Trump still 'humiliated' by brother Fred Jr dumping mashed potatoes on his head when he was 7, says niece Mary

 https://meaww.com/donald-humiliated-mary-trump-father-fred-trump-jr-dumped-mashed-potatoes-potus-head-7-years-old

 Stephanopoulos asked Mary about an incident that happened when the president was young and which ended in Donald receiving a head full of mashed potatoes. "Yes. Yeah. That's one of our favorite family stories. They were really young kids, and I think Donald was maybe 7. And one of his favorite things to do was torment my Uncle Rob, who was a couple years younger. And it was, you know, my grandmother's cooking dinner, and getting the table ready, and Donald was just being merciless. And Maryanne and my dad could not get him to stop," she said. 

 She added: "And finally, my dad had no other option but to pick up a bowl of mashed potatoes and just dump it on his little brother's head. And it ended the -- it ended the fight. But I think it also started something, because Donald was humiliated by it, as evidenced by the way he reacts to the story now, is no sense of humor about it whatsoever."

Total nonsense!: At Democratic Convention, lies, conspiracy theories and meanness fill third night

 https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/democrat-convention-lies-conspiracy-theories-liz-harrington

 Former President Barack Obama spoke of sitting in the Oval Office, but he left out the part where he plotted with Biden to get the “right people” from the FBI to investigate his successors.

 Through lies and deceit Democrats have weaponized government, criminalized dissent, and launched conspiracy theory after conspiracy theory to wield against anyone who had the audacity to go to work and serve in a duly-elected president’s administration.

Former RNC chairman joins anti-Trump Lincoln Project

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/former-rnc-chairman-joins-anti-trump-group-lincoln-project

 The first Black chairman of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, is joining the anti-Trump group Lincoln Project, which endorses Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and is working to oust the president's supporters in Congress.

RNC tries to rewrite pandemic history, casting Trump as decisive leader

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/25/rnc-trump-covid-19-401387

 

The Republican National Convention put President Donald Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic front and center on opening night, depicting him as a decisive leader who marshaled resources, forcefully responded to the deadly threat, and “moved mountains” to save American lives.

What it didn’t say is that the United States, with more than 5 million cases and more than 175,000 dead, with schools and businesses still closed and millions unemployed, has had one of the worst records on the pandemic in the world. Or that Trump repeatedly downplayed the virus threat until it had already spread throughout the country unchecked, and that to this day he inexplicably asserts that it will one day magically disappear.

But numerous public health experts, including top scientists whom Trump has diminished or contradicted, have said that the president failed, tragically, to mount a coordinated national response using the basic building blocks of public health, including a widespread, efficient and accessible national testing program.

 

FDA chief issues mea culpa for his plasma treatment claims

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/25/fda-chief-plasma-benefits-criticism-401514

 FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn issued a mea culpa late Monday, conceding that he had overstated the benefits of convalescent plasma as a treatment of coronavirus at a press conference last weekend with President Donald Trump.

 “I have been criticized for remarks I made Sunday night about the benefits of convalescent plasma. The criticism is entirely justified,” the commissioner said in a string of tweets. “What I should have said better is that the data show a relative risk reduction not an absolute risk reduction.”

While the therapy is considered safe, plasma has not yet been proven effective against the coronavirus. 

In a statement released Sunday, the FDA said plasma “does not yet represent a new standard of care based on the current available evidence.”

 The commissioner’s actions Sunday, which came after Trump accused the FDA of slow-walking the therapy to harm his reelection, renewed many public health experts' fears that the administration will rush through a Covid-19 vaccine without proof that it works.

Hasidic group in New York urges members to wear masks in public

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285890

 The Bobover Hasidic movement in New York City has called on its members to adhere to state social distancing regulations, and to wear masks whenever they are unable to maintain a six-foot distance from others in public.

In a statement released by Congregation Khal Shaarei Zion Bobov, the movement implored its members over the age of 60 or who have serious medical conditions – including heart problems, diabetes, or respiratory problems – to take special precautions to avoid becoming infected with the coronavirus.

In addition, the movement urged all members to adhere to state regulations, including social distancing, or, in situations where that is not possible, to wear masks.

Minister: We oppose sale of ‘even one screw’ of the F-35 to UAE

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/minister-we-oppose-sale-of-even-one-screw-of-the-f-35-to-uae/

 Last week, the Yedioth Ahronoth daily reported that the US planned to sell the fifth generation F-35 stealth fighter jet to the UAE as part of a recently announced normalization agreement between Jerusalem and Abu Dhabi. Netanyahu quickly denied the report as fake news, though US President Donald Trump and other senior American officials later confirmed that Washington was indeed considering selling the aircraft to the UAE and that the normalization deal was a significant factor in that decision.

 

'Parade of dishonesty:' GOP convention night 1 fact check

F.D.A. ‘Grossly Misrepresented’ Blood Plasma Data, Scientists Say

 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/24/health/fda-blood-plasma.html?action=click&module=Top%20Stories&pgtype=Homepage

 Mr. Trump called it a “tremendous” number. His health and human services secretary, Alex M. Azar II, a former pharmaceutical executive, said, “I don’t want you to gloss over this number.” And Dr. Stephen M. Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, said 35 out of 100 Covid-19 patients “would have been saved because of the administration of plasma.”

What’s more, many experts — including a scientist who worked on the Mayo Clinic study — were bewildered about where the statistic came from. The number was not mentioned in the official authorization letter issued by the agency, nor was it in a 17-page memo written by F.D.A. scientists. It was not in an analysis conducted by the Mayo Clinic that has been frequently cited by the administration.

Dr Anthony Fauci warns against rushing out vaccine

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53899908

 Speaking to Reuters news agency, Dr Anthony Fauci also said doing so could hurt the development of other vaccines.

US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering plans to put out a vaccine before it has been fully tested.

Such a move could boost his chances of re-election in November's presidential election.

Democrats accuse the US president of being prepared to endanger American lives for political gain.

On Saturday, President Trump tweeted that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) "is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines".

Jerry Falwell Jr quits Liberty University role amid sex scandal

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53897647

 But after Liberty University announced Falwell Jr had resigned and then reversed his decision, he finally confirmed he had quit his job.

Jerry Falwell Jr took an indefinite leave of absence earlier this month after posting a photo of himself with trousers unzipped on Instagram.

Further scandals have since emerged, including from someone who claimed to have had a sexual relationship involving Mr Falwell Jr and his wife.

A vocal supporter of US President Donald Trump, Mr Falwell Jr took over at the college in 2007 after the death of his father, Jerry Falwell.

Fact check: First night of the Republican National Convention features more dishonesty than four nights of DNC

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/24/politics/republican-national-convention-first-night-fact-check/index.html

 The Republican National Convention started off with a parade of dishonesty, in stark contrast with last week's Democratic convention. While CNN also watched and fact-checked the Democrats, those four nights combined didn't have the number of misleading and false claims made on the first night of the Republicans' convention.

Here are some of the most noteworthy falsehoods from night one of the RNC.

 

The United Arab Emirates cannot have it both ways

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285838

The United Arabic Emirates’ revolutionary recognition of Israel is now a fact of life.

At the same time, UAE pours $51 million per year, with no strings attached, into the UNRWA budget.

This makes the UAE the fifth-largest contributor to UNRWA in the world, and the largest donor to UNRWA among the Arab nations.

The UAE is fully aware that UNRWA uses 54% of its allocations to finance a new school system which invokes “the right of return by force of arms.”*

For UNRWA, the call to violence has been ongoing for many years.

 

UAE said to scrap meet with Israel, US envoys after Netanyahu panned F-35 deal

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/uae-said-to-scrap-meet-with-israel-us-envoys-after-netanyahu-panned-f-35-deal/

The United Arab Emirates reportedly canceled a trilateral meeting with Israel and the US last week in retaliation against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s public opposition to Washington’s brewing sale of F-35 fighter jets to Abu Dhabi.

A New York meeting of the three countries’ UN envoys celebrating the normalization of Israel-UAE ties had been scheduled for Friday, the Walla news site said in a report Monday.

But in the lead-up to the gathering, Netanyahu spoke out against the US sale of advanced weaponry to the UAE, following reports that he had agreed to pull opposition to the deal in exchange for normalization.

 The Gulf state will also hold off on other high-level meetings with Israel until Netanyahu’s position is clarified, the report said.

 

UAE cancel celebratory three-way meeting with Israel, US representatives

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285836

 The United Arab Emirates have cancelled an official three-way meeting between US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Kraft, Israeli UN representative Gilad Erdan, and UAE representative Lana Zaki Nusseibeh.

According to a Walla! NEWS report, the reason for the cancellation was Dubai's dissatisfaction with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu's objection to the sale of American F-35 to the Gulf state.

The three-way session, initiated by Kraft, was meant to be a celebratory event in honor of the recently-signed agreement between Israel and the UAE, with members of the media on hand and a photo session planned followed by an official statement by the sides. The meeting had been agreed upon and specifics of the event worked out when the UAE representative contacted the US embassy to inform them they were cancelling participation until further notice.

Trump's ex-colleagues open up about his history of lies

Evil

Rush Limbaugh: Biden’s ‘Flawless’ DNC Speech ‘Had to Be Taped’

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/rush-limbaugh-says-bidens-flawless-dnc-speech-had-to-be-taped

 On Thursday night, a series of Fox News hosts and commentators readily acknowledged that Joe Biden “blew a hole” in President Donald Trump’s depiction of him as a demented old man by delivering a highly effective speech at the Democratic National Convention. Even Laura Ingraham had to admit that Biden “beat expectations.” 

Rush Limbaugh has a different theory. 

The conservative radio host who not so long ago received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump during a State of the Union address, spent his show Friday pushing the notion that Biden did not, in fact, deliver his speech live.

 

 

 

FDA authorizes plasma treatment despite scientists' objections

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/23/plasma-treatment-coronavirus-fda-trump-400390

 Outside experts and former officials have accused FDA of caving to White House pressure during the pandemic — most notably in its decision to authorize emergency use of hydroxychloroquine for treating Covid-19 infection despite limited evidence. The agency later pulled the authorization after randomized clinical trials found it provided no benefit, but Trump as recently as this weekend complained about the agency's reversal.

Hahn, a longtime cancer doctor, declined to contradict the president's claims about plasma being "very effective" on the press briefing stage Sunday night. "If you are one of those 35 out of 100 people who these data suggest survive as a result of it, this is pretty significant," he said.

 The data from the expanded access program is not a randomized controlled clinical trial, making it difficult for scientists to eliminate other factors in patients' recovery. Two randomized trials cited in the FDA's emergency use authorization, in China and the Netherlands, were both halted.

The Chinese trial could not enroll enough patients. The Dutch trial ended after sponsors found "no difference in mortality, hospital stay or day-15 disease severity."

 But other outside experts — including at least four former FDA chiefs — have urged the agency to hold off an emergency authorization until there is clear data that plasma works.

"Let's get the trials done & if the results are life saving, let's make it standard of care, thus benefiting hundreds of thousands to millions," former FDA Commissioner Robert Califf tweeted this week. "If not we can avoid the huge expense & effort & keep looking for best treatments."

Covid-19 Live Updates: A Plasma Treatment Is Authorized, but the Big Prize for the White House Is a Vaccine

 https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/23/world/covid-19-coronavirus.html

 The fast-tracking could come before Phase 3 trials are complete, raising concerns. Italy reported its highest case count since May 4. Life in China, where the pandemic began, is returning to normal.

 Trump aides, meeting with lawmakers, reportedly said a vaccine would be approved before the election.

• Trump hails the F.D.A.’s authorization of blood plasma as a treatment, despite the lack of clinical trials.

 

Trump authorizes plasma treatment amid attacks on FDA

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/23/coronavirus-donald-trump-plasma-treatment-fda-deep-state-navarro

On Saturday, Trump tweeted: “The deep state, or whoever, over at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics. Obviously, they are hoping to delay the answer until after 3 November. Must focus on speed, and saving lives!”

The “deep state” conspiracy theory holds that a permanent government of bureaucrats exists to thwart the president’s agenda. Former Trump campaign manager and White House adviser Steve Bannon, an enthusiastic propagator of the theory, has also said it is “for nut cases” and “none of this is true”.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Trump’s tweet “scary” and “beyond the pale”.

 Shortly after being challenged on his claims about plasma treatment compared to caution from officials including FDA commissioner Hahn, Trump ended the briefing.

 

US allows emergency use of blood plasma treatment for coronavirus patients

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-53884710

•  But several experts, including Anthony Fauci, a member of the White House's coronavirus task force, have expressed reservations about the robustness of studies so far.
• The FDA has already approved the use of plasma transfusions on coronavirus patients under certain conditions, like those who are gravely ill or taking part in clinical trials.
• In a tweet on Saturday, President Trump said "the deep state, or whoever, at the FDA is making it very difficult for drug companies to get people in order to test the vaccines and therapeutics.
• "Obviously, the are hoping to delay the answer until after [the US presidential election]," he added.

 

Trump calls Covid-19 treatment ‘historic,’ Dr. Gupta isn’t convinced

Mark Meadows responds to secret Trump family tapes

Zakaria to Kushner: Didn't Netanyahu outsmart you?

Trump's Unfitness for Office per his Sister Maryanne Trump Barry and his DHS Appointee Miles Taylor

Trump-O-Meter

 https://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/promises/trumpometer/?ruling=true

 Tracking President Donald Trump's campaign promises: The Trump-O-Meter is PolitiFact's meter for tracking 100 promises President Trump made during his 2016 campaign. (We tracked President Barack Obama’s promises when he was in office, too.) For each campaign promise, our reporters research the issue and then rate it based on whether the promise was achieved: Promise Kept, Promise Broken, Compromise, Stalled, In the Works or Not Yet Rated. We rate the promise not on the president's intentions or effort, but on verifiable outcomes.

Israel's Netanyahu Accepts Proposal for Budget Negotiation Extension, Avoiding New Election

 https://time.com/5882803/netanyahu-budget-negotiations/

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Sunday that he had accepted a proposal to extend budget negotiations, preventing the government from collapsing and plunging the country into a new election.

In a nationally televised address, Netanyahu said that now was not the time to drag the country into a fourth parliamentary election in less than two years.

“Now is the time for unity. Not for elections,” he said.

Netanyahu and his rival and coalition partner, Benny Gantz, had faced a Monday night deadline to agree on a budget. Otherwise, the government would have collapsed and automatically triggered a new vote.

'A horrific rape which lasted for hours'

 http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/285744

 The complaint initially drew little media attention, until two men suspected of taking part in the rape were arrested last week.

Now, police say that a total of 11 suspects have been arrested in connection with the case, with investigators working to identify more suspects involved in the rape.

Nine of the suspects now in custody are minors - 17-year-olds - with two adults also in custody.

The arrest of one of the suspects, a 27-year-old resident of the coastal city of Hadera, was extended Sunday by five days.

In addition, police have arrested a woman employed by the hotel on suspicion of obstruction of justice.

Dem senator calls on Trump to denounce QAnon conspiracy theory

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dem-senator-calls-on-trump-to-denounce-qanon-conspiracy-theory 

 Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Sunday called on President Trump to disavow the far-right conspiracy movement QAnon – just days after the president said supporters of movement “love our country.”

Warner called the conspiracy theory movement, which has gained popularity among a small faction of Republicans, a "fringe group” that is “potentially a threat.”

“The idea that the president of the United States is embracing these folks and says just because they like him and they love our country is very bizarre,” Warner said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.” “

 

 

 

CIA Dir John Brennan, John Durham, Steve Bannon and Bill Barr's Bogus October Surprise

Israel mediated sales of NSO spyware to UAE, other Gulf nations – report

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-august-23-2020/

Company said to have sold hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, and the emirates Abu Dhabi and Ras al Khaimah

 The Israeli government mediated the sale of spyware made by the Israeli firm NSO Group to the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf nations, the Haaretz daily reports.

According to the report, there have been sales worth hundreds of millions of dollars over the past few years to Gulf countries. Those nations, according to the report, are handled by a special department within NSO that is the most profitable in the company.

 The spyware has been implicated in the gruesome killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in a 2018 incident that has also been linked to the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

Trump, Pence campaign events signal lax approach to virus

 https://apnews.com/6dbd1dbde3986d3ff51f4fe9d9deaa38

 Sitting and standing shoulder to shoulder, some without face masks, hundreds of supporters of President Donald Trump jammed into an airplane hangar for an Arizona campaign event this week, ignoring the advice of Trump’s own health experts.

Like his boss, Vice President Mike Pence went mask-less in Iowa last week as he reached across a barrier to autograph a half-dozen familiar red Trump campaign hats, literally crossing the line of vulnerability outlined by the coronavirus task force he heads.

The episodes, along with similar ones in New Jersey, Florida and Wisconsin, project a confusing message to the public even as Trump and Pence are trying to secure the confidence of Americans during a global pandemic and in the lead-up to the November election.

 “This was supposed to be just a quick, little small gathering,” Trump said, joking that “We’re supposed to have 50 people, right?”

“We’ll call it a peaceful protest, that way we can do whatever we want,” Trump added.

“This is like a rally,” Trump added, before telling supporters: “I hereby grant you a pardon.”

Ibn Ezra - the king is the central authority not the Sanhedrin or rabbis

17:8

כי יפלא ממך דבר. עם השופט ידבר בעבור היות עדות שנים להמית המת וזה פי' בין דם לדם בין דם נקי לדם חייב:

Should something be too difficult for you Scripture here addresses the judge. The sense of the verse is: “If it be still hard to decide, after receiving the testimony of the two witnesses, whether to execute the accused…” (this is the meaning of between blood and blood: to decide whether the execution would be an act of innocent bloodshed, or culpable bloodshed).

 17:9

ואל השופט. הוא המלך שכתב משנה התורה מיד הכהנים:

the magistrate here denotes the king, who has written a copy of the Torah 

 He teaches that this is not about zakein mamre but someone who disobeys the king

ומת האיש ההוא. בית דין ימיתוהו והטעם וכל ישראל ישמעו ויראו וכאשר הזכיר השופט באר המשפטים שהוא חייב לשמרם:

that man will die The Court will execute him, the reason being that All Israel should hear, and fear. Having mentioned the sovereign [comment on : 9], Scripture now lists the laws that he is obliged to keep.

Police arrest seven more suspects in gang-rape of 16-year-old in Eilat

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/police-arrest-third-suspect-in-gang-rape-of-16-year-old-in-eilat-639536

  Police arrested seven teenagers suspected of being involved in the rape of a 16-year-old while she was vacationing in Eilat, bringing the number of those who have been detained to 11.

Trump dismisses secret audio of sister calling him ‘cruel': ‘Who cares?’

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-dismisses-secret-audio-of-sister-calling-him-cruel-who-cares

 President Trump dismissed secret audio recordings released Saturday evening of his older sister Maryanne Trump Barry saying he had “no principles” and was "cruel."

 “Every day it’s something else, who cares?” President Trump said in a statement, according to the Washington Post. “I miss my brother, and I’ll continue to work hard for the American people. Not everyone agrees, but the results are obvious. Our country will soon be stronger than ever before.”

‘It was great’: In leaked audio, Trump hailed low Black turnout in 2016

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/21/trump-black-voters-turnout-2016-398520

 In a private meeting inside Trump Tower days before his inauguration, Donald Trump told a group of civil rights leaders something most Republicans wouldn’t dare publicly acknowledge: lower turnout among Black voters did, in fact, benefit him in the 2016 presidential election.

"Many Blacks didn’t go out to vote for Hillary ‘cause they liked me. That was almost as good as getting the vote, you know, and it was great,” the president-elect said, according to an audio recording of the meeting shared with POLITICO.

 

The 8 most sensational quotes from secret recordings of Trump's sister

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/08/22/wapo-trumps-sister-said-he-has-no-morals-people-cant-trust-him-400224

Donald Trump “has no principles” and people “can’t trust him” according to his eldest sister, the first rebuke of the president from any of his siblings to be made public since he ascended to the presidency.

In secretly recorded audio published by the Washington Post on Saturday, Maryanne Trump Barry, a retired federal judge, talks candidly to the president's niece, Mary Trump, about her relationship with her brother, apparently unaware that she is being recorded.

 

 

 

Smerconish: This teenager may shield Joe Biden in the future

AP FACT CHECK: Trump's Distortion on Dems and the Pledge

 https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2020-08-22/ap-fact-check-trumps-distortion-on-dems-and-the-pledge

 TRUMP: “The Democrats took the word GOD out of the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democrat National Convention. At first I thought they made a mistake, but it wasn’t. It was done on purpose. Remember Evangelical Christians, and ALL, this is where they are coming from-it’s done. Vote Nov 3!” — tweet Saturday.

THE FACTS: That's a misleading accusation. The central programming of the convention featured the entire pledge, complete with “under God.”

The first night of the Democratic National Convention, Joe Biden's grandchildren said the pledge, followed by the convention's chorus of "The Star Spangled Banner.” On the second night, it's stated by a diverse group of Americans; same with the third night. On the fourth night, it's recited by Cedric Richmond Jr., the son of Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana. “Under God” was in each rendering. The convention also devoted a segment to showcasing Biden’s religious faith.

During two caucuses before the evening conventions started, the Muslim Delegates and Al lies Assembly and the LGBTQ Caucus meeting, both Tuesday, left out “under God,” from the pledge.

HK manual on Energy Permission asked of Ch-i,R"L

 

BS"D

This page of the Health Kinesiology manual helps expose an important misrepresentation of Szmerla in his book, AMIH; in particular, his whitewash for HK practitioners asking "energetic permission" - which is actually attributing "will" to the energy (Ch-i in HK). The link to Ch-i is explained at the beginning of the manual -regarding the foundational force on which the HK system is predicated. Accordingly, this also helps debunk his dismissal of the Avoda Zorah concerns of Rav Belsky (e.g. see note, pg. 75-77, cf. 29).

~~~~

Alsp see: (posted Parshas Shoftim, 5780 )

On the occasion of the  Yahrtzeit of the Steipler Gaon ZT"L we posted
"Theological Detoxification"   http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2020/08/bsd-insights-from-parshas-shoftim-on-of.html

https://firstamendmentactivist.blogspot.com/2020/08/theological-detoxification.html
  (Aug 20, 2020)

To clarify a few points:

A book promoting heretical or idolatrous ideas must be avoided even if it may hypothetically contain some truth or useful information.

In the case of the aforementioned book, "Alternative Medicine In Halacha," there is an additional motivation to comply with the prohibition to read such books: it's well-packed with distortions of both realia (metziyus) and Halacha, and is replete with a generous supply of the standard new age absurdities.

Even though his approach is antithetical to Judaism, some wonder: is it possible one can manipulate a universal Life Force energy without Halachic objections that the aforementioned author involves?

One first would need to establish the existence of such a created force, then a mechanism of using it, if any, then determine if and how it would be permitted according to Torah. So far, the author and his fellow travelers failed on every count.

For questions/ Shailos please contact: Tomim Tih'yeh:

US: 845.642.1679

Israel: 03.721.3337

______
To check for future articles on related matters, see the Tomim Tih'yeh link:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1w3JvM-6srFWCAspYhfaccBbEoF6P6ru5yC1wCdx_VIE/edit?usp=sharing

Court orders Donald Trump to pay legal fees in Stormy Daniels suit

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/22/politics/stormy-daniels-trump-judge-order/index.html

 A California Superior Court judge has ordered President Donald Trump to pay $44,100 to Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels, to reimburse her attorneys' fees in the legal battle surrounding her nondisclosure agreement.

"Dodgy" DeJoy Testifies to the Senate: His "Credibility" Reminiscent of Manafort, Pompeo & Bannon

‘You Got to Be the Last Guy He Talks To.' The Rise and Fall of Trump Adviser Steve Bannon

 https://time.com/5882072/rise-and-fall-of-steve-bannon/

 After Donald Trump won the U.S. election in November 2016, some Republicans hoped that the new President would mellow in office and moderate his hardline campaign positions. Steve Bannon saw it as his job to make sure that didn’t happen.

 Bannon, a former investment banker and right-wing documentary filmmaker who served as one of Trump’s principal advisers during the final months of his campaign, moved into the West Wing in January 2017, taking over an office at a crucial hallway intersection steps from the Oval Office. His perch allowed him to see nearly everyone visiting then-chief of staff Reince Priebus on one side, and Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor Jared Kushner on the other.

 Bannon’s official new title was chief strategist, and he saw himself as besieged by ideological rivals trying to slow-walk Trump’s controversial campaign promises to build a border wall, gut trade deals, and ban Muslims from entering the country. His ascent was seen by many as bringing the fringe voices of white nationalists and the alt-right directly into the West Wing. He spent hours on calls with GOP donors and reporters painting Priebus as beholden to the old Republican establishment and Kushner as a Democrat in Trump’s house. He lasted seven months, before being pushed out for leaking about palace intrigue and refusing to cede access and control to Trump’s second chief of staff, John Kelly.

Bannon’s time in the White House may have been short, but it was influential. Within a few weeks of moving in, Bannon helped launch Trump on the hardline policy path he has rarely deviated from since. Bannon, along with senior advisor Stephen Miller, pushed for the hasty freeze of the U.S. refugee program and the halt in immigration from seven majority Muslim countries, moves that were later challenged in court and required revisions. He kept a white board on the wall next to his desk and put green check marks next to actions that weakened international trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and North American Free Trade Agreement.

Trump accuses Democrats of 'trying to steal the election' with insistence on mail-in voting

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-accuses-democrats-trying-to-steal-election

'This is going to be the greatest scam in history,' president says. 'This will be the most fraudulent election in history.'

In an exclusive interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity, President Trump argued Thursday that Democrats are "trying to steal the election" through their fervent support for and facilitation of mass mail-in balloting.

"They are talking about sending 51 million ballots out to anybody who, you know, nobody knows who is going to get them," the president said on "Hannity". "It's a horrible thing. It's a fraudulent election. Everybody knows it, you don't even have to know politics to know it.

 

 

America’s Closest Allies Reject Trump Administration's Iran Bid at U.N.

https://www.usnews.com/news/world-report/articles/2020-08-20/americas-closest-allies-reject-trump-administrations-iran-bid-at-un 

 "That the closest Western allies of the U.S. unambiguously reject the legitimacy of using the snapback procedure set in [U.N. Resolution] 2231 confirms their commitment to the JCPOA, their opposition to the maximum pressure policy against Iran," Gerard Araud, France's most recent ambassador to the U.S., who also served as ambassador to the U.N. and Israel, tweeted shortly after the decision. "And says a lot about the world status of the U.S. today."

 The U.S. attempted last week to adopt a resolution that would have extended an arms embargo against Iran – set to expire in October – but failed to receive the support necessary in the Security Council. Only the Dominican Republic backed the U.S. resolution.

Judge rules against Trump in tax records subpoena fight

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/08/20/politics/donald-trump-new-york-tax-records/index.html

 A federal judge on Thursday said New York state prosecutors could have access to President Donald Trump's accounting records for a criminal investigation, siding harshly against the President.

The ruling by US District Judge Victor Marrero follows a landmark Supreme Court decision this summer that appeared to set up potentially lengthy delays on subpoenas for Trump's records. Yet the ruling on Thursday snaps attention back to the ongoing criminal probe of Trump's business dealings, and revives the possibility that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance could reach the records before the presidential election.

"Justice requires an end to this controversy," Marrero wrote.

Trump has already appealed. He's asking the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for emergency help as he tries to stop the subpoena from being enforced next week.

 

But Marrero rejected Trump's attempt to use the court system for more delays. He built into his ruling a prohibition for Trump to revise his lawsuit as a way to keep it alive even if he's lost additional rounds in court.

Trump's legal strategy to "enable the clock to run," Marrero wrote, "amounts to absolute immunity through a back door, an entry point through which not only a President but also potentially other persons and entities, public and private, could effectively gain cover from judicial process."

Bannon Indicted by SDNY for "Build the Wall" Fraud. Will He Flip on Trump or Await a Pardon?

Pompeo aims fury at Europe as Iran sanctions snapback bid rebuffed

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/pompeo-aims-fury-at-europe-as-iran-sanctions-snapback-bid-rebuffed/

 European powers rejected a US bid to reinstate sanctions on Iran and torpedo the 2015 nuclear deal, drawing an accusation from Washington that they were “siding with the ayatollahs.”

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also feuded with Russia, which responded to the US move by asking for an open Security Council meeting Friday to discuss the extension of sanctions relief under the deal.

 

Chris Wallace says Biden blew 'a big hole' in Trump's 'mentally shot' claim with DNC acceptance speech

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chris-wallace-reaction-joe-biden-dnc-speech

Joe Biden accepted the Democratic nomination for president Thursday night with an "enormously effective" speech that "blew a hole" in President Trump's characterization of the former vice president, "Fox News Sunday" host Chris Wallace said.

"Remember, Donald Trump has been talking for months about Joe Biden as [being] mentally shot, a captive of the left," Wallace said during Fox News special coverage of the Democratic National Convention. "And yes, Biden was reading from the teleprompter and a prepared speech, but I thought that he blew a hole, a big hole, in that characterization."