Wednesday, July 16, 2025
Tucker Carlson suggests Jeffrey Epstein was working for Mossad
Addressing the conservative conference, Carlson said that the real question that needed to be asked about Epstein was not “was Jeffrey Epstein a weirdo who was abusing girls?” but rather, “why was he doing this, on whose behalf, and where was the money coming from?”
“And I think the real answer is Jeffrey Epstein was working on behalf of intel services, probably not American,” he said. “And we have every right to ask, ‘On whose behalf was he working?'”
He answered his own question a moment later, declaring it “extremely obvious to anyone who watches” that Epstein “had direct connections to a foreign government.”
“Now, no one’s allowed to say that foreign government is Israel, because we’ve been somehow cowed into thinking that that’s naughty,” he said, raising his voice as the crowd erupted into applause and cheers of support.
“There is nothing wrong with saying that, there’s nothing hateful about saying that, there’s nothing antisemitic about saying that — there’s nothing even anti-Israel about saying that!”
Havdala Over a Telephone for a woman in Hospital
Shulchan Aruch (OC #296.8) Women are obligated to say Havdalah just as they are obligated to say Kiddush. And there are those who argue. RAMA: Therefore, they should not recite Havdalah for themselves, rather they should hear Havdalah from men.
Igros Moshe (OC IV #100) There is a view that women are exempt from havdala (OC #296.8)
Don't expect Tel Aviv-New York return fares under $1,600
https://en.globes.co.il/en/article-dont-expect-tel-aviv-new-york-return-fares-under-1600-1001516040
In contrast, the tickets for the flights that will now be added following the early return are brand new - and therefore are sold at introductory pricing, and not at "last minute" prices that characterize limited availability. As a result, it is still possible to find individual tickets for a limited time window for the end of July at prices of about $1,200-1,300. In August, prices are already returning to higher levels (according to the pricing method in the industry).
The bottom line: The presence of American companies is critical to lowering ticket prices. The high prices of Israeli companies reflect the enormous demand, which outweighs supply.
‘This is why people don’t trust government’: Nikki Haley pushes for Epstein files
Former Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is the latest Republican to pile onto the MAGA rebellion over the Trump administration’s handling of the files related to the criminal investigation into Jeffrey Epstein.
“Release the Epstein files and let the chips fall where they may,” Haley wrote in a social media post Tuesday. “This is why people don’t trust government. You can never go wrong with being transparent. Redact victims’ names but release the rest.”
Arab bus driver injured in assault by group of young men in Jerusalem; 1 arrested
https://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-bus-driver-injured-in-assault-by-group-of-teens-in-jerusalem/
Three young men assaulted and robbed an Arab bus driver overnight in Jerusalem’s Neve Yaakov neighborhood.
Ahmad Shehadeh, who works for the Extra bus company, was hospitalized with a broken nose after he was attacked at around 1 a.m. Tuesday morning. The assailants choked, punched and kicked the driver, then stole his phone after disembarking, the Bus Drivers Association said in a statement.
“I don’t get how we’ve reached this point where we [bus drivers] have to be everyone’s punching bag,” said the attacked driver in an official statement from the Bus Drivers Association. “When will they wake up? Only when one of us dies?”
Trump Tariffs Hit Consumer Prices
President Trump insists there is “no inflation” as he bludgeons the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates. But denying inflation reality won’t make it go away. His tariffs are making it harder for the central bank to do what he wants, as last month’s rise in the consumer-price index shows.
The Labor Department’s consumer-price report Tuesday showed inflation ticked up in June to 0.3% or 2.7% in the last year. Real average hourly earnings fell 0.1% as inflation eroded wage gains. Real average weekly earnings fell 0.4% and 0.6% for production-level workers as hours of work declined, perhaps because of a slowing economy and labor market.
Trump Effect Starts to Show Up in Economy
https://www.wsj.com/economy/trump-effect-starts-to-show-up-in-economy-45c83c7a?mod=hp_lead_pos1
New data reflect that president’s tariff and immigration policies are boosting inflation and weighing on jobs
Syrian regime forces celebrate capture of Druze stronghold
Syrian regime troops have taken control of most of Suwayda, the capital of the Druze Mountain region, in a brutal assault marked by mass executions, humiliations, and house-to-house killings targeting the Druze minority.
Who are the Druze and why is Israel bombing Syria to protect them?
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/15/middleeast/israel-strikes-syria-sectarian-clashes-druze-intl
Syria’s military entered a stronghold for the Druze community in the country’s south on Tuesday, the government said, reigniting fears of attacks against minorities and triggering renewed Israeli strikes on the forces dispatched by Damascus.
Clashes broke out over the weekend between Druze forces and Bedouin tribes in the southern city of Suwayda, leaving 30 people dead and injuring dozens more. The violence prompted an intervention by the Syrian government, which lost eighteen of its soldiers in the clashes.
Islamist forces allied with the Syrian government joined the fight this week, heightening concern among the Druze and prompting a key community figure to call for international protection.
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
Trump offers MAGA a third option on Epstein
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5400620-trump-epstein-files-release-scandal/
That was the world as we knew it on Friday: Either the Trump Justice Department was caught in a politically motivated lie or it was involved in an ongoing cover-up on behalf of Trump, or the “deep state” or to keep a blackmail scheme going or … anything, really. That’s the thing about cover-ups: If their existence is revealed, but allowed to stay in place, the imagination is the only limit to conjecture about what might be underneath.
Then on Saturday, Trump introduced a third possibility: That there was a cover-up, but it was a virtuous cover-up, because what was being concealed was itself fake.
He announced: “Why are we giving publicity to Files written by Obama, Crooked Hillary, [Former FBI Director James] Comey, [former CIA Director John] Brennan, and the Losers and Criminals of the Biden Administration. … They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands.
Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans break with Trump on Epstein
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/07/15/mike-johnson-epstein-files-democrats-house-vote/
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) told right-wing podcaster Benny Johnson that he supported the release of the Epstein files days after Trump’s Justice Department said the matter was effectively closed. Johnson is a close Trump ally and has never broken so publicly with the president on an issue.
Earlier Tuesday, President Donald Trump said Bondi gave him “a very quick briefing” on the Epstein documents before baselessly blaming previous Democratic administrations for creating the files.
Talis Koton
Bereishis (9:23) And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness
Rashi (Bereishis 9:23) And he took”, in order to teach regarding Shem that he devoted himself to this duty with more eagerness than Japheth. Therefore have Shem’s sons received the privilege of wearing the cloak that has fringes,
Igros Moshe (OC I #2) Question: Tzitzis of wool for a garment that is a different material than its wool corners? Answer It is clear that one needs to make the tzitzis of the same material as the garment. For example if the garment is silk and the corners are cotton. The derasha that tzitzis should be like the corners means like the garment. Thus for those who want to follow the stringency of the Maharam MeRoutenberg that wool tzitsis do not exempt other species it is not relevant that the corners are wool if the garment is silk and cotton. Thus a silk garment needs silk tzitzis
Igros Moshe (OC I #2) Question:People who can’t wear a wool talis koton in the summer and they wear a talis koton of other material yet the tzitzis are still made of wool since the halacha is not like the view of the Maharam MeRoutenberg. Answer However it is definitely appropriate for a baal nefesh to be strict to only wear a wool talis Koton if at all possible in order to fulfill all views.
Igros Moshe (OC II #1) Question: Do garments of synthetic material such as nylon and rayon that are worn in the hot summer require tzitzis? Answer It seems reasonable to me that garments made from synthetic material should be exempt from tzisis. This is obvious from the fact that a leather garment does not require tzitzis because only garments made from from threads like that of wool and linen need tzitzis. .Even if leather was made into strings and woven it would still be exempt from tzitzis since it is not typically a woven materia and thus such a garment is not considered a woven garment and is thus exempt from tzitzis. Consequently garments of these synthetic materials which don’t inherently require weaving from threads should be exempt from tzitzis. But perhaps there is a rabbinic decree that all garments need tzitzis which seems to be the view of the Rambam that tzitzis are reminders to do mitzvos. However the Rambam explicitly exempts leather garments from tzitzis and thus would likely also exempt these synthetic materials. So it could be that there is a decree for all garments that are woven like wool and linen. However to wear these garments in hot weather – even cotton is exempt - from the Torah obligation of tzitzis according to the Rambam and Shulchan Aruch and thus do not fulfill the Torah obligation. This is a problem during a time of G-d’s anger that one is not protected from harm. However according to the Rema and the majority of poskim that all garments require tzitzis according to the Torah and thus they can clearly be relied upon even not to be strict to wear only a woolen garment even if only because of the heat. Nevertheless a baal nefesh should be strict to only wear a woolen talis Koton.
Igros Moshe (OC IV #4) Question Is there an obligation to wear a garment that requires tzitzis? Answer Clearly there is no obligation except to have tzitzis if you are wearing a garment that requires tzitzis. However since it has become customary for Jews to wear a garment that requires tzitzis it is forbidden to ignore this custom which is learned from the verse in Mishlei “Do not desert the teachings of your mother.” . In fact since this custom results in doing a mitzva it is surely obligatory. There are many important reasons given for weaing tzitzis (Menachos 43b). We learn also that it protects at the time of G-d’s anger and thus even if he doesn’t own a proper garment he should buy one for protection.
Igros Moshe (OC V #20.25) Question Is there an obligation to wear a four corned garment and to say a beracha on tzitzis? Answer You say it is apparently a widespread practice in yeshivos that the young men do not say a beracha on tzitzis in the morning when they put on a talis Koton. This obviously against the halacha if the garment is at least three quarters of an amah on each side except for the neck hole. If it is too small than that explains the absence of a beracha. But I don’t understand why a ben Torah would wear a talis Koton that doesn’t require tzitzis. Even if there were no obligation to wear tzitzis but it protects at a time of G-d’s anger. Therefore it it is obvious that the heads of the yeshiva need to warn all the students over the age of 13 to wear a garment that requires tzitzis. Because of this I even wear a wool talis koton even in the hot summer to fulfill the Torah requirement. While for yeshiva students it is not necessary to be so strict because of the difficulty of the heat, nevertheless they need to wear a proper sized talis koton of other materials such as cotton but not from synthetic material such as nylon and rayon which are exempt from tzitzis.
Igros Moshe (YD II #137) Question Someone who takes off a talis Koton at night does he need to put it back on at night? Answer From the Magen Avraham it would seem prohibited. However perhaps only a regular talis is prohibited because it requires a beracha. However it seems obvious that not redressing will not result in punishment even at a time of G-d’s anger. Therefore I don’t see that it is prohibited to not put it back on and it is not even a stringency especially according to the Bach.
Trump’s missile announcement provides vital relief to Ukraine – but lack of stricter sanctions against Russia stings
https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/14/europe/ukraine-patriot-missle-announcement-trump-russia-intl
The good news for Kyiv is familiar. Trump has permitted NATO’s other members to buy American arms – a wide range of them, it seems. Included are the urgently needed Patriot interceptor missiles, and the batteries that fire them. Trump even suggested there were 17 hanging around to “spare” in one NATO nation.
Whatever the precise reality of the arms package NATO eventually affords, it is exactly what Trump suggested at the weekend and exactly what Ukraine needs. The nightly barrage of Russian ballistic missiles can only be stopped by US Patriot missiles, and only the White House can authorize their supply. Ukraine was short of these, and other sophisticated American weapons that may not have been referenced by name and may be included in the deal. This is short-term, vital relief.
But the sting for Ukraine comes in what was not announced: Immediate secondary sanctions against customers of Russian energy, which could significantly empty Moscow’s coffers. The scope of sanctions proposed by a bill in the US Senate – potentially 500% on all trade with those who buy Russian hydrocarbons – would have been devastating.