Michael Cohen, Eastern Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, testifying in February of 2019 to the Freeholders Board of Ocean County in New Jersey
Facebook determined the page violated community standards for hate speech, company spokesman Daniel Roberts said in an email. The page was removed Wednesday.
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Facebook has agreed to shutter the public page of a group the administration has identified as anti-Semitic, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Wednesday, according to an AP report.
Murphy, a Democrat, said in a joint statement with Attorney General Gurbir Grewal that the social media giant agreed to “take down the public page” of a group called Rise Up Ocean County, which is focused on development in the shore community.
“We appreciate that Facebook has now decided that this kind of hateful rhetoric has no place on its platform,” Murphy and Grewal said in the statement, as was reported by AP.
Facebook determined the page violated community standards for hate speech, company spokesman Daniel Roberts said in an email. The page was removed Wednesday, according to the AP report.
The development comes after Grewal’s office wrote in April to Facebook to make the social network aware of the page.
Among the posts on the group page, according to the attorney general, was a video in which the group predicted that a group of Orthodox rabbis would lead to the “colonization” of Lakewood, in Ocean County, the AP reported. Another comment on the site referenced the Holocaust and called for getting “rid of them like like Hitler did,” according to the attorney general.
AP reported that last year Facebook cracked down on what it called “dangerous individuals,” banning accounts it said violated its policy. The company has said it has always banned people or groups that proclaim a violent or hateful mission or are engaged in acts of hate or violence, regardless of political ideology, was was reported by AP.
For years, social media companies have been under pressure from civil rights groups and other activists to clamp down on hate speech on their services. After the deadly white nationalist protests in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, Google, Facebook and PayPal began banishing extremist groups and people who identified as or supported white supremacists.
Taking a leading and formidable role in having the anti-Semitic Facebook page taken down was the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
In a public statement that was posted on Thursday, the SWU said, “After having Wiesenthal Center’s Eastern Director Michael Cohen spend countless days and hours beginning last January, working alongside local community partners in Lakewood, Toms River, Jackson and throughout Ocean County NJ, including Agudath Israel of America, local elected officials, the Governor and the Attorney General; the hate site “Rise Up Ocean County” was finally removed from Facebook yesterday. With a two pronged strategy of discrediting the site and making every attempt to have Facebook take its page down and off of its platform, success was finally had yesterday and a strong message was sent that we will be relentless and tireless in combating anti-Semitism and hate on social media platforms.
SWC would like to extend its appreciation to the Governor and Attorney General for their continued and commendable efforts in making sure to publicly call out Rise Up Ocean County as a hate site at every public opportunity.”
The Wiesenthal Center also said: “The coalition that worked long and hard toward this result was specifically effective due to the true diversity of Ocean County leaders working together against hate demonstrating how much stronger we are when standing together. United, we were able to work to have the Ocean County Freeholders pass a Wiesenthal Center drafted resolution specifically condemning the Holocaust distortion and anti-Semitic stereotypes constantly being presented and posted by the Rise Up Ocean County site and Facebook page. Together we worked collectively and diligently to ensure that Ocean County residents had their leadership make it clear that the sites’ activities were considered taboo and inciting hate and should be recognized as isolated from mainstream discussions on community issues.”
Four-day trip to Israel will build upon economic relationship, strengthen ties from Governor Murphy’s 2018 trip
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Choose New Jersey will return to Israel to lead a four-day economic mission trip to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem from February 10 to February 13. The delegation will build upon the progress from Governor Murphy’s October 2018 trip and look to strengthen existing economic ties, cultivate further investment opportunities in New Jersey, and deepen connections between New Jersey and Israel.
“Choose New Jersey is looking forward to returning to Israel with an academic and business delegation to attract more businesses to our State and forge new collaborations,” said Jose Lozano, President & CEO of Choose New Jersey. “New Jersey is the ideal location for international businesses to plant their flag and we welcome innovative Israeli companies that are looking to grow in the United States.”
The trip includes key meetings with government and industry leaders, including representatives from cybersecurity, UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles), technology, life sciences and health care industries. The Choose New Jersey delegation will also host an event with the Israeli Chamber of Commerce and meet with a number of companies interested in investing in New Jersey.
Throughout the trip, the delegation members will tout New Jersey’s innovation ecosystem, showcase partnership opportunities with the State’s world-class universities and highlight why New Jersey is the best place for Israeli companies to live, work, and do business.
Home to the fourth largest Israel-born population and the fourth largest population of Israeli ancestry in the United States, New Jersey has a longstanding cultural relationship to Israel. The State of New Jersey demonstrated its commitment to Israel with the formation of the New Jersey-Israel Commission in 1989. The Commission works to promote cultural and educational exchanges and to encourage capital investment and joint business ventures. Choose New Jersey worked in close partnership with the New Jersey-Israel Commission to plan the mission to Israel.
Choose New Jersey President & CEO Jose Lozano will lead a delegation which includes:
Cathy Scangarella, Chief Business Development Officer, Choose New Jersey
Mariel Meskunas, Chief of Staff, Choose New Jersey
Sho Islam, Business Development Officer, Choose New Jersey
Nicole Mahon, Event Manager, Choose New Jersey
Andrew Gross, Executive Director, New Jersey-Israel Commission, State of New Jersey
Jared Maples, Director, New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness, State of New Jersey
James Blazar, Chief Strategy Officer, Hackensack Meridian Health
Christopher Paladino, President, New Brunswick Development Corporation (DEVCO)
Gurdeep Kaur, CSIO, Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG)
Donald Sebastian, Senior VP of Technology & Business Development, NJIT; President, New Jersey Innovation Institute (NJII)
Coleen Burrus, Director, Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations, Princeton University
Beena Sukumaran, Ph.D., Vice President for Research, Rowan University
Steven Weinstein, Esq., Executive Vice President for Policy and External Relationships/Partnerships, Rowan University
David Kimball, SVP, Research & Economic Development, Rutgers University
Choose New Jersey and the delegation will be posting on social media during the trip using the hashtag #NJIsraelMission. You can follow their activities on Facebook,Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.
About Choose New Jersey
Choose New Jersey is a privately funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit economic development organization. Our mission is to stimulate job creation and attract capital investment to New Jersey. We market New Jersey both domestically and internationally as the best place to grow your business in the United States. Our knowledgeable, experienced staff, supported by a network of State agencies and private partners, provide free, confidential assistance to guide companies in establishing operations here. By harnessing the power of business, labor, academic and government leaders, we enable growth across all sectors of our State’s economy. We aspire to build a stronger and more prosperous New Jersey for all. For more information, visit www.choosenj.com.
Elizabeth Warren Says “Yeah” to Boycotting AIPAC Annual Policy Conference
Edited by: TJVNews.com
While campaigning in Derry, New Hampshire, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)was asked a question by a young woman who identified herself as an American Jew, earlier this week. The woman claimed that AIPAC, the nation’s largest and most influential Israel lobby group, is “forming alliances” with “Islamophobes, anti-Semites and white nationalists,” and asked Warren if she would be willing to forego attending the upcoming AIPAC conference as she had done last year. The woman also wanted Warren to advise other Democratic candidates for the White House in 2020 to turn down invitations to AIPAC conferences.
“I’m an American Jew, and I’m terrified by the unholy alliance that AIPAC is forming with Islamophobes and antisemites and white nationalists,” the audience member began.
Adding that “no Democrat should legitimize that bigotry by attending their annual policy conference,” the questioner told Warren that she had been “really grateful” for the candidate’s decision to miss AIPAC’s 2019 forum.
“Will you join me in committing to skip the AIPAC policy conference this March?” the questioner asked.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren indicated she would skip the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC’s conference next month by saying “yeah” to the questioner and did not push back against assertions made about the lobby, according to a JTA report. Algemeiner reported that her follow-up remarks did not mention AIPAC, and were confined to an endorsement of a political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that would ensure the Jewish state’s “protection” as well as provide “self-determination and dignity” for the Palestinians.
The Jewish anti-occupation group IfNotNow said that the questioner, identified as Sarah O’Connor, was acting on its behalf, according to the JTA report.
Algemeiner reported that among those criticizing Warren for not challenging the questioner about her erroneous claims that AIPAC was affiliated with racists was the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
In a tweet addressed to Warren, AJC pointed out that AIPAC was a “pro-Israel voice that agrees with you about the need for a two-state solution negotiated by both sides.”
The tweet continued: “We hope you find an opportunity to clarify that you do not agree with the questioner’s baseless and offensive characterization of the organization.”
Other commenters similarly criticized Warren — among them former Trump administration adviser Jason Greenblatt, according to the Algemeiner report.
JTA reported that that in a joint statement released Friday with three other “progressive” groups — Indivisible, MoveOn, and the Working Families Party — IfNotNow echoed the language O’Connor used with Warren and said it was launching a campaign, #SkipAIPAC, to pressure other candidates not to attend the conference.
“Israel’s decades-long occupation has eroded the bipartisan consensus on Israel and AIPAC, in a last-ditch effort to maintain influence, now anchors an unholy alliance with anti-Semites, Islamophobes and white nationalists,” IfNotNow co-founder Emily Mayer claimed. “This unholy alliance shields the Israeli government from any consequences for its actions and pushes for a blank check that has had disastrous effects for both Palestinians and Israelis. No Democrat should give AIPAC political cover with their presence.”
Warren said that she is committed to a two-state solution and to being a “good ally” to both Israel and the “Palestinians,” as was reported by the JTA.
“We’re not doing that if we keep standing with one party and saying, ‘We’re on your side, we’re going to give all the things you asked for,’ for all kinds of political reasons domestically here and domestically in Israel,” she said.
AIPAC traditionally invites presidential candidates to address its annual March gathering in election years. A boycott of the conference by Democratic candidates would signal how toxic the group has become among the party’s progressives, for whom Warren is a flag bearer. So far no other candidate has yet committed either way, but Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Warren’s rival to lead the party’s progressive wing, has said he has “no objection” to going, according to the JTA report.
“As the 2020 Dems get more & more anti-Israel, will any of them stand up and condemn comments like these?” Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on Twitter. “Directly? Or are they too scared of the angry anti-Semitic Left?”
Friedman’s comments to The Jerusalem Post are consistent with his statement last week regarding the need for a U.S.-Israeli panel to work through all the issues before any concrete steps are taken.
By: WIN Staff
In an exclusive interview with The Jerusalem Post on Thursday, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said that it is in the best interest of the residents of the Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria to be patient for annexation.
According to Friedman, a committee will be formed to convert the “the conceptual map into a detailed rendering” in order for the U.S. to formally recognize Israeli sovereignty over the settlements.
“Going from a conceptual map drawn at a scale of more than a million to one to specific borders” will be done in a “careful and deliberative” manner and will require “judgment calls,” Friedman told the Post.
“I would think the residents of Judea and Samaria would want Israel to get those right,” the U.S. ambassador said.
Friedman also told the Post that there hasn’t been a “substantive disagreement on this point,” despite reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is eager to annex right away and White House Senior Advisor Jared Kushner’s insistence to hold off until after the upcoming Israeli elections.
Friedman’s comments are consistent with his statement last week regarding the need for a U.S.-Israeli panel to work through all the issues before any concrete steps are taken.
“That committee will work with all due deliberation to get to the right spot. But it is a process that does require some effort, some understanding, some calibration. We need to see the dimensions and see that it is not inconsistent with the maps,” Friedman said at the time.
“We will designate shortly the members of the committee from our side. We hope the Israeli government will do the same. We will be presented with the plan and the proposal and we’ll consider it as part of the agreement. And they’ll make a decision,” he added. (World Israel News)
An IDF combat soldier was severely injured in a car-ramming attack in Jerusalem early on Thursday morning, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Another 11 soldiers were lightly hurt, according to the statement.
World Israel News has reported that the terror attack took place near the First Station, an entertainment center located in the area of Liberty Bell Garden and not far from the King David Hotel in the Israeli capital.
“During the incident, a terrorist sped his car toward IDF soldiers who marched adjacent to the First Station in Jerusalem as part of a military activity,” said the IDF, adding that security forces “are currently pursuing the terrorist who escaped the scene.”
Police said that the car was apparently found in Beit Jala, a town outside Bethlehem.
The IDF said that the Golani Brigade soldiers were on a “Heritage Tour” on their way to a swearing-in at the Western Wall.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement, “On behalf of all citizens of Israel, I send wishes for a quick recovery to the wounded soldiers. It is only a question of time – and not much time – until we apprehend the attacker. Terrorism will not defeat us; we will win!”
“We are praying for the recovery of the injured soldiers being treated in hospital today,” said President Reuven Rivlin.
“I am confident the forces pursuing the perpetrator will find him soon and bring him to justice. We will not allow despicable terrorism to raise its head and will fight it without compromise,” he added.
In an interview with Kan public radio on Thursday, Interior Minister Aryeh Deri accused Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas of inciting terror.
“We have to prepare for the possibility of an escalation in acts of terror,” said Deri, who is a member of the Israeli Security Cabinet.
i24 News has reported that Israeli security forces announced Thursday evening that they have captured a suspected terrorist believed to be responsible for the violent car ramming attack in Jerusalem.
“Following an extensive operational and intelligence efforts conducted with the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), Israeli Police Counter Terrorism Unit, and other security forces… Israeli troops apprehended the the [suspected] terrorist who carried out the car-ramming attack in Jerusalem overnight,” the IDF said in a statement.
The attack took place little before 2 am (Israel time) at Jerusalem’s First Station and left 12 IDF soldiers injured, one critically, according to Israeli Police.
Tension between Israel and the Palestinians have risen over the past week following the release of President Trump’s controversial Middle East Plan, angering Ramallah and leading to demonstrations in the streets.
On Thursday afternoon in a front of packed audience at the Museum of Natural History on Manhattan's upper west side, Mayor Bill DeBlasio delivered the annual State of the City address. Photo Credit: YouTube
Edited by: Fern Sidman
On Thursday afternoon in a front of packed audience at the Museum of Natural History on Manhattan’s upper west side, Mayor Bill DeBlasio delivered the annual State of the City address.
DeBlasio’s address focused on a “Blueprint to Save Our City” and included his plans to make the city more affordable for New Yorkers.
Leading off the proceedings was Rabbi Michael S. Miller of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) who delivered a prayer. “We ask that you confer your divine blessing on the City of New York, on its people, its elected officials and most particularly on its Mayor, our Mayor, Bill de Blasio. Indeed, what a blessing it is to dwell in a metropolis populated by women, men and children, and from the four corners of your earth and unmatched demographic diversity on the globe representing every race, every faith, every creed, every background, ” he said.
Touching on the topic of increasing anti-Semitism, the mayor said, “Rabbi Miller spoke powerfully about the challenge we face in recent months with this horrible uptick in hate and anti-Semitism. And one of the most terrifying moments was that night during Hanukkah, a night you should never expect hate to rear its head, when there was an attack in Monsey and the attacker fled. There was a moment of doubt. Was this individual going to get away? Were there others in danger? Well, it turned out the suspect drove down to the city to West 144th street. Our officers had been alerted and we should all count our blessings in this city that two smart, able, quick witted officers immediately did the exact right thing and stopped someone who could have harmed so many others before he could ever get out of his car. Let us thank Officer David Radziwon and Officer Russell Mattera.”
The mayor chose to speak about people’s fear and anxiety about how expensive the city has become.
“New York City is the greatest city in the world, but many New Yorkers have real fears that the city they love is slipping away,” de Blasio said, as was reported by WABC News.
“We need a plan to save our city because that’s where we are right now,” he said.
“I feel this anxiety everywhere I go and when my people are anxious, I’m anxious too. When my people are worried. I’m worried too. We have to come to grips with the fact that this is a different kind of problem. We’ve literally never experienced before on this scale, with this intensity, ” DeBlasio said.
DeBlasio spoke of the plans that he would like to implement in the years to come. “We have two years of urgent work ahead of us. And I want it to be very clear, this is a very ambitious agenda. It’s going to take a lot of work. I’m going to devote myself for these two years to getting all of these things done and I need your help. Everyone in this room, I need your help to make these changes. And I say that with a sense of urgency, but I also say it with a sense of hope. The good news for me after six years of working with all of you is seeing that, in fact, a lot of things can change. A lot of things we were told would never be achieved, have been achieved. I remember vividly – over these last six years, I remember it all very clearly. I remember all the voices that said it was impossible to give pre-K to every one of our children. And we proved them wrong, didn’t we?”
DeBlasio said that his focus over the next two years of his term will be to provide small businesses the support they need to survive and take meaningful steps to improve affordability for families, according to the report.
“We must make New York City easier to afford, protect mom-and-pop businesses that make New York, New York, and hand this city back to the people who make it so great,” de Blasio said.
The mayor’s plan will also aim to increase access to positive community resources for young people and bring a second wave of the Green New Deal, according to the WABC report..
DeBlasio also would like to add 100 cops to a new NYPD “Vision Zero Unit” to crack down on speeding, expanding pre-K-for-all to 26,000 3-year-olds, and legalizing basement apartments and tiny houses in backyards to create 10,000 affordable homes, according to a NY Post report.
In addition to the tiny homes and basement apartments, de Blasio will build 2,000 more units of affordable housing for families making under $50,000 a year, the report indicated.
“There are 900,000 apartments in the city, have no protection. Millions of new Yorkers, no protection against rent gouging. The landlord can jack up the rent as much as they want for no reason whatsoever. That’s one of the reasons so many people can’t in this town. We want New Yorkers, all New Yorkers, even if you’re not currently in a rent regulated apartment, we want you to have protections. We want you to be able to have a rent that you can actually pay and we want to make sure that you can renew your lease and not just be thrown out for some arbitrary reason. We need universal renter protection, ” DeBlasio said.
The Post reported that DeBlasio said he’ll help the city’s youth by expanding hours at Parks Department recreation centers, reopening six shuttered community centers and building seven new ones in the outer boroughs.
“The NYPD today has announced a new youth strategy, focusing the most powerful and effective police force anywhere on the globe on the work of healing, communicating, inspiring our young people to never even think of a life of crime, but only believe in themselves.
So, here’s what we’re going to do. That youth strategy – that means over 300 officers will be Youth Coordination Officers. Imagine this, they have that uniform on, they have that badge, they have that gun – that’s true – and what are they thinking about every day? They’re thinking about how to reach young people who might be teetering on that edge, how to help a family that is struggling but doesn’t know where to turn, how to make sure if a kid is starting to get in trouble, that is stops right there, using all the power and intellect of the NYPD to move our young people in the right direction, stopping crime before it even happens. I want to say – and this is a reason I’m very proud of this man – this was from the heart and soul of Dermot Shea. Thank you, Commissioner Shea. Thank you to NYPD.
So, that’s the first point. The second point, community centers – we need more places that are safe and positive for our young people. I have heard this at town hall meetings all over this city. So, dozens and dozens of our parks, recreation centers, we’re going to open them up more hours, more days, and for young adults we’re are going to make their memberships free so they can go there and have that safe place to be, ” said DeBlasio.
On the topic of enhancing the educational system in the nation’s largest city, DeBlasio addressed the issue of pre-K classes.
“Our schools should be as good as our children. They can be, they must be. Now, remember, our schools, once upon a time, they were just assumed by so many to never have potential, to never be able to change and get better. They were put down. They were left for dead. But we have proven with the vision of Equity and Excellence that schools can get better and they can get better quickly, and now we’ve got a lot more to do. So, it begins even before a child gets to school.
So then, let’s go to not just pre-K but 3-K. They said pre-K couldn’t be done. No one saw 3-K coming. But now, I’m proud to tell you, in September, it’ll be in four more districts – District 12 in the Bronx; District 29, Southeast Queens; District 1 in Chinatown, Lower East Side, and East Village; District 14 in Greenpoint and Williamsburg. As of September, we will be in half of all the school districts in this city with 3-K and more to come.
Third grade literacy – this is something you’re going to hear a lot more from Chancellor Carranza and I in the next few weeks, because this is a story that’s not being told. We’re going to get our kids reading more and more on grade level by third grade. It’s one of the great indicators of academic potential and success. We are going to do that, and already for the first time in New York City history, there are hundreds of reading coaches in our schools right this minute, helping teachers to get better, helping kids to get better. Some of them may be here today. Let’s thank those reading coaches for all they’re doing, ” DeBlasio told his enthusiastic audience.
As part of de Blasio’s efforts to tackle climate change, the city will assist homeowners in installing solar panels on 50,000 homes and end the government’s use of plastic bottles by 2021.
“We’re going to double the use of solar power here in sunny New York City. 50,000 New York homes will get solar power on their roof. We’re going to have a person you call – a human being who will help you to get solar on your roof and you will not have to pay upfront costs. The City of New York will make sure that solar gets to you so that you can have a green future,” DeBlasio said.
As to the newly implemented bail reform measures that have come under intense scrutiny because of the fear that dangerous criminals will be back on the street in the aftermath of their arrests, New York District Attorney Cy Vance told Jewish Voice publisher David Ben Hooren that the new measures need to be reassessed for effectiveness.
Thus far in 2020, official NYPD statistics show that there have been nearly 30% more shootings and a significantly higher overall crime rate in the Big Apple. Serious crimes have been marked as ‘increasing’ in five out of seven general categories; murders and rapes are the only types of crimes that have gone down, compared to the same time last year. The murder rate dropped by almost 20%, while the rape rate decreased by a steady 30 people.
In auto theft crimes, the percentage rose 70% to a massive 617 vehicle-robberies. That’s 20 cars every day. Robberies in general rose approximately 35%, with 1,355 people reported being attacked by muggers and other thugs. Burglaries, grand larcenies and felony assaults were also up by 18.3%, 10.6% and 8.5%, respectively.
NYPD sources say that New York State’s controversial new bail-reform law, which mandates the release of most defendants charged with misdemeanors and felonies considered “non-violent, is to blame. “Criminals now know there are no consequences for their actions, and they are causing havoc for innocent people of New York City”, one citizen said. The law was adopted on Jan. 1st, 2020.
Police Commissioner Dermot Shea also tied bail reform to “significant spikes” in crime during the first three weeks of the new year. “If you let out individuals that commit a lot of crime, that’s precision policing in reverse and we’re seeing the effects in a very quick time, and that is why we’re so concerned,” Shea commented. A famous instance is when Tiffany Harris, 30, allegedly slapped three Orthodox Jewish women in Crown Heights one Friday, and was rewarded by being released, without bail, the next day. She then went on to allegedly punch another woman on Sunday.
To combat the stigma against the bail-reform law, Gov. Cuomo suggested that amendments could be coming around soon, during his annual budget address. “It’s not that you reform a system once and then you walk away. You make change in a system, it has consequences. And you have to understand those consequences,” he said.
Despite the overall rise in crime rates, the total number of arrests made this year are, so far, at least, down by a whopping 20%; in subway stations, that number is 30.1%. A source from the NYPD credited the drop to “…the hands-off approach that comes from City Hall”. A spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “This administration has had the same approach to policing since January 2014, and the longer term trends reflect the city’s safety.”
People wait on the security screening line at LaGuardia Airport on Jan. 25, 2019. The Department of Homeland Security temporarily barred New Yorkers on Feb. 6, 2020, from enrolling in Global Entry and similar programs that allow travelers to speed through borders and airport lines (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Edited by: TJVNews.com
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has blocked the state of New York from participating in a series of federal programs that fast-track travel for New Yorkers reentering the United States from international airports. It is also known as the global entry program.
It also includes NEXUS, which expedites entry into the U.S. from Canada; SENTRI, which expedites travel into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico; as well as FAST, which expedites entry into the U.S. for truck drivers arriving from Canada and Mexico, as was reported by Breitbart News.
As Breitbart News reported, elected Democrats in New York state passed a law, signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), this year that provides illegal aliens and noncitizens with driver’s licenses, including a provision that bans DHS officials from having access to state identification records.
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf exclusively told Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight” Wednesday that DHS was immediately suspending enrollment in Global Entry and several other Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) for all New York state residents — a dramatic move in response to the liberal state’s recently enacted sanctuary “Green Light Law.”
“The Act prevents DHS from accessing relevant information that only New York DMV maintains, including some aspects of an individual’s criminal history,” Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf wrote in a letter to New York officials, according to a Breitbart News report.
“In New York alone, last year ICE arrested 149 child predators, identified or rescued 105 victims of exploitation and human trafficking, arrested 230 gang members, and seized 6,487 pounds of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl and opioids,” Wolf wrote, according to a Fox News report. “In the vast majority of these cases, ICE relied on New York DMV records to fulfill its mission.”
The law, Wolf went on, “compromises CBP’s ability to confirm whether an individual applying for TTP membership meets program eligibility requirements.”
Fox News reported that Wolf further warned that because the New York law “hinders DHS from validating documents used to establish vehicle ownership, the exporting of used vehicles titled and registered in New York will be significantly delayed and could also be costlier.”
Fox News reported that the sweeping order came a day after President Trump, in his State of the Union address, condemned left-wing states and local governments that “release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public,” and called on Congress to pass a law establishing civil liability for sanctuary cities.
“Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the Sanctuary City of New York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old woman,” Trump said. “The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under New York’s sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored ICE’s detainer request, his victim would be alive today.”
Breitbart reported that the law makes it effectively impossible for federal immigration officials to quickly check the immigration status of anyone they come in contact with, meaning agents have no way to verify the validity of New York state-issued IDs.
All of these programs fall under the federal Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP). The only TTP program unaffected by the DHS suspension is New Yorkers’ ability to use TSA PreCheck to expedite through security lines at U.S. airports, according to the Bretibart report.
DHS’s inability to cross-check New York state ID records means the federal agency would have no way to ensure that a TTP applicant does not have a criminal history before obtaining fast-track travel.
In total, as many as 150,000 New Yorkers annually will no longer be able to participate in the TTP programs to fast-track their international travel due to the state’s barring DHS from accessing state ID records.
President Donald Trump holds up a newspaper that displays a headline "Acquitted" as he arrives to speak at the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast on February 6, 2020 in Washington, D.C. Photo Credit: Getty Images
By: Steve Herman
President Trump strode into the White House East Room on Thursday to celebrate his acquittal in the Senate that prevented his immediate removal from office.
“I’ve done things wrong in my life, I will admit. Not purposely,” said Trump. “But this is what the end result is,” the president added, displaying a copy of the front page of The Washington Post with the headline “Trump acquitted.”
The crowd, mostly composed of his legal team, some members of his Cabinet, Republican lawmakers and White House staff, applauded repeatedly throughout the president’s 63 minutes of remarks.
“That’s a very ugly word to me,” said Trump of impeachment. “Now we have that gorgeous word … total acquittal.”
The president singled out for criticism the lone Republican senator, Mitt Romney, who voted to remove him from office on the first article of impeachment, abuse of power.
Romney, a “failed presidential candidate,” Trump said, “used religion as a crutch.”
Romney is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, widely known as the Mormon church. It’s the dominant religion in his home state of Utah.
Earlier in the day, at the annual National Prayer Breakfast, Trump said, “I don’t like people who use their faith as justification for doing what they know is wrong. Nor do I like people who say, ‘I pray for you,’ when they know that that’s not so. So many people have been hurt and we can’t let that go on.”
In a dramatic speech ahead of Wednesday’s votes in the Senate, Romney said, “What the president did was wrong, grievously wrong,” in asking Ukraine to launch an investigation of one of Trump’s chief 2020 Democratic challengers, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his son Hunter’s work for a Ukrainian natural gas company.
The articles of impeachment from the U.S. House of Representatives charged Trump with abusing his power by asking Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch the Biden investigations while the U.S. president withheld $391 million in military aid to Kyiv to help fight pro-Russian separatists.
Trump released the assistance in September without Zelenskiy’s announcing any Biden investigations, which Republicans said was proof Trump had not engaged in a quid pro quo — U.S. military aid in exchange for the politically tinged probes.
“A very good phone call,” Trump said Thursday at the White House, recalling his July 25, 2019, conversation with Zelenskiy. “I know bad phone calls.”
A significant portion of Trump’s White House remarks a day after his acquittal was unscripted and devoted to recognizing his Republican supporters in Congress, whom he called warriors, for defending him from the push by the opposition Democrats to remove him from office.
“We’ll probably have to do it again because these people have gone stone-cold crazy,” said Trump, predicting a possible second impeachment attempt by the Democrats, whom he also characterized as evil, vicious and mean.
Prior to the president’s remarks, Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the Democratic-led House of Representatives, told reporters the president could hold aloft any headlines he wants, but “you’re impeached forever. You’re never getting rid of that scar and history will always record that you were impeached for undermining the security of our country.”
Trump and Pelosi were in the same room at the prayer breakfast where the president also held up front pages of newspapers headlining his acquittal in the Senate.
Trump’s impeachment trial was the third against a U.S. president in the country’s 243-year-old history that resulted in an acquittal after a Senate trial. President Andrew Johnson in 1868 and President Bill Clinton in 1998 were both exonerated and remained in office to finish their terms.
Trump is running for re-election this year and faces only token opposition within his Republican Party. A number of Democrats are vying for their party’s nomination to unseat the president in November’s general election. Their top candidates include Biden; Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar; a young former mayor from Indiana, Pete Buttigieg; and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is funding his own campaign from his vast fortune. (VOA News)
President Trump said the U.S. carried out a successful counterterrorism operation that killed Qasim al-Rimi, the founder and leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an affiliate of the terrorist group. He was a deputy to al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
Edited by: TJVNews.com
President Donald Trump on Thursday confirmed the death of an al-Qaeda leader in a U.S. drone strike in Yemen.
Trump said the U.S. carried out a successful counterterrorism operation that killed Qasim al-Rimi, the founder and leader of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), an affiliate of the terrorist group. He was a deputy to al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
“Under Rimi, AQAP committed unconscionable violence against civilians in Yemen and sought to conduct and inspire numerous attacks against the United States and our forces,” Trump said. “His death further degrades AQAP and the global al-Qaeda movement, and it brings us closer to eliminating the threats these groups pose to our national security.”
Rimi joined al-Qaeda in the 1990s, working in Afghanistan for Osama bin Laden, and has been linked to several plots targeting Americans.
Rimi’s death is the third significant terrorist killed in a U.S. operation in recent months. In October, the U.S. killed Islamic State founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; in January, the U.S. carried out a strike that killed top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
Rimi was the emir of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). Al-Raymi was one of 23 men who escaped in the February 3, 2006 prison-break in Yemen, along with other notable al-Qaeda members. Rimi was connected to a July 2007 suicide bombing that killed eight Spanish tourists. In 2009, the Yemeni government accused him of being responsible for the running of an al-Qaeda training camp in Abyan province. After serving as AQAP’s military commander, Rimi was promoted to leader after the death of Nasir al-Wuhayshi in June of 2015.
On January 29, 2017, Rimi was the supposed target of a military action undertaken by the United States known as the Yakla raid. The raid resulted in the death of a Navy SEAL and of a number of civilians including a U.S. citizen. Shortly after the raid, on February 5, 2017, Rimi released an audiotape onto the internet referencing the raid. The fact that Rimi had been a main target of the raid had not been previously confirmed. In the audiotape, Rimi confirmed he was still alive and taunted President Trump.
On January 31, 2020, the New York Times reported that three U.S. officials “expressed confidence” that Rimi the emir of AQAP was killed on January 29, in the Yakla area of Al Bayda Governorate, Yemen, according to local sources, although there was no official confirmation. For more than five years Rimi had eluded U.S. forces as he led what experts sometimes refer to as al-Qaida’s “most dangerous franchise.” The former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Mick Mulroy said, if confirmed, his death would be “very significant”.
This was not the first time the United States has tried to get Rimi. He was the target of the Jan. 29, 2017, special operations raid in which Navy SEAL William Owens (Navy SEAL) was killed. “The U.S. never forgets”, Mulroy said. The Wall Street Journal also reported his death and Rimi inspired or directed multiple operations to attack the U.S. including the attempt to blow up a U.S. bound airliner on Christmas Day 2009.
On February 1, 2020, President Trump appeared to confirm reports that the U.S. had killed Rimi by retweeting reports claiming that that CIA had conducted a drone strike targeting the AQAP leader. Some experts considered him to be a possible successor to Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al Qaeda’s overall.
On February 6, 2020, the White House released a statement confirming Rimi’sdeath.
President Trump’s acquittal Wednesday on impeachment charges is a watershed moment in his presidency, exonerating him of wrongdoing just nine months ahead of next November's national election when he is seeking a second term in the White House. Photo Credit: Getty Images
By: Ken Bredemeier
President Trump’s acquittal Wednesday on impeachment charges is a watershed moment in his presidency, exonerating him of wrongdoing just nine months ahead of next November’s national election when he is seeking a second term in the White House. He was found not guilty on the first charge of abuse of power, 52-48; and found not guilty on a second charge of obstruction of Congress, 53-47.
Trump’s acquittal likely will have huge long-term implications on politics and the balance of power in Washington with the president’s hand strengthened heading into the campaign season. Only one Republican, Senator Mitt Romney, the losing 2012 Republican presidential candidate, voted to convict the Republican Trump on the first charge of abuse of power, assailing his conduct as “wrong, egregiously wrong”. On the second charge of obstruction of Congress, Romney voted not guilty.
Trump is in a position now to make use of Wednesday’s acquittal to his advantage ahead of the election, even as a collection of national polls shows he remains an unpopular president with a job approval rating in the mid-40% range in a politically divided country.
“It’s amazing what I’ve done,” he wrote on Twitter as his impeachment trial neared the end, “the most of any President in the first three years (by far), considering that for three years I’ve been under phony political investigations and the Impeachment Hoax! KEEP AMERICA GREAT!”
Trump now is the third U.S. president in the country’s 244-year history to have faced impeachment charges, but been acquitted in Senate trials to remain in office, after Andrew Johnson in the mid-19th century and Bill Clinton two decades ago. Trump is the first, however, who has been cleared and then faces a re-election campaign to remain as the U.S. leader. An array of Democratic challengers, none of whom has yet to emerge from a large field of candidates as the clear choice of Democratic voters, is vying to be his opponent.
There possibly is a new etched-in-stone understanding of the power of the U.S. presidency, as evidenced by Trump’s exoneration on two articles of impeachment, that he abused the power of the presidency by seeking help from Ukraine to investigate a political foe and then obstructed congressional efforts to investigate him.
At the outset of the trial, Congressman Adam Schiff, the lead Democrat prosecuting the case against Trump, laid out the stakes.
“Our relationship with Ukraine will survive,” he said. “But if we are to decide here that a president of the United States can simply say that, ‘Under Article 2 [of the Constitution], I can do whatever I want, and I don’t have to treat a political branch of government like it exists,’ that will be an unending injury to this country. Ukraine will survive, and so will we, but that will be an unending injury to this country, because the balance of power that our founders set out will never be the same.”
But as the trial wound down, one of Trump’s impeachment defense lawyers, noted criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz, argued to the 100 senators acting as jurors for an expansive view of U.S. presidential power. He said that even if Trump had engaged in a quid pro quo deal with Ukraine to benefit himself politically, it was not an impeachable offense, a viewpoint disputed by U.S. constitutional scholars.
But Dershowitz’s view, since Trump has been acquitted, could effectively become the standard by which the actions of future presidents are judged.“
If a president does something which he believes will help him get elected in the public interest, that cannot be the kind of quid pro quo that results in impeachment,” Dershowitz argued. He later said his comment had been misconstrued and that he did not mean to contend that U.S. presidents always have unlimited power.
However, another Trump lawyer, deputy White House counsel Patrick Philbin, said a president asking Russia and China to look into his political opponents, as Trump has done, does not violate U.S. campaign finance laws making it illegal to accept or solicit a “thing of value” from foreign governments.“
Mere information is not something that would violate the campaign finance laws,” Philbin said. “If there is credible information, credible information of wrongdoing by someone who is running for a public office, it’s not campaign interference for credible information about wrongdoing to be brought to light.”
During the weeks of the impeachment investigation in the House of Representatives late last year and the trial in the Senate the last two weeks, there was little dispute of what Trump did, rather the interpretation of it.
In a phone call last July 25, he asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to “do us a favor,” to investigate one of his chief 2020 Democratic rivals, former Vice President Joe Biden, his son Hunter’s work for a Ukrainian natural gas company and a debunked conspiracy theory that Ukraine had meddled in the 2016 U.S. election to undermine his campaign. At the same time, Trump was blocking release of $391 million of military aid Kyiv wanted to help it fight pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
No one in the public knew about Trump’s request for the Ukraine investigations to benefit himself politically until a still-unidentified government intelligence worker familiar with the call between the two leaders filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that Trump had sought help from a foreign government to help him in the 2020 election. (VOA News)
Kirk Douglas, a star who personified the golden age of Hollywood is seen here in the 1950s. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)
Edited by: Fern Sidman
Kirk Douglas, one of the most famous American leading men of the mid-20th century remembered for his dimpled chin, chiseled features, and virile Hollywood roles, died Wednesday at the age of 103, his family announced, according to a Fox News report.
“It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103,” Kirk’s son, Michael Douglas, wrote in a statement shared to social media. “To the world he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard for all of us to aspire to,” the younger Douglas said, as was reported by Fox News.
“But to me and my brothers Joel and Peter he was simply Dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchild their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband,” he added.
Michael concluded his post by writing: “Kirk’s life was well lived, and he leaves a legacy in film that will endure for generations to come, and a history as a renowned philanthropist who worked to aid the public and bring peace to the planet. Let me end with the words I told him on his last birthday and which will always remain true. Dad- I love you so much and I am so proud to be your son.”
The statement did not indicate exactly how or where he died.
Douglas starred in such classic films as “Spartacus” “The Bold and the Beautiful” “Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea” “Lust for Life” and “Seven Days in May’” just to name a few. Douglas has 92 film credits to his name throughout his long and productive career as a film star. His debut came in the late 1940s when he played opposite Barbra Stanwyck in “The Strange Love of Martha Ivers”
However, his big break came in 1949 when he starred as an ambitious boxer in the film noir classic “Champion,” which earned him his first of three Oscar nominations for Best Actor, as was reported by Fox News. The role cemented Douglas’ steely image, and with his distinctive raspy voice and piercing eyes he continued to take on intense, often cocky, characters in his films.
He played a ruthless Hollywood producer in “The Bad and Beautiful” (1952) and portrayed Vincent Van Gogh in “Lust for Life” (1956).
Douglas’ decision to give screen credit to “Spartacus'” blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo — one of the “Hollywood Ten” who testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947 — helped bring an end to entertainment industry McCarthyism.
Born as Issur Danielovitch Demsky on December 9, 1916, Douglas was the son of Bryna “Bertha” (née Sanglel; 1884–1958) and Herschel “Harry” Danielovitch (c. 1884–1950] His parents were Jewish immigrants from Chavusy, Mogilev Region, in the Russian Empire (present-day Belarus), and the family spoke Yiddish at home.
His father’s brother, who immigrated earlier, used the surname Demsky, which Douglas’s family adopted in the United States. Douglas grew up as Izzy Demsky and legally changed his name to Kirk Douglas before entering the United States Navy during World War II.
In his 1988 autobiography, The Ragman’s Son, Douglas notes the hardships that he, along with six sisters and his parents, endured during their early years in Amsterdam, New York.
Douglas’s acting talents were noticed at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, which gave him a special scholarship. One of his classmates was Betty Joan Perske (later known as Lauren Bacall), who would play an important role in launching his film career. Bacall wrote that she “had a wild crush on Kirk,” and they dated casually. Another classmate, and a friend of Bacall’s, was aspiring actress Diana Dill, who would later become Douglas’s first wife.
During their time together, Bacall learned Douglas had no money, and that he once spent the night in jail since he had no place to sleep. She once gave him her uncle’s old coat to keep warm: “I thought he must be frozen in the winter . … He was thrilled and grateful.” Sometimes, just to see him, she would drag a friend or her mother to the restaurant where he worked as a busboy and waiter. He told her his dream was to someday bring his family to New York to see him on stage.
Douglas is survived by his wife of 65 years (married May 29, 1954) Anne Buydens, their son Peter Douglas, two sons from his first marriage — Michael and Joel Douglas — and seven grandchildren.
Fourteen Israelis from one family are among 3,711 people under quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that is docked off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, after health authorities said that at least 10 people on board tested positive for coronavirus. Photo Credit: Getty Images
“We’re trying to keep our composure. As long as we’re healthy, we’re trying to stay optimistic,” said Nicole Ben-David on Kan public radio.
By: WIN Staff
Fourteen Israelis from one family are among 3,711 people under quarantine aboard the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that is docked off the coast of Yokohama, Japan, after health authorities said that at least 10 people on board tested positive for coronavirus.
Health workers, some in protective white jumpsuits, transferred the 10 from the cruise ship to a Japanese coast guard boat next to it. The affected passengers, covered in sheets to protect their identities from cameras, were taken to a dock and put on ambulances bound for hospitals for treatment in isolation.
“They examined all of us. Since the morning, they’ve asked us not to leave the rooms, and in every corridor, there are people guarding and not letting us get out,” said Nicole Ben-David, one of the Israelis on board, interviewed on Kan, Israeli public radio.
“We’re trying to keep our composure. As long as we’re healthy, we’re trying to stay optimistic,” she added. “It’s stressful, but we don’t have many choices.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry says it has been briefed by its Japanese counterparts and has been assured that none of the Israelis is believed to have contracted the virus.
Health Minister Katsunobu Kato said all the people on board will be quarantined on the ship for up to 14 days under Japanese law. The ship had 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew members. Tests were pending on 273 people who had symptoms or had contact with a man who was diagnosed with the virus after leaving the ship in Hong Kong.
The little-understood new coronavirus has killed 490 people in mainland China, officials said Wednesday.
The infections on the cruise ship raised Japan’s total to 33 cases. South Korea and Thailand reported recent cases among people who had not been to China, raising concerns about how easily the virus might be spreading in other places.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that “our goal is to delay the arrival of the virus to Israel – I say ‘delay,’ because it is inevitable that it will arrive.” (World Israel News)
FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Wednesday that 2019 was the deadliest year for domestic terrorism since the Oklahoma City truck bombing in 1995, adding that he'd raised combating racially motivated violence as a national priority for the bureau. Photo Credit: FBI.gov
By: Masood Farivar
FBI Director Christopher Wray said on Wednesday that 2019 was the deadliest year for domestic terrorism since the Oklahoma City truck bombing in 1995, adding that he’d raised combating racially motivated violence as a national priority for the bureau.
“The spate of attacks we saw in 2019 underscores the continued threat posed by domestic violent extremists and perpetrators of hate crimes,” Wray said in prepared testimony before the House Judiciary Committee. “Such crimes are not limited to the United States, and with the aid of internet like-minded hate groups can reach across borders.”
Terror attacks carried out by white supremacists and other domestic extremists have been on the rise in recent years. According to the FBI, domestic violent extremists killed 39 people in five separate attacks during fiscal 2019. That compares with four victims in four extremist attacks during fiscal 2018.
In the deadliest attack on Latinos in American history, a 21-year-old white supremacist last August killed 22 people and injured 24 others at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas. In April, another white extremist went on a shooting rampage at a synagogue in Poway, California, killing one worshipper and injuring three others.
The Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people and injured more than 680 others, remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in modern U.S. history.
For years after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the FBI was single-mindedly focused on fighting international terrorism — first on threats posed by al-Qaida, and then on Islamic State-inspired attacks. With the fall of Islamic State, domestic terrorism, sometimes mimicking the tactics of international terrorism, has grown in lethality in recent years. Its underlying drivers range from white supremacy to anti-Semitism to Islamophobia.
In recent years, the FBI has redoubled its efforts to combat domestic terrorism. Last spring, the bureau created an internal investigative body made up of subject matter experts from the bureau’s criminal investigations and counterterrorism divisions.
The bureau’s more than 200 joint terrorism task forces around the country “have domestic terrorism squarely in their sights,” Wray said. In addition, Wray said he has “elevated” racially motivated violent extremism as a national priority on a par with Islamic State during fiscal 2020.
The FBI investigates four categories of domestic violent extremism: racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism; anarchism and anti-government extremism; abortion violent extremism; and environmental extremism.
Racially and ethnically motivated extremists remain the top threat, Wray said.
“[They] were the primary source of ideologically motivated lethal incidents and violence in 2018 and 2019, and have been considered the most lethal of all domestic extremists since 2001,” Wray said.
‘This threat is real’
The FBI has more than 1,000 active domestic terrorism investigations in all 50 states.
“This threat is real, and it affects communities big and small,” Wray said.
Last month, the FBI arrested three members of a violent white supremacist group called The Base.
Wray testified before the congressional panel for the first time since a Justice Department inspector general report blasted the bureau in December for its handling of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page’s surveillance in 2016. (VOA News)
Jamaal Bowman, a progressive Democrat running to unseat incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), embraced The Jewish Vote, a far-left group aiming to "harness the power of the progressive Jewish resistance," at a January rally. Though the group has claimed neutrality toward the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, its leadership regularly voices support for BDS, defends progressives who make anti-Semitic remarks, and likens Israel to Nazi Germany. Photo Credit: bowmanforcongress.com
By: Collin Anderson
A New York City congressional candidate backed by the same progressive group that helped elect Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) and Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) touted an endorsement from anti-Israel activists who routinely defend instances of anti-Semitism.
Jamaal Bowman, a progressive Democrat running to unseat incumbent Rep. Eliot Engel (D., N.Y.), embraced The Jewish Vote, a far-left group aiming to “harness the power of the progressive Jewish resistance,” at a January rally. Though the group has claimed neutrality toward the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, its leadership regularly voices support for BDS, defends progressives who make anti-Semitic remarks, and likens Israel to Nazi Germany.
“The state of Israel is doing the same thing to Palestinians as was done to Jewish people,” The Jewish Vote steering committee member Elana Levin said in May.
Despite the organization’s history, Bowman said he was “incredibly proud to work with The Jewish Vote to take on anti-Semitism” in the group’s press release announcing the endorsement.
The Jewish Vote, which made no mention of Middle East policy in its announcement of the Bowman endorsement, employs “deceptive tactics” to distract from its anti-Israel stance, according to Josh Block, a former aide in the Clinton White House.
“More than just offensive politically, it is the deceptive tactics being practiced by these groups and their stooges and stage-managed ‘candidates’ that are intended to deceive and whitewash their anti-Israel, anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic ideas, positions, partnerships, and true purpose, which is to undermine the Jewish State and America’s only steadfast ally in the Middle East,” Block told the Washington Free Beacon. “That should be a klaxon warning of how truly toxic are such groups and those who affiliate [with] them.”
The Bowman campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Bowman is not the only Democratic candidate who has embraced anti-Israel activists on the campaign trail. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) in December touted the endorsement of John Dabeet, an extreme anti-Israel advocate who called Palestinian terrorist Yasser Arafat an “immortal leader.” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) has deployed numerous anti-Israel activists as top surrogates for his campaign, including former Women’s March co-chair Linda Sarsour.
The Jewish Vote, the electoral arm of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), has a history of backing pro-BDS candidates. In 2019, the organization supported Tiffany Cabán, a failed district attorney candidate who faced criticism from Jewish leaders after she accepted an endorsement from Sarsour and refused to condemn BDS. It also backed Julia Salazar, a New York state senator and former JFREJ staffer who supports BDS. Though The Jewish Vote described Salazar as “an immigrant, Jewish woman of color,” a 2018 Tablet report revealed that Salazar was born in Miami and was a campus leader of Christians United for Israel in college.
The Jewish Vote’s co-founder, Sanders delegate Rafael Shimunov, has publicly supported BDS. Shimunov praised electronic musician Shlomo for canceling a concert in Israel, saying that “Palestinian civil society” asks “Jews and Americans” to boycott Israel, adding “it’s extremely powerful to be the fullest allies that way.”
Another JFREJ staffer characterized BDS as not “inherently antisemitic,” a position contradicted by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a watchdog group that combats anti-Semitism. The ADL considers “many of the founding goals of BDS” to be anti-Semitic and has called the movement “the most prominent effort to undermine Israel’s existence.”
Shimunov also reflects The Jewish Vote’s tendency to defend progressive Palestinian activists who make anti-Semitic statements. When D.C. city councilman Trayon White Sr. (D.) blamed snowfall in the nation’s capital on Jews, accused Jews of controlling the World Bank and U.S. government, and donated to a Nation of Islam event where anti-Semitic leader Louis Farrakhan denounced Jews, Shimunov rushed to his defense, claiming White was the “object of a huge character assassination” because he represents “America’s poorest children.”
The Jewish Vote has defended former Women’s March board members Sarsour and Zahra Billoo over anti-Semitic comments. Sarsour called the Muslim Brotherhood, a group committed to instituting Sharia law, the “coolest,” praised the Nation of Islam, and said, “Nothing is creepier than Zionism.” Billoo has claimed that Israel “commits war crimes and terrorism as a hobby,” referred to Israel as “an apartheid, racist state,” and refused to denounce “jihad, khilafah or sharia.”
When Sarsour and Billoo were removed from the Women’s March leadership, leaders from The Jewish Vote rallied to their defense. Committee member and co-founder Katie Unger, who spoke at Bowman’s endorsement rally, called Sarsour “a true ally against anti-Semitism” and said Billoo’s removal was a “smear.” Levin followed suit, calling Sarsour “amazing.” The Jewish Vote executive director Audrey Sasson said Sarsour is “not the problem.”
The Jewish Vote has also worked with radical anti-Israel groups through its sister organization. JFREJ co-founders Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark and Donna Nevel have collaborated with Jewish Voice for Peace, a pro-BDS organization that hosted a convicted Palestinian terrorist as a keynote speaker at the group’s 2017 conference.
Bowman’s embrace of The Jewish Vote reflects the division between pro-Israel establishment Democrats and anti-Israel progressives. Engel, Bowman’s Democratic opponent, is staunchly pro-Israel and defended anti-BDS legislation in 2018. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) condemned BDS in 2018, calling it anti-Semitic and a “profoundly biased campaign to delegitimize the State of Israel.”
“When there is such a double standard, when the world treats everybody one way and the Jew or the Jewish state another way, there’s only one word for it: anti-Semitism! Let us call out the BDS movement for what it is,” Schumer said.
The Jewish Vote did not respond to a request for comment. (Washington Free Beacon)
Electricity filled the air on Capitol Hill on Tuesday night, as President Donald Trump began his third State of the Union touting U.S. economic gains since he took office. The theme of Trump’s third State of the Union speech was “The Great American Comeback.” Photo Credit: Getty Images
Edited by: Fern Sidman
Electricity filled the air on Capitol Hill on Tuesday night, as President Donald Trump began his third State of the Union touting U.S. economic gains since he took office.
The theme of Trump’s third State of the Union speech was “The Great American Comeback.” Although his Democratic detractors labeled his address as highly partisan, Trump rolled out his vision, despite the fact that impeachment by the House of Representatives and a trail in the Senate has dogged him for many months.
Besides sporadic booing and vocal jeers from Democratic party legislators, the big controversy of the evening occurred when the president handed his prepared remarks to Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It appeared that Trump ignored her when she reached out to shake the president’s hand.
Fox News reported that it was unclear if Trump didn’t see her hand or just didn’t want to reciprocate, but he promptly turned away from her to face the crowd gathered on the House floor.
Pelosi, whose signature adorned the articles of impeachment brought against Trump in December, apparently thought it was a snub, as she pursed her lips in surprise when Trump turned around, according to Fox News.
Besides sporadic booing and vocal jeers from Democratic party legislators, the big controversy of the evening occurred when the president handed his prepared remarks to Vice President Mike Pence and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. It appeared that Trump ignored her when she reached out to shake the president’s hand. Photo Credit: ABC News
At the conclusion of his address, Speaker Pelosi ripped up the copy of his remarks in an apparent message of her dissatisfaction with him and his policy agenda.
“In just three short years, we have shattered the mentality of American Decline and we have rejected the downsizing of America’s destiny,” he said in the opening minutes of his speech. “We are moving forward at a pace that was unimaginable just a short time ago, and we are never going back!”
“I am thrilled to report to you tonight that our economy is the best it has ever been. Our military is completely rebuilt, with its power being unmatched anywhere in the world — and it is not even close. Our borders are secure. Our families are flourishing. Our values are renewed. Our pride is restored. And for all these reasons, I say to the people of our great country, and to the Members of Congress before me: The State of our Union is stronger than ever before!
As chants of “Four more years!” rang through the Senate chamber, Trump spoke of record low unemployment, especially among African-Americans, women, and veterans.
He said, “Since my election, we have created 7 million new jobs — 5 million more than government experts projected during the previous administration. The unemployment rate is the lowest in over half a century. Incredibly, the average unemployment rate under my Administration is lower than any administration in the history of our country. If we had not reversed the failed economic policies of the previous administration, the world would not now be witness to America’s great economic success.”
He described the surge in jobs as a “blue collar boom,” and boasted that his administration’s cut in regulations has led to the U.S. becoming the world’s top producer of oil and natural gas. He said the United States is “where the action is.”
Trump also said crime is falling, U.S. enemies are “on the run,” the military is completely rebuilt, U.S. values are renewed, and that the country is “highly respected again.”
A few of the president’s words drew audible groans from the Democrats while the president’s Republican supporters jumped to their feet at nearly every one of the president’s pronouncements of economic success.
One of Trump’s surprise guests at the event was Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó. The president gave as an example of American leadership throughout the world his administration’s support of Guaidó, who declared himself Venezuela’s interim president and called the 2018 re-election of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro illegitimate.
Trump said, “The United States is leading a 59-nation diplomatic coalition against the socialist dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, a tyrant who brutalizes his people. But Maduro’s grip of tyranny will be smashed and broken. Here this evening is a man who carries with him the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of all Venezuelans. Joining us in the gallery is the true and legitimate President of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó. Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland. All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul.
“Mr. President, please take this message back to your homeland,” Trump said to Guaidó. “All Americans are united with the Venezuelan people in their righteous struggle for freedom! Socialism destroys nations. But always remember, freedom unifies the soul.”
Turning to domestic programs, Trump said students are trapped in failing government schools. Touting school choice, he appealed to Congress to pass a bill that includes tax credits for groups offering scholarships to private schools.“
Building an inclusive society is making sure that every young American gets a great education and the opportunity to achieve the American dream.”
One of Trump’s two official guests for his address was a former U.S. Army veteran of the war in Afghanistan, Tony Rankins of Cincinnati, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and became addicted to drugs, which led to several prison sentences and living out of his car.
“Opportunity Zones are helping Americans like Army Veteran Tony Rankins from Cincinnati, Ohio. After struggling with drug addiction, Tony lost his job, his house, and his family — he was homeless. But then Tony found a construction company that invests in Opportunity Zones. He is now a top tradesman, drug-free, reunited with his family, and he is here tonight. Tony: Keep up the great work,” said the president.
Speaking of fulfilling his promises on vanquishing such trade deals as NAFTA, Trump said, “One of the single biggest promises I made to the American people was to replace the disastrous NAFTA trade deal. In fact, unfair trade is perhaps the single biggest reason that I decided to run for President. Following NAFTA’s adoption, our Nation lost one in four manufacturing jobs. Many politicians came and went, pledging to change or replace NAFTA — only to do absolutely nothing. But unlike so many who came before me, I keep my promises. Six days ago, I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law.
The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers. It will also bring trade with Mexico and Canada to a much higher degree, but also to a much greater level of fairness and reciprocity. This is the first major trade deal in many years to earn the strong backing of America’s labor unions.”
President Donald Trump arrives for the State of the Union address at the US Capitol in Washington, DC, on February 4, 2020. Photo Credit: Getty Images
Touting his buildup of America’s military as a deterrent to the constant threat of war and the proliferation of terrorism, Trump said, “To safeguard American Liberty, we have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the United States Military. We have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships, and every other form of military equipment — all made in the United States of America. We are also finally getting our allies to help pay their fair share. I have raised contributions from the other NATO members by more than $400 billion, and the number of allies meeting their minimum obligations has more than doubled.”
Referencing his creation of the Space Force which he officially launched only months ago, Trump spoke of the late President Harry Truman and his creation of the Air Force 70 years ago.
He then introduced his next guest, 13-year old Iain Lanphier of Arizona.
“In the gallery tonight, we have one of the Space Force’s youngest potential recruits: 13-year-old Iain Lanphier, an eighth grader from Arizona. Iain has always dreamed of going to space. He was first in his class and among the youngest at an aviation academy. He aspires to go to the Air Force Academy, and then, he has his eye on the Space Force. As Iain says, “most people look up at space, I want to look down on the world.”
Sitting beside Iain tonight is his great hero. Charles McGee was born in Cleveland, Ohio, one century ago. Charles is one of the last surviving Tuskegee Airmen — the first black fighter pilots — and he also happens to be Iain’s great-grandfather. After more than 130 combat missions in World War II, he came back to a country still struggling for Civil Rights and went on to serve America in Korea and Vietnam. On December 7th, Charles celebrated his 100th birthday. A few weeks ago, I signed a bill promoting Charles McGee to Brigadier General. And earlier today, I pinned the stars on his shoulders in the Oval Office. General McGee: Our Nation salutes you.”
Speaking of lifting the restrictions on educational opportunities for the nation’s youth, the president spoke of 18 states that have created school choice in the form of Opportunity Scholarships. He said that the programs are so popular, that tens of thousands of students remain on waiting lists.
Trump then took pride in introducing his next guest, Janiyah Davis, a fourth grader from Philadelphia.
“Janiyah’s mom Stephanie is a single parent. She would do anything to give her daughter a better future. But last year, that future was put further out of reach when Pennsylvania’s Governor vetoed legislation to expand school choice for 50,000 children.
Janiyah and Stephanie are in the gallery this evening. But there is more to their story. Janiyah, I am pleased to inform you that your long wait is over. I can proudly announce tonight that an Opportunity Scholarship has become available, it is going to you, and you will soon be heading to the school of your choice!”
Taking a snipe at socialism and the deleterious effects that it has on our nation’s healthcare system, Trump said, “The American patient should never be blindsided by medical bills. That is why I signed an Executive Order requiring price transparency. Many experts believe that transparency, which will go into full effect at the beginning of next year, will be even bigger than healthcare reform. It will save families massive amounts of money for substantially better care.
But as we work to improve Americans’ healthcare, there are those who want to take away your healthcare, take away your doctor, and abolish private insurance entirely. One hundred thirty-two lawmakers in this room have endorsed legislation to impose a socialist takeover of our healthcare system, wiping out the private health insurance plans of 180 million Americans. To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!”
Trump was roundly booed by Democratic legislators when he spoke of taking on “Big Pharma.”
He said, “My Administration is also taking on the big pharmaceutical companies. We have approved a record number of affordable generic drugs, and medicines are being approved by the FDA at a faster clip than ever before. I was pleased to announce last year that, for the first time in 51 years, the cost of prescription drugs actually went down.
And working together, the Congress can reduce drug prices substantially from current levels. I have been speaking to Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and others in the Congress in order to get something on drug pricing done, and done properly. I am calling for bipartisan legislation that achieves the goal of dramatically lowering prescription drug prices. Get a bill to my desk, and I will sign it into law without delay.”
Speaking of battling diseases such as kidney disease, Alzheimer’s and mental health, Trump paused during the address to award conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor.
Radio talk show host and prolific author Rush Limbaugh is clearly emotional as he receives the Medal of Freedom from first lady Melania Trump. Limbaugh recently announced that he was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer and is seeking treatment. Photo Credit: Getty Images.
He said, “Here tonight is a special man, someone beloved by millions of Americans who just received a Stage 4 advanced cancer diagnosis. This is not good news, but what is good news is that he is the greatest fighter and winner that you will ever meet. Rush Limbaugh: Thank you for your decades of tireless devotion to our country. Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”
Trump also addressed the often thorny issue of illegal immigration and support for law enforcement authorities, including the men and women in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
On January 10th in Queens, an undocumented immigrant murdered 92-year old Maria Fuertes.
According to a report in the NY Daily News, the federal government on Monday asked a judge to force the city to provide documents related to 21-year old Reeaz Khan of Guyana, who is accused of killing the elderly woman.
Trump said, “A better tomorrow for all Americans also requires us to keep America safe. That means supporting the men and women of law enforcement at every level, including our Nation’s heroic ICE officers.
Last year, our brave ICE officers arrested more than 120,000 criminal aliens charged with nearly 10,000 burglaries, 5,000 sexual assaults, 45,000 violent assaults, and 2,000 murders.
Tragically, there are many cities in America where radical politicians have chosen to provide sanctuary for these criminal illegal aliens. In Sanctuary Cities, local officials order police to release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public, instead of handing them over to ICE to be safely removed.
Just 29 days ago, a criminal alien freed by the Sanctuary City of New York was charged with the brutal rape and murder of a 92-year-old woman. The killer had been previously arrested for assault, but under New York’s sanctuary policies, he was set free. If the city had honored ICE’s detainer request, his victim would be alive today.”
Another Trump guest was U.S. Border Patrol Deputy Chief Raul Ortiz, “who has helped protect America’s homeland security for nearly three decades.”
Trump said, “Last year, I traveled to the border in Texas and met Chief Patrol Agent Raul Ortiz. Over the last 24 months, Agent Ortiz and his team have seized more than 200,000 pounds of poisonous narcotics, arrested more than 3,000 human smugglers, and rescued more than 2,000 migrants. Days ago, Agent Ortiz was promoted to Deputy Chief of Border Patrol — and he joins us tonight. Chief Ortiz: Please stand — a grateful Nation thanks you and all the heroes of Border Patrol.”
Senators are scheduled to vote Wednesday on whether to convict Trump and remove him from office. It is virtually certain they will acquit him on the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice as his Republican party holds a majority in the Senate, where a two-thirds vote would be needed for conviction and removal.
“It’s unprecedented in our nation’s history to have a State of the Union address from an impeached president running for re-election,” noted University of Akron Political Science Professor David Cohen. “These events read like political thriller fiction except they’re actually happening.”
For those who thought the Harvey Weinstein debacle couldn’t get any more lurid, tacky or awkward, this just in: the disgraced movie mogul’s genitalia reportedly resemble a vagina. Photo Credit: Getty Images
By: Logan McMillan
For those who thought the Harvey Weinstein debacle couldn’t get any more lurid, tacky or awkward, this just in: the disgraced movie mogul’s genitalia reportedly resemble a vagina.
The one-time actress who is making the claim, Jessica Mann, 34, said that she noticed Weinstein’s sex organs were “deformed” as he was allegedly raping her. She says she pities the producer, whom she claims took an injection of erection medicine shortly before he attacked her.
“The last time I saw him fully naked, I felt, I thought he was deformed and intersex,” said Mann during her appearance in Manhattan Supreme Court as part of her testimony in Weinstein’s rape and sex assault trial. “He has extreme scarring that I didn’t know if ,maybe he was a burn victim. He does not have testicles and it appears like he has a vagina,” she added.
Mann further testified that the first time she saw Weinstein naked she performed oral sex on him, consensually. “When I first saw him naked I was filled with compassion, absolute compassion,” she recounted. “It seemed his anger came from a place of shame.”
Mann claims that Weinstein raped her on two occasions, despite the fact that they had a consensual sexual relationship. Charges have been brought against him only for one of the alleged attacks. That took place on March 18, 2013 at a DoubleTree hotel in Manhattan, she told jurors.
Mann said she was “freaked out” when she saw Weinstein booking a room in the lobby of the hotel. As she said in court, “We don’t need a room,” she told him. “He got very mad at me for trying to speak up. I was saying to the people at the counter, ‘We don’t need a room,’ so he pulled me aside in the corner and told me not to embarrass him.”
She further testified that Weinstein took her up to the room and she tried twice to open the door to get out, but he locked the door both times. “I kind of shut down a little bit and he told me to undress. Then he comes at me and grabs my hands to try to force me to start undressing myself. I undressed and he stood over me until I was completely naked and he told me to lay on the bed. Then he came out naked and he got on top of me and that’s when he put himself inside of me, his penis inside of me… He stabbed himself with a needle and there has to be blood and he was inside of me. I was kind of in shock over that.”
