Kristi Noem Faces Investigation Over FEMA's Response to Texas Floods

 https://www.newsweek.com/kristi-noem-faces-investigation-fema-response-texas-floods-2097623

Democratic Representative Jared Moskowitz has called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be investigated over the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to catastrophic flooding in Texas.

"As a former Emergency Management Director of Florida, I am alarmed by reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response to the Texas floods was delayed and hampered by a new Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 'cost-control' policy imposed by Secretary Kristi Noem," Moskowitz wrote in a letter to the top lawmakers on the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure on Thursday.

"If accurate, this represents a major deviation from long-standing FEMA protocol that may have slowed down lifesaving efforts and contributed to the tragedy's severity."

Deployment of critical FEMA resources were delayed due to a recently enacted rule that requires every purchase, contract and grant over $100,000 to be personally approved by Noem, according to reporting by CNN and the the Washington Post, which cited unnamed current and former FEMA officials.

Toras Moshe

 G-d willing I will soon be completing Toras Moshe which is primarily a selective translation/synopsis of a number of the teshuvos of Rav Moshe that I have been most often asked about. I have attempted to arrange them according to the parshas of the Torah. I have also added sources on the parsha that I thought would be interesting to the average reader. 

Dershowitz says he knows Epstein client list names: ‘But I’m bound by confidentiality’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5395597-dershowitz-says-he-knows-epstein-client-list-names-but-im-bound-by-confidentiality/

Lawyer Alan Dershowitz on Thursday said he knows the list of names in the Jeffrey Epstein files regarding alleged clients in his international sex trafficking ring.

“I know the names of the individuals. I know why they’re being suppressed. I know who’s suppressing them,” Dershowitz said during an appearance on “The Sean Spicer Show.”

“But I’m bound by confidentiality from a judge and cases, and I can’t disclose what I know,” he added, noting at one point he was falsely named as a client. 

'We've Been Played': MAGA Faces Its Own Disappointment With Trump

 https://www.newsweek.com/maga-donald-trump-jeffrey-epstein-conspiracy-theories-2097180

The disappointment has been particularly acute around the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files and the long-anticipated "deep state" disclosures, which have instead reinforced official narratives MAGA supporters once rejected.

"MAGA really wouldn't exist without conspiracy theories," said Eric Alterman, a journalism professor at Brooklyn College. "These theories don't require evidence. They're about stories people tell themselves to explain why things feel like they're going wrong in their lives."

That expectation of dramatic revelations has become a defining feature of MAGA-era politics. From alleged UFO cover-ups to Epstein's supposed "client list," Trump loyalists — and sometimes Trump himself — stoked the belief that sinister truths would soon be exposed and that the Deep State was partly to blame.

Yet the much-anticipated Epstein review recently released by his own Justice Department concluded there was no client list and no evidence of foul play in Epstein's suicide — a finding that infuriated his supporters and alternative media figures who had built careers around pursuing that narrative.

'Deer in the Headlights': Bondi torched by MAGA base over Epstein files

Scandal! Ari and Nicolle on Trump's alleged abuse of power boomeranging on DOJ

'No earthly clue what he's doing': Psaki shreds Trump's poor grip on his own government

Today Trump proved there is no way he can fake sounding smart about anything

Democrats gloat as MAGA World explodes over Epstein files

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5393110-democrats-maga-world-epstein-files/ 

Democrats are experiencing a devilish glee as MAGA World clashes over the Trump administration’s push to defuse conspiracy theories surrounding the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

In cable news interviews, social media posts and formal calls to release more Epstein files, Democrats are highlighting the administration’s handling of the case in hopes of exacerbating the unusual tensions between President Trump and a conservative base that’s stood firmly behind the president on virtually every issue he tackles.

One Way to Win Trump Over: Nominate Him for the Nobel Prize

 https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/one-way-to-win-trump-over-nominate-him-for-the-nobel-prize-4f76e5f8?mod=hp_lead_pos5

African leaders tell the president during a meeting at the White House that he should win the prestigious award

President Trump often bristles at questions from the media. But he perked up when a reporter asked a group of African leaders if he should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

“I didn’t know I’d be treated this nicely, we could do this all day long,” Trump said as the African heads of state—gathered Wednesday at the White House for a summit—opined on whether the Norwegian Nobel Committee should bestow its award on America’s polarizing president.

Measles, RFK Jr. and Dr. Fauci

 https://www.wsj.com/opinion/measles-cases-vaccines-cdc-rfk-jr-public-health-1fd6c7fd?mod=hp_opin_pos_4

Cases hit a 33-year record amid falling vaccination rates. This is what happens when the public loses confidence in health officials.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday reported that measles cases hit a 33-year record amid declining children’s vaccination rates. This is a warning about how quickly public-health progress can backslide, especially when people in authority fan public fear about the risks of vaccination.

Most measles cases this year have occurred in a Texas Mennonite community with low vaccination rates, though there have also been notable outbreaks in New Mexico, Kansas and Kentucky, among other states. The measles virus ranks among the most contagious. The fact that there haven’t been more cases this year owes to herd immunity acquired over decades from high vaccination rates among children and adults.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. nonetheless insists that the decision to get vaccinated is personal while he makes spurious claims that discourage people from vaccination. “There are adverse events from the vaccine. It does cause deaths every year. It causes all the illnesses that measles itself cause, encephalitis and blindness, etc., and so people ought to be able to make that choice for themselves,” he said on Fox News this spring.

Trump promised 200 deals by now. He’s gotten 3, and 1 more is getting very close

 https://edition.cnn.com/2025/07/09/business/tariff-trade-deadline-delay-trump-bessent

At the conclusion of his first 100 days in office in late April, President Donald Trump made a stunning statement about his progress on tariff negotiations: He had completed trade deals with 200 countries. More than two months later, Trump has announced just three of those agreements – with China, the United Kingdom and Vietnam.

So what happened?

Wednesday marks the day that Trump had set three months ago as a deadline for all countries to reach a deal or face higher “reciprocal” tariffs. Trump has since publicly acknowledged that pausing those “Liberation Day” tariffs until July 9 left insufficient time to negotiate with practically every country around the world.

Trump had initially expected to complete more trade deals by Wednesday’s deadline, but in recent weeks he’s been convinced that landing those deals can’t happen more swiftly, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. That’s why his public rhetoric has shifted in recent weeks to saying he would send out letters that set higher tariffs on America’s trading partners, effectively getting results on the board while talks continue.

So Trump agreed to push the deadline back to August 1 to give countries that are close to a deal a little more time for talks – particularly the European Union, which is on the verge of announcing a trade deal with the United States.

Trump: ‘I haven’t thought about’ who ordered Ukraine weapons pause

 https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5392555-trump-ukraine-weapons-shipments/?tbref=hp

President Trump told reporters Wednesday he hadn’t thought about who inside his administration ordered the pause in shipments of munitions to Ukraine, as the Defense Department is expected to resume weapons shipments to Kyiv.

At a Tuesday Cabinet meeting, the president was asked who had approved the weapons halt; he replied, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

A reporter on Wednesday asked the president if he had been able to figure it out, and he said it wasn’t top of mind.

“Well, I haven’t thought about it. Because we’re looking at Ukraine right now and munitions. But … no, I have not gone into it,” Trump said.

He was then pressed on what that says about his administration that such a big decision can be made without his knowledge, and Trump insisted he signs off on big decisions.

Starting Next Month: Increased enforcement campaign against haredi draft dodgers

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/411388

Draft notices - By the end of July 2025, about 54,000 notices were sent to all candidates for military service up to age 16.5. Additionally, those with deferred service will be required to appear in order to enlist them.

Increased Enforcement - Starting from next month, there will be increased and equitable enforcement against draft evaders, including shortening the time taken to declare someone a draft evader and issue an arrest warrant, from about two months to about one and a half months, and in the next stage to about four months from the first draft notice.

Border Inspections - IDF updated on increased enforcement in cooperation with the Population Authority, police, and border crossing staff. Draft evaders caught at the border will be arrested for recruitment.

Proactive Enforcement and Intelligence Operations - Frequent proactive operations are expected, aiming to improve the handling of deserters and draft evaders. The IDF has announced plans for raids, checkpoints, and arrests in areas with high rates of draft evasion.