Law and Order

Jeff Mason on Trump commuting Stone's sentence: 'Bringing this up again may in some ways be positive' for POTUS

https://www.foxnews.com/media/jeff-mason-donald-trump-commuting-roger-stone-sentence

Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason reacted Saturday to President Trump commuting Roger Stone's sentence, saying there will more more "fireworks" regarding the president's actions.

"This is his Broadway, really, right now of responding to what he thinks was unfair the entire time related to Robert Mueller's investigation of the Russia probe and specifically to his friend and confident Roger Stone," Mason said on "America's News HQ."

"I think it is important to remember that Stone was convicted by a jury, and so in terms of the political risk for the president, this does come at a time when the president himself has been focusing on a law and order response to the protests around the country, emphasizing himself as a law and order president."

Mueller defends Stone prosecution and says 'his conviction stands' in Washington Post op-ed

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/11/politics/robert-mueller-defends-roger-stone-prosecution/index.html

 Former special counsel Robert Mueller, in a very rare move, has written an op-ed for The Washington Post defending his office's prosecution of Roger Stone and saying he is still a convicted felon and "rightly so" in light of President Donald Trump's commutation of Stone.

"Congress also investigated and sought information from Stone. A jury later determined he lied repeatedly to members of Congress. He lied about the identity of his intermediary to WikiLeaks. He lied about the existence of written communications with his intermediary. He lied by denying he had communicated with the Trump campaign about the timing of WikiLeaks' releases. He in fact updated senior campaign officials repeatedly about WikiLeaks. And he tampered with a witness, imploring him to stonewall Congress," Mueller wrote in the op-ed posted Saturday evening.

Trump Commutes Roger Stone’s Prison Sentence: What You Need To Know

Trump corruptly commutes Roger Stone sentence. Can it be undone by next president or the courts?

Trump claims doctors called the results of his cognitive test 'unbelievable'

Tucker Carlson's top writer resigns after secretly posting racist and sexist remarks in online forum

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/10/media/tucker-carlson-writer-blake-neff/index.html

Neff worked at Fox News for nearly four years and was Carlson's top writer. Previously, he was a reporter at The Daily Caller, a conservative news outlet that Carlson co-founded. In a recent article in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine, Neff said, "Anything [Carlson is] reading off the teleprompter, the first draft was written by me." He also acknowledged the show's influence, telling the magazine, "We're very aware that we do have that power to sway the conversation, so we try to use it responsibly."

During the years that Neff wrote for him at Fox, Carlson has hosted one of the most influential shows on cable news. In the last quarter, Carlson had not only the highest-rated program in cable news, but the highest-rated show in the history of cable news. Carlson also counts President Trump among his most loyal viewers. On multiple occasions, the President has tweeted out videos of Carlson's program. Which is to say, the scripts that Neff likely helped write and shape were being shared by the President of the United States.

Fauci opens up about why he's not being allowed on TV

Former SDNY US Attorney Berman testifies to Congress that Bill Barr lied to the American people.

Trump commutes Roger Stone's sentence. Here's why he did it

House Democrats promise investigations, legislation after Trump commutes Roger Stone

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-democrats-investigations-legislation-trump-commutes-stone

House Democrats reacted furiously to President Trump’s Friday move to commute the prison sentence of political operative Roger Stone -- demanding an investigation and even legislation to stop similar commutations happening again.

“President Trump’s decision to commute the sentence of top campaign advisor Roger Stone, who could directly implicate him in criminal misconduct, is an act of staggering corruption,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement on Saturday.

 

The White House announced Friday that Trump has signed an Executive Grant of Clemency for the colorful political operative, who was sentenced to more than three years in prison after he was convicted last year on seven counts of obstruction, witness tampering and making false statements to Congress in relation to FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.

 

“Roger Stone is a victim of the Russia Hoax that the Left and its allies in the media perpetuated for years in an attempt to undermine the Trump Presidency,” White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said in a statement Friday night. “There was never any collusion between the Trump Campaign, or the Trump Administration, with Russia.  Such collusion was never anything other than a fantasy of partisans unable to accept the result of the 2016 election.”

Trump commutes Roger Stone's sentence

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/10/politics/trump-stone-prison-clemency/index.html

 President Donald Trump on Friday commuted the prison sentence of his longtime friend Roger Stone, who was convicted of crimes that included lying to Congress in part, prosecutors said, to protect the President. The announcement came just days before Stone was set to report to a federal prison in Georgia.

Trump's decision to commute the sentence of his friend and political adviser is the crescendo of a months-long effort to rewrite the history of the Mueller investigation. This has included selective declassification of intelligence materials, a ramped-up counter-investigation into the origins of the Russia probe and attempts to drop the case against Michael Flynn. The President has broad constitutional power to pardon or commute sentences. But Trump is unlike almost any other president in how he's used the power proactively to save political allies.

The American Civil War - OverSimplified (Part 1)

SE Cupp: Trump seems more concerned with politics than our kids

Erin Burnett: For the 100th time, Trump is wrong

Pentagon opens investigation into media leaks amid Russian bounty reports

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/09/pentagon-investigation-media-leaks-russia-bounty-355360

Defense Secretary Mark Esper told lawmakers on Thursday he has launched an investigation into leaks across the Pentagon, in response to a series of "bad" disclosures of sensitive information to the news media over the past year and amid reports that Russians paid militants in Afghanistan to kill U.S. troops.

"We are aggressively pursuing leaks within the Defense Department," Esper told the House Armed Services Committee during a hearing about the military's role in civil law enforcement, adding that leaks are a problem across the U.S. government. "It's bad and it's unlawful and it needs to stop."

 In response to additional questioning later, Esper acknowledged that he was in fact briefed on intelligence reports that Russia made "payments" to militants to kill American troops in Afghanistan.

Esper added that the intelligence reports on the bounty program was not produced by the Defense Department, and defense intelligence agencies have been unable to corroborate them.

New York City paints Black Lives Matter mural outside Trump Tower in Manhattan

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/09/us/trump-tower-black-lives-matter-mural-new-york-trnd/index.html

 New York City is painting a Black Lives Matter mural on the street directly outside of Trump Tower in Midtown Manhattan.

City employees began painting a stretch of Fifth Avenue, just in front of the Trump Organization's headquarters, on Thursday morning. Mayor Bill de Blasio authorized the stark yellow mural earlier this month.

The New York mayor rolled up his sleeves and painted a bit of the mural, too, clad in a mask and flanked by civil rights leader, the Rev. Al Sharpton.

 

Ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen back in federal prison

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ex-trump-lawyer-michael-cohen-back-in-federal-prison/

 US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, was returned to federal prison on Thursday, weeks after his early release to serve the remainder of his sentence at home because of the coronavirus pandemic, the federal Bureau of Prisons said.

In a statement to The Associated Press, the US Bureau of Prisons said Cohen had “refused the conditions of his home confinement and as a result, has been returned to a BOP facility.” His return to prison comes days after the New York Post published photos of him and his wife enjoying an outdoor meal with friends at a restaurant near his Manhattan home.

A federal judge had denied Cohen’s attempt for an early release to home confinement after serving 10 months in prison and said in a May ruling that it “appears to be just another effort to inject himself into the news cycle.” But the Bureau of Prisons can move prisoners to home confinement without a judicial order.

Flynn judge asks appeals court to reconsider dismissal order

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/09/flynn-judge-calls-on-appeals-court-to-review-355389

A federal court judge is putting up a highly unusual fight against an appeals court ruling seeking to immediately shut down the prosecution of former national security adviser Michael Flynn for making false statements in the FBI’s investigation into ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Lawyers for U.S. District Court Judge Emmet Sullivan filed a petition Thursday asking the full bench of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to review a 2-1 decision a panel of that court issued last month, directing Sullivan to cancel his plans for a hearing and instead grant the government’s request to drop the case.

 

Trump spins political victory out of Supreme Court defeat

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/09/trump-political-victory-supreme-court-defeat-355454

 

So essentially, even though the nation’s highest court rejected several of Trump’s legal arguments, he got what he wanted politically — his financial records will likely remain private until after voters go to the polls in November.

It’s the way Trump has gotten by his whole life, in business and politics. Nothing is a loss, just an opportunity to delay and attack. Trump the businessman countersued when facing loan collectors or allegations of wrongdoing. Trump the politician counterattacks when faced with any staffer who disagrees with him, any opponent who questions his behavior, or any judge who rules against him.

How the Supreme Court Delivered Trump a Short-Term Political Win — and a Long-term Loss to His Quest for Broader Power

https://time.com/5865242/trump-supreme-court-financial-records/

The Supreme Court handed a short-term political win to Trump on Thursday when justices punted on rulings that will likely keep his financial records out of public view until after the November election. But while the rulings spared Trump that immediate scrutiny, they were ultimately a long-term loss to his claims of sweeping executive power. The decisions fenced in Trump’s authority by denying both his claim to be immune from prosecution as President and his insistence that the separation of powers between Congress and the executive limits how deeply Congress can reach into his personal papers.

 

Trump seethed in response, taking the judicial ruling as a personal attack. “Courts in the past have given ‘broad deference’ BUT NOT ME!” he wrote on Twitter. Trump described being investigated by the Manhattan district attorney as “a political prosecution,” adding on Twitter: “Now I have to keep fighting in a politically corrupt New York. Not fair to this Presidency or Administration!”

Pentagon chief confirms he was briefed on intelligence about Russian payments to the Taliban

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/09/politics/esper-briefed-russian-payments-to-taliban/index.html

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed Thursday that he had been briefed on information regarding Russian payments to the Taliban, seemingly acknowledging that Russia's support for the militant group in Afghanistan is not a "hoax," as President Donald Trump has claimed. However, Esper also made clear that he has not seen intelligence that corroborates claims that American troops were killed as a result of the "bounty" payments, walking a delicate line between acknowledging a well-known threat and potentially clashing with the President.

 

Ari Melber: Trump’s Claim To Immunity On Taxes Rejected In ‘Broad, Bipartisan Voice’ | MSNBC

Tammy Duckworth's history of US military and public service

Supreme Court says Trump not immune from subpoena, sends tax case back to lower courts

Judge refuses to dismiss Flynn case, petitions full appellate court for review

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-sullivan-refuses-dismiss-flynn-cases

Washington, D.C. federal District Judge Emmett Sullivan is refusing to dismiss the criminal case against former national security advisor Michael Flynn, and is now arguing that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals erred when it ordered him to do so last month in a 2-1 ruling.

 

Sullivan, through his attorney Beth Wilkinson, filed a petition on Thursday for a so-called "en banc" review by the entire D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the three-judge panel was improperly trying to force the district court "to grant a motion it had not yet resolved ... in reliance on arguments never presented to the district court."

Israeli Army Fighting to "Make Redemption Delayed Again," R"L? The Latest Escalation in the Antireligious War Against Israeli Girls, and the Latest Success of a Girl Resisting the Draft

Israeli Army Fighting to "Make Redemption Delayed Again," R"L?

The Latest Escalation in the Antireligious War Against Israeli Girls, and the Latest Success of a Girl Resisting the Draft

17 Tammuz, 5780 °°  July 9, '20

Parshas Pinchos


By Binyomin Feinberg


feinbergbinyomin@gmail.com



"... And if someone, like Pinchos, is one among a multitude, and every man is against him when he dares to speak out for truth and to fight for the Law -- the more lonely his stand, the greater the number of his adversaries, the more powerful is his word, the mightier his deed."

--  Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch OB"M (1808-1888), (in "Judaism Eternal," vol. 2, p. 293)


.....

Here's the update link for the month of Tammuz to check in case we post during the week between our regular Wednesday/ Thursday posts:


https://docs.google.com/document/d/19P6537IM3H-v_UlYsRzeiukw9uBWq3M0GjaoYJhIQUk/edit?usp=sharing


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

###  GOOD NEWS:  ###

1.  Appropriate to parshas Pinchos, B"H, Hadassah Margolit bas Miriam Y. (20 y/o), a religious girl from an immigrant Bucharian family, was finally freed from Israeli Military Prison Four on Monday, July 6, after almost a month of incarceration. Her imprisonment and mistreatment was accompanied by relentless protests in Israel (and one in NYC). She was held in wake of her steadfast refusal to submit to the military draft.  We've been following her case (e.g. see https://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/07/every-refusenik-matters.html) since soon after Israeli military police barged into her her home - at about 3AM early Thursday June 11 - to arrest her, for the "crime" of adherence to the Torah, which prohibits girls from enlistment in the military, to the extent of sacrificing one's very life if necessary.

Miss Y. endured physical,  psychological, and religious mistreatment at the hands of Military Prison officers.  That was all in addition to the sexual mistreatment to which she was initially subjected; they took away her skirt and forced her to wear pants [even in public] for almost two days. (Recall that these are the same cast of characters who grandstand about "Equality," even gracing Israel's south with all-female tank crews (JNS), ostensibly to protect against enemies.)

2.  If this mistreatment of girls - religious or otherwise - is the price of having ostensibly religious Knesset members on the receiving end of government largesse, then the one thing that should scare us more than an Israeli government filled with Chilonim is one filled with purportedly religious and Chareidi MKs.  Their overall (or "coverall," as my spellchecker phrased it) silence on the issue of the SYSTEMIC drafting, intimidating, terrorizing, mistreatment, and downright abuse of hundreds, even thousands of Jewish girls by "our own" (sic) is intolerable. If the broader religious Jewish public would know even a fraction of what the government and collaborating elements are covering up, they'd be in an uproar.

Therefore, the media cannot remain silent. True, properly researching these cases is often painstaking. (The military draft office and collaborating parties do their best to ensure that.) However, exposing the systemic persecution of religious and traditional teenage girls by "Maitav" (the Israeli Army entity under which the Draft Office operates) is absolutely vital for Jewish continuity, to ensure that spiritual survival of future generations.  Girls who fall into the morally corrosive military environment generally don't come out capable of building healthy homes, and properly raising Jewish families.

3.  Furthermore, we know that in the merit of righteous women we were redeemed from Egypt (Talmud tractate Sotah 11b), and that in the merit of righteous women we'll merit the Ultimate Redemption (sefer Kav HaYashar). Drafting girls at that age into the notoriously promiscuous military sabotages the natural process of raising righteous Jewish women.

Accordingly, on a deeper level, the draft actually impedes the Final Redemption. And those courageous individuals who stand up and fight these evil designs against Jewish girls and women are helping expedite the Redemption. Perhaps their noble efforts, often undertaken in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, can be aptly qualified as "Raishis Tzemichas Ge'ulasinu."

Bad News: 

4.  The Israeli Draft Office is currently escalating their discrimination against religious girls who attended non-religious schools, as we'll explain shortly.

5.  Furthermore, and perhaps more ominously, the Rabbanut has reportedly started to themselves ask the girls which school they attend.

6.  That may appear innocuous to those unfamiliar with the process. However, even posing such a question alone constitutes a hazardous shift in what is supposed to be the military service *exemption* process. It's a slippery slope, leading to actual participation in the Selectzia process, whereby the Draft Office identifies girls to pursue, or persecute, with the aim of robbing them of their opportunity to avoid falling into the immoral and exploitive military.

7.  What is even more of a concern is that the Rabbanut thereby projects the appearance that they've lent their approbation to the female draft discrimination process by their own participation therein, albeit perhaps only in a token manner, at this juncture.

8.  Recent Changes for Girls who attended non-religious schools:

Recently, since around the time Coronavirus hit Israel, a number of girls have reported that in the process of obtaining their religiosity verification from the Rabbanut, they were asked by the Rabbanut which school they attended. These girls report subsequently being summoned by the Draft Office to show up for a Rayon Dat, without ever stepping foot into the Draft Office.

Until now, girls who were wise enough to comply with the Halacha, and refused to enter the Draft Office, were generally able to obtain an exemption without being summoned to a Rayon Dat. Now, avoiding entering the Military Draft Office no longer provides that same degree of security.

9.  Background: In the recent past, religious girls who attended non-religious schools, when identified as such, would often be targeted unfairly. The Draft Office had been summoning them to a Rayon Dat. A  Rayon Dat is a religiosity interview, or, more often, interrogation.  It's performed by a battery of trained military officers, intimidating a lone teenage girl; she is not allowed to be accompanied by anyone, not even a lawyer or family member.

10.  The Draft Office does this to dupe or pressure the girls into enlisting, or to find a pretext to challenge their religiosity, and thereby deny them their legal entitlement to a religious exemption from military service.

11.  Nevertheless, with the assistance of the appropriate organizations, the girls who had been fortunate enough to obtain the correct guidance would be able to avoid the Rayon Dat trap by sending in letters from Rabbis, or, at least, by sending the Draft Office firm letters from attorneys.

12.  However, lately, there's been a alarming turn. The Draft Office is no longer backing off in the face of intervention. Thus, they're, in effect, obligating these girls to hire an attorney. 

13.  For those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer, and don't have a sponsor, there are two "options:" enlist (which is absolutely prohibited, on pain of sacrificing one's very life, as articulated by prominent Rabbis, see Yoreh Daiyoh 157:1) - or face the spectre of being terrorized by the Draft Office, with the threat of arrest and Military Jail.  According to Jewish Law, these girls have no choice but to stand up - even if all alone - and fight.

14.  Against whom are they defending themselves? None other than the Israeli Military Draft Office, the Military Police, the Military Prison System, and the Military Justice System. And they need to do all of this without a lawyer. Of course, procurement of an attorney for such a girl in need is absolutely incumbent on anyone else who can help facilitate that.

15. Such heroic individuals certainly are reminiscent of the timeless words of Rav Hirsch, relevant to this week's Torah portion (quoted above):

"... And if someone, like Pinchos, is one among a multitude, and every man is against him when he dares to speak out for truth and to fight for the Law -- the more lonely his stand, the greater the number of his adversaries, the more powerful is his word, the mightier his deed."

--  Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch OB"M (1808-1888), (in "Judaism Eternal," vol. 2, p. 293)

Trump Finds Himself On An Island When It Comes To His Race-Baiting & Divisiveness | Deadline | MSNBC

The 1 big thing Donald Trump *still* doesn't get about the Supreme Court

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/09/politics/donald-trump-supreme-court-john-roberts/index.html

 President Donald Trump sees the world in a very black-and-white way: There are people who love him and people who don't. Or, put another way: There are people who are loyal to him and those who are always out to get him.

It's a deeply simplistic way to think of life and the people in it. It's also hugely selfish, always believing that every action -- and equal and opposite reaction -- are all about you, and how people feel about you.

 

 

"These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!"

And for good measure, added this: "Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn't like me?"

Me, me, me, me.

What Trump fails to understand -- and has never understood -- is that the Supreme Court doesn't work for him.

Yes, he appointed Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to their current seats. But that doesn't guarantee him their loyalty. They pledge allegiance to the law, not to Donald Trump.

 

 

VoteVets Ad - Benedict Donald

Why protests aren't as dangerous for spreading coronavirus as you might think

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jun/18/anti-racism-protests-coronavirus-rise-covid-19-cases

The evidence is becoming clear that wearing a mask can substantially lower the risk of spread and severity of illness. We are seeing more and more masks worn by protesters. A second feature of gatherings that affects the spread of the virus is whether they happen outdoors or indoors. Here, too, research suggests that outdoor activities are much safer than indoor ones.

Finally, although this is more preliminary, evidence suggests that if you’re going to be in a crowd, a mobile one is better than a stationary one. None of these three aspects will protect you from infection definitively – but together they offer a modest level of risk reduction. And compared with the risk of catching Covid-19 that is present in many jobs or other activities, such as working in meat-packing plants, outdoor protests are likely to be much safer– especially if we carry out testing, which can quickly reveal if the virus is spreading among protesters, as Massachusetts has done recently.

Black Lives Matter protests have not led to a spike in coronavirus cases, research says

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/06/24/us/coronavirus-cases-protests-black-lives-matter-trnd/index.html

 Despite warnings from public health officials, new research suggests Black Lives Matter protests across the country have not led to a jump in coronavirus cases.

A new study, published this month by the National Bureau of Economic Research, used data on protests from more than 300 of the largest US cities, and found no evidence that coronavirus cases grew in the weeks following the beginning of the protests.

Did Floyd Protests Lead to a Virus Surge? Here’s What We Know

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/01/nyregion/nyc-coronavirus-protests.html

“We’ve been looking very closely at the number of positive cases every day to see if there is an uptick in the context of the protests,” Ted Long, executive director of the city’s contact tracing program, said. “We have not seen that.”

 

Nurses are struggling with trauma. But they were suffering long before Covid-19 hit

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/09/health/psychological-trauma-nurses-coronavirus-wellness-partner/index.html

In a follow-up study after the book was published, I dug deeper, collected information from nurses, and learned of yet another type of psychological injury: insufficient resource trauma. This occurs when nurses don't have the staff, supplies, knowledge or access to other professionals to fulfill ethical or professional responsibilities. The pandemic has been a dark catalyst to seeing this urgent concern. In a survey of 32,000 nurses just completed by the American Nurses Association, 68% of nurses said they are worried about being short-staffed and 87% are very or somewhat afraid to go to work.

Mary Trump's claim Trump paid friend to take SATs conflicts with timeline, Joe Shapiro's wife says

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/wife-of-late-trump-friend-challenges-mary-trump-sat

 

President Trump's niece Mary L. Trump alleges in her new tell-all book that her uncle paid a friend to take a college admissions test more than 50 years ago so he could gain acceptance into the elite Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. However, a new video from the wife of the now-deceased friend tells a very different story.

"My late husband Joe Shapiro passed away 21 years ago. He was a man of great integrity, honesty; he was a hard worker. He was literally the smartest person I ever met," Shriver began. "He went to University of Pennsyvlania, member of the class of 1968. It was while he was at University of Pennsylvania where he met Donald Trump. They became friends; they loved the sport of golf. They shared the same hometown of New York City; they shared the same campus. They stayed in a little bit of touch through the years."

Coronavirus: 1,231 new patients in a single day; 118 in serious condition

https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/coronavirus-1262-new-diagnoses-death-toll-increases-to-346-634454

Some 1,231 people tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Wednesday as the government considers putting new restrictions or even closures on several “red zones” of infection.

In total, some 33,947 Israelis have been diagnosed with coronavirus, though there are only 15,209 people who remain infected. The other 18,376 have recovered.

As the numbers continue to grow and new restrictions continue to be rolled out, the Ministerial Committee on Restricted Zones is expected to meet on Thursday to determine which additional cities should be closed. A list of nine communities under consideration was revealed by Israeli media on Wednesday night that includes Modi’in Illit, Ramla, Beit Shemesh, Lod, Jerusalem, Kiryat Malachi, Bnei Brak, Ashdod and Raanana.

The mayors of most of these cities are pushing back, trying to get their communities off the list.

US Supreme Court to rule on revealing Trump tax returns

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53345679

 Even a ruling in Congress's favour would not necessarily make Mr Trump's tax returns public before his bid for re-election in November.

Mr Trump, who made his money as a property developer, is the first president since Richard Nixon in the 1970s not to have made his tax returns public.

He calls the investigation into his tax affairs a "witch hunt" and sees the congressional case as a device to harass him politically.

4 police tackle haredi woman to ground for mask not covering nose

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/283278

Video of police forcing mask compliance on a haredi woman whose nose was exposed has been circulating on the Internet since yesterday.

In the video, four police officers are seen trying to move the woman from her place to the sound of loud protests by bystanders until they succeed in tackling the woman to the ground where she is handcuffed.

"Once she was identified and despite her unlawful conduct, it was decided to settle for only issuing her a citation for not wearing the mask and she was released," the police added.

Alexander Vindman, Trump impeachment witness, retires from military

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/alexander-vindman-trump-impeachment-witness-retires-from-military

Vindman already was fired in February from the National Security Council and escorted off the White House grounds two days after the Senate acquitted Trump in his impeachment trial. His twin brother, Lt. Col. Yevgeny Vindman, was also ousted from the NSC at the same time.

Trump said in February that Vindman needed to go because he was "very insubordinate" and misrepresented his "perfect" call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The phone call was at the heart of impeachment charges against Trump for abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

 

‘Bullying, Intimidation, And Retaliation:’ Key Impeachment Witness Vindman Retires | All In | MSNBC

Trump Tells States To Open Schools In Sept. Or He'll Withhold Federal Funding. Quid Pro Quo Much?

Trump Push To Reopen Schools: The Last Person We Should Trust With Safety Of Kids | All In | MSNBC

The Psychopath in Chief

The Book To Stop Trump's Re-Election? 'Art Of The Deal' Co-Author On Why New Tell-All Scares Trump

Names

Professor doubles down on prediction model of Trump's chances in 2020

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/professor-doubles-down-on-prediction-model-showing-trump-having-91-percent-chance-of-winning-election-despite-polls

Despite recent polls that identify Joe Biden as the heavy favorite in 2020, a political science professor is still standing by his prediction model that shows President Trump having a "91 percent" chance of winning in November.

Mediaite reported on Wednesday that Stony Brook Professor Helmut Norpoth is doubling down on his "Primary Model,” which has correctly predicted five out of the past six elections since 1996 and every single election but two in the past 108 years.

“The Primary Model gives Trump a 91 percent chance of winning in November,” Norpoth said. "This model gets it right for 25 of the 27 elections since 1912, when primaries were introduced."

As Mediaite noted, the two elections the model failed to predict was the 1960 election of John F. Kennedy and the 2000 election of George W. Bush.

Norpoth's model examines the results of presidential primaries as the strongest indicator as to the outcome in the general election, not the polls that dominate the political discussion. According to Norpoth, Biden is in a much weaker position than Trump because of his poor showing in the first two primary races.

While the "Primary Model" hands Trump his reelection, national polls suggest Biden will win handily in November. The Real Clear Politics average shows the former VP besting the sitting president by 8.7 points. In the latest Fox News poll, Biden has a 12 point lead over Trump.

New public transport restrictions come into effect

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/283264

As of Thursday morning, new significant restrictions on public transport come into effect as part of government efforts to fight coronavirus.

The main limitation affects bus drivers who may transport only up to 50% of the maximum amount of passengers able be seated in a given vehicle. The windows must be open with the air conditioners operating.

Weekday public transport will end at 22:00 and will run until Shabbat begins and on Saturday night will continue even after 22:00.

NY ultra-Orthodox are acting like they have herd immunity. Could they be right?

https://www.timesofisrael.com/ny-ultra-orthodox-are-acting-like-they-have-herd-immunity-could-they-be-right/

 The front page of the June 26 issue of Der Yid, one of the most widely circulated Yiddish newspapers among New York’s ultra-Orthodox communities, made the point loud and clear. “And so it was after the plague.” 

That sentiment appears to be guiding life in Brooklyn’s ultra-Orthodox communities, where nearly four months after the virus first arrived, synagogues and camps are open, religious schools resumed classes before closing for summer break and wedding halls are packed again, sometimes in violation of city and state rules designed to slow the spread of disease.

Continued gatherings of ultra-Orthodox Jews drew criticism from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and others in the city this spring who said the communities were not doing their part to stop the spread of the virus. But inside the communities, the overwhelming perception is that most people have had the virus and may now be immune. 

“We have paid a terrible price in order to achieve this statistic that is more than double that of our neighbors in Flatbush, and certainly much more than that of New York City, or for that matter any other community in the country,” the Gedaliah Society wrote on May 20. “This high rate of past infection community wide will, with the help of [God], protect us from the virus reactivating and spreading again locally, which would thereby put the vulnerable at high risk.”

And behind the veil of normalcy — and the pain of loss — linger deep and unsettling questions about how safe the community really is.

One concern is that older people and others who are at higher risk may be continuing to isolate for fear of infecting themselves now that the communities have relaxed their restrictions.

Few of those people, who may have isolated themselves earlier and more fully than others, are likely to have antibodies.

“That’s the one thing that really scares me,” Hayum, the nurse practitioner, said. “That a lot of the people who were locked up for three months have no antibodies, which means if there is a second wave, they’re going to be very vulnerable.”

Tulsa sees Covid-19 surge in the wake of Trump's June rally

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/08/us/tulsa-covid-trump-rally-contact-tracers-trnd/index.html

The city of Tulsa is experiencing a surge in coronavirus cases, a little over 2 weeks after President Donald Trump held a campaign rally in an indoor arena there.

Dr. Bruce Dart, Executive Director of the Tulsa Health Department, said in a press conference on Wednesday there are high numbers being reported this week, with nearly 500 new cases in two days and trends are showing that those numbers will increase.

There had been a 20% decline in new Covid-19 cases the week of June 28 through July 4.

The Tulsa Health Department reported 266 new cases on Wednesday, bringing the total number in the county to 4,571. There are 17,894 cases in Oklahoma and 452 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University's tally of cases in the United States.

When asked if the cases in Tulsa are going up due to the rally on June 20, Dart said that there were several large events a little over two weeks ago.

"I guess we just connect the dots," Dart said.

 

Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told CNN, "There were literally no health precautions to speak of as thousands looted, rioted, and protested in the streets and the media reported that it did not lead to a rise in coronavirus cases. Meanwhile, the President's rally was 18 days ago, all attendees had their temperature checked, everyone was provided a mask, and there was plenty of hand sanitizer available for all. It's obvious that the media's concern about large gatherings begins and ends with Trump rallies."

Trump says he disagrees with CDC school reopening guidelines, calls them 'impractical'

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-he-disagrees-with-cdc-school-reopening-guidelines-calls-them-impractical

“I disagree with @CDCgov on their very tough & expensive guidelines for opening schools,” Trump tweeted Wednesday. “While they want them open, they are asking schools to do very impractical things.”

 

The president did not explicitly detail which CDC recommendations he takes issue with, though CDC Director Robert Redfield has encouraged all schools to “do what they need” to reopen.