Disney sues DeSantis and oversight board after vote to nullify agreement with special taxing district

 https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/26/politics/disney-desantis-reedy-creek-power/index.html

Walt Disney Parks and Resorts on Wednesday sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his hand-picked oversight board, accusing the Republican 2024 presidential prospect of weaponizing his political power to punish the company for exercising its free speech rights.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court minutes after the board appointed by DeSantis to oversee Disney’s special taxing district sought to claw back its power from the entertainment giant, voting to invalidate an agreement struck between Disney and the previous board in February, just before that board’s dissolution.

Malka Leifer in Australian court as judge weighs sentence after sex abuse conviction

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/malka-leifer-in-australian-court-as-judge-weighs-sentence-after-sex-abuse-conviction/

Former Jewish girls school principal and now convicted sex offender Malka Leifer was ordered on Wednesday to appear in an Australian court in June for a two-day sentencing hearing.

Tucker Carlson’s disparaging comments about Fox leaders led to his ouster: report

 https://thehill.com/homenews/media/3972590-tucker-carlsons-disparaging-comments-fox-leaders-ouster-report/

Tucker Carlson, the leading prime time host who was ousted from his job this week, was shown the door at the cable news giant in part because of comments he made in private about his Fox News colleagues and bosses, according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.

Trump's Attorney Knows Jurors May 'Hate' His Client

 https://www.newsweek.com/trumps-attorney-knows-jurors-may-hate-his-client-1796677

The former president has continued to deny any wrongdoing in relation to Carroll. A spokesperson for Trump previously told Newsweek that Carroll's suit is "just another part of the witch hunt targeted to interfere and tamper with a Presidential election."

"The radical, deranged Democrats will stop at nothing in order to prevent the American people from choosing President Donald Trump—the overwhelming frontrunner by far— as their 47th President," the spokesperson said. "The lunatics will fail and President Trump will Make America Great Again!"

The Start of the E. Jean Carroll Rape Trial Wasn’t a Good Look for Trump

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-start-of-the-e-jean-carroll-rape-trial-wasnt-a-good-look-for-trump?ref=home?ref=home

The E. Jean Carroll trial against Donald Trump for rape and defamation began poorly for the former president, with opening statements by lawyers for both parties starting with Trump’s decision to not bother showing up in person.

In court today, E. Jean Carroll was in full view of the jurors with her gaze “fixed on Tacopina [Trump’s lawyer]” during his opening. Carroll’s presence signaled to the jury that she stands behind her allegations and that she is unafraid to let them see for themselves her demeanor and reactions. Thus the jurors had no view of Trump to compete with the sexual predator that Carroll’s lawyer portrayed him to be other than the attacks on Carroll’s character made by Trump’s attorney, Joe Tacopina. Trump’s absence made Tacopina his stand-in for the start of the trial and while his blustery style might make him an excellent choice as a debate practice stand-in for Trump, it is unlikely to be helpful in a case where Trump is accused of rape (sexual battery) and defamation.

Treating Terrorists First – A Halachic Analysis

 https://www.5tjt.com/treating-terrorists-first/

At first glance, it seems like the type of inane directive that would make one’s blood boil. It is thus quite understandable how ZAKA’s chairman and founder, Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, made it clear that ZAKA’s medics would turn their attention to the victims first, regardless of the injuries sustained by their attacker.

Five takeaways on Tucker Carlson’s exit from Fox News

 https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/3967348-five-takeaways-on-tucker-carlsons-exit-from-fox-news/

The Los Angeles Times on Monday reported that Rupert Murdoch made the decision to boot him from Fox and pointing to two factors that reportedly led to the decision: the ongoing discrimination lawsuit filed by Abby Grossberg, a former producer for Carlson and Maria Bartiromo, and Carlson’s recent coverage of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Florida surgeon general altered key findings in study on Covid-19 vaccine safety

 https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/24/florida-surgeon-general-covid-vaccine-00093510

Yet the researchers who viewed a copy of the edits said Ladapo removed an important analysis that would have contradicted his recommendation. Daniel Salmon, director of the Institute for Vaccine Safety at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, called Ladapo’s changes “really troubling.”

Tucker Carlson terminated because of Dominion lawsuit

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/04/24/tucker-carlson-leaves-fox-news/

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/24/media/tucker-carlson-fox-news/index.html

Carlson’s departure at Fox News comes after the network also severed ties with right-wing bomb thrower Dan Bongino, who had been a regular fixture on the network’s programming, in addition to hosting a weekend show.

“Folks, regretfully, last week was my last show on Fox News on the Fox News Channel,” Bongino said on Rumble, chalking up the exit to a contract dispute.

“So the show ending last week was tough. And I want you to know it’s not some big conspiracy. I promise you. There’s not, there’s no acrimony. This wasn’t some, like, WWE brawl that happened. We just couldn’t come to terms on an extension. And that’s really it.”

Contemporary Tzaraat?

 https://www.torahmusings.com/2022/04/contemporary-tzaraat-2/

The question why we don’t observe the laws of metzora has troubled many Torah scholars. In his introduction to his Tiferet Yisrael commentary on Mishnah Nega’im, R. Yisrael Lipschitz recalls that in his youth he asked the great R. Akiva Eiger this question. He responded that he himself was wondering the same thing for a long time and does not have a good answer. ^[18] R. Lipschitz himself answers along the lines of Rambam. Whereas Rambam stressed the need for a kohen meyuchas in determining a metzora to be impure, R. Lipschitz claimed it was essential for the purification process. Because the purification process included shaving the head, it could only be done if the metzora was really impure and had now been cured. But since a metzora can only become impure by the pronouncement of a real kohen, if it turned out the kohen was not a valid kohen, the shaving of the head would be a Torah violation. ^[19]

Majorities don’t want Biden, Trump to run in 2024: survey

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/3965267-majorities-dont-want-biden-trump-to-run-in-2024-survey/

Most Americans in a new poll don’t want former President Trump to run for the White House in 2024, and a majority doesn’t want President Biden to run for reelection, either, as he prepares for an expected campaign launch that could come as early as this week.

A new NBC News poll found that 60 percent of Americans think Trump shouldn’t try to retake the Oval Office — including roughly a third of Republicans. Thirty percent of those who think he shouldn’t campaign in 2024 cite the criminal charges he faces in New York as a “major” reason.

Israel arrests Jordanian MP for trying to smuggle 200 guns into West Bank, says Amman

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/israel-arrests-jordanian-mp-over-weapons-and-gold-smuggling-says-amman/

Israel arrested a Jordanian parliamentarian on suspicion of smuggling over 200 guns and gold into the West Bank, Jordan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday.

According to Jordan’s Ammon news outlet, the arrest took place Saturday evening at the Allenby Bridge border crossing, as MP Imad al-Adwan was heading into Israel by car.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry declined to comment on the episode.

UK Labour MP suspended after saying Jews don't experience racism

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-740041

Labour Against Antisemitism (LAAS) Spokesperson Fiona Sharpe issued a statement stating that Abbott's letter was unacceptable. 

Sharpe added that the letter attempted to "reduce the racism faced by Jews to mere prejudice when in living memory 6 million Jews were systematically slaughtered in Europe for their race is grossly offensive."

Sharpe added "In the UK today, 1 in 5 of all Jews has suffered a racist attack..."

Book scanner

 I need to scan books - 100's of pages into pdf or word format

There are many scanners for books with features such as autofocus page flattening and curved surfaces - does anyone recommend a particular model or whether it is better to use a professional service - which I am still looking for in Jerusalem.