https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-68610123
Twenty-eight people have been jailed for up to 18 months for the harassment of an influencer in France's largest cyberbullying case to date.
Judges found the accused guilty of harassing Magali Berdah, spurred on by a campaign by the French rapper Booba against "thieving influencers".
The court in Paris heard that the harassment had "real consequences" to Ms Berdah's mental health.
Booba is facing a separate trail and denies aggravated harassment.
https://www.politico.com/news/2024/03/20/ohio-illinois-primaries-trump-takeaways-00147967
A number of Democratic incumbents in Illinois were challenged specifically for their positions on the Israel-Hamas war— and all survived easily, despite polls showing Democrats have become less comfortable with supporting Israel in the months since Hamas’ attack.
https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7309929059139673041/2271714580922661724
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, apologized Friday afternoon for telling a radio host that black voters torn between voting for him and President Trump “ain’t black,” remarks that ignited a firestorm online.
The remark sparked immediate pushback on social media, with liberal activists and conservatives alike jumping on Mr. Biden, 77, for acting as the arbiter of blackness. His words also exposed wounds among Democrats that date to 2016, when many leaders felt the party took black voters for granted.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/387019
Canada will end arms exports to Israel, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly told the Toronto Star today (Tuesday).
"It is a real thing," Joly said.
The announcement follows the approval by Canada’s parliament on Monday of a motion submitted by the New Democratic Party (NDP) on Palestinian statehood. The motion included calls for an immediate ceasefire to end Israel's military operations in Gaza and to end arms sales to Israel.
The motion was non-binding. Nevertheless, the Trudeau government intends to comply with it. When asked if the measures in the motion should now be considered the government's official position, Joly said it is "clearly the intent of this government."
Chullin (95b) An omen which is not after the form pronounced by Eliezer, Abraham's servant, or by Jonathan the son of Saul, is not considered a divination!
Malbim (Vayikra 19:26) And in what is written in Chulin (95), that every divination which isn’t like that of Eliezer is not prohibited., there is a dispute between the Rambam and the Ravad, and in my opinion also with the Rambam and those who say that the divination of Eliezer and Yonasan were prohibited actions. In fact they were not prohibited actions because they ascribed success to G-d’s providence. Since they knew G-d was with them in this matter they set a sign that G-d would notify them what to do or not to do. There are a number of similar events described in the gemora and Zohar in which they relied on a sign from G-d and thus they are not prohibited as darchei Emori.
Shoftim (06:36-37) 36. And Gideon said to God, If you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said, 37. Behold, I will put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; and if the dew is on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground elsewhere, then shall I know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said.
Netziv (Devarim 18:14): According to our explanation of Temimos as feeling completely secure and not worrying, why does the Torah recommend that one should be temimos and not go to astrologers but yet should consult instead the prophets about the future? The answer is that in general a person’s conduct in this world should be with simple trust in G-d and not to investigate the future - …. Nevertheless at a time of war when it is not clear what to do and it is a life threatening situations one must search to know what to do. … However it is obvious that at a time when there is no prophet it is necessary to use divination techniques….However not everything that an individual wants to know can he receive answers from a prophet. We see even for Moshe Rabbeinu (Moed Koton 16) that he only learned of the negative comments of Dasan and Aviram because of the messenger but not from his powers of prophecy. So surely this limitation on knowledge is true of other prophets. … .In contrast there is no such limitation for magic and divination which is the result of hidden natural processes and when someone uses them to know that which he needs he is merely using these natural processes which were produced by G-d .
Ohr HaChaim (Devarim 18:14): Jews were given prophets so that they would not be in an inferior to non Jews in terms of knowing the future. Perhaps that was Shaul’s understanding when he made inquiries of a diviner (Shmuel I 28:7) because G-d did not prohibit using diviners except when there are prophets. However when there are no prophets and there is a need to know diviners can be consulted.
Derashas HaRan (12:16) And if one would ask: if one is forbidden to resort to these signs and is called an augurer if he does so, how are we to understand (Chullin 95b): "Rav would test propitiousness by means of a ferry" if it came towards him, he would see it as a propitious sign. What difference is there between a ferry and a deer crossing one's path? — the answer is: though Rav tested propitiousness by means of a ferry, he did not make his future action entirely dependent upon the result of that test, but only sought some indication of whether he would meet with success; and even if the sign was that he would not, he would not, because of this, abandon his undertaking, knowing as he did that the Blessed One can change everything according to His will. Augury is forbidden only to him who relies upon it implicitly, as is made clear there (Ibid): "And even so [even though the meat in question had been under constant surveillance], Rav did not eat of that meat. Why not, if it had been under constant surveillance? It must be because he had unlawfully resorted to augury and therefore banned to himself the fruits, as it were, of that augury. But did not Rav himself say that any augurer who is not like Eliezer the servant of Abraham and Jonathan the son of Saul is not an augurer?" That is: if he does not rely implicitly upon his augury as did Eliezer the servant of Abraham, who said (Genesis 24:14): "And it will be that maiden to whom I say: 'Hand down your pitcher that I may drink' — and who answers: 'Drink, and I will also give your camels to drink' — she is the one whom You have designated for your servant Isaac," and as Jonathan the son of Saul, who said (I Samuel 14:10): "And if they say thus: 'Come up to us' — then we shall go up, for the L-rd has given them into our hand" — if one does not rely implicitly upon his augury as these did, then he is not considered an augurer. And Rav did not rely implicitly upon his augury but only said: "A ferry is coming towards me — it is a good day for wayfarers." He did not say that if a ferry came towards him he would go, and that if it did not, he would not.
Shemuel (1 14:08-10) 8. Then said Jonathan, Behold, we will pass over to these men, and we will reveal ourselves to them.9. If they say thus to us, Remain until we come to you; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to them.10. But if they say thus, Come up to us; then we will go up; for the Lord has delivered them into our hand; and this shall be a sign to us.
See Rav Sternbuch (1:454) תשובות והנהגות (חלק א' סי' תנד) מפורש בכתוב (דברים יח יג) 'תמים תהיה עם ד' אלקוך', ובפירש"י שם 'התהלך עמו בתמימות ולא תחקור אחר העתידות, ואמנם נראה דיסוד האיסור הוא רק כשתולה עתידו בדבר אחר וכדאיתא בפסחים (קיג:) 'מנין שאין שואלין בכלדאים (חוזי כוכבים) שנאמר 'תמים תהיה עם ד' אלוקיך', וכ"ה בשו"ע יו"ד סי' קע"ט אין שואלין בחוזים בכוכבים ולא בגורלות [וכ' ברמ"א] משום שנאמר תמים תהיה עם ד' אלוקיך ומשמע שהאיסור דוקא כשתולה עתידו בזה ולא בעצם החקירה אחר העתידות, וא"ש לשון הרמ"א באו"ח סי' תרס"ד שכתב 'ואינו ראוי לדרוש ולחקור אחר העתידות כלל, ומשמע שאינו איסור תורה אלא הוא בגדר אינו ראוי וכ"ה בספר חסידים תר"ה דמשמע שם שאינו איסור גמור ורק שומר נפשו ירחק מזה ע"ש. ועיין בהרמב"ן בהשגות לסה"מ עשה ח' שמנה עשה זו דתמים תהיה ביארה וז"ל, 'וענין הצוואה שנייחד לבבנו אילו לבדו יתברך ושנאמין שהוא לבדו עושה הכל וכו', וממנו לבדו נדרוש הבאות מנביאיו או מאנשי חסידיו ר"ל אורים ותומים ולא נבטח מהוברי שמים ולא מזולתם ולא נבטח שיביואו דבריהם עכ"פ אבל אם נשמע דבר מהם נאמר הכל בידי שמים כי הוא משנה מערכת הכוכבים והמזלות כרצונו, ונאמין כשל הבאות תהיינה אלינו כפי התקרבותינו לעבודתו יתברך, ע"ש. ונראה דכל האיסור לבטוח בהם אבל כשינו בוטח בהם אלא רוצה לידע מזלו כדי להתחזק בתשובה ומעש"ט, אינו אסור מן הדין אך מ"מ אין ראוי לעסוק בזה וכמו שביארנו. ועיין ירושלמי שבת (פ"ו ה"ט), שכל המנחש סופו לבא עליו שנא' כי לא נחש ביעקב, קרי לו נחש ומי גרם לו שינצל לפי שבטח בקב"ה, וע"ע נמוק"י סנהדרין סוף פרק ז' ושו"ת הרמב"ן סי' רפ"ב.
וכן במה שדרשו בספרי מנין שאין שואלין בגורלות שנאמר תמים תהיה עם ד' אלוקיך היינו ג"כ עד"ז כשתולה בגורל" העתידות, אבל כשעושה גורל להכריע בין שני צדדים שאין לו הכרעה שרי. וכעת הראוני ב"כרם שלמה" שציין להפוסקים בנקטו כן, האלף לך שלמה או"ח תס"ב חוו"י סי ס"א, תשובות גאוני קדמאי סי' ס'. ושמעתי מחמי זצ"ל שבכל דבר שהיו לו שני צדדים היה עושה לפי הגורל והיה אומר ד' מנת חלקי וכוסי אתה תומיך גורלי, ושאל לרבינו החזו"א אם מותר, והשיב לא דמותר ואין בזה חשש שאינו מקבל הדברים אלא כעצה.
וכתבו באחרונים דכיון שישראל אינם תחת המזלות רק בהשגחה מיוחדת מהבורא ית"ש, ולכך אפילו רואים במזלות אי אפשר לסמוך אצלם אלא בההווה ולא בהעתיד, אם כן אף שיכולים לפעמים לכוון ההווה, בישראל אי אפשר בעתידות, ואם הוא מאמין בה' ומתפלל אילו משנה גם מזלו, וכמבואר בשבת (קנו:) וא"כ באופן דאין שואלים לקבל תשובת הרואים כאמיתית לסמוך אל זה אין איסור מדינא.
לכן נראה שאין איסור לשאול ולחקור אצל המסתכל בכף היד, שיש יסוד בזוה"ק פרשת יתרו 'ואתה תחזה' שבגוף האדם בכפות אצבעותיו רמזים למעמדו ולמזלו, מ"מ עליו לידע שאצל עם ישראל הכל תלוי בתפילה ומעשים טובים, וגם נכריות אלו ידיעותיהן לא ברורות ולא מבינות בכף היד לגמרי, ומבלבלות בדברים שהם אמת ושקר יחד, וראוי שלא לשאול בהן כלל רק לסמוך על הקב"ה בעתידו, וברבוי תפלה צדקה ומעשים טובים ירחם עלינו בעולם הזה בבני חיי ומזוני ונזכה לחיי עלום הבא.
https://www.newsweek.com/aileen-cannon-jury-donald-trump-pra-trial-1880657
George Conway, a lawyer and frequent critic of Trump, wrote: "In the decades that I have been a lawyer, this is the most bizarre order I've ever seen issued by a federal judge.
"What makes that all the more amazing is that the second and third most bizarre orders I've ever seen in federal court were also issued by Judge Cannon in this case."
In a series of posts, Norm Eisen, who served as a special counsel to the House Judiciary Committee during the former president's first impeachment, said: "Cannon seems inclined to push the case to trial but is basically asking if she can stack the deck so Trump wins.
"It's clumsy & amateurish—seems to know she's wobbly & she's asking the parties for help with threshold things that are normally figured out by the judge."
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-792576
“I am for the defeat of Hamas. I believe that they are an evil terrorist group with not just Israeli, but American blood on their hands,” Biden said.
The president cautioned, however, that “there is a better way” than the strategy than the one Israel has outlined.
Rav Saadiya Gaon (Emunah v’deos 10:14) There are Torah scholars who thlnk that it is not appropriate for a person in this world to concern himself with anything other than the acquiring of wisdom... and I found everything they stated concerning wisdom to be true and correct, but their error is that they said that a person should only concern himself with acquiring wisdom and not do other things, because if a person does not concern himself with food, dwelling , and clothing, wisdom will be nullified since there is no existence without them, and if a person casts himself with these needs on other people, he will be despised and ignored, and his words will not be listened to. ... And the sons of Levi did not have a share of the grain but one of thirteen, because they are a tribe from among thirteen. , and G-d gave them the tithe to provide them with food. And these people were solely concerned with acquiring wisdom for otherwise wisdom would have been lost. They were involved exclusively in acquiring and teaching Torah wisdom. And thus it was beneficial for everyone
Trump has been trying since last year to drive a wedge between unions’ leaders, who are overwhelmingly aligned with Biden, and their rank-and-file membership. A significant part of last year’s UAW strike against the Big Three U.S. automakers involved fears that unionized auto workers would be left out of the EV transition, especially considering that much of the production of critical parts such as batteries occurs in non-union plants.
The MAGA-friendly federal judge who keeps siding with Donald Trump in his Mar-a-Lago classified records case has forced prosecutors to make a stark choice: allow jurors to see a huge trove of national secrets or let him go.
U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon’s ultimatum Monday night came as a surprise twist in what could have been a simple order; one merely asking federal prosecutors and Trump’s lawyers for proposed jury instructions at the upcoming trial.
But as she has done repeatedly, Cannon used this otherwise innocuous legal step as yet another way to swing the case wildly in favor of the man who appointed her while he was president.
https://www.newsweek.com/white-house-rips-donald-trumps-comments-jews-who-back-democrats-1880626
Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican presidential nominee, said during the segment: "Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion. They hate everything about Israel and they should be ashamed of themselves because Israel would be destroyed."
https://www.brooklynpaper.com/pa-man-sentenced-midwood-rabbi-fire/
According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, Karelefsky was caught on video lighting a fire under the front porch of Rabbi Jonathan Max’s East 17th Street home in the middle of the night on June 13, 2019. The fire quickly spread to two adjacent homes, forcing 13 people to evacuate, including Max and his family.
What nearly all of these incumbents have in common is that their opponents hail from the far-right fringes of the party. Where the incumbents are on Fox and Newsmax, the challengers are regulars on Bannon’s show, hoping to land endorsements from figures like Mike Lindell, Roger Stone, and Michael Flynn.
George Conway, an attorney and Trump critic, argued on social media that whether or not Trump was referring to the auto industry, what matters was his consistent use of "apocalyptic and violent language in an indiscriminate fashion as a result of his psychopathy and correlative authoritarian tendencies."
"It's a classic trait and technique of authoritarian demagogues," he said. "He catastrophizes *everything* to rile up his cultish supporters, and to bind them to him, and to make them willing to do his bidding."
