Trump revokes Fauci’s security detail: ‘They all made a lot of money’

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/24/anthony-fauci-security-trump-006509

During an impromptu press conference shortly after arriving in North Carolina Friday morning, Trump said removing the security detail of former government officials is “very standard” and that the detail could not be provided forever. It’s a similar explanation he gave earlier this week after removing the security protections of other high-profile people who worked in his first administration, including John Bolton and Mike Pompeo.

“They all made a lot of money,” Trump told reporters Friday. “They can hire their own security.”

When asked whether he would feel responsible should something happen to Fauci, Trump said he would “certainly not” take responsibility.

Fallout from Trump’s Jan. 6 pardons spreads on Capitol Hill

 https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/23/january-6-pardons-washington-trump-006212

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson warned Thursday that the blanket dismissal of Jan. 6 cases called for by Trump is “contrary to the manifest public interest in upholding the rule of law” and would “dishonor” the police officers who protected the Capitol.

“They are the patriots. Patriotism is loyalty to country and loyalty to the Constitution – not loyalty to a single head of state,” the Obama-appointed judge wrote. “No stroke of a pen and no proclamation can alter the facts of what took place on January 6, 2021. When others in the public eye are not willing to risk their own power or popularity by calling out lies when they hear them, the record of the proceedings in this courthouse will be available to those who seek the truth.”

Democrats are also describing increasing security concerns in the wake of the pardons. They noted that several people who were freed were deemed too dangerous by judges to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday, and several more remained detained pending trial because of judges’ concerns about the danger they posed.

Mirror Image

 https://jewishaction.com/jewish-living/mirror-image/

The Baal Shem Tov taught that the world is a mirror, and that the defects we see in other people are only a reflection of our own defects.  We are likely to be oblivious to our own defects, but can easily detect shortcomings in other people.  The Baal Shem Tov instructs us to take such observations as indications that we have these shortcomings ourselves.

We may assume that we are being given “signals” to call attention to defects of which we may be unaware, but there is also a psychological explanation.  Many decades after the Baal Shem Tov, psychologists formulated the conception of “projection”; i.e., we are likely to project our own faults onto someone else.

The Baal Shem Tov is simply giving us the most common reason why we may see faults in others.  It is a defensive maneuver to minimize the awareness of our own faults, and the self-recrimination that would result from such awareness.

Most people are quick to criticize others for their faults.  How wonderful the world would be if we followed the Baal Shem Tov’s teachings, and did as he did; namely, when noticing a fault in others, direct our attention inwardly to discover where we can make changes that would lead to self-improvement.

Humor and Holocaust

 KA wrote "Also Charlie Chaplin made a comedy which was poking fun at them. Even the Jewish comedians Mel brooks and woody Allen would make fun and use their names as a form of mockery

This is nonsense apologetics

Musk was trivializing Nazis. Chaplin and Brooks were making fun of Hitler not the Holocaust.  Woody Allan is your model He also compared Israel to Nazis! Bottom line Musk has shown great insensitivity to Jews in his quest for power in the world. Your attempt to defend the indefensible is unacceptable. 

https://www.hnn.us/article/harry-belafonte-woody-allen-criticized-for-stateme

Earlier this summer, comedian and filmmaker Woody Allen said in an interview with the German magazine Der Spiegel: "The history of the world is like: he kills me, I kill him. Only with different cosmetics and different castings: so in 2001 some fanatics killed some Americans, and now some Americans are killing some Iraqis. And in my childhood, some Nazis killed Jews. And now, some Jewish people and some Palestinians are killing each other." (Der Spiegel, June 20, 2005)

KA are you laughing?

NATO Ally 'Utterly Freaked Out' After Donald Trump Call:

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-mette-frederiksen-phone-call-greenland-2020637

President Donald Trump had a "fiery" phone call with Denmark's Prime Minister last week, putting the NATO ally into "crisis mode," the Financial Times reported, citing officials briefed on the matter.

European officials told the FT the call did not go well and that Trump was aggressive and confrontational with his Danish counterpart.

Pete Hegseth Narrowly Confirmed as Trump’s Defense Secretary in Tie-Breaking Vote

 https://time.com/7209986/pete-hegseth-confirmed-donald-trump-defense-secretary/

Only once before has the vice president had to break a tie on a Cabinet nominee — during Trump's first term, when Vice President Mike Pence cast the vote to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary.

In contrast, McConnell said after the vote said Hegseth “did not reckon” with the reality of job, noting that the nominee's “mere desire to be a ‘change agent’ is not enough.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said there were few Trump nominees as “dangerously and woefully unqualified as Hegseth.”

Trump ousts more than a dozen inspectors general in late night action

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5106541-donald-trump-inspectors-general-ousters/

The ouster of the independent inspectors may be in violation of the federal law as the president is required to give a 30-day notice to Congress of his intent, The Post noted.

“It’s a widespread massacre,” one of the fired inspectors told The Post. “Whoever Trump puts in now will be viewed as loyalists, and that undermines the entire system.”

Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.), ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee, also blasted Trump for the move.

“This midnight purge of inspector generals, including at the USDA, is alarming and unprecedented,” Craig said in a statement. “While the president has the right to replace inspector generals, the late-night firing of these independent watchdogs not only violates the law but also hampers our ability to combat waste, fraud, and abuse and ensure programs are run as Congress intended, whether its disaster assistance for farmers or nutrition programs.”

“These firings threaten to undermine public trust at a time when many hardworking Americans doubt whether government institutions are looking out for them and reinforce the perception that politicians get to play by a different set of rules,” she added.

How Silk Road Founder Ross Ulbricht Got a Pardon From Trump

 https://www.wsj.com/us-news/law/ross-ulbricht-silk-road-trump-pardon-16f2e7a9?mod=hp_lead_pos8

Allies of the online drug bazaar’s founder made the case to the president that the two men shared enemies

4 freed Israeli hostages reunite with parents; Palestinians hail released

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-january-25-2025/

Liri Albag, Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy home after 477 days * IDF: Grave concerns for Bibas family * Israel: No return of Gazans to north until release of civilian Arbel Yehud arranged

Dealing with a stupid Corrupt Narcissist

https://mishpacha.com/if-you-cant-beat-him/

Whether they are simply acknowledging political reality or aligning themselves with a new zeitgeist, many titans of tech and industry who backed Democrats in previous elections are now lining up to support Trump.

This appears to be the new tactic adopted by former foes of the president: butter him up, and he’ll butter your toast. Call it loyalty or egotism, Trump’s penchant for rewarding perceived allies may just be the ticket to former enemies getting favorable treatment by his administration.

What’s the prize:

The pharma industry is looking for funding to support research on cancer medications. Bourla asked Trump to secure dollars from both government and the private sector. Pharmaceutical companies also face increasing moves on Capitol Hill to reign in the cost of brand-name drugs, their key moneymakers.

Elon Musk’s Biographer Calls Him a ‘Sociopath’ After Auschwitz Photo-Op

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musks-biographer-seth-abramson-calls-him-a-sociopath-after-auschwitz-photo-op/

Elon Musk’s biographer called him a “sociopath” after the MAGA billionaire’s 2024 visit to the Auschwitz death camp was dismissed by someone else at the event as nothing more than a “photo-op.”

On Wednesday, though, the partner of Gidon Lev, the 89-year-old Holocaust survivor who was the guest of honor at Musk’s much-publicized visit to the death camp, shared a scathing perspective on the event.

“I chatted with Elon Musk. I spent hours with him and walked with him through Auschwitz. I stood with him, looking at the nauseating heaps of hair, luggage, and shoes flooded with violet light meant to preserve it,” Julie Gray wrote on Facebook.

“Is Musk an antisemite?” she continued. “People, actually, it’s worse—he doesn’t care whatsoever… He was unmoved by the experience.”

Chabad rabbi speaks out against haredi support for Hamas ceasefire deal

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/402766

Rabbi Yosef Shmuel Gerlitzky, chairman of the Rabbinical Congress for Peace and longtime Chabad-Lubavitch emissary to Tel Aviv, harshly condemned the ceasefire-prisoner swap deal that Israel signed with the Hamas terror group, comparing it to the 2005 Disengagement from Gaza.

In an interview with Kol Hai Radio, Rabbi Gerlitzky denied the claim that the Council of Torah Sages supports the deal.

"This is a true danger to lives," said Rabbi Gerlitzky, who represents the organization of 400 rabbis who oppoe the deal. "The lack of official statement on the part of the Council of Torah Sages does not prove support."

He added, "This is a matter which will have severe repercussions."

Mitch McConnell Almost Sinks Hegseth With Dramatic ‘No’ Vote

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/jd-vance-casts-dramatic-tiebreaker-to-save-def-sec-hegseth/

It took newly inaugurated Vice President JD Vance rushing to the Senate floor to cast a tie-breaking vote to salvage Hegseth’s nomination after former Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell cast a stunning “no” vote against Hegseth, calling out Trump’s strong-arm tactics.

This Israel-Hamas Deal Sets a Dangerous Precedent

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/this-israel-hamas-deal-sets-a-dangerous-precedent-hostage-terrorist-f51bdc58?mod=hp_opin_pos_5#cxrecs_s

Can God create a stone he can’t lift? Israel recently faced a similar question: Can politicians tie their hands behind their backs to render themselves incapable of action?