Russia Calls on UN to Sanction Israel

 https://www.newsweek.com/russia-calls-un-sanction-israel-1891924

Russia is urging the United Nations (U.N.) to sanction Israel for failing to comply with a resolution that demanded a Gaza cease-fire during Ramadan.

U.N. Security Council Resolution 2728, which was passed by the council amid the Muslim holy month on March 25, called for an immediate halt to the hostilities, which began following the October 7 surprise attack by Hamas.

The resolution was passed by a 14-0 vote, with the United States abstaining over the omission of a clause condemning Hamas. Israel ignored the cease-fire demand, continuing its assault on Gaza through the end of Ramadan on April 9 and beyond.

Russia, which remains buried under an avalanche of its own international sanctions due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, objected to the lack of punishment for Israel during a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday.

America's zombie "crime wave"

 https://popular.info/p/americas-zombie-crime-wave

But is there a crime wave in America? Without a doubt, people believe that crime continues to surge. A Gallup poll found that 78% of Americans believe that there was more crime in 2022 than in 2021. (Only 13% believed it declined.) 

US vetoes, Security Council resolution accepting PA as full member fails to pass

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388754

The US on Thursday vetoed a Security Council resolution to admit the Palestinian Authority as a full member state of the United Nations.

12 countries voted in favor of the resolution: Slovenia, Sierra Leone, Russia, South Korea, Mozambique, Malta, Japan, Guyana, France, Ecuador, China, and Algeria.

Two countries abstained – Britain and Switzerland.

Israel Launches Retaliatory Strike on Iran

 https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/iran-activates-air-defenses-and-cancels-flights-27b6d416

Israel retaliated overnight against Iran’s massive drone and missile attack on its territory, people familiar with the matter said—with what appeared to be a limited strike aimed at avoiding an escalatory cycle that could push the countries closer toward war. 

The strike targeted the area around Isfahan in central Iran, one of the people said. Iranian media and social media reported explosions near the city, where Iran has nuclear facilities and a drone factory, and the activation of air-defense systems in provinces across the country after suspicious flying objects were detected. 

Senate squashes historic impeachment charges against Mayorkas

 https://www.axios.com/2024/04/17/senate-dismisses-historic-impeachment-mayorkas-border-immigration

Senate Democrats on Wednesday quickly squashed impeachment charges against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, a swift end to the GOP's attempt to oust him.

Why it matters: 

Killing the charges without a full trial highlights how Democrats saw the impeachment as political theater, but Republicans argue it sets a dangerous precedent.

Senators voted along party lines to rule the articles of impeachment unconstitutional for not meeting the standard of high crimes and misdemeanors.

MAGA Media Learns in Real-Time That NYC Isn’t a Dystopian Hellscape

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/maga-media-learns-in-real-time-that-nyc-isnt-a-dystopian-hellscape?ref=home

While speculating about the jury selection and how Trump faces an uphill climb with the largely Democratic base of New York, Glenn suddenly admitted that the city wasn’t quite what he expected based on what he’d been fed by conservative media.

In a clip flagged by journalist Jacqueline Sweet, Glenn noted that he and his crew had driven in from Philadelphia on Sunday and spent the day “exploring” New York and came to the stunning realization that the city was fairly peaceful.

“I gotta say, I thought I would see more [of a] homeless situation here,” he said. “I thought I would see a little more chaos on the streets than, um, from what I’ve been told. And I didn’t see as much as I thought I would.”

The MAGA pundit went on to speculate that New York City Mayor Eric Adams may have “cleaned up certain parts of the city” in anticipation of the press coverage Trump’s trial would bring, adding that Adams could have “shifted” undesirable elements to “other parts of the city.”

Senate dismisses Mayorkas impeachment without trial

 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4600362-mayorkas-impeachment-dismissed-trial/

The Senate voted Wednesday to dismiss two articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, shutting down the possibility of a lengthy Senate trial, which Republicans had demanded to bring attention to the Biden administration’s record on immigration and border security.

It marked the first time in 225 years the Senate voted to immediately dismiss impeachment charges approved by the House instead of holding a floor trial or referring the matter to a special committee to review it.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Demands Space Lasers To Combat Migrants

 https://www.newsweek.com/marjorie-taylor-greene-demands-space-lasers-migrant-crisis-border-israel-1891563

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for the development of "space laser technology" at the U.S.-Mexico border.

"Israel has some of the best unmanned defense systems in the world," the controversial Republican congresswoman wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a proposed amendment to legislation.

"I've previously voted to fund space lasers for Israel's defense. America needs to take our national security seriously and deserves the same type of defense for our border that Israel has and proudly uses," she added.

US approves Rafah op. in exchange for no Israeli counterstrikes on Iran - report

 https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-797675

The US has approved a potential Israeli Rafah operation in exchange for the Jewish state not conducting counterstrikes on Iran, according to a Thursday report from the Qatari newspaper The New Arab.

A senior official told The New Arab that "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to obtain American approval for a military operation in Rafah, in exchange for [Israel] refraining from carrying out a wide military operation against Iran in response to its recent attack."

He claimed that "discourse of an Israeli response to Iran contradicts  the desires of the American administration, and is not realistic, given the Israeli claims that the United States played the major role in repelling the Iranian attack and preventing its success."

Egyptian sources: US agreed to Israel's plan for Rafah operation

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/388699

Egyptian sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the US agreed to accept Israel's plan for an operation in Rafah - so long as Israel does not carry out a widescale strike on Iranian soil.

The source said that his country's military is on high alert along the Gaza-Egypt border, in preparation for a potential ground incursion by the IDF into Rafah.

According to the source, Egypt raised its alert level following a lengthy conversation with Israel and the understanding that the IDF is carrying out intensive preparations for a widescale operation in the area.

On Wednesday, ABC News quoted three Israeli sources as saying that Israel prepared for and then aborted retaliatory strikes against Iran on at least two nights this past week.

Moment of Truth on Ukraine and Israel

 https://www.wsj.com/articles/moment-of-truth-on-ukraine-and-israel-war-ammo-aid-package-iran-russia-7ed30288

Iran launched an unprecedented attack against Israel this weekend, with a barrage of missiles and drones. Around the same time, some 1,500 miles north, Russia continued its bombardment of Ukraine, which has intensified dramatically in the last month.

Both Ukraine and Israel defended themselves against these attacks, holding the line and protecting their citizens. And both did it with critical help from the U.S.

Now is not the time to abandon our friends. The House must pass urgent national-security legislation for Ukraine and Israel, as well as desperately needed humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza.

Frum Talk is prohibited?

 Bava Metzia (58b): If a person is overcome by calamity is visited by suffering, afflicted with disease, or has buried his children, one must not speak to him as his companions spoke to Iyov , is not your fear of G d your source of bitachon, And and your hope that you will lack nothing? Please remember that the innocent don’t perish

Ramban (Sales 14:13) If a person was afflicted by illness and suffering or he is forced to bury his children, one should not speak to him in the manner that Iyov 's friends addressed him "Your fear of G-d was for your own security.... Can you recall anyone who was innocent who perished?"

Shulchan Aruch (CM 228:04) If a person was suffering a person may not tell him what Iyov was told by his friends, “is your fear of heaven not your confidence? Do you remember, please, anyone innocent who was destroyed?”

Punishment resulting from circumstantial evidence

 Bava Metzia (83b) R. Eleazar, son of R. Simeon, once met an officer of the Roman Government who had been sent to arrest thieves, How can you detect them? he said Maybe, you take the innocent and allow the guilty to escape? The officer answered, What shall I do? It is the King's command. Said the Rabbi, Let me tell you what to do. Go into a tavern at the fourth hour of the day. If you see a man dozing with a cup of wine in his hand, ask what he is. If he is a learned man, you may assume that he has risen early to pursue his studies; if he is a day labourer he must have been up early to do his work; if his work is of the kind that is done at night, he might have been rolling thin metal. If he is none of these, he is a thief; arrest him. The report of this conversation was brought to the Court, and the order was given: Let the reader of the letter become the messenger. R. Eleazar, son of R. Simeon, was accordingly sent for, and he proceeded to arrest the thieves. Thereupon R. Joshua, son of Karhah, sent word to him, Vinegar, son of wine! How long will you deliver up the people of our God for slaughter! Back came the reply: I weed out thorns from the vineyard. Whereupon R. Joshua retorted: Let the owner of the vineyard God come and weed out the thorns. One day a fuller met him, and dubbed him: Vinegar, son of wine. Said the Rabbi to himself, Since he is so insolent, he is certainly a culprit. So he gave the order to his attendant: ‘Arrest him! Arrest him! When his anger cooled, he went after him in order to secure his release, but did not succeed. Thereupon he applied to, the fuller the verse: Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, keepeth his soul from troubles. Then they hanged him, and R. Eleazar son of R. Simeon stood under the gallows and wept. Said his disciples to him: ‘Master, do not grieve; for he and his son seduced a betrothed maiden on the Day of Atonement Yet in spite of this, his conscience disquieted him. Thereupon he was given a sleeping draught, taken into a marble chamber, and had his abdomen opened, and basketsful of fat removed from him and placed in the sun during Tammuz and Ab, and yet it did not putrefy

Respect the Rich

 Pele Yoetz (Chanufa): It is in fact proper and fitting to show respect to the wealthy – as we see that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and Rabbi Akiva honored the rich (Eiruvin 86a). The reason is that because G-d desires that this man be valued and He therefore has bestowed upon him an abundance of blessings from Above – we are also obligated to honor him. This is especially true for any person who has been the beneficiary of the rich person that he is clearly obligated to honor him. Furthermore the rich person since he has more possessions he is more likely to increase the amount of mitzvos and good deed that he does – compared to the less wealthy and this in turn reverses the spiritual damage done by his sins. Therefore it is appropriate to show him some respect - even if he has done something inappropriate and has deviated slightly from the correct path - and consequently he shouldn't demean the rich man as much as a poor man.