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Antifa Attacks Democrat HQ in Portland — Wants Revenge, Not Biden

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Twitter Video Screenshot/Julio Rosas, Townhall.com

Antifa marched through the streets of Portland, Oregon, on Inauguration Day carrying a sign saying “We don’t want Biden — We want revenge!”

A video tweeted by New York Times journalist Mike Baker whose a group of Antifa protesters marching down a Portland street with a sign bearing anti-police and anti-Biden messages.

“We don’t want Biden,” one sign reads. “We want revenge!” The sign says they want revenge for “police murders, imperialist wars, and fascist massacres.”

A tweet by Portland Tribune reporter Zane Sparling shows a sign reading, “We are ungovernable.”

The Antifa crew continued their march and ransacked the Portland Democratic Party headquarters.

Another video tweeted by Townhall.com journalist Julio Rosas shows Antifa wearing black bloc and carrying umbrellas smashing the windows of the Democrat’s offices and spraypainting graffiti on the building.

F**k Biden,” one of the messages stated. Another spelled the new president’s name wrong but said, “F**k Bided {sic}, stillfascost {sic}.”

Rosas said Antifa quickly fled the scene when police arrived.

Baker tweeted that he received criticism for calling the crowd “left-wing.” He clarified, calling the crowd a “mix of racial-justice, anti-fascist, anarchist, youth liberation, etc.”

KOIN6 reporter Jennifer Dowling tweeted another video portraying the destruction at the Democrats’ office building.

She tweeted another video showing Portland police placing a person under arrest.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team

Biden Issues Executive Orders On Gender Identity: Men who Identify as Women Can Compete in Woman’s Sports

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PENNY STARR

Hours after taking the oath of office, President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Wednesday giving sweeping “rights” to men and women who want to live as the opposite biological sex, including allowing these transgender individuals to compete in sports.

Every person should be treated with respect and dignity and should be able to live without fear, no matter who they are or whom they love,” Biden wrote in the Executive Order, using the talking point used during the Obama administration.

The order also will make spaces like restrooms and locker rooms open to all individuals based on their perceived sex rather than their biological sex.

“Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports,” Biden wrote.  

The order also covered the workplace, ensuring that people will not “be fired, demoted, or mistreated because of whom they go home to or because how they dress does not conform to sex-based stereotypes.”

The order cites federal statutes Biden said backs up his order, including Title IX, which is actually the reverse of his order because the statute is to prohibit schools that receive federal funding from discrimination against women, including in sports.

The order also claims the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that prevented discrimination based race, color, religion, sex or national origin, also applies to “sexual orientation.” Biden cites the U.S. Supreme Court’s Bostock v. Clayton County case, which held, “An employer who fires an individual merely for being gay or transgender violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.”

“It is the policy of my administration to prevent and combat discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation, and to fully enforce Title VII and other laws that prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or sexual orientation,” the order said. “It is also the policy of my administration to address overlapping forms of discrimination.”

he order is meant to be enforced across the federal government by requiring agencies to comply with it.

The Human Rights Campaign, which has for years pressed for special rights for people based on their sexual preferences, praised Biden’s order:

Biden’s Executive Order is the most substantive, wide-ranging executive order concerning sexual orientation and gender identity ever issued by a United States president,” Alphonso David, President, Human Right Campaign, said in statement. “Today, millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that their President and their government believe discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity is not only intolerable but illegal. By fully implementing the Supreme Court’s historic ruling in Bostock, the federal government will enforce federal law to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination in employment, health care, housing, and education, and other key areas of life. 

“While detailed implementation across the federal government will take time, this Executive Order will begin to immediately change the lives of the millions of LGBTQ people seeking to be treated equally under the law,” David said. “The full slate of Day One Executive Orders mark a welcome shift from the politics of xenophobia and discrimination to an administration that embraces our world, its people and its dreamers. We look forward to continuing to engage with the White House, Department of Justice, and other agencies to ensure that Bostock is properly implemented across the federal government.”

But Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said Biden’s threatens people of faith and flies in the face of facts.

“With a stroke of a pen, President Joe Biden has turned 50-year-old civil rights legislation on its head, hollowing out protections for people of faith,” Perkins said in a statement. “President Biden is unilaterally enacting a sweeping policy change that has routinely failed to win the approval of Congress, the body the Constitution tasks with actually passing laws.”

“Sadly, the Biden administration is planning to go much further in its assault on biological reality and is expected to order schools to abolish girls’ sports and force boys and girls to use the same showers and locker rooms, and maybe even bunk together on school trips,” Perkins said. “The party that claims to be the party of science is advancing policies on day one that deny reality.”

Follow Penny Starr on Twitter or send news tips to [email protected]

WHO Admits High-Cycle PCR Tests Produce COVID False Positives

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(TJVNEWS.COM)

August of last year, The New York Times published an article stating that as many as 90% of COVID-19 tests in three states were not indicative of active illness. In other words, they were picking up viral debris incapable of causing infection or being transmitted because the cycle threshold (Ct) of the PCR testing amplified the sample too many times, PJ media pointed out

From NY Times

Most tests set the limit at 40, a few at 37. This means that you are positive for the coronavirus if the test process required up to 40 cycles, or 37, to detect the virus.

Tests with thresholds so high may detect not just live virus but also genetic fragments, leftovers from an infection that pose no particular risk — akin to finding a hair in a room long after a person has left, Dr. Mina said.

Within an hour of Joe Biden being inaugurated and signing an executive order mandating masks on all federal property, the WHO sent out a notice to lab professionals using the PCR test. It said:

WHO guidance Diagnostic testing for SARS-CoV-2 states that careful interpretation of weak positive results is needed (1). The cycle threshold (Ct) needed to detect virus is inversely proportional to the patient’s viral load. Where test results do not correspond with the clinical presentation, a new specimen should be taken and retested using the same or different NAT technology.

 

In other words the WHO admits that PCR testing at high amplification rates alters the predictive value of the tests and results in a huge number of false positives.

If labs follow the new guidelines, COVID cases will soon start to decline  rapidly.

Some commentators pointed out this would happen after Biden took office. If the CDC adopts the WHO testing guidelines, false positives will decrease and it will appear Joe Biden without doing anything is making COVID end !!

PJMedia’s Stacey Lennox said in October

Biden will issue national standards, like the plexiglass barriers in restaurants he spoke about during the debate, and pressure governors to implement mask mandates using the federal government’s financial leverage.

Some hack at the CDC or FDA will issue new guidance lowering the Ct the labs use, and cases will magically start to fall.

In reality, the change will only eliminate false positives, but most Americans won’t know that.

 

Three National Guardsmen Dead After Helicopter Crash In Upstate New York

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A tragic accident overnight claimed three National Guard members’ lives when their helicopter crashed in New York Wednesday night, according to CNY Central.

The state’s Division of Military and Naval Affairs said the New York Army National Guard Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk based at the Army Aviation Support Facility at Greater Rochester International Airport crashed while on a training mission

A tragic accident overnight claimed three National Guard members’ lives when their helicopter crashed in New York Wednesday night, according to CNY Central.

 

“This is a heavy, heavy burden upon all of us,” Monroe County Sheriff Todd Baxter told reporters. “These are our freedom providers… just showing again that freedom is not free. We lost three great Americans today in the service of our country.”

 

Watchdog calls for transparency from University of Pennsylvania’s Biden Center

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AP

By Alana Goodman, Washington Free Beacon

A good-government watchdog is calling on secretary of state nominee Antony Blinken to disclose any foreign-funding sources for the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Biden Center, where Blinken served as director, as part of his Senate confirmation vetting process.

The National Legal and Policy Center (NPLC) is arguing that any foreign money that made its way into the Penn Biden Center could pose a conflict of interest for Blinken, who served as the center’s director from 2017 to 2019 and received a more than $79,000 salary, according to his financial-disclosure records. The watchdog group said the university also saw a significant spike in contributions from China after the Penn Biden Center opened in 2017, raising questions about whether the funding had any connection to the policy center.

While President-elect Joe Biden has vowed to tighten ethics standards for his incoming administration, the Penn Biden Center’s lack of financial candor raises questions about the Biden cabinet’s commitment to transparency as Blinken testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday afternoon.

“The Penn Biden Center is the poster child for revolving-door conflicts of interest,” said Tom Anderson, director of the NPLC’s Government Integrity Project. “It’s time they disclose their donors and allow the American people the opportunity to evaluate whether any lines have been crossed.”

The Penn Biden Center was founded by Joe Biden at the University of Pennsylvania in 2017. Biden’s other policy-research institute at the University of Delaware has faced similar criticism over a lack of transparency and has no plans to disclose its donors after the president-elect takes office. Both organizations have served as cabinets-in-waiting, employing former Biden advisers who are now expected to join his administration.

 

Stephen MacCarthy, a spokesman for the University of Pennsylvania, told the Washington Free Beacon that the Penn Biden Center “is funded entirely with University funds” and doesn’t engage in fundraising.

“The University has never solicited any gifts for the Center. Since its inception in 2017 there have been three unsolicited gifts (from two donors) which combined total $1,100. Both donors are Americans,” said MacCarthy.

MacCarthy declined to discuss additional details of the center’s funding, or the sudden spike in donations from China, on the record.

Foreign contributions to the University of Pennsylvania tripled since the Penn Biden Center’s soft opening in March 2017, rising from $31 million in 2016 to over $100 million in 2019. The largest foreign contributor was China, which significantly increased its gifts to the university after the Penn Biden Center opened.

The University of Pennsylvania took in around $61 million in gifts and contracts from China between 2017 and 2019, according to records from the Department of Education. This was a substantial uptick from the prior four years, when the university received $19 million from China.

Many of the Chinese contributions were listed as coming from “anonymous” sources, according to the university’s disclosure records. Between March 2017 and the end of 2019, the university received a total of $22 million in anonymous gifts from China—a spike from less than $5 million during the preceding four years.

Blinken’s work outside of the Penn Biden Center also involved China and university funding.

Blinken cofounded the consulting firm WestExec, which helped U.S. universities raise money from China without running afoul of Pentagon grant requirements, the Free Beacon reported last month. WestExec scrubbed the details of this work from its website over the summer.

Anderson said his group is preparing to file a supplement to a Department of Justice complaint filed against the University of Pennsylvania last year.

The NLPC’s complaint asked the DOJ to look into whether the University of Pennsylvania or the Penn Biden Center violated the Foreign Agent Registration Act by accepting foreign funding in exchange for promoting the interests of foreign governments. Anderson said the new complaint will include Blinken’s work assisting universities that receive funding from China.

Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters that the committee will likely vote on Blinken’s confirmation on Monday.

Hollywood on the Potomac: A-list turns out for Biden-Harris

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Lady Gaga sings the National Anthem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool)157

(AP) A full-throated, supremely confident Lady Gaga belted out the national anthem at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in a very Gaga way — with flamboyance, fashion and passion.

The Grammy winner wore a huge dove-shaped brooch and an impressively billowing red sculpted skirt as she sang into a golden microphone, delivering an emotional and powerful rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” She was followed at Wednesday’s ceremony by Jennifer Lopez, dressed all in white, who threw a line of Spanish into her medley of “This Land is Your Land” and “America the Beautiful” — a pointed nod to multiculturalism, just two weeks after white supremacists and other violent rioters stormed the Capitol in an effort to undermine the peaceful transfer of power.

And country star Garth Brooks, doffing his black cowboy hat, sang a gospel-tinged, soulful a capella rendition of “Amazing Grace,” his eyes closed for much of the song. He asked the audience to sing a verse with him: “Not just the people here, but the people at home, to work as one united.”

The three superstars were among a slew of glittery celebrities descending on Washington — virtually or in person — to welcome the new administration of Biden and Kamala Harris, a duo popular in Hollywood, where former President Donald Trump was decidedly not. While stars mostly eschewed Trump’s inauguration four years ago, the A-list was back for Biden.

Brooks was careful to call his decision to perform on Wednesday non-political, and in the spirit of unity. He had performed during the inaugural celebration for Obama in 2009, but turned down a chance to perform for Trump in 2017, citing a scheduling conflict.

Gaga went on Twitter later to explain that the giant brooch accompanying her Schiaparelli haute couture outfit was “a dove carrying an olive branch. May we all make peace with each other.” Lopez was in all-white Chanel, and Brooks kept it real in jeans, an open-collared black shirt and blazer.

While the podium was full of high-wattage star power, there was little question that a new star had also emerged: 22-year-old poet Amanda Gorman, whose poise and urgency as she recited “The Hill We Climb” enthralled a global audience.

None other than Bruce Springsteen launched the evening’s entertainment: “Celebrating America,” a 90-minute, multi-network broadcast hosted by Tom Hanks that took the place of the usual official inaugural balls, with Biden and Harris watching along and giving brief remarks. Alone with his guitar, The Boss sang his “Land of Hope and Dreams” in front of the Lincoln Memorial. “I will provide for you, and I’ll stand by your side,” he sang. “You’ll need a good companion, for this part of the ride.”

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Hanks, also at the Lincoln Memorial, spoke of “deep divisions and a troubling rancor in our land” over the past few years. “But tonight we ponder the United States of America, the practice of our democracy, the foundations of our republic, the integrity of our Constitution, the hope and dreams we all share for a more perfect union,” he said.

Jon Bon Jovi contributed a rendition of “Here Comes the Sun” from Miami, and Ant Clemons and Justin Timberlake performed “Better Days” from Memphis. John Legend sang “Feeling Good” in Washington; Foo Fighters sang “Times Like These” in honor of teachers, and Demi Lovato performed “Lovely Day” along with doctors and nurses in Los Angeles.

A starry collection of Broadway’s most prominent musical actors collaborated on a medley of “Seasons of Love” from the show “Rent” and “Let the Sun Shine In” from “Hair,” among them Christopher Jackson, Reéne Elise Goldsberry, Laura Benanti, Betty Buckley and Javier Muñoz. “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda recited from “The Cure at Troy” by Irish poet Seamus Heaney.

Reciting excerpts of notable inaugural addresses from history were basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, labor leader Dolores Huerta and Kim Ng, the first female general manager in MLB history. Peppering musical performances among stories of ordinary Americans and their contributions, the show included tributes to a UPS driver, a kindergarten teacher and Sandra Lindsay, the first in New York to receive the COVID-19 vaccine outside a clinical trial.

The proceedings ended with a lavish fireworks show in the Washington night sky, watched by Biden (at the White House) and Harris (at the Lincoln Memorial) and their families to — what else? — “Firework,” performed by Katy Perry.

The history of celebrities performing at inaugurations dates back to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s third inauguration in 1941, when a gala celebration the evening before saw performances from Irving Berlin, Mickey Rooney and Charlie Chaplin, says Lina Mann of the White House Historical Association. “Chaplin performed his monologue from ‘The Great Dictator,’” Mann notes.

The celebrity component only increased over time, and one of the starriest inaugurations was that of John F. Kennedy in 1961. That celebration, hosted by Frank Sinatra, drew Harry Belafonte, Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Kelly, Ethel Merman, Laurence Olivier, Sidney Poitier and other celebrities.

Fast forward to the first Obama inauguration in 2009, where Aretha Franklin sang “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” at the swearing-in, and the new president and his wife, Michelle, were serenaded by Beyoncé singing “At Last” at an inaugural ball.

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AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report from Los Angeles.

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Biden taps two additional Jewish nominees to senior posts in intelligence, health

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Former Deputy CIA director David Cohen, who was appointed to the same position by U.S. President-elect Joe Biden. Credit: Central Intelligence Agency via Wikimedia Commons

(JNS) U.S. President-elect Joe Biden has appointed former CIA deputy director David Cohen to return to the same role.

The Biden transition team announced the move on Friday.

Cohen, 57, who is Jewish, will not need U.S. Senate confirmation to the deputy director role, which he held under U.S. President Barack Obama between 2015 and 2017. Therefore, he will be able to take on the role as soon as Biden is sworn in as president.

Meanwhile, Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine, who is also Jewish, to serve as U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health.

If she receives at least 51 votes in the U.S. Senate, Levin would be the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the upper congressional chamber.

“A deeply experienced and effective public servant and public health expert, Dr. Levine was confirmed three times by the Republican-controlled Pennsylvania state senate to serve as Secretary of Health and the state’s physician general,” said the Biden transition team in a  statement on Tuesday.

Levine, 63, has been Pennsylvania’s top health official since 2017.

President Trump’s Grandson Sings Hashem Melech As Parents Look On

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(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

(VINnews) — A clip showing Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump’s son singing Jewish songs in his classroom as his parents watch him on Zoom has emerged on social media sites. The clip demonstrates the Chabad-style Jewish education being given to former president Donald Trump’s Jewish grandson.

Jared and Ivanka had pulled their children out of the school they were studying in three months ago since it did not have many in-person classes during the pandemic, whereas their current school, the Melvin J. Berman Hebrew Academy in suburban Maryland, offered more such classes. However it appears that the children will once again be changing schools as the parents intend to relocate to Florida in the near future.

 

Prominent Jewish Citizens Granted Pardons & Clemency from Trump Prior to DC Departure

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Eliyahu Weinstein

By: Fern Sidman

On Wednesday morning, President Trump along with first lady Melania, departed the White House for the last time, en route to their estate in Palm Beach, Florida.

The former president stopped to make a statement to pool reporters outside the White House and thanked his staff and those who supported him throughout his presidency. He did not take any questions. From there, he and the first lady walked to Marine One for the short trip to Joint Base Andrews where Trump delivered his departure address to an ebullient crowd of supporters that included such family members as daughter Ivanka, son-in-law Jared Kushner, daughter Tiffany and her fiancé, Donald Jr and girlfriend Kimberly Guilfoyle, Eric Trump and his wife Lara, and some of his grandchildren among throngs of others who were issued special invitations.

“We’ve accomplished so much together,” Trump told the cheering crowd.”People have no idea how hard this family worked — and they worked for you. They could’ve had a much easier life.”

Looking back at his term in office, Trump told the gathering, “What we have done has been amazing by any standard. We’ve left it all on the field.”

Melania told the crowd, “being your first lady was my greatest honor. Thank you for your love and your support.”

Trump concluded his remarks by saying, “Have a good life. We will see you soon.”

On Tuesday night, Trump released the list of those for whom he granted pardons for crimes they committed and also granted clemency to others.  They amounted to 73 pardons and 70 commutations. Of particular interest to the Jewish community are those who received pardons and commutations from hours before his term concluded.

According to a report on the Yeshiva World News web site, President Trump commuted the sentence of Eliyahu Weinstein of Lakewood, New Jersey. This commutation is supported by former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman, former Representative Bob Barr, former U.S. Attorney Joseph Whittle, Professor Alan Dershowitz, Representative Mark Walker, Representative Scott Perry, Representative Jeff Van Drew, Jessica Jackson of the Reform Alliance, The Tzedek Association, Dr. Danny Feuer, and numerous victims who have written in support.

Mr. Weinstein is the father of seven children and a loving husband. He is currently serving his eighth year of a 24-year sentence for a real estate investment fraud and has maintained an exemplary prison history. Upon his release, he will have strong support from his community and members of his faith.

Among those who wrote letters pleading for Weinstein to be released were Hagaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky and the Boyaner Rebbe.

President Trump commuted the sentence of Shalom Weiss, formerly of Boro Park, Brooklyn. Weiss was the recipient of what is believed to be the longest-ever white-collar prison sentence – more than 800 years in prison in 2000.

This commutation is supported by former U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, former Solicitors General Ken Starr and Seth Waxman, former United States Representative Bob Barr, numerous members of the New York legislature, notable legal figures such as Professor Alan Dershowitz and Jay Sekulow, former U.S. Attorney Brett Tolman, and various other former elected officials. Mr. Weiss was convicted of racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and obstruction of justice, for which he has already served over 18 years and paid substantial restitution. He is 66 years old and suffers from chronic health conditions.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Alex Adjmi, a prominent member of the Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn and Deal, New Jersey. This pardon is supported by Haim Chera on behalf of his late father Stanley, Robert Cayre, the Sitt family and numerous other community leaders.  Mr. Adjmi has utterly devoted himself to his community and has never turned down a charitable cause that has sought his assistance.  Quite to the contrary as he actively seeks out those in need to assist

Mr. Adjmi’s  exceptional generosity to any person in need is legendary and as such, he volunteered his time and resources to head up the expansion committee of the Special Children’s Center in Lakewood, New Jersey. This $10 million project allowed the center (that is dedicated to providing the highest level of care for physically challenged children and adults) to significantly enlarge their campus and add features to their multiple programs.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Aviem Sella. Mr. Sella is an Israeli citizen who was indicted in 1986 for espionage in relation to the Jonathan Pollard case. Mr. Sella’s request for clemency is supported by the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer, the United States Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, and Miriam Adelson. The State of Israel has issued a full and unequivocal apology, and has requested the pardon in order to close this unfortunate chapter in U.S.-Israel relations.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Kenneth Kurson. Prosecutors have charged Mr. Kurson with cyberstalking related to his divorce from his ex-wife in 2015. In a powerful letter to the prosecutors, Mr. Kurson’s ex-wife wrote on his behalf that she never wanted this investigation or arrest and, “repeatedly asked for the FBI to drop it… I hired a lawyer to protect me from being forced into yet another round of questioning. My disgust with this arrest and the subsequent articles is bottomless…” This investigation only began because Mr. Kurson was nominated to a role within the Trump Administration. He has been a community leader in New York and New Jersey for decades. In addition, Mr. Kurson is a certified foster parent, a successful business owner, and is passionate about various charitable causes. Mr. Kurson is an upstanding citizen and father to five beautiful children.

Also granted a full pardon by Trump was Hillel Nahmad, a scion of a prominent Jewish art dealer family, who was convicted of a minor infraction.  This pardon is supported by members of his Sephardic Jewish community. Since his conviction, Mr. Nahmad has lived an exemplary life and has been dedicated to the well-being of his community. The Nahmad family are internationally renowned art collectors and are said to have the largest collection of Picasso paintings. Moreover, they are chief benefactors to a panoply of worthy charities.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Elliott Broidy. Mr. Broidy is the former Deputy National Finance Chair of the Republican National Committee.  This pardon is supported by Representative Devin Nunes, Representative Ken Calvert, Representative Jack Bergman, Representative George Holding, Ambassador Ric Grenell, Bernie Marcus, Malcolm Hoenlein, Eric Branstad, Tom Hicks, Saul Fox, Lee Samson, Rabbi Steven Leder, Dr. Alveda King, Father Frank Pavone, Major General Clayton Hutmacher, Lieutenant General Bennet Sacolick, Mr. Bruce Brereton, Rabbi Steven Burg, Rabbi Pini Dunner, Rabbi Meyer May, and Rabbi Mordechai Suchard.

Mr. Broidy was convicted on one count of conspiracy to serve as an unregistered agent of a foreign principal. Mr. Broidy is well known for his numerous philanthropic efforts, including on behalf of law enforcement, the military and veterans programs, and the Jewish community.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Abel Holtz. This pardon is supported by Representative Mario Diaz-Balart and friends and business colleagues in his community. Mr. Holtz is currently 86 years old. In 1995, he pled guilty to one count of impeding a grand jury investigation and was sentenced to 45 days in prison. Before his conviction, Mr. Holtz, who was the Chairman of a local bank, never had any legal issues and has had no other legal issues since his conviction. Mr. Holtz has devoted extensive time and resources to supporting charitable causes in South Florida, including substantial donations to the City of Miami Beach.

President Trump commuted the sentence of Michael Ashley. This commutation is supported by Professor Alan Dershowitz, Pastor Darrel Scott, Rabbi Zvi Boyarski, The Aleph Institute, Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi, Gary Apfel, and Bradford Cohen. Mr. Ashley was convicted and sentenced to 3 years in prison for bank fraud. Notably, Mr. Ashley’s sentencing judge said, “I don’t have any concern that you are not truly remorseful. I know that you are a changed man.” Since his conviction, Mr. Ashley has spent time caring for his ailing mother and paying his debt back to society.

President Trump commuted the sentence of Jonathan Braun. Mr. Braun has served 5 years of a 10-year sentence for operating a massive marijuana importing operation from his Orthodox Jewish parents’ home on Staten Island, New York. He had his sentence commuted after serving five years in prison. Braun reportedly fled to Israel before being arrested, then remained on house arrest for a decade before being sent to jail.  Upon his release, Mr. Braun will seek employment to support his wife and children.

President Trump granted a full pardon to Drew Brownstein, who, other than this conviction, was described by his sentencing judge as someone who “goes out of his way to help people that are less fortunate.” This pardon is supported by the Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division, Makan Delrahim, and several of Mr. Brownstein’s friends and family. Mr. Brownstein was convicted of insider trading and has since paid his fines and forfeitures in full. Both before and after his conviction, Mr. Brownstein has volunteered extensively as a youth coach with the Boys & Girls club in Denver and the Jewish Family Services of Colorado.

President Trump commuted the sentence of Noah Kleinman. Mr. Kleinman is a 45-year old father of two children. The mother of his children unfortunately passed away during Mr. Kleinman’s incarceration. Mr. Kleinman has served 6 years of a nearly 20 year sentence for a non-violent crime to distribute marijuana. Mr. Kleinman has had an exemplary prison history and has worked to remain close to his children and his father. Upon release, he looks forward to living with his father, working for the family business, and caring for his children.

President Trump granted a full pardon to David Tamman. Mr. Tamman’s pardon is supported by the Aleph Institute, former Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Louis Freeh, and former United States Attorney Kendall Coffey. Mr. Tamman was a partner at a major American law firm when he doctored financial documents that were the subject of a Federal investigation. These actions were done at the behest of a client who was perpetrating a Ponzi scheme upon unsuspecting investors. Mr. Tamman was convicted of his crimes following a bench trial and completed his seven-year sentence in 2019. Mr. Tamman accepts full responsibility for his actions and numerous friends and colleagues have attested that he is a decent man who experienced a terrible lapse in judgment for which he has already paid a significant price.

President Trump granted a conditional pardon to Stephen Odzer. This pardon is supported by former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, Sigmund “Sig” Rogich, Jason Greenblatt, Michael Steinhardt, Wayne Allyn Root, Salvador Moran, the Aleph Institute, and numerous members of Mr. Odzer’s religious community. Mr. Odzer pled guilty to conspiracy and bank fraud, for which he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Numerous individuals testify to his substantial philanthropic and volunteer activities. His philanthropic endeavors include providing personal protective equipment to front-line workers in New York City hospitals; visiting sick children in hospitals; and donating religious materials to prison inmates and U.S. Service Members around the world. He has also dedicated resources to support and build synagogues in memory of his late cousin who was kidnapped and killed by Muslim terrorists while in Israel. The pardon requires Mr. Odzer to pay the remainder of his restitution order. (YWN.com)

 

 

 

I Hear America Singing

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By Phyllis Chesler

. All those faces of prominent people, especially the women of color—seemed like a dream or perhaps a movie—but their roles were all real, historic. I do not judge a person by the “color of their skin” but by the “content of their character”—as the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King taught us so long ago. And as we know, America has always been multi-racial, multi-ethnic, and populated by even more women than men.

Let Freedom Ring!

It’s been a long time coming and it was finally good to see so many women appointees, distinguished speakers, poet laureates, singers, and elected politicians. By now, we almost take this for granted. But to have Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor swear in Vice President Kamala Harris was a very special moment for so many feminists who have been fighting for this for so long.

But the proof is always in the pudding. No matter who’s in charge, I am worried about how divided our country is; about free speech, hate speech, academic freedom, and censorship; about our economy and our health; about Iran, and about China too, not to mention the pandemic which has killed and afflicted so many of our citizens. I fear that the much-touted Equality Act will erode our hard-won and oh-so-fragile rights for women; therefore, instead, I strongly support the Equal Rights Amendment for Women. I am worried about statements in favor of de-criminalizing prostitution (which I view as sex slavery).

And oh how I fear for Israel. I have just been told that the language of the American Ambassador to Israel’s Twitter account has quickly been changed—possibly by Twitter! What was once “Ambassador to Israel” suddenly became “Ambassador to Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza.” Only those who have been charting the world-wide rise in Jew hatred/anti-Zionism, especially among “progressives” in the West may share my fears.

I remain cheered by the Abraham Accords and hope that many more Arab and Muslim nations states will finally make peace with Israel, and that the Palestinian people will be liberated from their tyrannical Palestinian terrorist-leaders.

I wish President Biden and Vice President Harris and their families a good day and a wise reign.

John Weaver Out at Lincoln Project After Admitting ‘Inappropriate’ Convos with Young Men

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(Free Beacon)

Lincoln Project cofounder John Weaver is no longer affiliated with the Democratic Super PAC after admitting—in the classic tradition of the Friday evening news dump—to having “inappropriate” sexual conversations with young men.

“The truth is that I’m gay,” Weaver told former Washington Free Beacon journalist Lachlan Markay in a prewritten statement. “And that I have a wife and two kids who I love. My inability to reconcile those two truths has led to this agonizing place.”

Weaver reportedly took a medical leave of absence from the Lincoln Project over the summer, and will not be returning to the controversial Super PAC.

Over the past few days, dozens of young men have come forward with accusations that Weaver engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct, including text messages and phone conversations, as well as “grooming” them by promising lucrative career opportunities in exchange for sex. The allegations were brought to light through the reporting of journalists Ryan Girdusky and Scott Stedman.

Weaver admitted to making the young men “uncomfortable through my messages that I viewed as consensual mutual conversations,” which included at least one instance in which Weaver allegedly emailed an unsolicited photo of his penis. However, he appeared to suggest the men accusing him of grooming them, or offering favors in exchange for sex, are lying, perhaps for nefarious reasons.

“While I am taking full responsibility for the inappropriate messages and conversations,” Weaver wrote in the statement, “I want to state clearly that the other smears being leveled at me … are categorically false and outrageous.” The emergence of the allegations, Weaver suggested, was facilitated by political critics of the Lincoln Project.

Prior to cofounding the Lincoln Project in 2019, Weaver was a Republican consultant whose clients included failed presidential candidates John McCain and John Kasich.

“John’s statement speaks for itself,” a Lincoln Project spokesman told Axios in the Super PAC’s first public acknowledgment of the allegations. It is precisely the sort of curt, deflective statement the Lincoln Project bros would attack Republican politicians for making in regard to Trump. Perhaps one day Weaver’s colleagues will be forced to confront their own complicity in enabling his behavior.

Ted Cruz warns Biden’s Iran policy could threaten Israel’s very existence

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By David Isaac, World Israel News

Republican senator from Texas Ted Cruz warned that the Biden administration will rush to return to the Iran deal, creating a clear and present danger to the Jewish State. He made his remarks in an interview with Israel Hayom on Wednesday.

Cruz told the paper that U.S.-Israel relations will become especially fragile with Joe Biden in power, primarily because of his plans to reenter the Iran deal, which had been negotiated in 2015 during the Obama administration, in which Biden served as vice president.

“The Biden-Harris administration will set as their top foreign policy objective restoring that failed agreement. The single most important national security victory of the last four years was pulling out of that disastrous deal,” Cruz said.

“I fear we are headed into a dangerous chapter with the Biden-Harris administration, working actively to undermine the national security gains made in the last four years, and to reinvigorate the ayatollahs in Iran, which poses an existential threat to Israel,” he said.

During the election campaign, Biden promised to return to the deal. Underscoring his promise, he has brought in former Obama team members, in particular Wendy Sherman, lead negotiator on the Iran deal, whom he nominated for deputy secretary of state.

In a Tuesday op-ed on the nomination, JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin wrote of Sherman’s 2015 negotiating efforts, “By any objective standard, Sherman’s handiwork was a disaster. A government that was a merciless tyranny at home, a threat to the stability of neighboring Arab states and pledged to Israel’s destruction had been enriched and empowered.”

The 2015 Iran deal was sold as a success by Obama’s team, which said it prevented the Islamic Republic from obtaining nuclear weapons. As president, Donald Trump criticized what he called the deal’s “near total silence on Iran’s missile programs.” He pulled the U.S. out of the deal in May 2018.

The most prominent critic of the deal was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who called it a “historic mistake” and made the need for stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons his administration’s No. 1 priority.

U.S. conservatives like Cruz also joined in condemning the deal and urged Trump to abandon it.

Cruz told Israel Hayom, “There was a vigorous debate in the administration of whether to do so. Both the State Department and the Pentagon advocated staying in the deal. I argued vigorously multiple times that we should pull out of the deal, and President Trump agreed with me and overruled his own defense department and state department withdrawing from the deal.”

Cruz, who has been a staunch supporter of Israel in the Senate, told Israel Hayom, “I think the greatest national security threat to Israel that will be posed by the Biden-Harris administration will be their attempt to reestablish the disastrous Iran nuclear deal.”

“Under President Obama, the signature so-called foreign policy achievement of his second term was sending hundreds of billions of dollars to Ayatollah Khamenei, who regularly chants ‘Death to America’ and ‘Death to Israel,’” Cruz added.

In 2016, the Obama White House sent $400 million in cash as part of the deal to Iran, an event widely reported and which caused some embarrassment to the administration.

Netanyahu, in warning Obama against the deal, said, “In the coming decade, the deal will reward Iran, the terrorist regime in Tehran, with hundreds of billions of dollars. This cash bonanza will fuel Iran’s terrorism worldwide, its aggression in the region and its efforts to destroy Israel, which are ongoing.”

In 2019, then-Israeli ambassador to the UN Danny Danon, in a presentation at the UN Security Council,  estimated that Iran had spent $7 billion on terror activities in the Middle East.

Religious Organizations Express Support to Biden & Harris on Historic Inauguration; Call for Nat’l Healing & End to Divisiveness

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AP

By: Fern Sidman

In reaction to Wednesday’s historic inauguration of our nation’s 46th president, religious organizations weighed in by expressing their support for the 78-year-old Joseph R. Biden Jr.  Biden took the oath of office at approximately 12 noon on an exceptionally crisp January day.  He was surrounded by his wife. Dr. Jill Biden, his son Hunter, his daughter Ashley and the rest of the Biden family.

Also on the outdoor platform at the Capitol were Vice President Kamala Harris, her husband Doug Emhoff, Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen, members of Congress and former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.

Reflecting on the violence at the Capitol only two weeks ago, many news outlets commented that this building which is often described by the media as the temple of democracy and a purveyor of freedom had been desecrated with vitriolic hate but now shines brightly as a beacon of hope in an otherwise divisive world.

Earlier on Wednesday, President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and the entire Trump family boarded Air Force One for the final time at Joint Base Andrews on their way to Mar-a-Lago, the Trump estate in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump told the awaiting crowd at the airport that he would be back “in some kind of form” and expressed his appreciation to those who have shown their support to him in the administration.

Expressing their support for Biden were such religious organizations as the Agudath Israel of America, the nation’s largest and most influential Orthodox Jewish organization. In a letter to both Biden and Harris, the organization said, “we are pleased to take this opportunity to congratulate you upon your inauguration to the presidency and vice presidency of our great nation. You have assumed these positions of leadership at a time of great turmoil and uncertainty. But we are heartened by, and wholeheartedly endorse, your quest for national unity and for healing a troubled and divided America. Please consider us full partners in the pursuit of that noble mission. We look forward to working with your administration on both domestic and foreign issues of mutual interest. For now, allow us to convey our commitment, our best wishes, and above all, our prayers to the Almighty that He grant you the strength and wisdom to successfully face the formidable challenges that lie ahead.”

Political insider and president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald S. Lauder extended his congratulations to Biden and Harris on the inauguration by issuing the following statement:

“On behalf of the more than 100 Jewish communities across the globe affiliated with the World Jewish Congress, I am delighted to extend my most heartfelt congratulations to Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. on his inauguration as the 46th president of the United States and to Kamala Harris as vice president.

As an honorary Delawarean by marriage, and as a former U.S. Ambassador to Austria and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, I have known President Biden for over 50 years and know that the Jewish community could not have a better friend and ally in the White House.

In 2016, when we honored President Biden with our highest award, the WJC Theodor Herzl Award, he said: ‘Indifference is silence, and silence is consent.’ I know that he will continue to stand by those words as he takes the helm of this country and steers us toward a future of equality, standing up and speaking out for what is fair and what is right.

The World Jewish Congress extends heartfelt wishes to the Biden and Harris families as they embark on the next four years. We take this moment to acknowledge the poignant absence of Beau Biden, a friend of Delaware’s Jewish community and dedicated public servant.

The World Jewish Congress, and I personally, look forward to working closely with the Biden-Harris administration in meeting the many challenges that confront us, both domestically and internationally, starting with the still raging COVID-19 pandemic that threatens all of us, and the urgent need to rid our society of antisemitism, racism, xenophobia, and all other forms of ethnic or religious hatred, and to counter Holocaust denial, distortion, trivialization and mockery wherever it appears.”

Also on Wednesday, the Rabbinical Alliance of America – Igud HaRabbonim, an organization representing over 950 rabbis issued a statement wishing “success to President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on assuming the mantle of leadership of the United States of America, serving as the world’s leaders of freedom, democracy and justice. Inauguration Day represents hope, opportunity, a new beginning.

As this new administration begins its work, the country faces many daunting challenges. We pray that Heaven guide the President and Vice President to lead this great country from the dark times of the pandemic to the sunlight of a healthy world full of optimism, faith, resilience and love. May the President and Vice President be bestowed from Heaven with the wisdom and fortitude to unite America from its current divisiveness and strife.”

Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, the executive vice president of the RAA/Igud added that, “Leadership requires a sharp eye, perceptive ear, loving heart and keen acumen. The Rabbinical Alliance of America prays that the Lord bless America’s government and leadership with these much needed gifts. May the Lord pour out His blessings on this land and its President, Vice President, judges, officers and officials, as they work faithfully for the public good. May the Lord grant them the wisdom and strength to successfully fulfill their duties with dignity, so that peace, tranquility, happiness and freedom will never depart from our land. “

Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) National President Rhoda Smolow and CEO/Executive Director Janice Weinman released the following joint statement on Wednesday.

“Hadassah congratulates President Biden and Vice President Harris on this historic day. It is with great pride and full hearts that today America has a woman in the White House, serving the American people in the second highest office in the land. We look forward to working with the Biden Administration on a wide range of issues of importance to Hadassah’s nearly 300,000 members, including enhancing the US-Israel relationship, combating antisemitism at home and abroad, and strengthening women’s rights and women’s health.

The President and Vice President have taken office at a time when mounting challenges – and opportunities – face our nation. Moving forward will require civility, cooperation and tolerance. We are eager to partner with the Biden Administration in the coming years to advance policies that speak to our concerns. We wish them wisdom, health and success in guiding the nation.”

In a statement issued by the government press office in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said sent his congratulations to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on their historic inauguration.

“President Biden, you and I have had a warm personal friendship going back many decades. I look forward to working with you to further strengthen the US-Israel alliance, to continue expanding peace between Israel and the Arab world and to confront common challenges, chief among them the threat posed by Iran. I wish you the greatest success. God bless the United States of America. God bless Israel,” Netanyahu said.

The leadership of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel Christian organization, issued the following statement on Wednesday on the occasion of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris taking office.

“After a difficult and challenging year, I pray the Lord blesses President Biden, Vice President Harris and their administration with the wisdom of Solomon as they lead our nation and the world,” said CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee. “Christians United for Israel looks forward to working with the new administration, as we continue to strengthen the US-Israel relationship and keep these two nations safe and secure,” Hagee added.  With more than 10 million members, Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world. CUFI spans all fifty states and reaches millions with its educational message.

 

 

Congresswoman Tlaib: ‘Israel is a racist state’

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By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

Democratic Representative Rashida Tlaib attacked Israel on Tuesday, claiming that her grandmother living in lands controlled by the Palestinian Authority was being denied a coronavirus vaccine because of Israeli “racism.”

Interviewed by the Democracy Now! television program, Tlaib latched onto recent accusations by anti-Israel organizations that claimed Israel was responsible for providing coronavirus vaccinations to Palestinians.

The Palestinian Authority itself has not requested vaccines from Israel and for the past several decades has run its own separate healthcare system under the terms of the Oslo Accords.

The PA has repeatedly said it is procuring its own vaccines through the World Health Organization and the UN, and last December announced it had purchased 4 million doses of the Russian coronavirus vaccine, 5,000 of which are due to arrive this week, Reuters reported.

Tlaib ignored the Palestinian health program and laid the blame on Israel, calling it a “racist state” because “they would deny Palestinians like my grandmother access to a vaccine; that they don’t believe that she’s an equal human being that deserves to live, deserves to be protected by this global pandemic.”

“Israel has no intention of every being caring, or allow equality or freedom for them [Palestinians] as their neighbors,” she charged.

Israeli officials have stated clearly that their responsibility is to their own population. The Health Ministry is inoculating all Israelis, including its roughly 2 million Arab citizens, regardless of their religion or ethnicity.

Tlaib is known for her anti-Semitic statements and support for the anti-Israel BDS movement that the U.S. State Department declared last year is a “manifestation of anti-Semitism.”

When it became clear earlier this month that the deliveries of the Russian vaccine were delayed, Palestinian officials started blaming Israel and anti-Israel organizations echoed the accusation, drawing fierce rebukes from Israeli NGOs.

“The PA has been assuring its population for two months that its Ministry of Health is in ‎control, has ordered vaccines, and that their arrival is imminent, without Israel’s help and the PA’s behavior following its inability to acquire the Covid‏-‏‎19 ‎vaccine fast enough is no different,” said Maurice Hirsch of the media watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch, which reported last week on the Palestinian efforts.

”The PA has chosen its default ‎excuse for all PA failures: to blame Israel,” Hirsch said. “This sudden attack ignores the fact that the PA did not want Israel’s help and did not ‎ask for Israel’s help, and contradicts its repeated assurances that it succeeded to ‎secure the vaccines.”

Hirsch documented that in November, Palestinian Minister of Health Mai Alkaila met with WHO and UN officials, announcing that the PA would “submit the ‎necessary documents to the WHO and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and ‎Immunization (GAVI) to ensure that Palestine is provided with adequate coronavirus ‎vaccines.”

It was widely reported at the time that Israel was purchasing vaccines from multiple sources, however, the Palestinian Authority made no request to Israel and on Dec. 12 announced the deal for 4 million doses of the Russian coronavirus vaccine. On Jan. 9, the PA announced they were getting 2 million more doses from the British company AstraZeneca

World’s Largest Asset Manager, Blackrock, Is About To Start Buying Bitcoin

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(TJVNEWS.COM) As noted by MacroScope, on January 20 BlackRock made its first mention of potentially buying bitcoin assets in prospectuses filed for its BlackRock Strategic Income Opportunities and BlackRock Global Allocation Fund Inc.

In the filings Blackrock reveals that “certain Funds may engage in futures contracts based on bitcoin” and detail potential risks for such activities, noting that: “A Fund’s investment in bitcoin futures may involve illiquidity risk, as bitcoin futures are not as heavily traded as other futures given that the bitcoin futures market is relatively new.”

Last month, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink remarked during a panel appearance that bitcoin is gaining legitimacy as an asset class, but cautioned that “[w]e have to go through many markets to see if it’s going to be permanently real. Zero Hedge reported

Supporters Line Mar-a-Lago Streets to ‘Welcome Home’ Donald Trump, Watch Farewell Speech

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A supporter of President Donald Trump waits for the motorcade on the road to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's Palm Beach estate, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

 

CHARLIE SPIERING
Supporters of former President Donald Trump lined the streets of Mar-a-Lago, Florida, Wednesday to welcome the president to where he will be spending his time post-presidency.
The now-former president left the nation’s capital Wednesday morning before the inauguration ceremony for President Joe Biden.
Along with former first lady Melania Trump, Donald Trump left the White House shortly after 8:00 a.m.
“Goodbye. I love you. We’ll be back in some form,” the former president told supporters before boarding Air Force One for the last time to head to his estate in Florida.
A line of supporters waited for him in Mar-a-Lago, holding signs such as “Welcome Home,”  “We Love You President Trump,” and “Pres Trump won,” WOFL reported.
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that Trump’s supporters had been lining up for hours along Southern Boulevard between Palm Beach Airport and Trump’s resort to wish him well.
Trump’s final motorcade slowed down for his supporters as they cheered and waved him on.
Hundreds of people lined the streets by the time the final motorcade rolled by.
“We want to show him he’s not alone,” Daniel Rakus, 65, of Palm Beach, said. “He did a great job. We support him.’”

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