Iran’s State TV Laughs Off Israel’s Retaliation Attack

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/irans-state-tv-laughs-off-israels-retaliation-attack?ref=home?ref=home

As reports of the Israeli attacks grabbed world headlines, an extraordinary segment unfolded on Iran’s pro-regime Press TV, where correspondent Gisoo Misha Ahmadi totally dismissed Israel’s retaliation.

“I would suggest our viewers—if they want to have a good laugh—they can check social media reports from citizens who are there, who are actually making fun of all the commotion that was made by Israeli media about a possible attack,” she said.

Ahmadi conceded that Iran is on a high state of alert and took down a series of drones that were approaching Iranian airspace but she claimed that was the extent of the threat.

“Everything is completely normal,” she said. “And people are enjoying the weekend.”

Sinai is hollow?

 The gemora says that G-d held Mt Sinai over the Jews like a barrel and threaten to kill them if they didn't accept the Torah

Shabbos (88a) And they stood under the mount:15 R. Abdimi b. Hama b. Hasa said: This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He,  the mountain upon them like an [inverted] cask, and said to them,’If ye accept the Torah, ‘tis well; if overturnednot, there shall be your burial.

Rashi  says a barrel is lethal because of the gas it contains

Sanhedrin (77a) It has been stated: If one overturned a vat upon a man who then died of suffocation, or broke open a ceiling above him, Raba and R. Zera differ One ruled that he is liable, the other that he is not. 

Ben Yehoyada (Shabbos 88a) מְלַמֵּד, שֶׁכָּפָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת הָהָר כְּגִיגִית. יש להקשות למה עשאו 'כְְּגִיגִית' שחפרו ועשה בו בית קיבול כמו גִיגִית, ודי להניחו כמו שהוא למעלה מראשיהם? ואם כדי שלא יברחו וינוסו מתחתיו, מי זה יברח מיד ה'? שאם יצאו מתחתיו גם ההר ילך על גבי ראשיהם! ועוד יש כאן קושיא ידועה הלא הם קבלו ברצון לב את התורה שהקדמו נעשה לנשמע? ועוד יש להקשות אומרו שָׁם תְּהֵא קְבוּרַתְכֶם, והוה ליה למימר 'כַּאן' דהא עומדים תחת ההר? ונראה לי בס"ד כי הם קבלו תורה שבכתב כפי מה שיגידו המקראות כמו הקראין דאזלי בתר פשט המקרא, ולא היו רוצין לקבל תורה שבעל פה אשר בכל תיבה ותיבה של המקרא תולה בה תלי תלים של הלכות, ולכך אמרו 'נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע' רצונו לומר נַעֲשֶׂה כפי אשר נִשְׁמָע מן פשט המקראות. והוא יתברך כָּפָה אותם על תורה שבעל פה, ולכן עשה את הָהָר לעיניהם חפור בתוכו כמו 'גִיגִית' לרמוז להם שכל תיבה ותיבה של המקרא היא כמו גיגית שיש לה בית קיבול ומטילים לתוכה יין אשר תכיל אלף אלפים טיפות יין בקרבה, ועל מנת כן אתם חייבים לקבל את תורה שבכתב. וידוע כי המאמין בדרשות של תורה שבעל פה ורמזים אשר בזה הוא מבין דבר מתוך דבר ומוציא הלכה מתוך הלכה, הנה זה הוא 'בן עולם הבא' שהיא סוד בינה, יען כי משמעות בינה הוא כך שיבינו דבר מתוך דבר, מה שאין כן מי שאינו מודה בכך הרי זה אין לו חלק לעולם הבא! ומפורש בדברי רבינו האר"י ז"ל על מה שנאמר 'אין לו חלק לעולם הבא' היינו שישאר במלכות שהיא סוד העשיה. וזה שאמר כָּפָה הָהָר כְּגִיגִית שיש לה בית קבול, לרמוז על תורה שבעל פה שעושה לכל תיבה בית קבול שתכיל בקרבה כמה אלפים הלכות שבזאת תהיה עיקר קבלת התורה, ואמר להם אִם אַתֶּם מְקַבְּלִים הַתּוֹרָה, הידיעה היא תורה שבעל פה שעליה נאמר (איוב יא, ט) וּרְחָבָה מִנִּי יָם, מוּטָב, אִם לָאו, שָׁם, במלכות הנקראת 'שם' שה"ס [שהוא סוד] עשיה, בסוד (שמואל ב' ח, יג) וַיַּעַשׂ דָּוִד שֵׁם תִּהְיֶה קְבוּרַתְכֶם, כלומר מקום שלכם שלא תזכו לעולם הבא שה"ס בינה, אלא תשארו במלכות שנקראת 'שם'. 

What's safer? Jerusalem and Tel Aviv or NYC, Chicago and San Francisco?

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388767

Terrible and terrifying for Jews. Israelis are overwhelmingly not leaving Israel for many reasons, including the fact that many are scared to travel to the US, especially to New York City and San Francisco.

Anti-Israel Protesters Confused About Meaning of 'Ceasefire'

 https://www.newsweek.com/anti-israel-protesters-confused-about-meaning-ceasefire-opinion-1891343

As a Palestinian human rights activist who supports the peaceful coexistence of Israelis and Palestinians, I am deeply troubled by the reactions of certain anti-Israel groups in the United States to the Islamic Republic of Iran's recent attack on Israel. Their exuberant celebrations and justifications for such aggression starkly contradict their professed commitment to peace and reveal a profound hypocrisy that undermines diplomacy and dialogue in the Middle East.

This weekend's Iranian attack was a calculated military aggression involving more than 300 projectiles, with around 170 drones, more than 30 cruise missiles, and more than 120 ballistic missiles aimed and fired directly at Israeli territory. The assault is simply a more overt continuation of the war that Iran has been waging since the 1979 seizure of power by the jihadist Ayatollahs, which it promotes in the chant: "Death to America, Death to Israel."

Iran asserts that the attack was an act of "revenge" or "punishment" against Israel for its targeted killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard General Mohammad Reza Zahedi in Damascus in recent weeks. The truth is that Iran launched this round of violence: Zahedi is known for his involvement in orchestrating the Oct. 7 massacre of more than 1,200 Jews in Israel by Hamas, including 30 Americans.

Biden urges Congress to act on Israel aid, says Iran aims ‘to destroy Israel forever’

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/biden-urges-congress-to-act-on-israel-aid-says-iran-aims-to-destroy-israel-forever/

 US President Joe Biden called on Congress to immediately pass an aid package for Israel and Ukraine, in an op-ed published in The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.

Legislation has been stalled for months amid opposition from House Republicans fueled by former US president Donald Trump. House Speaker Mike Johnson, however, informed GOP lawmakers on Wednesday that he will begin the days-long push to hold votes on the funding packages for Israel and Ukraine, as well as one earmarked for allies in the Indo-Pacific.

While both Israel and Ukraine “can capably defend their own sovereignty, they depend on American assistance, including weaponry, to do it, and this is a pivotal moment,” Biden wrote, pointing to strikes by Iran and Russia on Israel and Ukraine over the weekend.

US and Israel meet on Rafah days after Iran’s attack

 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/04/18/us-israel-rafah-meeting-00153043

The U.S. and Israel are holding another tense meeting on a future Rafah operation Thursday, a sign that Iran’s attack isn’t halting negotiations over Israel’s conduct in the war against Hamas.

Both sides are attending a virtual session, a senior Biden administration official and Israeli official told POLITICO, where senior leaders discuss how to target Hamas’ roughly 3,000 fighters in Rafah while protecting the city’s 1.4 million Palestinians. National security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to lead the conversation for the Biden administration. Sullivan’s Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi, is heading his nation’s delegation.

Russia Calls on UN to Sanction Israel

 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-calls-un-sanction-israel-1891924

Russia is urging the United Nations (U.N.) to sanction Israel for failing to comply with a resolution that demanded a Gaza cease-fire during Ramadan.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 2728, which was passed by the council amid the Muslim holy month on March 25, called for an immediate halt to the hostilities, which began following the October 7 surprise attack by Hamas.

The resolution was passed by a 14-0 vote, with the United States abstaining over the omission of a clause condemning Hamas. Israel ignored the cease-fire demand, continuing its assault on Gaza through the end of Ramadan on April 9 and beyond.

Russia, which remains buried under an avalanche of its own international sanctions due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, objected to the lack of punishment for Israel during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday.

America's zombie "crime wave"

 https://popular.info/p/americas-zombie-crime-wave

But is there a crime wave in America? Without a doubt, people believe that crime continues to surge. A Gallup poll found that 78% of Americans believe that there was more crime in 2022 than in 2021. (Only 13% believed it declined.) 

US vetoes, Security Council resolution accepting PA as full member fails to pass

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388754

The US on Thursday vetoed a Security Council resolution to admit the Palestinian Authority as a full member state of the United Nations.

12 countries voted in favor of the resolution: Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Russia, South Korea, Mozambique, Malta, Japan, Guyana, France, Ecuador, China, and Algeria.

Two countries abstained – Britain and Switzerland.

Israel Launches Retaliatory Strike on Iran

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-activates-air-defenses-and-cancels-flights-27b6d416

Israel retaliated overnight against Iran’s massive drone and missile attack on its territory, people familiar with the matter said—with what appeared to be a limited strike aimed at avoiding an escalatory cycle that could push the countries closer toward war. 

The strike targeted the area around Isfahan in central Iran, one of the people said. Iranian media and social media reported explosions near the city, where Iran has nuclear facilities and a drone factory, and the activation of air-defense systems in provinces across the country after suspicious flying objects were detected. 

Senate squashes historic impeachment charges against Mayorkas

 https://www.axios.com/2024/04/17/senate-dismisses-historic-impeachment-mayorkas-border-immigration

Senate Democrats on Wednesday quickly squashed impeachment charges against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a swift end to the GOP's attempt to oust him.

Why it matters: 

Killing the charges without a full trial highlights how Democrats saw the impeachment as political theater, but Republicans argue it sets a dangerous precedent.

Senators voted along party lines to rule the articles of impeachment unconstitutional for not meeting the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.

MAGA Media Learns in Real-Time That NYC Isn’t a Dystopian Hellscape

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-media-learns-in-real-time-that-nyc-isnt-a-dystopian-hellscape?ref=home

While speculating about the jury selection and how Trump faces an uphill climb with the largely Democratic base of New York, Glenn suddenly admitted that the city wasn’t quite what he expected based on what he’d been fed by conservative media.

In a clip flagged by journalist Jacqueline Sweet, Glenn noted that he and his crew had driven in from Philadelphia on Sunday and spent the day “exploring” New York and came to the stunning realization that the city was fairly peaceful.

“I gotta say, I thought I would see more [of a] homeless situation here,” he said. “I thought I would see a little more chaos on the streets than, um, from what I’ve been told. And I didn’t see as much as I thought I would.”

The MAGA pundit went on to speculate that New York City Mayor Eric Adams may have “cleaned up certain parts of the city” in anticipation of the press coverage Trump’s trial would bring, adding that Adams could have “shifted” undesirable elements to “other parts of the city.”

Senate dismisses Mayorkas impeachment without trial

 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4600362-mayorkas-impeachment-dismissed-trial/

The Senate voted Wednesday to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, shutting down the possibility of a lengthy Senate trial, which Republicans had demanded to bring attention to the Biden administration’s record on immigration and border security.

It marked the first time in 225 years the Senate voted to immediately dismiss impeachment charges approved by the House instead of holding a floor trial or referring the matter to a special committee to review it.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Demands Space Lasers To Combat Migrants

 https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-demands-space-lasers-migrant-crisis-border-israel-1891563

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for the development of "space laser technology" at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Israel has some of the best unmanned defense systems in the world," the controversial Republican congresswoman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a proposed amendment to legislation.

"I've previously voted to fund space lasers for Israel's defense. America needs to take our national security seriously and deserves the same type of defense for our border that Israel has and proudly uses," she added.