Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, and Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, at the Anti-Defamation League's "Never Is Now" conference, held in New York on March 6-7, 2024. Credit: ADL.
( JNS) Social media platforms have not agreed to implement new policies regarding online antisemitism, Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt said on Thursday.’
Lipstadt, the State Department’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, met earlier in the day with top technology companies to discuss steps to combat online antisemitism. Among the options discussed were the creation of special teams to focus on the issue and training programs to teach employees how to identify Jew-hatred.
In attendance at the meeting were representatives from Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, TikTok and X.
“There’s good reasons to beat up on them [tech giants] in terms of antisemitism online,” Lipstadt toldBloomberg News.
“But too many people have done that and nothing has changed, and we were hoping that we could look for best practices,” she added.
On Thursday, Australia’s Parliament rejected by a margin of 80-5 a Greens Party proposal to recognize a “state of Palestine.”
Liberal MP Julian Lesser called the motion “contrary to the traditions of Australian foreign policy.”
Adam Bandt, leader of The Greens Party, said recognizing a Palestinian State would be a “concrete step towards peace.”
He added, “It’s not just a symbolic move; it’s a critical step towards peace and towards ending the slaughter we’re seeing with the invasion of Gaza at the moment.”
However, opponents of the proposal argued that a Palestinian state that isn’t committed to renouncing terror will promote peace in the region.
Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Tim Watts said, “simplistic wedge motions in the house do nothing to advance the cause of peace.”
He continued, “A Palestinian state cannot be a threat to Israel’s security. We want to see a reformed Palestinian governing authority committed to peace, renouncing violence.”
Opponents cited Denmark whose government also voted against unilateral recognition of a Palestinian State.
SALMAN RUSHDIE WARNS AGAINST ‘TALIBAN-LIKE’ PALESTINIAN STATE, RIPS PRO-HAMAS DEMONSTRATORS
“We cannot recognize an independent Palestinian state for the sole reason that the preconditions are not really there,” Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said in April.
Norway’s foreign minister met with Palestinian Authority prime minister Mohammad Mustafa on Sunday in Brussels, and he handed over diplomatic papers affirming his country’s recognition of a Palestinian state.
Spain on Tuesday officially recognized a “State of Palestine” within the 1967 lines, with eastern Jerusalem as its capital and including the Gaza Strip.
According to a survey conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs (JCFA), 64% of Israelis said they were opposed to the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of an agreement to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia.
A third of Israelis who thought before October 7th that a Palestinian State could be viable under certain conditions now oppose it entirely.
Among Israelis aged 60 and above, support for a demilitarized Palestinian state fell from 44% to 32%. Among those with academic degrees, the number fell from 29% to 20%, and among Israelis with higher incomes, support for a Palestinian State dropped from 33% to 20%.
Among Israeli adults under 30, 70% oppose a Palestinian state. Traditional, religious, and ultra-Orthodox are against Palestinian statehood at a rate of 74%, 88%, and 91%, respectively, and 54% of secular Israelis are against it.
Families of Israeli captives in Gaza speak to reporters outside the Tel Aviv Museum of Art after returning from talks in Qatar, Jan. 7, 2024. Photo by Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90.
Virginia Allen(Daily Signal)
About 120 hostages, five of them Americans, are believed still held by Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip adjoining Israel since Oct. 7.
One American, Edan Alexander, turned 20 in captivity on Dec. 29. Before he was taken hostage by Hamas, his mother Yael Alexander told her son that she loved him and to be safe.
“And that’s it, we hang up. I didn’t know I’m not going to hear from him again,” the captive’s mother said in an interview with the American Jewish Committee published in March.
Alexander was born in Tel Aviv but grew up in New Jersey. He chose to return to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces after high school, a decision his mother says she remains proud of him for making.
Alexander was stationed on the Israel-Gaza border Oct. 7. Around 7 a.m. that morning, he spoke to his mother on the phone. He told her it was “like a war” there but assured her he was safe. That was the last time they spoke.
Alexander and four other Americans—Sagui Dekel-Chen, Omer Neutra, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, and Keith Siegel—are believed to be alive after being held hostage for over 230 days.
Edan Alexander
Sagui Dekel-Chen
Omer Neutra
Hersh Goldberg-Polin
Keith Siegel
Jan. 14 marked the 100th day of captivity for the hostages who remained in Gaza after over 100 were released through negotiations last fall.
President Joe Biden pledged that day to “never forget the grief and the suffering I have heard in my meetings with the families of the American hostages.”
“No one should have to endure even one day of what they have gone through, much less 100,” Biden said. “On this terrible day, I again reaffirm my pledge to all the hostages and their families—we are with you. We will never stop working to bring Americans home.”
During his State of the Union address nearly two months later, Biden told a joint session of Congress: “Here in the chamber tonight are American families whose loved ones are still being held by Hamas. I pledge to all the families that we will not rest until we bring their loved ones home.”
Over two months later, those five Americans remain hostages in Gaza.
Biden has called on leaders in Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to release the hostages in a cease-fire agreement with Israel, but negotiations have broken down repeatedly in recent months.
The Daily Signal asked the White House whether the Biden administration would consider using U.S. troops to rescue American hostages in Gaza but did not receive a response.
The bodies of three other Americans—Itay Chen, Judy Weinstein, and Gad Haggai—also are believed to be in Gaza.
On this week’s edition of the “Problematic Women” podcast, we discuss Biden’s handling of the hostage crisis.
Also on today’s show, Texas is trying to outlaw porn use by minors but is facing opposition from—you guessed it—the porn websites. We discuss.
And what are the biggest health trends that might be worth trying? We share our favorites.
And as always, we’ll crown our Problematic Woman of the Week.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) secured control of the entire length of the Gaza-Egypt border on Wednesday, known as the Philadelphi Corridor, and discovered some 20 tunnels nearby, as it continued military operations in Rafah.
The IDF also discovered a massive, 1.5-kilometer tunnel complex filled with weapons and other facilities for housing Hamas military operations.
IDF Spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters (translation via IDF):
Our troops have located dozens of launchers along the corridor, loaded and ready to fire rockets, and launch pits from which Hamas fired rockets and mortars into Israeli territory. Hamas exploited the Philadelphi Corridor, using it to build this infrastructure just dozens of meters from the border with Egypt so that we would not strike them. This infrastructure was located between 10 and 40 meters from the border, specifically so that Israel would not strike near the fence with Egypt. I remind you that in recent weeks, Hamas has fired about seventy rockets and mortars from the Rafah area.
So far, our troops have located about 20 tunnels in the Philadelphi Corridor area. We are investigating these tunnels and neutralizing them. In parallel, the troops continue to conduct operations. These operations are carried out based on intelligence information regarding specific locations in the area.
In recent weeks, our troops uncovered an extensive underground terrorist infrastructure in eastern Rafah, which was 1.5 kilometers long. The entrance shaft to the infrastructure was located about 100 meters from the Rafah crossing. The route branched into several sub-routes and was used by Hamas terrorists for movement, transferring weapons and initiating terrorist attacks. Inside the route, we found large quantities of weapons, including anti-tank missiles, AK-47s, explosives and grenades. The 401st Brigade Combat Team operated in the route and destroyed it.
The IDF is operating in Rafah against the last remaining Hamas battalions. It attacked in the city despite warnings from the Biden administration, which shifted to claiming that Israel was not, in fact, conducting a “major” operation.
On Wednesday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said that Israeli control of the Philadelphi Corridor was consistent with the more limited military operation in Rafah that the U.S. was willing to tolerate.
Control of the Phiadelphi Corridor will enable Israel to block smuggling routes that Hamas has used to bring weapons into the Gaza Strip — and which its leaders could otherwise use as a means of escape, perhaps with Israeli hostages.
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 e-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.
The entrance to the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., May 4, 2019. Credit: Shutterstock/DCStockPhotography
(JNS) The Islamic Republic of Iran is behind a series of terrorist attacks carried out by criminal gangs targeting Israeli embassies throughout Europe since Oct. 7, the Mossad intelligence agency said on Thursday.
The Israeli intelligence agency opened up a probe alongside European counterparts after an object believed to be a hand grenade was thrown towards the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on Jan. 31.
Following an investigation, detectives concluded that Sweden’s Foxtrot organized crime network carried out the attack on the compound at Tehran’s behest, the Mossad said on Thursday.
Dozens of Iran-backed terrorist plots against Jewish and Israeli targets in Europe were uncovered in recent months, many of which used local criminal rings, the agency said.
Two weeks ago, Stockholm police opened an investigation after a patrol heard gunshots near the embassy of the Jewish state. The Mossad said on Thursday that Swedish security forces arrested a 14-year-old suspect in connection with the attack, which was said to have been carried out by a crime group called Rumba and also directed by Iran.
Tehran-backed gangs are also thought to have carried out an attack on Israel’s mission in Brussels, in which two airsoft grenades were thrown.
(Airsoft is a team-based shooting game in which participants eliminate opposing players from play by shooting them with spherical plastic projectiles shot from airsoft guns. Airsoft grenades come in various types and functionalities, including gas airsoft grenades, sound airsoft grenades and airsoft smoke grenades.)
“Iran operates many criminal organizations in Sweden and Europe in general, while taking advantage of the relative advantage of each and sometimes the rivalry between them,” the Mossad statement continued.
Foxtrot and Rumba receive funding and direction from Iran, Jerusalem revealed, adding that they are closely monitored by local intelligence agencies.
In April, Israel renewed calls for other nations to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps as a terrorist organization and impose “painful” sanctions on Tehran after the regime launched hundreds of missiles and suicide drones at the Jewish state in a direct attack.
Last year, the European Parliament voted in favor of a measure calling for Brussels to designate the IRGC as a terrorist group, but the nonbinding measure was stymied by foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who asserted that such a move was not possible until an E.U. court had ruled on the issue.
Responding last month to Borrell’s claim that the legal conditions have not been met, Charlie Weimers, a Swedish member of European Parliament for the Conservatives and Reformists group, called the top diplomat a “liar.”
“Here, I have the [European] Council’s secret legal opinion. Nowhere in this document does it say that it has to be an authority in the E.U.,” he said. “You know that. You knew the truth. You shamelessly lied to protect the IRGC. We won’t miss you, Mr. Borrell, but I’m sure the mullahs will.”
(The European Council is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is part of the executive of the European Union beside the European Commission. It is composed of the heads of state or of government of the E.U. member states, the president of the European Council and the president of the European Commission. )
Some E.U. countries, including Germany, are pushing to classify the IRGC as a terrorist organization based on a Düsseldorf court ruling holding Tehran responsible for an attack on a synagogue in November 2022.
(JNS) – El Al Airlines on Wednesday announced a record profit of over $80 million in the first quarter of the year.
The unprecedented number for Israel’s national carrier comes at a time when many international airlines have suspended service to Tel Aviv in the wake of the nearly eight-month-old war against Hamas in Gaza, and amid complaints of price gouging that has sent airfares soaring.
By comparison, the company posted net loss of nearly $35 million in the corresponding quarter last year.
El Al accounted for 62% of the passenger traffic at Ben Gurion Airport in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Israel Airports Authority, compared with 22% in the first quarter of 2023.
Over the Passover holiday, traditionally a high tourism season, El AL was only the carrier to offer trans-Atlantic flights to the United States, after United suspended service anew in the wake of Iran’s April 13 attack on Israel.
Both the Chicago-based United and the Atlanta-based Delta are slated to resume nonstop service to Tel Aviv next month. American Airlines is only expected to renew flights to Israel in the fall.
The Israeli airline forecasts that the second quarter of 2024 will be even stronger.
“In light of the instability in aviation in Israel and the increasing pressures on our flights, we continue to work intensively to increase the supply of seats and strengthen flight schedules, while providing individual responses to specific cases,” said El Al CEO Dina Ben-Tal Ganancia. “We are doing everything in our power to provide an adequate response to the high demands and unusual loads on the company’s service system, at a time when some of our staff are still serving in reserve duty and the company is operating on a war routine.”
Man at Stanford University wears Hamas headgear (X screenshot)
Coming to a Neighborhood Near You: Islamic Executions
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In recent years, Western countries have faced a surge in immigration from regions plagued by conflict and extremist ideologies. While the humanitarian imperative to offer refuge is strong, it is crucial to understand the potential consequences of importing individuals whose beliefs and practices starkly contrast with the principles of human rights and equality that underpin Western societies. The following case from Syria in 2015 starkly illustrates the severe risks involved.
In a harrowing video from 2015, a member of Al-Nusra Front, the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda, publicly executed a woman in the street for allegedly violating Sharia (Islamic Law). The woman, accused of committing adultery, was denied her final request to see her children before being shot to death. The executioner, fulfilling what he perceives as his Islamic duty, makes it clear that the act is carried out in the name of Allah and for the cause of Islam and Islamic Law.
The executioner recited phrases steeped in Islamic tradition: “In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful” and “Praise be to God, Lord of the worlds,” phrases that open many chapters of the Qur’an. He further invokes traditional Islamic prayers, emphasizing that his actions align with his religious convictions. This juxtaposition of religious invocation and brutal punishment calls attention to the ideological rigidity and violence that characterize the teachings of Islam.
The executioner cited Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:33) from the Qur’an to justify the punishment, stating, “The reward of those who fight Allah and His Messenger and strive to cause corruption on earth is to be slain.” This verse, interpreted literally by Islamists, calls for severe penalties for those deemed to oppose Islamic principles. The executioner also framed the punishment as a form of atonement for the woman, suggesting that her death serves to purify her sins in the eyes of God.
This incident exemplifies the brutal enforcement of Sharia law by extremist groups such as Al-Nusra Front. Such groups impose their interpretation of Islamic law through violence and coercion, often targeting women and other vulnerable groups. The execution is not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of human rights abuses and gender-based violence prevalent in territories controlled by followers of Islam.
The principles of Sharia law, derived from the Quran and Hadith, pose a direct challenge to the values of freedom, equality, and human rights that are foundational to Western societies. The enforcement of Sharia is not a matter of personal choice but a prescribed duty for believers, as emphasized by the Quran (5:48) and reinforced by historical narrations.
Sharia law is based on the Sunnah—Muhammad’s way of life as recorded in the Hadith. It is an organized body of rules derived from various Quranic verses and historical narrations, which are not optional but prescribed for believers. According to the Quran (33:36), it is not fitting for a believer to choose for themselves or disregard any matter already decided by Allah. This rigid adherence to divine command underscores the non-negotiable nature of Sharia for devout Muslims.
Moreover, a government that limits or opposes God’s Law is considered an enemy of Allah and must be fought. The establishment of Sharia is a fundamental objective of every Islamic terror group and many devout Muslims. Once an Islamic state is established, the Quran (9:29) and Sharia law (o9.8) mandate that Muslims fight Jews and Christians who refuse to convert or accept inferior (Dhimmi) status.
Proponents of Sharia in the West often portray it as a benign set of personal rules focusing on prayer and hygiene, masking the more severe aspects of Islamic law. This selective presentation aims to discredit those with legitimate concerns, branding them as religious bigots intolerant of different beliefs. However, this portrayal fails to address the harsh realities of Sharia, which fundamentally opposes religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and the free exchange of ideas.
Sharia law is inherently violent, bigoted towards non-Muslims, discriminatory, and unflinchingly sexist. It encompasses practices that are antithetical to the core values of Western societies. For instance, large sections of Sharia law deal with the practice of slavery, which stands in stark opposition to the universal principles of human rights and equality upheld in the West. Labeling critics as having a “phobia” does not change the oppressive nature of Sharia law.
The ultimate goal of Jihadis, whether in the Middle East or the West, is to establish an Islamic caliphate governed by Sharia law. This goal is not hidden; rather, it is openly declared by followers of Islam who march through the streets of Western cities. Recent events in Germany, where large groups of Muslims have rallied, clearly demonstrate this intent. These rallies are not isolated incidents but part of a broader movement to implement Sharia in Western societies.
Despite the clear warnings, Western media and governments often dismiss these movements as the actions of a few extremists. This narrative overlooks the fact that many of these individuals are devout Muslims who see the implementation of Sharia as their religious duty. By ignoring their words and actions, Western societies are failing to recognize the real and present threat to their values and way of life.
The enforcement of Sharia law in any society would lead to a dramatic shift in legal and social norms. Sharia law’s prescribed punishments, such as amputation for theft and stoning for adultery, are brutal and incompatible with Western legal principles. Its treatment of women as second-class citizens and its discrimination against non-Muslims would erode the foundations of equality and justice that Western societies are built upon.
The implications of importing such ideologies into Western countries are profound. Sharia law, when enforced, fundamentally contradicts the principles of democracy, human rights, and individual freedom. It imposes a legal system that discriminates against women, non-Muslims, and those who do not adhere to its strict codes. The brutal enforcement methods, such as public executions for perceived moral transgressions, highlight the severity of this legal system.
Labor and delivery nurse Hesen Jabr, who is Palestinian American, was being honored by NYU Langone Health for her compassion in caring for mothers who had lost babies when she drew a link between her work and the suffering of mothers in Gaza.
“It pains me to see the women from my country going through unimaginable losses themselves during the current genocide in Gaza,” Jabr said, according to a video of the May 7 speech that she posted on social media. “This award is deeply personal to me for those reasons.”
Jabr wrote on Instagram that she arrived at work on May 22 for her first shift back after receiving the award when she was summoned to a meeting with the hospital’s president and vice president of nursing “to discuss how I ‘put others at risk’ and ‘ruined the ceremony’ and ‘offended people’ because a small part of my speech was a tribute towards the grieving mothers in my country.”
She wrote that after working most of her shift she was “dragged once again to an office” where she was read her termination letter and then escorted out of the building.
A spokesperson for NYU Langone, Steve Ritea, confirmed that Jabr was fired following her speech and said there had been “a previous incident as well.”
“Hesen Jabr was warned in December, following a previous incident, not to bring her views on this divisive and charged issue into the workplace,” Mr. Ritea said in a statement. “She instead chose not to heed that at a recent employee recognition event that was widely attended by her colleagues, some of whom were upset after her comments. As a result, Jabr is no longer an NYU Langone employee.”
Ritea did not provide any details of the previous incident.
Jabr defended her speech in an interview with The New York Times and said talking about the war “was so relevant” given the nature of the award she had won.
“It was an award for bereavement; it was for grieving mothers,” she said.
Gaza’s Ministry of Health says that more than 36,000 people have been killed in the territory during the war that started with the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel. Around 80% of Gaza’s population of 2.3 million has been displaced and U.N. officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine.
Critics say Israel’s military campaign amounts to genocide, and the government of South Africa formally accused the country of genocide in January when it asked the United Nations’ top court to order a halt to Israeli military operations in Gaza.
Israel has denied the genocide charge and told the International Court of Justice it is doing everything it can to protect Gaza’s civilian population.
Jabr is not the first employee at the hospital, which was renamed from NYU Medical Center after a major donation from Republican Party donor and billionaire Kenneth Langone, to be fired over comments about the Mideast conflict.
A prominent researcher who directed the hospital’s cancer center was fired after he posted anti-Hamas political cartoons including caricatures of Arab people. That researcher, biologist Benjamin Neel, has since filed suit against the hospital.
Jabr’s firing also was not her first time in the spotlight. When she was an 11-year-old in Louisiana, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on her behalf after she was forced to accept a Bible from the principal of her public school.
FILE - CEO Jensen Huang walks on stage before the keynote address of Nvidia GTC in San Jose, Calif., Monday, March 18, 2024. Nvidia’s stock price has jumped 92% this year as of Wednesday, May 22, increasing the company’s market value by more than $1 trillion. Those numbers are headed higher again Thursday after the company reported better-than-expected quarterly results. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Nvidia’s Meteoric Rise: AI Chipmaker Nears Apple’s Market Value
Edited by: Fern Sidman
On Tuesday, Nvidia’s shares experienced a significant rally, rising by approximately 6% to reach an all-time high. This surge brought the AI chipmaker’s stock market value tantalizingly close to overtaking Apple’s, positioning Nvidia as a potential new leader among Wall Street’s elite companies, according to a report in The New York Post. Nvidia’s market capitalization climbed to an impressive $2.8 trillion, just shy of Apple’s $2.9 trillion, which currently holds the position of the second-most valuable company on Wall Street after Microsoft.
During the trading session, Nvidia’s stock soared to an intra-day record high of $1,149.39, marking an 8% increase at its peak. By contrast, Apple’s stock experienced a slight dip, falling by 0.2% in afternoon trading, the Post reported. This juxtaposition of Nvidia’s rapid ascent and Apple’s slight decline highlights the shifting dynamics in the tech sector, where Nvidia’s advancements in AI technology are capturing significant investor interest.
Nvidia’s recent stock performance can be attributed to several key factors. Last week, the company forecasted second-quarter revenue that surpassed Wall Street’s expectations, sparking a wave of investor enthusiasm. Additionally, Nvidia announced a stock split, a move that typically excites investors as it often makes shares more accessible and signals confidence in continued growth. Since this announcement, according to the information provided in The Post report. Nvidia’s shares have surged nearly 13%, reinforcing the company’s status as the “AI poster child.”
Derren Nathan, head of equity analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown, commented on Nvidia’s impressive growth trajectory, noting that the market has struggled to keep pace with the company’s continuous improvements. “At a mid-thirties forward earnings multiple, this still doesn’t feel like bubble territory,” Nathan told the Post, as he highlighted the relatively stable valuation metrics despite the rapid stock price increase.
According to LSEG data, Nvidia’s shares recently traded at 36 times its forward profit estimates. This is in comparison to 38 times for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and 21 times for Intel, indicating that while Nvidia’s valuation is high, it is not entirely out of line with industry peers. As per the information contained in The Post report, Nvidia’s forward profit estimates reflect the market’s confidence in its ability to maintain and expand its leadership in the AI chip market, where demand for high-performance computing and AI capabilities continues to grow.
The company’s stock has more than doubled so far this year, following a more than threefold increase last year. The report in The Post suggested that this remarkable growth trajectory is a testament to Nvidia’s strategic positioning in the burgeoning AI sector, where its advanced chip technologies are driving significant innovation and application across various industries.
Investment analyst Dan Coatsworth from AJ Bell encapsulated the market sentiment perfectly, telling The Post, “Business is doing incredibly well, there are so many opportunities to keep growing, and the AI theme still has legs. When the song is that catchy, investors want to keep humming it all day long.” This enthusiasm is evident in Nvidia’s stock rally, which continues to capture the imagination of investors who see limitless growth potential in AI technology.
The AI boom has undeniably positioned Nvidia as a central player in the tech industry. Its chips are pivotal for AI applications, driving advancements in machine learning, data analytics, and various AI-driven technologies, the Post report explained. This demand surge has translated into impressive financial performance, with Nvidia’s data center revenue skyrocketing as tech giants invest heavily in AI infrastructure.
In contrast, Apple, once the darling of Wall Street, has struggled to keep pace with the rapid advancements in AI technology. This year, Apple’s stock has underperformed compared to other Big Tech firms, experiencing a decline of around 2%. The company faces challenges with weak iPhone demand and intense competition in China, impacting its overall market performance, the report in The Post revealed. Furthermore, Apple has been slower to adopt generative AI technologies, which create human-like responses to written prompts. Rivals such as Microsoft and Google have already integrated these capabilities into their products, giving them a competitive edge.
Microsoft’s strategic investments in AI have paid off handsomely. Earlier this year, Microsoft overtook Apple to become the world’s most valuable company, propelled by significant gains from its AI-driven innovations across cloud services, the report in The Post added. Despite a slight dip of 0.4% in its shares on Tuesday, Microsoft maintains a formidable market value of $3.1 trillion, showcasing its leadership in the tech sector.
The competition for AI dominance is fierce, with companies racing to secure Nvidia’s high-end chips that are essential for advanced AI computations. The Post reported that major technology companies such as Alphabet, Microsoft, and Amazon.com are fiercely competing for a limited supply of Nvidia’s cutting-edge chips, as they strive to dominate the AI computing landscape.
Nvidia’s ability to meet this demand and deliver innovative solutions has positioned it as a key enabler of AI advancements. This success is not just reflected in its financial metrics but also in the strategic maneuvers of tech giants vying to leverage its technology.
Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tabriz, Feb. 17, 2022. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
WH Urges UK & France to Not Rebuke Iran Over Expanding Nuke Program at Upcoming IAEA Conference
Edited by: Fern Sidman
The Biden administration’s recent actions reveal a deeply concerning approach to Iran’s escalating nuclear ambitions, placing global security and the safety of key allies, particularly Israel, at significant risk. Instead of standing firm against Tehran’s theocratic regime, the White House appears to be capitulating, urging Britain and France not to formally rebuke Iran over its expanding nuclear program, as was reported on Tuesday in The New York Post. This strategy, marked by a lack of decisive action, emboldens a regime that has consistently flouted international norms and threatened regional stability.
Diplomats informed the Wall Street Journal that U.S. officials have been pressuring European allies to vote against censuring Iran at the forthcoming International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) board of governors meeting, according to the information provided in The Post report. Even more alarming, the U.S. plans to abstain from this critical vote, signaling a retreat from holding Iran accountable. The report on The Post added that this comes at a time when Iran’s nuclear activities pose an unprecedented threat, especially after the recent death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash on May 19.
A State Department spokesperson’s statement to The Post has claimed that no decisions have been made about the meeting and the spokesperson has dismissed speculation as premature. This ambiguous stance undermines efforts to present a unified front against Iran’s blatant violations of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
“We are increasing pressure on Iran through sanctions and international isolation as seen most recently in the coordinated G7 measures taken in the wake of Iran’s attack against Israel last month,” the spokesperson added, as per the Post report. “We remain tightly coordinated with our E3 partners France, Germany and the UK.”
While the administration touts its efforts to increase pressure on Iran through sanctions and international isolation, these measures are insufficient without concrete actions at the IAEA. The spokesperson highlighted recent G7 measures in response to Iran’s attack on Israel, but these steps fall short of the robust response required. The administration’s advocacy for European nations to intensify pressure by removing regime banks and designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terror group, although necessary, seems more like an attempt to deflect criticism than a serious strategy.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) has rightly criticized the administration’s stance, labeling it as undermining allied efforts to hold Iran accountable. The Post reported that McCaul’s statement, “It is outrageous that this administration continues to undermine our allies’ efforts to hold Iran accountable,” underscores the frustration with a policy that appears more focused on appeasement rather than on addressing the clear and present dangers posed by Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
This approach mirrors the Obama administration’s flawed policy, which relaxed sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program under the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA). As per the information provided in The Post report, this agreement, which the Trump administration subsequently abandoned due to its ineffectiveness, only provided temporary relief while allowing Iran to continue its malign activities under a veneer of compliance. The current administration’s reluctance to take a hard stance suggests a troubling continuity with past policies that have failed to curb Iran’s nuclear aspirations.
Israel, a key U.S. ally and a frontline state facing Iran’s aggression, is directly threatened by Tehran’s nuclear advancements. The Biden administration’s lack of decisive action jeopardizes not only Israel’s security but also regional and global stability.
Despite President Biden declaring the deal “dead” in November 2022, his administration has continued to make concessions that embolden the Iranian regime. Indicated in The Post report was that last month, the administration extended a sanctions waiver that unlocked $10 billion in frozen funds for Iran, allowing Iraq to pay for electricity services. This action reflects a troubling continuity with the Obama-era policies that have repeatedly failed to restrain Iran’s nuclear advancements.
Critics, including Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, have vehemently opposed the Biden administration’s stance. Waltz told The Post, “The Biden/Obama appeasement policy towards Iran has been an abject failure for over a decade, yet they continue to make concession after concession.” He further emphasized the danger of the administration’s actions, stating, “As Iran inches towards a nuke, I can’t think of a more weak and dangerous response than lobbying our closest allies to ignore international efforts to hold the regime accountable.”
Under Secretary of State John Kerry, the Obama administration not only relaxed sanctions but also obstructed efforts to arrest individuals linked to Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. As was previously reported in The Post, whistleblower disclosures revealed last week by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) expose that the administration blocked the FBI from arresting known terrorists who traveled on U.S. soil.
Despite these concessions, Iran has continued to aggressively pursue its nuclear ambitions. A recent report from the International Atomic Energy Agency, indicated that Tehran is amassing weapons-grade nuclear material at an alarming rate, with 313.2 pounds of uranium enriched up to 60%, according to The Post report. As of February, the IAEA recorded a 45.4-pound increase in Iran’s stockpile, calling attention to the rapid pace of Tehran’s nuclear escalation.
For Israel, Iran’s nuclear program represents an existential threat. The Israeli government has consistently warned about the dangers of a nuclear-armed Iran, which would drastically alter the balance of power in the Middle East, the Post report added.
Despite these alarming developments, the Biden administration has failed to take decisive action. U.S. Ambassador to the IAEA, Laura Holgate, acknowledged in March that Iran’s cooperation with the agency remains “unacceptable.” The Post report said that she stressed that the IAEA’s board of governors must be ready to take further action if Iran’s cooperation does not improve dramatically. However, the administration’s rhetoric has not been matched by substantive action, leaving the international community vulnerable to Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Iran has consistently claimed that its nuclear program is for civilian purposes. However, the Post revealed that the IAEA governors’ board issued a resolution in November 2022 expressing “profound concern” over Iran’s failure to cooperate with the UN watchdog, ignoring safeguards, and harboring nuclear material in three undeclared locations. These actions clearly indicate Tehran’s intent to develop nuclear weapons, contrary to its public assertions.
Without a significant change in course, U.S. officials anticipate that international sanctions may resume, potentially leading to a referral of the matter to the UN Security Council, as was affirmed in The Post report. However, this process faces significant obstacles due to the geopolitical dynamics within the Security Council. Member states such as Russia and China, both of whom have close ties to Iran and wield veto power, are likely to block any meaningful resolution against Tehran.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) meets at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., with more than 100 Yeshiva University students in April 2024. Credit: Courtesy of the office of Sen. John Fetterman.
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(JNS) Addressing graduates at Yeshiva University’s commencement on Wednesday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) noted that he was last at a graduation “literally a quarter century ago,” when he graduated from Harvard University.
The pro-Israel senator’s reference to the Ivy League school, which has been accused of silence concerning Jew-hatred, drew some boos from the audience.
✡️🇺🇸 — WATCH: Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman was awarded the Presidential Medallion, Yeshiva University’s highest honor, at the 93rd annual commencement ceremony held at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens, New York. pic.twitter.com/4SMu4GSrEX
“Today, I have been profoundly disappointed with Harvard’s inability to stand up for the Jewish community,” Fetterman said. He then reached for the hood from his Harvard robe.
“For me personally, I do not fundamentally believe that it is right for me to wear this today,” said the junior senator from Western Pennsylvania, drawing widespread applause and a standing ovation, even from those on the stage with him, as he removed the hood.
Videos of Fetterman responding to anti-Israel activists in and around the U.S. Capitol abound on social media. But a different sort of imagery surfaced on Wednesday, as the senator received a presidential medallion—Yeshiva University’s top award—at the New York private university’s commencement ceremony.
To a standing ovation, Senator John Fetterman removed his Harvard Crimson hood during commencement today in outrage over the rampant antisemitism here on campus. This is what true leadership looks like!
🎥 @safierpic.twitter.com/2nSG1liuja
In one video, which the writer and researcher Dovi Safier shared, Fetterman holds hands with YU President Rabbi Ari Berman and Rabbi Hershel Schachter as they and graduates dance to the song “Geshmak to Be a Yid” (“It’s delightful to be Jewish”).
Schachter, 82, is among the most senior leaders of Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. In a photo that Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, a Jewish educator, posted on social media, Schachter is shown blessing the senator and thanking him.
“During these challenging times, the leadership, service and moral clarity of this American patriot and hero of Israel have been a beacon of hope and strength for the country and the world,” Yeshiva University stated about Fetterman.
“Like Senator Fetterman, the Yeshiva University community has been deeply engaged in the post-Oct. 7 battle against antisemitism, and in the pursuit of justice for the victims and the hostages still in captivity,” YU stated. “This year, in particular, given Senator Fetterman’s career of activism on behalf of the United States and Israel, Yeshiva University highlights his stellar example of strength and leadership.”
Berman, the YU president, called Fetterman “one of the true heroes of our time for his unwavering and courageous commitment to moral clarity, which has fortified our community and been a clarion call for our country.”
John Fetterman Yeshiva UniversitySen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) meets at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., with more than 100 Yeshiva University students in April 2024. Credit: Courtesy of the office of Sen. John Fetterman.
‘Humbling to be invited to share this milestone’
“In the one commencement ceremony that has never been in doubt, I am proud to announce that I will be awarding YU’s highest honor for global leadership, our presidential medallion, to a true U.S. patriot and hero of Israel: Senator John Fetterman,” Berman posted on May 22.
“It is truly humbling to be invited to share in this milestone with the graduates of Yeshiva University,” Fetterman stated in a Yeshiva University news release before graduation.
“As we gather to celebrate the achievements of the graduating class, we must also acknowledge the profound significance of their journey within the context of the recent surge in antisemitism across the country,” he added. “I thank Yeshiva University for the opportunity to join these students on this momentous day.”
JNS sought comment from Fetterman’s office.
More than 5,000 people were expected to attend Yeshiva University’s main commencement ceremony, which took place at Louis Armstrong Stadium in Queens.
(JNS) A Pakistani American man, reportedly with a history of mental illness, allegedly sought to run over yeshiva students and a rabbi with his car and was said to have yelled “I’m gonna kill all the Jews” on Wednesday.
This subject jumped the curb, attempting to mow down pedestrians while shouting antisemitic slurs. Thanks to the outstanding collaborative efforts between our volunteers, @BPShomrim, and @ShomrimCH volunteers, he was ultimately apprehended and arrested by @NYPD63Pct. pic.twitter.com/Cur0MMmhRS
— Flatbush Shomrim Safety Patrol (@FlatbushShomrim) May 30, 2024
\Asghar Ali, 58, was arrested and “faces more than a dozen charges including attempted murder, attempted assault and hate crimes charges,” the New York Postreported.
The suspect allegedly tried to drive his 2011 white Crown Victoria into the Jews near Mesivta Nachlas Yakov, per the Post.
Yeshiva World Newspublished extensive photos and video footage of the harrowing incidents. Boro Park Shomrim aided police in the investigation and helped find the suspect, it added.
A Palestinian woman is seen outside the UNRWA's Gaza Headquarters in Gaza City in 2015 | Photo: AP / Khalil Hamra
By Pesach Benson, TPS
The Knesset plenum approved a preliminary reading of legislation designating the UN Relief and Works Agency as a “terror organization” on Wednesday. The bill, which must clear further legislative hurdles, would pave the way for Israel to sever ties with the UN agency.
Specifically, the legislation authorizes the Foreign Ministry to make the final determination on the terror designation. The agency would then be stripped of its diplomatic immunity, tax-exempt status, and other legal benefits.
The bill’s preliminary reading passed by a vote of 42-6.
Following the vote, MK Avigdor Liberman, who heads the right-wing opposition Israel Beiteinu party, said on X, formerly known as Twitter, “Today it is more clear than ever that UNRWA, which assisted in the murder, kidnapping and rape of Jews during the October 7 attack, does not assist refugees, but only the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip.”
UNRWA has been under fire for months, with Israeli officials demanding the agency be stripped of its authority in Gaza and defunded amid revelations that members of the agency’s staff participated in Hamas’s October 7 attacks.
UNRWA STAFF STEALING AID FROM GAZANS
Israel’s largest bank froze UNRWA’s account in February over suspicious financial transfers that the agency failed to adequately explain. Israeli forces discovered a Hamas complex located directly under the UNRWA’s Gaza City headquarters. Computer servers belonging to Hamas were directly connected to UNRWA’s electricity system.
Soldiers have found weapons stored in UNRWA facilities on multiple occasions.
Jerusalem’s deputy mayor accused UNRWA of undermining Israeli sovereignty over the city, among other things.
Reports released by IMPACT-SE and UN Watch documented UNRWA employees expressing support for the October 7 attacks on social media.
The UN probed Israeli accusations against 19 UNRWA staffers. But to Israel’s ire, the investigations were dropped as UN officials claimed the evidence presented was insufficient. As a result, Israel is bypassing UNRWA in distributing humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian refugees are the only refugee population with its own dedicated UN agency. The rest of the world’s refugees fall under the mandate of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Israeli officials have called for UNRWA to be closed and for Palestinian refugees to be brought under the responsibility of the UNHCR.
At least 1,200 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 125 remaining hostages, 39 are believed dead.
A large-scale surveillance program covertly operated by the Turkish Foreign Ministry’s intelligence arm has been targeting critical and independent journalists living in exile in Europe, the United States and Canada, as revealed by confidential documents obtained by Nordic Monitor.
The documents confirm that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government meticulously monitors journalists in the West, profiling them, compiling detailed intelligence reports and closely tracking their movements and activities.
The clandestine initiative is managed by the foreign ministry’s covert unit, the Intelligence and Research Directorate (İstihbarat ve Güvenlik İşleri Genel Müdürlüğü). This unit has gained additional mandates and resources since Hakan Fidan, the former head of Turkey’s main intelligence agency, Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MIT), was appointed foreign minister last year.
Intelligence gathered by diplomats, including some ostensibly operating under diplomatic cover for MIT, on journalists was subsequently disseminated to other Turkish government entities, such as the Security Directorate General (Emniyet) and the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, as evidenced by the paper trail.
Describing the critical and independent work of journalists as “black propaganda and disinformation,” the foreign ministry stated in the transmitted intelligence report that journalists target Turkish government institutions and public officials, endeavoring to discredit them in the eyes of the public.
The Erdogan government has decimated the critical and independent media in Turkey, shutting down hundreds of media outlets, including the nation’s leading newspapers and broadcast networks and jailing hundreds of journalists over the last decade. Many journalists fled Turkey to escape this unprecedented crackdown on the free and independent media, finding refuge in Western countries and continuing their work in exile.
The few remaining opposition media outlets in Turkey are under strict control by the Erdogan government, as they are compelled to echo regime narratives on fundamental issues, adhere to red lines imposed by Erdogan’s communications office and tread carefully to avoid risking imprisonment. Under these dire conditions, coverage of Turkey from abroad provides valuable insight into the Turkish government’s record by shedding light on the clandestine activities of President Erdogan and his associates to sustain the authoritarian regime.
A classified communiqué, marked secret on December 2, 2022, indicates that the intelligence was transmitted by Institution V, a code name believed to denote the foreign ministry’s intelligence section, on November 9, 2022. It bears the signature of Salih Yıldırım, the deputy head of the counterterrorism department at the Security Directorate General.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (Photo: Nordic Monitor)
In the communiqué, Yıldırım explained that the Security Directorate General finalized its own inquiry into journalists on December 2, 2022, subsequent to receiving intelligence from the foreign ministry. This information was later disseminated to the Ankara police department to facilitate the building of a sham case against journalists, in collaboration with the Ankara prosecutor’s office.
Another communiqué, signed by Police Chief Engin Aydın, the head of the counterterrorism bureau at the Ankara police department, on December 18, 2023 discloses that the police cybercrimes unit was assigned to surveil and target the website, email and social media accounts affiliated with journalists.
The document included the names of journalists such as Abdullah Bozkurt, Levent Kenez and Bülent Korucu in Sweden; Cevheri Güven and Sevinç Özarslan in Germany; Said Sefa in Canada; and Emrullah Uslu and Adem Yavuz Arslan in the US.
The attached documents indicate that more journalists were targeted by the global spying program carried out by the Erdogan government, using Turkish embassies as cover. Asım Yıldırım, Aydoğan Vatandaş and Mehmet Faruk Mercan in the US as well as Tarik Toros in the UK were also monitored by Turkish intelligence.
The comprehensive report on journalists compiled by the cybercrime unit indicates that the police scrutinized social media accounts and attempted to identify the email addresses, physical addresses and telephone numbers associated with the website and social media profiles. Furthermore, the report reveals that the unit attempted to breach the Twitter (now known as X) accounts of journalists by exploiting the password reset function.
The joint efforts of the foreign ministry and the police were subsequently forwarded to the Ankara Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office, where the reports were integrated into ongoing counterterrorism cases against journalists. The Erdogan administration frequently employs the tactic of labeling critics and opponents as terrorists, initiating abusive criminal investigations and court proceedings with partisan members of the judiciary.
Documents originating from the Ankara police department provide only a partial glimpse into Turkey’s extensive global espionage program, suggesting that the Erdogan government may have targeted additional media outlets and journalists in foreign countries, particularly in North America and Western Europe, due to their coverage critical of Turkey.
The use of Turkish embassies and consulates as intelligence hubs experienced a noteworthy surge following Fidan’s taking on the role of foreign minister in the summer of 2023. Fidan, who previously served as head of Turkey’s infamous intelligence agency MIT for a decade, played a pivotal role in supporting the Erdogan government’s endeavors, including false flag operations, influence campaigns and the abduction of critics for interrogation under torture at undisclosed black sites.
Fidan brought several senior intelligence officers with him from MIT and strategically placed them in key positions in the foreign ministry, effectively reshaping the diplomatic service into a significant intelligence apparatus.
Nuh Yılmaz, Fidan’s long-time aide and a former intelligence officer, became deputy foreign minister. While working for MIT, Yılmaz’s main mandate was to supervise Turkish media, run influence operations through intelligence assets planted in various Turkish media outlets and help build false narratives to support the Erdogan government’s domestic and foreign policy goals.
The foreign ministry’s covert intelligence unit, the Intelligence and Research Directorate, underwent a restructuring, with Fatma Ceren Yazgan, a seasoned Turkish intelligence operative, appointed to lead it. Yazgan played a crucial role in profiling Turkish ambassadors and diplomats, which ultimately led to the summary and abrupt removal of one-third of Turkish diplomats from the foreign service in 2016.
President Erdogan has increasingly relied on intelligence services to sustain his authoritarian regime in Turkey, quash dissenting voices and crack down on opposition factions. The heightened surveillance and intelligence collection efforts abroad are aimed at intimidating critics and adversaries overseas, fostering a climate of fear among Turkish diaspora communities and exerting influence over the foreign and domestic policies of host nations.
Abdullah Bozkurt, a Middle East Forum Milstein Writing Fellow, is a Sweden-based investigative journalist and analyst who runs the Nordic Research and Monitoring Network and is chairman of the Stockholm Center for Freedom.
Left to Right: Staff Sgt. Uri Bar Or, Staff Sgt. Ido Appel, and Staff Sgt. Amir Galilove. (IDF)
By JNS Staff
The Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday published the names of three soldiers killed in action in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip the previous day.
They were named as Staff Sgt. Amir Galilove, 20, from Shimshit, near Nazareth; Staff Sgt. Uri Bar Or, 21, from Midreshet Ben-Gurion, located adjacent to Kibbutz Sde Boker in the Negev; and Staff Sgt. Ido Appel, 21, from Moshav Tzofar in the central Arava.
The soldiers all served in the Nahal Infantry Brigade’s 50th Battalion.
According to an initial investigation, they were killed by a blast in a booby-trapped building. An officer and two other soldiers were seriously wounded in the explosion and another officer was moderately hurt, the army said.
Their deaths bring the IDF death toll to 290 since the start of the Gaza ground incursion on Oct. 27 and to 639 on all fronts since the war began on Oct. 7.
Israel launched a ground offensive in the last Hamas bastion over three weeks ago, which began in eastern Rafah but has since expanded to other areas.
Israeli tanks rolled into the center of Rafah on Tuesday, according to Palestinian reports.
According to the reports, IDF infantry was also advancing in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of northwestern Rafah, with tanks positioned there, marking the first ground operation in that part of the city.
Tel Sultan is where one of the four Hamas battalions in Rafah is located, with the others being in Yabna (south), Shaboura (north) and east Rafah, all areas where the IDF has been active in recent weeks.
The IDF spokesperson said on Tuesday that the Bislamach Brigade (in peacetime the School for Infantry Corps Professions and Squad Commanders) joined the Armored Corps’ 162nd “Steel Formation” Division in fighting in Rafah. Three other brigades are already active in the area, with troops operating along the Philadelphi Corridor, an Israeli codename for a 8.7-mile long border area between Gaza and Egypt. The soldiers are conducting targeted operations against terrorist elements and infrastructure there.
According to the IDF, troops from the Nahal Brigade’s combat team located tunnel shafts, seized weapons and killed many terror operatives in the Rafah area in recent days.
Last week, Nahal Brigade soldiers found a large weapons cache and a lathe for the production of rockets and grenades, as well as explosive vests, a rocket-launch complex, platforms for making rockets and more.
Troops are also active elsewhere in Gaza, according to the IDF, including in Jabalia in the north, where dozens of terror sites were destroyed, including observation posts, weapons depots and a building used by Hamas.
Several terrorists were also killed by IDF troops over the past day in Jabalia, including a mortar-launching cell that was hit by a fighter jet.
In central Gaza, the IDF said that it expanded operations in the Netzarim Corridor, killing terrorists and conducting targeted raids.
Former President Donald Trump speaks to reporters at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago/Pool Photo via AP, File)
By: Michael R. Sisak
Prosecutors and defense lawyers in Donald Trump’s hush money trial are set to deliver closing arguments to the jury Tuesday, each side looking to score final points with the panel before it starts deliberating the fate of the first former American president to be charged with felony crimes.
The arguments, expected to last the entire day, will give the attorneys one last chance to address the Manhattan jury hearing the landmark case. After more than four weeks of testimony, the summations tee up a momentous and historically unprecedented task for the jury as it decides whether to convict the presumptive Republican presidential nominee in connection with payments during the 2016 election to prevent a porn actor from going public with her claims of a sexual encounter with Trump.
Prosecutors will tell jurors that they have heard enough testimony to convict Trump of all charges while defense attorneys will aim to create doubts about the strength of evidence by targeting the credibility of Michael Cohen, Trump’s former lawyer and personal fixer who pleaded guilty to federal charges for his role in the hush money payments and who served as the star prosecution witness in the trial.
After the closing arguments are given, the judge will instruct the jury, likely Wednesday, on the law governing the case and the factors it can take into account during deliberations. The deliberations will then proceed in secret, though some clues as to the jury’s thinking may arrive through any notes it sends to the judge with questions.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, charges punishable by up to four years in prison. He has pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. It’s unclear whether prosecutors would seek imprisonment in the event of a conviction, or if the judge would impose that punishment if asked.
The case centers on a $130,000 payment Cohen made to porn actor Stormy Daniels in the final days of the 2016 election to prevent her from going public with her story of a sexual encounter she says she had with Trump 10 years earlier in a Lake Tahoe hotel suite. Trump has denied Daniels’ account, and his attorney, during hours of questioning in the trial, accused her of making it up.
When Trump reimbursed Cohen, the payments were logged as being for legal services, which prosecutors say was designed to conceal the true purpose of the transaction with Daniels and to illegally interfere in the 2016 election, in which Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton.
Trump’s lawyers contend they were legitimate payments for actual legal services, and they say that his celebrity status, particularly during the campaign, made him a target for extortion, points they are expected to revisit during their closing arguments Tuesday.
The nearly two dozen witnesses included Daniels, who described in sometimes vivid detail the encounter she says she had with Trump; David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, who testified that he used his media enterprise to protect Trump by squelching stories that could harm his campaign, including by paying $150,000 to a former Playboy model to keep her from going public with a claim that she had had a yearlong affair with Trump; and Cohen, who testified that Trump was intimately involved in the hush money discussions — “Just pay it,” the now-disbarred lawyer quoted Trump as saying.
