Sunday, February 8, 2026
Tzadikim are infallible
Yevamos (99b) R. Eleazar b. Zadok said, ‘During the whole of my lifetime I have given evidence but once, and through my statement they raised a slave to the priesthood’. ‘They raised’? Is such an error conceivable! If through the beasts of the righteous the Holy One does not cause an offence to be committed, how much less through the righteous themselves! — Rather, read. ‘They desired to raise a slave to the priesthood, through my statement’. He witnessed the occurrence in the place of R. Jose. but went and tendered his evidence in the place of R. Judah.
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Karoline Leavitt’s Response to Trump’s Obama Ape Post Under Scrutiny
https://www.newsweek.com/karoline-leavitt-response-trumps-obama-ape-post-under-scrutiny-11482578
Karoline Leavitt’s attempt to depict President Donald Trump’s video showing Barack and Michelle Obama as apes as a “meme”, based on Disney classic ‘The Lion King’, has triggered a deluge of comments on social media criticizing the White House press secretary.
But there are no apes in ‘The Lion King,’ political commentators and social media users were quick to point out—only a mandrill, Rafiki.
Trump has been attacking the Obamas for years in a way that many have described as rooted in racism. Before being elected to his first term, Trump repeatedly spread false claims saying that Hawaii-born Barack Obama was in fact not born in the U.S. and should have been ineligible for president.
Trump deletes 'racist' post after wave of Republican backlash, White House says he didn't know
President Donald Trump took down an inflammatory post from Truth Social that depicted the Obamas as monkeys after a wave of backlash from some of the president's top allies on Capitol Hill.
The post first appeared on Thursday night and went under the radar until Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., the lone Black member of the Senate GOP, demanded Trump take it down.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote the post off as a "meme" that was part of a video depicting Trump as the king of the jungle from "The Lion King."
"Even if this was a Lion King meme, a reasonable person sees the racist context to this," Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., said in a post on X. "The White House should do what anyone does when they make a mistake: remove this and apologize."
Still, it took several hours for the post to be removed.
Firestorm over racist social media post forces Trump to hit
The latest furor began late Thursday night with a social media post from the president. The post amplified a flagrant and undeniably racist clip of former President Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama.
But the White House message shifted after Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the sole Black GOP senator, blasted the Obama clip. His condemnation showed no evidence of performative fakery.
“Praying it was fake because it’s the most racist thing I’ve seen out of this White House. The President should remove it,” he wrote before 10 a.m. EST Friday.
Racist video is merely the latest in a long line of Trump’s ugly social media posts
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/07/politics/trump-racist-video-social-media-posts
The White House has belatedly backed down from a racist video shared on President Donald Trump’s social media feed after blowback from Republicans.
The video promoting false claims of voter fraud concluded with a brief clip of images of former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama’s heads affixed to the bodies of apes. After initially trying to defend the post and leaving it up for hours — even labeling the outrage “fake” — the White House eventually gave into bipartisan backlash, removed it and changed its tack.
In 2016, Trump posted an image of Hillary Clinton in front of piles of cash and the words “most corrupt candidate ever” inside a six-sided star reminiscent of the Star of David. The image had previously appeared on antisemitic, White supremacist message boards, and Trump’s campaign soon replaced it with a circle in place of the six-sided star.
Friday, February 6, 2026
Trump promises Schumer funding for NY tunnel project — if Penn Station and Dulles Airport are renamed after him
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/05/politics/schumer-trump-ny-funding-rename
President Donald Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month that he was finally prepared to drop his freeze on billions of dollars in funding for a major New York infrastructure project.
But there was a condition: In exchange for the money, Schumer had to agree to rename New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after Trump.
Thursday, February 5, 2026
Trump obliterates an aide’s efforts to downplay his comments – again
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/02/05/politics/leavitt-trump-contradict-nationalize-elections
Trump on Tuesday laid waste to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt’s efforts to pretend he didn’t say something as controversial as he did. And this has become an altogether familiar exercise.
The controversy du jour in the Trump administration right now is Trump having floated nationalizing elections.
“The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over,’” Trump told former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino in a podcast episode published Monday. “We should take over the voting, the voting in at least many — 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
So up stepped Leavitt to suggest that Trump hadn’t actually said what he said.
She claimed Trump was instead referring to Congress passing the SAVE Act, a bill that aims to combat noncitizen voting in federal elections – something that is already illegal and that experts say rarely happens.
And sure enough, Trump on Tuesday made clear that he meant what he said. Asked by CNN’s Kaitlan Collins what he meant by nationalize the election, he made no mention of the SAVE Act and doubled down on the idea of the federal government asserting a more expansive form of control
Republicans fear Trump backlash could cost them Senate control
Senate Republicans are concerned that public backlash to President Trump’s handling of the economy and his aggressive deportation policies could give rise to a Democratic wave that not only sweeps away the House Republican majority, but also threatens their own three-seat majority in the upper chamber.
The latest alarm bell rang over the weekend when Democratic candidate Taylor Rehmet won a state Senate seat in a North Texas district that President Trump won by 17 points in 2024, a stunning upset that GOP senators say should serve as a “wake-up call” heading into November.
A second Republican senator who requested anonymity told The Hill that voters across the political spectrum aren’t happy with Trump’s handling of the economy and inflation, and a growing number of independents are turned off by his administration’s aggressive deportation tactics in Minneapolis.
Rand Paul on Trump call to ‘nationalize’ elections: ‘That’s not what the Constitution says’
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5722041-rand-paul-trump-call-to-nationalize-elections/
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he does not support President Trump’s proposal for Republicans to “take over” voting procedures in more than a dozen states and “nationalize” the midterm elections, declaring the president’s call to action blatantly unconstitutional.
“That’s not what the Constitution says about elections,” Paul said in an interview Tuesday with MS NOW’s Stephanie Ruhle, when asked about the president’s statement that Republicans “ought to nationalize the voting.”
Trump doubled down on his call for the GOP to “nationalize” voting Tuesday, despite efforts by the White House to soften his previous statements on the issue. He said the federal government should take a more active role in running elections to combat what he called “corruption.”
Haredi Jew assaulted in Zurich
https://www.israelhayom.com/2026/02/03/haredi-jew-attacked-zurich-antisemitic-assault/
A 26-year-old Haredi man was the victim of an antisemitic attack in Zurich on Monday night. Around 8:15 PM, Zurich city police received a report that a Haredi man had been attacked by another individual.
Officers who arrived at the scene found several people preventing a man from fleeing. The detained man had attacked the 26-year-old Haredi Jew with his fists without any provocation from the victim. Thanks to the help of several passersby – including a Hasidic man and another non-Jewish individual – the attacker was held until Zurich police arrived. The attacker repeatedly shouted offensive and antisemitic remarks, even in the presence of police officers. The Haredi victim sustained minor injuries in the incident.
Trump’s Push to ‘Nationalize’ Elections, Explained
https://time.com/7366147/trump-nationalize-voting-federalize-elections-fraud-republicans/
As President Donald Trump continues to allege widespread electoral fraud benefitting Democrats, his latest attempt to upend U.S. elections in the name of correcting that fraud is a call for the Republican Party to “nationalize” voting.
The Constitution decentralizes the U.S. election process and has specifically left the President out. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 states that “the Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing [sic] Senators.”
In practice, this means local officials across thousands of jurisdictions administer elections and tabulate votes, with safeguards built in that the American Bar Association says makes it “almost impossible for systems to be breached on a scale to affect federal or state results.”
At the heart of Trump’s push are repeated accusations that previous U.S. elections were rigged. Trump has claimed that he won the 2020 presidential elections over his then-opponent Joe Biden, despite state and federal officials as well as numerous courts rejecting such claims. “The 2020 election, I won that election by so much,” Trump told Bongino. “Everybody knows it.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D, Calif.), meanwhile, accused Republicans of “desperately trying to rig the rules for future elections” instead of trying to win on their policies. “The right to vote is fundamental, and Congress should be working to make it easier, not harder, for eligible Americans to participate.”
Hamas strengthens and the PA returns — this is no recipe for security and stability
Israel went to war after the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacre with two essential goals: to get back the hostages, and to destroy Hamas and any other potential deadly threats to Israel. Among the subsequent conditions Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also vowed to impose was that there would be no role for the Palestinian Authority in a postwar Gaza unless the PA underwent radical reform.
With the return of all the hostages, living and dead, and the Trump administration’s declaration that we have now entered phase two of the US president’s broad Gaza peace plan, however, Hamas still rules half of Gaza, is targeting Israeli troops in the other half, and is not planning to disarm. And the PA, in more and less overt guises, is assuming a significant role during this fuzzy period of semi-war, semi-ceasefire. The Mahmoud Abbas-led PA, that, in a previous iteration, Hamas murderously and swiftly booted out of Gaza when seizing power there almost 20 years ago.
At President Donald Trump’s instruction, the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt has been reopened to limited entry and exit of people. And it is the PA, along with Egypt and European representation, that is managing the process — a fact that official Israel prefers not to acknowledge. (Israel, it should be stressed, is vetting and thus determining who is permitted to come in or go out, just not at the crossing itself.)
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."
Wednesday, February 4, 2026
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
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
President says federal government agents should be involved in counting votes, a role the Constitution explicitly grants to states
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
Tuesday, February 3, 2026
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
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.