Rabbi Kook’s “Shemonah Kevatzim" - now in English

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/421969

During the course of our discussion about his new book, I asked: “While Rabbi Kook's teachings have had a profound influence on almost every sphere of life in Israel, his books are still not to be found in most Haredi yeshivot. Considering that Rabbi Kook was a universally recognized master of Halakhah and as stringent as can be, what do you think led to such harsh resistance to his teachings throughout the Haredi world?"

“Originally," Shulman answered: “Rabbi Kook was greatly respected throughout the Torah world. He was only opposed by the old haredi Jerusalem leadership because of his Zionistic views. Unfortunately, this polarizing outlook was zealously spread. I hope that as people in the haredi community search for an expansive, creative, and illuminating vision of Torah they will overcome any negative preconceptions they may have about Rabbi Kook and allow themselves to discovers the wonder of his teachings."

Cassidy, Blunt Rochester grill NIH director on Denmark fixation: ‘That’s a crazy idea’

 https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5721096-bhattacharya-denmark-health-policy/?tbref=hp

Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) on Tuesday questioned a top Trump health official on the administration modeling policy around Denmark, a largely homogeneous country of just over 6 million people.

“Now if we pattern after the place that is wealthy, we’re not meeting the needs of those that are poor,” Cassidy said, pounding his fists into the hearing desk. “I have to admit, I was kind of like, ‘What? We’re like Denmark?’ I was just kind of like that’s a crazy idea.”

Cassidy, a longtime physician prior to being elected to Congress, has repeatedly butted heads with Kennedy when it comes to vaccine policy changes. Cassidy voted to confirm Kennedy as HHS secretary despite his long history of promoting vaccine skepticism.

Greene: MAGA ‘was all a lie’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5718355-marjorie-taylor-greene-trump-maga-lie/

Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said President Trump’s Make American Great Again slogan was a “lie,” saying his first year back in office was focused on obliging wealthy supporters.

“I think people are realizing it was all a lie. It was a big lie for the people. What MAGA is really serving in this administration, who they’re serving, is their big donors,” Greene said in a Wednesday interview with radio personality Kim Iversen. 

“The big, big donors that donated all the money and continue to donate to the president’s PACs and donate to the 250th anniversary and are donating to the big ballroom,” she added.

Year-old child dies of measles in Jerusalem, in 14th fatality of outbreak

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/year-old-child-dies-of-measles-in-jerusalem-in-14th-fatality-of-outbreak/

A 1-year-old child died of measles Wednesday morning, health officials in Jerusalem said, marking the 14th fatality in a months-long outbreak that has swept through ultra-Orthodox communities and areas with low immunization rates.

However, a small increase in the number of parents choosing not to vaccinate “is enough to rapidly trigger the kind of outbreak that we’re seeing now in Israel,” said Prof. Michael Edelstein, a public health expert at Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine.

One reason that people are skeptical about vaccines is that “they have been so successful that diseases like measles have almost disappeared,” said Edelstein.

Homeland Security is targeting Americans with this secretive legal weapon

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/2026/02/03/homeland-security-administrative-subpoena/

Homeland Security is not required to share how many administrative subpoenas it issues each year, but tech experts and former agency staff estimate it’s well into the thousands, if not tens of thousands. Because the legal demands are not subject to independent review, they can take just minutes to write up and, former staff say, officials throughout the agency, even in mid-level roles, have been given the authority to approve them.

Proponents describe administrative subpoenas as critical tools that allow investigators to avoid protracted judicial reviews to obtain information that could, for example, help them identify someone sexually exploiting a child or track down a suspected drug trafficker.

Speed is what makes them so useful, former and current federal investigators told The Post. With no external bureaucracy, the government can obtain phone, financial and internet records in days.

Detractors argue that the lack of independent oversight and the secrecy with which they can be wielded threaten core democratic principles.

Thune rejects Trump’s call for GOP to take over and ‘nationalize’ elections

 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5720386-thune-trump-federal-elections/

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday rejected President Trump’s call for Republicans in Washington to “nationalize” voting in the United States and “take over” the management of elections in 15 states.

Thune said that while he strongly supports requiring voters to show identification to prove they are citizens, he does not support the federal government seizing the power to run elections, noting the Constitution gives that power to the states.

Trump Doubles Down on Calls for Republicans to Nationalize Elections

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-doubles-down-on-calls-for-republicans-to-nationalize-elections-f0ae3f92?mod=hp_lead_pos3

President says federal government agents should be involved in counting votes, a role the Constitution explicitly grants to states

President Trump doubled down on his view that Republicans should “nationalize” voting in the U.S., questioning whether certain states should continue running their own elections as spelled out in the Constitution

“I want to see elections be honest, and if a state can’t run an election, I think the people behind me should do something about it,” the president said Tuesday in the Oval Office, flanked by congressional Republicans during a bill signing ceremony to reopen the federal government.

Greene rips ‘weak’ Republicans after Trump post targeting Massie’s wife: ‘You make me sick’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/house/5720641-marjorie-taylor-greene-defends-massie/

After President Trump slammed Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and his wife on Monday, former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) criticized her former Republican colleagues for not standing by the Kentuckian.

She also said “all the weak Republicans in the House stay silent refusing to utter even a word of support for their ‘friend’ Thomas Massie.”

“Shame on every one of you. Cowards. You make me sick,” Greene concluded.

Massie became a target of the president’s ire for co-sponsoring the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which required the Justice Department to release all files related to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. 

Illiberal America: A History

 I'm reading "Illiberal America: A History" by Steven Hahn and wanted to share this quote with you

"One of the dangers in writing a history of “illiberal America” is laying out a story that appears to overemphasize continuities at the expense of changes. And, to be sure, there are features of illiberalism that tend to show up again and again. These features include the overriding will of the community, the suspicion of outsiders and quick resort to expulsion, the recognition of rights and standing chiefly in local or limited arenas, the abiding desire for cultural homogeneity often enforced coercively, the resistance to some forms of authority (often of the state) together with easy submission to those of place and faith, and the embrace of hierarchies of status and power."

Start reading this book for free: https://a.co/0aAhOgHX

Melania’s DARK PAST gets OUTED by EPSTEIN FILES!!

What science says we’ve been getting wrong about exercise

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/02/03/exercise-longevity-stairs-blue-zones/

Doctors and physiologists point to studies that show tiny, regular bursts of effort — like climbing a few stairs — can capture many of the benefits of the gym.

Movement tracking studies show even tiny, regular bursts of effort — as short as 30 seconds — can capture many of the health benefits of the gym. Climbing two to three flights of stairs a few times per day could change your life. Experts call it VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity.

“The message now is that all activity counts,” said Martin Gibala, a professor and chair of the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Canada. And perhaps nothing’s better than stairs.

Images of NYC mayor with Jeffrey Epstein are AI-generated. Here’s how we know

 https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-mamdani-mother-epstein-files-ai-photos-4d2adffd9790a83b34abf1eaf6cee349

Multiple AI-generated photos falsely claiming to show New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as a child and his mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein and his confidant Ghislaine Maxwell, along with other high-profile public figures, were shared widely on social media Monday.

The images originated on an X account labeled as parody after a huge tranche of new Epstein files was released by the Justice Department on Friday. They are clearly watermarked as AI and other elements they conThe images were created with artificial intelligence. They all contain a digital watermark identifying them as such and first appeared on a parody X account that says it creates “high quality AI videos and memes.”tain do not add up.

The photos began circulating after an email emerged in which a publicist, Peggy Siegal, wrote to Epstein about seeing a variety of luminaries, including Clinton, Bezos and Nair, an award-winning Indian filmmaker, at 2009 afterparty for a film held at Maxwell’s townhouse.

While Mamdani appears as a baby or young child in all of the images, he was 18 in 2009, when Nair is said to have attended the party.

Donald Trump Approval Rating Falls Across Every Major Issue in New Poll

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-rating-falls-poll-3-11457843

President Donald Trump’s approval rating has slipped across every major policy area, according to a new national poll of Americans.

It signals a broad—if modest—shift in public sentiment on multiple fronts as the 2026 midterms move into view, with voters citing inflation and immigration among their top concerns, while also expressing misgivings about immigration enforcement tactics in Minneapolis and across U.S. cities.

Trump’s overall job approval slipped to 45 percent in January, down from 47 percent in December, with ratings declining across key issues including the economy, immigration, and foreign affairs, according to the latest Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.

Approval on “administering the government” declined to 43 percent from 45 percent in the previous survey, and his rating on handling inflation—already a chronic weak spot—fell again to 39 percent from 40 percent in the previous poll, matching his lowest score in a year. Tariffs and trade policy sank to 39 percent as well.

Why Republicans Are Finally Confronting Trump’s Emergency Powers | George Will