Measles Outbreak Spreads to Florida

 https://www.newsweek.com/measles-outbreak-florida-student-texas-vaccine-2039791

The ongoing measles outbreak in Texas, and smaller outbreaks in other states, has put Department of Health and Human Services (DHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. under the spotlight due to his long history of anti-vaccine activism.

Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. but has since made a comeback that experts have linked to rising anti-vaccine sentiment, with sporadic outbreaks that overwhelmingly impact the unvaccinated occurring somewhat frequently around the country.

The U.S. is experiencing measles outbreaks across multiple states, including California, Georgia, Kentucky, and New York.

The most significant outbreak is in Texas, where 159 cases have been identified since late January. The outbreak in the Lone Star State has primarily affected unvaccinated individuals, particularly within the Mennonite community in West Texas.

Megila Reading on PA System

 Igros Moshe (OC II #108) Question Can the Megila be read over a pa system? Answer It is difficult to give a clear answer to this question. The problem is determining the precise nature of the sound that is heard through a pa system.  Because of this problem it is best not to use a pa system for the Megila reading.  In fact no one has asked me this question before and I don’t recall your claim that I told a young rabbi not to protest against its use.  However I disagree with your view that hearing it on a pa system does not fulfill the mitzva because it is like hearing from the reading of one who has no obligation to read.  According to the experts I talked with, the sound that is produced by a pa system is not the actual sound of the person speaking into the microphone but it is like an echo that is the direct result of the original sound. Therefore it cannot be simply described as if it were made by someone who is not obligated in the mitzva. However I am uncertain even after hearing the experts whether the sound produced should not be considered as if it were the sound of the person speaking into the microphone. and it is to be viewed as a new sound which is derived from the original.  That is because when listening directly to a person reading, you don’t hear what comes from his mouth but rather it produces a sound which is replicated a number of times as it goes through the intervening air. So is the pa system viewed simply as an electronic transmission which is comparable to the natural sound transmission or is it to be viewed as something totally new?.  Thus its nature is unclear. Because of this doubt it might be possible to say not to protest the use of a pa system and you can’t state definitely that this against the halacha or that it should be prohibited since it might lead to additional problems if utilized for shofar and Torah reading on Shabbos and Yom Tov. However this is not true because it is already prohibited to use a pa system on Shabbos and Yom Tov. Nevertheless even though you can’t protest because  of those reasons but since the justification for using it is unclear and this is a major new innovation which might encourage other innovations something which is a strong problem in America it is best avoided as you have suggested. 

Igros Moshe (OC IV #126) Question On Purim the shul is very crowded and it is difficult for the congregation to hear the service properly without the use of a pa system. Perhaps in this unusual situation it is possible to utilize the leniency discussed in Igros Moshe (OC II #108) to permit the Megila reading with a pa system?Answer  Even though this is a relatively difficult situation, in my opinion it is best not to utilize a pa system. It would be better that after dark  to pray Maariv in a different shul. After dark he should not read the Megillah even in shul until everyone is gathered in one place in the dinning room and then it should be read in two places – in the shul and the dining hall. There should be a minyan of men in both places. This approach is preferred to doing something new of using a pa system. 

Standing Up for Greatness

 https://mishpacha.com/standing-up-for-greatness/

Several decades ago, when I was learning in yeshivah in Yerushalayim, I merited a close connection with the posek hador, Maran Hagaon Rav Elyashiv ztz”l.

One Thursday night, I asked the Rav what his opinion was about Shabbos clocks. He asked me why would I think there was any issue with using them, and I explained that I had seen that Rav Moshe Feinstein ztz”l raises several halachic concerns with regard to their usage.

To my surprise, Rav Elyashiv stared at me and answered emphatically, “There is no such Rav Moshe.”

Donald Trump Plans To Take Control of Greenland 'One Way or Another'

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-greenland-speech-us-take-control-2039714

Since his second presidential inauguration on January 20, Trump has suggested he wants to expand American territory in a number of directions. He has urged Canada to join the American Union as its 51st state, demanded the right to purchase Greenland from Denmark and called for U.S. sovereignty to be restored over the Panama Canal.

"We need Greenland for national security and even international security, and we're working with everybody involved to try and get it.

"But we need it really for international, for world security, and I think we're going to get it. One way or the other, we're going to get it."

A poll conducted by Verian, on behalf of Danish newspaper Berlingske and Greenlandic publication Sermitsiaq, found only six percent of Greenlanders are in favor of the territory coming under U.S. sovereignty.

By contrast, 85 percent were opposed to the idea, whilst nine percent said they were unsure. The survey took place between January 22 and 27 and included 497 Greenlandic citizens over the age of 18.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Carl Bildt, the former Swedish prime minister, wrote: "Trump repeats the threat of [USA flag emoji] occupying, annexing or absorbing [Greenland and Denmark flag emojis]. That's the Putin way of treating countries."

Fact-checking Trump’s address to Congress

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/04/politics/fact-check-trump-address-congress/index.html

President Donald Trump made numerous false and misleading claims in his Tuesday speech to a joint session of Congress. The falsehoods spanned a variety of topics, including the economy, climate, immigration and more.

In his speech, just under one hour and 40 minutes, Trump also made a number of false claims about his predecessor, Joe Biden. Here is a fact check of some of Trump’s statements:

Netanyahu's funding for Hamas via Qatar enabled October 7 invasion, Shin Bet reveals

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-844701

The Shin Bet also revealed that SIM cards and sensors along the border were activated ahead of time but were ignored.

While the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) took a significant amount of responsibility for the disasters on October 7 in its report published unexpectedly on Tuesday, it also implicated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by implying that his policies regarding the Temple Mount, the treatment of Palestinian prisoners, and the judicial reform led to Hamas’s decision to initiate its long-planned invasion.

Second nurse charged over video threatening Israeli patients posted online by influencer

 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-03-05/nsw-sydney-man-charged-antisemitic-video-strike-force-pearl/105011996

NSW Police have charged a second Bankstown Hospital nurse over a video posted online that made threats against Israeli patients.

Police said 27-year-old Ahmad Rashad Nadir was arrested at Sutherland Police Station yesterday.

He has been charged with using a carriage service to menace, harass and offend and possessing a prohibited drug.

He has been granted conditional bail and is due in court later this month.

How tariffs will make America poorer

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/03/04/trump-tariffs-mexico-canada-address/

In the first chaotic weeks of his presidency, Donald Trump has demonstrated his contempt for the institutions and alliances that cemented the postwar democratic world. He has shown his disdain for the federal bureaucracy. And he has belittled Congress, repeatedly trying to usurp its powers.

Then on Tuesday, the president revealed his indifference to the voters who put him in office: By imposing substantial tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China, countries that account for about 40 percent of U.S. exports and 42 percent of imports, he endangered the livelihoods of millions of the blue-collar Americans who make up his voting base.

But 25 percent across-the-board tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico (with an exception for Canadian oil, which was hit with a 10 percent levy), plus 10 percentage points added to the 10 percent tariffs imposed last month on Chinese goods, will raise prices and cut jobs in America.

Trump’s Tariffs Whack Trump Voters

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/donald-trump-tariffs-canada-mexico-china-working-class-voters-dc140dbc?mod=hp_opin_pos_1

Whatever happened to GOP concern for the working class?

President Trump won the Presidency a second time by promising working-class voters he’d lift their real incomes. Which makes it all the more puzzling that he’s so intent on imposing tariffs that will punish those same Americans.

Tariffs are taxes, and Mr. Trump’s latest tariffs are estimated to be about an annual $150 billion tax increase. Taxes are antigrowth. That’s the message investors are sending this week since Mr. Trump let his 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico take effect. The President also raised his 10% tariff on China by another 10%. Canada and China retaliated, while Mexico is holding off until Sunday.

As Trump cozies up to Putin, Russia offers to mediate US-Iran nuclear talks

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-trump-cozies-up-to-putin-russia-reportedly-steps-in-to-mediate-us-iran-nuclear-talks/

The news is potentially deeply worrying for Israel, which has sought Trump’s support for a credible military threat against Iran aimed at pressuring it to abandon its nuclear ambitions, but may now be stymied by the US leader’s increasingly cozy relationship with Putin.

Moscow also hosted officials from the Hamas terror group following the October 7, 2023, massacre in southern Israel and has expressed support for Iran’s Hezbollah proxy, forcefully condemning Israel for killing terror leader Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon in September. Russian President Vladimir Putin last year offered to mediate an end to the war in the Gaza between Israel and Hamas triggered by the Palestinian terror group’s attack.

Russia has further deepened its ties with the Islamic Republic since the start of the Ukraine war, and signed a strategic cooperation treaty with Iran in January. Though the previous Biden administration backed Ukraine, supplying it with weapons, Trump on Monday suspended military aid days after a stunning public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump in the White House where the US president berated the visitor, accusing him of being a warmonger.

Can Trump End Russia-Ukraine War in 90 Days? His plan is to give Russia everything they want at Ukraine's expense!

 https://www.newsweek.com/can-trump-end-russia-ukraine-war-90-days-what-betting-odds-say-2039619

During his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump repeatedly promised to end the war in Ukraine within "24 hours." While the self-imposed deadline came and went, the president has continued to call for a fast end to the war.

Trump, during a White House press conference on Monday: "The deal could be made very fast. It should not be that hard a deal to make. It could be made very fast. Now, maybe somebody doesn't want to make a deal. And if somebody doesn't want to make a deal, I think that person won't be around very long.

That person will not be listened to very long. Because I believe that Russia wants to make a deal. I believe certainly the people of Ukraine want to make a deal, they've suffered more any anyone else."

Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, in an opinion article published by U.S. News & World Report on Monday: "The only way to get a real peace deal would be to convince Putin that he cannot conquer any more territory. That would entail the U.S. and our European partners giving Ukraine more weapons to create a stalemate on the battlefield. Trump, however, has signaled the opposite...

Trump and his team have not proposed in public a single concession that Putin should make to end this war. Not one. Yet we are already seeing signs of Putin's future demands: limits on the number of soldiers Ukraine can have in its army, a ban on Ukraine importing weapons and other constraints on Ukraine's sovereignty."

Trump Ally Turns on JD Vance Over Ukraine Remarks: 'Wrong, Wrong, Wrong!'

 https://www.newsweek.com/nigel-farage-jd-vance-response-ukraine-2039324

British MP Nigel Farage, an ally of President Donald Trump, has issued a surprise condemnation of Vice President JD Vance over comments which appeared to insult Britain's military service.

Farage, leader of the party Reform UK, responded to Vance's remarks on Fox News dismissing an offer for British and French troops to uphold a peace in Ukraine.

Vance disparaged any cessation of hostilities being overseen from "random countries that haven't fought a war in 30 or 40 years."

Farage said on Tuesday: "JD Vance is wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong," adding that for 20 years, British troops had fought alongside U.S. forces in Afghanistan in which the U.K. "stood by America.

Fox News in TOTAL PANIC as Trump CRASHES MARKETS

'Not an economist alive' who would defend Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China: Economist