Sunday, November 16, 2025
Saturday, November 15, 2025
US says its plan for postwar management of Gaza offers pathway to Palestinian statehood
In a joint statement arranged by the US on Friday, multiple countries working toward an end to the Gaza conflict voiced backing for Washington’s UN Security Council resolution to establish an International Stabilization Force in Gaza, amid pushback from Russia and China.
The statement, supported by Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan and Turkey, noted that the process “offers a pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood.”
The Epstein Email Cache: 2,300 Messages, Many of Which Mention Trump
37 years in prison for Orthodox Jewish man from New York convicted of multimillion-dollar fraud
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/nfnr1axca
New York resident Eliyahu (Eli) Weinstein (51), who was released from custody in 2021 after receiving a pardon from President Donald Trump, has been sentenced to 37 years in prison for a new fraud scheme. According to prosecutors, Weinstein, who belongs to the Orthodox Jewish community, used the alias "Mike Konig" to conceal his identity and solicited money from investors claiming he would invest in COVID masks, baby formula and emergency equipment destined for Ukraine. The money was actually used for gambling, real estate purchases and luxury watches. The federal court in New Jersey determined that Weinstein defrauded more than 150 investors of $41 million and ordered him to pay $44 million in restitution.
MAGA Reacts As Donald Trump Cuts Ties WIth Marjorie Taylor Greene
https://www.newsweek.com/maga-reacts-as-donald-trump-cuts-ties-with-marjorie-taylor-greene-11052892
A major rift opened in the MAGA world this week after Donald Trump formally broke with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of his most vocal supporters.
In a post on Truth Social on Friday, Trump said he was withdrawing his endorsement of Representative Greene. "I am withdrawing my support and endorsement of 'Congresswoman' Marjorie Taylor Greene, of the great state of Georgia," he wrote.
He also vowed "Complete and Unyielding Support" to any conservative primary challenger leading into the 2026 midterm elections, and described Greene as "wacky" and a "lunatic," saying all she does is "complain."
Whataboutism: what it is and why it’s such a popular tactic in arguments
Formally speaking, whataboutism is a fallacy most closely related to the ad hominem fallacy, wherein a person responds to an accusation by attacking the person making it.
It is a fallacy because even if the counter-accusation is true, it doesn’t defend whoever is being accused (the lying partner, the messy child, Donald Trump) in the first place. At best, it shows that both parties behaved shamefully. And, of course, two wrongs do not make a right.
Friday, November 14, 2025
Johnson shifts strategy on Epstein files vote – as GOP leaders brace for mass defections
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/13/politics/epstein-files-house-vote-johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson decided to quickly schedule a House vote on an effort to force the release of all of the Jeffrey Epstein case files once the calculation was made that it couldn’t be stopped.
The decision marked a shift in strategy for Johnson and the White House, who had long sought to delay the process, three sources told CNN.
House GOP leaders are bracing for a significant number of Republicans to break from President Donald Trump and support the bipartisan bill led by GOP Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna calling for the Justice Department to release the Epstein files — as supporters push for a veto-proof majority.
Republican sources say there’s a broad cross-section of the conference willing to support the plan — and it will be hard to limit defections.
The decision to move quickly with a floor vote came shortly after thousands of new Epstein emails were released by the panel on Wednesday and top Trump administration officials met with GOP Rep. Lauren Boebert, one of the few Republicans who signed onto the effort demanding DOJ release its trove of Epstein files.
Hamas reinstates fees on imported goods, raises taxes as it reasserts control in Gaza
From regulating the price of chicken to levying fees on cigarettes, Hamas is seeking to widen control over Gaza as US plans for its future slowly take shape, Gazans say, adding to rivals’ doubts over whether it will cede authority as promised.
After a ceasefire began last month, Hamas swiftly reestablished its hold over areas from which Israel withdrew, killing dozens of Palestinians it accused of collaborating with Israel, theft, or other crimes. Foreign powers demand the terror group disarm and leave government, but have yet to agree on who will replace them.
Israel uneasy as U.S. adds statehood path to Gaza plan and Russia steps in
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hjmzosngbe
The United States has spent weeks working to secure approval for a UN Security Council resolution that would establish an international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip. A draft that surfaced highlights what Washington calls a reliable path to Palestinian self-determination and a future state, after the proposal was shaped with Arab countries based on President Donald Trump’s original plan. Late Thursday, however, Russia submitted its own resolution, threatening to delay the process because of its veto power.
The American draft, built on Trump’s 20-point plan and his “declaration for lasting peace and prosperity,” signed at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, states that “the United States will establish dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for prosperous coexistence.” Israeli officials say the new draft includes clauses that are “uncomfortable for Israel,” including language on a path to Palestinian statehood and a clause that denies Israel the ability to veto which countries may send troops to the stabilization force. Even so, the officials say the proposal maintains the framework of the ceasefire agreement approved in Jerusalem, although it is considered less favorable than the original.
Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter: Who should be honored with sandek for the mamzer?
Psak of Baltimore Beis Din for the morons who are either ignorant or afraid
The political danger of the Epstein files for Trump
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/11/13/politics/donald-trump-epstein-political-danger
If President Donald Trump has nothing to hide vis-à-vis Jeffrey Epstein, he sure has a weird way of showing it.
Trump hasn’t been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with the convicted sex offender, but he’s doing a great job of looking suspicious.
This is merely the latest baffling episode in the administration’s handling of the Epstein files. Among the others:
The administration’s suspiciously timed, sudden reversal on releasing the files.
Trump’s belated disclosure of his knowledge of Maxwell’s Mar-a-Lago recruitment.
Trump’s weird denial of authoring a lewd letter for Epstein’s 50th birthday album.
His other false claims about Epstein-related matters.
The administration’s dubious decision to grant an interview with Maxwell, which seemed geared more toward helping Trump than anything else. (Sure enough, the newly released emails undercut Maxwell’s claims about Trump in that interview.)
The transfer of Maxwell to a minimum-security prison camp that she didn’t appear eligible for without a waiver. The administration still hasn’t explained how this happened, months later. And CNN’s MJ Lee reported Thursday that Maxwell is getting special treatment there.
Even if Trump doesn’t have anything to hide, the danger here is in making it look a whole lot like he does.





