Just was consulted as to the best response to misbehavior including off the Derech children |If you pay attention to the Torah way to change behavior, it is clearly heavily in favor of harsh consequences. Death Penalty or beatings. On the other hand we see that parents are often advised to give unconditional love to children or students who deviate. At one time parents would drive away misbehaving children or children were told to cut contact with less than perfect parents. Which is the correct approach? However it seems that the approved approach keeps changing. So what to do? The answer is that both approaches work sometimes but not always both can succeed sometimes and both can result in really bad consequences.
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Confirmed as Trump's Health Secretary
https://www.newsweek.com/robert-f-kennedy-jr-confirmed-trumps-health-secretary-2030707
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed Thursday by the U.S. Senate as President Donald Trump's Department of Health and Human Services secretary.
Kennedy was approved by a 52-48 vote. Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to vote "no" for Kennedy's confirmation. McConnell, who is serving his seventh term and has not yet disclosed plans to run for reelection, also broke with Trump in voting "no" for both Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
As the nation's health secretary, Kennedy will oversee $1.7 trillion in spending on vaccines, food safety, and health insurance programs that serve nearly half the population. A prominent lawyer and outspoken vaccine critic, Kennedy has drawn both support and controversy.
At 71, Kennedy has been in the national spotlight since childhood due to his famous lineage and family tragedies. Over the years, he has cultivated a substantial following with his populist—and at times extreme—views on food, chemicals, and vaccines.
The Last Straw
https://yated.com/the-last-straw/
I am not sure this is about paper versus plastic. It seems more about the doctrine of the anti-Biden.
Fact-checking Elon Musk's claims in the Oval Office
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cwyjz24ne85o
Elon Musk has made a number of exaggerated or unevidenced claims during an Oval Office event alongside President Donald Trump.
The billionaire, who was making his first major media appearance since beginning his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), said his team was seeking to improve transparency in government.
But he provided no evidence when making sweeping statements about corruption in government agencies and also defended false allegations he had spread about US funds being used to send condoms to Gaza.
Trumponomics and Rising Inflation
Does President Trump understand money? Not money as in cash, but the supply of money, the price of money as measured by interest rates, and their impact on inflation? The answer would appear to be no after Mr. Trump called for lower interest rates on Wednesday—the same day the Labor Department reported an increase in inflation for the third straight month.
NATO allies scramble for direction as Trump team signals concessions to Moscow
Wednesday’s meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels was, on paper, about coordinating military aid for Ukraine and welcoming the new US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth into the international fold. In practice, it was a day that saw the Trump administration upend the alliance’s approach to this almost 3-year-old war, lay out a vision that seemed to deliver some of Moscow’s key demands, and leave NATO allies fighting to avoid the appearance of disunity.
A grant to study Hebrew is ‘woke DEI,’ Ted Cruz says
https://www.jpost.com/american-politics/article-841931
A grant to study linguistic differences between Hebrew and English was flagged as an example of “woke DEI grants” in a new database released by Sen. Ted Cruz.
The database is part of ongoing Republican efforts to justify significant cuts to federal research funding and diversity programs under President Donald Trump.
The $226,000 grant, given by the National Science Foundation to the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2022, was flagged by the Texas Republican senator’s team as having an inappropriate focus on “gender.”
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Trump fires USAID inspector general one day after blistering report
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/11/trump-fires-usaid-inspector-general/
The White House fired the independent inspector general for the U.S. Agency for International Development on Tuesday evening, a day after his office issued a blistering report assessing the impact of the Trump administration’s efforts to significantly curtail the agency’s mission.
The termination of Martin follows his office’s publication of a widely read report warning that more than $489 million in food assistance was at risk of spoilage or potential diversion after the Trump administration implemented its aid freeze and stop-work order.
Former Defense Department inspector general Rob Storch, who was fired by Trump last month, said he worked with Martin on Ukraine-related issues and called his work “exemplary.”
“It is critically important that IGs be empowered to conduct independent oversight, detecting and deterring waste, fraud, abuse and corruption on behalf of the American people,” Storch said.
Konyndyk hailed Martin’s decision to publish the report as “brave,” given the termination of other inspectors general.
Senate votes to confirm Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/12/politics/tulsi-gabbard-confirmation-vote-senate/index.html
The Senate voted Wednesday to confirm former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, a major win for President Donald Trump as Gabbard had been among the most controversial of his Cabinet picks.
The vote was 52-48 mostly along party lines, though Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky joined Democrats in opposing the confirmation.
Gabbard faced concerns from several Republican senators over her lack of support for Ukraine; her shifting position on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act’s Section 702, a key surveillance and security tool; her 2017 meeting with former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; and her past support for Edward Snowden.
McConnell appeared to reference some of Gabbard’s positions in a statement he released after voting against her, saying she has “a history of alarming lapses in judgement.”
“The nation should not have to worry that the intelligence assessments the President receives are tainted by a Director of National Intelligence with a history of alarming lapses in judgment,” McConnell said.
Senate confirms Gabbard to serve as nation’s top intelligence chief
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5140620-senate-confirms-tulsi-gabbard-intelligence-chief/
The Senate voted largely along party lines Wednesday to confirm Tulsi Gabbard to serve as the director of national intelligence, the nation’s top intelligence official, despite strong objections from Democrats and initial misgivings from Republicans who questioned her experience and judgment.
Gabbard is seen as a “disruptor” in the mold of other Trump nominees, such as Pete Hegseth, who was confirmed last month to lead the Pentagon. Trump allies say she will shake up the nation’s intelligence community, which they claim has become “weaponized” against Trump.
Democrats argued that Gabbard is not qualified to serve as the nation’s top intelligence boss and has shown tremendous lapses in judgment by disputing a finding by the U.S. intelligence community that Assad, the former Syrian president, had used chemical weapons against his own people and by echoing Putin’s rationale for invading Ukraine.
“By any objective measure and by every objective measure as well, she is not qualified. From the moment she was nominated, both Democrats and Republicans were puzzled by the choice,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) said on the floor before her vote.
“Of all people Donald Trump could have picked to oversee national intelligence, he picked someone known for repeating Russian propaganda and getting duped by conspiracy theories,” he said.
Tulsi Gabbard Confirmed as Trump's Director of National Intelligence
https://www.newsweek.com/tulsi-gabbard-confirmed-trumps-director-national-intelligence-2030089
After a 52-48 vote, Gabbard will now oversee and coordinate the work of America's 18 intelligence agencies.
Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was the only Republican to vote "no" for Gabbard's confirmation. McConnell, who is serving his seventh term and has not yet disclosed plans to run for reelection, also broke with Trump in voting "no" for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's nomination.
Rabbi Dov Lior: 'There is no other solution'
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403817
Rabbi Dov Lior, a leading Rabbi in religious Zionist communities, commented on Israel's war against hostile nations, stating that "there is no solution—they oppose the very existence of the nation."
He emphasized, "We must eradicate the enemy completely, not give them any land or call them by another name. They are barbarians and haters of Israel, and there's no illusion that we can reach an agreement with them."
Rabbi Lior added that "We must clear the land and not leave them here. If we leave non-Jews in the land, they will be 'thorns in your sides and shall harass you,'" quoting Numbers 33.
In conclusion, he firmly stated: "If divine providence gives us the power to fight them, not doing so is a sin."
Candle lighting Rav Moshe used to ride in car to yeshiva afterwards.
Igros Moshe (OH I #96) Question Is my traveling in a car after Candle lighting before Shabbos to the yeshiva which is two minutes away. Is this possibly a prohibited activity? Answer I got great pleasure that you made the effort to fulfil the mitzva of admonishing others according to your understanding of the situation and G-d forbid! that I am bothered by it. Furthermore as a response to your question I will no longer travel in a car after candle lighting bli Neder even though there is not the slightest violation of Halacha or Maris HaAyin. You should know that the prohibition of Maris HaAyin only applies to things that are typically prohibited but now he is doing it in a manner that is technically permitted nevertheless we prohibit it because of Maris HaAyin . For example to do work with a Goy that many people do by hiring them for a day. Or hanging up wet laundry in a sunny place which results in people suspecting that you washed the laundry on Shabbos. In contrast if you do something which is well known to be permitted there is no need to be concerned with those few who mistakenly think it is prohibited and it is clearly not prohibited. The present case where it is known that all women begin Shabbos with candle lighting while the men wait a little later. Since the time of candle lighting is generally fixed at 20 minutes before sunset (shkiah) . Thus it is well known to most people including the women that men are still allowed to perform work within the 18 minute period before shkiah even l’chatchila as long as they have not accepted that Shabbos has started. There are at least 11 minutes after I get in the car until shkiah and during this time melacha is clearly permitted l’chatchila and there is no question that there is sufficient time to travel to yeshiva before shkiah. Even if there are some women who mistakenly think that it is prohibited to do any melacha after candle lighting even for men it is not relevant to prohibit this car ride because of Maris HaAyin nor should it be of concern. Because the truth is that it is permitted for men who have not accepted Shabbos. Nevertheless since you write that this might cause a problem for some women and men who mistakenly this that I am violating Shabbos, I will bli Neder will not travel in a car after candle lighting.
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)