48.5 F
New York
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Home Blog Page 1387

Liberal Author, Censored by Twitter and Youtube After Questioning Fauci, Considers Suing

0
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

BY PETR SVAB(Epoch Times) 

Women’s health and civil liberties author and journalist Naomi Wolf has had her Twitter account suspended and Youtube channel frozen after she raised questions regarding the COVID-19 vaccine side effects, the constitutionality of lockdowns, and the candor of Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).

She now considers legal action, she told The Epoch Times.

“It’s premature to give details but I am in discussion with a legal team about a lawsuit against Twitter,” she said via email. “I’ve also been approached by another legal team about joining a class action lawsuit against several social media platforms.”

She hasn’t been given any explanation as to what piece of content that she posted on the social media platforms triggered the suspension, despite her multiple attempts to reach out to both Twitter and Youtube, she said. In fact, she received no explanation whatsoever from either platform. Instead, Twitter told the media that she was spreading vaccine misinformation. She considers that both false and defamatory.

Google, which owns Youtube, and Twitter didn’t respond to requests for comment.

Wolf’s case highlights the escalation of social media censorship over the past several years. While the giant tech companies started with purges of voices that the establishment considered right-wing fringe, such as radio host Alex Jones and activist Laura Loomer, the list of taboo topics has now expanded so far that censors are coming after people like Wolf, a liberal feminist and life-long Democrat who used to be published by establishment press, including publications like The New York Times and The Guardian.

Her Twitter account was suspended around June 4, shortly after she posted a video of her husband, a private investigator, reading a publicly available CV of Prof. Ralph Baric, a coronavirus researcher. The bio indicated that Baric’s projects received tens of millions in funding from NIAID.

Fauci testified to Congress that NIAID didn’t fund any “gain of function” research, referring to experiments that enhance viruses, such as by modifying them to infect a different species. But Baric’s CV listed several NIAID grants that have been disclosed as a source of funding for gain of function research in a 2015 paper co-authored by Baric that describes an experiment in which a bat virus spike protein that didn’t work on humans was grafted onto the SARS virus, resulting in a new virus that was not only capable of infecting humans, but also resistant to treatment. The research was also funded by the EcoHealth Alliance group, which in turn received millions in funding from NIAID.

Some of Baric’s research has been conducted in partnership with the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV), which also received some EcoHealth Alliance funding. A leak from WIV’s facilities has been identified by a number of experts as a possible origin of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that causes the COVID-19 disease and has claimed over 3 million lives over the past 15 months, according to official statistics.

Fauci at first dismissed the lab leak theory, but recently, as the story gained more traction, said he is no longer ruling it out.

Shortly after Wolf’s Twitter account was suspended, Youtube blocked her from accessing her channel, called “Daily Clout.” It’s not clear why Youtube took the action and why at this time. Much of the channel’s content over the past year has been dedicated to criticism of COVID-19 lockdowns and the prospect of vaccine passports. The last video was posted in late May, more than a week before Youtube’s action.

Wolf said she’s read carefully the terms of service of both Twitter and Youtube and isn’t aware of breaking them.

Inconvenient Voice

As a former political consultant for campaigns of former Vice President Al Gore and former President Bill Clinton, Wolf sees her line of inquiry crossing vital interests of her own party.

“Dr. Fauci is clearly … an important part of the Democrats’ brand and their reelection strategy, right? They’re going to run on having beaten coronavirus and he’s being made the face of that,” she said.

While she’s not alone in asking pointed questions, her reputation as a liberal makes her criticism particularly inconvenient, she acknowledged.

“The talking point of the administration is, this is a Republican attack, political attack on Dr. Fauci. Well, it’s not a political attack coming from me. I’m being a reporter and asking questions all serious reporters should be asking. So I think that makes me not a convenient voice to have in the mix,” she said.

Media Blitz

Within a few days of Wolf getting censored, several media ran stories labeling her as being “anti-vaccine” and said she was de-platformed for posting misinformation about vaccines. She denies doing that and being any such thing, noting both she and her children are vaccinated.

She called the reports “extremely inaccurate” and “defamatory,” noting that her social media posts were quoted “way out of context.”

It seemed to her the articles all used the same source information, “as if from a press release,” though she didn’t want to elaborate further in order to avoid speculation.

“It was a very Stalinistic experience,” she said.

Except for the Times of London, no outlet reached out to her for comment, she said. Even publications like The Guardian and The New Republic, which have previously published Wolf’s writings, ran their pieces without asking for her side of the story. Both publications didn’t respond to requests for comment.

One claim against Wolf was that she called a COVID-19 vaccine a software platform. She says she didn’t mean literal software. Her tweet referred to the Moderna website that calls the mRNA, a core functioning element of the pharmaceutical company’s COVID-19 vaccine, the “software of life.” She says that’s what she was referring to.

In another tweet, she suggested that perhaps the excrements of vaccinated people need to be separated from general sewage as they may contain the spike protein produced by their bodies due to the vaccination, which may then enter the drinking water supply. The comment was based on a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) document regarding the monitoring of potential “shedding” of “gene therapy products” by individuals receiving such treatment (pdf).

Wolf called the document “terrifying.”

It defines gene therapy as “products that mediate their effects by transcription and/or translation of transferred genetic material and/or by integrating into the host genome and that are administered as nucleic acids, viruses, or genetically engineered microorganisms.”

The mRNA vaccines use nucleic acids carrying genetic material to prompt translation of a spike protein by human cells. The protein then triggers the human immune system to develop antibodies that help the body fight off COVID-19.

Viral RNA (ribonucleic acid) can be detected in wastewater.

The FDA document says, however, that “transmission to untreated individuals [via shedding] is an extremely low probability event.”

Responding via email, Wolf said her “describing being personally alarmed” isn’t vaccine misinformation.

“I think it’s clear that when I said the white paper was ‘terrifying’, that I personally found it terrifying,” she said. “I think these are fair questions to explore and honest emotions for me to share. I’m not a medical doctor—I am a citizen who has long written about the human body and the need to take care of it and to respect it.”

Concerns about spike protein shedding have so far been dismissed by experts.

In another tweet, Wolf recalled overhearing an Apple employee as saying that the company was working on a technology that could deliver a vaccine with “nanoparticles that let you travel back in time.”

Wolf said she almost immediately deleted the tweet. She thought that she probably misheard what the person was talking about. There is in fact a product on the Apple Watch called “Time Travel” that allows the user, among other things, to go back in time to review one’s biometric readings. There is also an emerging field of developing “bio-digital interfaces,” imagining a future where “we will wear or ingest bio-digital technology to monitor and enhance our health and lifestyle,” according to MIT.

Uncontrolled Conversation

Wolf has received a number of warnings from Twitter over the past several months regarding COVID-related content.

It resembled “behavior modification” in her view, as the language used conveyed a “very demeaning way to treat any customer.”

“It was like the platform was training a four-year-old. … ‘This is your second warning’ and ‘you have a time out,’ like you’re sent to your room,” she said.

One piece of content that was flagged by the social media was her reporting that a number of women have complained about menstrual irregularity after receiving the vaccine. The topic has since been broadly picked up by the media, quoting experts as saying the vaccines are still safe, but also acknowledging that there’s a lack of research on this issue.

Wolf suggested social media need to be more transparent about the extent to which they stifle discussion.

“If people are not supposed to engage in thoughtful discussion or even joking discussion or rhetorical questions and they’re not supposed to raise public health concerns, then people should know because I’m quite sure that would lead to an exodus to platforms where people can say, ‘Hey, I heard that post-menopausal women are bleeding or I experienced this myself.’ I mean, we have to be able to educate each other as human beings or else we don’t live in a free society,” she said.

In the past, her reporting helped to identify subpar or even dangerous health products that government authorities initially considered safe. Each time, the investigation started with informal, anecdotal reports from patients and consumers.

“A lot of really important information that made breast implants better or made contraceptives pills better or took vaginal mesh off the market arose in uncontrolled discussions,” she said.

She acknowledged she can no longer pursue certain leads with the same intensity now.

“Every day I get women emailing me testimony of menstrual disorders, like really dramatic ones. I’m scared to even report them because then I lose the last few platforms I have,” she said.

Wolf stressed she doesn’t believe this was the reason for her de-platforming.

“I mean, I talked about vaccines and women’s health and myocarditis [as a side effect of the COVID vaccines in some people] for the duration of the pandemic,” she said.

“It’s no secret that I was very critical of lockdowns, of what they were doing to the economy, to children’s mental health, transfer of wealth. I mean, I’ve been very vocal about all these things. That’s not when I was de-platformed. I was de-platformed when I posted Dr. Baric’s CV.”

Sarsour plays victim after backlash over slamming Israeli rescue efforts in Miami

0
Ap

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

After promoting a tweet slamming the IDF for helping rescue efforts at the site of the condo collapse in Florida, prominent Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour announced that she would be taking a break from Twitter.

Her dramatic exit from the social media platform comes after she reposted a tweet from far-left activist Rafael Shimunov, which drew ire from Twitter users.

“I really don’t understand the IDF’s involvement in rescue attempts of people tragically crushed under buildings in Miami. Their expertise is crushing buildings with people in them, not rescuing them,” read the tweet.

Sarsour posted the tweet on her page with two emojis pointing down at the message, conveying her approval.

The message quickly sparked backlash as rescue efforts remain underway to recover the bodies of upwards of 100 people who are still unaccounted for.

She deleted the tweet, but rather than apologize, she claimed that she had been victimized on the site.

“I’ll be back in a few days. This site is a place where those with no morals or values can take someone’s tweet & claim higher ground with no reflection or retrospection on the atrocities and injustice they support on a daily basis,” wrote Sarsour.

B’nai B’rith International said it was “outraged” by Sarsour’s tweet in a statement, saying that it fueled anti-Semitic hatred.

“We are outraged by a tweet from political activist Rafael Shimunov questioning the IDF’s rescue efforts in Surfside, Florida…We are equally disgusted by anti-Israel activist Linda Sarsour’s amplification of this message,” said President Charles O. Kaufman and CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin.

“This horrific statement comes as families are mourning the loss of loved ones and hoping for miracles in the tragic building collapse that still has 113 missing in the rubble.

“The tweet is not only deeply insensitive but anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic. A people that, sadly, has had to deal with bombs from Palestinian terrorists is now told it has the temerity to help people in Florida based on their own tragic experience.”

Sarsour, who has publicly praised anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, has a long history of making incendiary and inaccurate remarks on the platform.

Liberman slashes childcare subsidies for yeshiva students, slammed for ‘hatred’ of ultra-Orthodox

0
Haredi boys at the Poalei Menahem Talmud Torah, in Beitar Illit,(Flash90/Nati Shochat)

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman announced Wednesday that parents who do not work, including yeshiva students, will no longer receive state-funded childcare subsidies.

“New priorities. Today, I decided to put an end to the ongoing crookedness in the State of Israel, in which the working public has been discriminated against,” Liberman wrote on Twitter.

Starting with the next school year, he continued, only couples in which both parents work will be eligible for a daycare subsidy.

He called the move an effort to “end paralysis in the labor market and take care of the public who work and pay taxes.”

In the past, Liberman has promised to cut child tax benefits and other subsidies to haredi families in order to force the community to integrate into the labor market.

The decision to restrict daycare subsidies to working couples will affect a large number of ultra-Orthodox families, as in many households, the father studies in yeshiva and does not work.

Liberman emphasized that the decision would not affect single mothers or fathers – it applies strictly to married couples where one parent or both parents are unemployed.

Couples in which each spouse works 24 hours each week will be entitled to the subsidy, as well as those who are enrolled in vocational training or educational frameworks that will result in “future integration into the labor market.”

Once parents become employed, they will be eligible for the subsidy from the first day of work.

The announcement immediately sparked a backlash from haredi politicians.

“The first decision of the Minister of Finance was to harm the ultra-Orthodox,” Shas MK Aryeh Deri told Arutz 7.

“Liberman, in a predatory and vindictive move, decided to harm families with children only because they are ultra-Orthodox. Bennett and Saar, who promised to ‘take care of the ultra-Orthodox,’ formed a hate government that promotes harm to the world of Torah.”

‘Bennett is bad, a liar’

United Torah Judaism MK Ya’akov Litzman told Ynet that he held Prime Minister Naftali Bennett partially responsible for Liberman’s decision.

“Bennett is bad, a liar…I’m not afraid to say that. Look at what’s going on here.

“Evet is simply crazy,” Litzman said, referring to Liberman by his Russian birth name. “His hatred is driving him insane.”

Liberman’s right-wing nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party promotes a staunchly secular platform, which includes civil marriage, public transportation on Shabbat, and mandatory conscription to the IDF for haredi men.

He has spoken publicly about his disdain for haredi politicians, declaring in the run-up to the 2021 elections that the ultra-Orthodox parties should be “taken to the landfill in a wheelbarrow.”

The Tawdry Double Life of Jamal Khashoggi Revealed in New Podcast

0
AP

Edited by: TJVNews.com

It appears that the controversy swirling around the gruesome murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul in 2018 is now receiving heightened exposure. The veil of mystery around the life of this man has now been lifted, according to information revealed in a news podcast. Referencing the podcast, the New York Post reported that Khashoggi was living a double life with two different women when he was executed — including one he had secretly married.

In October 2, 2018, Khashoggi was tortured and dismembered at the consulate of Saudi Arabia in Istanbul as he visited there to obtain the requisite documents in order to marry his fiancée, Hatice Cengiz.

The Post reported that when speaking with Yahoo News’ “Conspiracyland” Cengiz claimed that she was clueless to the fact that Khashoggi had been in a relationship with a flight attendant named Hanan El-Atr from Egypt. He had also wed her on the sly just four months earlier in Virginia

The investigative podcast reported that Cengiz told them of Khashoggi:  “He told me when he proposed to me, there is no one in his life.

The Post reported that Khashoggi had met El-Atr when she was intensely interrogated and detained by Emirati security agents for 10 days. El-Atr claims that the focus of the grilling she endured was about her relationship with Khashoggi. She also claimed that her new husband never mentioned that Cengiz was in his life.

El-Atr asserts that she and the Wasington Post columnist began to form a relationship during her twice a month visits to his home in early 2018 for work related reasons.

At the time of his proposal of marriage, El-Atr said Khashoggi became quite effusive in texts that he sent to her. She said that he texted that she “will be the happiest bride.” It was also revealed in the podcast episode called “A Tale of Two Women” the Washington journalist was open about his emotions when he said, “I throw myself at you, kiss you and delight you. I take out a r watch or a necklace or perfume I bought for you to delight you.”

The Post reported that exactly four months prior to his murder, court records that were reviewed by Yahoo News indicated that Khashoggi and El-Atr tied the knot in an Islamic ceremony performed by an imam in a mosque in northern Virginia on June 2nd.

The nuptials, however, were not legally binding as a civil marriage license was never obtained, according to the Post report. The podcast revealed that Khashoggi purchased two rings for his bride at a local jewelry store and the tab came out to be $2000. They cited receipts from the store in their allegation.

In order to spend time with Cengiz, the philandering Khashoggi began making excuses to his new wife; telling her that he had a sister in Istanbul and needed to make frequent trips there, according to El-Atr’s interview on the podcast.

Khashoggi soon proposed to Cengiz as well. Always the romantic, it was reported that he got down on one knee to Cengiz and bought her jewelry including a necklace and earrings, according to what Cengiz told the podcast.

She added that he not only lied to her but also spewed forth falsehoods to her father when he began to question Khashoggi about his background and his intentions with his daughter.

“My father knows very well the Arabs get married more than once at the same time,” said Cengiz. “And then he asked him, ‘Are you sure you’re not married?’ It’s a little bit of a sensitive point for my father.”

Cengiz told the podcast that her fiancée told her father that he was not married and had been divorced.

Khashoggi’s friends were also out of the loop as it pertained to his personal life as he was not forthcoming about it, according to the Post report.

Mohammed Soltan, an Egyptian American human rights activist who collaborated with Khashoggi said, “If somebody sits across from you and tells you that Jamal told them everything, they are 100 percent lying to you. Jamal compartmentalized, he told different people certain things about his life. He gave nobody a full view of his life.”

Soltan admitted that, “He kept all of it with himself, and he gave different people the things that they needed to know. So, I had no idea about Hanan.”

Khashoggi’s murder was blamed on Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and US intelligence sources have corroborated that, according to the Post report. Salman and his coterie had done some spying on Khashoggi as he had consistently critiqued the monarch and his rule.

When discovering that his communications has been listened to by the Saudi government, Khashoggi showed great concern. The Post reported that when one of his sources told him that the Saudis had succeeded in their reconnaissance of him, Khashoggi reportedly replied, “Oh gosh … May God help us.”

 

Activist in AOC’s District Slams ‘Defund the Police’ Movement, Cites Violent Crime Surge

0
screenshot

Unlike Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), an activist in her district spoke out against the ‘Defund the Police’ movement during an interview with News 12 The Bronx, citing a nationwide violent crime surge.

“There’s a lot of crime happening in the Bronx. There are shootings every day. There are over two or three shootings a week in the Bronx,” said Melody Jimenez, founder of the organization No Voice Unheard. “And we can’t police ourselves. We need authorities to come into our communities and help us.”

Shootings have surged 68 percent in 2021 when compared to 2020 in Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio’s New York City, Breitbart News reported. De Blasio slashed $1 billion from the budget of the New York City Police Department in June 2020. The mayor backpedaled slightly this year and is reinstating $92 million to build a new precinct.

Jimenez’s organization seeks to “create unity between law enforcement and the communities they serve while also having little patience for both police brutality and anti-police activists,”  Fox News reported.

“Why would we defund officers who come out here and risk their lives?” she said. “There’s a lot of money in these streets for cure violence orgs and nothing is changing.”

Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th congressional district (including the eastern part of the Bronx), recently asserted the crime surge is just “hysteria” and making “responsible decisions about what [funds] to allocate” away from police departments is “important.” Once, when asked what an America with “defunded police” looks like, stated that it “looks like a suburb.”

Jimenez, who often interacts with elected officials, said she recently spoke with Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) but did not “really speak in-depth about why many of them are standoffish, as many people are to even say we need some form of unity with NYPD with what the agenda being pushed at this moment,” Fox News reported.

“So it seems like something that’s negative,” Jimenez said, “But I have tried to reach out to them, and no one is willing to come forth and say this is the type of unity needed in our community.”

Jimenez often works with Bronx youth and said she sees her community suffering because of division over law enforcement. “There’s not one person that will probably go to an officer when they feel unsafe because of what’s going on in this world,” Jimenez said. “And we need officers to step up, as well.”

Jimenez added that the community needs to behave respectfully toward law enforcement in return. “They are getting disrespected. They are told we want to defund you, they are getting cursed out all day. These are human people that put on a badge to do a job. Let’s not forget that.”

Weingarten On MSNBC: Defends Critical Race Theory, Attacks Conservatives

0
Randi Weingarten

IAN HANCHETT

On Wednesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “Deadline: White House,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten criticized anti-critical race theory laws “that contradict the standards that our professional obligations tell us we have to teach” and cited Texas’ law as an example because it “basically says that teachers are supposed to say that slavery is a betrayal of the founding principles of our country. Now, you know that that’s not true.” Weingarten also argued that people on the right “have to find something else to create chaos and fear with” like they did with school reopenings.

Weingarten said states have passed laws “that contradict the standards that our professional obligations tell us we have to teach and we should be teaching. So, I’ll give you an example. Texas’ new law basically says, and I’m not quoting it, but it basically says that teachers are supposed to say that slavery is a betrayal of the founding principles of our country. Now, you know that that’s not true. I mean, there’s lots of great founding principles of our country, but slavery was embedded in the Constitution. It’s — and so, the question then becomes, so what does that mean, we can’t teach the Civil War? We can’t teach the 13th, 14th, 15th Amendment? We can’t teach Juneteenth? We can’t teach the Dred Scott decision? We can’t teach the Emancipation Proclamation? So, what we’ve said to our members is that let’s make sure that you can do what your professional obligations require, which is to teach an honest and accurate version of the history of the United States. And, yes, some of it is uncomfortable. Enslavement and discrimination are uncomfortable. But it works to help kids become critical thinkers when they understand the facts, when they can look at diverse perspectives, and draw their own conclusions. I think we become stronger if we can do that, and that’s what I went through with my members yesterday and said that we will defend that, just like in the Scopes trial of old, when we defended against…when people tried to stop the teaching of evolution, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

She later added, “What Trump did and what the right wing has learned from Trump is it’s constantly chaos and fear and creating that kind of uncertainty. And so, now that it’s clear that we’re going to be able to reopen schools safely in the fall and help kids recover, they have to find something else to create chaos and fear with. And we do not teach — probably the most important thing I can say to your viewers is that in high schools, elementary schools, and middle schools, we do not teach CRT. CRT is a theory in law school or in college that analyzes law and says, is there systemic racism that was attached to these laws or the effects of systemic racism? What we teach in high school or elementary school or middle school is we teach history, common history. And we want kids to be able to understand it and to analyze history.”

Breitbart

Meeks Announces Congressional Delegation to the Middle East, NY Rep Malliotakis Included

0
Nicole Malliotakis (AP)
Today, Representative Gregory W. Meeks (D-NY) Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement as he and other Members of Congress departed for a bipartisan Congressional delegation (CODEL) to the Middle East.

 

The Members of Congress joining Chairman Meeks on the delegation are Representatives Ted Deutch (D-FL), David Cicilline (D-RI), Andy Barr (R-KY), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Brad Schneider (D-IL), and French Hill (R-AR).

 

“Today, a Congressional delegation will be traveling to the Middle East to bolster diplomatic relationships with the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority, as well as conduct oversight of U.S. programming in the region. The trip will allow members to explore the challenges posed by the recent outbreak of violence in Gaza; assess Israel’s current security needs; and evaluate the Biden Administration’s attempts to restart assistance to the Palestinian people. The CODEL hopes to familiarize itself with the new Israeli government and engage with local partners on the ground who are working to improve the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis.

 

“The delegation will then travel to the State of Qatar to address issues of mutual concern between the United States and Qatar, including regional security threats, economic interests, and the important normalization agreements between Arab governments and Israel. The delegation will visit with CENTCOM forces to assess the Iranian threat, our regional security posture, and spend time with our deployed military personnel.

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic remains a concern of the delegation and precautions will be taken to protect participants and our hosts. The status of COVID response in Israel, Qatar, and the region will be addressed.”

Governor Cuomo Announces Applications Now Open for $800 Million COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program

0
AP

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that applications are now open for the $800 million COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. The program reimburses New York small businesses with grants of up to $50,000 for COVID-related expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021. Grants will be awarded to small and micro businesses and small for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations, with priority being given to socially and economically disadvantaged business owners, including minority- and women-owned business enterprises, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses and veteran-owned businesses, and businesses located in economically distressed communities.

“Small businesses are one of the most critical components of New York’s economy and were disproportionately impacted by the economic devastation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Governor Cuomo said. “As we build New York back better than it was before, this program will help these small businesses -particularly those with socially or economically disadvantaged owners -regain an economic foothold so they can forge ahead toward a brighter, more prosperous future.”

More than 330,000 small and micro businesses are potentially eligible for this program, including 57 percent of the state’s certified MWBEs. The application site for the program will be powered by Lendistry, a minority-led Community Development Financial Institution. The state will also be launching an ad campaign to promote this program to small businesses, as well as an array of other pandemic recovery programs.

Grants will be for a minimum award of $5,000 and a maximum award of $50,000 and will be calculated based on a New York State business’ annual gross receipts for 2019. Reimbursable COVID-19 related expenses must have been incurred between March 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021 and can include:

  • Payroll costs
  • Commercial rent or mortgage payments for NYS-based property
  • Payment of local property or school taxes
  • Insurance costs
  • Utility costs
  • Costs of personal protection equipment necessary to protect worker and consumer health and safety
  • Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning cost
  • Other machinery or equipment costs
  • Supplies and materials necessary for compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols

On June 8, Governor Cuomo proposed legislation to waive taxes on grants from the COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program. ESD has created a website —NYSBusinessRecovery.ny.gov —to highlight the various resources available to support small businesses seeking pandemic relief. The website will be continuously updated as more details and funding information become available.

The Empire State Development Board of Directors approved $10 million in technical assistance grants for New York’s statewide entrepreneurship assistance centers,small business development centers, and 26 additional community organizations and chambers of commerce to help small businesses and for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations secure COVID-related financial assistance and grants available through existing state and federal programs.

This network of service providers will work directly with small businesses, guiding them through available funding sources and helping them navigate the application process. Recognizing that pandemic-induced economic hardship has disproportionately affected micro and small businesses, and that application processes can be difficult to navigate -especially due to a language barrier -the partners will use these funds to hire or contract more staff for one-on-one, direct counseling services.

Education materials and applications will be offered in 12 languages in addition to English. This support, along with increased technical assistance staffing, will position these providers to better assist businesses and organizations in applying for funding through the New York State’s COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program, the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, or any other available federal economic recovery program, catalyzing our state and local economies as more businesses and communities reopen.

Ahmed Jibril, head of Palestinian terror group killing dozens of Israelis, dies at 83

0
Head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command Ahmed Jibril attends a conference titled "international conference in support of Palestinian Intifada" in Tehran, July 7, 2021. (AP/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)

(AP) Ahmed Jibril, leader of a breakaway Palestinian terror group that carried out hijackings, bombings and other attacks against Israeli targets in the 1970s and 1980s, has died in Damascus, his group and Syrian state TV reported on Wednesday. He was 83.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command said Jibril had been sick for months and died at a Damascus hospital. It offered no details. Khaled Abdul-Mejid, who runs another Damascus-based Palestinian faction, said Jibril suffered from a heart condition.

The son of a Palestinian-Arab father and a Syrian mother, Jibril was born in Jaffa in 1938, in what was then British-ruled Palestine. His family later moved to Syria, where he became an officer in the Syrian army and acquired Syrian nationality.

Jibril founded the PFLP in the late 1950s but broke away over ideological disputes.

In 1968, he founded the pro-Syrian breakaway PFLP-GC, which briefly joined the Palestine Liberation Organization, but left the umbrella group in 1974, amid sharp disagreements with PLO leader Yasser Arafat.

Jibril was a vehement opponent of peace talks with Israel. His group became known for some of the more headline-grabbing attacks against Israel, including the hijacking an El Al jetliner in 1968 and machine gunning another at Zurich airport in 1969.

In 1970, it planted a time-bomb on a Swissair jet that blew up on a flight from Zurich to Tel Aviv, killing all 47 on aboard.

The Damascus-based group also carried out attacks against Israel from its bases in Lebanon. During Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, the PFLP-GC captured three Israeli soldiers and negotiated their release in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian prisoners in 1985.

One dramatic attack in 1987 was carried out by two of his fighters who crossed from Lebanon into Israel on hang-gliders and killed six Israeli soldiers. The attack was considered as one of the triggers for the first intifada.

The group is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and other Western countries.

Jibril’s son Jihad was killed in an attack in 2002 in Beirut, for which the group blamed Israel. He was head of the PFLP-GC military wing at the time.

During Syria’s civil war that erupted following peaceful protests in 2011, Jibril’s group supported Syrian President Bashar Assad’s troops. His fighters battled alongside Syrian troops against opposition groups in Damascus’ Yarmouk Camp.

Jibril is survived by four daughters and three sons.

Chief Rabbi Amar Visits Magen David Yeshivah

0
MDY Rosh Hayeshivah Rabbi Harold Sutton and Chief Rabbi Shelomo Amar at the entrance to Magen David Yeshivah Elementary School

By: TJVNews.com

Tuesday, June 15th, 2021, was originally planned as a typical day of school at Magen David Yeshivah. As Hashem would have it, the building would be blessed and privileged with a unique and glorious event. An honorable visit by the former Chief Rabbi of Israel, and current Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, Hacham Shelomo Amar Shlit’a. Students from Kindergarten through 8th grade, arrived dressed in their crisp blue and white uniforms, awaiting a most sacred and special experience. The red carpet was rolled out, literally. The risers for the choir were erected. Spaces were roped off to provide a safe and spacious walkway for the Rabbi and his escorts. The stage was set and the audience began to arrive.

Chief Rabbi Shelomo Amar blessing the assembly with MDY Elementary School Principal Rabbi Ezra Cohen-Saban, Jack S. Avital, Rosh Hayeshivah Rabbi Harold Sutton, and Chief Rabbi Saul J. Kassin

The middle schoolers, lined up along the driveway, stood in respectful silence while the Rosh Yeshivah Rabbi Harold Sutton, Chief Rabbi Saul J. Kassin, Mashgiach Ruhani Rabbi Joey Haber, Principal Rabbi Ezra Cohen-Saban, Religious Advisor Rabbi Joey Mizrahi, Rabbi David Sultan, Rabbi Max Sutton, Mr. Jack Avital, and Mr. Harry Adjmi accompanied the Hacham to add honor to his escort. He approached the entrance to the building and the lobby fell silent. The Rabbi was greeted by hundreds of students. The Kindergarten and First grade students stood on either side and the Fourth grade students watched from the mezzanine level. As he stood in the doorway, the choir began to sing Yaheed El Dagul. The Rabbi was visibly moved by the impressive welcome. He gave the famous blessing of Yaakov Abinu – Hamalach Hagoel to all those present and imparted his words of Torah.

Next, the Rabbi was ushered into a packed auditorium with students and teachers standing with reverence for the great Talmid Hacham. As he made his way down the center aisle, Rabbis and students kissed his hands and were blessed. The audience was silent and respectful, eager to hear the sage’s words and powerful message.

– Chief Rabbi Shelomo Amar enters the auditorium with MDY Elementary School Principal Rabbi Ezra Cohen-Saban, Mr. Harry Adjmi, and Rosh Hayeshivah Rabbi Harold Sutton

Introductory remarks were offered by the principal, Rabbi Ezra Cohen-Saban, who then welcomed Chief Rabbi Saul Kassin to speak to the assembly. He spoke directly to the students, helping them frame the context of this inspiring visit. He related his memories of himself as a young MDY student witnessing the visit of the great Hacham Ovadia Yosef Zt”l, and how it was an unforgettable moment forever etched in his soul. He explained how it is the kedusha of the Torah that Rabbi Amar represents which we revere. The kavod we bestow upon the man is for the wisdom and life of Torah he holds and imparts onto those in his presence. Before introducing Mr. Harry Adjmi, Rabbi Kassin instructed the children to do 3 things when the Rabbi speaks – stand to give kabod la’Torah as the Rabbi is like a walking Sefer Torah, listen to the holy words of Torah that the Rabbi will speak, and answer amen to the Rabbi’s blessings which will Be’ezrat Hashem come true for everyone.

Mr. Harry Adjmi spoke next. In his passionate manner, he told the students that one day, they will become the leaders of our community and bring the Gedolim from Israel and beyond to come to our yeshivot and continue to promote this important legacy of kabod for the Torah and our Hachamim.

Chief Rabbi Shelomo Amar addresses over 500 students and staff in the MDY auditorium with Mr. Harry Adjmi, Rabbi Max Sutton, and Rabbi David Sultan on stage.

Rabbi Amar stood regally with such a strong, yet warm demeanor, with his royal robe and bright radiant expression. The Hacham, visibly moved by the experience, spoke in a well-paced and articulate Hebrew, allowing the students to absorb his message. His words of Torah and the blessings he bestowed on the audience were powerful. In an extraordinary measure, the Rabbi asked everyone to rise and repeat after him the words of Shema Yisrael and other verses in which we accept Hashem’s sovereignty in the world. Echoing his words of Tefillah in unison was a life-altering experience that will forever remain with everyone present! It was a truly magnificent moment and our prayers were surely accepted by Hashem.

The Chief Rabbi then exited the auditorium and was greeted by the Second and Third grade students, as well as the recent Eighth grade graduates. He graciously offered his blessings and imparted his final message before leaving.

The massive gathering rises and joins Rabbi Amar in prayer. In the foreground – Mr.
Joseph A. Franco, Mr. Abraham J. Kassin, Mr. Judah Schemo, Mr. Nathan Gindi, Rabbi Avraham Zarif, and Rabbi Charles Tobias

It is a rare and precious opportunity to be in the presence of someone who lives such a pure life of Torah. Magen David was zoche to be honored by the great presence of the holy Rabbi and Be’ezrat Hashem, may it continue to merit the adage, “יהי ביתך בית ועד לחכמים”, until the coming of Mashiah, amen!

England and Italy to play for Euro 2020 title at Wembley

0

(AP) — England and Italy.

Those are the last two teams remaining at the European Championship, a tournament delayed a year by the coronavirus pandemic but successfully played in various countries around the continent.

The two teams are the last of the 24 that started on June 11 in Rome, and they will meet on Sunday in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley Stadium.

ENGLAND

England has played five of its six games at its own national soccer stadium, and the next will be at Wembley Stadium, too.

Of England’s games so far, only the quarterfinal victory over Ukraine was played away from home.

While Harry Kane didn’t score in the group stage, the striker now has four goals in three games, including putting in the rebound of his saved penalty in the semifinals against Denmark.

Raheem Sterling has three goals and drew the penalty that put England into its first major soccer final since 1966.

The team has conceded only one goal in six matches.

England coach Gareth Southgate has a deep squad of exciting young players that have excelled at the tournament while also making some history for themselves.

ITALY

After failing to qualify for the last World Cup, Italy has set a national team record of 33 unbeaten matches.

Six of them have come at Euro 2020.

The team earned victories over Turkey, Switzerland and Wales in the group stage, but then was taken to extra time before beating Austria in the round of 16.

An impressive 2-1 victory over top-ranked Belgium followed, giving Italy a record 13th consecutive win. That streak ended in the semifinals, but Italy still advanced by beating Spain 4-2 in a penalty shootout following a 1-1 draw.

Italy has reached the final with a mixture of attacking flair and solid defense, which has seen it concede only three goals at the tournament.

Fire erupts on ship, causing explosion that rocks Dubai

0
container ships dock at the Dubai Port in the Jebel Ali Free Zone about 40 kilometers (25 miles) south of Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Authorities in Dubai say a container ship anchored at its huge port caught fire, causing an explosion that sent tremors across the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates. The Twitter post from Dubai’s state-run media office said the fire was reported on the ship late Wednesday, July 7, 2021. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

 (AP) — A container ship anchored in Dubai at one of the world’s largest ports caught fire late Wednesday, authorities said, causing an explosion that sent tremors across the commercial hub of the United Arab Emirates.

The blaze sent up giant orange flames on a vessel at the crucial Jebel Ali Port, the busiest in the Middle East, which sits on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula. The combustion unleashed a shock wave through the city, shaking buildings and windows in neighborhoods as far as 25 kilometers (15 miles) away from the port.

There were no immediate reports of casualties at the port, which is also the busiest port of call for American warships outside of the U.S. Early Thursday, the Dubai government issued a statement saying that emergency services had brought the blaze under control. Authorities posted footage on social media of firefighters dousing giant shipping containers. The glow of the blaze was visible in the background as civil defense crews worked to contain the fire.

The extent of damage caused to the sprawling port and surrounding cargo was not immediately clear. The cause of the fire also was not immediately known. Port officials said they were “taking all necessary measures to ensure that the normal movement of vessels continues without any disruption.”

Mona al-Marri, director general of Dubai Media Office, told Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV that this incident “could happen anywhere in the world” and that the government’s communication office worked to issue statements quickly to avert rumors from spreading as the cause of the fire is being investigated.

At around 11:45 p.m. residents of Dubai recording with their phones from high-rises posted frantic videos on social media showing a fiery ball illuminating the night sky.

The Jebel Ali Port at the northern end of Dubai is the largest man-made deep-water harbor in the world and serves cargo from the Indian subcontinent, Africa and Asia.

Operated by the Dubai-based DP World, the port has four sprawling container terminals that can berth some of the world’s largest ships. The port is not only a critical global cargo hub, but a lifeline for Dubai and surrounding emirates, serving as the point of entry for essential imports

DP World describes Jebel Ali Port as a “gateway hub” and a “vital link in the global trade network” that connects eastern and western markets. The company did not immediately issue any public statement on the blast.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

What’s happening in San Francisco goes far beyond ‘shoplifting’: Shocking Video

0

We’re hearing a lot about the overwhelming number of murders and attempted murders in Chicago and New York.  San Francisco has gone in a different direction.  It seems to have become the “shoplifting” capital of America.  This honor goes along with its long having been the capital of America for car break-ins.  It’s so bad that I know suburbanites who refuse to drive in the city.

The latest “shoplifting” video is an impressive one, showing a whole gang of thieves racing out of San Francisco’s Neiman Marcus store on Union Square, clutching what appears to be thousands of dollars in handbags:

You’ll notice that I twice bracketed the word “shoplifting” in quotation marks.  I did so because what you see in that video is not “shoplifting” as we’ve traditionally understood it.  Old-fashioned shoplifting is when a person skulks through a store, slipping merchandise into clothes or a bag, and then sneaks out, hoping not to be caught.  What’s happening in San Francisco is something much more extreme.

Stores can absorb traditional shoplifting as one of the costs of doing business.  What they cannot handle is an endless hemorrhage of thousands of dollars of merchandise.  And the losses are endless because the state of California has essentially decriminalized theft if the property stolen is worth less than $950.  Meanwhile, San Francisco’s district attorney has made it clear that he’s in a war against not criminals, but the police.

Thanks to California’s policies, Walgreens has closed 17 stores in San Francisco because of “shoplifting” losses, and Target is severely constricting its San Francisco stores’ hours to try to offset its losses.  (I have no sympathy for Target, which was woke about allowing mentally ill, so-called “transgender” men in women’s bathrooms and then groveled before BLM.)  How much longer will high-end stores such as Apple (which is routinely hit by smash-and-grab thefts) or Neiman Marcus put up with this?

And I’m not being racist, just observant, when I point out that whenever video footage emerges of this shoplifting, there’s a strong likelihood that the actors will be Black.  And why not?  Blacks are being told that White people have stolen from them for centuries and that looting is a form of reparations.  Moreover, in San Francisco, they know they’ll likely escape punishment should they be caught.  In other words, what they’re doing is both righteous and safe.  Their conduct is rational.

But what’s also going to be rational is retailers deciding to pull out of Black neighborhoods as well as the cities in which, outside the Southeast, most Blacks live (as opposed to suburbs or rural areas).  It will devastate Black communities if they become retail deserts.

As a native San Franciscan — although one who is very grateful not to live anywhere near it nowadays — I’ve been watching with deep sadness what’s happening to my city.  The Neiman Marcus theft has especially bothered me.  This is not because I shopped there.  (Indeed, I don’t believe I’ve ever bought anything at Neiman Marcus.)  Instead, it’s because my memories of the city go back to the time when the space that Neiman Marcus now occupies was the City of Paris, a store that a Frenchman, Felix Verdier, founded in 1850 during the Gold Rush.  The first building was destroyed in the ’06 earthquake, but the second building, from 1909, was a beauty that survived until 1981 when Neiman Marcus demolished all but the lovely rotunda.

I remember shopping in the City of Paris, and, most especially, I remember the huge, gracious dressing rooms, which had large windows allowing women to see clothes in natural light.  To go from the City of Paris to Neiman Marcus (a step down in my estimation) to a third-world level of crime is like watching San Francisco die.

What you need to remember is that this is what leftists do: they destroy civility, order, graciousness, and functionality.  In their quest for equity, they level everything.  Eventually, except for the nomenklatura — the inner circle that always acquires power and, usually, unimaginable riches — everyone lives in decay, squalor, and despair.

Jewish College Student Killed by Stray Bullet While Riding Chicago Train

0
twitter image

A university student died after being struck by a stray bullet while riding a Chicago train last week, according to reports.

Max Solomon  Lewis, a 20-year-old Colorado native, was shot in the neck as he commuted home from an internship on an elevated train in Washington Park on Thursday.

“Police say he wasn’t the intended target. Investigators have yet to provide a possible description of the shooter. It’s not even clear which direction the gunfire came from,” the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Lewis was rushed to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition.

“His mom, Dr. Rebecca Rivkin, told WGN News the bullet paralyzed Max from the neck down. The prognosis was that he would never walk or eat again, and he’d likely need a ventilator for the rest of his life,” WGN News reports.

Lewis was reportedly alert in the hospital and communicated to his family and doctors by blinking.

His mother says he signaled to her that he would prefer to die than continue living in a severely paralyzed state.

“If I have to live like this, pull the plug please. Seriously,” Lewis reportedly told his family.

After fighting for his life for days, he was taken off life support on Sunday, WGN reported.

‘No One Seems To Care’: Democratic NYC Mayoral Nominee Eric Adams Rips Cuomo’s Plan To Stop Gun Violence Without Addressing Gangs

0
Mayoral candidate Eric Adams mingles with supporters during his election night party, late Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in New York. Adams has won the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City. Adams triumphed over a large field in New York’s first major race to use ranked choice voting. (AP Photo/Kevin Hagen)

Steven Hall(DCNF)

Democratic New York City mayoral nominee Eric Adams slammed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive order on gun violence Wednesday in a CBS ‘This Morning” interview.

“My first question is, what took so long? And why has it taken us so long? We’re watching these babies die, year after year after year,” Adams said on CBS. “No one seems to care.”

Cuomo issued Tuesday an executive order and declared gun violence a “Disaster Emergency.”

“Gun violence is a public health crisis, and we must treat it like one,” Cuomo wrote on Twitter. “This declaration will allow us to give the crisis the full attention & resources it deserves.”

Cuomo’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“Policing is a local government issue managed by the mayor, and Mr. Adams is right that it has taken too long to step up and take charge on the gun violence issue,” said Cuomo advisor Rich Azzopardi, according to the New York Post. “The governor is stepping in because too little has been done by the local leadership.”

“The governor mandated all local governments reform their police systems last year, and some made more progress than others,” Azzopardi said.

Adams also criticized former MSNBC host Toure Neblett who claimed that Adams wouldn’t bring “real police reform” and change the city’s police department.

“I say that when [Touré] gets on the subway, he does not want to be pushed to the subway tracks, and he doesn’t want to be slashed,” Adams said in a CNN interview. “I say to him and others that if black lives really matter, then it means that we won’t have senseless gang violence in New York, Chicago, Atlanta.”

The former police officer has run on a pro-cop platform, promising to reinstate a plainclothes anti-crime unit that was disbanded in June 2020. Adams also said during an interview in May he’d carry a firearm in office if he won.

 

 

Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].

 

Joe Biden to Send Government Officials Door to Door Across America to Pressure People to Accept Vaccination

0
screenshot sprectum1 news

By WENDELL HUSEBØ

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that he would be sending officials out to knock on people’s doors across America to pressure them to take the coronavirus vaccine.

“Now we need to go community by community, neighborhood by neighborhood, and often times door by door – literally knocking on doors to get help to the remaining people,” Biden said during his speech about coronavirus.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki used a similar phrase Tuesday in which she said coronavirus preventative measures will entail “targeted community by community, door to door outreach to get the remaining Americans vaccinated.”

A CBS News reporter asked Psaki during the same briefing if “the White House would reimpose” coronavirus “restrictions, as cases tick up, or is it up to the states?”

“We certainly support their decisions to implement measures that will make their community safe,” Psaki stated. “States and local communities will have to make evaluations about what is in their interest.”

“There are much higher rates of vaccination in some parts of the country versus others,” she continued. “We are at almost 70 percent vaccination rate for adults 27 and older but almost for adults 18 and older.”

Breitbart News reported the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant of the Chinese coronavirus is reportedly “forcing” the Biden administration to “rethink Covid-19 measures,” which could include re-instituting mask mandates — even among vaccinated people.

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has dubbed the Delta variant of “concern.” The variant totals roughly 20 percent of infections in the United States and has prompted the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) to urge fully vaccinated individuals to wear face coverings.

Dr. Anthony Fauci on July 4 cautioned that individuals will begin to see “almost two types of America” between the vaccinated and unvaccinated as the Delta variant spreads across the nation.

As the Biden administration is “rethinking” the coronavirus from China, a July poll indicates 57 percent of Americans believe they have less personal freedom today than before the coronavirus pandemic.

Breitbart