Putin Plays Tough in Opening Move With Trump

 https://time.com/7173792/putin-plays-tough-in-his-opening-message-to-trump/

Vladimir Putin did not come running. He let his spokesman react on Wednesday to the outcome of the U.S. presidential race, proclaiming that the Kremlin has no plans to congratulate Donald Trump on his victory. If the U.S. wants the peace deal Trump promised during his campaign, the Russians signaled that he would need to earn it, and the price for Ukraine would be particularly high.

“The message is, if you want a deal, you’re going to crawl on your knees for it,” says Nina Khrushcheva, an authority on Russian politics and foreign affairs at the New School. “Putin feels he is starting out with Trump from a position of strength.”

Torah And Trumpism: Respect The Right To Vote Your Conscience

 https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/general/2329436/mailbag-torah-and-trumpism-respect-the-right-to-vote-your-conscience.html

Over the past number of years, MAGA ideology has seeped into our oilam hatorah and impacted our hashkafas hachaim. Much of the frum media has become a mouthpiece for this ideology. The standard reading material available to the chareidi consumer presents a one-sided approach to the day’s issues. Instead of articles addressing issues with chochmah and nuance, it becomes brash and divisive. Sadly, this trickles down and affects middos and how people deal with others of legitimate divergent opinions.

Moral equivalence used to Rationalize voting for Trump

 After Harris lost I have had a number of conversations with frum Trump supporters as to how they rationalize that Trump would be a good president

The most frequent explanation is that both Trump and Harris are bad people but since Trump is supporting Israel that makes him the lesser of two evils. Then I ask how is Harris equivalent to Trump

I get the same Moral Equivalence that is used to explain why Israel is the same as Arab terrorist and they are no different than Nazis. Just as America is a colonial power like Russia or the Spanish or Belgians

Clinton is the same as Trump since they both committed major security violations. Trump is also a sexual predator and adulterer but so is Clinton's husband

Trump was good friends with jeffery epsetin as well as a serial adulter and self confessed abuser but Harris is a prostitute and adulterer - even though there is no actual proof. the belief gives a sense of satisfaction to Trump supporters

Trump is often incoherent and lacks an actual program but Harris speaks in word salads

Trump lies constantly but Harris changed her message to fit the audience. That proves she is dumb while when Trump does it that shows he is intelligent

Biden had to drop out of the race because he is too old - but only biased people try to claim the same about Trump

Trump was corrupt and took bribes as well as his family, But Hunter Biden is corrupt. 

Trump's family clearly benefitted from Nepotism - Hunter biden though never part of government received benefits

Trump stole classified documents and blocked access their return but so did Biden  even though it was clearly unintentional and promptly returned them

Trump was impeached twice but Biden has been under constant investigation by Republicans

Arab terrorists kill innocent civilians while Israel kill innocent civilians

Nazis killed large numbers of Jews but Jews target Palestinians so if one is called genocide the other is also

Bottom line the rationalization is typically based on false equivalence which is viewed as fair but only if done by Republicans

Biden turned the legal system against Trump therefore Trump's promise to do the same is not only just but fair

Trump is partial to dictators - especially Russian but Harris is a  communist and socialist according to Trump

It was alleged Biden called Trump supporters garbage - something he denied while Trump calls Democrats enemies garbage and more on a regular basis and this is understood as being perceptive

If Trump violates the law and is indicted it is only because of character assassination. If a Democrat commits a crime it is because they are all criminals

If Trump loses an election it can only be proof of fraud and he has no obligation to ever concede. While if Harris doesn't concede before the votes are fully counted that means she is a sore loser

If the news media says something favorable about Harris it is clearly biased and is fake news. While any positive descriptions of Trump are always proof of good journalism!

Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Changes With the Wind

 https://www.newsweek.com/what-will-donald-trumps-foreign-policy-opinion-1982406

But one would be a fool to pontificate too much about Trump's plans. In many ways, it's wasted energy. Trump isn't Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, or Joe Biden—he doesn't have a set ideology or a fixed view of how the world should function. His beliefs are situational, flexible, and at times contradictory. He says things on the campaign trail but either disregards them when he's in office or changes his opinion depending on who happens to be in the room with him. Sure, he may have one core position—the U.S. is constantly getting ripped off by everybody—but everything else is really open to interpretation. The guy is an enigma, and he likes it that way.

Look no further than Trump's first term. Trump wasn't fond of NATO, badgered the Europeans to beef up their defense budgets, and essentially described the entire continent as a spoiled child content with hiding underneath the U.S. security umbrella. But his policies didn't match with his rhetoric. Trump kept the U.S. in the transatlantic alliance, allowed that alliance to expand to two new members—Montenegro and North Macedonia—and threatened European governments with unspecified penalties if it locked U.S. defense manufacturers out of any European rearmament scheme. U.S. troop levels in Europe remained constant throughout, and when Trump ordered the withdrawal of almost 10,000 U.S. troops from Germany in 2020, most of them were scheduled to re-deploy to other countries in Europe.

Avraham caused Egyptian Exile

 Ramban (Bereishis 12:10) Know that Abraham our father unintentionally committed a great sin by bringing his righteous wife to a stumbling-block of sin on account of his fear for his life. He should have trusted that G-d would save him and his wife and all his belongings for G-d surely has the power to help and to save. His leaving the Land, concerning which he had been commanded from the beginning, on account of the famine, was also a sin he committed, for in famine G-d would redeem him from death. It was because of this deed that the exile in the land of Egypt at the hand of Pharaoh was decreed for his children. In the place of justice, there is wickedness and sin.

What to know about Trump’s history of support for Israel

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/09/trump-on-israel-hamas-war-gaza-netanyahu/

But Trump and his inner circle are also far more likely than previous presidents to cut military aid to Israel, which has numbered in the billions every year for decades, Waxman added. “Trump has long stated an aversion to U.S. foreign aid,” he said. “He might wonder whether the United States is getting the best end of the deal.”

PA chairman's office: Trump pledged to Abbas his commitment to stop the war

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/398861

Trump, for his part, assured Abbas of his commitment to “stop the war” and expressed eagerness to collaborate with Abbas and other key stakeholders to “advance peace in the Middle East”, according to the PA.

Qatar pulls out of mediating role between Israel and Hamas negotiations

 https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-828263

"After rejecting repeated proposals to release hostages, its [Hamas's] leaders should no longer be welcome in the capitals of any American partner. We made that clear to Qatar following Hamas's rejection weeks ago of another hostage release proposal," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Qatar made its demand to Hamas leaders about 10 days ago, according to the official. 

For Much of the Arab World, Donald Trump’s Victory Is Cause for Celebration

 https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/politics-current-affairs/2024/11/for-much-of-the-arab-world-donald-trumps-victory-is-cause-for-celebration/

[T]here is an expectation, particularly in the Gulf states, that Trump will adopt a tougher stance toward Iran than his predecessor, Joe Biden. Iran’s growing confidence and that of its proxies, as demonstrated in Hamas’s October 7 attack, are seen by many in the Gulf as linked to the relatively lenient stance that the United States took toward Iran under Biden’s administration. In addition, Trump is perceived by regional countries as having close relations with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, more importantly, considerable influence over him, to the point of being able to impose his views on Netanyahu.

Trump’s Election: Why Is There a Sigh of Relief Among Many Arab Countries?

 https://www.inss.org.il/social_media/trumps-election-why-is-there-a-sigh-of-relief-among-many-arab-countries/

The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States brought a sigh of relief among many Arab regimes. Before the elections, senior officials in Arab countries were careful not to indicate their preferred candidate for obvious reasons, but they clearly favored Trump over Kamala Harris for the following reasons:

In addition, Trump is perceived by regional countries as having close relations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and, more importantly, considerable influence over him, to the point of being able to impose his views on Netanyahu. Israel’s neighbors hope for a swift end to the war in Gaza, which has increased pressure on them from their citizens and radical elements in the region. They hope Trump will pressure Netanyahu to end the war even before the start of his term.

Trump’s Unlikely Victory Among Arab Americans and Right-Wing Jews

 https://www.isidewith.com/discuss/5346821287

But in Dearborn, Mich., a majority-Arab city, Ms. Harris won just 36 percent of the vote, according to unofficial results, a roughly 34-percentage-point drop from Mr. Biden’s share of the 2020 vote in similar results released after that election. Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate to the left of Ms. Harris, picked up 18 percent of the vote. But Mr. Trump’s support also jumped — to 42 percent of the vote from less than 30 percent four years ago, though turnout was lower.

Trump’s Strange Bedfellows: Arab Americans and Right-Leaning Jews

 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/07/us/politics/trump-arab-american-jews.html

Donald J. Trump won votes from Arab Americans and conservative pro-Israel Jews. Someone is likely to be disappointed.

As fear of Middle East war grows, more Jewish Americans move to Israel

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/06/israel-american-jews-aliyah-olim/

Since the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023, over 11,700 Americans have opened applications to immigrate to Israel. That’s nearly double the number the year before.

Donald Trump's Ukraine Plan Faces Key Test - he has a concept not a plan

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-russia-ukraine-end-war-1981944

"I have a very exacting plan on how to stop Ukraine and Russia," the president-elect said in September. "I can't give you those plans because if I give you those plans, I'm not going to be able to use them."

But Trump has not himself decided on a course of action, including how to get Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Putin to negotiate, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing allies of the soon-to-be 47th president.

Divorce By Way Of A Get

 https://www.etzion.org.il/en/talmud/seder-nashim/massekhet-gittin/gittin-chapter-2-–-17a-introduction-divorce-way-get

 In other words, either Gentiles do not need divorce, or they need divorce, but each party can divorce the other – the process can be initiated by either party, as opposed to divorce among Jews which depends exclusively on the husband.

                The second opinion is that of Rabbi Yochanan of Tzipori who decides between these two possibilities and say that "To Israel have I given divorce, but I have not given divorce to the nations of the world."

                The Rambam in Hilkhot Melakhim (9:8) spells out two ways to effect divorce among non-Jews:

                When is a gentile woman considered divorced? When her husband removes her from his home and sends her on her own or when she leaves his domain and goes her own way. They have no written divorce proceedings.

Stabbings, car ramming as Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer fans violently attacked in Amsterdam after match

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjuvxjjwyl

At least 10 hurt in attacks throughout the city after Europa League game; Fans: 'We were attacked, it seemed planned'; PM orders planes sent to evacuate Israelis

Israel to dispatch rescue flights following Amsterdam pogrom

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/398825

"In the wake of the lynching and pogrom against Israelis that took place in Amsterdam, the Minister of Transportation instructed the Civil Aviation Authority and the Airports Authority to contact the Israeli airlines in order to reinforce the flights from Amsterdam to Israel, in order to evacuate the Israelis from Amsterdam."

Putin hails 'courageous' Trump after election win

 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1mlp5p4lvko

Vladimir Putin has congratulated Donald Trump on his election victory, calling him a "courageous man".

Speaking at an event in the Russian city of Sochi, the Russian president said that Trump was "hounded from all sides" during his first term in the White House.

Putin also said that Trump's claim that he can help end the war in Ukraine "deserves attention at least".

Elon Musk’s transgender daughter doesn’t see a ‘future’ in the US after Trump’s win

 https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/11/07/congress/musks-trans-daughter-00188242

Musk said in a July interview that Wilson was “killed by the woke mind virus,” and that he had been “tricked” into authorizing gender-affirming care for her. In response to Musk’s comments, Wilson described her father as “cold,” “very quick to anger” and “narcissistic” in an interview with NBC News.

Jan. 6 defendants eye pardons after Trump election win

 https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4979610-jan-6-defendants-trump-pardon/

President-elect Trump vowed on the campaign trail to pardon rioters accused of storming the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, as Congress certified the 2020 election win of his Democratic opponent. 

“The moment we win, we will rapidly review the cases of every political prisoner unjustly victimized by the Harris regime, and I will sign their pardons on Day 1,” Trump said at a Wisconsin rally in September.  

Now, Jan. 6 defendants and their attorneys are hoping he’ll make good on that promise. 

At sentencing, Jan. 6 rioter demands ‘full pardon,’ gets 8-year term

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/11/07/alam-sentenced-capitol-riot-jan6/

Alam was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol, climbing through the window on the Upper West Terrace which had been broken open five minutes earlier by Dominic Pezzola, who was helping to lead the charge of the Proud Boys, prosecutors said. Once inside, he went through four floors of the Capitol, “entering offices, kicking a door, harassing officers, and ultimately ending up at the House Main Doors,” according to a sentencing brief filed by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph S. Smith Jr. and Rebekah Lederer.

Putin’s Pals Gloat Over His Cunning ‘Play’ to Help Trump Win - Afraid?!

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/putins-pals-gloat-over-his-cunning-play-to-help-trump-win/

Presidential elections in America were front and center in the Russian state-controlled media, due to the widespread belief that Donald Trump’s return will all but guarantee the success of the floundering Russian invasion of Ukraine. During his morning broadcast on channel Solovyov Live, host Sergey Karnaukhov noted, “The new era has started. We’ll see what happens next.”

Turning point was Trump's visit to Rebbe's grave

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/398695

American conservative political commentator says that the turning point of the election was when he accompanied former President Trump at the grave of the Lubavitch Rebbe.

Trump win is a victory for Netanyahu, but Israeli PM may not get it all his way

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/06/trump-netanyahu-victory-israel-middle-east

The other big Middle Eastern winner on Tuesday night was the Saudi monarchy, which has invested deeply in the Trump family. It now has a close ally in the White House, who will press for a Saudi-Israeli normalisation deal, to add to the “Abraham accords” with other Gulf states. Biden officials invested a huge amount of time and energy into trying to clinch a Saudi-Israeli agreement and suspected all along that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was waiting for a Trump presidency.

Even for the prince, however, it will not be straightforward to do a deal with Netanyahu at a time Gaza is being flattened and more than 43,000 Palestinians have been killed.

However, the hesitation may be temporary. The forces of convergence between the Gulf monarchies, and an increasingly illiberal US and Israel, are likely to prove stronger in the four years to come than concern for the plight of the Palestinians.

In Trump victory, Netanyahu sees himself as ‘the great winner’

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/11/06/netanyahu-israel-trump-president-gaza-lebanon-iran/

Mouin Rabbani, a nonresident fellow at Qatar’s Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, called Trump “a wild card,” saying he might back controversial, but increasingly popular, far-right Israeli policies like annexation of Palestinian territory, but could also lose interest in the region.

“The difference between a Trump and Harris administration is that Harris has kind of a principled commitment to Israel, and everything is subordinate to that,” he said. “Whereas for Trump he couldn’t care less about Israel and the Palestinians or anything or anyone else, provided it serves his interests.”

For Netanyahu, who critics have long contended is driven by similar sense of self-interest, Trump’s victory is a personal triumph as well, according to Talshir, the political scientist.

“The orbit of populist leaders that Netanyahu and Trump belong to and lead together,” she said, and are “trying to take liberal democracies to their authoritarian ends.”

Teflon Don

 There is much discussion about reward for righteousness and punishment for sin in the gemora, However there is a category of the wicked which clearly indicates the lack of apparent justice in this world. That is  those who are successful in spite of behavior and midos which typically discredit most human beings. They are those who are typically  described in our society as having teflon coatings - nothing negative lowers their status

Berachos (07b) It is permitted to contend with the wicked in this world. For it is said: They that forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with them. It has been taught to the same effect: R. Dosthai son of R. Mattun says: It is permitted to contend with the wicked in this world. For it is said: ‘They that forsake the law praise the wicked, etc.’ — Should somebody whisper to you: But is it not written: Contend not with evil-doers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness, then you may tell him: Only one whose conscience smites him says so. In fact, ‘Contend not with evil-doers’, means, to be like them; ‘neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness’, means, to be like them. And so it is said: Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the Lord all the day. But this is not so! For R. Isaac said: If you see a wicked man upon whom fortune is smiling, do not attack him. For it is said: His ways prosper at all times. And more than that, he is victorious in the court of judgment; for it is said: Thy judgments are far above out of his sight. And still more than that, he sees the discomfiture of his enemies; for it is said: As for all his adversaries, he puffs at them.

Megila (06b) If you see a wicked man being favored by fortune do not contend with him, as it says, Do not contend with evildoers. Nor is this all, but he may even prosper in his undertakings, as it says, His ways prosper at all times. Nor is this all, but he may even be declared right, as it says, Thy judgments are far above out of his sight. Nor is this all, but he may even triumph over his enemies, as it says, As for all his adversaries, he puffs at them.

Pesachim (112a)  Strive to be on good terms with the man upon whom the hour smiles. R. Papa observed: That does not mean to buy from or to sell to him, but to enter into partnership with him. But now that R. Samuel b. Isaac said: What is meant by the verse, Thou hast blessed the work of his hands? Whoever took a farthing  from Job was blessed; even to buy from and to sell to him is advisable.

Pesachim (113a) strive to be on good terms with him upon whom the hour smiles

Trump And Harris Spar Over Jobs At Debate: Here Are The Facts

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2024/09/11/trump-and-harris-spar-over-jobs-at-debate-here-are-the-facts/

KEY FACTS

At the highest level, Biden holds a massive advantage over Trump.

The U.S. added about 16 million jobs during Biden’s first 43 months in office, compared to a 2.7 million contraction during Trump’s presidency, according to total nonfarm payrolls, the most-cited measure of total employment which encompasses most American workers.

Similarly the unemployment rate rose 1.7 percentage points from 4.7% to 6.4% under Trump, declining 2.2 percentage points under Biden to the latest reading of 4.2%.

U.S. Unemployment Rate by President

 https://www.investopedia.com/unemployment-rate-by-president-8637843

Average Monthly Unemployment Rate by President

An average of the monthly unemployment rate for all months of each presidential term

Ford 1974–1977

7.8%

Reagan 1981–1989

7.5%

Obama 2009–2017

7.4%

Carter 1977–1981

6.5%

Bush Sr. 1989–1993

6.3%

JFK 1961–1963

6%

Bush Jr. 2001–2009

5.3%

Clinton 1993–2001

5.2%

Trump 2017–2021

5%

Nixon 1969–1974

5%

Eisenhower 1953–1961

4.9%

Truman 1945–1953

4.2%

LBJ 1963–1969

4.2%

Biden 2021–

4.1%

4.1%      

4.1%

4.1%4.1%

Trump begins final full day of campaign with repeat lies about immigration and jobs

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/11/04/politics/fact-check-trump-campaign-final-day-election/index.html

The jobs revision in August: Trump repeated his false claim that a “whistleblower” was responsible for a downward revision to jobs numbers by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, which announced in August that its annual revision of labor data found that the economy added about 818,000 fewer jobs than initially reported for the 12 months ending in March.

William Beach, a conservative economist who was appointed by Trump to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics, wrote on social media: “For those who think the big revision to the BLS jobs numbers ‘leaked’ and was meant to come out after the election, remember that BLS always announces its draft revisions in August and announced this year’s date, August 21, many months ago. It is important to check your facts.”

Trump’s Final Numbers

 https://www.factcheck.org/2021/10/trumps-final-numbers/

The economy lost 2.7 million jobs. The unemployment rate increased by 1.7 percentage points to 6.4%.

IDF launches first ultra-Orthodox combat brigade

 https://www.israelhayom.com/2024/11/04/idf-launches-first-ultra-orthodox-combat-brigade/

The military has adopted a new approach, moving away from viewing itself as an "educator" for the ultra-Orthodox community. Instead, it aims to demonstrate that religious observance and military service can coexist. The strategy focuses on building broad-based support for recruitment, including seeking rabbinical endorsement.

Should you vote for Trump? The facts on his first term

Goy who keeps Shabbos is liable to Death Penalty - Because the Earth Seems to run Naturally?!

 Rav Yakov (Bereishis  08:22) and day and night shall not cease.Sanhedrin (58b)  An idolator who keeps Shabbos is liable to the death penalty because the Torah said “And day and night shall not cease.” Rashi explains  that means they must continue working on Shabbos. Apparently, this  interpretation is not according to the Bible's simple meaning (pshat)  because the simple meaning is that G-d promises that the times and the seasons will not change so how is this connected to saying that an idolator who keeps Shabbos is liable to the death penalty? But it seems that the Gemara's intent is the depth of simple meaning of the verse. Here G-d  revealed to us that the conduct of the world will be in a different way after the flood than it was before the flood. Before the flood G-d behaved with His world in such a way that it could be clearly understood  that the world is new and is renewed in other words nature wasn’t fixed so it couldn’t be changed and thus it was clearly apparent that G-d was running the world at all times. Whereas now comes the promise of G-d that from now on the conduct of the world will be as if the world was ancient and eternal, that is, that everything is fixed according to order and as if everything behaves on its own without any leader and creator. 

Therefore the seed and the harvest and the heat and the day and the night will not cease but will behave according to a pre-determined order as if there is never a permanent overseer who determines the order of the world as it will be, this is the depth of the intention of G-d in the promise For all the days of the earth, it will not cease. Therefore it was derived by our Sages that an idolator who keeps Shabbos is liable to the death penalty. As I have explained a number of times that while the descendants of Noach (bnei noach) were commanded to keep 7 mitzvos as well as the belief in one G-d, they were not commanded to believe that the world had been created. In fact it is actually prohibited for a person to look what preceded the world and what comes after [Chagiga (16a)]. Regarding Jews, since they received the Torah at Sinai  which clearly states that G-d created the world from nothing, we are required to believe that the world is not eternal  but that it had been created by G-d. And Shabbos is the sign that G-d established for the Jews to remember "For in six days God made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested" Therefore the non Jew who were not commanded to believe in the creation of the world were are also not commanded to observe Shabbos. Therefore a goy who keeps Shabbos is liable to the death penalty. Because if he observes Shabbos, he may come under the prohibition of looking forward and backward. Any thing they are warned against not doing, they are liable to the death penalty . Consequently G-d reveals in this verse that His manner of running the World after the Flood will be different  than what it was before in that it will now seem that the world is eternal and not created. In other words after the Flood it will appear that the World runs by itself in a natural manner. It is no longer apparent that this needs to be investigated or that there are doubts about this and therefore it is obvious why our Sages said that a goy who keeps Shabbos is liable to the death penalty