What did Rashida Tlaib say about the Holocaust? It’s probably not what you think

https://www.timesofisrael.com/what-did-rashida-tlaib-say-about-the-holocaust-its-probably-not-what-you-think/

Republican lawmakers like Rep. Lee Zeldin were criticized, deservedly, for distorting Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s comments about the Holocaust by suggesting she said that she gets a “calming feeling” when she thinks about the genocide.

If you read or listen to the Michigan Democrat’s comments, it is crystal clear that she said no such thing. The Republican pile-on, joined by US President Donald Trump, is a further weaponization of anti-anti-Semitism, this time based on a comment that the target never made.

But it’s not just Republicans who appeared to distort Tlaib’s now notorious remarks. It was the ostensibly nonpartisan Jewish commentariat and media as well, in which I will include our own site, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and take full responsibility.

Saudi Arabia is Blaming Iran for a Drone Attack Amid Calls for U.S. Strikes

http://time.com/5590840/saudi-arabia-drone-attack-iran-us-airstrikes/

 Saudi Arabia accused Tehran of being behind a drone strike that shut down a key oil pipeline in the kingdom, and a newspaper close to the palace called for Washington to launch “surgical” strikes on Iran, raising the specter of escalating tensions as the U.S. boosts its military presence in the Persian Gulf.

Concerns about possible conflict have flared after the U.S. dispatched warships and bombers to the region to counter an alleged but unspecified threat from Iran. There also have been allegations that four oil tankers were sabotaged Sunday off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, and Iran-aligned rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s attack on the Saudi pipeline.

Here's What Eating Processed Foods for Two Weeks Does to Your Body

http://time.com/5589702/processed-foods-weight-gain-diet/

It wasn’t a shock to find ultra-processed foods weren’t healthy—other research has linked them to a higher risk of cancer and obesity. What was unexpected was that sugar, fat and salt didn’t seem to be what was driving people to overeat. “I was surprised by the results,” says Kevin Hall, lead author of the study and senior investigator at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases at the National Institutes of Health. “It’s the first trial that can actually demonstrate that there is a causal relationship between something about ultra-processed foods—independent of those nutrients—that cause people to overeat and gain weight.”

Trump Admin Moves Fueled Iran’s Aggression, U.S. Intel Says

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-admin-moves-fueled-irans-aggression-us-intel-says

Trump administration hawks have spent the last two weeks decrying an increased threat from Iran. But U.S. intelligence officials assess that Iran’s aggressive moves came in response to the administration’s own actions.

Three U.S. government officials familiar with the situation told The Daily Beast that officials in multiple U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that Iran’s new, threatening activity–which the administration points to in justifying its military presence in the Persian Gulf–is in response to the administration’s aggressive steps over the last two months. The National Security Council, the CIA, and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not provide comment for this story.

Congress Must Stop Trump From Blundering Into America’s Most Dangerous War in Decades

http://time.com/5590697/trump-bolton-iran-war/

It’s time for the American people to become fully alert to a dreadful possibility. The United States, led by an erratic chief executive who is frequently ignored even by his closest advisers, may find itself stumbling into its worst war in more than a generation — in spite of publicly-expressed reservations from the president himself and without the Congressional authorization that the Constitution requires. The result could be a perfect storm of danger and distrust, culminating not just in a military emergency abroad but also a simultaneous and serious political crisis at home.

SHOULD TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BE TRUSTED ON IRAN? ISRAEL GAVE U.S. MISSILE REPORTS AND EXPERTS ARE WARY

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-administration-iran-israel-reports-1428048

As The New York Times previously reported Thursday and confirmed by Newsweek, the Trump administration’s recent escalation was rooted in intelligence suggesting Iran was arming its fast attack fleet with missiles, an apparent sign of potential attacks to come in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the world’s top oil traffic chokepoint. Newsweek has further learned from one Pentagon official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, that this evidence was based on satellite imagery provided to U.S. officials by Israel, an avowed foe of the Islamic Republic.

Much of the information regarding alleged Iranian threats has also been streamed from the National Security Council (NSC), whose hawkish chief—John Bolton—has similarly hyped up the threat posed by Tehran for years. A second source, a U.S. military official who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, cautioned that the council’s warnings of heightened threats posed by Iran-aligned Iraqi militias such as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) did not appear to match the Pentagon’s own observations.

“The threat stream I’ve seen doesn’t line up with what the NSC is leaking, let me put it that way,” the second official told Newsweek. “The PMF is no more or less a threat than before all this bullshit began.”

With Bolton leading the charge against Iran at home and Israel feeding information from abroad, concerns have been raised that the U.S. was once again on its way to war against a Middle Eastern adversary based on a questionable pretext, as it did in 2003 against Iraq.

“Be on the lookout for Iraq 2.0 justifications. I’m not even kidding,” the second official told Newsweek. “Think about the intel indicators prior to the Iraq invasion. Compare. Then get really uneasy.”

Trump's irritation with top aides grows over Iran strategy

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/05/16/politics/donald-trump-iran-john-bolton-mike-pompeo/index.html

President Donald Trump has become irritated at an emerging impression his hawkish national security advisers are marching him closer to war with Iran despite his isolationist tendencies, according to people familiar with the matter.

Instead, Trump is signaling his intent to speak with the Iranians as tensions rise in the Persian Gulf, and his national security team has taken steps they hope could facilitate a new diplomatic opening.

IRAN THREAT IS ACTUALLY MISSILES ON SMALL BOATS, AND AMERICA'S ALLIES THINK TRUMP IS OVERREACTING: REPORT

https://www.newsweek.com/iran-threat-missiles-intelligence-warning-donald-trump-overreacting-allies-1426979

According to The New York Times, multiple unnamed U.S. officials told the newspaper that the U.S.’s dire warnings of devastating retaliation against Iran were based on photographs of paramilitaries loading up small boats with missiles, threats against commercial shipping and indications of possible attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq.

The Times report said overhead imagery had captured Iranian paramilitaries arming small boats in the Persian Gulf with fully assembled missiles, prompting fears they might be used to attack American ships in the region. Images showed the boats—believed to be under the control of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps—being armed at several ports, raising concerns of imminent attack or that the weapons would be transferred to regional Iranian proxies for use in more deniable operations.

Iran’s low-tech navy is no match for the world-leading American vessels, but asymmetric tactics using small boats for conventional missile and even suicide attacks could still inflict significant casualties on a U.S. naval formation and could shut down commercial shipping in the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz.

As well as freshly armed vessels, American officials told The Times the U.S. had picked up threats against commercial shipping in the region. Last weekend’s sabotage attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates showed the impact such operations could have. Iran claimed innocence, and the U.S. said it did not yet have conclusive proof of Tehran’s involvement. The U.S. Maritime Administration warned all ships to exercise caution when traveling past the area.

Other intelligence reportedly indicated Iran might try to use pro-Tehran militias in Iraq to attack U.S. troops or facilities there. This convinced the State Department on Wednesday to withdraw all nonemergency staff from its embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Erbil.

https://www.newsweek.com/us-iran-trump-little-support-war-1426578

U.S.-IRAN CRISIS: TRUMP ADMINISTRATION HAS LITTLE INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR WAR

With the U.S. drawing up military options against Iran and pulling diplomatic staff Wednesday from neighboring Iraq amid alleged Tehran-tied threats to U.S. interests in the region, temperatures were running even higher than usual in the Persian Gulf. The U.S., traditionally a nation of robust international alliances, has managed to gradually erode its partnerships since Trump took office in 2017, however, and Washington has found itself largely alone in its approach to the current crisis.

Having unilaterally walked away from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal also signed by China, the E.U., France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom and having threatened the world with sanctions for trading with Tehran, a hawkish White House's "maximum pressure" campaign has been met with deep skepticism by friends and foes alike.

"The administration’s policy has clearly been to portray Iran as the bad guy here. Iran isn't the bad guy here for a change," Dina Esfandiary, a fellow at The Century Foundation think tank and the Belfer Center at Harvard University's Kennedy School. "It's important to highlight that, on this issue, America is really isolated; Europe, Russia, China, no one is really buying into this push against Iran."

https://www.kikar.co.il/317089.html

בני הזוג ה"חרדים" התגלו כצמד מיסיונרים

דוד ורבקה וובר, הוא עובד בחנות מכולת כשרה והיא כמטפלת - אורח חייהם לא עורר כל חשד בקהילה החרדית של שיקגו • כעת הם נחשפו כמיסיונרים - והרבנים מזהירים מפניהם (חרדים)

http://crownheights.info/photo-galleries/641075/missionaries-exposed-in-chicago-hiding-in-the-chicago-frum-community/

A missionary couple has been exposed hiding as a Frum couple in the Chicago Jewish community. The couple was exposed by a visiting Sofer who recognized them.

by CrownHeights.info

A couple who called themselves Dovid and Rivkah Weber were exposed in the Chicago Frum community as missionaries.

The couple, who look and act like Frum Jews, had moved to Chicago only two months ago, and had already integrated with the frum community.

David, whose real name is Dovid Costello, was working in a local kosher store, while Rivkah had a job as a babysitter for members of the community.

FOX NEWS LEGAL ANALYST SAYS TRUMP VIOLATED CONSTITUTION'S 'SEPARATION OF POWERS' THREE TIMES IN PAST WEEK

https://www.newsweek.com/trump-violated-constitution-separation-powers-three-times-1427253

Napolitano outlined the three directives from Trump and explained how they violated the Constitution. The first was the president’s order to acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan to not purchase a missile defense system approved by Congress and instead use the funds to construct a wall on the southern border of the U.S. with Mexico. Second, the former judge cited Trump’s order to send troops to secure the border and said it “violates the separation of powers,” as the president’s oath does not allow military forces to be deployed to deal with domestic issues. Napolitano also argued that Trump’s decision to implement 25 percent tariffs on Chinese goods was akin to levying a “national federal sales tax” on American consumers, which the president does not have power to do under the Constitution.

“It is dangerous when presidents write their own laws, impose their own taxes, spend money how they want and Congress looks the other way,” he asserted. “It’s dangerous because its too much of an accumulation of power in the presidency, and it imbalances that delicate balance that the separation of powers created.”

Hundreds of haredim attend anti-vaccine symposium in Monsey

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263231

Jews are being persecuted as disease carriers amid the outbreak of measles, a New York haredi Orthodox rabbi said at a symposium with leaders of the anti-vaccination movement attended by hundreds of haredim.

“We Hasidim have been chosen as the target,” said Rabbi Hillel Handler, a Holocaust survivor from Monsey, a Rockland County town with a large haredi population, according to The New York Times. “The campaign against us has been successful.”

Top Anti-Vaxxer Says He Learned All He Needs to Know From Being a Producer on ‘Dr. Phil’ and ‘The Doctors’

the daily beast

Last month, Del Bigtree stood behind a podium at a Texas rally, his flowing gray hair blowing in the wind, to talk about the supposed perils of government-mandated vaccines—a speech he has given all over the country.

This time, he had a prop: Near the end of his speech, he affixed a yellow Star of David to his coat. It was a symbol, he said, of solidarity with New York’s Orthodox Jewish community, which is in the throes of a measles outbreak.

Bigtree is one of the most visible members of the growing anti-vaxxer movement. He produced the headline-grabbing film Vaxxed, and his nonprofit raked in more than a million bucks in 2017. He has 13,000 Twitter followers and 114,000 likes on the Facebook page for his streamed show.

What he doesn’t have is a medical degree or scientific training, though he does say he read a lot of medical material while working as a producer on the TV talk show The Doctors.

Andrew Wakefield, others hold anti-vaccine rally amid raging measles outbreaks

https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/05/andrew-wakefield-others-hold-anti-vaccine-rally-amid-raging-measles-outbreaks/

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Andrew Wakefield, Del Bigtree, and other prominent anti-vaccine advocates unleashed fear and toxic misinformation last night at a well-attended symposium in New York’s Rockland County. The area is currently grappling with one of the largest and longest-standing measles outbreaks in the country, mainly in its tight-knit, ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

https://www.thedailybeast.com/cake-coffee-and-misinformation-inside-an-anti-vaxxer-meeting

Rocking babies and munching on cake, hundreds of people—many of them members of New York’s Orthodox Jewish community—gathered late Monday night at an anti-vaxxers rally in the Atrium, a ballroom in Monsey, about an hour north of New York City.

The event, advertised on WhatsApp and robocalls as a “Vaccines Symposium” and “a night of science, discussion, and truth,” featured mainly secular speakers, including anti-vax YouTuber Del Bigtree, “holistic pediatrician” Lawrence Palevsky, and Andrew Wakefield, the disgraced gastroenterologist and author of a now-retracted 1998 study linking the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to autism.

“Your news anchors and the media outside this building just want to talk about measles,” Bigtree told the rapt crowd. “I want to talk about autism. I want to talk about the greatest epidemic of our lifetime.” The audience burst into applause.

Measles is galloping through New York’s Orthodox community at a rate not seen in years, with nearly 500 cases reported so far. The outbreak has led to yeshiva closures and spread fear among parents of infants who are too young to be immunized and are at risk of infection.

Although study after study has shown childhood vaccinations to be safe and effective, there are still parents who refuse to get the shots for their kids.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/14/nyregion/measles-vaccine-orthodox-jews.html
https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2019/05/14/measles-rockland-speaks-out-against-anti-vaccine-forum-monsey/3664266002/

Rabbi Asher Weiss: Jewish law obligates vaccination

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263137

Rabbi Asher Weiss, one of the leading halakhik authorities of the generation, participated in the biennial convention of the Conference of European Rabbis in Antwerp, Belgium this week.

Rabbi Weiss addressed many medical issues and presented how Jewish law views the many technological developments made in medicine and genetics.

In his remarks, Rabbi Weiss spoke clearly and decisively on the phenomenon of people choosing not to receive vaccinations or to vaccinate their children. The rabbi emphasized that this is a severe halakhic prohibition and that according to all rules of halakha (Jewish Law), a parent must ensure that his children are vaccinated.

"It's a halakhic obligation to vaccinate our children," Rabbi Weiss said.

Sorry, Rashida Tlaib: Israel was not a consolation prize for Jews

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/23870

Recent assertions made by Rep. Rashida Tlaib regarding the Holocaust and the establishment of the State of Israel have no foundation in the historical record.

In this imagined version of history, after the Holocaust, the Jews were awarded a consolation prize — the establishment of Israel — at the expense of those already living there.

Asserting that Israel’s creation was a direct response to the Holocaust overlooks the ancient and ceaseless connection of the Jewish people to Israel, as well as the modern Zionist enterprise that returned an exiled and oppressed people to their ancestral home. It also ignores the existence of a vibrant pre-World War II Jewish community in Mandatory Palestine, whose population was severely circumscribed because of the virulent opposition by local Arabs to the very idea of Jews returning to the Land of Israel.

Throughout Europe following the Nazi rise to power, a great many Zionists were deeply frustrated by the quotas set for aliyah by the British, and they later became victims of the Holocaust, having never had the opportunity to realize their dreams of reaching the Land of Israel. It is impossible to even begin to divine what their contribution could have been to Israel, the Jewish people and to the world.

Fox 2 Vaccine Debate | Let it Rip | April 11, 2019

MK to Rashida Tlaib: Palestinians gave Jews nothing but death

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263039

An Israeli lawmaker blasted Michigan congresswoman Rashida Tlaib on Sunday, over the freshman Democrat’s remarks regarding Palestinian Arab treatment of Jews following the Holocaust.

Newly-minted Likud MK Michal Shir responded to Tlaib’s claim that Palestinian Arabs had “provided” a “safe haven” for Jews after the Holocaust, saying the congresswoman should “open up a” book and study the history of the Middle East.

“I suggest Congresswoman Tlaib open up a history book once in a while,” said MK Shir. “The Arabs never provided the Jews with anything after the Holocaust besides more war and death. The Jews who survived the worst of it and immigrated to Israel to join their brothers and sisters in the Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel were forced to deal with terrorists, and the continued and repeated refusal of the Arabs to live in peace and coexistence, leaving [the Jews] with no choice but to defend themselves.”

“The Arabs refused to recognize the right of the Jews to this state, and the Palestinians certainly aren’t willing to recognize it today. Yet in the State of Israel today, there are some 1.8 million Muslims, who live in the safest, most democratic state in the Middle East, which offers full equality for Muslims and Jews, men and women. The state defends its Muslims citizens from ISIS, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, which are just waiting for the opportunity to strike. I think Ms. Tlaib should thank the IDF.”

US Jewish leaders concerned over Tlaib's remarks

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/263164

Arthur Stark, Chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, on Tuesday expressed concerns over remarks by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Israel and the Holocaust.

Tlaib, one of two Muslim women who were recently elected to Congress, came under fire after she claimed in an interview that Palestinian Arabs living in the British Mandate prior to the establishment of the State of Israel “provided” a safe haven to Jews after the Holocaust.

“We are once again highly concerned by remarks made by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, in which she engaged in historical revisionism and distortion,” Stark and Hoenlein said in a statement.

“Rep. Tlaib stated that, ‘There's always kind of a calming feeling I tell folks when I think of the Holocaust, and the tragedy of the Holocaust, and the fact that it was my ancestors, Palestinians, who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity, their existence in many ways, have been wiped out, and some people's passports. I mean, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time, and I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that, right, in many ways. But they did it in a way that took their human dignity away, right, and it was forced on them.’”

“As tens of thousands of Jews in Germany sought refuge from the infamous Nuremberg Laws and Nazi persecutions, including after the November 9th, 1938, Kristallnacht pogroms, Arab militias and mobs in Mandatory Palestine were attacking Jewish settlements and farms and killing Jewish residents,” the Jewish leaders noted.

“The 1939 White Paper, which limited Jewish immigration to Palestine at the very moment when escape from Europe became an existential priority, was instituted to placate the Mandate’s Arab population, and led to the trapping of millions of Jews in Hitler’s Europe. Furthermore, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, a key leader of the Arab population in Palestine, supported and collaborated with Hitler and assisted in recruiting Bosnian Muslims for the Waffen-SS. The Arabs in Palestine during the Holocaust did not provide a safe haven for Jews, in fact they sided with the Axis powers. According to many experts, they expecting that the eventual arrival of the Nazis and their allies would eliminate the Jewish presence.”

“The authenticity of history is vital, not only in ensuring a proper understanding of the past, as it provides guidance to the future,” concluded Stark and Hoenlein.

A Smackdown in the Kennedy Clan Summons Up the History of Presidents and Vaccines

Family quarrels are usually private things—unless of course, the family is famous.

A public spat among boldface names broke out on May 8, when three members of the Kennedy clan published a piece on Politico declaring that Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—son of Bobby Kennedy—has been “tragically wrong” in his years-long crusade against vaccines, a crusade that seems especially irresponsible now as the country suffers through its worst measles outbreak since 1994. Kennedy has become a hero of the anti-vax crowd with his persistent claims that vaccines contain deadly ingredients, particularly a mercury-based preservative known as thimerosal, and that they are linked to autism.

He is wrong on both scores. No vaccines except some formulations of the flu vaccine contain thimerosal, and the type of mercury it uses is ethylmercury, which is cleared from the body quickly and harmlessly. And vaccines do not cause—and are not even associated with—autism. Full stop.

VULNERABLE REPUBLICANS SHOW SIGNS OF BREAKING WITH DONALD TRUMP ON CHINA TARIFFS

newsweek

Last week, negotiations between Washington and Beijing broke down. Trump added another $200 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods, and China responded on Monday by leveraging an extra $60 billion in tariffs on U.S. imports. Since then, markets have fallen (though they’re beginning to rebound), and some congressional Republicans have voiced concern with the route the president has taken.

Republicans who preside over districts and states with lots of farmers are particularly worried about the impact the trade wars may have on their re-election campaigns.

YAAKOV KRAMER WAS ARRESTED FOR SEXUALLY ASSAULTING A 14-YEAR-OLD, AND IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED

Jewish community watch

From a Facebook post by Shana Aaronson, COO of JCW.

Last week, the spokesperson for Jerusalem police announced the arrest of a 22-year-old man from Bet Shemesh, accused of numerous counts of sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy. 

Last week, the spokesperson for Jerusalem police announced the arrest of a 22-year-old man from Bet Shemesh, accused of numerous counts of sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy. 

This would be terrible news on its own, but it is made 100 x worse by the multitude of details which will likely never be acknowledged by the police or the community.

This 22-year-old man is known by many in Ramat Bet Shemesh because about 5 years ago, he was arrested for sexually abusing a number of little boys in Ramat Bet Shemesh A. He served time as a juvenile, and was released back into the community of Bet Shemesh. 

Shortly after he was released, I started getting The Phone Calls. Numerous community members calling to share that he’s hanging out with kids, a lot, and they are very concerned. 

I encouraged them strongly to warn the parents. But, you know, it’s awkward. No one ever wants to be the killjoy calling up a neighbor to share the lashon hara that the kindly young man who’s taken their kid under his wing is a convicted child molester. 

Then the next wave of phone calls started. He’s volunteering at local organizations and using his status there to pick up kids. 

And then, bizarrely, he called me. He wanted to volunteer for JCW. He said he loves working with kids, so I asked him for references. He described the vulnerable children in his neighborhood who he has taken under his wing. He asked that JCW let him mentor children who had been sexually abused who were going through a hard time.

And so my next call was to the police. I called. I called again. I went in and filed a report. I gave them every detail I could. They said they would look into it. They did not.

The calls from the community continued. 

He’s working in Jerusalem, he keeps picking up really young kids and taking them out alone and giving them presents. 

I told all the callers to go to the police. They were too uncomfortable to do so. What if anyone finds out it’s them who called? So awkward.

So I went back to the police. And I went back to the police again.

And they closed the case because all I could give them was third-hand information.

And the phone calls from the community continued.“He’s taking kids out alone during Friday night davening”. “The rabbi says we should let him because he’s an orphan and we feel sorry for him” (He is. But I am not sure why that matters here.) “He is always picking up kids and taking them out alone on little trips” “He buys certain kids presents.” “I’ve seen him alone with kids, the same kids every time. It’s really bad” “He hangs out with kids whose parents are really busy”.

I asked them to please tell the kids parents. I begged them to go to the police to report it.

But it’s awkward. 

No one wants to be the killjoy.

And so now, Yaakov Kramer has been arrested and accused of repeatedly molesting and sodomizing a 14-year-old, who, the police describe, he would take out alone on little trips. The police also “suspect he may have done the same to numerous other children” that he was spending time alone with.

It’s been about 2 years now that I started getting countless calls about Kramer, and reporting him to the police. In all that time it seems a community’s worth of people has been watching while a child molester strategically groom and pray on his victims.

But after all, nobody likes to be a killjoy.

**I initially wrote this last week and held off posting it because I was very angry and I try not to post when I’m angry. But yesterday I was informed that it seems the police have two additional victims who have come forward, and then yesterday evening I got two calls about another young alleged predator who is likewise being protected in Bet Shemesh. Maybe the situation calls for a little more anger.

Ben Shapiro: US commentator clashes with BBC's Andrew Neil - BBC News

Dow plummets after China retaliates with higher tariffs

Angela Lee Duckworth: Grit: The power of passion and perseverance

Leaving a high-flying job in consulting, Angela Lee Duckworth took a job teaching math to seventh graders in a New York public school. She quickly realized that IQ wasn't the only thing separating the successful students from those who struggled. Here, she explains her theory of "grit" as a predictor of success.

Viktor Orbán’s War on Intellect

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/george-soros-viktor-orban-ceu/588070/

Hungary once had some of the best universities in postcommunist Europe. But Orbán’s government has systematically crushed them. His functionaries have descended on public universities, controlling them tightly. Research funding, once determined by an independent body of academics, is now primarily dispensed by an Orbán loyalist. When I arrived in Budapest, a pro-government website had just called on students to submit the names of professors who espoused “unasked-for left-wing political opinions.” A regime-friendly weekly published an “enemies list” that included the names of dozens of academics, “mercenaries” purportedly working on behalf of a foreign cabal.

Like Pol Pot or Josef Stalin, Orbán dreams of liquidating the intelligentsia, draining the public of education, and molding a more pliant nation. But he is a state-of-the-art autocrat; he understands that he need not resort to the truncheon or the midnight knock at the door. His assault on civil society arrives in the guise of legalisms subverting the institutions that might challenge his authority.

CEU is a private university, accredited in both the United States and Hungary, and for that reason it has posed a particular challenge to the regime. The school was founded by the Budapest-born financier George Soros, whom Orbán has vilified as a nefarious interloper in Hungary’s affairs. Soros had conceived the school during the dying days of communism to train a generation of technocrats who would write new constitutions, privatize state enterprises, and lead the post-Soviet world into a cosmopolitan future. The university, he declared, would “become a prototype of an open society.”

But open society is exactly what Orbán hopes to roll back; illiberal democracy is the euphemism he uses to describe the state he is building. The prime minister and his allies did their best to make life unpleasant for CEU. Then, in April 2017, Parliament passed a law setting conditions that threatened to render CEU’s continued presence in the country illegal. All of Ignatieff’s hopes of settling into a placid academic life dissipated. Eighty thousand protesters filled the streets.

The effort to evict CEU rattled liberals across the world. Academic freedom—a bloodless term, but a concept at the core of all that the West professes to treasure—seemed to be slipping away in a country where it had looked firmly established. Universities rushed to declare their solidarity; 17 Nobel Prize winners signed a letter of support. Even the United States, run by a president who is no fan of George Soros, offered to help the university.

And so, for much of the past two years, CEU has been the barricades of a civilizational struggle, where liberalism would mount a defense against right-wing populism. The fate of the university was a test of whether liberalism had the tactical savvy and emotional fortitude to beat back its new ideological foe.

Farmer calls out Trump: Why aren't more people outraged?

Farmers get impatient with Trump's trade war: 'This can't go on'

American farmers are running out of patience with President Donald Trump's trade war with China.

Farmers have long stood behind Trump's mission to get a better trade deal with Beijing that addresses long-standing issues with what they say are unfair trading practices.

But after weeks of optimistic statements by Trump and members of his administration about how trade talks were progressing, Trump abruptly escalated tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods last week and opened the door to even more -- prompting Beijing to hit back Monday by raising the tariff rate on $60 billion of US items.

The escalated tariffs don't hit agricultural products directly, since most were already facing a 25% tariff imposed by China last year. But the news still sent commodity prices plummeting.

"The President of the United States owes farmers like myself some type of plan of action," John Wesley Boyd Jr., a soybean farmer in Baskerville, Virginia, told CNN's Brianna Keilar on Monday.

"Farmers were his base. They helped elect this president ... and now he's turning his back on America's farmers when we need him the most," he added.

Cuomo: Trump panders to bad guys like never before

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/13/trump-latest-viktor-orban-hungary-prime-minister-white-house

Rashida Tlaib criticized over ‘twisted’ comments on Palestine, the Holocaust

nypost

Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib was criticized over the weekend by House Republicans for comments she made about Jews moving into Palestine after the Holocaust.

Speaking on the Yahoo News podcast “Skullduggery” on Friday, the Michigan lawmaker — a Palestinian-American — said, “It was my ancestors — Palestinians — who lost their land and some lost their lives, their livelihood, their human dignity. Their existence, in many ways, had been wiped out. . ..

“I mean, just all of it was in the name of trying to create a safe haven for Jews, post-the Holocaust, post-the tragedy and the horrific persecution of Jews across the world at that time.”

She added, “I love the fact that it was my ancestors that provided that [safe haven], in many ways.”

As pundits weighed in disputing the historical accuracy of her account — including one post that included a photo of then-Palestinian Muslim leader Amin al-Husseini meeting with Adolf Hitler — Republicans called for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to take decisive action.

letter from Rav Moshe to Menachim Begin

http://pikuachnefesh.net/?p=435&lang=en

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, President

Copy of a letter sent by Hagaon Rav Moshe Feinstein of blessed memory to former Israeli prime

minister Menachem Begin, 13 Kislev 5738 (Nov. 23, 1977):

In wake of the situation created by the visit of the President of Egypt whose address raised

the issue of territories, thus placing the topic of territorial withdrawal on the agenda, there are

two opposing views. One sees withdrawal from some territories as a condition for the survival

of the state, while others warn that withdrawal from any of the territories endangers its very

survival. This problem is a very complicated and dangerous for it is a matter of life or death for

tens of thousands of people in Israel and it is difficult to express a concrete and decisive opinion.

We only wish to point out that when deliberating such a question, our holy Torah directs that

any decision made in this fateful matter must take into account the opinion of the experts, the

military personnel who are privy to all military secrets and all dangers and predicaments that are

liable to occur after any decision. The Law is clearly stated in Shulchan Oruch, the Code of Jewish

Law, that when one is confronted with a question of Pikuach Nefesh (life or death) one must

consult the experts. Likewise in the matter of relinquishing territories one must follow the

opinion of the most significant experts.

We trust that with your wisdom and earnestness you yourself will know how careful to be in the

final decision. We wish you great success, and may G-d Almighty guard Eretz Israel and her

borders.

Respectfully,

The Union of Orthodox Rabbis of U.S.A. and Canada

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, President

pressing problem of the day - did Rav Moshe read newspapers?

the fact is he did - I spoke with people that delivered papers to him

https://forum.otzar.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=21600#p212205

https://forum.otzar.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=21600&sid=166087ac5b7088e082a1a82dda3dfdb2

Torah and human feelings Rav Yakov

אמת ליעקב פרשת אמור

ובאמת י"ל דלפיכך המציאו חז"ל שדין אבילות נוהג באלה הקרובים, משום דכיון דהתירה התורה לטמאות על כרחך שנפשו של אדם דוה על אלו, ורואין אנו שהתורה - או יותר נכון שחז"ל - תלו האבלות ברגשי האדם, שהרי כמו בשמחה אמרו יום א' לענין אלמנה וג'2, ולבתולה ז' ואח"כ ל' לענין מניעת תכשיטין, ויב"ח אם אמר מחמת הלולא3, כמו כן באבילות ישנה ג"כ אבילות יום א' וג' ימים וז' ימים ול' יום ויב"ח, והיינו דהם הם רגשות האדם - הן לטוב והן למוטב.

וביאור ענין זה - שהתורה מתחשבת עם השכל האנושי אף על פי שאינו האמת לאמיתה - נראה לבאר בהקדם ביאור דברי התוס' בעירובין [דף ו' ע"ב], דשם בגמרא איתא דיצתה בת קול דהלכה כבית הלל בכל מקום ולאחר הבת קול שוב אין לעשות כדברי ב"ש. והקשו שם התוס' מדוע קי"ל כבת קול זו ולא קי"ל כבת קול שאמרה שהלכה כרבי אליעזר כנגד רבי יהושע וחבריו בפרק הזהב, ותירצו וז"ל: דהתם היתה כנגד רבים והתורה אמרה אחרי רבים להטות אבל הכא אדרבה ב"ה הוו רובא ולא הוצרכו ב"ק אלא משום דב"ש חריפי טפי עכ"ל. ודבריהם צריכין ביאור, דאי נימא שהיה הדין בהחלט דאחרי רבים להטות אף נגד חריפי א"כ ל"ל ב"ק כלל, ואם לא היה ברור גם דין זה א"כ שוב קשה דמאי מהניא בת קול4

ונראה בביאור דבריהם, ע"פ מה שביארתי באריכות בחידושי לעיל בפרשת בראשית [א' פכ"ו] דהתורה מסרה לנו את המדות שהתורה נדרשת על ידיהן, ועל ידי אותן המדות אנו פוסקין כל ספק שנולד לנו באיזו הלכה - ואין לו לדיין מה שעיניו רואות, וכשהללו מזכין - אף שהאמת לאמתו שהוא חייב, מ"מ אם הרוב מזכין הרי הוא זכאי על פי דין תוה"ק דאחרי רבים להטות, ואף שאפשר שהמיעוט כיון לאמיתת האמת מ"מ התורה מסרה לנו את הדין איך שנדרוש עפ"י השכל האנושי, ועיי"ש5. ועיין בים של שלמה [בהקדמתו למסכתות ב"ק וחולין] איך שביאר הא דאמרו בגמ' אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים.

והנה בעירובין [דף י"ג ע"ב] איתא: ג' שנים נחלקו ב"ש וב"ה הללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו והללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו יצאה ב"ק ואמרה אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים הן והלכה כב"ה, ועיי"ש. ולכאורה מאי שנא מכל פלוגתא דתנאי או אמוראי שודאי כל אחד אומר שהלכה כמותו, ומאי שנא מחלוקת ב"ש וב"ה דמשמע דכאן היתה מלבד כל מחלוקתם גם מחלוקת אחרת שהללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו והללו אומרים הלכה כמותנו. והנראה לבאר הגמ', דבאמת היתה כאן מחלוקת חדשה - והיא כללית - מלבד כל פרטי דינין שנחלקו בכל התורה כולה, שב"ש אומרים הלכה כמותנו וב"ה אומרים הלכה כמותנו, כלומר שנחלקו היכא דישנו רוב ומיעוט אלא שהמיעוט הוא חריף טפי - דב"ש אזלי בתר החריפי ומשום דהחריף יכול לכוון יותר אל האמת לאמיתו, וב"ה סברי דאזלינן בתר השכל האנושי - ואף שזה אינו אמיתת האמת, אבל מכיון שלפי השכל האנושי נראה שכן הוא האמת הרי הדין כאותו הרוב. ולפ"ז נמצא דלב"ש לעולם יש להשגיח בב"ק, שהרי הב"ק בודאי הנהו האמת האמיתי, וכיון שבפלוגתא זו נפסקה ההלכה דאזלינן בתר השכל האנושי גם לדעת ב"ש, א"כ ע"כ אית לן למיפסק כדברי ב"ה בממה נפשך - דלדידהו הא לעולם הילכתא כוותייהו, ולב"ש הא לדידהו משגחינן בב"ק, ודו"ק.

ואפשר6 דלפי מושגם באמת נחלקו ג"כ בפרק האשה שנתארמלה [כתובות דף י"ז ע"א] בענין כיצד מרקדין לפני הכלה, דב"ה סברי דיאמר כלה נאה וחסודה, וב"ש ס"ל דיש בזה חשש שקר, והיינו דב"ש סברי שבשום אופן אסור לשנות מהאמת לאמיתה, ולכן אפילו אם אחד קנה מקח רע מן השוק אסור לשבחו - שהרי לפי האמת האמיתית הרי זה מקח רע, וב"ה סברי דכיון דלעולם בעינן שתהיה דעתו של אדם מעורבת עם הבריות א"כ אין זה נחשב לשקר, והיינו שצריך להתחשב עם האמת של רגשי האדם, ודו"ק היטב.

ונבין לפ"ז מה דאיתא בספרי קבלה דלעתיד לבוא תיפסק ההלכה כבית שמאי, והיינו משום דרק בעולמנו צריכים אנו להתחשב עם האמת הנראית לרוב בני אדם, אבל לעתיד לבוא שאז תתגלה האמת האמיתית בודאי תהיה ההלכה כב"ש, ודו"ק.

measles

https://www.jdn.co.il/j_world/1145162/0

אסיפה מיוחדת התקיימה בבית האדמו"ר מסאטמר שליט"א בקריית יואל לאור מחלת החצבת. בישיבה השתתפו מתנגדי החיסונים והתומכים ולבסוף פסק האדמו"ר כי הורים שמסרבים לחסן את ילדיהם לא יכולו לשלוח אותם לתלמוד תורה ולבית הספר

אסיפה מיוחדת התקיימה השבוע בבית האדמו"ר מסאטמר שליט"א בקריית יואל לאור מחלת החצבת המשתוללת בחודשים האחרונים בניו יורק, כאשר מאות הורים שמתנגדים לתת לילדיהם חיסונים גרמו להתפרצות המחלה בכל מרכזי החרדים במדינה וגררו את זעם השלטונות.

ביום חמישי הגיעו קבוצה של מתנגדי החיסונים הגרים בעיר פאלם טרי – קרית יואל, לבית האדמו"ר מסאטמר שמכהן כרב העיר, אחרי שהנהלת המוסדות של החסידות בקרית יואל החליטו לא לאפשר לילדים שלא מחוסנים להגיע לתלמוד תורה ולבית הספר לבנות. זאת אחרי שמשרד הבריאות במדינת ניו יורק התחילו לתת קנסות על מוסדות שיאפשרו זאת.

יחד עם מתנגדי החיסונים הגיע הרה"ג ר' אלי' בער וואכטפויגל שליט"א וגם פרופסור ממרכז הרפואי באוקלוהמה סיטי דוקטור מיאן שתומך באי מתן חיסונים. בנוסף הגיעו גם 3 רופאי ילדים שמטפלים בילדי העיר קרית יואל, בראשות הרופא החרדי ר' אברהם יושע ווערצברגר וראשי חברת הצלה.