Charges dropped for most of Columbia University protesters arrested at Hamilton Hall

 https://abc7ny.com/post/judge-dismisses-30-cases-criminal-trespass-pro-palestinian/14982715/

In calling for the dismissal of charges Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Stephen Millan cited what he called "extremely limited video," adding that "the security cameras were immediately covered by certain defendants," who prosecutors have been unable to identify.

The available video evidence "fails to establish or prove" the 31 people participated in damaging university property or causing harm to anyone, making it difficult for prosecutors to prove anything other than trespassing at trial, the DA's office said.

Columbia University on Thursday declined to comment on the court proceedings when contacted by CNN.

Fourteen of the defendants still facing charges - 12 of whom were neither staff nor students at Columbia - have been offered Adjournments in Contemplation of Dismissal (ACD), the Manhattan DA's office said. An ACD allows a court to defer a defendant's case - with the potential that the defendant's charge will be dismissed - if the defendant does not engage in additional criminal conduct.

Republican Fact-Checked on Accusation Against Joe Biden During Interview

 Republican Fact-Checked on Accusation Against Joe Biden During Interview

Collins pushed back, pointing out that Trump had actually signed more executive orders than Biden. She also said that Biden's recent executive action related to immigration came after the urging of GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson.

"Well, I counted, Trump signed 220 executive orders when he was in office, President Biden so far has only assigned 139, the same time span. And on executive action on immigration, it was Speaker Mike Johnson, who was calling on President Biden to take executive action saying it wasn't Congress' responsibility was his," the CNN host said.

According to the Federal Register, an official journal of the U.S. government, Biden has signed 139 executive orders so far, while Trump signed 220 during his tenure. Meanwhile, former President Barack Obama signed 277 executive orders and former President George W. Bush signed 291.

Honoring Parents vs Torah Study

 Kli Yakar (Devarim 33:9):Who said to his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; nor did he acknowledge his brothers, nor knew his own children; for they have observed your word, and kept your covenant. That is because our Sages  said that whoever is involved in Torah study is exempt from honoring his parents. The proof of this is Yaakov who was not punished for the 14 years that he remained with Shem and Ever and did not fulfill the mitzva of honoring his father and mother. This is what the verse is saying that “He says to his father and mother that he hasn’t seen him” because he is not required to look after them and surely he doesn’t not have to pay attention to what his brother is doing. Furthermore the verse says He doesn’t know his own children. This is stated in Eiruvin. “What is the meaning of the verse, “black as a crow.” Rava says it is referring to talmid chachim because of the necessity for him to be cruel to his children as a crow in order to be proficient in his studies. An example is Rav Adda who when he was leaving to study in the beis hamedrash his wife asked him where his children would get food. He responded that there were herbs in the marsh that they could eat.” This that it says in this verse that “he doesn’t know his own children” it also means that his children act as if they don’t know their father. That is because they also are studying Torah and thus don’t know him.

LEAVE KIDS OUT OF YOUR BRUISED EGO

 https://mishpacha.com/leave-kids-out-of-your-bruised-ego/

The way we as parents deal with conflict exposes our underlying concept of the parent-child relationship. That’s when we see either a gut reaction — which means that we’re viewing the child as one of our belongings — or an intelligent response guided by the Torah.

Ex-RNC Chair Confronts Republican on Project 2025 Plan to Gut Government

 https://www.newsweek.com/michael-steele-confronts-kevin-roberts-project-2025-plan-gut-government-1916162

Project 2025 has become a consistent talking point amid the 2024 election as House Democrats have warned against it, recently launching a task force to start fighting the proposal and stop it from becoming a reality if Trump is reelected.

Trump cranks up false, inflammatory messages to rake in campaign cash

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/2024/06/22/trump-fundraising-false-aggressive/

The fundraising pitch from Donald Trump was neither accurate nor subtle.

It read: “1 MONTH UNTIL ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE! THEY WANT TO SENTENCE ME TO DEATH.”

“Rhetorical gimmicks like this poison the well for every other Republican trying to raise money online,” one GOP consultant said, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “It burns out small-dollar donors. The Trump campaign is printing money on this, but when you’re already talking about the death penalty in June, what are you going to say in October?”

Bannon makes chilling threat about a second Trump presidency

OUR TEENS NEED TO HEAR THE TRUTH ABOUT VAPING

 https://mishpacha.com/our-teens-need-to-hear-the-truth-about-vaping/

We’ve all been laboring under the delusion that vaping is somehow safer than smoking cigarettes. Our ignorance on the subject exposes our children to the greatest dangers involved with vaping. We owe it to ourselves and our children to get educated. It is my view, after fighting against these devices for the past six years, that we all — Jewish educators and parents — need to take a much more aggressive stance against this growing problem.

Let’s Just Say It: The Republicans are the Problem

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lets-just-say-it-the-republicans-are-the-problem/2012/04/27/gIQAxCVUlT_story.html

The GOP has become an insurgent outlier in American politics. It is ideologically extreme; scornful of compromise; unmoved by conventional understanding of facts, evidence and science; and dismissive of the legitimacy of its political opposition.

Cheapfakes get an indefensible boost from powerful GOP partisans

 https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/cheapfakes-get-indefensible-boost-powerful-gop-partisans-rcna157934

It was ugly, but it wasn’t unusual. The right creates low-cost “cheapfakes“ like these all the time. Indeed, within days of the deceitful video out of Italy, a similar video made the rounds among conservatives showing Biden purportedly freezing onstage at a fundraiser. In the full context, it was clear the president simply paused to take in some applause. In another recent instance, a similarly deceptive clip circulated that seemed to show the president reaching for a non-existent chair, though in reality, there was a chair.

‘Cheapfake’ Biden videos enrapture right-wing media, but deeply mislead

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/06/14/cheapfake-biden-videos-enrapture-right-wing-media-deeply-mislead/

The use of these clips is an especially pernicious couple of examples of manipulated video — what we label “isolation” under our guide to manipulated video — because it’s intended to create a false narrative that doesn’t reflect the event as it occurred. The RNC and its avid followers in the conservative media earn Four Pinocchios.

Video edited to make it appear Biden tried to sit down when there wasn’t a chair

 https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-biden-invisible-chair-normandy-634944982428#

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The video, in which Biden’s chair is for the most part clearly visible, is cut before the president sits down. Full footage of the ceremony shows the president looking over his shoulder for his chair and pausing before taking a seat.

THE TRUMP VERDICT: What If President Trump Had Been Adjudicated By A Bais Din? - Purim Torah

 https://yated.com/the-trump-verdict-what-if-president-trump-had-been-adjudicated-by-a-bais-din/

We have thus arrived at the lehavdil bein Yisroel l’amim. Yes, it is true that Alvin Bragg, Juan Merchan and Michael Cohen hate Donald Trump and should not have any hand in his verdict. But if true tzaddikim are acting as judges or witnesses and have only a righteous enmity toward someone because he has transgressed one of Hashem’s laws, they may testify and make decisions because their intentions are pure and no personal enmity will enter into their deliberations.

Trump lashes out at Fox News over latest poll: ‘TRASH!’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4731614-trump-lashes-out-fox-news-poll/

Former President Trump blasted Fox News on Thursday after the network published a poll showing him trailing President Biden nationally for the first time this year.