’s ties to Russia and which wound up discarding Sussmann’s lead anyway as a dry hole.

Second, the evidence that Sussmann lied to the FBI is extremely shaky. As Benjamin Wittes notes, the sole basis for charging Sussmann with perjury is the recollection by FBI official Jim Baker. Baker testified to Congress that he remembered very little about his conversation with Sussmann, i.e.:

Durham Unravels the Russia Case = nonsense from WSJ

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-russia-danchenko-steele-dossier-fbi-durham-11636152567

Special counsel John Durham’s latest indictment is an important step in unraveling what really happened in the long tale of false Russia-collusion allegations against the 2016 Trump presidential campaign. The facts in the indictment add to the evidence that this was from first to last a dirty trick by Hillary Clinton's campaign—and that the media were its gullible promoters.

2 leaders of Jewish Lev Tahor cult convicted of kidnapping, child exploitation

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/2-leaders-of-jewish-lev-tahor-cult-convicted-of-kidnapping-child-exploitation/

 Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison for the conviction. The sentence for the case at the federal Southern District of New York court will be meted out later by a judge.

“Nachman Helbrans and Mayer Rosner brazenly kidnapped two children from their mother in the middle of the night to return a 14-year-old girl to an illegal sexual relationship with an adult man. Today’s verdict makes clear that our Office – and our law enforcement partners – will not be deterred from achieving justice for victims of child sexual exploitation,” said US Attorney Damian Williams.

When gedolim err

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bar_Kokhba_revolt

 

Relevant to the claim that some gedolim initially viewed the founding of the state of Israel as the beginning of redemption is the similar reaction of Rabbi Akiva to  Bar Kochba

 

 Simon Bar Kokhba took the title Nasi Israel and ruled over an entity named Israel that was virtually independent for over two and a half years. The Jewish sage Rabbi Akiva, who was the spiritual leader of the revolt,^[51] identified Simon Bar Kosiba as the Jewish messiah, and gave him the surname "Bar Kokhba" meaning "Son of a Star" in the Aramaic language, from the Star Prophecy verse from Numbers 24:17: "There shall come a star out of Jacob".^[52] The name Bar Kokhba does not appear in the Talmud but in ecclesiastical sources.^[53] The era of the redemption of Israel was announced, contracts were signed and a large quantity of Bar Kokhba Revolt coinage was struck over foreign coins. 

 The disastrous end of the revolt occasioned major changes in Jewish religious thought. Jewish messianism was abstracted and spiritualized, and rabbinical political thought became deeply cautious and conservative. The Talmud, for instance, refers to Bar Kokhba as "Ben-Kusiba," a derogatory term used to indicate that he was a false Messiah. The deeply ambivalent rabbinical position regarding Messianism, as expressed most famously in Maimonides "Epistle to Yemen," would seem to have its origins in the attempt to deal with the trauma of a failed Messianic uprising.^[89]

Durham's Sussmann indictment is a bizarre coda for DOJ's Russia investigation

 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/durham-s-sussman-indictment-bizarre-coda-doj-s-russia-investigation-n1279490

Special Counsel John Durham was tasked with investigating the origins of the FBI’s Russia investigation. He now appears to have ended his work not with a bang, but with a whimper.

It is hard to see how the case Durham filed on Thursday against Washington lawyer Michael Sussmann meets Justice Department standards. The indictment alleges that Sussmann met with FBI General Counsel Jim Baker in September 2016 to provide information about connections between a Russian bank and the Trump Organization. The FBI was unable to substantiate any links between Alfa Bank and former President Donald Trump’s businesses, but the charge against Sussman — making false statements to the FBI — doesn’t allege that the substance of the information was false. Instead, Sussman is accused of having misrepresented on whose behalf he was providing it.