Trump Nominee for DEA Drops Out After Right-Wing Outrage

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/key-trump-nominee-drops-out-after-right-wing-outrage/

Sheriff Chad Chronister, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Drug Enforcement Administration, withdrew himself from consideration to lead the federal agency on Tuesday night, instead opting to remain sheriff of Hillsborough County, Florida.

He is the second nominee of Trump’s to withdraw his name from consideration. Former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, the president-elect’s choice for attorney general, also dropped out last month amid a firestorm of allegations.

As the sheriff of one of Florida’s largest counties that includes the more liberal-leaning city of Tampa, Chronister has long portrayed himself as more of a centrist. He told the Tampa Bay Times in 2019 that he was “the most Democratic of Republicans.”

Cease-Fire Between Israel, Hezbollah Teeters as Sides Exchange Fire

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/cease-fire-between-israel-hezbollah-teeters-as-sides-exchange-fire-dd0a05dc?mod=hp_lista_pos1

Less than a week after a cease-fire went into effect between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, fighting between both sides has reignited, with each accusing the other of violating the fragile truce—testing its durability.

Israel has launched airstrikes and other attacks since the cease-fire began on Nov. 27, in what it says was an effort to thwart threats from the militant group and enforce the agreement. Hezbollah hit back for the first time, launching two projectiles at a disputed territory on the Israel-Lebanon border on Monday night.

Trump Mulls Replacing Pete Hegseth With Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/trump-mulls-replacing-pete-hegseth-with-florida-gov-ron-desantis-8f682ad2?mod=hp_lead_pos1

President-elect is discussing replacing current Pentagon nominee as the former Fox News host faces mounting scrutiny over allegations about his personal life

As Hegseth Falters, Ron DeSantis May Get to Take 'War on Woke' to Military

 https://www.newsweek.com/desantis-may-trumps-backup-plan-gop-senators-balk-pete-hegseth-1995231

Concerns from Trump allies that Hegseth might not "survive further scrutiny," which could include an FBI background check, have now prompted the president-elect to consider DeSantis for the job instead, according to a Tuesday report from The Wall Street Journal citing "people familiar with the discussions."

Trump FBI pick Kash Patel gets lukewarm reception from GOP senators

 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5018632-trump-fbi-pick-kash-patel-gets-lukewarm-reception-from-gop-senators/

Patel has been a staunch Trump ally and serves as another example of the president-elect elevating those who stood by him during the Ukraine probe and his later impeachment.

Patel has crafted a list of figures he calls “government gangsters” whom he says “must be held accountable and exposed in 2024.” The list includes Wray as well as Attorney General Merrick Garland.

He has separately said he is “going to come after the people in the media,” floating prosecutions of journalists.

“We’re going to come after you, whether it’s criminal or civilly we’ll figure that out. But yeah, we’re putting you all on notice,” he said.

Patel has also said he would “shut down the FBI Hoover building on Day One and reopen it the next day as a museum of the deep state.”

Trump Hosted Alleged Far-Right Porn Actor at Mar-a-Lago on Election Day

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hosted-phillipp-anders-rau-alleged-far-right-porn-star-at-mar-a-lago-on-election-day/

“Being able to shake @realdonaldtrump’s hand as the one and only AfD member there on the day of his victory will be an everlasting memory,” Rau wrote in an Instagram post. “Let’s hope Donald Trump creates the renewal for his country that we in the AfD are planning for our country.”

The AfD is a far-right, anti-immigrant party that Germany’s domestic intelligence service considers a “suspected extremist” organization. Last year, four senior figures participated in a meeting alongside neo-Nazis to discuss mass deportations.

Hasidic man married to 2 women gets ultimatum from prominent rabbi

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bkfdxqbxyx?utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=internal

The Satmar Rebbe has intervened in a case in which a man has refused to divorce his first wife and married another; Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum has given the divorce-refuser 24 hours in which to free his first wife

"Here in Kiryat Joel lives a man who married his second wife before he divorced his first wife, and his claim is that he has the permission of a hundred rabbis. I have learned that one of the rabbis have already retracted their signature after learning that the entire permit is based on false lies, some have retracted In writing and some orally even before he married his second wife," Teitelbaum said.

Elon Musk’s massive, multibillion-dollar Tesla pay package was blocked by a judge again

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/02/investing/elon-musk-pay-package-rejected/index.html

 Elon Musk’s record-breaking pay package for serving as Tesla’s CEO was rejected by a Delaware court, despite being approved by Tesla shareholders at a June meeting.

“The large and talented group of defense firms got creative with the ratification argument, but their unprecedented theories go against multiple strains of settled law,” McCormick wrote in a scathing opinion.

Trump’s family pardon pushes Hunter Biden pardon out of top story slot

Trudeau told Trump Americans would also suffer if tariffs are imposed

 https://apnews.com/article/canada-trudeau-trump-tarrifs-bdf1b2ae23167fcd9654ea4a45d43404

Flows of migrants and seizures of drugs at the two countries’ border are vastly different. U.S. customs agents seized 43 pounds of fentanyl at the Canadian border during the last fiscal year, compared with 21,100 pounds at the Mexican border.

Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day. About 60% of U.S. crude oil imports are from Canada, and 85% of U.S. electricity imports as well.

Canada is also the largest foreign supplier of steel, aluminum and uranium to the U.S. and has 34 critical minerals and metals that the Pentagon is eager for and investing for national security.

Women's role in Torah Education - Rav Moshe Feinstein

 Shemos (19:03) And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel;

Rashi citing the Mechilta says Beis Yakov is referring to the women

Rav Moshe ( Darosh Moshe page 55) notes  that this means Torah was given first to the women. Why should this be since it is the men not the women that are primarily obligated in mitzvos and to study the Torah?

He answers that the Torah was given to the Jewish community for all generations and thus  it needed to be accepted and sustained.   The Torah was never going to be given again so its survival was dependent on chinuch (education) of the young children not the adults.  Adults are already fixed in their ways and have trouble being educated (Bava Bara 21a). These children are prepared for the acceptance of Torah and mitzvos by their mothers who also  encourage them after they start school as well as taking care of them for many hours of the day. That is why women were given priority in the giving of the Torah since they are the critically important factor for the Torah to survive over the generations. They teach proper faith and desire to keep the mitzvos so the children are prepared for their formal studies. 

Older people would rather die than let Covid-19 harm US economy

 https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/24/older-people-would-rather-die-than-let-covid-19-lockdown-harm-us-economy-texas-official-dan-patrick

As Donald Trump pushed to re-open the US economy in weeks, rather than months, the lieutenant governor of Texas went on Fox News to argue that he would rather die than see public health measures damage the US economy, and that he believed “lots of grandparents” across the country would agree with him.

“You know, Tucker, no one reached out to me and said, ‘As a senior citizen, are you willing to take a chance on your survival in exchange for keeping the America that all America loves for your children and grandchildren?’” Patrick said. “And if that’s the exchange, I’m all in.”

“That doesn’t make me noble or brave or anything like that,” he added. “I just think there are lots of grandparents out there in this country like me.”

Texas' lieutenant governor suggests grandparents are willing to die for US economy

 https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/03/24/covid-19-texas-official-suggests-elderly-willing-die-economy/2905990001/

The lieutenant governor of Texas argued in an interview on Fox News Monday night that the United States should go back to work, saying grandparents like him don’t want to sacrifice the country’s economy during the coronavirus crisis.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, 69, made the comments on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” after President Donald Trump said he wanted to reopen the country for business in weeks, not months.

Patrick also said the elderly population, who the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said are more at risk for COVID-19, can take care of themselves and suggested that grandparents wouldn’t want to sacrifice their grandchildren’s economic future.  

The Revenge of the Karen

 https://www.newsweek.com/revenge-karen-1992120

Over the last decade, the idea of "canceling" someone—boycotting them over offensive or behavior deemed, by someone, to be problematic—has become commonplace. In that cultural moment, the term "Karen" came about to describe, in derogatory terms, a middle-aged white woman who is caught acting entitled, like she "wants to speak to the manager."

These days, society throws the "Karen" label at "any white woman who dares speak against [someone] or condemns them," Ernest Owens, journalist and author of "The Case for Cancel Culture," told Newsweek. "That's not what a 'Karen' is."

COVID-19 and the Elderly: The Impact of the Pandemic on the 65+ Age Group in Israel

 https://brookdale.jdc.org.il/en/publication/aging-and-corona/

That the elderly are particularly vulnerable to the pandemic is clearly indicated by the mortality figures for COVID-19. According to UN data, the mortality rate among the 80+ population is five times that of the worldwide average, as of April 26, 2020 (United Nations, May 2020). Israel’s 65+ population at the end of 2018 totaled about a million (Shnoor & Cohen, 2020) and is estimated to reach 1.1 million by the end of 2020.[1]

House Covid-19 panel releases final report criticizing public health response to the pandemic

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/02/health/house-covid-subcommittee-report/index.html

The subcommittee, which is chaired by Ohio Republican Rep. Brad Wenstrup, a podiatrist, will hold a markup session for the report Wednesday before submitting it to the congressional record.

House COVID-19 panel releases final report: 3 key takeaways according to Republican conspiracy theorists

 https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5018188-house-select-subcommittee-covid-pandemic-report/

The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic released its final report Monday, laying out numerous conclusions from its review of the federal pandemic response, including what the Republican-controlled panel believes to be the likely origins of the virus.

Pete Hegseth’s Secret History

 https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/pete-hegseths-secret-history

But Hegseth’s record before becoming a full-time Fox News TV host, in 2017, raises additional questions about his suitability to run the world’s largest and most lethal military force. A trail of documents, corroborated by the accounts of former colleagues, indicates that Hegseth was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran—Veterans for Freedom and Concerned Veterans for America—in the face of serious allegations of financial mismanagement, sexual impropriety, and personal misconduct.

Hegseth forced out of vets groups due to drinking, misconduct: New Yorker

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5017946-pentagon-pick-hegseth-misconduct/

Pete Hegseth, President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, was forced to step down by both of the two nonprofit advocacy groups that he ran due to mismanagement of funds, sexual impropriety and reports of intoxicated behavior, The New Yorker reported on Sunday.

The Kremlin Celebrates Trump’s Cabinet Picks

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-kremlin-celebrates-trumps-cabinet-picks-like-kash-patel/

“What an excellent team is coming along with Trump! Not with respect to Ukraine, but as far as everything else goes. If they are allowed to get in, they will quickly dismantle America, brick by brick. They are so great!” he said.

‘Morning Joe’ Airs the Same Chilling Clip of Trump’s FBI Pick 3 Times in a Row

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/morning-joe-airs-the-same-chilling-clip-of-trumps-fbi-pick-kash-patel-3-times-in-a-row/

“We’ve got to put in all-American patriots top to bottom,” Patel says in the footage taken from a 2023 interview with Steve Bannon, Trump’s former adviser. Patel later adds: “We will go out and find the conspirators not just in government, but in the media. Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections.

Who Has Donald Trump Pardoned?

https://www.newsweek.com/list-who-donald-trump-has-pardoned-1993998

Michael Flynn –Former National Security Adviser who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI over contacts with a Russian official.

Roger Stone –Trump ally convicted of lying to Congress regarding his attempts to contact WikiLeaks after the website released damaging emails about Trump's 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton.

Paul Manafort – Former Trump campaign chairman convicted of financial fraud, alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election and conspiring to obstruct the investigation.

Charles Kushner – Father of Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, convicted of tax evasion and witness tampering, and recently nominated by Trump as the U.S.'s ambassador to France.

Steve Bannon – Former Trump adviser charged with fraud related to a border wall fundraising campaign. Pardoned as one of Trump's final acts in office.

George Papadopoulos – Former Trump campaign adviser convicted of lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries prior to the 2016 election.

Albert Pirro – The ex-husband of Trump ally Jeanine Pirro, a Fox News Channel host, convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion charges.

Rod Blagojevich – Former Illinois governor convicted of corruption for trying to sell Barack Obama's vacated U.S. Senate seat. Trump commuted his sentence.

Lil Wayne (Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) – Rapper convicted on firearms charges. Trump commuted his sentence.

Kodak Black (Bill K. Kapri) – Rapper serving time for weapons charges also had his sentence commuted.

Jack Johnson – As reported by Newsweek, Trump handed a posthumous pardon to Johnson, the first Black heavyweight boxing champion, who was convicted in 1913 for transporting a white woman across state lines.

Marit Ayin, Chashad, and Social Media

 https://www.etzion.org.il/en/philosophy/issues-jewish-thought/topical-issues-thought/marit-ayin-chashad-and-social-media

Some Poskim, such as the Peri Chadash, argue that only those things which Chazal explicitly prohibited because of marit ayin are prohibited. Anything else is permitted.[7] Others, however, argue that this is not the case.[8]

 Sometimes, a prohibition that seem related to marit ayin is referred to as chashad — it will cause one to be suspect.[10] Rav Moshe Feinstein (Responsa Iggerot Moshe, OC 2:40, 4:82) suggests that these are distinct categories.

 He writes that marit ayin refers to cases where Chazal wanted to avoid having a person do something that might cause others to violate prohibitions, by mimicking the activity in cases that were more problematic. This is rabbinic in nature.

 Chashad, on the other hand, refers to cases in which an observer may assume that the actor is violating a prohibition — and this is the biblical prohibition based on being clean in the eyes of man, which we saw above. This is true even though people should really give the “violator” the benefit of the doubt. However, as the Torah knows that this will not always happen, it forbids people from engaging in such suspicious activities. (Note that many believe that all these prohibitions are rabbinic.[11])

"Maris ayin” and “chashad”. What do these terms mean and how do they differ from each other?

 https://oukosher.org/halacha-yomis/talmud-often-uses-terms-maris-ayin-chashad-terms-mean-differ/

Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l (Igros Moshe (OC II:40)) defines maris ayin (literally, “appearance to the eye”) as the­ prohibition against giving the impression that one is doing something wrong when it may influence others to sin as well. Chashad (literally, “suspicion”) is the prohibition of causing others to suspect one of wrongdoing, even when it will not cause others to sin. Although maris ayin is the more serious violation, the mere appearance of impropriety is also forbidden. This is derived from the verse in Bamidbar (32:22), “And you shall be clean before Hashem and before Yisroel.” The tribes of Gad and Reuven wanted to remain on the east bank of the Jordan and not join the other tribes in conquering the Land of Israel. Moshe encouraged them to be clean (to act appropriately) “before G-d and before Yisroel.” “Before Yisroel” indicates that a person must be concerned about human perception. The Mishnah (Avoda Zara 11b) states that one is not permitted to follow a path that is designated as an entrance to a temple of idolatry. Rashi writes that this is because of chashad. Igros Moshe explains that maris ayin does not apply in this case, because there is no concern that a Jew will be easily influenced to worship idolatry. Yet, it is still forbidden to take the path towards the idol because of chashad—arousing suspicion about one’s own behavior.

COVID-19 and the Swedish enigma - the elderly were sacrificed for economic reasons

 https://www.thelancet.com/article/S0140-6736(20)32750-1/fulltext

In the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swedish national response continues to be an outlier with cases and deaths increasing more rapidly than in its Nordic neighbours.1,2 On Dec 20, 2020, COVID-19 deaths in Sweden had reached more than 80003 or 787 deaths per 1 million population, which is 4·5 to ten times higher than its neighbours.1–3 This difference between Nordic countries cannot be explained merely by variations in national cultures, histories, population sizes and densities, immigration patterns, the routes by which the virus was first introduced, or how cases and deaths are reported. Instead, the answers to this enigma are to be found in the Swedish national COVID-19 strategy, the assumptions on which it is based, and in the governance of the health system that has enabled the strategy to continue without major course corrections.

With this gradual approach, the number of COVID-19 deaths in Sweden peaked during the first wave at 102 reported deaths (7-day rolling average) on April 21, 2020,3 at a higher level and with slower decline than in the neighbouring Nordic countries, reaching a low in early September, 2020.1,3 Rather than anticipating the second wave and change course, the Swedish Government loosened restrictions in early October, 2020, increasing the numbers that could attend public events from 50 to 300 and allowing people older than 70 years to meet with family and friends.14

Many critical voices have been raised about Sweden's national response to COVID-19 and its failure to achieve its objectives to flatten and shorten the curves of cases, hospitalisations, and deaths.4,15 The Corona Commission (Coronakommissionen), appointed by the Swedish Government to review the national COVID-19 response, has focused initially on the situation among older people.16 On Dec 15, 2020, the Corona Commission concluded that “the single most important factor behind the major outbreaks and the high number of deaths in [elderly] residential care is the overall spread of the virus in the society”.16 In addition to the failure of the COVID-19 strategy, there are other unresolved structural factors related to the organisation of the care of older people in Sweden.

The Kash Patel Principle

 https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2024/11/kash-patel-principle/680838/

Trump has made clear how much he hates the FBI, and he has convinced his MAGA base that it’s a nest of political corruption. In a stunning reversal of political polarity, a significant part of the law-and-order GOP now regards the men and women of federal law enforcement with contempt and paranoia. If Trump’s goal is to break the FBI and undermine its missions, Kash Patel is the perfect nominee. Some senior officials would likely resign rather than serve under Patel, which would probably suit Trump just fine.

Of course, this means the FBI would struggle to do the things it’s supposed to be doing, including fighting crime and conducting counterintelligence work against America’s enemies. But it would become an excellent instrument of revenge against anyone Trump or Patel identifies as an internal enemy—which, in Trump’s world, is anyone who criticizes Donald Trump.

Excess Death Rates for Republican and Democratic Registered Voters in Florida and Ohio During the COVID-19 Pandemic

 https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2807617

Results  Between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2021, there were 538 159 individuals in Ohio and Florida who died at age 25 years or older in the study sample. The median age at death was 78 years (IQR, 71-89 years). Overall, the excess death rate for Republican voters was 2.8 percentage points, or 15%, higher than the excess death rate for Democratic voters (95% prediction interval [PI], 1.6-3.7 percentage points). After May 1, 2021, when vaccines were available to all adults, the excess death rate gap between Republican and Democratic voters widened from −0.9 percentage point (95% PI, −2.5 to 0.3 percentage points) to 7.7 percentage points (95% PI, 6.0-9.3 percentage points) in the adjusted analysis; the excess death rate among Republican voters was 43% higher than the excess death rate among Democratic voters. The gap in excess death rates between Republican and Democratic voters was larger in counties with lower vaccination rates and was primarily noted in voters residing in Ohio.

COVID-19 and Beyond: Economic Outcomes in Republican vs. Democratic States

 https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/118531/1/Covid_Paper_MPRA.pdf

We conclude that there was not a clear overall economic benefit to the less restrictive COVID-19 policies and lower virus avoidance by individuals in Republican states, particularly in the longer run.

Trump’s Final Numbers

 https://www.factcheck.org/2021/10/trumps-final-numbers/

The economy lost 2.7 million jobs. The unemployment rate increased by 1.7 percentage points to 6.4%.

Paychecks grew faster than inflation. Average weekly earnings for all workers were up 8.4% after inflation.

After-tax corporate profits went up, and the stock market set new records. The S&P 500 index rose 67.8%.

The international trade deficit Trump promised to reduce went up. The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services in 2020 was the highest since 2008 and increased 36.3% from 2016.

The number of people lacking health insurance rose by 3 million.

The federal debt held by the public went up, from $14.4 trillion to $21.6 trillion.

Home prices rose 27.5%, and the homeownership rate increased 2.1 percentage points to 65.8%.

Illegal immigration increased. Apprehensions at the Southwest border rose 14.7% last year compared with 2016.

Trump Doesn’t Exactly Condemn Biden’s Pardon for His Son

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-doesnt-exactly-condemn-bidens-pardon-for-his-son/

Donald Trump reacted to President Joe Biden’s sweeping pardon for his son, Hunter Biden, in a Sunday night statement—addressing the news only by claiming that the rioters convicted for their role in the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection also deserved to be offered the same privilege. “Does the Pardon given by Joe to Hunter include the J-6 Hostages, who have now been imprisoned for years?” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. “Such an abuse and miscarriage of Justice!” Just hours earlier, the Trump campaign vowed to overhaul what it said was a “Democrat-controlled” Department of Justice that prosecuted Hunter Biden in the first place. “The failed witch hunts against President Trump have proven that the Democrat-controlled DOJ and other radical prosecutors are guilty of weaponizing the justice system,” Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung wrote in a statement. “That system of justice must be fixed and due process must be restored for all Americans, which is exactly what President Trump will do as he returns to the White House with an overwhelming mandate from the American people.”

What Trump’s Win Means for the Economy

 https://www.wsj.com/economy/what-a-trump-win-means-for-the-economy-50de4670?mod=WTRN_pos1&cx_testId=3&cx_testVariant=cx_160&cx_artPos=0

The consensus of economists and investors is that tariffs will put upward pressure on inflation while tax cuts could spur growth and add to deficits, together tending to nudge interest rates higher. And indeed, long-term Treasury bond yields had risen recently on strong economic data and Trump’s improved polling, and shot up early Wednesday, along with stock-index futures, as Trump’s victory became apparent.

Rav Yaakov Kaminetzky on Sherlok Holmes

 https://mishpacha.com/lead-like-a-lion/

He tells me about his entrance to the world of practical halachah; the Chullin shiur given by the rosh yeshivah, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky. “He came in the first day of the zeman and asked “Did anyone here ever read mysteries?”

The bochurim nodded.

“How come Sherlock Holmes was always able to crack the mystery and Watson, nebach, was always oblivious? It’s because Sherlock Holmes knew how to look for clues; he noticed things, not only what was there, but what wasn’t there.”

The bochurim were captivated. “Now, you have to realize that every word in Torah is a mystery. There are clues everywhere; a hashmata, an extra word, a change in lashon. That’s how we reach a conclusion.”

“That,” Rabbi Levene concludes, “is greatness. A litvish rosh yeshivah, a tzaddik, a gaon, who discovered a means of connecting with American bochurim and wasn’t afraid to use it.”

Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law Massad Boulos to become senior presidential adviser on Arab affairs

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5016398-president-elect-trump-appoints-massad-boulos/

Massad Boulos is just the latest family figure in Trump’s orbit to land a post with the administration. On Saturday, Trump said he would nominate Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law Jared Kushner, as ambassador to France.

Bombshell Report Exposes Trump’s Mar-a-Lago GOP Grift

 https://newrepublic.com/post/183655/bombshell-report-trump-mar-a-lago-gop-grift

According to an analysis of evidentiary records in New York’s fraud case against the Trump Organization, Mar-a-Lago pulled in a net profit of $22 million in 2022. While the remainder of Trump’s clubs and properties also saw an increase in profits through and after Trump’s presidency, Mar-a-Lago—where Trump spends most of his time and to which conservatives flock, hoping for a glimpse of their dear leader—has seen more than double in profits, according to an analysis by the Times.

Smell like Trump: ‘victory cologne’ for sale as president-elect hawks his wares

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/30/trump-merchandise-for-sale

The shoes and the scents pale in comparison to the controversy created by Trump’s God Bless the USA Bible, which the president-elect endorsed and started hawking in March. Priced at $59.99 – $83.37 after tax and shipping – it was described by the Guardian as “a blasphemous, sticky nightmare”, and described by religious leaders as an example of “bankrupt Christianity” and in violation of one of the Ten Commandments.

Trump's new grift: Secret foreign money could be fueling Trump’s transition fund