DeSantis' dangerous war on vaccines

 https://www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/desantis-dangerous-war-vaccines-rcna61711

Surely DeSantis, who graduated from Yale undergrad and Harvard Law School, knows this. In fact, when the vaccines were first introduced, he promoted their use. But as anti-vaccine attitudes increased among Republicans, he cynically changed course. As New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait points out, DeSantis’ defenders claim that he is merely questioning the efficacy of vaccine mandates — and that his opposition to forced vaccines is consistent with his “free state of Florida” ideology. But DeSantis’ recent actions show something quite different and far more disturbing — that he has fully embraced the language of vaccine opponents. By suggesting that vaccines produce side effects potentially more dangerous than Covid, he is providing aid and comfort to the one-third of Americans who stubbornly refuse to get vaccinated. 

DeSantis tacks further right amid 2024 speculation

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3777139-desantis-tacks-further-right-amid-2024-speculation/

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is tacking further to the right as he weighs a 2024 presidential bid, a strategy that could endear him to the GOP’s conservative base and help him outflank rivals — including former President Trump. 

Democrats and Republicans Must Take on Their Own Antisemitism | Opinion

 https://www.newsweek.com/democrats-republicans-must-take-their-own-antisemitism-opinion-1753982

It's time for the parties to do much more to tackle their own internal antisemitism. The GOP has much further to go, but that does not let Democrats off the hook. Listen to Jewish people when we call out bigotry. Stop tokenizing Jews who have joined pro-Trump or anti-Zionist crowds; they don't represent the vast majority of us. Acknowledge and reject the growing antisemitism in your midst. That's what needs to happen before it's too late.

Both Parties Must Fight Anti-Semitism in Their Ranks

 https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2021-12-07/republicans-and-democrats-alike-must-fight-anti-semitism-in-their-ranks

Today, though, too many people read the news — and scroll through Twitter — asking instead, “Is it good for the Republicans or good for the Democrats?” For them, partisan affiliation has become a religion, and their new tribe is their political identity. The problem is that partisanship can be blinding. And it blinds us to shameful wrongs in our own party that we would be outraged by if the other party committed them.

Unfortunately, that is true even of anti-Semitism.

The fact is that too many on the right seem only concerned about anti-Semitism when it occurs on the left — and vice versa. When anti-Semitism appears in their own ranks, they try to ignore it. Or, they will say, in effect, “Well, the anti-Semites in your party are far worse than the ones in mine.” It’s a perverse form of whataboutism, and we must reject it.

Police probe Rabbi Halpern sex assault claims

 https://www.thejc.com/news/news/police-probe-rabbi-halpern-sex-assault-claims-4oFNFKBRriSKVthQXwhQVQ

According to a therapist treating the young woman in Israel, where she now lives, the many hours of calls she received from Chaim Halpern which they recorded provide further evidence of inappropriate behaviour by the rabbi.

GOP support for same-sex marriage bill reflects a shift among Republican voters

 https://www.nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-politics-and-policy/gop-support-sex-marriage-bill-reflects-shift-republican-voters-rcna39089

Dozens of House Republicans voted with Democrats on Tuesday to codify same-sex marriage into federal law, breaking with the party’s longstanding position that marriage remains between one man and one woman.

Forty-seven Republicans across 21 different states joined a unanimous Democratic caucus in supporting the legislation, the Respect for Marriage Act, by a vote of 267-157, including Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the No. 3 Republican in the House; Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming; and Rep. Tom Emmer of Minnesota, who is the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee. The measure would repeal the Defense of Marriage Act of 1996, enshrine legal same-sex marriage for the purposes of federal law and bolster legal protections for same-sex married couples.

The move is a turning point for Republican lawmakers who have spent decades opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage and broader LGBTQ rights. It does, however, coincide with the country’s soaring support for marriage equality, which as of last year included a majority of Republican voters. 

Scenes from a celebration of the same-sex marriage law — at Mar-a-Lago

  https://www.politico.com/news/2022/12/16/celebration-same-sex-marriage-mar-a-lago-00074441

Hundreds of guests in tuxedos of all styles — sequined, quilted, velvet — and colorful gowns sipped on Trump-branded champagne and martinis. Between courses of steak and bite-sized Key lime pie, they danced to “YMCA” and “Macho Man,” the disco anthems at Trump rallies.

But the main attraction, obviously, was Trump. He received a standing ovation after delivering an enthusiastic affirmation of gay rights not often heard in the GOP.

“We are fighting for the gay community, and we are fighting and fighting hard,” the former president and 2024 candidate said. “With the help of many of the people here tonight in recent years, our movement has taken incredible strides, the strides you’ve made here is incredible.”

Following Twitter poll: Musk reinstates suspended journalists

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/364540

A number of senior journalists who were suspended from Twitter on Thursday were reinstated earlier today.

Twitter owner Elon Musk posted a poll regarding the suspended accounts, as he did regarding the reinstatement of former President Donald Trump’s account.

"The people have spoken," Elon Musk tweeted, "accounts who doxxed my location will have their suspension lifted now."

The suspended accounts belong to Donie O’Sullivan of CNN, Drew Harwell of The Washington Post, Ryan Mac of The New York Times, Matt Binder of Mashable, Micah Lee of The Intercept, Steve Herman of Voice of America and journalists Aaron Rupar, Keith Olbermann and Tony Webster.

Angry, irrational, erratic: This is Elon Musk’s Twitter

 https://www.vox.com/recode/2022/12/16/23512993/doxxing-elon-musk-twitter-journalist-ban

But I think we’re better off if we face reality on reality’s terms: One of the richest men in history bought something many of us use and like. Because he could. And now he’s going to run it based on his whims. Because he can.

Twitter suspends account that tracked Musk’s private jet, despite billionaire’s ‘free speech’ pledge

 https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/14/tech/elonjet-twitter-suspended/index.html

 Twitter on Wednesday permanently suspended an account that tracked the location of Elon Musk’s private jet, despite the social media company’s owner vowing last month he would leave the account up as part of his “commitment to free speech.”

The @ElonJet account, which had amassed more than 500,000 followers, was removed as the company posted a new set of edicts that appeared to be designed specifically to justify the removal of the jet-tracking account. The move comes after Musk has reinstated previous Twitter rule-breakers and stopped enforcing the platform’s policies prohibiting Covid-19 misinformation.

Condemnation pours in after woman seriously hurt by Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox rioters

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/condemnation-pours-in-after-woman-seriously-hurt-by-jerusalem-ultra-orthodox-rioters/

Lawmakers from across party lines on Friday condemned violent demonstrations in Jerusalem by hundreds of ultra-Orthodox extremists the night before in which a woman was seriously injured.

The 40-year-old woman, a mother of 10, was hospitalized with light injuries after she was hit by a burning trash bin sent rolling by the protesters. Overnight, her condition deteriorated and she was listed in serious condition by the morning.

The demonstration in the capital’s Mea Shearim neighborhood erupted in response to the arrest of a man suspected of torching a cell phone store several months ago.

The Donors to Tucker Carlson’s News Org—and Their Ethical Conflicts

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/donors-to-tucker-carlsons-daily-caller-news-foundation-revealed?ref=home

The non-profit that feeds the conservative Daily Caller website co-founded by Fox News host Tucker Carlson has accepted tens of thousands of dollars from entities and individuals who have received favorable coverage, including some who authored opinion pieces, a new filing shows.

The document—the Daily Caller News Foundation’s fiscal year 2021 tax statement—includes for the first time a list of donors to the 501(c)(4) organization, a so-called “dark money” group that is not required by law to disclose donor information. The filing also reveals that Carlson, who in 2020 announced he was leaving the Daily Caller and selling his stake in the website, is still the foundation chairman, and has not cut back on his hours.

Donald Trump's Trading Cards Keep Going Up in Price

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-trading-cards-keep-going-price-1767885

The price of former President Donald Trump's non-fungible tokens (NFTs) has continued to rise since they were first launched on Thursday and the value of the total collection has now passed $2 million.

The floor price for Trump's NFTs was listed as 0.282 Ethereum early Saturday morning, according to popular NFT trading site OpenSea. That's around $330.

Saturday's price reflects a considerable rise in value for Trump's NFT trading cards in the days since the product was first launched as part of what the former president referred to as a "major announcement."

Democrats more likely than Republicans to see antisemitism in the US as a serious problem

 Democrats more likely than Republicans to see antisemitism in the US as a serious problem

A national survey found that Democrats are twice as likely as Republicans to believe that prejudice against Jews is a serious problem in the US and that antisemitism poses a growing threat to Jews.

The divide between Republicans and Democrats in the Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday tracks with previous polling — but it also comes after weeks of antisemitic invective from the rapper and designer Kanye West, who now identifies as a Christian conservative and who has courted Republicans.

It also comes after former President Donald Trump, a Republican, dined with West, who is now known as Ye, and Nick Fuentes, a prominent Holocaust denier, and after multiple government and nonprofit groups have reported spikes in reported attacks on Jews.