GOP aghast as Trump's polls sink amid divisive racial rhetoric: 'It's been a bad couple weeks'

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/24/politics/republican-reaction-trump-racist-rhetoric/index.html

Racial overtones filled Trump's appearance in Phoenix. The President was onstage and nodded in approval as a young woman lamented the loss of the branding of the Aunt Jemima pancake mix and accused White, evangelical pastors of telling their congregations to "kneel and apologize for the color of their skin."

 

Another speaker, an African American woman, claimed her college had shut down a conservative student group but allowed a group that supported Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The mention of Sanders' name brought more boos and led one person in the crowd to yell: "And he's a Jew!" (The group Students for Trump later said the comment does not reflect its views and the individual would have been "promptly removed" had "we been alerted" to the incident when it occurred.)

Appeals court orders judge to dismiss Michael Flynn case

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/24/politics/michael-flynn-dismiss/index.html

 A federal appeals court on Wednesday ordered Judge Emmet Sullivan to dismiss the case against former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, a possible conclusion to a long-running political fight.

Despite Flynn twice pleading guilty for lying to the FBI about his conversations with then-Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the presidential transition, the Justice Department moved last month to dismiss the case against him. Sullivan did not immediately act, instead asking for a review of the decision.

If unchallenged with further appeals, the ruling exonerates Flynn after he sought to change his plea and claimed innocence.

 

Charlie Kirk: Trump's 'incredible' youth turnout in Arizona defied the mainstream media narrative

https://www.foxnews.com/media/charlie-kirk-trump-youth-turnout-ignored-media

In an interview on 'Fox & Friends"  with hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade, Kirk noted that the president's Students for Trump event in Phoenix, Ariz., on Tuesday was held "in defiance" of the liberal media's narrative.

 

"Well, I’ll tell you with young people, in defiance to the media narrative, it was absolutely incredible yesterday," Kirk remarked. "3,300 students in Phoenix, Arizona."

The appearance, at the Dream City megachurch came on the heels of a disappointing weekend for the president in Oklahoma – filling only 6,200 of Tulsa's BOK Center's 19,000 seats at his first rally following a three-month coronavirus-related hiatus.

Trump swiped at "left-wing intolerance," telling his young audience that Democrats are "totalitarian" and radical.

“They hate our history, they hate our values, and they hate everything we prize as Americans,” he asserted. “Our country didn’t grow great with them. It grew great with you and your thought process and your ideology. The left-wing mob is trying to demolish our heritage, so they can replace it with a new oppressive regime that they alone control."

In Arizona, Trump has a redo of his Oklahoma rally

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/23/trump-rally-arizona-336565

 After a disappointing showing at his campaign rally over the weekend, President Donald Trump renewed his performance for a packed crowd of students on Tuesday, telling his Arizona audience that they were guardians in a cultural war over the heritage of the country.

“We’re here today to declare that we will never cave to the left wing and the left-wing intolerance,” the president said at a Students for Trump event in Phoenix.

 

The appearance, at the Dream City megachurch, was one of his first rallies since taking a three-month hiatus because of the coronavirus pandemic. Images from the event showed a large crowd tightly packed together, with almost no one wearing protective masks. There were no temperature checks for the estimated 3,000 cheering attendees who, like many of Trump’s staunchest fans, ignored a new local ordinance requiring them to wear a mask, despite a public-health plea from the Democratic mayor on Monday.

Halachic Parameters of Get Coercion(V9)

Why Trump Just Fired The One Prosecutor He Fears More Than Mueller | MSNBC

Stone Prosecutor Zelensky Exposes Barr's Corruption

Fauci warns of disturbing trend as Trump ignores viral surge

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/23/politics/donald-trump-coronavirus-pandemic-election-2020/index.html

Political mismanagement of the situation, the glaring lack of a national strategy and the nation's exhausting, inconclusive struggle with the coronavirus was reflected Tuesday in three key developments. Fully half of US states are now seeing rising cases of the disease with the situation especially acute in Texas, Florida and Arizona, which embraced aggressive reopening programs. The European Union, which has been more successful than the US in suppressing Covid-19, warned it might bar visitors from America in what would be a major embarrassment for Trump. And the President persisted with his counter-logical argument that the US is only seeing more cases of the virus because it is doing more testing, leaving the implication that it would be better if rising cases, infections and ultimately deaths were simply ignored.

 

 

The hope of everyone was the states that reopened first would find a way to do so without triggering a surge in new cases and therefore begin to mitigate the terrible economic cost and knock-on psychological effects of lockdowns. But some 25 states are now seeing new infections rising, while the situation is steady in 12 and down in 13. It is dispiriting that the picture seems to get a little worse by the day. States like Michigan and California, which has already experienced painful months, have seen their curves begin to rise again. And while states like New York and the Washington metropolitan areas begin to emerge from lockdowns, the worsening data elsewhere offers daunting omens.

 

President Trump's brother trying to stop Mary Trump's family tell-all book: report

https://www.foxnews.com/media/president-trumps-brother-trying-to-stop-mary-trumps-family-tell-all-book-report

The motion, filed by Robert Trump's lawyers, seeks an injunction to prevent Mary Trump and the publishing company from releasing the book. They argue that family members had signed a settlement agreement two decades ago related to the will of Donald Trump’s father, New York real estate developer Fred Trump. The agreement included a confidentially clause saying they would not "publish any account concerning the litigation or their relationship,” unless agreed upon by all parties.

Robert Trump said he never consented to the book being published and argued it was prohibited by the accord reached in 2001.

“President Trump and his siblings are seeking to suppress a book that will discuss matters of utmost public importance," attorney Theodore Boutrous Jr., a representative for Mary Trump, said in a statement. "They are pursuing this unlawful prior restraint because they do not want the American people to know the truth. The courts will not tolerate this brazen and baseless effort to squelch speech in violation of the First Amendment.”

President Trump previously said during an interview last week that Mary Trump is "not allowed" to write the book due to the nondisclosure agreement she signed.

 

Genuine spirituality?

Rav Yaakov Hillel](Faith and Folly: The occult in Torah perspective)  cogently denounces misguided "spiritual" activities. He relates the following chassidic story. "A poor chasid traveling through the woods met an old man. The old man gave the chasid a coin and told him to use it to buy merchandise. In the weeks after returning home, the chasid found his meager business prospering. He quickly became very wealthy. He went to his Rebbe to tell him the good news and to give a generous donation to the poor. When the Rebbe heard the full story he told his chasid that he had to return all his new wealth to the old man. The Rebbe told him that the old man was someone who had special powers but they were from the evil spiritual sources. The chasid listened to his Rebbe's command. He gathered up his newfound wealth and traveled back into the woods. He found the old man as before and explained why he was giving back everything. "I'll take back everything as your Rebbe requested, but I want you to go back to your Rebbe and tell him that the source of his power is the same as mine". The distraught chasid returned to his Rebbe and told him the message. The astonished Rebbe concluded regretfully that he could no longer be a rebbe. He left town and was never heard from again."

The Bostoner Rebbe, commenting on this story, said that it is not always easy to distinguish between genuine spirituality which comes from being close to G‑d and spirituality which draws its power from negative spiritual energies. Thus spirituality is clearly important for the religious Jew – but only a spirituality developed through Torah and mitzvos is viewed as spirituality.

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Balei Mesorah:Only to Ravina and Rav Ashi

נפש הרב (ר' צבי שכטר עמוד ל"ד) ...ושמעתי בזה בשם הג"ר משה סאלאווייציק ז"ל. דהרמב"ם לא בא ליתן כאן פרטים של היסטורי' בעלמא, אלא לפרט את בעלי המסורה - עפ"י דין, ואיתא בגמ' ב"מ (פו.) דרב אשי וראבינא - סוף הוראה, שעפ"י דין הסתיימה התקופה של מסירת התושב"פ ברבינא ורב אשי. וטעמא דמליתא, דאף שבימי רבי כבר נתחברה המשנה, מכ"מ לא היו מגידים את השיעור ברבים ללמד לתלמידים - מתוך הכתב - עד לימי רב אשי ורבינא. וכל עוד שדקדקו למסור (מדור לדור) את התושבע"פ - בצורה של לימוד בעל פה, וכפי ההלכה הנדרשת מקרא (גטין ס:) דרבים שבע"פ אי אתה רשאי לאמרן בכתב, היו גם המלמדים וגם התלמידים בכלל "חכמי המסורה". אך לאחר שהנהיגו להגיד את השיעור בתושבע"פ מתוך הכתב (הטקסט של המשנה), שוב אין עליהם החלות שם הזה של "חכמי המסורה". ולזה נתכוונ בגמ' ב"מ (פו.) ...דרבינא ורב אשי סוף הוראה, דליכא החלות שם של הוראה על הלכות המפורשות בתושב"כ אלא דוקא על עניני תושבע"פ...

As His Poll Numbers Slump, President Trump Returns to Arizona and the Border Wall

https://time.com/5858392/trump-poll-slump-border-wall/

 While it’s about a tenth of the length he promised during the 2016 campaign, the wall — and its role as a symbol for Trump’s harsh restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration — remains a central part of Trump’s pitch to voters heading into November at a moment when few things are going Trump’s way. “I think it’s great,” Trump said standing in front of the steel and concrete barrier. “It’s really foolproof.”

 

4 Jewish takeaways from the John Bolton book Trump doesn’t want you to read

https://www.timesofisrael.com/4-jewish-takeaways-from-the-john-bolton-book-trump-doesnt-want-you-to-read/

Pro-Israel groups lobbied for him to be secretary of state; Israel is not always happy with the Trump administration, particularly on Syria and he doesn’t think much of Nikki Haley

Still, buried in the nearly 290 pages are some surprising nuggets, telling us a little more about Trump and foreign policy than we knew. You’ve seen the big headlines beyond Trump’s fruitless effort to block the book’s release: Bolton says that Trump likely committed impeachable offenses not just in seeking to extract favors from Ukraine, but from Turkey and China.

Rambam Messiah

The King Messiah will arise and re-establish the monarchy of David as it was in former times. He will build the Sanctuary and gather in the dispersed of Israel. All the earlier statutes will be restored as they once were. Sacrifices will be offered, the Sabbatical and Jubilee years will be observed, as commanded in the Torah. Anyone who does not believe in him or one who does not anticipate his coming not only denies the Prophets, but also the Torah and Moses our Teacher. For the Torah has given testimony about him saying, “And the Lord your G-d will turn your captivity and have compassion with you. He will return and gather you from all the peoples…If any of you should be dispersed at the ends of Heaven, from there G-d will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord, your G-d will bring you…” (Deut. 30:3-4). These matters are explicit in the Torah and include everything said by all the Prophets. It is even written in the Chapter of Balaam who prophesized about both the Messiahs. The first Messiah was David who saved Israel from her adversities. The final Messiah will be from his sons and will deliver Israel from the hands of the descendants of Esau. There it says, “I shall see him, but not now” (Numbers 24:17) - this refers to David; “I behold him, and not soon” (ibid.) - this is the King Messiah; “A star from Jacob shall step forth” (ibid.) - this is David; “and a scepter shall arise out of Israel” (ibid.) - this the King Messiah; “and shall smite through the corners of Moab” - this is David; and so it says, “And he smote Moab and measured them with a rope” (II Samuel 8:2); “and break down all the sons of Seth” (Numbers 24:17) - this is King Messiah of whom it says, “and his dominion shall be from sea to sea” (Zechariah 9:10); “and Edom shall be a possession” (Numbers 24:18) - this is David, as it says, “And Edom shall become slaves to David” (see II Samuel 8:6 and II Samuel 8:14); “Seir also, even his enemies, shall be a possession” (Numbers 24:18) - this is King Messiah, as it says, “And the saviors shall come upon Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau…” (Obadiah 1:21).

Even in the section regarding the cities of refuge it says, “If the Lord your G-d shall enlarge your borders…and shall add for you another three cities more…” (Deut. 12:20, Deut. 19:8-9). This actually never took place¹²³Since there were never nine, but at most six Cities of Refuge. The additional three must therefore be prophetic., and the Holy One Blessed be He never commands for nothing. However, from the words of the Prophets this matter does not need a proof, since all the Books are full of this matter.

It should not occur to you that the King Messiah must bring wondrous signs or perform marvels or invent new things or revive the dead or anything like what the fools say. It is not so. For Rabbi Akiva, one of the wisest of the Sages of the Mishna, was King Ben Coziba’s¹²⁴Bar Cochba. arms-bearer¹²⁵I.e. his staunch supporter. and said that he was the King Messiah. He and all the Sages of his generation thought that he was the King Messiah, until he was killed because of his sins¹²⁶He killed Rabbi Elazar HaModai.. Since he was killed, they then understood that he was not the one. The Sages never asked of him neither a sign nor a wonder. So, the essence of the matter is like this: The Laws and the Statutes of the Torah never change. We may not add to them nor detract from them. ¹²⁷This last sentence is absent in most editions.Anyone who adds to or subtracts from them or reveals some new dimension to the Torah or understands the Commandments differently than their plain meaning is, for sure, an evil person and an Apikoris.

Now, if a king should arise from the House of David who is versed in Torah and engages in Commandments, as did David his forefather, in accordance with both the Written and the Oral Torahs, and he enjoins all of Israel to follow in its ways and encourages them to repair its breaches, and he fights the Wars of G-d¹²⁸I.e. he defends Israel., then he may be presumed to be the Messiah. If he succeeds in his efforts and defeats the enemies around and builds the Sanctuary in its proper place and gathers the dispersed of Israel, he is definitely the Messiah.

But, if he does not succeed in these matters or is killed, we will know that he was not the one Torah has promised. He is (merely to be considered) like all the (other) exemplary and qualified kings of the House of David who have died. G-d set him up only to try the masses, as it says, “And some of the wise will stumble, to refine among them and to purify and to make white, even to the time of the end, for it is yet for the time appointed” (Daniel 11:35).

Even Jesus the Nazarene who imagined he would be the Messiah and was killed by the Court¹²⁹Or, was handed over to the Romans who killed him as a revolutionary because he proclaimed himself the Messiah, King of Israel. was prophesized about by Daniel as it says, “and also the children of the violent among your people will lift themselves up to establish the vision, but they shall stumble” (Daniel 11:14). Was there ever a greater impediment than this one? All the Prophets spoke of the Messiah, Redeemer of Israel and Savior and Gatherer of the Exiles and Strengthener of the Commandments. But this one caused the ruin of Israel by the sword and the dispersal of its remnant and its humiliation and reversed¹³⁰Or, changed. the Torah, and caused most of the world to err and worship a god other than HaShem (G-d).