Tuesday, August 18, 2020
Fox News Says Michelle Obama 'Flayed' Trump As Hosts Praise DNC Speech
https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-praises-michelle-obama-dnc-speech-1525752
"When you talk about authenticity, she has it in spades. She has that voice, she has clarity, and she knows what she is out there wanting to do. She was trying to get everybody to really focus and then she had a call to action—ask for your ballot tonight. I think that the DNC, if they look over the course of the night, the first virtual convention of our history, they would say that Michelle Obama stuck the landing."
Wallace agreed. "Michelle Obama, as she said, doesn't like politics and she said that this speech was her main contribution to the Biden campaign," he said.
"It was a heck of a contribution. She really flayed, sliced and diced Donald Trump, talking about the chaos and confusion and lack of empathy, especially, coming from this president and from this White House."
Trump warns of 'rigged election' as he uses conspiracy and fear to counter Biden's convention week
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/donald-trump-campaign-swing/index.html
Ukraine bans pilgrimage to Uman over COVID-19 fears
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/israelis-will-not-be-let-into-uman-this-year-639032
The Ukraianian interior minister said the annual mass pilgrimage of hassidim and others to the grave site of Rabbi Nachman of Uman would have caused the mass spread of COVID-19.
Dear Jared…Never…Okay?...Never!
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285429
That’s all I needed to read from this dispatch to feel utterly betrayed.
The passage runs like this: Addressing Israeli reporters, Kushner said that "Israel has made a very generous proposal for the establishment of a Palestinian state, including an exchange of territories. The understanding that this is the situation has enabled the breakthrough that led to the current agreement."
If it was Benjamin Netanyahu, then we’ve been misled…misled to believe in the prime minister’s own words.
Yesterday he said that the UAE peace arrangement “signals the end to land for peace.”
Sounds good.
But something must have happened between yesterday and today. Today, Jared, you tell us something quite the opposite.
I quote: “The understanding that this is the situation has enabled the breakthrough that led to the current agreement.”
In other words, to achieve peace with the UAE, Israel first had to agree to “an exchange of territories” for “the establishment of a Palestinian state.”
Sounds like “land for peace” to me.
Trump says he moved US embassy to Jerusalem ‘for the evangelicals’
https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-says-he-moved-us-embassy-to-jerusalem-for-the-evangelicals/
“And we moved the capital of Israel to Jerusalem,” Trump said speaking at a rally held at an airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, apparently referring to his decision move the embassy from Tel Aviv. “That’s for the evangelicals.”
“You know, it’s amazing with that, the evangelicals are more excited by that than Jewish people,” he said to cheers from the crowd. “That’s right, it’s incredible.”
Major child sexual abuse trial begins in Germany
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53813249
Police say tens of thousands of people in paedophile networks viewed the pictures that Jörg L, 43, posted on the Swiss secure messaging service Threema.
A raid on his home last October in Bergisch Gladbach, near Cologne, led police to investigate dozens more alleged paedophiles.
His wife will testify against him.
Eighty-seven suspected paedophiles have been identified in all 16 German states as a result of this case, and 50 children, aged from three months to 15 years, have been removed from abusive parents.
Three investigators traumatised by the images have taken sick leave.
CNN Poll of Polls: Biden holds a nine-point lead over Trump ahead of the party conventions
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/biden-trump-poll-of-polls-august-election/index.html
Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by a nine-point margin nationally, according to a CNN Poll of Polls on the general election matchup released Monday.
Trump 'enthusiastic' over unproven coronavirus therapeutic, MyPillow creator says
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/trump-oleandrin-mike-lindell-coronavirus/index.html
President Donald Trump and Mike Lindell, the creator of MyPillow and an avowed supporter, participated in a July meeting at the White House regarding the use of oleandrin as a potential therapeutic for coronavirus, Lindell confirmed to CNN.
Former senior Trump administration official endorses Joe Biden
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/17/politics/miles-taylor-trump-joe-biden-endorse/index.html
Monday, August 17, 2020
Rep. Kinzinger: ‘It’s time’ for leaders to disavow QAnon
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/16/adam-kinzinger-trump-qanon-396414
Rep. Adam Kinzinger on Sunday emphasized the importance of President Donald Trump and other leaders calling out QAnon — a set of far-right conspiracy theories that allege the existence of a “deep state” against Trump.
QAnon: What is it and where did it come from?
https://www.bbc.com/news/53498434
Studies indicate that most Americans haven't heard of QAnon. But for many believers, it forms the foundation of their support for President Trump.
The president has, unwittingly or not, retweeted QAnon supporters, and last month his son Eric Trump posted a QAnon meme on Instagram.
Dozens of QAnon supporters are running for Congress in November. Many have little hope but some, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene in Georgia - appear to have a good chance of winning a seat.
It's quite likely that a QAnon supporter - or someone sympathetic to the conspiracy theory - will sit in the next US Congress.
The UAE-Israel Agreement Isn’t All It’s Cracked Up to Be
https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/08/15/the-uae-israel-agreement-isnt-all-its-cracked-up-to-be/
The deal defers the idea of annexation rather than burying it, and could exacerbate tensions between Iran and the Gulf States.
Jared Kushner: The first time Israel has agreed to a map of a Palestinian state
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285415
Jared Kushner, adviser and son-in-law to US President Donald Trump addressed the peace agreement he helped broker between Israel and the United Arab Emirates Monday.
Addressing Israeli reporters, Kushner said that "Israel has made a very generous proposal for the establishment of a Palestinian state, including an exchange of territories. The understanding that this is the situation has enabled the breakthrough that led to the current agreement."
When asked how the US would make certain that Israel does not unilaterally annex any territory, Kushner said, “We built a very trusting relationship with Israel. President Trump is committed to holding them accountable to it, and Israel has agreed with us that they will not move forward without our consent. We do not plan to give our consent for some time, as right now the focus has to be on getting this new peace agreement implemented. We really want to get as much interchange between Israel and the United Arab Emirates as possible, and we really want Israel to focus on creating new relationships and new alliances."
Israel and the UAE: A reality check
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israel-and-the-uae-a-reality-check/
The Israeli agreement with the United Arab Emirates is being touted as everything from “huge,” “stunning,” and “historical” to a “betrayal,” “diversion,” or “sellout.” In truth, it is not any one of these, but contains something of all of the above. Given the plethora of reports, commentaries, analyses, and reactions, it is especially important to put the Israel-UAE rapprochement in perspective — to try to understand how it contributes to Israel’s integration into the region through the achievement of a comprehensive peace with its neighbors. In order to do so, it is necessary to specify what it is, what it is not, and where it could lead.
A normalization agreement, not a peace treaty. The impending formalization of the more than two-decade informal relationship between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is an important breakthrough in Israel’s ties with the Arab world. Motives aside, it constitutes a major achievement for Mohammed bin Zayed, Benjamin Netanyahu and for its broker, Donald Trump. It is yet another step in Israel’s continual quest for workable accords with Arab countries, following its successful treaties with Egypt and Jordan. It follows the same logic as its predecessors, forging long-term understandings with surrounding states — often on its periphery — but studiously bypassing the much knottier Palestinian core of the Israeli-Arab conflict.
What is Avoda Zara?
וכמו שהתבאר סיפא דמתניתין שלשה שאכלו על שלחן ואמרו עליו דברי תורה, כך יתבאר גם כן רישא דמתניתין שלשה שאכלו על שלחן ולא אמרו עליו דברי תורה, ומן הסברא היה לו לשנות קודם הסיפא שלשה שאכלו ויש ביניהם דברי תורה, רק מפני ששנה לפני זה שנים שיושבים ואין ביניהם דברי תורה, קבע אחריו שלשה שיושבים ואוכלים ואין ביניהם דברי תורה כאלו אכלו מזבחי מתים. וזה כי מפני שראוי שיהיו מדברים על השלחן דברי תורה כאשר הם שלשה כמו שאמרנו כי ראוי שיהיה הכל אל הש"י, וכאשר אין מדברים עליו דברי תורה הרי השלחן הזה יש לו הסרה מן הש"י, אשר היה ראוי להעלות השלחן זה עד שיהיה לפני הש"י, וכל הסרה מן הש"י הרי הוא נוטה אל הע"ז כי הע"ז הוא סלוק והסרה מן הש"י. ולפיכך אמר שאם אין מדברים עליו דברי תורה כאלו אכלו מזבחי מתים, שהרי מסלקים השלחן שלפני הש"י לצד אחר. ומביא ראיה מן הכתוב שאמר כי כל שלחנות וגו' וראיה זאת שנקרא מה שמקריבין עליו שלחן כמו שנקרא שלחן הקדוש ברוך הוא שלחן גבוה, כי אלהים אחרים הם, ולפיכך השלחן הזה שאין עליו דברי תורה והוא מוסר מן הש"י הוא השלחן אשר הוא שייך לע"ז הוא מזבח לע"ז, שהרי קרא הכתוב המזבח לע"ז שלחן א"כ המזבח והשלחן הוא דבר אחד דלא בחנם נקרא מזבח ע"ז שלחן, אלא להכי הוא דאתי כי שלחנו של אדם שאין עליו תורה זבחי מתים הוא, ומאחר ששלחן זה הוא לע"ז נחשב כמו מזבח לע"ז בודאי. והכתוב אמר כי כל שלחנות מלאו קיא צואה ולא אמר כי כל שלחנות מלאו זבחי מתים, ובשביל זה מפרשים פירושים רחוקים מאוד, ולא ידעו פירוש הכתוב מה שאמר בלי מקום אבל הכתוב קרא קרבנות שלהם שהם זבחי מתים קיא צואה בלי מקום, וזה כי קרבנות שלהם הם כמו קיא צואה, שקיא צואה שהוא יוצא מן האדם אין ספק שהוא יוצא מן האצטומכא בשביל שהוא זר ונכרי אליו, שאם לא היה זר ונכרי אל האדם היה נשאר באצטומכא, אבל בשביל שהוא זר יוצא מן האצטומכא, וכך הקרבנות שהם מקריבים לאל זר שאינם אלהות שנקראת עבודה זרה הוא קיא צואה שהיא זרה לאדם, ולא שתהיה נקראת צואה שהצואה שהוא בדרך הטבע ומנהגו של עולם אינו זר ונכרי שכך הוא מנהגו של עולם, אבל קיא צואה שהיא זרה ונכרי' מן הטבע היא זרה לגמרי. וזה שאמר בלי מקום, כלומר שכל דבר בעולם אשר ברא הש"י יש לו מקום אשר הוא נברא עליו שהוא מדריגתו ומקומו וכמו שאמרו אין לך אדם שאין לו שעה ואין לך דבר שאין לו מקום וכמו שיתבאר עוד בעז"ה, אבל לדבר זה אין מקום לו שכ"כ הוא זר, לפיכך קראו קיא צואה שהוא בלי מקום, ר"ל כמוציא קיא צואה בעבור שהוא נכרי וזר ואינו בסדר העולם אין לו מקום בעולם כלל ואין האצטומכא מקבל אותו ואינו מקום לו ולכך יוצא ממנה שאינה סובל אותו, וכך קרבנות שלהם שהם זבחי מתים הם בלי מקום שהם זרים ונכרים שכך נקראו קרבנות עבודה זרה ולכך אין מקום להם. ומה שאמר כי כל שלחנות מלאו קיא צואה יש לפרש על הפלגות המאוס והתעוב של שלחנם כמו שדרך הכתוב בכל מקום להפליג, אבל עיקר הפירוש כמו שאמר אחר כך בלי מקום שהדבר שיש לו מקום הוא מוגבל, שזה ענין המקום אשר הוא מקיף ומגביל אשר הוא מקום לו, אבל הדבר אשר הוא בלי מקום כמו ענין הע"ז שאין לו מקום כלל בעולם שהוא יוצא חוץ מסדר העולם ומאחר שאין לו מקום אינו מוגבל, ולפיכך כל השלחנות שלהם מלאו קיא צואה כלומר שאין כאן דבר מגביל. אבל מזבח הש"י הקרבנות שעליו אין לומר עליהם כי הוא מלא, אחר שהקרבנות של הש"י יש להם מקום, וכל אשר יש לו מקום הוא מוגבל מצד שהמקום יגביל את אשר בתוכו ולא יאמר על זה כי השלחן מלא בלי מקום. אבל שלחנות ע"ז מלאים קיא צואה בלי מקום ופירשנו בלי מקום כלומר שאין מקום לקרבן שלהם ולפיכך לא יוגבל. וכל הדברים האלו יש להבין ממה שהש"י נקרא מקום ופירושו שהוא יתברך מקומו של עולם בכלל, ודבר זה שהוא תקרובת של ע"ז והוא יוצא מן הש"י שהוא מקומו של עולם הוא בלא מקום בודאי. ומפני זה תבין מה שאמר כאלו אכלו משלחנו של מקום ולא אמר משלחנו של הקדוש ברוך הוא, וכל זה כדי ללמוד לך על הרישא שלשה שאכלו על שלחן אחד ולא אמרו עליו דברי תורה וכו' כי אלו יוצאים מרשותו של הש"י שהוא מקומו של עולם, וכל המקומות תחת המקום הוא הש"י אשר הוא כולל כל המקומות, ואין לקרבן שלהם שהוא לע"ז מקום ולכך נחשב שלחנות שלהם מלא קיא צואה אף על גב שאין השלחן מלא, כיון שאין לקרבן של ע"ז מקום בעצמו אשר המקום מקיף ומגביל את הדבר אשר בתוכו ופירוש ברור הוא ואין ספק כלל
Trump elevates Scott Atlas, a doctor with a rosier coronavirus outlook
https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/17/trump-scott-atlas-coronavirus-doctor-396741
Dr. Scott Atlas warns against coronavirus overreaction and hysteria, pushes for the reopening of schools and sports leagues and downplays the need for broader testing to root out the virus.
Unlike bigger-name, more circumspect public health officials, who’ve watched their luster dim at the White House, Atlas has become a star adviser in President Donald Trump’s inner circle at a crucial moment during the pandemic.
Atlas, upbeat and relentlessly on message that Americans should resume life as much as they can, is the live embodiment of the president’s Covid-is-not-that-big-of-a-deal approach. Where school superintendents and football conference officials see a risk of the virus’s spread this fall, he cautions against too-strict measures. During Fox News appearances, he has downplayed the need for students to wear face coverings or practice social distancing if schools do reopen.
“It is proven children have no significant risk,” he said during a July 15 TV appearance. It’s a line that Trump has parroted but that hasn’t been borne out in districts where in-person learning has resumed: Schools in Georgia, North Carolina and Indiana have had to shut down shortly after starting the year because of positive cases.
Atlas first came to the attention of the Trump administration the way it finds so many top officials: through his appearances on Fox News. His comments on the coronavirus lockdown and the need to reopen the economy and schools caught the attention of the president and several top aides, including Jared Kushner, according to a second senior administration official.
Broken promises in a time of 'plague'
https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/512004-broken-promises-in-a-time-of-plague
“Promises and pie-crust,” Jonathan Swift once wrote, “are made to be broken.”
For Donald Trump, Swift’s ironic aphorism is a philosophy to live by. A candidate who fashioned an electoral majority out of a pledge to build a wall across the 2,000 mile southern border of the United States and make Mexico pay for it, President Trump meets or exceeds the stereotypes of the promise-making and breaking professional politicians he denigrates.
To
be sure, Trump has kept some of his promises. The United States has
withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord, renegotiated NAFTA, and
withdrawn from the Iran Nuclear Agreement. The Trump administration has
reduced government regulations, capital gains and income taxes. The
president has appointed conservative judges.
Spare me the hoopla
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285348
No doubt making new friends is a good thing, and so it is good that Israel and the United Arab Emirates…UAE…have shaken hands toward an official peace deal.
The two were not at war, but that’s beside the point, for the moment… but at present, kudos to the Trump Administration for helping to pull this off.
So why am I not thrilled? (Neither is this or this writer, and for excellent reasons.}
Sunday, August 16, 2020
Israel to delay West Bank annexation plans for now in deal to discuss normalizing ties with UAE
The United Arab Emirates and Israel have agreed to work toward establishing full diplomatic ties as part of a deal to halt, for now, Israel’s controversial plans to annex occupied West Bank land sought by Palestinians for their future state.
If the UAE establishes formal ties with Israel, it would be only the third Arab country — after Jordan and Egypt — to recognize Israel, and the first Gulf nation to do so.
Thursday’s declaration, the officials involved said, was a prelude to delegations from Israel and the UAE meeting in the coming weeks to forge bilateral agreements in an array of sectors, including tourism, security, telecommunications, technology, energy and healthcare.
Direct flights would be established as well as reciprocal embassies — although it was likely the UAE would go to Tel Aviv and not the disputed holy city of Jerusalem, claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians and controversially recognized as Israeli by Trump, the only world leader to do so.
Israel, UAE to launch diplomatic ties in return for halt to annexation
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SkKHL0GzP
Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the day-to-day ruler of the UAE, confirmed Thursday that the Gulf state had reached an agreement that would end Israel's annexation plans.
Minister Katz: Sovereignty was frozen before UAE agreement
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285336
In an interview with Kan Bet Sunday morning, Minister Katz explained that the application of sovereignty was frozen even before the agreement with the United Arab Emirates, and that "presenting the agreement as related to it is more convenient for all the Arab nations."
UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash was interviewed over the weekend by La Figaro newspaper and said the agreement was intended first and foremost to remove from the agenda for good Israeli sovereignty moves in Judea and Samaria.
Shaked: We believe Trump, there will be no sovereignty
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285332
"When Netanyahu decided to form a coalition with Blue and White and throw out Yamina, I told everyone who asked me that there would probably be no sovereignty," Shaked said in an interview with Kan Bet Sunday morning.
I believe the president of the United States and his son-in-law who said sovereignty was off the table," she added.
"The prime minister has chosen to give up sovereignty in exchange for normalizing relations with the Emirates. It should be put on the table - with the pros and the cons.
In Shaked's opinion, Netanyahu should have gone ahead with applying sovereignty even if it meant a deal with the UAE would not have been reached at this time. "Applying sovereignty, certainly with the support of American government - could have been a one-time opportunity."
Trump’s Win Is a Loss for the Middle East
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/08/14/trump-mideast-israel-uae-deal-395567
The Trump administration announced a deal this week between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, which was immediately hailed as “an historic day for peace in the Middle East” by Mike Pompeo’s State Department. A flurry of similar analyses framed the deal as “a big win for Trump,” and a “geopolitical earthquake.”
But that was exactly the point of this deal: a lot of publicity for the deal-makers, but not much substance to the deal. In fact, this “breakthrough” is mostly a PR boost for the three leaders involved: President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Mohamed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, the costs will be borne by the one party not involved in the arrangement, the Palestinians.
Israel-UAE agreement a meek version of the historic Mideast deal Trump pledged
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/14/middleeast/israel-uae-agreement-trump-intl/index.html
This is not THE Middle East peace deal that has beguiled a generation of American presidents, the one President Donald Trump commissioned his son-in-law and special advisor Jared Kushner to conclude.