Trump sides with Putin as Biden tries to stop a war

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/02/23/politics/donald-trump-vladimir-putin-joe-biden/index.html

It took only 24 hours for Donald Trump to hail Russian President Vladimir Putin's dismembering of independent, democratic, sovereign Ukraine as an act of "genius."

The former President often accuses his enemies falsely of treason, but his own giddy rush to side with a foreign leader who is proving to be an enemy of the United States and the West is shocking even by Trump's self-serving standards.

As President Joe Biden reprises the fabled presidential role of leading the free world, the predecessor who wants to succeed him is showing Putin that impunity, dictator-coddling and hero worship will return if he wins back the White House. Trump's remarks on a conservative radio show on Tuesday will not only find a warm welcome in the Kremlin. They also will concern allies standing alongside the US against Russia who fear for NATO's future if Trump returns.

In MAGA World, Contempt for Biden Is Matched by Respect for Putin

 https://www.newsweek.com/maga-world-contempt-biden-matched-respect-putin-1681624

Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, right-wing politicians and media figures loyal to former President Donald Trump have alternately slammed Democratic President Joe Biden for getting the U.S. involved, while praising Russian President Vladimir Putin as a strong and capable leader.

Most notably, Trump praised Putin's invasion into Russia as "genius" and "wonderful" in Tuesday's broadcast of the conservative talk radio program The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show. Trump also referred to Putin as "tough" and patriotic.

"I went in yesterday, and there was a television screen, and I said, 'This is genius.' Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine...as independent," Trump said. "Oh, that's wonderful. I said, 'How smart is that?' And he's going to go in and be a peacekeeper."

"I mean, you know, he's a tough cookie, got a lot of the great charm and a lot of pride. But the way he—and he loves his country, you know? He loves his country," Trump continued.

Russia suspends its mission at NATO, shuts alliance’s office

KA claims "NATO enmity towards Russia will only hurt the West in the end". Criticizing them for spying clearly shows a lack of love and respect.

 https://apnews.com/article/europe-russia-moscow-sergey-lavrov-f03d2f2f8e3086b0490d4f9e95cdf655

Russia on Monday suspended its mission at NATO and ordered the closure of the alliance’s office in Moscow in retaliation for NATO’s expulsion of Russian diplomats.

Earlier this month, NATO withdrew the accreditation of eight Russian officials to its Brussels headquarters, saying it believes they have been secretly working as Russian intelligence officers. NATO also halved the size of Moscow’s team at its headquarters from 20 to 10.

Moscow has dismissed the accusations as baseless. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered Moscow’s response Monday, announcing the suspension of Russia’s mission at NATO and the closure of the alliance’s military liaison and information offices in the Russian capital.

USC to pay $1.1 billion to settle gynecologist’s hundreds of sex abuse cases

 https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/usc-to-pay-1-1-billion-to-settle-2355868/

The University of Southern California apparently has set a record — one which parents should pray no college has reason to challenge and for which the educators and leaders at the Los Angeles campus should be sorry and ashamed.

The Trojans have announced they will pay $1.1 billion to settle lawsuits over the tawdry actions of Dr. George Tyndall, who was the lone gynecologist for young women treated in the student health service.

The school has admitted that he saw 17,000 patients in his three decades at the school and sexually abused many of them. As the Los Angeles Times reported:

Former Illinois gynecologist gets 3 years in prison for sexually abusing patients

 https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/former-illinois-gynecologist-gets-3-years-in-prison-for-sexually-abusing-patients

Former gynecologist Fabio Ortega has pleaded guilty to criminal sexual abuse.

The former NorthShore University HealthSystem doctor was sentenced to three years in prison. He pleaded guilty to abusing women during their exams.

Ortega will get credit for the past five months he has spent on electronic monitoring.

A number of women have sued Ortega and the health system over the abuse accusations.

Former student files sexual abuse suit against former UCLA OB-GYN

 https://dailybruin.com/2021/12/10/former-student-files-sexual-abuse-suit-against-former-ucla-ob-gyn

The lawsuit against Wiesmeier alleged sexual battery and misconduct, civil rights violations and emotional harm. The lawsuit further alleged that the UC Regents were aware of Wiesmeier’s conduct but did not further investigate or use safeguards to prevent sexual abuse.

UCLA spokesperson Steve Ritea said in an emailed statement that sexual misconduct is inexcusable, adding that the university published a report in June 2020 compiled by an independent UC Regents special committee investigating misconduct at UCLA Health.

The report named multiple UCLA Health physicians, including Wiesmeier and UCLA OB-GYN James Heaps, who is also accused of sexual assault. Heaps was criminally indicted on 21 counts of felony sexual misconduct in May 2021 and civil lawsuits with hundreds of plaintiffs. He has pled not guilty on all counts.

UCLA Settles Gynecologist Sex Abuse Suit for $243.6 Million

 https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2022-02-08/ucla-settles-gynecologist-abuse-suit-for-more-than-100m

The University of California has agreed to pay $243.6 million to settle allegations that hundreds of women were sexually abused by a former UCLA gynecologist, lawyers and the university announced Tuesday.

The settlement covers about 50 cases involving 203 women who said they were groped or otherwise abused by Dr. James Heaps over a 35-year career. Each will receive $1.2 million, attorneys said.

The deal was reached with the assistance of a private mediator after substantial litigation, the parties said.

The lawsuits said that UCLA ignored decades of complaints and deliberately concealed abuse.

Israeli gynecologist allegedly sexually assaulted 20 women

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-690259

Two Israeli women filed complaints on Wednesday to Israel Police against Israeli gynecologist Dr. Guy Rofe for committing sexual assault while treating the women, Ynet reported.

In total, 20 women have come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Rofe, with eight of them filing an official complaint to the Health Ministry.

One of the complaints filed to the Health Ministry included allegations of rape.

Trump Truth Social User Claims App Censored Anti-Vaccine Content

 https://www.newsweek.com/trump-truth-social-user-claims-app-censored-anti-vaccine-content-1681507

Peters posted on Telegram on Tuesday that he was "already being censored on Truth Social." He included a screenshot of his account with a "sensitive content" warning that advised the content may not be suitable for all audiences. To see the post, users had to click "show content."

"Want to know what I said?" Peters wrote on Telegram. "I said, 'The people in our government responsible for allowing our kids to be killed with these dangerous COVID shots, should be put on trial and executed.'"

בעקבות הפגיעה במטופלות : הנחיות הלכתיות נוקשות לגינקולוגים ולנבדקות

 https://www.israelhayom.co.il/judaism/synagogue/article/7210505

רבנים ורופאים בכירים ניסחו שמונה תקנות להתנהלות רופאי נשים לאחר מקרי הפגיעה המינית במטופלות לאחרונה • בין הכללים: במהלך הבדיקה לא יתקיימו שיחות חולין, ועדכון של גורם נוסף במרפאה במידה שיש לנעול את דלת החדר

How rich is Trump, really?

Seichel vs halacha - Rav Abramsky vs Chazon Ish

updated In my discussions with Rav Sternbuch regarding dealing with child abuse the question came up whether a person needed to first overcome the halacha barriers before considering the information. In other words if he didn't have two frum male witnesses should he ignore the information or if it wasn't clear whether a rumor was lashon harah should he avoid listening to it.  In short the view presented by Rav Menashe Klein and the Aguda rabbanim. His response was that he had heard from Rav Abramsky that first a poskek needs to know the facts and then submit them to halachic analysis.  He also wrote a teshuva basing himself on Rav Chaim Ozer and the Gerer Rebbe that a menahel has to listen to all rumors - and not dismiss them first as lashon harah. See Rav Sternbuch 5:398
Also one of my sons just showed me the following which shows it is not just the view of Rav Abramsky

שו"ת מנחת יצחק חלק ט סימן קנ

 מ"מ נשארתי בצ"ע, והוא עפ"י אשר קבלתי מהגאון הגדול מראדימישלא זצ"ל, אשר אז בעת בחורותי הייתי מתאבק הרבה אצלו, והרבה שאלות עגונות באו לפניו, הי' אומר כללו, ואח"כ ראיתי שכן כתב גם בספר בשו"ת חבצלת השרון מדודו הגאון הגדול זצ"ל (א"ע סי' כ"ח), וז"ל: מראש כל אמינא להו מה ששמעתי מפי הרב הגאון מוה"ר דובעריש ראפיפארט ז"ל אבד"ק ראווא, שהי' מקובל מפי רבו הגאון בעמח"ס נודע בשערים אבד"ק לובלין ז"ל שבבואו לפניו איזה שאלה, מקודם הוא שוקל בשכלו על אמיתת הענין לפי שכל אנושי שהדבר אמת, אז הוא מעיין עפ"י חוקי תוה"ק מה משפטו, וכן הוא אצלי וכו' עכ"ל. וכ"ז עבר במחשבתי, שהי' קשה לי המציאות שידורו יחד כחמש שנים בלי ליגע בה כלל כפי דברי',

====================

My son just came across the following which indicates that this view was solidly rejected by the Chazon Ish.

"Rav Yoel Kluft said that one of the rabbis in Israel had told him that when a question of Aguna arose that it was necessary to first see according to seichel (commonsense) whether the husband was alive or dead. Only afterwards to do a halachic analysis. The Chazon Ish responded angrily, "It is prohibited to say such a thing. It is necessary to see the halacha!"

מעשה איש חלק ד` עמ` קיב

שח הג"ר יואל קלופט זצ"ל לפני רבינו, שאחד הרבנים בארץ אמר לו שכאשר מגיעה שאלה בעגונה, וצריך דבר ראשון לראות על פי השכל אם הבעל חי או מת, ואח”כ לעשות את החשבונות בהלכה.  הגיב על כך החזו”א בריתחא ואמר : “אסור להגיד כך. צריך לראות בהלכה!” (מבנו הג”ר חיים שליט”א)

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A friend of mine however insists that the following letter of the Chazon Ish contradicts what I said - however I disagree since the Chazon Ish clearly says there are two stages and the first one is to clarify the halacha and then afterwards to look at metzius.

אגרות חזון איש (א:לא): בירור משפט בבחינת הלכה למעשה נחלק לעיונים שנים. העיון הראשין להניף הסלת הנקי סעיפי המשפט התוריים. ואחריו עיון השני החדירה בהעובדא הנוכחת לפנינו במלעיותיה ומגרעותה ובדיוק משקל של כל פרק מפרקיה כדי להתאים את הנידון אל סעיף ההלכה המכוון עליו. ומרובים המכשולים של ההתאמה כוזבת מהמשכולים ביודה ההלכה. ז"א אף שאין הדיין אומר על מותר אסור ועל אסור מותר בכל זאת הוא נכשל בהמעשה שבא לידו ומחליט בכח מדומה שזו שבא לידו היא של הסעיף הידוע בעת שהעלים עין מקו דק רב הערך בפלילת המשפט הנבנה תמיד על קיום שכליים דקים. ובהעלמה זו הוציא משפט מעוקל מעוות לא יוכל לתקן. ובשל העיון האחרון נשללה ההוראה מן ההמון אף בדברים שהאוסר והמותר מפורסם תכלית הפרסום ונתנ לחכמים שבכל דור לחקות לאשורה של כל שאלה המופיעה מזמן לזמן שהחכמים יפתרוה מנקודת עיון מקיף והסתכלות בהירה.

Cue the outrage machine — Fox News is paying attention to Canada

 https://www.thestar.com/news/world/2022/02/18/cue-the-outrage-machine-fox-news-is-paying-attention-to-canada.html

Trump and Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene have already long since weighed in. Fox News is running wall-to-wall commentary: one Fox host called Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “a wannabe emperor, a haircut with an ego.” A gelato truck operator who was harassed after donating to the convoy made an appearance, as did the interim leader of the Conservative party. Tucker Carlson called Trudeau a “Stalinist dictator” who “suspended democracy and declared Canada a dictatorship.”

Analysis of records purportedly hacked from a crowdfunding website revealed more than half of the donors to the protest — and a little less than half of total funds raised — are from the U.S., including from members of far-right groups such as the Oath Keepers.

Trudeau wins House vote on Emergencies Act

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/21/trudeau-wins-house-vote-emergencies-act-00010474

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has said the threat posed by the so-called Freedom Convoy justified use of the act. “They came here to overthrow a democratically elected government,” he said last week. “It is a movement funded by foreign influence, and it is fed on disinformation. Its goal is to disrupt our democracy.”

“Hurtful and racist symbols were everywhere … the incessant honking was unbearable,” Ottawa Centre MP Yasir Naqvi told POLITICO over the weekend. “Nearby parking lots were used as urinals, our skies were filled with firecrackers as they were hurled down streets every night, and the air was thick with diesel fuel.”

Protesters also shut down key trade corridors for a time along the U.S.-Canada border, including at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor, Ont.

Once the Emergencies Act was invoked, police created a perimeter around key blocks in downtown Ottawa and established checkpoints to control entry into the area.