Ben Shapiro visits Temple Mount with his father - report

 https://www.jpost.com/judaism/article-712925

Ben Shapiro had said earlier in his visit that "you can't visit Israel without going up to the Temple Mount."

Right-wing media personality Ben Shapiro went up to the Temple Mount with his father and prayed the afternoon prayer (Mincha) on Sunday, according to the Joint Headquarters of the Temple Mount Organizations.

An 'imposter Christianity' is threatening American democracy

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/07/24/us/white-christian-nationalism-blake-cec/index.html

One of the banners spotted at the January 6 insurrection was a replica of the American flag with the caption, "Jesus is My Savior, Trump is My President."

Erasing the line separating piety from politics is a key characteristic of White Christian nationalism. Many want to reduce or erase the separation of church and state, say those who study the movement.

One of the most popular beliefs among White Christian nationalists is that the US was founded as a Christian nation; the Founding Fathers were all orthodox, evangelical Christians; and God has chosen the US for a special role in history.

Marjorie Taylor Greene to GOP: 'We Should Be Christian Nationalists'

 https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-gop-we-should-christian-nationalists-1727445

"We need to be the party of nationalism," the Georgia lawmaker said during the interview. "I'm a Christian, and I say it proudly—we should be Christian nationalists."

Putin Ally Viktor Orbán, Praised by Tucker Carlson, Bashes Mixing of Races

 https://www.newsweek.com/putin-ally-viktor-orban-praised-tucker-carlson-bashes-mixing-races-1727448

Orbán's speech was meant to address the local Hungarian minority in Romania, according to Jonathan Eyal, an associate director at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) for Defence and Security Studies.

"Hungary's Viktor Orban each year goes to Romania's Transylvania to deliver nationalist speeches designed to galvanise the considerable local ethnic Hungarian minority. Few governments would allow such an open appeal to irredentism, but the Romanians have tolerated this," he tweeted Sunday.

Viktor Orbán sparks outrage with attack on ‘race mixing’ in Europe

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jul/24/viktor-orban-against-race-mixing-europe-hungary

The Romanian MEP Alin Mituța also responded angrily to Orbán’s comments. “Speaking about race or ethnic ‘purity’, especially in such a mixed region such as central and eastern Europe, is purely delusional and dangerous. And so is Mr Orban,” he wrote on Twitter.

Far-right Hungarian PM Orban decries European ‘race-mixing,’ sparking outrage

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-hungarian-pm-orban-decries-european-race-mixing-sparking-outrage/

Hungary’s conservative leader Viktor Orban denounced the “mixing” of races in a controversial speech on Saturday that has generated backlash.

Speaking in Romania, the Hungarian prime minister defended his vision of an “unmixed Hungarian race” as he criticized “mixing” with non-Europeans, The Guardian reported.

“We [Hungarians] are not a mixed race, and we do not want to become a mixed race either,” Orban said.

Habituation

 

Habituation

 https://nafshi.org/mishlei-13-20-habituation/

Thus, after a period of repeated sinning, the process of habituation desensitizes him to the seriousness of the sin, and it is no longer a struggle. Mishlei describes the phenomenon of habituation in terms of being pursued by the evil that the person has created through his own sin. Something similar is happening when he becomes desensitized to the value of the good that he is doing. However, it is not quite the same.

Rav Moshe Tendler

 https://mishpacha.com/brilliant-mind-golden-heart/

 As a son-in-law of the posek hador, Rav Moshe Tendler quickly became a major figure in Rav Moshe Feinstein’s positions on Jewish law and bioethics, writing many articles in prominent medical and Torah journals alike.

 

 This was a major problem in the yeshiva world as he and his son would assert that a certain view was from Rav Moshe and it wasn't accepted as such.

I once net him at a simcha and said to him,"Since you are the main source of Rav Moshe's knowledge of scientific information Why did Rav Moshe state that Natural child birth  is merely a trick to convince the woman she is not experiencing pain?" He replied that he "was not Rav Moshe's main source and that though he was not aware of this particular tshuva which is in Igros Moshe he agreed fully with it."

 

When Rav Moshe was niftar I was told that a number of major poskim went to Rav Dovid and asked him to clarify the major disputes regarding Rav Moshe's true views. He replied "let them believe what they want but I refuse to get involved in a public dispute in these matters." I was also told that this was in fact Rav Moshe' own attitude toward public disputes. As a consequence there is still not a clear view on many issues.

HALACHIC ARBITER IN A MEDICAL MAZE

 https://mishpacha.com/halachic-arbiter-in-a-medical-maze/

Among the many burdens shouldered by Rav Moshe Feinstein was his role as halachic arbiter in the rapidly-developing field of medicine. An astounding number of innovations spawned an equal number of questions. No matter what that subject – be it hearing aids, cancer drugs, reproductive medicine, or end-of-life issues -- Rav Moshe ruled with clarity and authority. Three physicians who merited personal access to Rav Moshe recall the giant who served as the era’s halachic beacon

47 House Republicans vote to write same-sex marriage into law

https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/19/house-republicans-same-sex-marriage-law-00046682

Attitudes concerning same-sex marriage have shifted rapidly in recent years. Republicans have largely moved on from their adamant opposition to same-sex marriage in cultural wars. A record 71 percent of people in the U.S. support gay marriage, according to a June poll from Gallup.

GOP freezes up on same-sex marriage

 https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/20/gop-freezes-same-sex-marriage-00046924

The 47 House Republicans who supported the legislation represent what would’ve been an unthinkable number just a decade ago, but still a solid minority of the GOP conference. Explaining his vote for the bill, ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus chair Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.) focused on its non-LGBTQ elements: “I don’t think that interracial marriages should be outlawed.”

Collins and Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) are co-sponsoring Baldwin’s legislation, which aides say is identical to the House’s version. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) said he’s likely to support it, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) said she’s “absolutely looking at how we can support marriage equality.”

Does The United States Have A Free Speech Problem?

Bannon Verdict Shows No Defense Sometimes Isn’t the Best Defense

 https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-23/bannon-verdict-shows-the-best-defense-sometimes-isn-t-no-defense

Steve Bannon’s lawyers chose not to call defense witnesses, submit evidence or let the jury hear directly from the longtime Donald Trump adviser in his contempt of Congress trial.

It was a gamble that didn’t pay off.

“Bannon talked a big game about his trial but could hardly have played it smaller,” said Lisa Griffin, a professor of criminal procedure at Duke University’s law school. “The arguments his counsel ultimately made were inconsistent with the evidence and focused on the most minute of technicalities.”