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WeWork’s Adam Neumann Hits ‘Tough’ Times; Former CEO Rejected by Co-Op Boards

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WeWork Cos. wants to go public – but first it wants to raise as much as $4 billion in debt. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By Howard M. Riell

It isn’t easy being a billionaire. At least not for the rejected WeWork CEO Adam Neumann.

According to published reports, he was searching for a $50 million flat on Fifth Avenue before his firm’s failed initial public offering. Now, a number of co-op boards have said no to him. And he’s apparently acting weird.

According to the New York Post’s Page Six, no fewer than a trio of co-op boards — 950 and 960 Fifth Ave. are said to be two of them – have said he was not welcome.

“Neumann has hired multiple brokers in the past and most recently unleashed WeWork’s former head of commercial real estate Mark Lapidus on the search. The insider said, “Neumann wanted the gilded life on Fifth Avenue … But the brokers put in discreet calls to members of the co-op boards, and they all said no.” According to the source, Lapidus even said to one agent, “Adam Neumann is going to be the first trillionaire of all time — any building would want him,” the Post reported.

Neumann is said to be working with JPMorgan, UBS, and Credit Suisse “to consider new terms for a $500 million loan that he took out before WeWork filed to go public, and from which Neumann has already drawn down $380 million,” said techcrunch.com. “Since he can no longer pay the loan with proceeds from selling WeWork shares publicly (it yanked its S-1 filing earlier this week), he may have to put up some of his properties or other assets as collateral for the loan, according to one of BI’s sources. “No terms have been set,” a spokeswoman for Neumann tells the outlet. Per earlier reports, Neumann has plenty to offload if it comes to it, having acquired numerous residential and commercial properties over the years.”

Neumann’s investments include “a $10.5 million Greenwich Village townhouse; a farm in Westchester, New York; a home in the Hamptons where he reportedly weathered the storm with his family ahead of resigning as CEO last week; and a $21 million, 13,000-square-foot house in the Bay Area with a guitar-shaped room,” techcrunch.com added.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Neumann has also purchased commercial properties through investor groups that he had leased back, in some cases, to WeWork.

Questions will linger. The story of WeWork is, according to vice.com, “a cautionary tale of epic proportions. It’s a fiasco of corporate failures, a CEO doing whatever he wanted despite obvious conflicts of interest, and cashing out before his co-working empire came crashing down.”

Pelosi, Schumer to Address J Street Confab Alongside PLO Members

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Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Schumer and Pelosi will speak at a conference that includes speakers from anti-Israel organizations such as IfNotNow, the New Israel Fund, and the PLO national and central councils.

By: JNS Staff

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic members of Congress and elected officials plan to address the annual J Street National Conference later this month, also featuring speakers from anti-Israel organizations including IfNotNow, the New Israel Fund, and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) national and central councils.

Schumer and Pelosi are frequent speakers at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, one of J Street’s main rivals.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) are also scheduled to speak at the conference, which will be held Oct. 26-29 in Washington, D.C.

Jayapal was one of 17 representatives to vote against a July resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives condemning the anti-Israel BDS movement, while Van Hollen was one of 23 senators in February to vote against the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act, which, if enacted, would impose new sanctions on Syria, boost security cooperation with Israel and Jordan, and allow state and local governments the right to punish state or local contractors from engaging in boycotting Israel.

JNS has reached out to their congressional offices for comment about their participation in the conference.

Additionally, Jewish Democratic Council of America executive director Halie Soifer, IfNotNow founder Emily Meyer and Bashar Azzeh, a member of the PLO Central Council, are listed as speakers.

JNS has reached out to JDCA and IfNotNow for comment about their participation in the event.

Accusations of Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism

IfNotNow has been accused of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism. According to its mission, the organization seeks to “end American Jewish support for the occupation,” which advocates say is “is a system of violence and separation by which Israel denies Palestinians freedom and dignity by depriving them of civil, political and economic rights.”

The group has been approaching Democratic presidential candidates as representatives of the Jewish community and asking them about ending the so-called “occupation” of Judea and Samaria.

The term “occupation” initially applied to areas the Israelis oversaw after gaining land (eastern Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and much of the Sinai) in the 1967 Six-Day War—land the Arabs refused to negotiate as part of the Khartoum Conference in 1968, signified by “three no’s” in reference to Israel: no peace, no recognition, no negotiations.

Ever since then, the word “occupation” has been used by anti-Israel groups to try to delegitimize Israel. Yet as with most terminology used in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, no clear definition exists, even after the Palestinian Authority has overseen Arab-majority sections (known as Area A under the Oslo Accords) of Judea and Samaria since 1994 and Hamas has run Gaza since 2007 (taking it away from the P.A. after Israelis withdrew in 2005).

Egypt negotiated with Israel to get the Sinai back in 1982 as part of direct negotiations with Israel.

‘Occupied’ Territory?

Still, some consider all of Israel to be “occupied” territory.

“We understand the Occupation as the military rule over Palestinians” in Judea and Samaria, eastern Jerusalem and Gaza, IfNotNow spokesperson Yonah Lieberman previously told JNS. “We also know that the discrimination and displacement inside Israel’s 1948 borders are connected to its rule in those Occupied Territories. This system of violence deprives all Palestinians of civil, political and economic rights.”

“Obviously, IfNotNow is not part of the mainstream of the Democratic Party,” former National Jewish Democratic Council head Aaron Keyak previously told JNS. “In fact, I think if you posed the question to them, they’d agree and they certainly don’t try to hide it. In IfNotNow’s organizational principles they clearly refuse to take a stance against BDS or in support of the two-state solution.”

Controversial NGOs

The New Israel Fund is the largest financier of Israel’s left-wing civil society and funds highly controversial NGOs, including Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem and Adalah.

Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg has said that “leading members of the New Israel Fund, for example, clearly stated that the NIF and its organizations represent the opposition in Israel; the same foreign opposition that is working to topple the elected government and change its policy. This is a dangerous phenomenon that exploits Israeli democracy in order to harm it, and needs to be stopped immediately.”

Finally, the PLO is known to be behind violence against Israelis, including during the Second Intifada from 2000 to 2005, despite recognizing in 1993 Israel’s right to exist.

The PLO mission in Washington, D.C., was shuttered in October 2018. (JNS)

 

 

US, Japan Criticize ‘Provocative’ North Korea Missile Launch

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By: Carla Babb & William Gallo

The U.S. and Japan are calling the recent North Korean missile launch “unnecessarily provocative” just days ahead of working-level nuclear talks with the United States.

North Korea tested a ballistic missile Wednesday that was designed to be launched from a submarine — an important advancement in Pyongyang’s weapons program.

“This morning, the Secretary had a call with Japanese Minister of Defense (Taro) Kono where they discussed North Korea. They both agreed that the North Korea tests are unnecessarily provocative and do not set the stage for diplomacy and that North Korea should cease these tests,” chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman told reporters at a briefing Thursday.

The Korean Central News Agency on Thursday claimed a successful test of the “new-type” submarine-launched ballistic missile, or SLBM, which it dubbed “Pukguksong-3.” KCNA pictures showed the missile emerging from the sea after apparently being launched from an underwater platform.

Col. Pat Ryder, the spokesman for the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters at the Thursday briefing that North Korea fired a “short-to-medium-range ballistic missile” from the Wonsan Bay that flew 450 kilometers (280 miles) into the Sea of Japan.

“We have no indication that it was launched from a submarine, but rather a sea-based platform,” added Ryder.

It is North Korea’s first test of an SLBM since 2016. Experts say its maximum range was around 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles), making it medium range. That is the longest range of any missile North Korea has tested since 2017.

The launch came hours after North Korea announced it would hold working-level nuclear talks with the United States Saturday. It’s not clear how the latest launch will impact the talks.

North Korea has conducted 11 rounds of missile launches since May. President Trump has said he has “no problem” with Pyongyang’s previous launches, since they were short-range. Trump has not responded to the latest launch. (VOA)

Trump Calls for Ukraine, China to Investigate Biden

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A group of Democratic strategists that includes an individual who established a political action committee backing presidential candidate Joe Biden will lead a $60 million secret money "strategy center" for Democrats for the 2020 election cycle. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By: Steve Herman

Donald Trump is openly urging foreign governments to investigate his political foes — doubling down on an action that is already the subject of an impeachment inquiry.

Answering questions Thursday morning from reporters on the White House South Lawn, Trump was asked what favor exactly he desired from Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelenskiy during a July 25 telephone call that sparked a whistleblower complaint.

“I would recommend that they start an investigation into the Bidens,” said the president.

Trump, in recent days, has repeatedly attacked former Vice President Joe Biden, now a leading Democratic Party presidential candidate, saying Biden abused his power by pressuring Ukraine to back away from a criminal investigation that could have implicated the then-vice president’s son, Hunter, who worked for the Burisma energy company, based in Kyiv.

Trump, prior to boarding the Marine One helicopter for a day trip to Florida, alleged Biden had “scammed” Ukraine and also China.

“China should start an investigation into the Bidens,” he said.

Trump has accused Hunter Biden of using a 2013 trip on Air Force 2 to procure $1.5 billion from China for a private equity fund the vice president’s son was forming.

Democrats say Trump’s comments Thursday are another example of him leveraging the presidency for personal political gain.

“The President cannot use the power of his office to pressure foreign leaders to investigate his political opponents,” tweeted House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, who is leading the impeachment inquiry. “His rant this morning reinforces the urgency of our work. America is a Republic, if we can keep it.”

Trump and his allies have not released any evidence demonstrating the Bidens were involved in any illegal activity.

The former vice president vociferously defended his reputation and attacked Trump in a Wednesday evening speech in Reno, Nevada.

“Let me make something clear to Trump and his hatchet men and the special interests funding his attacks against me — I’m not going anywhere,” said Biden. “You’re not going to destroy me. And you’re not going to destroy my family. I don’t care how much money you spend or how dirty the attacks get.”

Trump is “desperately clutching for conspiracy theories that have been debunked and dismissed by independent, credible news organizations,” Biden Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield says in response to the president’s Thursday morning remarks to reporters. (VOA)

Israeli Gov’t Hangs in Air as Liberman-Netanyahu Meeting Fruitless

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Avigdor Liberman, left, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his swearing-in ceremony on May 30, 2016 - Photo Credit: Haim Zach/GPO

Neither side appears willing to compromise enough on the matter of forming a national unity government.

By: Batya Jerenberg

A meeting on Thursday morning between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman ended in a stalemate, leaving the formation of a new government still hanging in the air more than two weeks after a second parliamentary election in less than six months.

“No breakthrough was achieved,” the Likud party said in a statement following the meeting, which was said to have lasted less than an hour.

Since both sides had insisted beforehand that they would not budge from their respective positions in the negotiations, the fact that no compromise was reached was not considered a surprise.

Netanyahu is standing firm that the entire right-wing bloc has to be part of a unity government, which includes the Haredi Orthodox and national religious parties. Liberman, for his part, totally rejects including the ultra-Orthodox religious and “messianic” parties, as he calls Yemina, in the grand coalition he envisions with the Likud, Blue and White, and his own eight-member parliamentary faction.

Netanyahu invited Liberman to hold the meeting after the Israel Beytenu chairman stated on Wednesday that his party would submit its own proposal for a national unity government if current talks between Netanyahu’s Likud and Blue and White, headed by MK Benny Gantz, do not bear fruit in the coming week.

Israel Beytenu’s post-meeting statement said that Liberman had reiterated that a unity government was “the call of the hour,” as a third election due to the inability to form a new government coalition “would [still] not change the political landscape in a meaningful way.”

He also argued that formulating a joint set of basic policy guidelines with Blue and White had to come before discussions of a possible rotation of prime ministers.

However, the exact parameters of such a rotation is a large sticking point in the negotiations.

Interviewed on Kan public radio before the 22nd Knesset was inaugurated on Thursday, Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein said that the prime minister had consented to temporarily step down should his legal team fail to head off any of the indictments they are currently contesting in pre-trial hearings with the attorney general.

“Netanyahu agreed to take a leadership step that isn’t simple — to take a leave of absence in order to establish a government,” Edelstein said.

It was President Rivlin’s idea that Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Gantz would each serve two years as head of a unity government, but if Netanyahu was formally charged in any of the three corruption cases pending against him, Gantz would become an interim prime minister with the full legal authority of a regular prime minister.

Likud negotiators have said that Gantz has not accepted this proposal because of pressure from his number two, Yair Lapid, who had an agreement with Gantz to rotate the prime ministership between the two if Blue and White would be able to form a government itself. (World Israel News)

Read more at: worldisraelnews.com

Bolton at Odds with Trump; Calls N. Korea a “Grave & Growing Threat”

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Former national security adviser John Bolton, who was terminated from his position in the Trump cabinet a few weeks ago is apparently ready to publicly voice his disagreements with the president on foreign policy as it pertains to North Korea. Saying that he would “speak in unvarnished terms” Bolton called North Korea a “grave and growing threat" when he addressed an audience on Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; a Washington, DC think tank. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Edited by: Fern Sidman

Former national security adviser John Bolton, who was terminated from his position in the Trump cabinet a few weeks ago is apparently ready to publicly voice his disagreements with the president on foreign policy as it pertains to North Korea.

According to a report in the Washington Examiner, Bolton addressed an audience on Monday at the Center for Strategic and International Studies; a Washington, DC think tank. He explicated that he is speaking in the capacity of a private citizen now and as such is able to put forth his own personal opinions about the trajectory of North Korea. Saying that he would “speak in unvarnished terms” Bolton called North Korea a “grave and growing threat.” The report in the Washington Examiner indicated that the ousted national security advisor warned that North Korea has not made a strategic decision to relinquish its nuclear weapons despite Trump’s attempt to forge a relationship with dictator Kim Jong Un.

Bolton dismissed the view that was cited by Trump that his strategy with Kim is working because North Korea has not conducted nuclear and long-range missile testing as of late. Such testing had at one time been a fairly regular practice. Bolton said that the reason that Pyongyang has ceased these testing practices is that the technology is already in place. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

CNN reported that Trump has made repeated attempts to cultivate Kim as a friend in order to convince him to abrogate his nuclear program.

“Under current circumstances he will never give up the nuclear weapons voluntarily,” Bolton said.

“In fact, I think the contrary is true,” Bolton said. “I think the strategic decision that Kim Jong Un is operating through is that he will do whatever he can to keep a deliverable nuclear weapons capability.”

Bolton was proven prescient once again when on Wednesday it was reported that North Korea fired a ballistic missile from an underwater launch platform, according to a United States official who told CNN. The missile launch came only a day after Pyongyang and Washington agreed to resume nuclear talks, according to CNN.

CNN reported that the US assessed that the missile was not fired from a submarine although the tested missile is designed to function as a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), the US official, who was familiar with the situation, said.

The missile was launched toward the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, Wednesday morning, South Korea’s military said. While North Korea has launched from an underwater platform before, it is the first time it has done so since talks with President Trump, according to the CNN report.

“Currently, our forces are maintaining readiness posture while watching related movements in preparation against additional launches,” South Korea’s Joint Chief of Staff said in a statement Wednesday.

Bolton’s recent statements on North Korea are in sharp contrast to Trump’s public statements indicating that previous talks with Kim have been highly productive in terms of the North Korean leader considering a reduction of his nuclear arsenal.

Trump has asserted that Kim has “kept his word” when it comes to nuclear and missile testing. North Korea, however, has given little indication that it is ready to denuclearize, according to the report in the Washington Examiner.

Bolton dismissed the view that was cited by Trump that his strategy with Kim is working because North Korea has not conducted nuclear and long-range missile testing as of late. Such testing had at one time been a fairly regular practice. According to a CNN report, Bolton said that the reason that Pyongyang has ceased these testing practices is that the technology is already in place.

“I am delighted to be here today. I’m also sure the leadership of North Korea is delighted I am here today in a private capacity, at least that’s what I’ve read,” Bolton said to his audience at the DC based think tank. “Perhaps they’ll be a little less delighted now that I can speak in unvarnished terms about the grave and growing threat that the north Korean nuclear weapons program poses to international peace and security.”

Earlier this month, Trump fired Bolton through a Tweet. Bolton, however, said that he offered the president his resignation the night before he learned of his firing.

A veritable panoply of political pundits had opined that the sudden but not totally unexpected termination of Bolton would be interpreted as a gift of sorts to such rogue nations as Iran. Iran is an example of a nation that consistently viewed Bolton as a military hawk in the Trump administration and someone who had no problem advising the president to possibly initiate a military strike on them or even the imposition of harsher sanctions if Iran became way too bellicose in its posture towards America and the Western world.

Bolton also raised the so-called “Libya model” for denuclearization again. When Bolton first mentioned it last year this model enraged Trump since the commander in chief believed that such a statement seemed to place a dark shadow on his diplomatic efforts with Kim.

Describing the current situation with North Korea as a “classic standoff,” Bolton said the country’s leaders “want a piece of something that we should not be prepared to give them,” according to a CNN report.

While Bolton voiced his foreign policy perspectives in a public fashion on Monday his comments were subdued when compared to those he uttered at a private event hosted by the Gatestone Institute in New York City earlier this month. The former US ambassador to the United Nations did not hold back on offering sharp criticism to the strategic approach Trump was taking to Iran, North Korea and Afghanistan.

CNN reported that one attendee commented that, “Bolton didn’t have anything positive to say about Trump.”

Bolton said the now defunct idea of inviting the Taliban to Camp David was “disrespectful” to the victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, but did not mention Trump by name, according to the attendee.

As CNN previously reported, Bolton and Trump got into a heated argument over the President’s plan to host the Taliban leaders in the days before the 18th anniversary of the attacks, and Bolton did not acquiesce, according to two people who are familiar with what occurred said.

One senior official confirmed this argument happened in the Oval Office and at the end of the meeting, the President asked Bolton for his resignation, according to the CNN report.

On Wednesday, World Israel News reported that Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani were on the verge of direct communication, but Rouhani pulled out at the last minute, according to a report by POLITICO, citing French sources.

According to the American news outlet, French President Emmanuel Macron, on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly gathering in New York last week, succeeded in getting Trump and Rouhani to agree on a four-point document designed to bring Iran and the U.S. back to the negotiating table, as was reported by World Israel News.

The four points in the document reportedly included that Iran would “fully comply with its nuclear obligations and commitments and will accept a negotiation on a long-term framework for its nuclear activities.”

World Israel News reported that both parties were to “refrain from any aggression and will seek genuine peace and respect in the region through negotiations,” as was detailed in the report.

The agreement was also to include that the U.S. lift would “lift all the sanctions re-imposed since 2017,” said POLITICO, and that Iran would have the “full ability to export its oil and freely use its revenues.”

However, ultimately the Iranian and U.S. presidents did not meet because Rouhani insisted that Trump first declare that he would lift the U.S. sanctions, according to the officials cited by POLITICO.

As an alternative, Macron tried to arrange a phone call between the two leaders. The time reportedly had even been set: 9 p.m last Tuesday.

However, POLITICO reports, Rouhani refused to participate even in the phone conversation.

For its part, Tehran is blaming Trump for the failure of the French diplomatic effort, according to the World Israel News article.

“By maintaining sanctions, Trump showed he is not determined to hold talks,” maintained Ali Rabiei, an Iranian government spokesman, cited by the Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA).

“The U.S. is directly responsible that the dialogue was not held…Washington should mend our distrust caused by its withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). But such an attempt is not witnessed in U.S. behavior,” the spokesman added.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action is the official name of the Iran nuclear deal reached in 2015 between Tehran and six world powers including the U.S. Obama administration. Trump announced in May 2018 that Washington was withdrawing from the pact.

In a related development, World Israel News reported last week that Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of operations of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), has said that Israel is not in a position to threaten Iran, and nothing will be left of Israel if they tried to launch an attack.

“Iran has encircled Israel from all four sides. Nothing will be left of Israel,” he said in an interview with Tasnim news agency.

“If Israel makes a strategic mistake, it has to collect bits and pieces of Tel Aviv from the lower depths of the Mediterranean Sea,” he added.

Nilforoushan asserted in the interview that no country can stand up to the Islamic Republic.

“Tehran’s enemies know that the they will not be in control of ending a war they might start against Iran,” he said.”If the enemies could have started a war against Iran, they would have done it.”

The IRGC commander also claims that Israel is incapable of entering a full-blown war because of its lack of strategic depth and internal divisions.

  (World Israel News)

Read more at: worldisraelnews.com

French Comic Invades Chanel Catwalk; Gigi Hadid Guides Her Off

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French comedian Marie Benoliel reportedly crashed the Chanel SS20 Show runway on Tuesday at the Grand Palais in Paris. Her goal may have been to demonstrate that anyone could do it. And in that, she succeeded. Photo Credit: Euronews

By: Pierre Jacques

Love fashion?

Too bad – you’re still not getting in.

Probably.

According to the New York Post, “It’s hard for the average person to score an invite to Fashion Week — unless you’ve perfected the art of gatecrashing.”

French comedian Marie Benoliel reportedly crashed the Chanel SS20 Show runway on Tuesday at the Grand Palais in Paris. Her goal may have been to demonstrate that anyone could do it. And in that, she succeeded.

“The 28-year-old posted proof of her shameless stunt on Instagram and YouTube and even admitted to French blog L’importante.fr that she also intruded the Etam show last week,” the Post reported. “My infiltration at Etam went so well, it was so easy that some thought it was rigged and that I had permission to do it,” she said, according to The Independent. “Are you kidding me? So I wanted to try the impossible with the most prestigious show on Earth, Chanel.”

Benoliel reportedly threw the event into a tizzy when she walked alongside the models on the catwalk. She was, however, “guided” off by renowned Gigi Hadid.

Booth Moore, an editor at Women’s Wear Daily, captured the outrage for all the world to see, then – what else – wrote about it on Twitter: “Someone stormed the runway finale and joined the models @CHANEL watch! #pfw”

“New York Times fashion director Vanessa Friedman, who was also in attendance, said it was the “best @chanel finale video ever: Spot the catwalk- crasher! And spot the security guys running after her!” Newsweek magazine reported.

Thank goodness the fashion angle was covered, as well, with CBS News pointing out that “Benoliel attended the fashion show wearing a houndstooth jacket and skirt — an outfit that fit right in with Chanel’s plaid heavy collection — and some might have missed her jumping out of the audience and slipping in between two models on the catwalk.”

BBC News reported that “it appeared Benoliel planned the prank as part of a publicity stunt. “We are not going to make a drama out of it,” a Chanel spokeswoman told the publication,” according to CBS. “Although Benoliel was trying to get attention for the stunt, Hadid started receiving praise online and began trending on Twitter, according to BBC.”

Apparently not content with her 15 minutes of fame, Benoliel — also known as Marie S’Infiltre – set aside some took time to speak out. “Say, I heard ‘Yeah, Marie, your infiltration at ETAM was true?’ or ‘Pfff, too easy’ or ‘Do you buddy with Aya? So, that’s too easy huh … So today I wanted to aim for the impossible: the CHANEL show!” she wrote in French in a post. “Tribute to Karl Lagerfeld Oulalalala it’s done! Gigi darling, are you recovering from our fight in the backstage? You tore my hair, and I gave you a knockout. We’re like that with Gigi you cannot understand … There we sip a Moscow Mule talking about our love stories. That it’s good to break in by inventing many mythos at fifteen checkpoints, then infiltrate without annoy anyone and roll ball on the most prestigious catwalk in the world! Where everyone makes a funeral head and takes himself very, very seriously.”

SI’s Rep Max Rose Shocks Dems by Not Jumping on Impeachment Bandwagon

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Impeachment fever is running wild, but Democrat Congressman Max Rose (middle) is not caught up in it. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By: Ernest McGovern

Impeachment fever is running wild, but Democrat Congressman Max Rose is not caught up in it.

Which has his fellow Democrats scratching their heads.

“To understand the anomaly of Representative Max Rose, one of the few House Democrats who has not endorsed an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, one must first understand a few other anomalies,” the pro-left New York Times reported. “There is the anomaly of Staten Island, the lone stronghold of conservatism within deep blue New York City, and the heart of Mr. Rose’s district. There is the anomaly of Mr. Rose himself, whose victory last year made him just the second Democrat to represent Staten Island in Congress in more than 30 years.”

That “leads to the third and current anomaly,” the Times added. “Mr. Rose’s refusal to back impeachment, amid revelations that Mr. Trump asked the president of Ukraine to investigate the former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., even as most other Democrats in vulnerable seats have signed on.”

Congressman Rose released the following statement only days ago addressing the ongoing investigation into allegations against the President regarding Ukraine: “I’ve now sworn an oath to uphold the Constitution twice and I take my Congressional oath just as seriously as when I deployed to Afghanistan. That’s why I will not operate on any false timeline when our national security is at stake. My constituents—and our country—deserve Members of Congress who will review the facts and ensure the American people are fully informed. Those who would celebrate this moment or dismiss these serious allegations simply because it’s a Republican President should recognize that mindset is why the American people are disgusted with our politics.

“The transcript, whistleblower report, and the Acting Director of National Intelligence’s testimony is deeply alarming,” he continued. “This story is far from over and we must proceed in a deliberate and responsible manner that brings all the facts to the forefront and earns the trust of the American people. That’s the only way to uphold the Constitution without tearing this country apart. Under no circumstances will I allow politics to influence my decision regarding this matter.”

His stance isn’t necessarily winning him any friends in the Democratic Party. “Rose’s pitch and politics seem to match the district well: he’s a moderate, center-left politician and military veteran with a no-nonsense but affable and energetic personality,” the Gotham Gazette recently reported. “His mantra is serving constituents above political party, he regularly criticizes fellow Democrat Mayor Bill de Blasio, and he distances himself from the ascendent left-wing of his party, but sticks close to the House majority, though in fulfilling a campaign promise he did not vote for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to retain her leadership role.”

Blade App Uses NYC Aircraft to Speed Organs to Patients; Partners with NYU Langone

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The helicopter-sharing app, Blade, is using its aircraft in New York City to fly organs to patients for emergency transplants. Photo Credit: Blade.com

By: Carl Detweiler

The helicopter-sharing app, Blade, is using its aircraft in New York City to fly organs around for emergency transplants.

The company, known best for transporting the rich and famous, is partnering with NYU Langone Health to speed organs to patients.

“Blade’s 90-plus helicopters have been made accessible for dispatch between NYU Langone and hospitals up to 400 miles away. Sometimes a medical team will fly to another hospital to procure an organ, and other times it will deliver one, a Langone spokeswoman said,” the New York Post reported. “With the new service, patients who previously had to wait five hours for an organ may now only have to wait only three hours, said Brigitte Sullivan, executive director of the NYU Langone Transplant Institute.”

It was back in March that Blade expanded operations offering continuous ride-sharing flights between Manhattan and the airports. “Not only are you putting more passengers on a helicopter to split the cost, but we have a dedicated aircraft that’s going back and fourth all day long,” Will Heyburn, Head of Corporate Development for Blade, told ny1.com in an interview.

The company says nothing about its medical program on its web site, preferring to focus on the good life. Flying with Blade, it points out, “is not just a flight–it’s an experience. Prior to takeoff in Manhattan, enjoy iconic design, art, and refreshments at one of our BLADE Lounges. Arrive early to sip rosé in BLADE’s iconic sippy cup and enjoy lounge vibes. Book a flight in seconds on your own terms. Fly by-the-seat on any scheduled flight in the Northeast, Los Angeles, San Francisco, (and soon Mumbai); or charter your own flight anywhere in the world, with the option to crowdsource. Additionally, BLADE is leading the largest Urban Air Mobility initiative in New York, with continuous flights to and from JFK. Board fast, quiet, and comfortable helicopters and seaplanes — or even jets. Fly across town, or around the world.”

“Branded Blade MediMobility, the new service made its first organ delivery on Aug. 28 and has since transported 25 transplant organs, according to Blade Chief Executive Rob Wiesenthal,” according to the Post. “He said he plans to extend the service to other hospitals in the area. “Our platform is ideally suited to provide NYU Langone with 24/7 access to safety-vetted rotorcraft with as little as 20 minutes notice,” Wiesenthal said.

The new service, “which Wiesenthal says is operating at “less than breakeven,” may help deflect some of the barbs Blade has felt from local residents, particularly in the Hamptons, who have been caught under its noisy flight paths,” the Post added.

Epstein’s Butler Claims Bill Gates was Guest at Paris Apt; FBI Expands Probe into Prince Andrew

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TCredit: Shutterstock

By: Jared Evan

The butler who managed Jeffrey Epstein’s posh Paris pad claims he waited on a rotation of famous faces including Prince Andrew, Bill and Melinda Gates, as well as Steve Bannon. Meanwhile, Breitbart reported the FBI has expanded their probe into Prince Andrew

The butler, who only identified himself as Gabriel, has come forward about the convicted pedophile’s celebrity guests during his 18-year career working at the $8 million pied-à-terre, France Info reported.

“I served crowned heads, diplomats, businessmen and politicians,” he told the outlet.

Much like his New York residence, Epstein’s Paris apartment included a gym and a massage room – which is confirmed by the intendant and several craftsmen who worked on the design of his home. However, according to some American complainants, it is in the “massage room” New York that Jeffrey Epstein had sexually assaulted them, before paying them several hundred dollars.

“I served crowned heads, diplomats, businessmen and politicians,” says Gabriel. Examples include former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Prince Andrew – who according to Gabriel would have stayed several nights at Foch Avenue in the absence of Epstein – as well as the couple Bill and Melinda Gates. We also find the trace of the founder of Microsoft in the register of flights Epstein, where it is mentioned that he traveled alone in March 2013, France info reported.

In other developments in the Epstein case, which has seen far less reporting since his alleged suicide Breitbart reports: Prince Andrew faces the prospect of being more deeply engulfed in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal as the FBI seek to talk to 100 alleged victims of the late American billionaire.

The U.S. law enforcement agency’s investigation has been expanded to identify more alleged human trafficking victims of Epstein, who could provide information on the Queen’s son, the Sunday Times in London wrote.

It has been reported the FBI expects to interview the victims — most of whom were aged between 14 and 15 when allegedly trafficked. This will take place over the next two months and Scotland Yard is ready to help.

Citing unidentified sources from the Department of Justice, Sunday Times London suggests the FBI are looking to “several” potential victims.

The report cited by Breitbart quotes former head of royal protection at Scotland Yard, Dai Davies, saying a full investigation would be in Prince Andrew’s best interests.

“I would have thought it’s in Prince Andrew’s interests to clear this matter up,” Mr Davies, who headed Prince Andrew’s protection in the late 1990s, told Times.

“Any residue of doubt or innuendo should be cleared up by a clear, unequivocal, structured investigation.”

Scotland Yard had previously held an investigation after one of the women caught up in the scandal, Virginia Giuffre, made allegations against the Duke of York, but that probe was dropped in 2015.

Her allegations, which Andrew strongly denies, were struck from U.S. civil court records in 2015 after a judge said they were “immaterial and impertinent”, as reported by Breitbart

NYC Passes Law Banning Phrase “Illegal Alien” – Imposes Fine of $250K for Violations

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Calling someone an “illegal alien” or threatening to report them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) now comes with a fine of $250,000 in New York City. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By: Ronald Kotkin

During the height of impeachment frenzy, with initially very little media coverage last week the New York City Commission on Human Rights banned the term “illegal alien” along with threatening to report offenders to ICE.

This ironically occurred as The Washington Examiner and CBS News briefly reported that two alleged child rapists are at large after New York and New Jersey law enforcement authorities refused to hold them in jail for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigration officials say.

Calling someone an “illegal alien” or threatening to report them to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) now comes with a fine of $250,000 in New York City.

The New York City Commission on Human Rights announced the move recently in a press release that included guidance on what exactly would be considered derogatory use of certain terminology based on the user’s motivations, FOX News reported.

Free speech advocates immediately responded by pointing out this Orwellian violation of the 1st amendment.

U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) pointed out that the term “illegal alien” is actually the correct terminology under federal law to describe a person who is in the country illegally.

“In the face of increasingly hostile national rhetoric, we will do everything in our power to make sure our treasured immigrant communities are able to live with dignity and respect, free of harassment and bias,” NYC Human Rights Commission Chair Carmelyn Malalis said.

The directive also listed a number of examples of acts or remarks that could get a person into trouble in the Big Apple, the New York Post reported.

“A hotel prohibits its housekeepers from speaking Spanish while cleaning because it would ‘offend’ hotel guests or make them uncomfortable,” was one example.

“An Indian immigrant family complains to their landlord about mold and cockroaches in their unit. The landlord tells them to ‘just deal with it’ and threatens to call ICE if they file a complaint in housing court,” was another example, according to the New York Post.

Ironically this law was rolled out at the same time it was reported that Two Mexican nationals were taken into custody for separate incidents on charges that they sexually assaulted a minor. Luciano Trejo-Dominguez was arrested by New Jersey police for allegedly restraining and sexually assaulting a child younger than 16 in August, while Joaquin Rodriguez Quiroz was arrested by police in New York on 3rd-degree rape charges earlier this month.

ICE and Pacific Enforcement Response Center both filed detainers to have the men held in jail until ICE officers could pick them up. However, local law enforcement in both states then released the suspects back into the public despite the requests.

New York and New Jersey law enforcement authorities refused to hold them in jail for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, immigration, as the result of Sanctuary City laws.

“This bizarre law, while it might have good intentions is blatant violation of free speech and quite Orwellian, free speech allows for unpleasant or insulting speech, I don’t see it humanly possible to enforce this nonsense, it’s Orwellian and a clear example of thought control”, political commenter and former podcaster Jared Evan pointed out to TJV.

MTA Worker Had to Prove He is Jewish To Take Off on Rosh Hashanah

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A Jewish MTA conductor claims the agency is discriminating against him by telling him he must prove he’s Jewish in order to take off work for Rosh Hashanah, News 12 reported. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By: Henrietta Fishman

Working for the MTA comes with many excellent perks due to their powerful union but try taking a Jewish holiday off.

A Jewish MTA conductor claims the agency is discriminating against him by telling him he must prove he’s Jewish in order to take off work for Rosh Hashanah, News 12 reported

Officials with Transport Workers Local 100 told The Hill that the transit authority initially denied Benjamin Schaeffer, 22, permission to take the Jewish new year off. The MTA later said Schaeffer would be allowed to take Rosh Hashanah off, but he would need to document his observance of the holiday, the union officials added.

Schaeffer says he followed the MTA time-off policy and submitted paperwork for the day three weeks in advance but had his request denied. After contacting the Transport Workers Union, he says the MTA told him he could have the day off if he provided the documentation – but didn’t specify what documentation was needed, according to News 12.

Since this story came to light the MTA responded to local media with a statement from an official spokesperson saying: “ We value and respect our employees’ religious beliefs and make every effort to accommodate requests for time off.

This request was received after all leave slots for this day and job title had been distributed, but the supervisor involved made an exception for Mr. Schaeffer and granted him the day off. This issue has been reviewed by NYC Transit supervision and no documentation will be requested in this case of Mr. Schaeffer”

Initially the union officials said an MTA supervisor told them there were “many employees who request to have days off for religious observance and are not granted due to the slots being full, and the high need for personnel. So in order to try to accommodate the employee’s and be fair, I am requesting documentation,” according to the Hill

This smack of anti-Semitism, and is definitely anti-worker,” the union said in a statement to the Daily News. “What kind of railroad is MTA Chairman Pat Foye running?”

“This request was received after all leave slots for this day and job title had been distributed, but the supervisor involved made an exception for Mr. Schaeffer and granted him the day off. This issue has been reviewed by [New York City Transit Authority] supervision and it was confirmed that no documentation is necessary,” the MTA spokesperson concluded in statement to The Hill

Filmmaker Kevin Smith: Harvey Weinstein “Made Me Sick” After Scheming Phone Call

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Writer-director Kevin Smith wants everyone to know how sick Harvey Weinstein makes him. Smith recently told Business Insider in an interview that he was surprised to receive a phone call from the controversial movie executive back in the autumn of 2017. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By: Patrick McGuire

Writer-director Kevin Smith wants everyone to know how sick Harvey Weinstein makes him.

Smith recently told Business Insider in an interview that he was surprised to receive a phone call from the controversial movie executive back in the autumn of 2017. As he mentioned, the pair had not spoken since 2008 when they had worked together on the forgettable Zack and Miri Make a Porno, featuring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks. Fourteen years earlier, Weinstein had purchased Smith’s movie Clerks.

“I said, ‘Hey, how are you?’ And he goes, ‘You know, we have ‘Dogma,’ (starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) I just realized, and we got to get it out there again,'” Smith, whose Jay and Silent Bob Reboot will debut in October, told Business Insider.

“I said, ‘We do! People online are always asking where they can get it,'” Smith said. “And he then goes, ‘You know, that movie had a big cast, we might even be able to do a sequel.’ And I was like, ‘Yeah man, right on. I might think about that.’ And he was like, ‘We’ll talk.’ And a week later The New York Times story breaks. I felt sick to my stomach.”

“I don’t know if that call even happened, and if it did, that there was any expectation other than making a creative business decision; it’s what Weinstein was well known for,” Weinstein’s spokesman Juda Engelmayer told Business Insider. “He was starting to circle the wagons,” Smith told Business Insider about Weinstein. “It was him looking to see who was a friend still because his life was about to shift completely. And I used to be a defense guy. I wrote a piece in Variety on how he’s still got the edge when people would go after him like, ‘Harvey’s lost his touch.'”

As Smith said in the interview, “Of all the people who have gripes against that individual — whose name used to be so easier to say — mine is a minor one and doesn’t come close to their real world issues. But the irony of having the one movie that’s about faith and spirituality locked down because of the situation that takes it out of public view is not lost on me.”

He continued, telling Business Insider, “You know, it sounds like he’s got legal bills. referring to Weinstein’s upcoming trial in January for rape and sexual assault charges. “That’s an asset you can sell to somebody.”

Barneys NY Scrambles to Find Buyer as Deadline Looms

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The once famed retailer, Barneys New York, has its fate looming in midair. The bankrupt luxury department store chain has until October 3rd to pick a suitor, or a real offer for selling itself to potentially interested buyers. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By: Hadassa Kalatizadeh

The once famed retailer, Barneys New York, has its fate looming in midair. The bankrupt luxury department store chain has until October 3rd to pick a suitor, or a real offer for selling itself to potentially interested buyers.

As reported by Crain’s NY Business News, last week, Barneys debtor-in-possession lenders moved up the deadline from late October to this Thursday to secure an offer, or else face liquidation. This was reportedly done to pressure potential investors, a handful of whom have expressed some interested in the designer apparel chain which was founded in 1923. Possibly interested parties include Authentic Brands, upscale department store Nordstrom, fashion trade show and retail executive Sam Ben-Avraham, and the finance firm Ares, as per WWD.

The 96-year old, NY-based chain, which is currently owned by Perry Capital, owes $100 million in unsecured trade debt. It filed for bankruptcy protection on August 6th, and if the company is liquidated, unsecured creditors will receive only a minute fraction of what they are owed when the dust settles in court. Also, in the event of liquidation, in-season luxury merchandise would unloaded at deeply discounted prices, which would hurt other vendors. Barneys would also have the ability to claw back payments it made to vendors for merchandise within 90 days of filing for bankruptcy, as per bankruptcy-code rules. For these reasons, vendors are extremely concerned about whether Barneys will find a proper suitor.

A base value for the company has not been established by an initial or reserve bidder, so the company needs to work harder to avoid low bids for buyouts and attain the highest possible price. Barneys has received permission from the court to continue paying its executives and staff members. Barneys’ CEO Daniella Vitale, who reportedly has been receiving a gross salary of $48,000 every two weeks, is still scrambling to secure a sale, along with chief restructuring officer Mohsin Meghji. Vitale and chief financial officer Sandro Risi have extra incentive to reach an agreement, thanks to an approval to split a $1 million-plus bonus, should they succeed in completing a sale which meets the set guidelines.

Finding an investor will not be so easy, being that Barneys, which has already downsized to seven stores, lost $16.3 million in just the three-plus weeks after filing for bankruptcy. The estimated valuation is also a hefty figure, which not every suitor can come up with. At a court hearing in September, Meghji assessed the floor value of a deal to be approximately $220 million, including about $195 million in secured debt and $25 million in administrative and priority claims, as per WWD.

Schools’ Chancellor Richard Carranza Lays It On the Table With Local Media

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Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza held an on the record discussion with the ethnic press and local community last Friday. Photo Credit: Kaia Zawadi 

By: Kaia Zawadi

Everything from teacher diversity to classroom bullying to the hotly contested issues surrounding the Gifted and Talented program and the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHAST) were put on the table as the city’s Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza held an on the record discussion with the ethnic press and local community last Friday.

With opening remarks by Carranza, he laid out current plans for all children who attend New York City public schools. One of the main points Carranza made during these remarks was to continue to create an environment where students are supported and nurtured from Pre-K onward.

“We will continue building on the equity in excellence agenda as a children’s agenda. We’re going to continue to focus on what is good for children we’re not solely focused on tests or test scores. Black students, Latino students, students in poverty and temporary housing who had the Pre-K experience vs. the same kinds of students who didn’t have an even greater academic performance,” said Carranza.

“So, for the first time in New York City we have some evidence that Pre-K is actually working to narrow the opportunity gap. There are a set of things students should know by the first grade, second grade, third grade, fourth grade all the way up until the entrance exam for high schools,” he added.

Carranza was well aware of all concerns brought up by the press and gave attention to every question posed. As of now, per Mayor Bill de Blasio, the Gifted and Talented Program and the SHAST will remain in place. Carranza sees the Gifted and Talented program in a different light.

“I don’t like to use the term Gifted and Talented. I want everybody to please be clear about the fact that Gifted and Talented services for intellectually gifted students aren’t going away. The School Diversity Advisory Committee (SDAC) recommended that the current configuration of the Gifted and Talented programs are not the best practice and I actually agree with them,” said Carranza.

The Chancellor went on to give his perspective as to why the program is not as effective as New Yorkers believe it to be.

“In a system like New York City that is so large and diverse, we will always tend to serve those intellectual students but what we haven’t done is be very clear with the community what is Gifted and Talented and I’m going to stop using that term because it doesn’t really mean anything. Services for gifted intellectual students, what does it really mean? I’ll be honest with you as an educator that knows about curriculum and knows about pedagogy and educational policy, I read a lot and look at the research, I look around at a lot of gifted and talented programs that exist they’re not gifted and talented at all. You just give the kids more work and they do it faster. There’s no real specialized teaching,” he added.

            (Kings County Politics)

Brushing Off Boycott, Equinox Signs 20-Year Lease for Location in NoMad Section of NYC

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Equinox, the luxury fitness company which operates 98 full-service locations in major cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, is expanding its NYC footprint. As reported by Crain’s NY, Equinox signed a 20-year lease for a new 39,000-square-foot location at 31 W. 27th Street, in the bustling NoMad area. Photo Credit: Shutterstock

By Hadassa Kalatizadeh

Equinox, the luxury fitness company which operates 98 full-service locations in major cities throughout the U.S. and beyond, is expanding its NYC footprint. As reported by Crain’s NY, Equinox signed a 20-year lease for a new 39,000-square-foot location at 31 W. 27th Street, in the bustling NoMad area.

The expansion comes even as the company has been facing backlash for partial owner Stephen Ross’s Hamptons fundraiser for President Trump’s reelection campaign. Blue-New Yorkers have been fuming, cancelling their memberships and threatening to boycott the popular gym chain since the news of Ross’ support for Trump broke out in early August. Ross, who is the founder and chairman of Related Company, the real estate development company, held a fundraiser in his Hamptons home raising $100,000 per plate from attendees and $250,000 for those who took part in a private round table discussion with President Trump.

Equinox and Soulcycle, another fitness brand owned in part by Ross, were boycotted even though the companies both disavowed Ross’s support for the president, and belittled Ross’ ownership role in the companies. Equinox’s Executive Chairman Harvey Spevak even sent out letters to members and staff describing Ross as a passive investor. Though public boycotts of the sort rarely have the momentum to seriously damage a company, one report by Vox said that SoulCycle’s attendance declined by as much 7.5% in the first week of September.

Equinox’s new lease at the 12-story, 144,500-square-foot building, is located just a few doors down from a SoulCycle location. Equinox, founded in 1991, is taking on the basement and ground levels in the office and retail property, as well as the entirety of the second and third floors. “From our perspective, this is a huge amenity for our tenants,” said Cooper Kramer, a managing director at Savanna, the real estate investment firm that owns the building. “It’s representative of the changing streetscape in the NoMad neighborhood.”

Savanna, which bought 31 W. 27th St. two years ago, invested close to $10 million in renovating the building. The firm also signed a deal with Argentic Investment Management, a financial firm, to lease the building’s entire top floor, which is about 12,000 square feet. The asking rent in the building was $85 per square foot. “We have owned several assets in this submarket, and there’s a lot of momentum here,” Kramer said.