Trump administration ‘insisted’ Israel vote against Ukraine at U.N.

 https://jewishinsider.com/2025/02/trump-administration-insisted-israel-vote-against-ukraine-at-u-n/

The Trump administration pressured Israel to vote against a U.N. resolution on Monday affirming Ukraine’s territorial integrity and condemning Russia’s invasion of the country on its three-year anniversary, according to a source familiar with the discussions.

The resolution “is not our position,” the official added, and the vote, the first time Israel voted against Ukraine and with Russia since the beginning of the war, “wasn’t easy for us … We preferred to avoid this situation. We had no choice but to take a side.”

The official said that Israel “could have abstained, but I think because we asked for a lot from [the Trump administration] in recent weeks and days, the decision was to go all the way with them.”

Draft US-Ukraine rare earth minerals deal not one President Zelensky would accept, source says

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/02/22/europe/rare-earth-minerals-us-ukraine-intl/index.html

A draft deal between the United States and Ukraine over rare earth minerals and other natural resources is “not the one President Zelensky would accept,” according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

“It is a strange offer to try and take from a country that is a victim of war, more than it cost to pay for its defence,” the source told CNN.

The US is trying to gain access to Ukraine’s critical minerals and other resources as part of wider negotiations aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. In return, Ukraine has been pushing for security guarantees, with Kyiv not only keen to see the return of lost territory but protection against a possible future Russian invasion.

US resists including security guarantees in rare earths deal with Ukraine

 https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/us-resists-including-security-guarantees-in-rare-earths-deal-with-ukraine/ar-AA1zHnhB?ocid=finance-verthp-feeds

The United States is resisting the inclusion of security guarantees in the agreement with Ukraine on rare earth metals, but the issue remains under discussion, CNN reports.

A Ukrainian source told the publication that the most problematic points have been removed from the draft agreement on rare earths, but the "American side is very much resisting the inclusion of security guarantees." Kyiv hopes this issue can be discussed during the upcoming meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.

"Everything is ready from our side,” the Ukrainian source said. “We have finalized the draft. We have done as much as we can to make the conditions reasonable. As a result, this is a framework agreement on how to create Ukraine reconstruction fund. There is a separate agreement foreseen on how this one will work," the CNN source added.

GOP voter outrage over government cuts

Eruption! See voters confront GOP in red districts as some sour on 'Wannabe-Broligarchy'

Hearing aids on Shabbos

Igros (OC IV #85) Question  Regarding the use of hearing aides on Shabbos is the use of a microphone prohibited? Answer  The practice in America is to be lenient even though we prohibit using a microphone in a pa system and there are four reasons Two of the reasons are based on the fact that the prohibited work involved is not clear and two involve the fact that the prohibitions that are clearly transgressed are Rabbinic not Torah prohibitions. One of the reasons to prohibit using a microphone is that it makes a noise and this is like grinding wheat on Shabbos and is considered disrespectful to Shabbos and this only applies where the noise is heard by everyone. In contrast the hearing aid which is not heard by everyone is not included in this prohibition. Another prohibition is the prohibition of adjusting a musical instrument. This also does not apply to a hearing aide since it is only for the hard of hearing and since this is not common no decree was made for it. Additionally a hearing aide is a very great need to those who use them and can even be viewed as Pikuach nefesh (life saving) when they go out of their homes and need to hear whether there is traffic and thus we can assume there is no decree of prohibition in such cases as there is with a regular microphone. .  Another issue involved is the nature of the sound that comes from a pa system. Furthermore it is not the actual sound of the person speaking into the microphone that the system produces. This is also true with a hearing aide.  It is unclear what the issur of making a reproduction of a voice.  Consequently we can not prohibit this to a handicapped person who has a great need for it. Also because the main benefit of a hearing aide is not necessarily amplifying the sound but rather directing the sound directly into the ear though it might also help that the sound is amplified. However since this is not clear even to the experts this adds another uncertainty. The other concern is the use of electricity which might be a type of fire. This is also an unclear prohibition or even a clear doubt. Because of this uncertainty we don’t prohibit that which is greatly needed. It is important to note that the hearing aide is resting in the ear of the user who is actually doing nothing and thus the real question is whether it is permissible to speak to a person with a hearing aide. If a person is not talking only to a person with a hearing aide but to a group of people  and the hearing aide user hears what is said to others thus since there is no intent to utilize the hearing aide it is permitted. This is not even a psik reisha since often the deaf person knows what is being said to him even without a hearing aide.  It would be a possible psik reisha for the speaker if he intends only for the person with a hearing aide to hear what he says. Consequently when it is possible the speaker should avoid speaking only with someone who has a hearing aide. The hearing aide can thus be of benefit for most things that he needs to hear such as the sound of traffic or what is going on in shul. It is best that when people answer his questions they avoid answering with words but they should  respond nonverbally, however if that is not realistic if for example  he is a child of six who must be answered and at times only words can be used than there is no prohibition in speaking to him

Future of Israel-Russia relations after Trump abandons Ukraine

 https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/future-of-israel-russia-relations-after-trump-abandons-ukraine/

In the current geopolitical context, faced with the weakness of European security, and in the face of Putin's hegemonic intentions, we cannot blindly follow Donald Trump's logic on the solution of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis.

‘Trump has no affection for Ukraine’: Soldiers remove US patches in anger at president

 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-trump-soldier-anger-zelensky-patches-b2703771.html

Black said: “We thought of Americans as comrades even though the US did not have boots on the ground here. Everyone in the military is assessing how Ukraine would fare even if there was a total cessation of American weapons.”

Some attribute Trump’s hostility to Ukraine as revenge for President Volodymyr Zelensky refusing to fall in with Trump’s demands during his first presidency to concoct political dirt against Joe Biden. That led to Trump’s first impeachment, a humiliation he has never forgotten.

He said: “We know Trump has no affection for Ukraine. Trump loves himself. His actions are not for America’s benefit, everything he does is for himself.”

UN passes resolutions condemning Russian invasion of Ukraine despite US opposition

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/24/united-nations-ukraine-resolutions-00205744

A U.S. effort to sink a draft U.N. resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine failed Monday after European countries and Kyiv marshaled support for strong language against Moscow.

The United Nations General Assembly passed the resolution with 93 countries voting in favor. The U.S. and Russia both voted against it.

Once kids start dying, we’ll see how people really feel about immunization mandates

 https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/5157915-anti-vaxxer-movement-health-risk/?tbref=hp

“Anti-vaxxers” used to occupy a “crunchy,” hardcore lefty space filled with moms who wouldn’t let their kids eat birthday cake at parties because of the toxins. Today, this has changed. The anti-vaxx space has been firmly taken over by a political movement that believes in “health freedom” and that immunization mandates are un-American.

When we choose not to vaccinate, we aren’t just making that choice for our own children. We are putting at risk every child they come into contact with. And I’m going to guess that, as soon as a child who one of these legislators knows dies from measles, they will change their tune very quickly.

Republican Divisions Are Growing Under Trump

 https://www.newsweek.com/republican-divisions-trump-2035698

The resolution calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, which has concerned lawmakers worried about the nation's growing debt. It also calls for $2 trillion in cuts to spending, which has alarmed some swing-district Republicans who worry about the impact of substantial cuts to Medicaid and other services on their constituents. It comes as the Trump campaign's pollster has sounded the alarm about the vulnerabilities congressional Republicans face ahead of next year's midterm elections.

Some conservative lawmakers oppose the level of spending cuts in the resolution.

Representatives Victoria Spartz of Indiana said on X on Sunday that she is "a NO on the current version" of the resolution and Tim Burchett of Tennessee told reporters on Monday that he was also opposed.

Representative Thomas Massie of Kentucky indicated he was against the resolution, writing on X that if it passes, the deficit "gets worse, not better."

Meanwhile, some moderate Republicans—including some who represent swing districts—remain concerned about the potential cuts to Medicaid.

Many Ukrainians Believed in Trump. Now They Feel Betrayed.

 https://www.thefp.com/p/ukrainians-feel-betrayed-by-trump?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

‘We used to wear American flag patches on our body armor as a symbol of the land of freedom. Now, we’ve taken them off.’

Why Team Trump should beware its job-slashing triumphalism

 https://nypost.com/2025/02/24/opinion/trump-needs-to-tone-it-down-on-doge-trimming-govt-waste-is-no-joke/

Yes, the government has grown too vast and byzantine, so some of these normie workers necessarily will face the chop. 

But most of the federal workers clock on for the same reasons everyone else does: just to keep a roof over the family’s heads and food on the table — not to ram progressive ideology down our throats. 

Letting someone go — apart from the most obnoxious of ideologues — is no cause for celebration. 

If and when Musk and his DOGE crew lay waste to the federal workforce and shut down government-funded operations around the country, remember that these people have family and friends who will suffer the financial hit.

‘Embarrassing,’ ‘cruel,’ ‘absurd,’ ‘extortion’: GOP moderates find voices on Trump

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/02/24/gop-moderates-speak-against-trump/

“If I could say one thing to Elon Musk, it’s like: Please put a dose of compassion in this,” Curtis said. “These are real people. These are real lives. These are mortgages. It’s a false narrative to say we have to cut and you have to be cruel to do it as well. We can do both.”