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How Sourdough Captured Americans’ Hearts and Ovens

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AP

(AP) – April 1 isn’t just for fools; it’s also National Sourdough Day. Sourdough is making a big comeback in American kitchens, and it’s not just about the unique tangy taste. This resurgence taps into deeper cultural and health trends reshaping food relationships. Learn why the sourdough craze has taken the country by storm.

 

Although sourdough bread harkens back to pioneer days and beyond, it’s enjoying a comeback in American homes and bakeries. “The resurgence of sourdough now is due to a combination of factors,” says Emmy-award-winning Good Morning America television host, ABC news reporter and cookbook author Christianne Klein.

Sourdough resurgence in America’s kitchens

Baking sourdough bread emerged as a comforting, hands-on, at-home hobby for people during the pandemic lockdowns, as widely reported by news stations nationwide. However, sourdough’s popularity has waxed and waned regionally for decades. “I grew up in California with a mom who was obsessed with sourdough bread,” says Klein. “So it’s been part of my life for as long as I can remember.”

Interest in sourdough continued after lockdowns ended, as evidenced by a January 2024 viral TikTok video about an 1847 Oregon Trail sourdough starter. And the sourdough craze isn’t contained to America.

According to a recent MarketsandMarkets report, the global sourdough market size is forecast to grow to USD 3.5 billion in 2028 from USD 2.3 billion in 2023. At the same time, interest in other fermented foods, like kaffir and kombucha, have emerged.

Community, culture and comfort

Sourdough has the somewhat unique distinction of being an artisan food that creates community. In addition, it plays a significant role in American culture and history.

Sourdough circles

For example, in recent years, we’ve seen the emergence of sourdough circles. These online and face-to-face communities attract beginners and seasoned bakers, who share tips, recipes and even starters in groups for sourdough aficionados.

Local sourdough circles hold workshops or meet-ups to teach others how to nurture their starters from scratch or perfect their loaf-shaping technique. This helps to create a community. The community is supported by online forums, local baking classes and the passing of starters from one baker to another.

Cultural significance

Sourdough transcends typical traditional American foods because of its connection to a communal past. Families may pass down starters and sourdough bread recipes through generations like treasured heirlooms, each carrying distinct flavors shaped by their specific regions and environments. “There are people who have been babysitting sourdough for generations,” says Klein.

Comfort food at its finest

Sourdough tradition weaves together communities and cultures and combines the social aspect of sharing starters and sourdough loaves. This shared experience brings people closer. Sourdough has embedded itself in various American cultures as a symbol of pioneer heritage and communal bonding.

It also fits the current interest in a return to traditional cooking methods, homesteading and an appreciation for slower food processes and simple living. Cultivating and nurturing sourdough ties us to generations past who relied on fermentation for preservation long before commercial yeast became available.

Sourdough and fermentation

Klein, who’s also editor-in-chief of FoodFamilyTravel.com, says part of the rise of sourdough is health-related. “It corresponds to the increase in interest in fermented foods,” she says.

Unlike bread made with commercial yeast, sourdough relies on wild yeasts and bacteria in its environment. This process, known as fermentation, gives sourdough its distinctive tangy flavor. It also breaks down gluten more extensively than regular bread-making techniques, potentially making it easier to digest.

Due to their health benefits, America’s interest in fermenting vegetables and other foods has surged recently. Studies, including one from Harvard Medical School, found improved digestion and more robust immune systems due to probiotics found in fermented foods. This drives an increased appetite for naturally fermented products like kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut and, of course, sourdough.

Sourdough starter

All sourdough baking begins with the starter, a mixture of flour and water that ferments over time and helps the bread dough rise. The sourdough starter helps produce slight flavor variations in each bread batch.

It depends on room temperature, humidity and even geographical location. The balance between lactic acid bacteria or good bacteria and wild yeast gives sourdough its distinctive tangy flavor, chewy texture and crisp crust.

Since bakers keep starters alive through regular feedings with more flour and water, they can last many years. This gives them personal historical value to the bakers who maintain them.

Sourdough bread and beyond

For those bakers passionate about crafting food with character, sourdough offers endless possibilities beyond traditional loaves. Sourdough recipes may include pancakes, waffles, cookies, pizzas, cakes and even recipes that use up the sourdough discard or starter that gets removed with each feeding.

Sourdough offers potential health benefits, a sense of community, a connection to shared history and the opportunity to learn an artisan food skill. It aligns with the growing interest in fermented foods and offers a comforting, chewy staple. Despite all the sourdough accessories available to purchase online and in kitchen specialty stores, today’s baker only needs a little bit of what a baker of 200 years ago would need. Just flour, water, warmth and time.

Finally, there’s the taste. “There is no other bread like it,” says Klein.

Sarita Harbour is a long-time business and finance writer. She createdAn Off Grid Lifeto help people become more self-reliant. Sarita and her family live off the grid in Canada’s Northwest Territories.

Trump’s Social Media Company to Start Trading on the Nasdaq on Tuesday

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The Truth Social account for former President Donald Trump is seen on a mobile device, Wednesday, March 20, 2024, in New York. Trump’s Truth Social looks set to hit Wall Street in a move that could give him stock worth billions of dollars on paper. But the former president likely can’t cash it out right away, unless some things change. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

(AP) – Trump Media & Technology Group, whose flagship product is social networking site Truth Social, will begin trading on the Nasdaq stock market on Tuesday.

Shareholders of Digital World Acquisition Corp., a publicly traded shell company, approved a deal to merge with the Trump’s media business in a Friday vote.

The common stock of Trump Media & Technology Group will trade under the ticker symbol “DJT.”

Former president Donald Trump is set to own most of the combined company — or nearly 79 million shares. Multiply that by Digital World’s closing stock price Friday of $36.94, and the total value of his stake could be nearly $3 billion.

Majority of 56% Believe Joe Biden Trying to Win by Jailing Trump

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President Joe Biden slammed America’s conduct during the Second World War in a conversation with Israel’s war cabinet, arguing that the Allied bombings of Nazi Germany led to the “United Nations and all these rules”. Credit: AP

By John Nolte(Breirtbart)

A clear majority of 56 percent believe Joe Biden is looking to win the 2024 election by jailing his opponent, Donald Trump — you know, like Putin does.

The question asked by McLaughlin & Associates is as straightforward as it gets. First, it starts with the facts: “President Trump has been indicted on a total of 91 counts by supporters of Joe Biden and his Justice Department.” Then comes the question: “If convicted of these charges, do you think that Joe Biden wants to stop President Trump from winning the election by putting him in jail?”

Independents agreed by a margin of  50 to 33 percent that Biden is seeking to jail Trump for political reasons. A plurality of moderates agreed, 48 to 32 percent.

Other questions in this poll indicate that the country is souring more and more on this fascist lawfare crusade Biden and his supporters have launched against Trump.

“Since Donald Trump leads Joe Biden for President in many polls,” one question asked, “do you think these investigations and indictments by the Biden Justice Department are being done to stop Donald Trump from running for President again?”

Back in July of last year, a plurality of 49 percent said yes, while 40 percent said no. Today, that number has jumped to 52 percent for yes and 38 percent for no.

There is similar movement in responses to this question: “Do you agree or disagree that Joe Biden’s Justice Department should stop targeting Donald Trump and interfering with the upcoming presidential election and Biden should let the voters decide who the next president should be?”

Back in July, 54 percent agreed that Biden should stop interfering in the election via lawfare, while 38 percent disagreed. Today, that difference has widened even further to 58 to 34 percent.

Another question asked:

Do you agree or disagree that there is a double standard and bias at Joe Biden’s Department of Justice, the FBI and the IRS, where they continue to target Republicans like Donald Trump, but these same groups go easy and give sweetheart deals to Joe Biden and his family members when the evidence shows Joe Biden and his family have failed to pay their taxes, taken bribes and extorted money from our enemies such as the Communist Chinese and Russia?

Biden lost 56 to 41 percent on that one, which makes it fairly obvious that despite the corporate media’s ongoing corruption in protecting Biden from his own scandals, voters see the double standard.

Finally, “[H]ow much of a role would you say Joe Biden has played in the indictments of former President Donald Trump?”

Fifty-eight percent say Biden played a “major” (40 percent) or “minor” (18 percent) role. Only 33 percent say he played no role at all.

McLaughlin & Associates surveyed 1,000 likely voters between March 9 and 14 and also asked about the overall state of the 2024 presidential race. Currently, Trump leads by six points, 49 to 43 percent.

Additionally, Biden’s favorable/unfavorable rating is underwater by 13 points, 55 percent unfavorable to 42 percent favorable. His job approval rating is upside-down by 14 points, with only 42 percent approving, while 56 percent disapprove. Two-thirds of the country, 66 percent, say the country is on the wrong track. When asked if the economy is getting better or worse, 63 percent said worse, while only 31 percent said better.

The public sees through these politically-driven indictments, and they appear to be backfiring in a pretty serious way. Would Trump be polling this well — better than he ever has before — were it not for these craven attempts to throw him in prison and seize his assets? I doubt it.

WATCH — Trump Lawyer Alina Habba: Democrats Are Using “Corrupt Methods” to Try to Beat Him

Matt Perdie / Breitbart News

 

Get a FREE FREE FREE autographed bookplate if you purchase John Nolte’s debut novel, Borrowed Time (Bombardier Books). 

 

 

Are You One of the Millions About to Have Cataract Surgery? Here’s What Ophthalmologists Say You Need to Know

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AP

(AP) – Cataract surgery is one of the most popular and commonly performed procedures in the world. The vast majority of patients have excellent outcomes with few complications.

Here are the numbers:

As ophthalmologists who have performed thousands of these procedures, we know that many patients have misconceptions about both cataracts and the surgery. For example, some think a cataract is a growth on the eye’s surface.

We like to compare a cataract with the frosted glass of a bathroom window, where light can be transmitted but details cannot. Or when turbulence from a storm causes normally clear water in the ocean to become murky. In much the same way, the eye’s once transparent lens becomes cloudy.

After surgery, there’s no bending, inversions, lifting or straining, high-impact activities or eye makeup for one to two weeks or until the doctor says it’s OK.

About the surgery

Cataract surgery removes the clouded lens of the eye and replaces it with a new, clear lens to restore your vision. Most patients report the procedure is painless.

It’s typically an elective surgery that is performed on an outpatient basis. The patient is often awake, under local anesthesia, with sedation similar to that used for dental procedures. We like to say patients receive the equivalent of three margaritas in their IV.

Numbing drops are then applied to the eye’s surface, along with an anesthetic inside the eye. Patients with claustrophobia, or movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, may not be suitable candidates for awake surgeries and require general anesthesia.

Before surgery, patients receive dilating drops to make the pupil as large as possible. The surgeon makes a tiny incision, usually with a small pointed scalpel, between the clear and white part of the eye to gain access to the lens capsule, a thin membrane similar in thickness to a plastic produce bag at the grocery store.

This capsule is suspended by small fibers called zonules, which are arranged like the springs that suspend a trampoline from a frame. The surgeon then creates a small opening in the capsule, called a capsulotomy, to gain access to the cataract. The cataract is then broken into smaller parts so they are removable through the small incision.

This is similar to a tiny jackhammer, breaking the large lens into smaller pieces for removal. That sounds scary, but it’s painless. Ultrasound emulsifies the lens and vacuum power then aspirates it from the eye.

Laser-assisted cataract surgery has been found to have similar outcomes to traditional cataract surgery.

Complications are rare

Serious complications, such as postoperative infection, bleeding in the eye or a postoperative retinal detachment are rare; they occur in approximately 1 in 1,000 cases. But even in many of these situations, appropriate management can salvage useful vision.

Capsular complications deserve additional discussion. According to some studies, they occur in up to 2% of cases. If a hole or tear of the posterior capsule is encountered during cataract surgery, the clear gel in the vitreous – the back chamber of the eye – may be displaced into the front chamber of the eye.

If that happens, the gel must be removed at the time of the cataract surgery. This will reduce the likelihood of additional postoperative complications, but those who have the procedure, known as a vitrectomy, have an increased risk for additional complications, including postoperative infections and postoperative swelling.

After the surgery

Patients usually go home right after the procedure. Most surgery centers require that the patient have someone drive them home, more for the anesthesia rather than the surgery. Patients begin applying postoperative drops that same day and must wear an eye shield at bedtime for a few weeks after surgery.

Patients should keep the eye clean and avoid exposure to dust, debris and water. They should try not to bend over and should avoid heavy lifting or straining in the first week or so after surgery. Lifting or straining can cause a surge of blood pressure to the face and eye. Known as a choroidal hemorrhage, it can lead to bleeding into the wall of the eye and be devastating to vision.

Things that cause only moderate increases in heart rate such as walking are OK. Routine postoperative examinations are usually completed the day after surgery, about a week after surgery and about a month after surgery.

Light and UV exposure, coupled with time, causes the lens of the eye to become increasingly cloudy.

A choice of lens

The plastic lens used to replace the cataract, or intraocular lens, requires careful sizing for optimal results and a nuanced discussion between patient and surgeon.

Early intraocular lens technologies were monofocal, and most patients with these lenses chose distance correction and used reading glasses for near tasks. This is still the preferred approach for approximately 90% of patients having cataract surgery today.

Recent advances have led to intraocular lenses that offer multifocality – the opportunity to have near as well as distance vision, without glasses. Some multifocal lenses are even in the trifocal category, which includes distance, near, and intermediate vision, the latter of which in recent years has become very important for computer and phone use.

Most patients with these advanced technology multifocal lenses are happy with them. However, a small percentage of patients with multifocal lenses can be so bothered by visual disturbances – notably night glare and halos around light sources in the dark – that they request removal of the multifocal lens to exchange it for a standard intraocular lens. These exchanges are a reasonable option for such situations and offer relief for most affected patients.

Determining who’s an ideal candidate for a multifocal intraocular lens is an area of active research. Most clinicians would recommend against such a lens for a patient with a detail-oriented personality. Such patients tend to fixate on the shortcomings of these lenses despite their potential advantages.

As with many technologies, current generation advanced technology intraocular lenses are much better than their predecessors. Future offerings are likely to offer improved vision and fewer side effects than those available today.

But these newer lenses are often not reimbursed by insurance companies and often entail substantial out-of-pocket costs for patients.

Deciding on what type of lens is best for you can be complicated. Fortunately, except in unusual circumstances, such as when a cataract develops after trauma to the eye, there is seldom a hurry for adult cataract surgery.

McClatchy & Gannett Reduce Reliance on AP; a Paradigm Shift in News Sourcing

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Gannett & McClatchy, have announced plans to scale back their reliance on The Associated Press, a longstanding provider of news reports and images. Photo Credit: APNews.com

McClatchy & Gannett Reduce Reliance on AP; a Paradigm Shift in News Sourcing

Edited by: TJVNews.com

In a significant development within the media landscape, two prominent American newspaper chains, Gannett and McClatchy, have announced plans to scale back their reliance on The Associated Press (A.P.), a longstanding provider of news reports and images, according to a recently published report in the New York Times.  This move marks a notable departure from traditional news sourcing practices and underscores the evolving dynamics of the media industry.

Gannett, the largest newspaper company in the United States and publisher of USA Today, revealed its intention to cease utilizing articles, photos, and videos from The A.P. across its extensive network of publications. As was reported by the NYT, Kristin Roberts, Gannett’s chief content officer, highlighted the company’s robust internal journalism capabilities, stating, “Between USA Today and our incredible network of more than 200 newsrooms, we create more journalism every day than The A.P.” This assertion underscores Gannett’s confidence in its own editorial prowess and its commitment to fostering in-house content creation.

While Gannett will no longer rely on The A.P. for general news content, it will retain access to specific A.P. services, such as election data and the A.P. stylebook. Additionally, the report in the NYT indicated that Gannett has forged a partnership with Reuters, a rival news agency, to bolster its global news coverage as it transitions away from The A.P.

Lark-Marie Antón, a spokeswoman for Gannett, emphasized that this strategic shift will enable the company to allocate resources more effectively towards enhancing its newsrooms’ capabilities.

Following Gannett’s lead, McClatchy, which operates numerous newspapers including The Miami Herald and The Kansas City Star, announced its decision to also reduce its reliance on A.P. services. Kathy Vetter, McClatchy’s senior vice president of news and audience, informed editors that the company would discontinue certain A.P. services, with the feed ending on March 29 and no further A.P. content to be published after March 31, according to the information provided in the NYT report.  However, McClatchy will retain access to A.P.’s election results data, indicating a selective approach to severing ties with the news agency.

While McClatchy has identified replacements for most A.P. content, challenges remain in finding a universal solution for state ‘wires’ content. As was noted in the NYT report, the company’s decision underscores the complexities of balancing editorial priorities with fiscal responsibility in an ever-changing media landscape.

The actions taken by Gannett and McClatchy signal a broader trend within the media industry, reflecting a shift away from traditional news wire services towards greater self-sufficiency and strategic partnerships. This trend underscores the growing importance of proprietary content creation and the desire among media organizations to differentiate themselves in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Lauren Easton, a spokeswoman for The A.P., acknowledged the ongoing discussions with Gannett and McClatchy regarding their contracts, characterizing them as “productive and ongoing,” as was indicated in the NYT report.  Easton highlighted the challenges facing the news industry and emphasized The A.P.’s commitment to delivering fact-based journalism to news consumers nationwide.

Founded in 1846, The A.P. has evolved over the years, diversifying its revenue streams beyond traditional newspaper licensing fees.  The NYT report also pointed out that while fees from U.S. newspapers account for roughly 10 percent of The A.P.’s income, the loss of McClatchy and Gannett is not expected to have a material impact on its overall revenue, according to Easton.

France Raises Its Security Readiness to Highest Level After Attack in Russia, Worried About IS

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French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Israel on Tuesday. Credit: Alexandros ichailidis/Shutterstock.

(AP) — France’s government increased its security alert posture to the highest level Sunday after the deadly attack at a Russian concert hall and the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal announced the decision in a post on X, saying authorities were “taking into account the Islamic State’s claim of responsibility for the (Moscow) attack and the threats weighing on our country.″

The announcement came after President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency security meeting prompted by Friday’s attack in a Moscow suburb that killed more than 130 people. The attack was claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group.

France has repeatedly been hit by deadly Islamic State attacks, including the Bataclan theater massacre in 2015 in which extremists opened fire on concert-goers and held hostages for hours. French troops have also fought against Islamic extremists in the Middle East and Africa.

France was already on high security alert ahead of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics this year, which are expected to draw millions of visitors to the country. Security concerns are notably high for the the exceptional opening ceremony July 26, which will involve boats riding along the Seine River and huge crowds watching from the embankments.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Issues Dire Warning Over CBDC Adoption

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sxhutterstock

By Naveen Athrappully- Epoch Times

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. warned that central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) pave the way for an authoritarian government in America similar to the Chinese communist regime.

“I’m against central bank digital currencies because that is part of the path to getting us where China is today. That’s where they started, that’s where all these other countries started with central bank digital currency, and it’s the end of freedom. We will be slaves if we allow that to happen,” Mr. Kennedy said during a March 22 event. He pointed to the Canadian trucker’s protests to explain why CBDCs were dangerous for freedoms. The Canadian government portrayed the truckers “as right-wing, fascist, and racist” when they were not, he said.

“The government used facial recognition systems and other intrusive technologies to identify the participants, all the truckers. They got their license plates, etc. And then they froze their bank accounts. So they couldn’t get diesel for their trucks, they couldn’t buy food for their kids, they couldn’t pay for their education, they couldn’t pay their mortgages.”

 

A trucker told Mr. Kennedy that he was going to jail for being unable to pay his alimony. “It occurred to me that transactional freedom is as important as freedom of the press. If you have freedom of speech in the First Amendment, and yet when you exercise that speech, the government doesn’t like it, they can starve you to death, they can throw you out of your home because you can’t pay your mortgage or your rent, then that is meaningless.”

Transactional freedom is “absolutely critical” for freedom of speech to exist, he said. “If we get a central bank digital currency, they’d do what they do in China.”

In China, people pay for groceries and gasoline using their “face,” he said, referring to facial recognition systems. The Communist regime keeps a social credit score on its citizens so that anyone found violating regulations will face penalties and restrictions, like potentially restricting an individual’s access to grocery stores within a certain radius of their house or workplace.

“You can’t buy gas, you can’t buy an airplane ticket, you can’t buy anything else. So, you’re basically under home confinement. Like the truckers in Canada, they were never charged with a crime. They were certainly never convicted,” he said.

“It was just they were doing something the government didn’t like. The government was able to destroy their lives, and that is a very dangerous power to give government.”
CBDC Dangers

In addition to Mr. Kennedy, several other prominent individuals have raised concerns about central bank digital currencies, including former President Donald Trump. During a campaign stop in New Hampshire in January, President Trump vowed to “never allow” the U.S. Federal Reserve to issue a CBDC.

“As your president, I will never allow the creation of a central bank digital currency. Such a currency would give the federal government absolute control of your money,” he said. “This would be a dangerous threat to freedom and I will stop it from coming to America.”

Currency of Control: How CBDC Implementation Is Leading to Global Tyranny–Aaron Day

In a July 2023 video, Brexit leader Nigel Farage highlighted the dangers of government control over currencies. “The ultimate fear is if we get CBDCs, we could finish up like the Canadian truckers, people who were within the law, found themselves outside the law and had their bank accounts frozen. Controlling people’s money would be the ultimate form of tyranny.”

Several key international figures admitted that CBDCs will allow for greater control over people’s finances.

During a seminar back in 2020, Agustin Carstens, general manager of the Bank for International Settlements, pointed out that “we don’t know who’s using a $100 bill today, and we don’t know who’s using a 1,000-peso bill today.”

 

The key difference with the CBDC is “the central bank will have absolute control on the rules and regulations that will determine the use of that expression of central bank liability, and also we will have the technology to enforce that,” he explained.

In October 2022, IMF Deputy Managing Director Bo Li said that CBDCs “can allow government agencies and private sector players to program, to create smart contracts, to allow targeted policy functions.”

He went on to explain that CBDCs can be used to control items like welfare money, food stamps, and consumption coupons.

A February paper from the Bank of Canada research warned that CBDCs could negatively affect bank deposits.

“The CBDC would directly compete with bank deposits in the market for digital money. As a consequence, there are concerns that a CBDC could substantially crowd out bank deposits, which may undermine financial stability by raising the funding cost and reducing the profitability of the banking sector,” the paper said.

Republican senators led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have introduced a proposal seeking to ban CBDCs in the United States.
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“The Biden administration salivates at the thought of infringing on our freedom and intruding on the privacy of citizens to surveil their personal spending habits, which is why Congress must clarify that the Federal Reserve has no authority to implement a CBDC,” Mr. Cruz said in a Feb, 26 statement.

“I’m proud to lead the fight in the Senate to restrict the Federal Reserve’s exploration of and attempt to introduce a CBDC to the American economy.”

Gantz Threatens to Bolt Government if Haredi Draft Law Passes

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Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz at the launch in Tel Aviv of his National Unity Party’s election campaign, Sept. 6, 2022. Photo by Tomer Neuberg/Flash90.

(JNS) – Israeli Minister-without-Portfolio Benny Gantz announced on Monday that his National Unity Party will leave the government if it passes a haredi conscription law as outlined by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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“The people will not tolerate it, the Knesset will not be able to vote in favor of it, and my associates and I cannot be part of this emergency government if this law passes,” said Gantz, a member of Israel’s War Cabinet. “Passing such a law would be crossing a red line during normal times.”

“I appeal to the leaders of the ultra-Orthodox parties as someone who has no doubts about the importance of studying the Torah and preserving Israel’s heritage and tradition—do not try to pass an incorrect law that the entire nation cannot bear,” he said.

Netanyahu has said he will bring the proposed law to a Knesset vote on Tuesday, however, the process of passing the bill into law could take months.

Under a law that expired in June, conscription-age Haredi men enrolled in yeshivas can obtain repeated one-year deferrals until they reach the age of exemption from mandatory military service, effectively exempting them from military service.

Haredi leadership discourages military service, seeing it as corrupting and a distraction from Torah study. In 2021, 87% of haredi 18-year-olds did not enlist, while 86% of non-haredi Jewish 18-year-olds did. The disparity has caused sharp friction within Israeli society.

The shock of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, and the resulting war, have exacerbated the problem, leading to widespread calls for an end to blanket exemption from IDF service for haredim. Adding to the pressure is the realization that the military requires a larger standing army to deal with multiple fronts.

A temporary extension of the exemption law issued by Israel’s High Court in late February is set to expire next week. The court gave the government until the end of this week to issue a response. In the absence of any move by the government, the Israel Defense Forces will be required to enforce the draft of haredi men starting on April 1.

Bringing the draft law to a Knesset vote would buy the coalition more time.

According to Ynet, which has seen a copy of the outline, under it Haredi men would be exempt from service until age 35, up from age 26 currently.

The draft legislation sets no quotas for the number of haredi men that would be required to enlist, and the IDF wouldn’t take steps to bring Haredim into the armed services until June 16, the deadline set by the court for a new enlistment bill to come into effect.

Special military units would be set up to accommodate the religious sensitivities of Haredi men. The units wouldn’t include female soldiers and would be ready by August 2024 when new Haredi conscripts are expected.

Earlier on Sunday, before Gantz’s statement, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who left for the United States on Sunday, also said he would oppose the coalition bill.

In late February, Gallant said he would only support a Haredi conscription law if all members of the coalition did, too. His declaration garnered criticism from fellow coalition members, who said it essentially handed veto power to Gantz, who while a member of the emergency wartime government was otherwise opposed to Netanyahu’s leadership.

 

Letitia James’s Office: $464M Judgment ‘Still Stands’ Against Trump

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New York City Mayor Eric Adams officially backed state Attorney General Letitia James’ reelection bid. Photo Credit: AP

By Wendell Husebo(Breitbart)

The $464 million judgment “still stands” against former President Donald Trump, a spokesperson from New York Attorney General Letitia James’s office responded to Monday’s court ruling.

The five-panel New York appeals court ruled Trump could post a bond “in the amount of $175 million” to cover the judgment. The court also delayed enforcement of the $464 million judgment by ten days.

“The $464 million judgment — plus interest — against Donald Trump and the other defendants still stands,” the spokesperson said.

“Donald Trump is still facing accountability for his staggering fraud,” the statement continued. “The court has already found that he engaged in years of fraud to falsely inflate his net worth and unjustly enrich himself, his family, and his organization.”

The media saw the court ruling as a “critical” and “unexpected” victory for Trump on Monday, which came on a day the court does not generally issue rulings, the establishment media reported.

WATCH — MAGA! Firefighters Boo New York AG Letitia James Who Prosecuted Trump:

FDNY via Storyful

Two people with knowledge of his finances told several media outlets that Trump should be able to post bond by then. “We got what we wanted,” a source told ABC News.

Constitutional scholar Jonathan Turley applauded the court ruling. “For those looking for a thrill kill moment at midnight, this will be a disappointment,” he posted on X. “Hopefully, the appellate court will restore a degree of objectivity and restraint missing on the trial level.”

“The true sunk costs of this controversy are likely born by Democrats who are seen as engaging in raw lawfare,” he continued. “Turning the New York legal system into an inescapable political vortex is repellent for many citizens and companies alike.”

RELATED VIDEO — NY A.G. on Fear Trump Ruling Will Drive Away Business: Tourism, Wall Street Are Good — Will Seize His Assets if Needed:

Trump also seemed pleased with the ruling. “I greatly respect the decision of the Appellate Division, and I’ll post either $175 million in cash or bond for security, whatever is necessary very quickly within the 10 day, and I thank the Appellate Division for acting quickly, but Judge Engoron is a disgrace to this country and this should not be allowed to happen,” Trump said.

Wendell Husebo is a political reporter with Breitbart News and a former GOP War Room Analyst. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality. Follow Wendell on “X” @WendellHusebø or on Truth Social @WendellHusebo.

Hamas praises UN Security Council vote on Gaza ceasefire

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Hamas chief in Gaza Yahya Sinwar holds a Palestinian child dressed as a Hamas terrorist during a rally in Gaza City, May 24, 2021. Photo by Atia Mohammed/Flash90.

(JNS) Hamas on Monday thanked the U.N. Security Council for passing a resolution demanding a temporary halt to the Israel Defense Forces operation against the terror group in the Gaza Strip.

“Hamas calls on the Security Council to pressure the occupation [Israel, sic] to adhere to the ceasefire and stop the war of genocide and ethnic cleansing against our people,” it said in a statement posted online.

The statement added that a truce is needed to “bury our martyrs who have remained under the rubble” and for “humanitarian needs.”

The U.N. resolution, which calls for a halt to the fighting until the end of the Muslim holiday of Ramadan on April 9, was supported by 14 nations, including veto holders China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield abstained, allowing the measure to pass.

The text also demands the “immediate and unconditional release” of the 134 remaining hostages hostages taken during Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror rampage across Israel’s northwestern Negev.

Hamas said it is willing “to engage in an immediate prisoner exchange process that leads to the release of prisoners on both sides.”

The terror group expressed its hope for “a permanent ceasefire that leads to the withdrawal of all Zionist forces from the Gaza Strip and the return of the displaced [Palestinians] to the homes from which they left.”

Hamas openly seeks to destroy Israel in its entirety and replace it with a Palestinian-Islamic state. Article 13 of its charter states that “there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad.”

The 1988 charter also states that “our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious.” It quotes Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, as saying: “Israel will exist and will continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.”

Hamas terrorists murdered some 1,200 men, women and children—and wounded thousands more—in a mass attack after infiltrating Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, when they also abducted more than 250 others and brought them back into captivity in Gaza.

New York Appeals Court Pauses $464M Judgment Against Trump

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Former President Donald Trump faces a daunting $355 million civil fraud ruling that was handed down on Friday by a New York City judge. Credit: AP
Kristina Wong(Breitbart)

A New York appeals court on Monday said it would pause the clock on enforcing a $464 million judgment against former President Donald Trump.

The state appeals court panel said it would act if the Trump Organization and top executives posted a $175 million within 10 days.

Trump said after the decision:

I greatly respect the decision of the Appellate Division, and I’ll post either $175 million in cash or bond for security, whatever is necessary very quickly within the 10 days. And I thank the Appellate Division for acting quickly. But Judge Engoron is a disgrace to this country and this should not be allowed to happen.

The dramatic last minute reprieve comes after Trump’s lawyers said it would be impossible for him to secure that amount of cash.

Trump posted on Truth Social that he would abide by the decision of the appeals court.

He said:

Judge Engoron has refused to obey the decision of the Appellate Division relative to the Statute of Limitations. This is a confrontation between a Judge and those that rule above him – A very bad situation in which to place New York State and the Rule of Law! Engoron has disrespected the Appellate Division and its very clear and precise ruling. He should be made to do so, and at the same time, release the GAG ORDER. This is the 5th time in this case that he has been overturned, a record. His credibility, and that of Leticia James, has been shattered. We will abide by the decision of the Appellate Division, and post either a bond, equivalent securities, or cash. This also shows how ridiculous and outrageous Engoron’s original decision was at $450 Million. I DID NOTHING WRONG, AND NEW YORK SHOULD NEVER BE PUT IN A POSITION LIKE THIS AGAIN. BUSINESSES ARE FLEEING, VIOLENT CRIME IS FLOURISHING, AND IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT THIS BE RESOLVED IN ITS TOTALITY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THANK YOU!

 

Trump continued to go after Engoron and James, adding:

Judge Engoron and Letitia James should be forced to explain why he ruled that Mar-a-Lago was worth $18,000,000 when, in fact, it is worth from 50 to 100 times that amount. How did the Attorney General of the State of New York force this Corrupt Judge to do that in order to help her narrative – AND WHY?

 

 

Netanyahu cancels delegation to US as UN Security Council backs ceasefire

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President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speak to reporters in Tel Aviv, Oct. 18, 2023. Photo by Miriam Alster/Flash90

( JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday canceled a high-level delegation to Washington after the Biden administration failed to veto a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in the war against Hamas, the Prime Minister’s Office announced.

After four failed attempts, the Security Council passed its first resolution calling for an immediate halt to the military operation in the Gaza Strip until the end of Ramadan on April 9.

The resolution, which also called for the release of Israeli hostages, was supported by 14 nations, including veto holders China, Russia, the United Kingdom and France. U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield abstained, allowing the measure to pass 14-0.

Following Monday’s vote, Jerusalem announced that “in light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided that the delegation will not depart.”

Netanyahu said that the changed U.S. position “hurts the war effort and the effort to release the hostages” by giving the Hamas terrorist organization hope that international pressure will bring about a ceasefire without freeing the captives

The Israeli delegation was slated to travel to Washington this week for talks on the looming Israel Defense Forces operation in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah. It would have included Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi.

Washington had said the discussion would focus on alternatives to a military operation in the city amid reports that President Joe Biden is considering conditioning aid to Israel if Jerusalem moves ahead with it.

In a March 9 interview with MSNBC, Biden declared that invading Rafah is a “red line,” before quickly clarifying that “I’m never going to leave Israel. The defense of Israel is still critical, so there’s no red line [where] I’m going to cut off all weapons.”

The final four Hamas battalions with some 3,000 gunmen are concentrated in Rafah. Netanyahu has repeatedly said that all of the Hamas battalions must be defeated to prevent the terrorist organization from regrouping and reestablishing itself to threaten Israel again.

Netanyahu told visiting Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday that the Jewish state cannot declare victory without destroying the battalions in Rafah. “I told him that I hope we would do this with U.S. support but if necessary, we will do it alone,” the prime minister said.

Around three-quarters of Jewish Israelis and a majority of Israelis overall support expanding the military operations against Hamas to Rafah, according to polling conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute.

Last month, Israel put forward an evacuation plan for civilians in Rafah. The proposal envisions 15 campsites of around 25,000 tents each (375,000 tents, in total) where displaced Gazans will be relocated.

U.N. Demands Cease-Fire in Gaza During Ramadan, Its First Demand to Halt Fighting

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United Nations headquarters (Shutterstock)

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution Monday demanding an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Hamas terror organization, after the United States delegation declined to veto the measure.

The resolution, which was drafted jointly by the delegations from Sierra Leone, Switzerland, Slovenia, South Korea, Malta, Japan, Mozambique, Ecuador, Algeria, and Guyana, passed the Security Council 14-0, with only the U.S. abstaining.

The measure “demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip.

Separately, the resolution “also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs, and further demands that the parties comply with their obligations under international law in relation to all persons they detain.”

Israel had objected to the resolution, saying that it did not condition the ceasefire on the release of Israeli captives held in Gaza.

Shortly before the vote, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called on the U.S. mission to the UN to use its veto to block the resolution, threatening to withdraw an Israeli delegation to Washington if the measure was allowed to pass.

‘’If the USA does not veto the resolution, which calls for a ceasefire that is not dependent on the release of the hostages, I will cancel the Israeli delegation’s trip to Washington,’’ Netanyahu said.

The Israeli delegation had been slated to discuss alternatives to the planned Rafah operation.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield disputed Israel’s interpretation of Monday’s resolution, claiming that a ceasefire in Gaza must be part of an agreement securing the release of Israeli hostages.

Boeing CEO to exit in broad management shakeup as manufacturing issues plague storied plane maker

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Boeing CEO David Calhoun- AP

(AP)  Boeing CEO David Calhoun will step down from the embattled plane maker at the end of the year as part of a broad management shakeup after a series of mishaps at one of America’s iconic manufacturers.

Stan Deal, president and CEO of Boeing’s commercial airplanes unit, will retire immediately. Stephanie Pope, the company’s chief operating officer for less than three months, has taken over leadership of the key division.

The company said board Chairman Lawrence Kellner, a former airline chief, won’t stand for re-election in May and will be replaced by a former Qualcomm CEO.

Boeing has been under intense pressure since early January, when a panel blew off a brand-new Alaska Airlines 737 Max. Investigators say bolts that help keep the panel in place were missing after repair work at the Boeing factory.

Major airlines want to hear how Boeing plans to fix problems in the manufacturing of its planes

The Federal Aviation Administration has stepped up its scrutiny of the company, including putting a limit on production of 737s. An FAA audit of Boeing’s 737 factory near Seattle gave the company failing grades on nearly three dozen aspects of production.

 

Airline executives have expressed their frustration with the company, and even minor incidents involving Boeing jets have attracted extra attention.

Fallout from the Jan. 5 blowout has raised scrutiny of Boeing to its highest level since two Boeing 737 Max jets crashed in 2018 in Indonesia and 2019 in Ethiopia. In all, the crashes killed 346 people.

In a note Monday to employees, Calhoun, 67, called the accident “a watershed moment for Boeing.” that requires ”a total commitment to safety and quality at every level of our company.”

“The eyes of the world are on us, and I know we will come through this moment a better company, building on all the learnings we accumulated as we worked together to rebuild Boeing over the last number of years,” he said.

Boeing’s most significant effort to improve quality has the opening of discussions about bringing Spirit AeroSystems, which builds fuselages for the Max and many parts for that and other Boeing planes, back into the company. Mistakes made at Spirit, which Boeing spun off nearly 20 years ago, have compounded the company’s problems.

 

Calhoun said the two companies are making progress in talks “and it’s very important.”

Calhoun said the decision to leave was his. Calhoun was a Boeing director when he became CEO in January 2020, replacing Dennis Muilenburg, who was fired in the aftermath of the Max crashes. In 2021, Boeing’s board raised the mandatory retirement age for CEO to keep Calhoun in the job.

The company has chosen former Qualcomm CEO Steven Mollenkopf to become the new board chairman and to lead the search for Calhoun’s replacement.

Richard Aboulafia, a longtime aerospace analyst and now a consultant at AeroDynamic Advisory, said the management shakeup “is likely to be a pivotal moment in Boeing’s history, and probably a very positive one,” but the outcome depends on the next CEO. He said Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive and acting U.S. Defense secretary who has led Spirit AeroSystems since last fall, would be “a great choice.”

 

Cai von Rumohr, aerospace analyst at Cowen, said the management changes are “a partial step toward changing its culture to underscore safety and rebuild investor confidence in the company.” He said the fact that Calhoun gave more than eight months’ notice will help the Boeing board make “a considered decision” instead of “a knee-jerk reaction.”

Pope, the new head of the commercial-airplanes business, was promoted to Boeing chief operating officer only in January. Before that, she was president and CEO of Boeing’s services business and chief financial officer of the airplanes division.

Shares of The Boeing Co. rose about 1% in early trading.

IDF rape claim was a lie, admit Al Jazeera, Hamas

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Muslim women donning the Burqa. (Shutterstock)

By World Israel News Staff

The Hamas terror group and Qatari news outlet Al Jazeera have admitted that a report about IDF soldiers raping Palestinian women in the Gaza Strip was a lie, after the claim sparked mass panic in the coastal enclave.

On Sunday, Al Jazeera published a story in Arabic which falsely stated that Israeli soldiers had sexually assaulted women at Al-Shifa Hospital.

The medical center is the site of an military operation, which has so far led to the arrest of hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists.

The report created a frenzy in the Strip, with security blogger Abu Ali Express reporting that hundreds of families fled from north and central Gaza to the south, fearing that their female family members would be assaulted.

Beyond sparking a large migration towards the already crowded south, many Gazans were also enraged by what they believed was a failure by Hamas to protect the honor of Palestinian women.

Following the mass panic, Hamas and Al Jazeera were forced to walk back the falsehood in order to calm public spirits.

“It was revealed through Hamas investigations that the story of the rape of women in Al-Shifa Hospital was fabricated,” tweeted Jordanian journalist Yasser Abuhilalah, who is senior writer at Al Jazeera.

Abuhilalah said that the woman who had lied to Al Jazeera had positive intentions. Her “goal was to arouse the nation’s fervor and brotherhood,” he explained.

Notably, Al Jazeera did not issue a formal retraction of the story and clarify that it was false, in line with standard journalistic practices.

Instead, the outlet deleted all traces of the story from its website and social media accounts.

Despite the admission that the story was false, many pro-Palestinian activists continue promoting the lie that Israeli soldiers sexually abused Palestinian women.

One U.S. State Department official even presented the lies as factual when speaking with an Israeli military representative.

IDF: Hamas Is Destroying Shifa Hospital, Firing from Maternity Ward

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IDF

By Joel B. Pollak

Israel accused Palestinian terrorists Sunday of destroying Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, after days of battle in which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confronted hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad members using the hospital as a base.

In some case, the Israeli military said, Hamas terrorists were firing from the emergency room, the maternity ward, and the burn unit. Hamas was thwarting Israel’s effort to allow normal hospital functions to continue, the IDF said.

In a statement, IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said (translation via IDF):

Today is day 6 of the IDF’s operation against Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Shifa Hospital.

170 terrorists were neutralized in or around the Shifa Hospital compound while firing at our forces.

The IDF apprehended hundreds of terror suspects with confirmed ties to Hamas or Islamic Jihad, making this one of the most successful operations since the start of the war.

A large number of these terrorists were involved in planning and executing the brutal massacre of October 7.

This operation is not over.

Right now, Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists are barricading themselves inside Shifa hospital wards.

Hamas is destroying Shifa hospital.

Hamas is firing from inside the Shifa Emergency Room and Maternity Ward and throwing explosive devices from the Shifa Burn Ward.

Terrorists hiding around the hospital fired mortars at our forces, causing extensive damage to the hospital buildings.

I repeat: Hamas is firing mortars at the Shifa hospital.

Hamas is destroying the Shifa hospital.

Hamas hijacked the Shifa Hospital and hides behind the sick and injured, waging war from inside Shifa Hospital.

The IDF operates with precision and acts with care towards the patients and medical staff inside the hospital.

We do this because we distinguish between Hamas terrorists and the civilians they are hiding behind.

We do this because our war is against Hamas, not against the people of Gaza.

And our actions prove this.

Since the beginning of this operation against Hamas at Shifa Hospital, the IDF has assisted the sick and wounded and helped move many of them out of harm’s way.

We brought dozens of medical devices; over 10 thousand units of medications; hundreds of medical supplies; as well as food, water, and other equipment into Shifa Hospital.

When Hamas’s attacks resulted in the failure of the hospital generator, our troops helped restore electricity to the hospital.

Our operation at Shifa Hospital proves once again: Hamas systematically uses hospitals to wage war and consistently uses the people of Gaza as human shields.

Israel showed earlier in the war that Hamas had used Shifa Hospital to store weapons, to move hostages, and to conceal underground infrastructure for the terrorist organization. Using a hospital as a military installation is a violation of international humanitarian law, and means the hospital forfeits its protected status under that law.

Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the recent book, “The Zionist Conspiracy (and how to join it),” now available on Audible. He is also the author of the e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.