Here's What GOP Senators Said About the 2016 Supreme Court Vacancy—And What They're Saying Now- (Why no one trusts their promises)

 https://time.com/5892574/senate-republicans-supreme-court-vote/

For the GOP, it’s a sharp departure from the precedent they set in 2016. Conservative Justice Antonin Scalia died in February of that year, nearly nine months before that year’s election. With President Barack Obama set to nominate a replacement who would pull the court to the left, Senate Republicans said that the seat should not be filled in an election year, and refused to hold hearings to consider Obama’s eventual nominee, Judge Merrick Garland. McConnell argued that not since 1888 had the Senate confirmed a Supreme Court nominee by an opposing party’s President to fill a vacancy that arose in an election year.

 

 

GOP downplays Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transition of power: 'The President says crazy stuff'

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/24/politics/republican-reaction-trump-transfer-of-power/index.html

 President Donald Trump's stunning refusal to commit to a peaceful transition of power was mostly dismissed by Republicans on Capitol Hill, with many downplaying the remarks as merely rhetoric and others deflecting questions about a comment that Democrats fear could threaten a fundamental principle of American democracy.

"The President says crazy stuff. We've always had a peaceful transition of power. It's not going to change," said Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who has been an occasional critic of the President.

While Republicans insisted there would be a peaceful transition, many did not go so far as to explicitly criticize his remarks after Trump on Wednesday would not commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day, lending further fuel to concerns he may not relinquish his office should he lose in November.

 

 

Nobody

Trump Declines To Commit To A Peaceful Transfer Of Power | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Trump Refuses To Commit To Peaceful Transfer Of Power | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Yeshivas are asking teachers not to test for COVID-19, even as cases rise

 https://forward.com/news/455103/schools-are-not-reporting-covid-cases-among-students-asking-teachers-not/

 Some Haredi yeshiva day schools in Brooklyn are asking teachers not to get tested for COVID-19, and also not sharing information about students who test positive, to try to avoid school closures, said three sources with direct knowledge of specific schools said in interviews.

The news comes amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases in six Queens and Brooklyn neighborhoods which include the “Ocean Parkway Cluster” of Borough Park, Midwood and Bensonhurst — named after the avenue that links them, according to a Department of Health statement issued Tuesday.

Did Trump Say Protesters Threw Cans of Soup at Police?

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-protesters-cans-of-soup/

 Given that Trump did make the statements about protesters using cans of soup as weapons against law enforcement and there is footage confirming he made the statement, we rate this claim as a “Correct Attribution.”

Yom Kippur synagogue closure will be ineffective among haredim - Analysis

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/yom-kippur-synagogue-closure-will-be-ineffective-among-haredi-analysis-643312

 Moshe Weisberg, editor of the B’hadrei Haredim ultra-Orthodox news website, says likewise that a closure order of synagogues on Yom Kippur will be widely violated.

He estimated that at least 80% of the ultra-Orthodox community, including the hassidim and various extremist factions, have not been obeying social distancing in synagogues in recent months, and that that figure would climb even higher on Yom Kippur.

In B’hadrei Haredim’s editorial on Wednesday, the site described a closure of synagogues on Yom Kippur as “a declaration of war on God and his Torah,” and that “thousands of worshipers and synagogue administrators will not comply with such a decision.”

Israel is winning on the world stage, but losing the plot at home

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/23/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-world-stage-at-home-intl/index.html

At home it's a different story, however. The second wave of coronavirus infections in Israel long ago eclipsed the first, forcing the country into a second general lockdown that has shuttered schools, restaurants, entertainment venues and more. And while the coronavirus may be the most pressing challenge facing Netanyahu right now, it's far from the only one. The 70-year-old leader is being attacked from both left and the right, not only for his handling of the public health crisis, but also for mismanagement of the economy, his response to his criminal trials, and more.

 

 

 

The Pentagon Reportedly Blew Its $1 Billion Coronavirus Budget on Body Armor and Planes

 https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2020/09/pentagon-reportedly-blew-its-dollar1-billion-coronavirus-budget-on-body-armor-and-planes

Hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars Congress intended for pandemic relief were instead diverted for military spending, with bailout cash used to produce products like jet engine parts, body armor, and dress uniforms. For a period of time, the Washington Post reported, the $1 billion fund that Congress gave the Pentagon via the Cares Act to “prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus” was on track to be used for its original purpose, with $750 million for medical resources and $250 million for defense contractors. That was what Ellen Lord, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters in April. But at a congressional hearing two months later, she backtracked, telling lawmakers that defense contractors had “critical needs as well.” The ultimate spending plan that the Pentagon put forth to Congress in June, the Post notes, prioritized $688 million for the defense industry.

 

Are elderly people now disposable? Look in mirror, Trump

COVID-19 Has Killed Nearly 200,000 Americans. How Many More Lives Will Be Lost Before the U.S. Gets It Right?

 https://time.com/5887432/coronavirus-united-states-failure/

 If, early in the spring, the U.S. had mobilized its ample resources and expertise in a coherent national effort to prepare for the virus, things might have turned out differently. If, in midsummer, the country had doubled down on the measures (masks, social-distancing rules, restricted indoor activities and public gatherings) that seemed to be working, instead of prematurely declaring victory, things might have turned out differently. The tragedy is that if science and common sense solutions were united in a national, coordinated response, the U.S. could have avoided many thousands of more deaths this summer.

 

Erin Burnett: Here is what keeps President Trump up at night

Trump views 200,000 Covid-19 deaths as a PR problem. We should view them as someone's loved one

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/22/opinions/trump-views-200000-covid-19-deaths-as-a-pr-problem-obeidallah/index.html

 On Monday, with the US on the verge of reaching the solemn number of 200,000 dead from Covid-19, Donald Trump appeared on Fox News where the topic of the virus was raised. Did Trump express sympathy for the heartbreaking losses caused to families across the nation from this deadly pandemic? Nope, instead he patted himself on the back for doing what he called "a phenomenal job" in handling Covid-19, giving himself an "A+." The only criticism Trump would offer was regarding the public relations for the virus, saying in that area, "I give myself a D." He blamed the low grade on "fake news."

 

A bubble of self-delusion in Washington

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/22/world/meanwhile-in-america-september-22-intl/index.html

 "Just remember, what you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening," Donald Trump told supporters in 2018. On Monday, as the terrible milestone of 200,000 Covid-19 deaths loomed, the US President put his motto into action.

"We've done a phenomenal job. Not just a good job, a phenomenal job," Trump said on Fox News, referring to his leadership in the pandemic. "On the job itself, we take an A+," the President said.

The entire Trump mythology rests on a bubble of self-delusion. The US has around 4% of the world's population -- but more than 20% of its coronavirus deaths. And while few governments have fought this pernicious disease perfectly, any fair assessment would put Trump's performance closer to a D than an A.

US death toll passes 200,000

 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-54244515

 The US coronavirus death toll has passed 200,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

More than 6.8 million people are known to have been infected in the US, more than in any other country.

The milestone comes amid an increase in cases in a number of states, including North Dakota and Utah.

In March, President Donald Trump said if deaths were between 100,000 and 200,000, the country would have done a "very good job".

Chris Hayes: The GOP Made A Devil’s Bargain With Trump—And It Was Worth It | All In | MSNBC

Deny kavod to someone in order to give kavod to another person?

      Sanhedrin (5b)      What was the reason that Rab was not authorised to permit the slaughter of firstborn animals? Was it that he was not learned2 enough? But have we not just said that he was very learned? Was it because he was not an expert in judging defects? But did not Rab himself say: I spent eighteen months with a shepherd in order to learn which was a permanent and which a passing blemish ? — Rabbi withheld that authorisation from Rab, as a special mark of respect to Rabbah b. Hana.3

(3) So as to establish him firmly in the respect of Babylonians, whilst Rab's standing was in any case high.

William Barr takes aim at prosecutors inside his own Justice Department

 https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-09-17/barr-takes-aim-at-prosecutors-inside-his-own-justice-dept

 The comments at a speech at Hillsdale College in Michigan amounted to a striking, and unusual, rebuke of the thousands of prosecutors who do the daily work of assembling criminal cases across the country. Barr has faced scrutiny for overruling the decisions of Justice Department prosecutors who work for him, including in criminal cases involving associates of President Trump.

Bill Barr Must Resign

 https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/02/donald-ayer-bill-barr-must-resign/606670/

 The attorney general is working to destroy the integrity and independence of the Justice Department, in order to make Donald Trump a president who can operate above the law.

2,000 Former FBI And DOJ Officials Call On Barr To Resign

 https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandrasternlicht/2020/05/11/2000-former-fbi-and-doj-officials-call-on-barr-to-resign/#6dce5211171e

 TOPLINE

Almost 2,000 former FBI agents and Department of Justice officials wrote an open letter Monday calling for Attorney General William Barr to resign over his handling of the Michael Flynn case, after the Justice Department abruptly dropped criminal charges against President Trump’s former national security advisor last week, despite Flynn’s earlier guilty pleas.

 

Keeping Our Word (Matot 5776)

 https://rabbisacks.org/keeping-word-matot-5776/

 Social institutions in a free society depend on trust, and trust means that we keep our word. We do what we say we are going to do. If we make a vow, an oath, a promise, a verbal undertaking, then we hold ourselves bound by it. This means that we will actually fulfil our commitment unless we can establish that, due to circumstances unforeseeable at the time, we are simply unable to do so.

 If trust breaks down, social relationships break down, and then society depends on law enforcement agencies or some other use of force. When force is widely used, society is no longer free. The only way free human beings can form collaborative and cooperative relationships without recourse to force is by the use of verbal undertakings honoured by those who make them.

Malka Leifer saga far from over - analysis

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/malka-leifer-saga-far-from-over-analysis-643078

 At most, Monday’s decision by the Jerusalem District Court to extradite alleged sex offender Malka Leifer to Australia can be viewed as the beginning of the end of the saga, but not the end itself.

Leifer will not be extradited for at least several months, and if the case is not expedited, her extradition could take more than a year.

 

 

Keilar to Trump official: Where is Trump's health care plan?

Integrity in Public Life

 https://outorah.org/p/23873/

 It is precisely the fact that Moses did not need to do what he did, that gives the passage its force. There must be transparency and accountability when it comes to public funds even if the people involved have impeccable reputations. People in positions of trust must be, and be seen to be, individuals of moral integrity. Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law had already said this when he told Moses to appoint subordinates to help him in the task of leading the people. They should be, he said, “Men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain” (Ex. 18: 21).

 

 

Justin Haskins: Fill Ruth Bader Ginsburg's seat now. I don't care what GOP senators promised in the past -(Power is more important than integrity)

 https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/ruth-bader-ginsburg-seat-republicans-justin-haskins

 I sympathize with those senators who have made promises in the past and wish to honor them. Honesty is, of course, important, and honoring promises under difficult political circumstances is a rare trait in Washington, to say the least.

 However, the Republican senators who made promises not to fulfill Supreme Court seats close to an election have a more important duty than upholding political promises made in days, months or years past: ensuring that the rights of all Americans are protected. They can do that by filling Justice Ginsburg’s vacant seat with a constitutionalist who will promise to faithfully interpret the Constitution in line with the intentions of those who passed it into law.

 The senators who pledged not to fill a vacant Supreme Court seat under the present circumstances should never have made those promises and if they are forced to pay the price in November for making foolish, irresponsible commitments, then so be it.

Chris Wallace calls out Republican for allowing Trump’s Supreme Court pick but not Obama’s

Cooper rolls tape on what GOP senators said about replacing a justice in 2016

'A Very Strange Speech': What AG Barr's Words Mean | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Sen. Graham Flip-Flops On Filling SCOTUS Vacancy | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Leifer accusers express relief at long-awaited extradition ruling

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/leifer-accusers-express-relief-at-long-awaited-extradition-ruling/#gs.g75j8j

 

‘We can’t believe we finally got here,’ says one of three Australian sisters who accuse ex-principal of sexual assault; others also praise decision, after 71 hearings

 

 

Court rules accused sex abuser Leifer to be extradited to Australia

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/court-rules-accused-sex-abuser-leifer-to-be-extradited-back-to-australia/#gs.g74zdi

 

In possibly final ruling after 6 years of hearings, judge says ex-principal must face child sex abuse charges in Melbourne, pending expected appeal

 

 

Slowing the Republican's Sprint to Name a New Supreme Court Justice Nominee to Fill RGB's Seat

Accountable

The Democrats' response to RBG's death should terrify Trump

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/20/opinions/democrats-response-to-ruth-bader-ginsburg-death-should-terrify-trump-obeidallah/index.html

 The Democratic response so far should terrify Trump and GOP Senate candidates up for election this year. Democrats have already begun channeling their pain at losing RBG into action, pouring a record-breaking number of donations to Democratic candidates and causes via the online fundraising platform ActBlue. The New York Times reported that from about 9 p.m. ET Friday -- about 90 minutes after RBG's death was announced -- ActBlue reported receiving $6.2 million in donations, the most ever in just one hour in the platform's 16-year history. That record was broken the following hour when $6.3 million was donated, more than $100,000 per minute.

Trump called 'demented' after blaming 'blue states' for coronavirus death toll

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-called-demented-blaming-blue-states-coronavirus-death/story?id=73073793

 New York, California, and New Jersey – all led by Democrats– were among the states with highest number of deaths from coronavirus. However, both Texas and Florida, which are Republican led, are also in the top five states in terms of coronavirus deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University. These five states also have the largest populations in the country and were the first to tackle major outbreaks of the virus, suggesting that there is no scientific correlation between political party of state leaders and the spread of the virus.

"Yes Mr. President, if you don't count the total number of Americans who have died you might think it's not so bad," Schumer said. "If you close your eyes and pretend that half of the country doesn't exist some might think you didn't do such a spectacularly awful job."

Clyburn Torches Barr For Comparing Covid-19 Quarantine To Slavery | The 11th Hour | MSNBC

Barr Attacks Science, Black Lives Matter and Career DOJ Prosecutors as his Authority Slips Away

Who by prayer, who by protest: A guide for the lockdown perplexed

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/who-by-prayer-who-by-protest-a-guide-for-the-lockdown-perplexed/#gs.ggv2ef

 Rules for a locked down nation: What will be open/closed starting Friday at 2 p.m., what activities will be allowed/banned, and when you can travel over 1 kilometer from your home

 

 

Bill Barr seems to be ready for a post-election constitutional crisis

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/18/politics/what-matters-september-17/index.html

 Now it is extremely hard not to shake the impression that his vision of justice consistently appears in complete line with what benefits President Donald Trump staying in office.

A really bad analogy. For starters, Barr this week compared coronavirus stay-at-home orders, which Trump has opposed, to slavery. "You know, putting a national lockdown, stay at home orders, is like house arrest. Other than slavery, which was a different kind of restraint, this is the greatest intrusion on civil liberties in American history," Barr said at a Constitution Day celebration put on by Hillsdale College.

 South Carolina Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn said that Barr's comment was "the most ridiculous, tone-deaf, God-awful thing I've ever heard." CNN's Brandon Tensley went deep on the painful absurdity of drawing any kind of analogy between forced bondage and government recommendations designed to keep Americans safe from a deadly virus, especially during this time of a general re-examination of the country's racist history.

Fact-checking Biden's CNN town hall

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/17/politics/joe-biden-cnn-town-hall-fact-check/index.html

 CNN hosted a drive-in town hall with 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in Pennsylvania on Thursday night. It was Biden's first prime time town hall since accepting the nomination.

Over the course of the night, Biden took questions ranging from farming regulations, the military presence in Afghanistan, to how he would approach the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden made a few errors and misleading statements on the drive-in stage. Here's a look at the facts:

Coronating the G-d Inside of Yourself

three drashot for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur 5781

Echoing Decades of Fighting Over U.S. History Classrooms, President Trump Announces a Push for 'Patriotic Education'

 https://time.com/5889907/trump-patriotic-education/

 Speaking on Constitution Day from the National Archives—where original copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights are on display—during a White House conference on American History, President Donald Trump announced that he was signing an executive order to establish the “1776 Commission,” a group that would “promote patriotic education,” and that the National Endowment for the Humanities would be awarding a grant to support the development of a “pro-American curriculum that celebrates the truth about our nation’s great history.”

 In the course of his announcement, Trump claimed that people on the left want to “bully Americans into abandoning their values, their heritage and their very way of life,” and denounced the forces that he blamed for propagating that view in history classes. He called the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which reframes the story of nation’s founding around the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in Virginia, “toxic propaganda,” and he also singled out the late Howard Zinn, author of A People’s History of the United States. Zinn’s book, widely used in schools since it was published in 1980, is credited for helping popularize a bottom-up approach to history, as an alternative to telling the story of the U.S. via the top-down achievements of elite white men.

 

Trump praised China's coronavirus response during pandemic

15 times Trump praised China as coronavirus was spreading across the globe

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/04/15/trump-china-coronavirus-188736

 President Donald Trump yanked U.S. funding for the World Health Organization on Tuesday, complaining that the United Nations public health agency was overly deferential to China and had put too much faith in Beijing’s assertions that it had the coronavirus outbreak there was under control.

“Had the WHO done its job to get medical experts into China to objectively assess the situation on the ground and to call out China’s lack of transparency, the outbreak could have been contained at its source with very little death,” the president said Tuesday. “Instead, the W.H.O. willingly took China’s assurances to face value.”

 Trump, however, echoed many of those same assurances regarding China and its response to the virus throughout January and February, as the unique coronavirus began to infiltrate countries around the world. Just days before the U.S. recorded its first death from Covid-19, Trump touted China’s government for its transparency and hard work to defeat the coronavirus that causes the illness.

There's Only Weak Evidence For Vitamin-D As a COVID-19 Preventative—But Scientists Are Trying to Learn More

 https://time.com/5889546/vitamin-d-coronavirus/

 To protect himself from COVID-19, Dr. Anthony Fauci has long said he’s skipping hugs and handshakes, wearing a mask, and staying off of planes. Last week, he acknowledged adding another step to protect his health: taking supplements of vitamin-D.

 However, while spurious claims that vitamin-D can prevent or treat COVID-19 have proliferated online, including some recommending potentially dangerous doses, it’s important to point out that Fauci wasn’t talking about vitamin-D helping with COVID-19 in particular. Instead, he was speaking more broadly about vitamin-D’s importance in caring for our immune system. Vitamin-D is important for our musculoskeletal health and immune function, but it’s far from clear whether boosting our intake can ward off or treat COVID-19 in particular. At this point, the National Institutes of Health says there isn’t enough evidence to recommend using vitamin-D to prevent or treat COVID-19, but it also says there isn’t enough evidence to recommend against it, either.

 

Triumph The Insult Comic Dog Hosts A Focus Group With Real Trump Supporte…

Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden

 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/scientific-american-endorses-joe-biden/

 Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in its 175-year history. This year we are compelled to do so. We do not do this lightly.

The evidence and the science show that Donald Trump has badly damaged the U.S. and its people—because he rejects evidence and science. The most devastating example is his dishonest and inept response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which cost more than 190,000 Americans their lives by the middle of September. He has also attacked environmental protections, medical care, and the researchers and public science agencies that help this country prepare for its greatest challenges. That is why we urge you to vote for Joe Biden, who is offering fact-based plans to protect our health, our economy and the environment. These and other proposals he has put forth can set the country back on course for a safer, more prosperous and more equitable future.

Scientific American makes presidential endorsement for the very first time