Thursday, May 14, 2020
Here’s what ‘unmasking’ means, the phrase used in the Michael Flynn controversy
https://nypost.com/2020/05/13/heres-what-unmasking-means-the-phrase-in-the-michael-flynn-controversy/
Why unmasking in the news now:
In the Flynn case, Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak was overheard
talking to a “masked” individual about the possibility of lifting
sanctions imposed by the Obama administration.
Obama-era officials asked intelligence agencies to reveal the
American’s name and found out it was Flynn, then an adviser to
President-elect Trump.
This week, acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell
declassified a list of 23 officials who sought to “unmask” or learn
Flynn’s identity during the probe into Russian interference in the 2016
election.
The Trump administration and some Republicans have accused the Obama administration of acting inappropriately in requesting the information.
However Grenell’s memo, which was released by Republican senators,
notes that the “unmasking” was approved through the NSA’s “standard
process.”
'Obamagate': Trump seeks to draw Biden into conspiracy theory
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/13/donald-trump-obamagate-conspiracy-theory-biden-flynn-unmasking
Grenell, a Trump ally, declassified and sent the list of names to Republican senators.
“I am providing a revised list of identities of any officials who
submitted requests to the National Security Agency at any point between 8
November 2016 and 31 January 2017 to unmask the identity of former
National Security Adviser, Lieutenant General Michael T Flynn,” read a
memo from Gen Paul Nakasone, director of the National Security Agency,
released by Grenell.
Unmasking is a routine practice used to identify a person anonymously
referred to in an intelligence document. It takes place hundreds of
times a year, without controversy.
Flynn was under scrutiny because of his conversations with the Russian ambassador about sanctions.
The list of officials released by Grenell includes former ambassador
to the United Nations Samantha Power, former director of national
intelligence James Clapper, former FBI director James Comey and former CIA director John Brennan. The last name on the list, from 12 January 2017, is Biden.
Wisconsin Governor Says State is the 'Wild West' After Court Blocks Stay-at-Home Order Extension
https://www.newsweek.com/wisconsin-governor-stay-home-extension-blocked-1503962
In a majority ruling, reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
yesterday, Chief Justice Patience Roggensack said: "If a forest fire
breaks out, there is no time for debate. Action is needed. The governor
could declare an emergency and respond accordingly.
"But in the case of a pandemic, which lasts month after month, the governor cannot rely on emergency powers indefinitely."
The
Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling was issued a day after a Marquette
University Law School poll found that 69 percent of state voters felt
the state was right to close schools and non-essential businesses, as
well as restricting public gatherings.
It also revealed that a 64 percent majority approved of Gov. Evers
response to the coronavirus pandemic, while only 32 percent disapproved.
Trump collaborated with Obama to fire Flynn
https://www.vox.com/2017/12/2/16727988/trump-michael-flynn-fbi-lies-obstruction
President Donald Trump in a tweet on Saturday said he
fired his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn because Flynn
lied to the vice president — and the FBI.
If that is indeed the case, that means Trump knew that
Flynn had lied to the FBI when he asked FBI Director James Comey to drop
his inquiry into Flynn and then fired Comey when he failed to do so.
“I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI,” Trump said in a midday tweet.
“He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions
during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!”
Trump's rebuke of Fauci encapsulates rejection of science in virus fight
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/05/14/politics/donald-trump-anthony-fauci-science-coronavirus/index.html
Fauci's transgression is to base his
evaluations -- after decades of public service and expertise fighting
HIV/AIDS, Ebola, Zika and anthrax -- on facts and logic that conflict
with Trump's chosen version of reality. Fauci has long said that only
the virus can decide when normal life -- things such as NFL games and
schools reopening, for instance -- will be safe again.
The gulf between Trump's approach and
scientific rationality is expected to be further underscored Thursday
with House testimony from Dr. Rick Bright,
who says he was ousted from his job developing a coronavirus vaccine
because he questioned Trump's enthusiasm for hydroxychloroquine, an
unproven treatment for Covid-19. Bright will warn, according to his
prepared testimony, that the US could face "unprecedented illness" and
the "darkest winter in modern history" if it doesn't do a better job of
preparing for a second wave of the pandemic.
Sweden records highest number of coronavirus deaths for three weeks as it announces plan to hire 10,000 more nursing assistants after pandemic exposed care home failures
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8315851/Sweden-records-highest-number-coronavirus-deaths-three-weeks.html
Sweden recorded its highest number of coronavirus deaths in three weeks, with 147 more fatalities.
It
comes as Swedish authorities plan to permanently hire up to an
additional 10,00 staff to address shortcomings in elderly care exposed
by the virus.
Sweden's coronavirus
deaths have fluctuated over the past week, with figures dramatically
falling before a huge surge in new deaths on Wednesday.
Fears of 2nd virus wave rise as 300 arrested in Meron; 2,000 gather in Jerusalem
https://www.timesofisrael.com/fears-of-2nd-virus-wave-rise-as-200-arrested-in-meron-2000-gather-in-jerusalem/
About 1,000 residents of the ultra-Orthodox
Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea Shearim crowded the city’s streets late
Monday, ignoring the ban. Bonfires and gatherings were also reported in
Beit Shemesh and the incidents drew an angry rebuke from Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered a police crackdown on the illegal
celebrations on Monday night.
'We sacrificed the economy on the altar of health'
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/280224
Outgoing Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Likud) was interviewed by Israel Hayom and questioned on his opinion of the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis.
"Even if there is a second wave of the coronavirus, there's no way we
can go back to the way we did things until now," he said. "They were
the right steps to take at the time, but bear in mind that we sacrificed
the economy on the altar of health. It's not possible to shut down the
economy again even if there is a second wave. It's not just impossible;
it's dangerous."
Significance for all of history of Eve being taken from Adam
Alshech (Bereishis 2:24): It would appear that the
lesson we learn from the verse “ to this one is called woman – that it applies
specifically to Adam and Eve who was actually taken from his body but not to
future couples that would be born from them. That is why the Torah states next
“Therefore a man should leave … and cleave to his wife”. In other words that
this relationship applies all couples of men and women that would ever exist that they should
leave….That is because Adam contained
all the souls that would eventually come into the world in potential as is
noted in Shemos Rabbah (40:3) and Avos deRabbi Nosson (31:3) regarding the
verse Job (38:4) “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Similarly
Eve Adam’s wife contained the souls of all women who would ever exist. In other
words Adam and Eve included all the souls of Mankind and thus all the couples.
As a result of this, the unity that existed between Adam and Eve exists in all
future couples. Because they all had
their souls together from the very beginning and they are only lacking
becoming one flesh . this is the lesson
to be learned. You should also note that the reason G-d created Eve from Adam
and not from dirt was in order that the man should leave his parents and cleave
to his wife which would not be true if she was made from dirt. That is because
they would not have the natural attachment as we mentioned before.
Alternatively we can say that Adam prior to having Eve taken from him had
potentially all the souls of males that would ever exist and all the souls of
women were contained in the rib. And according to the view that man was created
with two faces, women’s souls were contained within the female face. Either way
Adam and Eve were connected to all future couples by being one body Secondly
the souls of the males were related to the yud. which is nature of man and that
is why the word ish (man) is spelled with a letter “yud” . In contrast Women
and the feminine nature is hey which is why the word women (isha) is spelled
with a letter “hey”. To get to the point, it is possible to give her a name
based on the body that she was taken from or based on the soul. From the aspect of the body she could have
been called adamah (dirt) because she was taken from Adam. But that is
impossible because she was not from the dirt but rather she was derived from
Adam’s bone and flesh, Therefore she was
given the name because of the soul. That is because the souls of the
males and females were together in the first creation, and then the female
aspect was made into a new entity. So it is better to call her isha (woman) to
indicate she had been taken from the ish (man)
thus indicating both aspects. The predominance of the male souls and
that they constitute a couple that is
why the verse contines with “therefore a man should leave” because the soul of
all men is united with her soul in man. Regarding her he will desire her that
is because desire comes from the soul and not from the body. Or Alternatively
it can be said “This time … that is to say don’t be surprised that a male can come from a female because now there is unity in that she is
bone of my bone … However from the aspect of the female and not from the male she is not from the male essence because it doesn’t say that she was made from
the man but that she was taken from the man. That is he had certain potentials
relevant to her in him from which she was taken. Consequently she was not made from his male essence but rather
from the feminine essence that he contained. Thus she was not from the male but
only from his bone and flesh. But the
meaning of that she was taken from the male means from the properties of the
rib. Or we can say “This time “ alone is
needed to indicate that bone of my bone and flesh from my flesh makes a
relationship with Adam and she was not
made from dirt but from him. All this relationship requires is the reality that
she is bone of his bone. Otherwise why state “And to this one he called woman
because she was taken from the man” It was because all future couples were
present in me and in all couples the souls of the man and woman are bound
together. It is because of that fact that with all couples the man should leave
his parents. But if someone says he doesn’t want to leave his
parents. He only needs to be told what it says in Nida (31a) that the
father and the mother make the body of their child while G-d makes the soul. So if he is claiming that only in the case of
Adam and Eve that the man should cleave to the woman but all future cases why should they leave their parents and
cleave to a stranger (an unrelated woman)?
To this the reply is that the facts are the opposite so that he should
leave his parents because of what we have already explained. The proof is that
cleaving to his wife is not in order that they
to produce a soul but rather to produce one flesh. In other words, a man and his wife produce the body while G-d makes the soul. Thus the three are partners in producing
children. Therefore how is it conceivable that their son should cleave to them the parents and not with his true mate who is
related by her soul, that was united in Adam before Eve was taken from him as we explained. This relationship is
alluded by the fact that men search for a wife while women don’t search for a
husband. Because woman was taken from Adam
and thus she is something he lost.and he needs to search for her and
then cleave to her. Thus she was always his wife but he temporarily lost her,
Alternatively from the aspect she constitutes his lost property, that from the
first couple and for ever after, we have the concept of bashert (the daughter
of ploni is destined to him) and she was lost to him sometime after he was born
and therefore he needs to search and find her
Trump says Dr Fauci's warning 'not acceptable'
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52656959
US President Donald Trump has said a
sobering warning by his top infectious diseases expert about lifting
pandemic restrictions too soon was unacceptable.
He accused Dr Anthony Fauci of wanting "to play all sides of the equation" in his testimony to lawmakers on Tuesday.
The president said he was especially dissatisfied with Dr Fauci's caution around reopening schools too quickly.
Lawyer appointed by Judge Sullivan to offer arguments in Flynn case already has slammed Trump WH's 'improper political influence'
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-sullivan-appoints-third-party-to-present-arguments-against-flynn-consider-holding-him-in-contempt
D .C. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan issued an unusual order
Wednesday appointing a law firm partner "to present arguments in
opposition to the government's motion to dismiss" the matter -- and to
consider whether the court should hold Flynn in contempt for perjury.
The partner, retired federal judge John Gleeson, has openly criticized
the Trump administration's handling of Michael Flynn's case, raising
concerns that he was selected to improperly bolster Sullivan's efforts
to keep the Flynn case alive even though both the government and
defendant want it dismissed.
Sullivan has previously suggested
Flynn may have committed treason, in a bizarre 2018 courtroom outburst,
and seemingly confused key details about Flynn's overseas lobbying
work.
The precise reasons for the perjury review were not clear in
Sullivan's order. Last year, Flynn abruptly abandoned his plan to
provide testimony against a former associate, after admitting that he
had lied on federal forms required under the Foreign Agents Registration
Act (FARA). Flynn has said he received constitutionally inadequate
legal advice.
Trump clashes with Fauci over virus reopening as global death toll nears 300,000
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-clashes-with-fauci-over-virus-reopening-as-global-death-toll-nears-300000/
US president at odds with top medical adviser over opening schools as US surpasses 83,00 fatalities; UN predicts worst global economic downturn since Great Depression
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said he found Fauci’s latest call for a highly cautious reopening “not acceptable.”
Federal judge mulls contempt charge against Michael Flynn
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/13/judge-appoints-retired-judge-to-represent-flynn-prosecution-256509
Judge Emmet Sullivan named a former judge to weigh the
issue after the Justice Department filed a motion to dismiss the case
against the former Trump national security adviser.
A federal judge is signaling that he
might pursue perjury or contempt charges against former national
security adviser Michael Flynn over his effort to abandon a guilty plea
to a charge of lying to the FBI.
Sullivan’s order
also directed the retired judge, John Gleeson, to recommend whether
Flynn should face a criminal contempt charge for perjury — apparently
for declaring under oath at two different court proceedings that he was
guilty of lying to the FBI, before he reversed course in January and
claimed he had never lied.
Devin Nunes Defamation Lawsuit Hits Snag as Judge Rules He Needs to Identify What's Actually Defamatory
https://www.newsweek.com/devin-nunes-defamation-lawsuit-hits-snag-judge-rules-he-needs-identify-whats-actually-defamatory-1503894
On Tuesday, a Trump-appointed Iowa federal judge threatened to
dismiss a defamation lawsuit brought by the family of California
Republican Representative Devin Nunes against Hearst Magazines, the
publisher of Esquire, and journalist Ryan Lizza.
Trump-appointed
U.S. District Judge C.J. Williams said he'll throw out the lawsuit if
the family doesn't specify precisely how Lizza's article in Esquire magazine inaccurately portrayed the congressman and his family.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
Breaking down 'Obamagate,' Trump's latest theory about the 'deep state' and Obama's role in the Russia investigation
Trump's latest rhetoric about "Obamagate" matches a well-established pattern.
Some
misconduct related to the Russia investigation has been uncovered, and
several former FBI officials have been chided for their handling of
certain aspects of the probe. But Trump has repeatedly exaggerated the
breadth of the wrongdoing or latched onto unproven accusations that even
some members of his own administration have struggled to publicly
explain or defend.
The Justice Department's inspector general has detailed major problems with
the FBI's use of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants against
former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page. The inspector general also
concluded that the most salacious claims about Trump and Russia, first
made in the Steele dossier, had not been proved.
To
Trump's credit, he said early on that there were improprieties with FBI
surveillance. But when the watchdog report came out in late 2019, many
of the President's specific claims were debunked,
even if he was right about the big picture. (Much like his current
messaging, Trump called this kerfuffle "Spygate," and said in 2018 that
it "could be one of the biggest political scandals in history.")
For instance, the inspector general found that the FBI's decision to investigate several Trump campaign associates was legally justified and unaffected by bias.
Yet even after the report came out in December, the President has
continued to claim that the Russia probe was illegal and biased.
Attorney
General William Barr also disputes that conclusion from the inspector
general, and previously ordered a review of the Russia probe, led by US
Attorney John Durham. That investigation is ongoing.
Donald Trump Trails Governors By Almost 30 Points in Coronavirus Approval Poll
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-trails-governors-30-points-coronavirus-approval-poll-1503705
President Donald Trump trails state governors by almost 30 points in a new coronavirus approval poll published Wednesday.
The latest survey from The Washington Post
and the University of Maryland found that almost three-quarters (73
percent) of Americans felt their state governor had a "good" or
"excellent" reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic.
By comparison, only
46 percent approved of the president's handling of the coronavirus
outbreak—putting him 27 points behind state leaders.
Ignoring ban, hundreds of ultra-Orthodox crowd Lag B’Omer fires in Jerusalem
Prime minister orders police to crack down on gatherings in capital and Beit Shemesh amid warnings that incidents could lead to fresh outbreak of coronavirus
317 ultra-Orthodox men freed after breaking into holy site, defying virus rules
https://www.timesofisrael.com/317-ultra-orthodox-men-freed-after-breaking-into-holy-site-defying-virus-rules/
Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox men arrested Tuesday evening after breaking into a shuttered holy site at Mount Meron were released Wednesday morning to their homes.
Each of the 317 detainees received a fine for violating coronavirus regulations designed to prevent mass gatherings.
Israeli doctors using ventilators on virus patients sparingly, but split on why
https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-doctors-using-ventilators-on-virus-patients-sparingly-but-split-on-why/
Some experts maintain the machines can cause damage to a certain type of COVID-19 sufferers, while others say noninvasive measures were preferred all along
Israeli doctors are increasingly sparing in the use of ventilators for coronavirus treatment, with some expressing fears that the breathing machines can cause harm. “There’s a sentiment that we’re trying to delay ventilation unless we really have to,” Eyal Zimlichman, chief medical officer at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, told The Times of Israel, adding that this has been the case since mid-April.
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