‘Welcome to the Elon Musk presidency’ where Trump is VP: Dem Rep. blasts GOP ‘chaos’

President Musk fueled backlash to spending plan with false and misleading claims

https://www.politico.com/news/2024/12/18/elon-musk-false-claims-cr-00195252

 A bipartisan deal to avert a government shutdown collapsed Wednesday amid a sustained campaign against the package led by billionaire Elon Musk — one featuring a series of false and misleading statements.

Musk used his social network X to stir Republicans into a frenzy over the stopgap spending bill filed the night before by House Speaker Mike Johnson, who was forced by his thin majority to negotiate with Democrats on a resolution that could pass in time to avert a government shutdown that would start 12:01 a.m. Saturday.

The billionaire falsely claimed that members of Congress would get a 40 percent pay raise as part of the package — something both Musk and the X account for his so-called Department of Government Efficiency got wrong.

Musk reposted a claim that the bill would provide $3 billion for a new NFL stadium in Washington. Not true: The bill transfers control of the site of the existing RFK Stadium to the D.C. local government for redevelopment, which could potentially include a stadium. No federal funds are changing hands as part of the transaction.

Government funding plan collapses as Trump makes new demands days before shutdown

 https://apnews.com/article/government-shutdown-congress-trump-elon-budget-house-republican-05481374b154949c3fe1270141a02918

The president-elect made an almost unrealistic proposal that combined some continuation of government funds along with a much more controversial provision to raise the nation’s debt limit — something his own party routinely rejects. “Anything else is a betrayal of our country,” they wrote.

Dems Troll ‘Vice President’ Trump as Musk Meddles With Government Funding Bill

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/dems-troll-vice-president-trump-as-musk-meddles-with-government-funding-bill/

Regarding the pair’s efforts to kill the spending bill that House Speaker Mike Johnson had painstakingly negotiated with Democratic leaders, New York Rep. Daniel Goldman told MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell, “It’s not Donald Trump asking for this. It’s very clearly President Elon Musk asking for this.”

“The fact that Donald Trump has been completely AWOL during these negotiations to the point where only after Elon Musk publicly tweets about his displeasure, about this budget deal,” he continued, “all of a sudden Donald Trump, chief of staff to Elon Musk, comes trotting in and blows up the deal.”

Senators Baffled as Trump, Musk Throw Last-Minute Wrench Into Spending Plan

 https://www.newsweek.com/senators-react-trump-musk-government-spending-bill-2003235

Trump's directive to tank the spending plan threw Congress into chaos and sent lawmakers back to the drawing board. They have until Friday—just days before Christmas—to pass the continuing resolution, or the government will shut down.

Making stories up about Rav Moshe

 Mesores Moshe, (vol. 4, p. 434): I asked Rabbi Feinstein whether the well known story that is told about him was correct. The claim is that he once drank by mistake some non cholov Yisroel milk in America. When he was informed of the mistake he went to the bathroom and forced himself to vomit out the milk. Rav Moshe looked at me like I was crazy and he said, "It never happened! Someone who had nothing to do made up this story." I told him that is what I had assumed because it was difficult to believe that he would be so strict in a matter which was essentially permitted. Furthermore what benefit would result from vomiting it out. The critical issue is to avoid the pleasure in drinking. I think he agreed with me.

It is interesting to see that Mordechai Tendler wrote this. However a number of years ago, after I had heard that the story was told at a Beis Yakov graduation by the principal. I personally asked him about the story. He replied that he had no personal knowledge about it but could not believe that Rav Moshe would do something so disgusting. He said it went against his nature

How Do I Choose Between Medication and Therapy?

 https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/medication-or-therapy

For problems with parenting, marriage or adjustment, psychotherapy is usually the first recommendation. This treatment can help you build skills and respond more appropriately to stressors.

The ‘perfect’ predator

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2024/texas-police-chief-kevin-coffey-child-sexual-abuse/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f001

Speaking out against law enforcement is especially difficult in small towns, where cops are deeply embedded in the communities they serve. For the residents, there are often fewer avenues to lodge misconduct complaints and less protection from retaliation.

Biden Slaps Down Trump and Explains the Mystery Drones

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/biden-slaps-down-trump-and-explains-the-mystery-drones/

On Monday, President-elect Donald Trump nevertheless insisted at a press conference that “something strange is going on” and claimed government officials “don’t want to tell the people” what’s happening. “I think they’d be better off saying what it is,” Trump said. “Our military knows and our president knows, and for some reason they want to keep people in suspense.”

A joint statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Defense Department, and the FBI separately said that over 5,000 drone sightings have been reported to authorities in recent weeks. The agencies found that the sightings to date “include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, and law enforcement drones, as well as manned fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and stars mistakenly reported as drones.”

Over one million drones are lawfully registered with the FAA and “thousands” of them are in the skies of the U.S. on any given day, the statement said. “We have not identified anything anomalous and do not assess the activity to date to present a national security or public safety risk over the civilian airspace in New Jersey or other states in the northeast,” it added.

Natural Childbirth

Igros Moshe (YD II #75 p140) His wife wants to be a awake at the time of her birth because they say that the labor pains will be a little easier by distracting her from the pain. If you were to ask me, I would not advise doing this because the birth pains are so great that the distraction will not be of any use and it is only a matter of tricking the mother. However if the woman wants it there is no prohibition in doing it. And if she does have natural childbirth, How long is the husband permitted to touch her when she is lying on the bed since it is not possible to ascertain when she can no longer to walk which is the time she is prohibited to him because of Nida? The prohibition of Nida is from the time she sits on the birthing stool. In such a case she is prohibited as nida from the time she is told to lie down in bed because of the birth pains and requests the doctor or midwife. The husband therefore needs to treat her as a Nidah since it is not sitting on the birth stool that causes the womb to open but rather the closer it is to the actual birth that makes her want to sit on the birthing stool there is a greater possibility that she will be a Nidah. Therefore the husband needs to be concerned for this and the possibility that she can no longer walk and thus is prohibited as Nidah.

I once asked Rav Moshe Tendler about claiming that natural childbirth just tricks a woman into thinking there is less pain. I said, "that since you are Rav Moshe's adviser concerning science and medicine how could he say this is just a trick?" He answered that he was not the sole source of Rav Moshe's knowledge and that he was unaware of the existence of this tshuva. But in fact he agreed with it.  

Coeducation

Igros Moshe (Y.D. 01:137): Coeducation, for even the youngest children, is surely something that would not please our Sages. While small children experience neither temptation nor lewd thoughts, we must still train them to distance themselves from women. Yet when they study together, they become accustomed to closeness. They will remain accustomed to this when they grow up, as well, when they do face temptation, and the danger of lewd thought. Therefore, although there is no risk of breaking any prohibition now, our educational duty still stands." I am willing to be lenient in an emergency, where an all-girl school cannot be formed, and the alternative is public school." which teaches neither faith nor good deeds. Better that very young children, regarding whom the prohibition does not apply, should be educated in schools founded by the God-fearing, even if boys and girls study together. It is clear and simple that if there is any chance of founding an all-girl school, it must be done. Of course, slightly older children are legally forbidden'" to study either religious or secular subjects in such a school.

Therapist who is not religious

 Igros Moshe(YD II 57 p77) Regarding mentally ill people that need to go to doctors, the psychiatrist or psychologist. Is it permitted to go to those who are non believers and heretics? In my humble opinion they should not go to such doctors to be cured. That is because the healing doesn’t come from drugs but from the intensive discussions they have with their patient which reveal the thoughts which are causing suffering. The therapist then advises the patient what to do . Obviously, there is concern that the therapist will give advice occasionally that is against the laws of the Torah and even against fundamental religious principles, conduct and modesty. This is not comparable to being healed for physical ailments by a regular doctor who is a heretic or denier since the cure comes from physical medicine or treatment and thus the religious beliefs of the doctor are irrelevant. The prohibition to be cured by heretics is only with those cures involving incantations or idolatrous names {Tofos Avoda Zara 27; Shulchan Aruch YD 155]. However in the case of psychology and psychiatry where the cure comes entirely from words, there is a clear concern that he will use words of heresy or nivul peh. However if they are truly professionals and they promise the parents that they will not speak anything against religion and mitzvos of the Torah, then perhaps you can rely on the fact that they are professional and will not lie. Therefore it is best to find a therapist who is Torah observant but if one is not available you should obtain a promise that there will not be any discussions with the patient concerning faith and Torah.

Kesuba saying she is a virgin when she has already told the groom it isn't true

 Igros Moshe (OC IV #118) Writing the ketubah for a woman who had been sexually active and she has already informed the groom, there is no need to tell the rabbi performing the ceremony since the groom will sign the ketubah and he has agreed to the kesubah saying that she is a virgin even though it isn’t so. Since she is not deceiving him and he in fact wants to obligate himself according to the amount for a virgin and thus is no different than any additions voluntarily added to the kesubah.

Shidduchim: Does a sexually active unmarried woman need to reveal this to the man she marries?

 Igros Moshe (OC IV #118) And as for whether you need to tell the guy that wants to marry you, of course you need to tell him, but you don't need to tell him the first time that you meet when  it is not yet known if he wants the match at all and in any case then you must not tell him then. Only after you know that he clearly wants to marry you and has already told you and spoken regarding marriage, you only need to say that it happened, when you didn't have such a serious head to withstand temptation against repeated seduction, and you immediately regretted sinning and were upset that something like this happened until he recognizes from your words that he should not be concerned that it will happen after you are married. Only then should you reveal this information since he wants you because he realizes how wonderful and pious you really are and truly believes that you won’t do it again and that you will be totally devoted to your husband and faithful to him