Ex-government officials pen letter blasting Kash Patel's FBI 'purge'

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/ex-government-officials-pen-letter-blasting-kash-patels-fbi-purge

A group of former FBI, intelligence, diplomatic and national security officials released a letter blasting FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Director Dan Bongino for firing several bureau agents, saying they were targeted for not being loyal to President Trump.

"It is not about reform. It is about control. The aim, it seems, is to transform the FBI from a respected, constitutionally grounded investigative service into a personal enforcement arm of a political figure," the letter reads. "We have seen these dynamics abroad—leaders who demand loyalty from security services not to the law, but to themselves. These regimes do not end well."

Donald Trump's Bid To Make Key Data Secret Hit by Major Legal Blow

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-bid-make-key-data-secret-receives-legal-blow-2111584

The D.C. Circuit's decision reaffirms Congress' exclusive constitutional authority over federal spending and its power to require public disclosure of how funds are allocated.

By ordering the Trump administration to restore a congressionally mandated database of apportionment records, the court underscored that only Congress—not the president—can decide whether such information remains public. The panel warned that allowing the executive branch to conceal these records would undermine congressional oversight, weaken the separation of powers and hinder enforcement of laws such as the Impoundment Control Act, which bars presidents from withholding or delaying funds that Congress has approved.

Why Do So Many People Think Trump Is Good?

 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/07/trump-administration-supporters-good/683441/

And then in the 19th and 20th centuries, along came the crew who tried to fill the moral vacuum the Enlightenment created. Nietzsche, for example, said: God is dead. We have killed him. Reason won’t save us. It’s up to heroic autonomous individuals to find meaning through some audacious act of will. We will become our own gods! Several decades later, Lenin, Mao, and Hitler came along, telling the people: You want some meaning in your life? March with me.

How do people make decisions about the right thing to do if they are not embedded in a permanent moral order? They do whatever feels right to them at the moment. MacIntyre called this “emotivism,” the idea that “all moral judgments are nothing but expressions of preference, expressions of attitude or feeling.” Emotivism feels natural within capitalist societies, because capitalism is an economic system built around individual consumer preferences.

If no one can persuade anybody about right and wrong, then there are only two ways to settle our differences: coercion or manipulation. Each of us comes to regard other members of society as simply means to our ends, who can be coerced into believing what we believe. (Welcome to corporate DEI programs.) Alternatively, advertisers, demagogues, and influencers try to manipulate our emotions so we will end up wanting what they want, helping them get what they want. (Welcome to the world of that master manipulator, Donald Trump.)

Along comes Trump, who doesn’t even try to speak the language of morality. When he pardons unrepentant sleazeballs, it doesn’t seem to even occur to him that he is doing something that weakens our shared moral norms. Trump speaks the languages we moderns can understand. The language of preference: I want. The language of power: I have the leverage. The languages of self, of gain, of acquisition. Trump doesn’t subsume himself in a social role. He doesn’t try to live up to the standards of excellence inherent in a social practice. He treats even the presidency itself as a piece of personal property he can use to get what he wants. As the political theorist Yuval Levin has observed, there are a lot of people, and Trump is one of them, who don’t seek to be formed by the institutions they enter. They seek instead to use those institutions as a stage to perform on, to display their wonderful selves.

Ethiopian (Falashas) are Jews?

 Concerning the status of Ethiopians as Jews - there is a teshuva printed in the Igros Moshe which refers to a previous letter on the subject. This other letter was not published in the Igros Moshe but was published in HaPardes (59:1) in 1984. There are clear differences between the two letters and it seems strange that the second letter was not included in the Igros Moshe - especially since it was addressed to Mordechai Tendler who was involved in editiing the Igros Moshe.

Igros Moshe (Y.D. IV #41 page 271) After much investigation it appears that if the Falashas are not given a Jewish education they will deteriorate even more and will refuse to convert and this can possibly cause – G‑d forbid! –intermarriage between Jews and the Falashas. Therefore l’maaseh they should be given a Jewish education and be influenced through this education to convert as they need to do - as I have written to your brother R’ Mordechai Tendler. One should not be concerned by the fact that we are teaching Torah to people whose status as Jews is in doubt. Since it is actually possible that they are Jews and since there is a reason for this education - it would appear there is no prohibition to teach them Torah. But you should not teach them false halachos - an act which itself is prohibited. In other words, don’t tell them that we in fact view them as definitely Jewish. Instead tell them that while in fact there is a doubt about their status as Jews nevertheless we are prepared to educate them in G‑d’s Torah and His mitzvos. Please note that until they are actually converted they are not to be considered as definitely Jewish even in regards to counting them as part of a minyan or to receive an aliya to the Torah. They are not to be shamed or embarrassed but on the other hand they should not be deceived with false flattery. On the other hand l’chumra they are required to keep all the mitzvos because maybe they are in fact genuine Jews.

Pardes (September 1984 vol 59:1) Question Are the Falashas considered Jews? Answer I will repeat what I have said before. It seems that they are presumed to be Jewish however their actual status is difficult to determine and for actual halachic issues it is difficult to rely on this presumption since it is not known whether the Radvaz knew the full facts about them or whether there have been significant changes from his time to modern times. .However according to the actual halacha they are not prohibited because of mamzerus as the Radvaz noted because there are many uncertainties. See what I wrote in the  Igros  where I went into detail regarding the Rabbinic prohibitions of  Shtuki and Asuphi.  Regarding their Jewishness this is questionable and therefore they require true conversion before they are allowed to marry a Jew . However before conversion they need to be saved from conversion to other religions and from danger as is true for all Jews.  It is important to know that even if they are not Jews but since they consider themselves to be Jews and they sacrifice themselves for their Jewishness we are obligated to save them. As I said before they are not to be brought to Israel unless they have been properly converted to avoid the problem of intermarriage. Once they convert they are to be viewed as all other Jews. They are to be assisted in all aspects of their lives both material and spiritual. I am very upset to hear that there are those in Israel who refrain from bringing them close  spiritualy and as a result cause them to be lost from Judaism.  I think that this conduct is because they have dark skin. It is obvious that they need to be brought closer not only because they are perhaps converts and  they are not inferior to other Jews to which there is the command to love converts

Convicted sex offender and former Melbourne headmistress accused of sexual assault in prison

 https://www.news.com.au/national/victoria/crime/convicted-sex-offender-and-former-melbourne-headmistress-accused-of-sexual-assault-in-prison/news-story/33049c41b148996eb254989faaafe439

The former headmistress of a Melbourne school who raped her students has allegedly sexually assaulted a much younger woman inside Melbourne’s maximum security women’s prison.

Malka Leifer, 58, previously ruled over the ultra-orthodox Addas Israel School in the Melbourne suburb of Elsternwick before she was jailed for 15 years for repeated sexual abuse against students in her care.

The convicted predator sexually abused sisters Nicole Meyer, Elly Sapper and Dassi Erlich on campus, in a school office, in her home and on school camps. The dual Israeli-Australian citizen fled to Israel and remained there from 2008 until 2021 before she was extradited to Melbourne to face justice.

Trump Envoy Slammed for 'Damaging Incompetence' Over Putin Talks

 https://www.newsweek.com/steve-witkoff-putin-russia-talks-trump-2111348

According to The Wall Street Journal, Witkoff presented Putin's ceasefire plan to European officials after he met with the Russian leader. Citing anonymous sources, the publication said Moscow was prepared to withdraw from the southern regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson in exchange for full control of Donetsk Oblast.

The publication said that the next day, he presented a different claim—that Putin would withdraw and freeze the front line, and that during a third call, he said the Russian leader wanted Ukraine to withdraw from Donetsk in an exchange for a ceasefire.

‘Witkoff Misunderstood Putin’s…’: U.S’ Shocking Blunder Ahead Of High-Stakes Trump-Putin Talks - Incompetent lackey

 https://www.oneindia.com/videos/witkoff-misunderstood-putins-u-s-shocking-blunder-ahead-of-highstakes-trumpputin-talks-4258133.html

Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has come under fire after reportedly misinterpreting Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ceasefire terms, according to German outlet BILD. Sources say Putin demanded full control of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson while offering only a limited halt to attacks on energy sites and major cities—not a full ceasefire. Witkoff allegedly believed Putin was proposing a withdrawal from Ukrainian territories, a misunderstanding that baffled both European partners and members of Trump’s own team.

Vance: ‘We’re done with the funding of the Ukraine war business’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/5445500-vance-done-funding-ukraine-war-business

Earlier this week, the Kremlin shared a ceasefire deal with the Trump administration, asking for control of Eastern Ukraine in exchange for a halt in hostilities. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky adamantly opposed the deal, stating on the social platform X, “Ukraine is ready for real decisions that can bring peace. Any decisions that are against us, any decisions that are without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace.”

Donald Trump Gets Even More Bad News on US Economy

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-bad-news-us-economy-jobs-2108440

Pollster Nate Silver, in a Sunday newsletter, wrote: "Firing the BLS commissioner won't prevent the effects of tariffs. But it will reduce American economic leadership and increase uncertainty for businesses, workers and investors."

Trump Is Offering Putin Another Munich

 https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2025/03/putin-hitler-munich-parallel/681973

itler regretted the deal he made with Neville Chamberlain at Munich in 1938. What he actually wanted was war—his goal was to conquer all of Czechoslovakia by force as a first step toward the conquest of all of Europe.

He didn’t imagine that the British and French governments would be so craven as to give him everything he publicly asked for, including the dismemberment of Czechoslovakia and the occupation of the Sudetenland by the German army. When they did, Hitler found himself trapped into accepting, but he was unhappy. Within five months he ordered the military occupation of all Czechoslovakia, in violation of the Munich Agreement, and six months after that, he invaded Poland.

'TACO' Trump appears to surrender to Putin in advance; replaces ultimatum with concession meeting

Israel and Anti-Semitism

 Historically the state of Israel was founded because there seemed no other defense against Anti-Semitism. This was primarily secular activists with the vast majority of Orthodox views against it.  However we see in our times that Israel is the main justification for anti-semitism or hatred of the Jews. It seems rather ironic that the drafting of the Orthodox is viewed as a critical element in preserving the secular state which clearly has failed to validate the vision of the founders. Should the government simply declare defeat and walk away?

Zelensky Rejects Trump’s Suggestion That Ukraine Should Give Up Territory to Russia in Peace Talks

 https://time.com/7308658/zelensky-trump-putin-peace-talks/

Zelensky appeared to bristle at both the suggestion of ceding territory and at the prospect of talks being held without Ukraine.

“Any decisions made against us, any decisions made without Ukraine, are at the same time decisions against peace. They will bring nothing. These are dead decisions; they will never work,” Zelensky said in a video address. He added that Ukraine "will not give Russia any awards for what it has done."

Richard Feynman’s Love Letter to His Wife, Sixteen Months After Her Death

 https://fs.blog/richard-feynman-love-letter

Richard Feynman was an amazing character mastering physics, thinking, life, and as we shall soon see, love. Richard and Arline Greenbaum were soul mates. They were a perfect symbiotic pair, each completing the other. They shared the love we all seek.

Feynman was fond of writing love letters to Arline. Many of them appear in Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track.

None is more beautiful than the one Richard wrote to Arline sixteen months after her death.