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Fauci: ‘Could Be Close’ to Normal by the End of the Year

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AP

IAN HANCHETT

During a virtual town hall on MSNBC on Friday, White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci stated that “by the time we get to the fall and the winter we may not be back 100% to where we were before this started,” but we “could be close to that by the end of this coming year.”

Fauci said, “Well, it’s difficult to predict. But if we keep going in the direction we’re going now, with the infection rate going down precipitously and more and more people getting vaccinated, I think by the time we get to the fall and the winter we may not be back 100% to where we were before this started, but I think we could be close to that by the end of this coming year. But it’s not going to be next month or the month after. That’s for sure. We have to be patient. It’s going to get better and better. We also, quite frankly, have to keep our eye out on these variants, namely the mutations that have occurred that make the virus a little bit different. The best way to protect yourself against that is, one, do the kind of public health measures we talk about all the time, wearing a mask, physical distancing, and avoiding congregate settings. And two, when the vaccine becomes available, please get vaccinated. The more people that get vaccinated, the better off we’ll be, and the quicker we’ll get back to that normality that you’re talking about.”

House Passes $1.9T Pandemic Bill on Near Party-Line Vote

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(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

(AP) The House approved a $1.9 trillion pandemic relief bill in a win for President Joe Biden, even as top Democrats tried assuring agitated progressives that they’d revive their derailed drive to boost the minimum wage.

The new president’s vision for flushing cash to individuals, businesses, states and cities battered by COVID-19 passed on a near party-line 219-212 vote early Saturday. That ships the massive measure to the Senate, where Democrats seem bent on resuscitating their minimum wage push and fights could erupt over state aid and other issues.

Democrats said the still-faltering economy and the half-million American lives lost demanded quick, decisive action. GOP lawmakers, they said, were out of step with a public that polling shows largely views the bill favorably.

“I am a happy camper tonight,” Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., said Friday. “This is what America needs. Republicans, you ought to be a part of this. But if you’re not, we’re going without you.”

Republicans said the bill was too expensive and said too few education dollars would be spent quickly to immediately reopen schools. They said it was laden with gifts to Democratic constituencies like labor unions and funneled money to Democratic-run states they suggested didn’t need it because their budgets had bounced back.

“To my colleagues who say this bill is bold, I say it’s bloated,” said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif. “To those who say it’s urgent, I say it’s unfocused. To those who say it’s popular, I say it is entirely partisan.”

Moderate Democratic Reps. Jared Golden of Maine and Kurt Schrader of Oregon were the only two lawmakers to cross party lines. That sharp partisan divide is making the fight a showdown over who voters will reward for heaping more federal spending to combat the coronavirus and revive the economy atop the $4 trillion approved last year.

The battle is also emerging as an early test of Biden’s ability to hold together his party’s fragile congressional majorities — just 10 votes in the House and an evenly divided 50-50 Senate.

At the same time, Democrats were trying to figure out how to assuage progressives who lost their top priority in a jarring Senate setback Thursday.

That chamber’s nonpartisan parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, said Senate rules require that a federal minimum wage increase would have to be dropped from the COVID-19 bill, leaving the proposal on life support. The measure would gradually lift that minimum to $15 hourly by 2025, doubling the current $7.25 floor in effect since 2009.

Hoping to revive the effort in some form, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is considering adding a provision to the Senate version of the COVID-19 relief bill that would penalize large companies that don’t pay workers at least $15 an hour, said a senior Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations.

That was in line with ideas floated Thursday night by Sens. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., a chief sponsor of the $15 plan, and Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., to boost taxes on corporations that don’t hit certain minimum wage targets.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., offered encouragement, too, calling a minimum wage increase “a financial necessity for our families, a great stimulus for our economy and a moral imperative for our country.” She said the House would “absolutely” approve a final version of the relief bill because of its widespread benefits, even if it lacked progressives’ treasured goal.

While Democratic leaders were eager to signal to rank-and-file progressives and liberal voters that they would not yield on the minimum wage fight, their pathway was unclear because of GOP opposition and questions over whether they had enough Democratic support.

House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal, D-Mass., sidestepped a question on taxing companies that don’t boost pay, saying of Senate Democrats, “I hesitate to say anything until they decide on a strategy.”

Progressives were demanding that the Senate press ahead anyway on the minimum wage increase, even if it meant changing that chamber’s rules and eliminating the filibuster, a tactic that requires 60 votes for a bill to move forward.

“We’re going to have to reform the filibuster because we have to be able to deliver,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., a progressive leader.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., another high-profile progressive, also said Senate rules must be changed, telling reporters that when Democrats meet with their constituents, “We can’t tell them that this didn’t get done because of an unelected parliamentarian.”

Traditionalists of both parties — including Biden, who served as a senator for 36 years — have opposed eliminating filibusters because they protect parties’ interests when they are in the Senate minority. Biden said weeks ago that he didn’t expect the minimum wage increase to survive the Senate’s rules.

Pelosi, too, seemed to shy away from dismantling Senate procedures, saying, “We will seek a solution consistent with Senate rules, and we will do so soon.”

The House COVID-19 bill includes the minimum wage increase, so the real battle over its fate will occur when the Senate debates its version over the next two weeks.

The overall relief bill would provide $1,400 payments to individuals, extend emergency unemployment benefits through August and increase tax credits for children and federal subsidies for health insurance.

It also provides billions for schools and colleges, state and local governments, COVID-19 vaccines and testing, renters, food producers and struggling industries like airlines, restaurants, bars and concert venues.

Democrats are pushing the relief measure through Congress under special rules that will let them avoid a Senate GOP filibuster, meaning that if they are united they won’t need any Republican votes.

It also lets the bill move faster, a top priority for Democrats who want the bill on Biden’s desk before the most recent emergency jobless benefits end on March 14.

But those same Senate rules prohibit provisions with only an “incidental” impact on the federal budget because they are chiefly driven by other policy purposes. MacDonough decided that the minimum wage provision failed that test.

Republicans oppose the $15 minimum wage target as an expense that would hurt businesses and cost jobs.

CPAC 2021: Highlights So Far: Pompeo, Donald Trump JR, Gaetz, Hawley, Bongino, Cruz, and More

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Former President Donald Trump will be making his first post-presidential appearance at a conservative gathering in Florida next weekend, according to an AP report. Photo Credit: AP

Highlights of CPAC 2021 from Orlando.

Sunday afternoon the event will conclude with former President Trump speaking at around 3 PM Eastern time.  You will be able to stream live on TJV, check back for updates.

Below are highlights from Friday and Saturday, courtesy of Right Side Broadcasting 

 

 

Some more Highlights from Friday

 

 

 

CNN’s Jim Acosta Confronted at CPAC Over Lack of Cuomo Scandal Coverage

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A reporter was filming as he confronted CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta at CPAC 2021, asking why the cable news network is ignoring the Andrew Cuomo nursing home scandal.

Taking a page out of Acosta’s own book, The Federalist correspondent David Marcus interrupted a question and answer session to repeatedly ask Acosta, “When are you guys gonna start covering Cuomo?”

 

“We do,” Acosta replies, to which the man responds, “No you don’t. He killed 10,000 people and is accused of sexual assault and you guys want to talk about Ted Cruz.

New Radical Administration Canceling American Values

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By

Kenneth Abramowitz

The radical left-leaning Biden administration is now engaged directly and indirectly in a cultural war against America’s values for Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. You can read more about this in The MultiFront War. Here are a few significant examples:

1) LIFE –

  • The Biden administration advocates for abortion instead of adoption at home and abroad. This policy results in more than 600,000 babies being aborted annually in the U.S. alone, 40% of whom are black babies.
  • The Chinese Communist government and the Biden administration want us to believe that Covid did not originate in China which, most likely, intentionally spread it around the world. This policy absolves China from the responsibility of paying reparations for the pandemic’s horrific harm and destruction that was unleashed on the entire world. To date, this virus has killed more than 480,000 Americans and more than 2.4 million people worldwide.
  • The Biden administration aims to impose gun controls over 98% of generally responsible gun owners, leaving them defenseless in the face of growing violence and crime. Unfortunately, gun controls do not affect criminals.
  • The Biden administration restricts our physicians’ practice of preventative healthcare measures to stop them from using prophylaxis medicines (such as hydroxychloroquine), even though doctors have always been allowed to use pharmaceuticals off label to save lives.
  • The Biden administration stopped the southern border wall construction and ICE agents’ activities, thus facilitating the eventual crossing of millions of undocumented aliens. They include drug traffickers, gang members, terrorists, and Covid spreaders who endanger all Americans.
  • The Biden administration wishes to appease Iran by agreeing to another nuclear deal. Such a step could lead to the existential threat of a nuclear attack on the U.S. and its allies.
  • The Biden administration facilitates Antifa and BLM, who are terrorizing citizens into submission. Asserting radical left false narratives and hatred of America, these two terror organizations attack civilians and law-enforcement alike, and destroy public and private property. Yet, the DOJ, FBI, and DHS do virtually nothing about it.

2. LIBERTY –

  • The Biden administration aims to abolish our freedom of speech by allowing social media companies to silence those who believe in the Constitution.
  • The Biden administration is implementing racial discrimination by vilifying 65% of the population, which is white, accusing them of white supremacy. Actual white supremacists account for a minuscule number of the white population.
  • The Biden administration has declared a class and race war against our children. They are denying adequate school choice for 85% of the K-12 students, condemning many to failing public schools, mostly in poor, inner-city areas.
  • The Biden administration advances policies intended to indoctrinate our students with false narratives regarding socialism, communism, social justice, critical race theory, and misguided ideas about gender and sex discrimination. Anti-Christian ideas are encouraged, while anti-Semitism is disregarded, and Islamist ideologies are looked upon favorably.
  • The Biden administration is determined to corrupt the political process by changing election rules, approving uncontrolled mail-in ballots with inadequate controls over voter and citizenship IDs.
  • The Biden administration labels thoughts that conform to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as “Hate-Speech“.

3) THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS

  • The Biden administration is promoting lawless sanctuary cities that endanger not only the citizens living there, but all Americans.
  • The Biden administration eliminates millions of jobs in the name of the false narratives of climate change. Its excessive minimum wage hikes stifle private businesses to increase the number of citizens dependent on government hand-outs, thus increasing its control over them.
  • The Biden administration uses Covid as an excuse to close schools despite the minimal risk to the students and teachers.
  • The Biden administration uses the Covid excuse to shut down private businesses, without providing adequate compensation.
  • The Biden administration advances discrimination against women by allowing transgender women (biological men who claim to be women) to unfairly compete in women’s sports.

How long will ordinary Americans tolerate the Biden administration’s depraved policies to obliterate our unalienable Rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness? In the immortal words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: “HOW LONG? NOT LONG!”

BE THERE: Rally at SNL-NBC HQ this Saturday night, LIVE to tell them Antisemitism is NEVER Funny!

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izuayehu Tesfaye/AP Images for T-Mobile

Remember to show up at SNL-NBC HQ This Saturday Night, LIVE
Join Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism as well as Sid Rosenberg of ABC radio and many other voices to protest NBC’s spate of antisemitic-flavored programming on:

SATURDAY NIGHT
February 27, 2021
9PM EST
“30 ROCK”
49 W. 49 St., NY, NY,
Between 5 & 6 aves.

We’re coming together simply to send a loud message to all who need to hear it at Saturday Night Live and their employers at NBC: Antisemitism is NEVER Funny!

No one needs to get cancelled but lots of people need to get educated about Jew-hate!

Mr. Potato Head and the propaganda imposed on children

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Landon Freeman(AMERICAN THINKER)

I’m sure many or most of you have seen the headlines by now.  In a not so unexpected move in today’s political climate, Hasbro announced that Mr. Potato Head toys would be re-branded as “Potato Heads” in a misguided effort to, as one article puts it, “break away from traditional gender norms.”

Now, for some time, I’ve wanted to write about the forced politicization of previously non-political entities.  I thought about it even more after hearing of the whole “be less white” fiasco with Coca-Cola.  Though greatly tempted to transfer my passionate thoughts onto paper, I held back for a time.  However, this recent announcement by Hasbro was the final “woke” straw that broke my proverbial back of restraint, standoffishness, and procrastination.


Photo credit: Hasbro, via Twitter.

When innocent children’s toys are unnecessarily politicized with agendas that pose great harm to kids’ well-being, then yes, I’m definitely going to speak out and let loose.  No more procrastination here.  That’s a habit I’ll gladly kick to the curb if I feel that I should speak out to protect children.

To be blunt, I do pity the kids of today.  No, that isn’t sarcastic pity or anything of the sort.  Indeed, I’m being genuine.  In many ways, their upbringing is and will be quite different from those of past generations.  They’ll be bombarded with leftist propaganda and widespread brainwashing tactics, and they’ll observe a mass politicization of businesses, movies, videogames, and other entities that were previously considered neutral.

Being 25, I’m one of the last few who were allowed to grow up in a relatively normal America.  As a kid, I didn’t have politically correct nonsense shoved down my throat 24/7.  If I or my family wanted to enjoy one of the various forms of entertainment, we could certainly do so without said entertainment being laced with heavy political rhetoric and propaganda.  If anything, entertainment was an escape from the political realm, and we didn’t have to see obnoxious woke ads for razors, restaurants, candy, or a variety of other products.

Now, however, our zeitgeist and political and social environments are quite different.  The amount of propaganda and blatant lies now imposed on children is tantamount to serious child abuse, and it deeply concerns me.  Children are being told they can simply switch sexes with the snap of a finger; that LGBT lifestyles are fully “normal”; and that conservatism, Christianity, and “whiteness” are existential problems that need to be crushed swiftly and quite brutally.  With the left controlling so much of our society, they’ve had all the needed resources to enact this brainwashing scheme, and they’re quite dedicated to their immoral and repugnant cause.

Yes, while it is true that we’ve been in an ongoing culture war for some time, the war’s significance and seriousness have been greatly magnified due to the left’s fervent, ongoing attempt at stealing our children away from us.

I don’t have children yet, though I do plan on having kids in the near future.  I know that in our current time and environment, I’m going to have to do all I can to teach them the truth, when to recognize lies and the everlasting relevance and solidity of God’s word.  I’d advise similar strategies for all current and future parents.  Children are not as resilient as some have been led to believe.  Indeed, that’s a popular and quite dangerous psychological myth.  The truth is that kids are impressionable and can be molded by those seeking to harm and brainwash them.

We must do all that we can to protect them and carefully guide their growth, development, and well-being.  While it’s arguably a cheesy and tired saying, children really are the future and many on the left do recognize this.  That’s why there’s such an effort to mold them into little obedient leftists in the hopes of destroying everything that makes our nation and society so great.  I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not going to let that happen.  I’ll certainly have a long, drawn out verbal and intellectual battle on my hands, but I’ll stand firm.  I hope other parents and concerned citizens will stand with me.

 

 

Hamas Sympathizer Accosts NYC Mayoral Candidate Over Anti-BDS Stance

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By JNS

While touring businesses in Brooklyn, New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang, also a former Democratic candidate for president, was confronted over his strong opposition to BDS by a group that included Malik Hassan from the Muslim American Society New York and the Democratic Socialists of America.

According to a video published on Twitter by Politico reporter Joe Anuta, Hassan, who has defended the Hamas terrorist organization in the past, accused Yang of comparing the Palestinians to the Nazis.

“Saying that it is akin to fascist boycotts of Jewish businesses, that completely disappoints many Palestinian activists, many Arabs and many Muslims,” said Hassan.

Yang replied that he had “never made comments to that effect.” When he attempted to walk away, he was temporarily prevented from leaving.

In a piece in The Forward last month, Yang strongly denounced the BDS movement, saying “a Yang administration will push back against the BDS movement, which singles out Israel for unfair economic punishment.”

He also said that BDS is “rooted in anti-Semitic thought and history, hearkening back to fascist boycotts of Jewish businesses.”

“Strong ties with Israel are essential for a global city such as ours, which boasts the highest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel,” he wrote. “Our economy is struggling, and we should be looking for ways to bring back small businesses, not stop commerce.”

Yang is leading the crowded Democratic field of mayoral candidates, according to a recent poll ahead of the June 22 primary.

According to the poll by Fontas Advisors and conducted by Core Decision Analytics, some 28 percent of New Yorkers back Yang, with Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams garnering 17 percent and City Comptroller Scott Stringer with 13 percent.

Several other candidates polled in the single digits.

Time’s Up Calls for Investigation of Andrew Cuomo’s Alleged Sexual Misconduct

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Ap

JOHN NOLTE

After snubbing Tara Reade, the woman who made a very credible sexual assault allegation against His Fraudulency Joe Biden, the left-wing Time’s Up organization has decided to turn on  Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) in calling for an investigation of the credible sexual misconduct allegations made against the disgraced governor by a former staffer.

Earlier this week, Lindsey Boylan, Cuomo’s deputy secretary for economic development for a little more than three years, starting in March of 2015, added troubling details to her December 2020 allegation that Cuomo “sexually harassed me for years.”

The details include allegations of outright harassment and a lot of creepy behavior. Using her Medium site, Boyland detailed how Cuomo “repeatedly touched her body, attempted to kiss her on the mouth, invited her to play strip poker,  and overtly objectified her.”

After that, my fears worsened. I came to work nauseous every day. My relationship with his senior team — mostly women — grew hostile after I started speaking up for myself. I was reprimanded and told to get in line by his top aides, but I could no longer ignore it.
On September 26, 2018, I sent a mass email informing staff members of my resignation.

The governor’s office has denied the allegations.

Naturally, America’s fake news media ignored the story.

Cuomo is already under fire for pouring the coronavirus into nursing homes and then lying about the number of deaths that resulted from his disastrous order. He is also facing allegations of toxic bullying of both the media and his fellow Democrats. And now he has a credible sexual harassment allegation to deal with, and not from a political enemy or the opposing party.

Adding to his troubles is Thursday’s news that the celeb-fueled Time’s Up organization will not, as they did for Biden, look the other way for Cuomo:

“Allegations of inappropriate behavior in any workplace are deeply troubling and should be addressed,” foundation president and CEO Tina Tchen said.
“We call on the Cuomo administration to conduct a full and independent investigation into these claims immediately.”

Time’s Up board members include Ashley Judd and Eva Longoria, two longtime Cuomo fan-girls.

Also calling for an investigation are New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, another fellow Democrat, and sexual assault activist Rose McGowan.

“Look, these allegations are really disturbing, let’s be clear about that,” de Blasio said Thursday. “When a woman comes forward with this kind of very specific allegations, we have to take it seriously.”

In a statement to Fox News, McGowan said, “I completely stand by Lindsey Boylan. Its truth leaks from every word on the screen that she wrote. She, none of us, should endure what she endured.”

McGowan added, “If they’re doing it to her, what are they doing to constituents? What is he going to do to what he considers the little people? It’s monstrous.”

Andrew Cuomo has pretty much gone into hiding and has so far not commented personally. It’s obvious he is counting on his allies in the national political to make this go away by continuing to ignore it.

Democrats sure got it good. 

CPAC 2021 Live Stream & Highlights From Friday

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Former President Donald Trump will be making his first post-presidential appearance at a conservative gathering in Florida next weekend, according to an AP report. Photo Credit: AP

 

 

Live Stream

 

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) called his state an “oasis of freedom” on Friday during his speech to CPAC.

The governor, who has followed a strategy of remaining open during the coronavirus pandemic, welcomed attendees from across the country to the Sunshine State.

“We are an oasis of freedom in a nation that’s suffering in many parts of the country under the yoke of oppressive lockdowns,” DeSantis said.

“We see schools closed, businesses shuttered, and lives destroyed,” he said.

 

 

How to Celebrate Purim @ Home: 10 Tips

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By Menachem Posner

Purim 2021 marks a full year on the Jewish calendar since the covid lockdowns began in the West, and life as we know it was upended.

This holiday, typically marked by communal celebrations and big get-togethers, seems particularly challenging to celebrate alone or with a small group of family members.

But if the past year has taught us anything, it’s that when there’s a will, there’s a way. And since G‑d certainly wills it, it’s up to us to find that way.

While Purim has lots of bells and whistles, we will first concentrate on the four mitzvot of the day, each of which must happen, and then move on to some creative ideas of how to bring the jolly cheer of Purim into our homes.

1. Hear the Megillah (In Person)

On Purim eve and again during the day (this year, Thursday night and Friday respectively), it is a mitzvah to hear the Megillah read aloud from a parchment scroll. If you can safely and legally make it to synagogue, then great. And if you have a Megillah scroll and know how to read Hebrew, you are also in good shape.

If you have a scroll, but are not much of a Hebrew reader, you may want to have someone stand with you carefully reading along in a printed text, which has vowels, to help you through the rough patches.

If you do not have a scroll and/or cannot do all that Hebrew reading yourself, contact your closest Chabad rabbi ASAP to make arrangements for a safe megillah reading, which can take place outdoors or through an open door or window.

If all else fails, here is an article on which (less than perfect) options remain:

Read: Megillah Over Phone or Livestream?

2. Give Charity to the Poor

If there was ever a time when people were in need of handouts, this is it! On the day of Purim it is a mitzvah to give charity to at least two fellow Jews in financial need. You do not need to leave your house to do this one. Send some cash to your rabbi and ask him to pass it on, or give directly to one of the many worthy causes who guarantee all money coming in on Purim day to families or individuals in need. For those unable to give locally, we have partnered with Colel Chabad to have your Purim funds distributed among the needy of Israel on Purim day.

Give: Purim Charity to Be Given in Israel

3. Send Food Parcels

Here too, the mitzvah can be done contact-free. Every female should send a minimum of two food items to a female friend, and every male does the same for a male friend. There need not be in-person handing off of the item, so sending through a delivery service or just dropping off a nice surprise at your friend’s doorstep are perfectly acceptable ways to do this mitzvah. In fact, you do not need to ever handle the item yourself. Asking someone else to purchase and deliver the gift on your behalf is just fine.

4. Have a Festive Meal

Sit down with whoever is in your pod (or yourself) to a nicely set table, and enjoy a Purim feast fit for royalty. Since Purim is Friday, things are a bit different from usual. Ideally we do not eat a full meal in close proximity to Shabbat, to ensure that we approach the Shabbat table with a hardy appetite. So the best thing is to have a big brunch, starting before halachic midday (calculate when that is in your area).

Read: On a Friday Purim, When Do We Do All the Mitzvot?

5. Dress Up

A time-honored favorite Purim tradition is to masquerade. During this topsy turvy era, where everything has been turned upside down and inside out, dressing up like a clown or Queen Esther even if you are going to spend the day alone doesn’t seem so crazy anymore. So dig up that old costume from the basement, or order something online, and give yourself some extra Purim sparkle.

Read: Why Do We Dress Up on Purim?

6. Zoom and Call

As we’ve all discovered over the past year, friends and loved ones are only a mouse-click away. Planning to have your meal alone, or know someone else who is? Arrange to have your feasts at the same time over live-stream.

Beyond mealtime, make sure to call as many friends as possible (especially those who are isolating or who have recently lost loved ones) and wish them a joyous Purim. Not only will you make them happy, but you’ll become more joyous as a result too.

7. Make Kreplach and Hamantaschen

When planning your Purim menu, remember the two classics, both of which comprise dough wrapped around a filling: hamantaschen (baked sweets shaped as triangles) and kreplach (dumplings that contain ground meat).

Read: Why We Eat Hamantaschen and Kreplach

8. Read Lots of Purim Articles

The best way to keep the Purim spirit pulsating within you is to binge on Purim study, inspiration, and more. We’ve got boatloads for you to read and watch right here.

Print: Printable Purim @ Home Companion

9. Decorate the House

Even if you will not have many revelers tramping in, Purim is still Purim. The amount and style of decorations is entirely up to you. If you’re the type to go all out, you can pick a theme, make online orders, and give your house an extreme Purim makeover. You can also print and decorate these coloring sheets to hang up around the house. Even hanging up a nice sign or a few streamers can be enough to give the place a festive feel and remind you that today is not just another Friday—it’s Purim!

10. Don’t Forget About Shabbat

On the subject of Friday, it’s important not to forget about Shabbat. So between all the activities you’ve just scheduled for yourself, be sure to leave time for bathing, cooking, cleaning, and everything else normally done to honor the Shabbat!

https://www.chabad.org/

Landmarks Preservation Commission Grants Approval for 83-Story Project Commodore in Midtown East

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Edited by: TJVNews.com

At a public hearing in New York City on Tuesday, a vote was taken by the Landmarks Preservation Commission in which approval was granted for Project Commodore, a proposed 1,646-foot supertall skyscraper in Midtown East, as was recently reported on the Yimby.com web site.

According to renderings that were produced by developers, the building which is projected to stand at 83 stories high will replace the Grand Hyatt Hotel at 175 Park Avenue and rise between the 108-year-old Beaux Arts Grand Central Terminal and the 91-year-old Art Deco Chrysler Building at the corner of East 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue, as was reported on Yimby.com.

The developers of the project are RXR Realty and TF Cornerstone and the designer of the structure is Skidmore Owings & Merrill.  According to the report on Yimby.com, the skyscraper is projected to yield “500 Hyatt hotel rooms on the upper floors spanning 453,000 square feet; 10,000 square feet of retail space on the ground, cellar, and second levels; new elevated, publicly accessible plaza space overlooking the surrounding Midtown neighborhood; and 2.1 million square feet of Class A office space.”

The Landmarks Preservation Commission granted its imprimatur for the project earlier in the week and as reported by Yimby.com the decision to approve it was predicated on   two critical advisory reports in the development of the project. In the end, it passed in the voting process with an overwhelmingly favorable vote on the architecturally “harmonious relationship” of the edifice with the adjacent Grand Central Terminal, as was reported by Yimby.com. In addition, there was a 10-0 vote on the improvement to viaduct passageways and the proposed 42nd Street passage that would help to more efficiently enhance the circulation of commuters walking among the ground floor, sidewalks, and subterranean levels of the complex, as was reported by Yimby.com.

The new rectangular concrete core for Project Commodore will be surrounded by four huge corner columns that will act as anchors for the superstructure. All of these critical structural components would have to be squeezed within the layout of this dense space upon the demolition of the 41-story hotel, according to the Yimby report.

Moreover, many of the textures and the choice of exterior materials for Project Commodore derive from and respect the architectural quality of Grand Central Terminal’s proportions, ornamentation, and iconic stone and glass façade, as was reported by Yimby.com.

Read more at: Yimby.com

 

Settlement with SoftBank May Be in the Offing for WeWork CEO Adam Neumann

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Photo Credit: AP

Edited by: TJVNews.com

Seems like WeWork’s Adam Neumann will be taking a significant salary cut. According to reports that are circulating the WeWork co-founder is discussing a settlement with SoftBank that would cut his payout from the Japanese investment giant roughly in half.

The Israeli-American billionaire and the office sharing giant WeWork were so miffed at Softbank when it jettisoned plans to buy $3 billion worth of shares from its investors last spring that they both filed separate lawsuits against the bank.

Before you state getting misty eyed over Neumann’s salary cut, the NY Post reported that a deal is close to being sealed that would put Softbank in a position where it would be on the hook for $1.5 billion of the amount listed above. And that would include about $500 million that will go directly into Neumann’s pocket, according to a report that appeared on Monday in the Wall Street Journal.

A person who is familiar with the deal told CNBC that Softbank (who is the majority owner of WeWork) would receive 10.5 percent of stock in WeWork from the company’s investors who jumped on board early in the game in return for a rate of $19.19 per share, which just happens to be the price that was initially agreed to.

In 2019, WeWork was not successful in an attempt at an initial public offering and as such Neumann vacated his position as the CEO. It was agreed upon that Neumann would bail out with a lucrative exit package. If the deal does make any headway,  the settlement for Neumann would involve a cut of $500 million off the $1,7 billion that he was expecting.

As per usual, both sides were mum when asked for comments on the on the negotiations taking place behind the scenes.

The NY Post reported that Marcelo Claure, the executive chairman of WeWork, who also happens to hold a top spot at Softbank had said in October that Neumann would be required to forego his hefty fee for consulting services as he was in violation of “some of the parts of the consulting agreement.” That essentially meant that Neumann would not collect a cool $185 million.

What specifically prompted settlement talks at this particular juncture could possibly be attributed to reports circulating that say that WeWork may might to try its hand again in going public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company, according to a report in the NY Post.

For those not in the know, a special purpose acquisition company is a publicly traded shell company that hitches itself to another firm which then takes over its stock listing, as was reported by the NY Post.

The WSJ reported that WeWork has been in talks about joining forces with a SPAC called BowX Acquisition Corp. This deal could value it at roughly $10 billion. The Post reported that this figure is well below the $47 billion valuation the company was believed to be worth before Neumann failed at its first IPO attempt.

On the more salacious side of this story, the Post reported that prior to extricating himself from his CEO chair at WeWork, reports indicated that Neumann enjoyed partying and allegedly created a culture at the company that promoted such practices. The Post reported that Neumann also allegedly smoked marijuana while on a private jet. In terms of living a profligate lifestyle, the Post also reported that the WeWork CEO did not make substantial efforts to rein in spending at a company that was bleeding cash.

Rand Paul Grills HHS Nominee Rachel Levine About Minors Having Sex Changes

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THE OFFICE OF GOVERNOR TOM WOLF/FLICKR.COM/GOVERNORTOMWOLF

(TJVNEWS) Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) grilled President Biden’s nominee for assistant health secretary, Rachel Levine, over whether minor children should be allowed to have a sex change, being that these procedures are irreversible, life-changing decisions. 

Levine, who is a transgender biological male and former pediatrician, carefully evaded Paul’s line of questions.  Below is this very fascinating exchange which raises a lot of serious questions about the transgender movement.

transcript:

 Paul: According to the WHO, genital mutilation has been recognized internationally as a violation of human rights. Genital mutilation is considered particularly egregious, because as the WHO knows, it is almost always carried out on minors and is a violation of the rights of children.
Most genital mutilation is not typically performed by force, but as WHO notes that by social convention, social norm. The social pressure to conform, to do what others do and have been doing as well as the need to be accepted socially and the fear of being rejected by the community. American culture is now normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones to prevent their biological development of their secondary sexual characteristics.
Dr. Levine you have supported both allowing minors to be given hormone blockers to prevent them from going through puberty, as well as surgical destruction of a minor’s genitalia. Like surgical mutilation, hormonal interruption of puberty can permanently alter and prevent secondary sexual characteristics. The American College of Pediatricians reports that 80-95% of pre-pubital children with gender dysphoria will experience resolution by late adolescence if not exposed to medical intervention and social affirmation.”

“Dr. Levine, do you believe that minors are capable of making such a life-changing decision as changing one’s sex?” Paul asked.

Levine deflected:

“Well, Senator, thank you for your interest in this question. Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field, with robust research and standards of care that have been developed. And if I am fortunate enough to be confirmed as the assistant secretary of health, I would look forward to working with you and your office in coming to your office and discussing the particulars of the standards of care for transgender medicine”.

Paul, visibly irritated, shot back:

“The specific question was about minors. Let’s be a little more specific since you evaded the question. Do you support the government intervening to override the parent’s consent to give a child puberty blockers, cross sex hormones, and/or amputation surgery of breasts and genitalia? You have said that you’re willing to accelerate the protocols for street kids. I’m alarmed that poor kids with no parents who are homeless and distraught – you would just go through this and allow that to happen to a minor.
What I’m alarmed at is that you’re not willing to say: ‘absolutely, minors should not be making the decision to amputate their breast, or to amputate their genitalia. For most of our history, we have believed that minors don’t have full rights and that parents need to be involved, so I’m alarmed that you won’t say, with certainty, that minors should not have the ability to make the decision to take hormones that will affect them for the rest of their life.

“Will you make a more firm decision on whether or not minors should be involved in these decisions?” Paul repeated.

Levine repeated her last answer almost verbatim: “Senator, transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field…”

To which Paul shot back:

“For most of the history of medicine, we wouldn’t let you have a cut zone up in the ER, but you’re willing to let a minor take things that prevent their puberty, and you think they get that back? You give a woman testosterone enough that she grows a beard, you think she’s going to go back to looking like a woman when you stop the testosterone? You have permanently changed them. Infertility is another problem. None of these drugs have been approved for this. They’re being used off-label.
I find it ironic that the left that went nuts over hydroxychloroquine being used possibly for covid, are not alarmed that these hormones are being used off-label. There’s no long-term studies. We don’t know what happens to ’em. We do know that there are dozens and dozens of people who’ve been through this who regret this happening – a permanent change happened to them.
And if you’ve ever been around children, 14-yar-olds can’t make this decision. In the gender dysphoria clinic in England, 10% of the kids are between the age of 3 and 10. We should be outraged that someone is talking to a three-year-old about changing their sex.”

Secretive Israeli nuclear facility undergoes major project

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Feb. 22, 2021 satellite photo from Planet Labs Inc. shows construction at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona, Israel. A long-secretive Israeli nuclear facility that gave birth to its undeclared atomic weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, according to satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press. (Planet Labs Inc. via AP)

(AP) — A secretive Israeli nuclear facility at the center of the nation’s undeclared atomic weapons program is undergoing what appears to be its biggest construction project in decades, satellite photos analyzed by The Associated Press show.

A dig about the size of a soccer field and likely several stories deep now sits just meters (yards) from the aging reactor at the Shimon Peres Negev Nuclear Research Center near the city of Dimona. The facility is already home to decades-old underground laboratories that reprocess the reactor’s spent rods to obtain weapons-grade plutonium for Israel’s nuclear bomb program.

What the construction is for, however, remains unclear. The Israeli government did not respond to detailed questions from the AP about the work. Under its policy of nuclear ambiguity, Israel neither confirms nor denies having atomic weapons. It is among just four countries that have never joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty, a landmark international accord meant to stop the spread of nuclear arms.

The construction comes as Israel — under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — maintains its scathing criticism of Iran’s nuclear program, which remains under the watch of United Nations inspectors unlike its own. That has renewed calls among experts for Israel to publicly declare details of its program.

 

What “the Israeli government is doing at this secret nuclear weapons plant is something for the Israeli government to come clean about,” said Daryl G. Kimball, executive director of the Washington-based Arms Control Association.

With French assistance, Israel began secretly building the nuclear site in the late 1950s in empty desert near Dimona, a city some 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Jerusalem. It hid the military purpose of the site for years from America, now Israel’s chief ally, even referring to it as a textile factory.

With plutonium from Dimona, Israel is widely believed to have become one of only nine nuclear-armed countries in the world. Given the secrecy surrounding its program, it remains unclear how many weapons it possesses. Analysts estimate Israel has material for at least 80 bombs. Those weapons likely could be delivered by land-based ballistic missiles, fighter jets or submarines.

For decades, the Dimona facility’s layout has remained the same. However, last week, the International Panel on Fissile Materials at Princeton University noted it had seen “significant new construction” at the site via commercially available satellite photos, though few details could be made out.

Satellite images captured Monday by Planet Labs Inc. after a request from the AP provide the clearest view yet of the activity. Just southwest of the reactor, workers have dug a hole some 150 meters (165 yards) long and 60 meters (65 yards) wide. Tailings from the dig can be seen next to the site. A trench some 330 meters (360 yards) runs near the dig.

Some 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) west of the reactor, boxes are stacked in two rectangular holes that appear to have concrete bases. Tailings from the dig can be seen nearby. Similar concrete pads are often used to entomb nuclear waste.

Other images from Planet Labs suggest the dig near the reactor began in early 2019 and has progressed slowly since then.

Analysts who spoke to the AP offered several suggestions about what could be happening there.

The center’s heavy-water reactor has been operational since the 1960s, far longer than most reactors of the same era. That raises both effectiveness and safety questions. In 2004, Israeli soldiers even began handing out iodine pills in Dimona in case of a radioactive leak from the facility. Iodine helps block the body from absorbing radiation.

Those safety concerns could see authorities decommission or otherwise retrofit the reactor, analysts say.

“I believe that the Israeli government is concerned to preserve and maintain the nation’s current nuclear capabilities,” said Avner Cohen, a professor of nonproliferation studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, who has written extensively on Dimona.

“If indeed the Dimona reactor is getting closer to decommissioned, as I believe it is, one would expect Israel to make sure that certain functions of the reactor, which are still indispensable, will be fully replaced.”

Kimball, of the Arms Control Association, suggested Israel may want to produce more tritium, a relatively faster-decaying radioactive byproduct used to boost the explosive yield of some nuclear warheads. It also could want fresh plutonium “to replace or extend the life of warheads already in the Israeli nuclear arsenal,” he added.

Israel built its nuclear weapons as it faced several wars with its Arab neighbors since its founding in 1948 in the wake of the Holocaust. An atomic weapons program, even undeclared, provided it an edge to deter enemies.

As Peres, who led the nuclear program and later served as prime minister and president of Israel, said in 1998: “We have built a nuclear option, not in order to have a Hiroshima, but to have an Oslo,” referring both to the first U.S. nuclear bomb drop in World War II and Israel’s efforts to reach a peace deal with Palestinians.

But Israel’s strategy of opacity also draws criticism from opponents. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif seized on the work at Dimona this week as his country prepared to limit access by the U.N.’s International Atomic Energy Agency amid tensions with the West over its collapsing 2015 nuclear deal.

“Any talk about concern about Iran’s nuclear program is absolute nonsense,” Zarif told Iranian state television’s English-language arm Press TV. “Let’s be clear on that: It’s hypocrisy.”

The timing of the Dimona construction surprised Valerie Lincy, executive director of the Washington-based Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control.

“I think the most puzzling thing is … you have a country that is very aware of the power of satellite imagery and particularly the way proliferation targets are monitored using that imagery,” Lincy said. “In Israel, you have one known nuclear target for monitoring, which is the Dimona reactor. So you would think that anything that they wanted to keep under the radar would be kept under the radar.”

In the 1960s, Israel used its claims about adversary Egypt’s missile and nuclear efforts to divert attention from its work at Dimona — and may choose to do the same with Iran now.

“If you’re Israel and you are going to have to undertake a major construction project at Dimona that will draw attention, that’s probably the time that you would scream the most about the Iranians,” said Jeffrey Lewis, a professor also teaching nonproliferation issues at Middlebury.

Why Dominion’s Defamation Lawsuits Are Garbage

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AP

Ryan McMaken(MISES)

Dominion Voting Systems is suing MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell for $1.3 billion. This comes in the wake of other Dominion lawsuits against Trump advisors Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell. All are accused of lying about Dominion’s supposed complicity in using the company’s vote-counting software to favor presidential candidate Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election.

The company claims Lindell’s accusations “have caused irreparable harm to Dominion’s good reputation and threatened the safety of our employees and customers.” In the case of Giuliani, the company claims: “For Dominion—whose business is producing and providing voting systems for elections—there are no accusations [other than Giuliani’s claims of fraud and election fixing] that could do more to damage Dominion’s business or to impugn Dominion’s integrity, ethics, honesty, and financial integrity.”

Behind all of this is the usual logic of a defamation lawsuit. Dominion’s owners are concerned that Lindell, Giuliani, and Powell have cost the company money by saying things that could potentially hurt Dominion financially.

It’s entirely possible that Dominion may have a case, at least legally speaking. Dominion is nominally a private company. But will need to prove the usual elements of a defamation suit, namely, that Lindell et al. made false statements about Dominion and that they knew these statements were false. Dominion must also show it suffered damages.

Fortunately, this is very difficult to do in American courts. This is especially true for government officials and “public figures” of any kind. In those cases, a plaintiff must also prove that the defamation was committed with malicious intent and recklessness.

This presents a very high legal standard to meet. And rightly so.

In any case, a respect for freedom of speech would render most, if not all, defamation suits null and void. As I’ve noted in the past, defamation law opens a Pandora’s box of legal strategies that can be employed to silence people the regime and its allies find to be inconvenient.

In the case of Dominion Voting Systems, however, the company should not be able to sue for defamation at all. This is because Dominion is a private company in name only, and in reality is a de facto government agency.

Governments (in America) Can’t Sue for Defamation

In the 1964 case New York Times v. Sullivan, the US Supreme Court concluded:

For good reason, “no court of last resort in this country has ever held, or even suggested, that prosecutions for libel on government have any place in the American system of jurisprudence.”

The reasons for this should be obvious. Government agencies enjoy monopoly privileges and are funded through the coercive collection of taxes. Even the most blue-pilled regime sympathizer can probably see the danger that arises from also granting this monopolistic agency the right to sue people for criticizing it. After all, the liberal notion of “free speech” was codified in documents like the Bill of Rights primarily for the purposes of ensuring critics of the regime would be legally immune from the regime’s attempts to retaliate.

This brings us to “private” organizations like Dominion.

In its lawsuits against Lindell, Giuliani, and Powell, the company is proceeding as if it were just another private company. The basic claim is “we’re just a poor, innocent group of entrepreneurs being defamed!”

But “private” is clearly not an appropriate term for describing a company like Dominion. And “entrepreneurship” has very little to do with it. This is a company that is overwhelmingly geared toward serving only government agencies and performing what can only be described as government services. Dominion provides ballot-counting software and related services. Its only “clients” are apparently government agencies. As such, Dominion’s revenue comes from tax revenue. The company and its founders are not “entrepreneurial” in any sense except in the sense of a “political entrepreneur,” who seeks profit through government subsidies and contracts. The company does not interact in a free and open marketplace where real customers exchange money with the company in exchange for a good or service. Rather, taxpayers are forced to support Dominion through taxation, and taxpayers have no meaningful say in whether or not they “pay” Dominion. In short, the relationship between Dominion and the people who ultimately fund Dominion is one of coercion and exploitation.

In this sense, Dominion is like many other de facto government agencies which rather unconvincingly claim to be “private” in any sense other than the legal. One such example is Academi—formerly known as Blackwater—which supplies mercenary troops and related services to government agencies. The company was founded and managed by former CIA agents and other bureaucrats who presumably wanted to cash in the on the lucrative business of government contracts. Academi’s revenue has overwhelmingly come through these contracts, and as such, it is funded by the sweat and toil of the taxpayer.

Of course, this hasn’t stopped Academi’s founder, Erik Prince, from ridiculously claiming to be some sort of free market entrepreneur.

We might also point to other “private” companies that cater to governments. This would include weapons manufacturers like Lockheed Martin, or even road construction companies whose business plan is based around construction of government projects.

It’s not unusual to encounter engineers and owners from companies like these who make snide remarks about “government bureaucrats.” In truth, these people are only describing themselves. If their income comes primarily from tax dollars, they are de facto government employees.

Naturally, we could see the danger that arises from allowing these companies to sue their detractors for defamation. For example, given that Academi has been a key component of the brutal and bloody US occupation of Iraq, many critics have claimed over the years that Academi has murdered countless Iraqis. Are such statements defamation? A court could agree. Were Academi to sue such critics, though, the company would just be using tax dollars to sue taxpayers for daring to criticize an agency carrying out government policy.

This is also true of Dominion when it attempts to sue critics for defamation.

So, was Dominion defamed by its critics? Who cares? This should be considered of no more importance than whether or not the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) is being defamed when critics of the Waco massacre contend that federal agents murdered Branch Davidian women and children. Allowing a government agency to sue in such cases would be a direct assault on free speech and the freedom to verbally attack perceived abuses by the regime.

De facto government agencies like Dominion (or Academi or Raytheon) should not be allowed to pose as legitimate private companies deserving of private sector legal protections. If they don’t like it, these firms can get in the business of offering real, voluntary services in the marketplace sans the taxpayer largesse.

Author:

Contact Ryan McMaken

Ryan McMaken (@ryanmcmaken) is a senior editor at the Mises Institute. Send him your article submissions for the Mises Wire and The Austrian, but read article guidelines first. Ryan has degrees in economics and political science from the University of Colorado and was a housing economist for the State of Colorado. He is the author of Commie Cowboys: The Bourgeoisie and the Nation-State in the Western Genre.