Sheinbaum refutes Trump’s border claim: ‘Mexico’s position is not to close borders’

 https://thehill.com/policy/international/5014093-mexico-claudia-sheinbaum-donald-trump-border-comments/

“In our conversation with President Trump, I explained to him the comprehensive strategy that Mexico has followed to address the migration phenomenon, respecting human rights,” Sheinbaum wrote Wednesday evening in a post on the social platform X, according to a translation from CNN.

“Thanks to this, migrants and caravans are assisted before they arrive at the border,” she added. “We reiterate that Mexico’s position is not to close borders but to build bridges between governments and between peoples.”

MPs may trust doctors to manage assisted dying. Disabled people like me cannot

 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/28/assisted-dying-bill-vote-mps-disabled-people-liz-carr

As someone who relies on the health service and the state for my survival, I simply have a healthy distrust of giving either of them any more power over my life – and death – than they already have. Though some people want the right to die, many of us are still fighting for the right to exist. That’s why I’m part of Not Dead Yet, an international network of disabled people who oppose a law that would give the state and the medical profession potentially even more involvement in many ill and disabled people’s lives.

Trump fires back at WSJ editorial, argues his tariff policies were a success

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4180825-trump-fires-back-at-wsj-editorial-argues-his-tariff-policies-were-a-success/

“The best way to stop this hemorrhaging of America’s lifeblood is a simple but powerful tariff on most foreign products, like the kind that was the primary source of government revenue through most of American history, and which built this country into the manufacturing powerhouse of the world,” Trump said.

However, the editorial board had also dismissed this argument, suggesting that the trade deficit “isn’t a useful measure of economic performance” and noting that the trade deficit increased under the former president even when adjusting for inflation.

What Trump’s New Tariff Threats Mean for the U.S. Economy

 https://www.wsj.com/economy/trade/what-trumps-new-tariff-threats-mean-for-the-u-s-economy-f0e4e69a

The stiff duties that President-elect Donald Trump threatened against the U.S.’s neighbors and big trading partners, along with the additional tariffs he promised against China, could raise prices for Americans on everything from fresh fruit from Mexico to lumber from Canada and Chinese electronics.

Remember the last time a country fooled around and found out?

Trump claims a win on immigration after a call with Mexico’s president. But she suggests no change

 https://apnews.com/article/trump-mexico-tariffs-sheinbaum-fentanyl-5fd2fc21950f47e5dbaf5c062c4725b7

 President-elect Donald Trump declared a win on stopping illegal immigration through Mexico on Wednesday after talking with that country’s leader. But Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum suggested Mexico was already doing its part and had no interest in closing its borders.

Welcome to Trump’s trade war – where no one wins because everyone just pays more for things

 https://www.theguardian.com/business/grogonomics/2024/nov/28/welcome-to-trumps-trade-war-where-no-one-wins-because-everyone-just-pays-more-for-things

If anyone was under any delusion that Donald Trump was not going to be as bonkers as he said he would be, then his announcement on Tuesday that he would slap a 25% tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico (and deeper tariffs on China) should remove all doubt.

“Tariff” has become the economic word of the year thanks to the incoming US president.

It is no surprise that there has been a spike in Americans searching “What is a tariff?” on Google (sadly more people are asking that now, rather than before the election).

The answer is this: a tariff is essentially an import tax.

And despite what Trump might tell you, it is not paid by the country or the company that is exporting things to your country.

Trump picks John Phelan, a businessman with no military experience, to be secretary of the Navy -drain the swamp!

 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/trump-picks-john-phelan-businessman-navy-secretary-rcna182003

In a statement Tuesday night, Trump touted Phelan’s “record of success” and said Phelan has “excelled in every endeavor,” including founding and leading Rugger Management LLC, a private investment firm based in Palm Beach, Florida.

Trump Wields a Tariff Bludgeon

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/trump-wields-a-tariff-bludgeon-ae051f6b?mod=hp_opin_pos_0

It’s also possible that Mr. Trump views tariffs not merely as a tool for ad hoc negotiation but as a lever to remake the entire global trading system. In that case he’ll try to build high tariff walls in an attempt to force U.S. and foreign companies to build nearly everything in America. The economic and political harm from that strategy is for another day, but investors can’t rule it out and members of Congress would be wise not to give him that power.

As we wrote during the campaign, tariffs were the main economic risk of his candidacy. Mr. Trump campaigned as the Tariff Man, and he aims to impose them early and often. Get ready for what could be a wild ride.

Trump Taps Financier and Art Collector With No Military Experience to Run the Navy

https://www.thedailybeast.com/who-is-john-phelan-financier-with-no-military-experience-tapped-to-run-the-navy/

 “Phelan has not served in the Navy. [Or] any other branch of military service,” tweeted Army veteran Paul Rieckhoff, the founder of the nonprofit Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America group. “But he is a big Trump donor. The least qualified and most overtly political cabinet in American history continues to expand.”

Genetic parents of IVF mixup baby request complete gag order

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/399850

The genetic parents of Sophia, born in 2022 following an IVF mixup at Assuta Hospital, respond to her birth parents' appeal to a higher court by requesting a gag on the existence of the entire legal process.

'She called “the most famous Rabbi in America” a murderer': Owens sues Rabbi Boteach

 https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-830835

This morning, Boteach posted on X that Owens was suing him. “She called 'the most famous Rabbi in America' a murderer and said I run a blackmail sex ring in Hollywood that killed Michael Jackson and brought down black celebrities like Hitler-lover Kanye West and others”

Thanksgiving: Wholesome Holiday or Chukos HaGoyim?

 https://ohr.edu/this_week/insights_into_halacha/11438?utm_source=rabbis-newsletter-c39c77.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=thanksgiving-wholesome-holiday-or-chukos-hagoyim

As with many issues in halacha, there are different approaches to Thanksgiving observance. In fact, Rav Moshe Feinstein alone has written four different responsa on topic, spanning several decades.[12] Although in the earlier teshuvos he seems to be against the idea of a Thanksgiving celebration (there possibly was more religious connotations involved in the early 1960s celebrations than in the 1980s), nevertheless, in his later teshuvos he does allow a Thanksgiving observance (he notes that it is not a religious celebration) with turkey being served, as long as it is not seen as an obligatory annual celebration,[13] but rather as a periodical ‘simchas reshus.’ All the same, Rav Moshe concludes that it is still preferable not to have a celebration specifically for Thanksgiving.

Tarifs Raise prices