Rivka Kidron; Executive Director of Migdal Ohr, Atara Solow; Deputy Head of Mission, Benjamin Krasna; Dean & Founder of Migdal Ohr, Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman; Pulitzer Prize Winning NYT Journalist, Bret Stephens. Photo Credit: Migdal Ohr
New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Bret Stephens spoke about the history and politics of nations whose interests are guided by their values as opposed to nations whose values are guided by their interests, in a wide-ranging presentation he gave at the annual American Friends of Migdal Ohr (AFMO) Gala last night.
Edited by: JV Staff
“The West is in crisis because it is following policies that are not in keeping with its values and deep traditions, especially with the rise of antisemitism which is usually the harbinger of national decline,” Stephens said. “It is happening in Europe with the rise of fascist parties and it is happening in the U.S., when a member of Congress can explain the hold Israel has on the American imagination, as ‘about the benjamins,’ and still be held as anything other than the stain on the party she represents.”
“So, I worry about what is happening in Europe and the U.S. a great deal, but I do not worry about what is happening in Israel, because it puts its values first. When you have the IDF which is prepared to show its strength and restraint in the face of enemies who call for its destruction, it is doing well.”
“When you have a country that is passionately concerned with taking care of its weakest and most vulnerable and that they are nourished and cultivated, it is doing pretty well,” Stephens continued, referring to Migdal Ohr, which provides essential educational and life-changing programs and services to thousands of under-privileged and at-risk children across Israel.
At the Gala Dinner, American Friends of Migdal Ohr (AFMO) surpassed their fundraising goals and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their transformative Mishpachtonim program which created a new model of care for Israeli children from underprivileged and at-risk homes. Mishpachtonim is a children’s residence framework headed by a married couple who live there with their own children. There is also a social worker on each floor who stays in close contact with the students’ biological parents; a psychologist who ensures various therapies are made available as needed, and a teacher who makes sure each child is prepared for school.
“Mishpachtonim is a special framework which provides an opportunity for our students to be a part of a nurturing and wholesome environment in a family setting, which helps them integrate into mainstream society and prepares them to build a solid family home in the future,” Founder and Dean of Migdal Ohr Educational Institutions and Israel Prize Laureate Rabbi Dovid Grossman said. “It is our moral, ethical and religious obligation, not just to help these children get back on their feet after such a challenging start to their lives but provide them with all the tools throughout their lifecycle to become good and productive citizens of Israel and the world.”
Benjamin Krasna, Deputy Head of Mission at Israel’s Embassy in Washington, spoke about the importance of Migdal Ohr to Israel’s future. “While our remarkable country marches forward with extraordinary achievements, we must never allow ourselves to leave one child behind,” Krasna explained. “Migdal Ohr is providing a beacon of light to direct us in the proper direction of morality, compassion and responsibility.”
Incoming Executive Director of AFMO Atara Solow spoke about the importance of the organization and its contribution to society. “A flourishing Migdal Ohr means a positive and constructive Israeli future as the boys and girls who pass through Migdal Ohr, with whatever challenges they arrive with, leave with a sense of purpose and the tools to succeed,” Solow said. “As an American, an Israeli, a passionate Zionist, and above all, a Jew, I can think of no better mission than to try and help this wonderful organization, led by Rabbi Dovid Grossman, continue to thrive and flourish.”
AFMO Consultant and former advisor to Israel’s Prime Minister Rivka Kidron said: “Migdal Ohr can be seen as an excellent analogy for Israel. It started with very little and with a focus on the values of development, kindness and compassion, it has become synonymous with providing those who arrived from broken homes a shelter, a place to be nurtured to grow towards a brighter future.”
For travelers who will be frequenting New York City’s JFK airport, your trip accommodations options have now been given a shot in the arm through a most spectacular addition. On Wednesday, May 15th, the brand new TWA Hotel saw its grand opening among much fanfare. Photo Credit: twahotel.com
For travelers who will be frequenting New York City’s JFK airport, your trip accommodations options have now been given a shot in the arm through a most spectacular addition. On Wednesday, May 15th, the brand new TWA Hotel saw its grand opening among much fanfare.
By: James Shillinglaw
The 512-room hotel is opening what effectively will be the only rooftop infinity pool and observation deck at the airport, both of which will remain open 365 days a year.
The water in the 63-by-20-foot infinity edge pool will cool guests in the sweltering summers, but in winter it turns into a pool-cuzzi and can be heated up to 100 degrees. Whatever the weather, the highly filtered water is purified every 30 minutes (a standard pool recirculates every six hours). Lounge chairs and TWA towels will be available at The Pool Bar & Observation Deck.
Inspired by the infinity edge pool at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, France, the new swimming spot has a beach entry and underwater seating, as well as a TWA logo mosaic in the signature colors of gold and red. The infinity pool and its 10,000-square-foot observation deck overlooks JFK’s bustling Runway 4 Left/22 Right, with views all the way to Jamaica Bay.
At 12,079 feet long, 4L/22R is one of the biggest runways at JFK, the fifth-busiest airport in the United States. Jets bearing the livery of American Airlines, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Delta and 70 other carriers take off and land on the stretches of concrete just beyond the TWA Hotel.
The observation deck also provides a view of the famous Bay Runway, measuring 14,511 feet long (almost three miles), runway 13 Right/31 Left is the second-longest commercial runway in North America. Indeed, the Bay Runway served as the backup landing strip for NASA’s Space Shuttle. Despite the heavy runway traffic at JFK’s 128 gates, the deck is surprisingly quiet.
Gerber Group, owner-operator of 12 innovative cocktail lounges, including Mr. Purple and The Campbell at Grand Central Terminal, will operate The Pool Bar & Observation Deck. In addition to a variety of cocktails, Gerber will serve food from a full rooftop kitchen. Guests of the TWA Hotel are welcome to use the pool as part of their stay; non-hotel guests can make reservations at twahotel.com/the poolbar. The Pool Bar & Observation Deck also can host private events for up to 300 people.
“Our rooftop pool provides a JFK runway view that rivals an air traffic controller’s vantage point,” says Tyler Morse, CEO and managing partner of MCR and Morse Development. “There’s simply no better place for plane-spotting—and enjoying a cocktail—in the world.”
The TWA Hotel, JFK Airport’s only on-airport hotel, will also feature: six restaurants, including the Paris Café, and eight bars, including The Sunken Lounge; an Intelligentsia coffee bar and coffee carts throughout the hotel grounds; 50,000 square feet of event space, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom; the world’s biggest hotel gym: a 10,000-square-foot fitness center; high-end retail outlets, including a Shinola custom watch bar and leather goods store; a Lockheed Constellation “Connie” L-1649A transformed into a cocktail lounge; museum exhibitions on TWA, the Jet Age and midcentury modern design curated by the New-York Historical Society. (NYJTG)
Anthony Weiner and ex-wife Huma Abedin at 2016 Met Gala. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Disgraced Democrat Anthony Weiner’s 18-month prison sentence for sexting an underage girl is over.
The former Democratic congressman, whose political career, such as it was, went up in flames as a result of his conviction, told the media gathered outside the Bronx halfway house that had become his home, “I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service. I am glad to be getting back to my family. I’m glad this chapter of my life is behind me.”
In April, “as his sentence neared its end, Mr. Weiner was designated a Level 1 sex offender by a judge in the Bronx,” the New York Times reported. “The designation, one of three given to offenders in New York State, marked Mr. Weiner as posing a low risk of repeating his offense. Under the designation, Mr. Weiner must register as a sex offender for 20 years. He will be required to verify his address every year, and he must report to the police to have a picture taken every three years, according to state regulations.”
Weiner started serving his 21-month prison sentence in November 2017 after pleading guilty to sexting with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. He was originally scheduled to walk out in August 2019, but due to good behavior his sentence was cut by 12 weeks.
“Weiner resigned from Congress after his sexting scandal in 2011. His NYC mayoral run fell short in 2013 after it was uncovered he was sexting Sydney Leathers under the infamous alias, “Carlos Danger,” reported TMZ. “The convicted sex offender saw his marriage fall apart after his latest sexting scandal. Huma Abedin filed for divorce just hours after Weiner struck a plea deal for sexting the teenage girl.”
Weiner’s life crashed in 2017 after prosecutors say he sent a series of sexually explicit messages to a North Carolina high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor, according to nbcphiladelphia.com. “At his sentencing, he said he’d been a “very sick man for a very long time” because of his sex addiction. Weiner’s attorney said the ex-lawmaker likely exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and was communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the teenager.
Abedin filed for divorce from Weiner in 2017, NBC added. “But the two, who have a young son together, later agreed to discontinue the case in order to negotiate their separation privately.”
Despite her flurry of anti-Semitic statements and bizarre views on the Holocaust that were completely dismissive of the horrors that were inflicted on the Jews by the Nazi barbarians, it appears that that leadership of the Democratic party has seen fit to bestow the honor of presiding of the House floor to freshman Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Thusly, Tlaib made history on Wednesday afternoon, becoming the first Muslim woman to take this kind of leadership in the House chamber.
Edited by: JV Staff
Her turn in taking the reins of leadership in the proceedings came months after she, along with Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, became the first Muslim women to join the US Congress. Omar has distinguished herself for her own vile and putrid manifestations of anti-Semitism as she has referred to Jews are money grubbers, (It’s all about the Benjamins!) and influence buyers. She has also unloaded her own vitriolic rhetoric against Israel and called for funding to the Jewish State from the US to cease, among other related matters.
Tlaib told CNN ahead of the moment that her family would be tuning into C-SPAN to watch from home.
“I’m excited, my family’s excited,” Tlaib said.
CNN reported that proceedings on the House floor are led by the speaker of the House or people presiding in her sted from the speaker’s party. House freshmen, like Tlaib, have been worked slowly into the rotation recently of learning how to preside over the floor.
Last Friday, Tlaib’s fellow freshman Democrat, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, presided for the first time, becoming the youngest woman ever to do so.
“Today I presided over the House floor for the first time. Every day here is a sacred privilege + responsibility entrusted to me by my community. I never forget that, and moments like these drive it home. Thank you to the people of NY14 + beyond. This House belongs to all of us,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after she was through.
CNN reported that Iowa Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer also presided over the House for her first time last week, and afterward, she tweeted that when she texted her parents about watching, she found out they record C-SPAN “all day, every single day we are in session.”
“Today, I learned that my parents record CSPAN, all day, every single day we are in session. So, that’s adorable,” Finkenauer tweeted.
Tlaib has made waves since joining Congress, and has recently found herself in the center of a growing controversy from prominent Republican leaders and Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations (Danny Danon) for hate filled comments about Israel and the Holocaust that she and top Democrats said were misconstrued for political ends.
“Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work. All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably. I will never allow you to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda. The truth will always win,” Tlaib said in response to the backlash.
In her comments, Tlaib did indeed make ahistorical claims about Palestinians providing a “safe haven” for Jews fleeing Europe ahead of the establishment of the modern state of Israel, despite deep-seated opposition at the time to Jewish settlement there and the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an event marking one year since the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and announcing the moving of the Ambassador's official residence to Jerusalem, on May 14, 2019. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
Speaking to evangelical leaders in Jerusalem, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman says the paper should “spend a little less time defending terrorists and more time defending the truth.”
By: Alex Traiman
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman fired back at The New York Times on Wednesday over an article castigating him for claiming that Israel was “on the side of God” while speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upcoming U.S. peace proposal.
Speaking to a group of evangelical faith leaders at the Aish Hatorah World Center, overlooking the Western Wall plaza and the Temple Mount, Friedman said that, “apparently, there was nothing more offensive I could have said to The New York Times.”
The event, organized by the Latin Coalition for Israel, led by Pastor Mario Bramnick, was also attended by First Lady of Guatemala Patricia Marroquín, Guatemalan Ambassador to Israel Mario Búcaro Flores and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon.
The Times called Friedman’s comments “the latest sign of an anything but evenhanded approach to the conflict by the Trump administration,” and noted that Palestinians were “slack-jawed” at Friedman’s remarks. The article claimed that the “Palestinians [were] complaining that Mr. Friedman was representing the interests of Israel’s right-wing government more than those of the United States.”
The article quoted critics of Friedman’s statements, including former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, and Palestinian negotiators Saeb Erakat and Hanan Ashwari, the latter of whom was recently denied an entry visa to the United States.
Friedman defended his remarks, saying that “billions of people around the world accept the Old Testament as part of their faith.” He explained that the Old Testament chronicles the Jewish people’s initial arrival and subsequent exiles from the land of Israel.
“Most of the prophecies are about the return of the nation of Israel to their land. And it is happening in our lifetime,” Friedman said, adding that “just being in this room is evidence that the prophecy of Ezekiel and others have come true.”
“So where am I off in saying that God is on the side of Israel?” Friedman asked. “The fact that God has fulfilled his prophecies and delivered the people of Israel to their land is demonstrably true.”
Following the lead of President Donald Trump, who has continuously criticized mainstream media outlets, and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer, who recently called the Times a “cesspool of hostility” to Israel, Friedman fired back sharply at the paper, stating, “If anyone speaks to the editors of the Times, they should tell the Times to spend a little less time to defending terrorists and spend a little more time defending the truth.” (JNS.org)
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, in remarks over the weekend, told a crowd of supporters that Poland would never compensate Holocaust survivors for their losses, a political rallying cry that has garnered him support of hardliners. "We'll never pay WWII property compensation as we were main victims," the prime minister was quoted as saying. Photo Credit: Poland.pl
Congress pressures admin to make Poland resolve Holocaust-era claims as talk over ‘Fort Trump’ continue
By: Adam Kredo
A coalition of lawmakers in Congress are considering a range of initiatives that would force the Trump administration to demand Poland resolve Holocaust-era claims before the United States agrees to host a permanent military base in the country that has come to be known as Fort Trump, according to multiple U.S. officials and other sources working on the matter.
The Trump administration and Polish officials have been in talks for some time to establish a new permanent U.S. military base in the country to counter threats posed by Russia and Iranian regime assets known to have plotted terror attacks in the region.
However, many members of Congress and top Jewish communal officials behind the scenes have been lobbying the Trump administration and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to amplify the matter.
Poland remains the only country in the European Union to not have instituted laws mandating restitution to aging Holocaust survivors and their families who had their property and other assets confiscated during World War II. Poland—which is experiencing a resurgence in anti-Semitism—has balked on these demands, arguing that it was just as much a victim of the Nazis as the millions of Polish Jews who were sent to death camps.
With negotiations over Fort Trump ongoing, lawmakers see an opportunity to use U.S. leverage to force Poland to finally confront the restitution issue. Pompeo has raised it several times in talks with Polish officials, winning plaudits from Jewish groups. Sources at the State Department say the conversations are ongoing.
It could fall to Congress, however, to issue legislation that would withhold funding for Fort Trump until the restitution issue is resolved, according to multiple congressional and Jewish community officials who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about the matter.
“On Holocaust assurance, [the Poles] are using restitution as a game and bringing more anti-Semitism to a country with a heavy history,” said one congressional source familiar with efforts to push the restitution issue. “Basically, there is no way they should get the benefit of a fort without resolving these issues.”
The issue of Polish restitution comes at a tense time in Europe, as anti-Semitism surges across the continent, particularly in Poland, where scores of nationalist protestors took to the streets last week to advocate against Holocaust restitution. Many of the protesters used anti-Semitic images and rhetoric as they attacked President Donald Trump, pro-Israel members of Congress, and Jewish groups who support restitution.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, in remarks over the weekend, told a crowd of supporters that Poland would never compensate Holocaust survivors for their losses, a political rallying cry that has garnered him support of hardliners.
“We’ll never pay WWII property compensation as we were main victims,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.
These latest developments have fueled calls by advocates to link Fort Trump to the restitution issue in a bid to exert pressure on Poland to resolve the matter.
A congressional letter circulating on Capitol Hill urges Secretary of State Pompeo and the White House to pressure their Polish counterparts over the restitution issue, according to a copy of that draft letter viewed by the Free Beacon.
“Now is the time, while the last Holocaust survivors are still alive, to back up our words with meaningful action,” the letter states. “We encourage you to pursue bold initiatives to help Poland to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”
Poland has not yet fulfilled its promises to Holocaust survivors and others from whom property was confiscated and time is running out,” the letter warns. “As staunch supporters of the U.S.-Poland relationship, we are writing to urge you to act boldly and with urgency to help Poland resolve this issue comprehensively, and in the context of strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries.”
Poland remains an outlier when it comes to Holocaust restitution, having refused multiple bids by Jewish groups and others to pressure the government into acting.
“After the war, the Communist regime in Poland nationalized property owned by Jews and non-Jews,” it continues. “In the decades since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Jewish Holocaust survivors of Polish origin and their families as well as others have found it nearly impossible to reclaim or seek compensation for the property that was nationalized by the Polish Communist regime. In fact, Poland is the only country in the European Union that has not passed a comprehensive law for the restitution of private property, despite pledging to do so in 2009 when it endorsed the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets along with the United States and 45 other nations.”
As the last remaining Holocaust survivors grow older, U.S. lawmakers say it is finally time to acknowledge their claims and provide relief.
“Seventy-four years after the end of the Second World War, the remaining Holocaust survivors are aging and cannot wait any longer for justice,” the letter states. “That is why 59 U.S. senators wrote to the Prime Minister of Poland in March 2018 urging the passage of legislation that would meet the Terezin Declaration’s standards by creating a claims process conducted ‘in a fair, comprehensive and non-discriminatory manor.'”
In May 2018, Congress unanimously passed the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today, known as the JUST Act, to help hold nations such as Poland responsible for their commitments to help these Holocaust survivors.
The State Department under Pompeo has raised the issue multiple times and U.S. officials say the Trump administration will continue to do so.
“As the secretary stated, we appreciate the importance of resolving outstanding issues of the past, and we urge our Polish colleagues to move forward with comprehensive private property restitution legislation for those who lost property during the Holocaust era,” a State Department official told the Free Beacon.
“The Department will continue to engage officials in Poland, as well as others in the region, to discuss restitution of Holocaust-era property, compensation, Holocaust education, and how best to preserve and protect important Jewish heritage sites,” the official said.
Eric Gallagher, Washington representative for the World Jewish Restitution Organization, told the Free Beacon that Pompeo’s efforts to raise the issue have helped place it in the public forefront.
“It was highly significant that Pompeo raised the issue and we appreciate the secretary’s leadership on this,” Gallagher said.
One veteran Jewish communal official who has worked on the matter told the Free Beacon that Congress is frustrated over Poland’s intransigence. Top Polish officials, sources said, failed to respond to the 2018 letter sent by nearly 60 senators urging the Polish government to finally resolve the matter.
“Poland should not test their relationship with the Jewish community, or Israel for that matter, by their continuing intransigence in refusing to include restitution,” said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss the issue frankly. “But more than that, by not stepping up to do the right thing, Poland is threatening its national interests by putting its most important diplomatic relationship at dire risk—the United States is America. If they’re not going to listen to us, as Jews, they’ll need to listen to us, as Americans.”
A second Jewish communal insider also familiar with the matter said that Poland is unwisely jeopardizing its relationship with the United States.
“I think Congress is getting frustrated because Poland has been insisting that it intended to resolve the issue of private property restitution, and then after Pompeo visited Warsaw it reneged on that promise, and publicly,” said the source, who would only speak on background to discuss private meetings. (Washington Free Beacon)
On Tuesday, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, announced that it had surpassed the six million member mark. The announcement comes less than six months after the organization reached 5 million members, and one year after CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee delivered the benediction at the ceremony formally opening the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.
“When we set out to create a national grassroots Christian Zionist organization in 2006 we could not have fathomed it would grow to become six million plus nor could we have conceived of how vital CUFI would be at this moment in history. Anti-Semitism has slipped away from the fringes of our nation and is now increasingly rearing its ugly head in the mainstream of American discourse. The members of CUFI shine six million lights on this dark abomination that hides in plain sight. Christians United for Israel will stand with the Jewish people and the state of Israel whatever comes our way,” Hagee said.
“I never thought I would see a day when rank anti-Semitism was commonplace on the American college campus and Congressional leaders equivocated in their condemnation of those who traffic in anti-Jewish tropes. Yet that day is upon us. I thank God that Pastor Hagee had the courage and foresight to create CUFI. For the first time in history, the Jewish community – in Israel, here at home, and elsewhere in the world – is not alone,” noted CUFI co-executive director Shari Dollinger.
In recent years, as the organization has grown faster and larger than ever before, CUFI has seen significant successes advancing its policy agenda, including:
March 2018: After a 15 month lobbying campaign, including more than one million emails sent to elected officials by CUFI members, the Taylor Force Act becomes law.
May 2018: The US formally opens its Embassy in Jerusalem after more than 135,000 CUFI members emailed the White House asking the President to keep his pledge.
June 2018: With CUFI’s support, Kenneth Marcus is confirmed as the Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
August 2018: Shortly after CUFI engaged an in an effort to work with elected officials in Washington to introduce legislation aimed at ending UNRWA’s malevolent influence in the Middle East, President Donald Trump cuts off all U.S. funding to the U.N. agency.
October 2018: After a month’s long, behind the scenes lobbying effort, including an op-ed announcing the group’s intention to address the problems with the 1992 Anti-Terrorism Act, the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 passes both houses of Congress and is signed into law by the President.
December 2018: The Stop Using Human Shields Act, renamed the Sanctioning of the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act, which was introduced during the 2018 CUFI Washington Summit, is signed into law.
March 2019: One week after CUFI released a statement backing associated legislation and after a month long lobbying campaign, the U.S. recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
As a result of CUFI’s efforts, leaders in Washington and Jerusalem have acknowledged the organization’s central role in strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship:
“In Jerusalem, our President said that the bond between America and Israel in his words “is woven together in the hearts of our people” — and Christians United for Israel proves this statement true every single day all across this country.”
– Vice President Mike Pence
“I consider CUFI a vital part of Israel’s national security.”
– Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“Standing up against this global pressure campaign on Israel and the Jewish people goes to the heart of our friendship and the heart of America. And the tip of the spear is Christians United for Israel.”
– Ambassador Nikki Haley
“For decades, America has been the backbone of Israel’s support in the world. Well, the backbone of that backbone is the support of millions of devout Christians across this great country. More than any other Christian organization, CUFI works year after year to make that backbone stronger and straighter than ever.”
– Ambassador Ron Dermer
In less than two months, CUFI will be holding its 14th annual Washington Summit. Confirmed speakers include, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Senators John Cornyn, Roy Blunt, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio, Representative Dan Crenshaw, and thirteen-time Major League Baseball All-Star Pastor Mariano Rivera.
Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world. CUFI spans all fifty states and reaches millions with its message. Each year CUFI holds hundreds of pro-Israel events in cities around the country. And each July, thousands of pro-Israel Christians gather in Washington, D.C. to participate in the CUFI Washington Summit and make their voices heard in support of Israel and the Jewish People.
After Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s remarks on how she felt “comforted” about her Palestinian ancestors’ role during and after the Holocaust set off a firestorm (as expected), I put out a video yesterday to correct her distortions, and without warning prior, or notice thereafter, I woke up today to discover that Facebook had removed my video (see it on Twitter).
It’s outrageous to think that for a video that did nothing but directly quote Rashida Tlaib along with the famous video of Hitler meeting with the Palestinian Mufti as they discussed their ‘shared problem of the Jews’, Facebook censored me and shut down my free speech.
As we’ve seen social media platforms de-platform voices that don’t jive with their far-Left outlook and agenda, it should come as no surprise that they’ve made me a target. But it should be unacceptable, particularly as there was no mention of it. It simply disappeared. The interesting thing is that others posted my video directly from their accounts and the video was not removed.
Please join my call for Facebook to reinstate my video post at once!
(P.S. I’ve included screenshots of the following: a Whatsapp message showing that the post was live on Facebook with a live link, and the message you get from Facebook when you follow that original link, so you can see it was all actually posted and removed.)
Superstar pop icon Madonna was scheduled to perform at the conclusion of the Eurovision contest, despite pressure from anti-Israel forces to cancel her appearance. According to a Reuters report, the “Material Girl” said, “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.” Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Contestants from 41 countries walked an orange carpet in Tel Aviv’s “Culture Square” on Sunday for the opening ceremony of Eurovision 2019, brushing aside security concerns and calls for a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) boycott.
Controversy, however, continues to swirl around the 64th Eurovision Song Contest where the semi-finals were held on Tuesday evening and will be held again on Thursday ahead of the grand final on Saturday. Tel Aviv was chosen as the locale as it is Israel’s hub of entertainment and business enterprises of all stripes.
According to a Haaretz report, the winning 10 acts will qualify for Saturday’s Grand Final.
The 17 competing Tuesday are representatives from Cyprus, Montenegro, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus, Serbia, Belgium, Georgia, Australia, Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Greece and San Marino, according to the Haaretz report.
Last year’s winner, Israel’s Netta Barzilai, opened the show on Tuesday night with a special version of her song “Toy” which catapulted her to fame this time last year in Lisbon. The winning country customarily hosts the following year. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Last year’s winner, Israel’s Netta Barzilai, opened the show on Tuesday night with a special version of her song “Toy” which catapulted her to fame this time last year in Lisbon. The winning country customarily hosts the following year.
Eurovision fans at home may vote if they are from one of the 17 countries participating in the semi-final, as was reported by Haaretz.
The so-called “Big Five”–Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain–automatically get into the Grand Final as they make the biggest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which produces the competition. In addition Israel, as the host country, pre-qualifies, according to the Haaretz report.
Viewers from Israel, France and Spain are eligible to vote in the first semi-final while people from Britain, Germany and Italy may vote in the second one.
Superstar pop icon Madonna was scheduled to perform at the conclusion of the Eurovision contest, despite pressure from anti-Israel forces to cancel her appearance. According to a Reuters report, the “Material Girl” said, “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.” Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Superstar pop icon Madonna was scheduled to perform at the conclusion of the Eurovision contest, despite pressure from anti-Israel forces to cancel her appearance. According to a Reuters report, the “Material Girl” said, “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.”
“My heart breaks every time I hear about the innocent lives that are lost in this region and the violence that is so often perpetuated to suit the political goals of people who benefit from this ancient conflict. I hope and pray that we will soon break free from this terrible cycle of destruction and create a new path towards peace,” she added.
Reuters reported that Madonna, 60, is expected to perform two songs in Tel Aviv, one from her upcoming “Madame X” album to be released in June. In recent interviews, Madonna had said that she had chosen the name of her upcoming album from the nickname that she was dubbed by her first dance instructor when she arrived in New York City in the late 1970s from her native Michigan.
She had taken her world tours to Israel in 2009 and 2012 and is a follower of the mystical form of Judaism known as Kabbalah. Reports circulated in recent years that Madonna had considered purchasing property in or near the ancient Kabbalistic city of Tzfat in northern Israel.
Reuters also reported that the singer’s Ray of Light foundation, which promotes social justice and women’s empowerment worldwide, supports a number of Palestinian projects.
They include funding teachers’ salaries at schools in the Gaza Strip through the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency UNRWA and micro loans to female farmers through the Palestine Fair Trade Association. The foundation also supports Americans for Peace Now, which campaigns for a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel has launched a PR campaign to counter calls for a boycott of the Eurovision contest by the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Security has been tight in Tel Aviv amid fears that activists may seek to disrupt the competition.
Haaretz reported that last Wednesday, the Gaza-based Palestinian Artists Association called for a boycott of Eurovision, saying that Israel was using the event to “perpetuate oppression, promote injustice or whitewash a brutal apartheid regime.”
As the Eurovision ceremony began, more than a dozen local and international BDS activists held a solidarity protest with Palestinian prisoners, briefly blocking one of the main entrances to the opening ceremony for 20 minutes, according to a Haaretz report. They were removed by 20-30 police and border police, who relocated the protestors to a different section, where the protest was allowed to continue, as was reported by Haaretz.
One protester, Sophia Ton, a musician from Russia, told Haaretz: “I am against cultural washing and the withdrawing of the world community’s attention from the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. You cannot host a cultural, music event in a place with a racist, apartheid regime. Art and culture should be a messenger for change, not for hiding the truth.”
Haaretz reported that BDS activists have called on artists and broadcasters to withdraw, saying that holding it in Tel Aviv amounted to “artwashing–whitewashing through arts” Israel’s policies toward Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
According to the Independent of the UK, the rock band ‘Alice Wolf’ have joined the boycott of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The Mercury Prize-winning band spoke to Sky News, where they accused Israel of “weaponizing culture” and of being “serial human rights abusers”.
Wolf Alice guitarist Joff Oddie claimed that the country was using Eurovision and wider culture to “whitewash over their human rights abuses”, and said the boycott was a response to “a call from Palestinian civil society”.
“If you say you’re not gonna go to Israel, then lots of people ask you why you’re going to other countries where you don’t believe in their government’s actions,” frontwoman Ellie Rowsell added. ”People ask, ‘Why do you go to America? Does that mean you support Trump?’
“And I can see why [they] think that’s hypocritical, but you won’t do anything if you think like that. Everywhere’s f****d, and in terms of the cultural boycott of Israel, that’s what the Palestinian people have asked for.”
Meanwhile, the Times of Israel has reported that the Israeli government had taken steps to set up a public relations campaign aiming to counter calls to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest, according to a report on Friday.
The initiative posts advertisements on Google which appear to be in support of the boycott movement, but which actually link to a pro-Israel website, as was reported by Reuters. The campaign’s website describes Israel as “Beautiful, Diverse, Sensational,” a play on the initials of the movement.
The website, boycotteurovision.net, highlights Israel’s attributes with videos featuring footage of Eurovision contestants, Tel Aviv’s gay pride week and tourist sites around the country, alongside photo montages and talking points playing up Israel’s diversity, landscapes and culture, according to a Times of Israel report.
The Israeli counter-campaign, according to a Haaretz report, confronts and formidably challenges incessant BDS attacks and accuses some BDS supporters of being anti-Semitic or having ties to militant groups such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy confirmed that it was running the campaign.
In a report that appeared last Thursday in the Guardian of London, the Israeli foreign ministry said that they intended to bar entry to people known to be planning to disrupt the contest.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon told the British newspaper that Israel would only ban those who broke Israeli law, which includes a prohibition on support for boycotts of the Jewish state, according to a Haaretz report.
“This is going to be a huge party in which thousands of people will participate but we will remain extremely vigilant in order to make sure that no one comes here in order to disturb and destroy,” Nahshon said, according to The Guardian.
Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office is in charge of battling BDS, reacted on Twitter to a report about Israel attempting to prevent BDS activists from arriving in Israel for the Eurovision competition. He said that the report that was originally in the Guardian of the UK was “another lie” put forth by the paper. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
However, Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office is in charge of battling BDS, reacted to the report on Twitter, saying it was “another lie by The Guardian.”
Haaretz reported that concerns had been raised that the contest could be disrupted by a surge in cross-border violence between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza, who are being supported by the Iranian regime. A cease-fire that went into effect a week ago has been holding thus far.
The Presenting Partner of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest is a group known as MyHeritage. As part of their One Big Family project, they have extensively researched the background of several of Eurovision’s contestants based on their DNA profile.
The first semi-final was opened by last year’s winner, Netta Barzilai. Netta’s MyHeritage DNA results showed the different journeys her ancestors took before her grandparents met, and even gave her a few surprises. She is 51.4% Sephardic Jewish from North Africa, 45.4% Ashkenazi Jewish, 1.7% Baltic, and 1.5% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. Netta was thrilled to discover that she has some Irish DNA and shared her lifelong affinity for the Irish people.
Netta’s great-grandfather, Natan Barzilai, was from the town of Tomashov Lubelski in Poland. His original family name was Szpisajzen, and he changed it to Barzilai, both of which mean blacksmith.
It was reported that one of the DNA researchers also has family origins in Tomashov Lubelski, and he has a map of the town from the late 1930’s that lists the names of the residents. The family name Szpisajzen appears in several places.
The same researcher traveled to Poland and tirelessly searched for clues that would help him find out where Natan lived. He sifted through documents at the local and state archives, and with the help of some local residents, was able to finally locate Netta’s great-grandfather’s home.
As he added new details to Netta’s family tree, he discovered that he and Netta are in fact related by marriage!
Netta’s great-grandfather lived there until he moved to Israel in 1934. In addition to the home, MyHeritage uncovered his birth record and marriage certificate, as well as the marriage certificate of Netta’s great-great grandparents.
Netta’s grandfather married Netta’s grandmother Ilana. Ilana’s close resemblance to Netta is quite striking! Netta was very moved by the image of her grandmother and spoke about the profound impact she had on her life.
President Trump has rejected a report that he is considering sending 120,000 troops to counter Iran, but didn’t rule out deploying “a lot more” soldiers in the future.
“I think it’s fake news,” Trump said of a New York Times report that the White House is considering a plan to send 120,000 troops to the region.
“Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that,” Trump said Tuesday.
The Pentagon has dispatched an aircraft carrier and nuclear-capable bomber planes to the region in the last few days, with a Patriot missile battery and a landing platform dock ship on the way. The Patriot system offers protection from aircraft and missiles, while the LPD carries Marines and the aircraft, hovercraft, or boats needed to put them ashore to fight in distant places.
According to the Times report, the 120,0000 troops under consideration would not be used to invade Iran, something that planners say would require much bigger numbers.
Meanwhile, a senior officer in the U.S.-led military coalition combating Islamic State said Tuesday he had seen no greater recent threat to its troops in Iraq or Syria from forces backed by Iran.
“There’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,” British Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika told reporters at the Pentagon in a video conference from coalition headquarters in Baghdad. “We’re aware of their presence, clearly, and we monitor them, along with a whole range of others because that’s the environment we’re in.”
The statement was in contrast to comments from the Trump administration and the Pentagon, both have asserted for more than a week that they have detected potential threats against American forces in the Middle East from Iran or Iranian-backed proxies.
Capt. Bill Urban, lead spokesman U.S. Central Command, said the recent comment from Ghika runs counter to the U.S.’s perceived threat from Iranian-backed forces.
“U.S. Central Command, in coordination with Operation Inherent Resolve, has increased the force posture level for all service members assigned to OIR in Iraq and Syria. As a result, OIR is now at a high level of alert as we continue to closely monitor credible and possibly imminent threats to U.S. forces in Iraq,” Urban said in a statement.
Senate Democrat Chris Coons said it is hard to determine whether a significant, new U.S. troop deployment to the Middle East is justified. Answering a VOA Persian question at a Council on Foreign Relations event in Washington on Tuesday, Coons said there has been no articulated strategy or briefing by the Trump administration to lawmakers on committees other than intelligence, regarding threats from Iran.
Coons called for continued U.S. dialogue with Washington’s European allies on Iran. “I would urge the Trump administration to work as hard diplomatically as they seem to be from the defense perspective, in terms of planning and developing a strategy and communicating it to Congress and the world.”
A senior military official told reporters Friday at the Pentagon that the Iranian threat was both “on land and sea” and included commercial dhows (small ships) that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a branch of Iran’s armed forces, loaded with “potential military hardware to include missiles.”
The attack is being investigated as a hate crime. Security has been increased around Jewish institutions.
The wife of the secretary of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden, was stabbed several times on Tuesday morning, reports TPS. The woman is reported in serious condition.
The stabber fled the scene, said the news agency, adding that the attack is being investigated as a hate crime.
The woman was identified as in her 60s. The identity of the assailant was not clear.
Security has been increased around Jewish institutions in the city, according to Arutz Sheva.
A member of the Jewish community said that they live in such a hostile environment that they are afraid to identify themselves as Jews.
‘Not safe to be a Jew in Sweden’
Talia, a young Jewish woman who lives in Stockholm, told World Israel News, “I’m not shocked. It’s not safe to be a Jew in Sweden.”
Even the Orthodox rabbi wears a hat rather than a kippah, fearing for his safety, she said.
She declined to give her surname, saying that when she looks for work, a potential employer could find the article. “It’s not good for one’s career here to be pro-Israel,” she explained.
“Once again, Jews in Europe are in danger,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin stated. “Today’s brutal stabbing of a member of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden is yet another reminder that we cannot rely on fading memories of the Holocaust to keep today’s Jewish communities safe, as our schools, synagogues and community centers are turning into fortresses.
“We will fight anti-Semitism with all our might, and will speak out against these dreadful incidents. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, her family and community.”
In a somewhat related development, it was reported on Monday that Poland’s Foreign Ministry announced that it was cancelling the visit of a senior Israeli delegation to Warsaw to discuss Holocaust reparations.
The ministry said that it had made the decision after “Israel made last-minute changes in the composition of the delegation, indicating that the talks will focus mainly on issues related to the return of Jewish property during the Holocaust.”
The issue of returning property to Jews who suffered during the Holocaust has become a bone of contention between Israel and Poland recently. The issue has led to a wave of protests in Poland.
On Saturday, thousands of Polish nationalists marched to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, protesting that the U.S. is putting pressure on Poland to compensate Jews whose families lost property during the Holocaust.
When Representative Rashida Tlaib said in a Yahoo News podcast that she gets a “calm feeling” when thinking about the Holocaust, and lied that her Palestinian people welcomed the Jewish people to their land in the wake of World War II, she ignited a firestorm. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Haters always tip their hands – sometimes in full view of an audience.
When Representative Rashida Tlaib said in a Yahoo News podcast that she gets a “calm feeling” when thinking about the Holocaust, and lied that her Palestinian people welcomed the Jewish people to their land in the wake of World War II, she ignited a firestorm.
Not surprisingly, the New York Times rallied to the Democratic politician’s defense. “The remarks,” the paper wrote, “and the ensuing partisan furor on Monday, set off yet another feud over Israel, anti-Semitism and the first two Muslim women in the House. Speaker Nancy Pelosi demanded that President Trump and Republican leaders apologize to Ms. Tlaib “for their gross misrepresentations.” The No. 2 House Democrat and the No. 3 House Republican traded potshots. Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont also jumped in, defending Ms. Tlaib and chiding the president for his “ugly attacks.”
Nor was anyone surprised that Tlaib should find comfort and support in the liberal media. Appearing on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” on Monday, she claimed her words had been misunderstood, and called those who were outraged “racist idiots.” She added, “I will continue to speak truth to power, continue to uplift my grandmother (who lives in the West Bank) through love and that’s all I can do. (I will) Continue to share the human impact of what it means to be Palestinian in the occupied territories.”
“Tlaib, one of the first two Muslim women to serve in Congress and a Palestinian-American and an advocate for investigating whether President Donald Trump should be impeached, has been roundly criticized by Republicans, including Trump, for comments she made last week on a Yahoo News podcast,” wrote the Detroit Free Press. “Critics accused of her being “calmed” by the Holocaust, with some, notably Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., calling her comments “exactly the kind of anti-Semitic lies that are spread to delegitimize the state of Israel” on FOX News’ “Fox and Friends.”
A press release quickly put out by Tlaib’s people in an effort to quell the furor naturally blames President Trump and the Republicans. In it, she notes that the Holocaust was “a horrific persecution of Jewish people and should be remembered as such, nothing short of that. While I conveyed these sentiments during Yahoo’s Skullduggery’s Podcast, it’s shameful that right-wing extremists and GOP leadership, including President Trump, have twisted and misconstrued my words to spread falsehoods rooted in hate.
“Trump has doubled down on his party’s use of the Holocaust to score political points,” it continues. “Instead of recognizing that the accusations against me are false and that my words have been blatantly misconstrued, Trump has once again used his platform to incite hate and violence based on lies. This is yet another attempt by the administration and the GOP to try to distract from their horrible policies, lawless acts, and actual anti-Semitic rhetoric.”
Louis Farrakhan has denied that he hates Jewish people, even as he refers to them as “Satanic Jews.” Photo Credit: JTA
Louis Farrakhan has denied that he hates Jewish people, even as he refers to them as “Satanic Jews.”
Speaking at the St. Sabina Church on Chicago’s South Side, the Nation of Islam leader – who has been banned by Facebook — said once again that he is not preaching hate, even as he vilified Jews.
“I’m here to separate the good Jews from the Satanic Jews,” Farrakhan said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “I have not said one word of hate. I do not hate Jewish people. Not one that is with me has ever committed a crime against the Jewish people, black people, white people. As long as you don’t attack us, we won’t bother you.”
Of his being banned, he noted, “I’m not gonna let them put you in jail, what they call Facebook jail. Some of us did not come out tonight because they did not wish to be censored.” He added, “I am a hated man today — you can’t even have a picture with me.”
Farrakhan went on the chronicle many of the other people he claims he doesn’t hate. “I’m not a misogynist. I’m not a homophobe. Do not be angry with me if I stand on God’s word.”
On a page devoted to the fiery minister, the Southern Poverty Law Center refers to him this way: “Farrakhan blames Jews for the slave trade, plantation slavery, Jim Crow, sharecropping and general black oppression. Farrakhan’s tone grew more belligerent in June 2010, when he sent letters to several leaders of the Jewish community as well as the Southern Poverty Law Center demanding that they acknowledge the evils they have perpetrated and that they work to further Farrakhan’s goals. The letter ended with a threat to “ruin and destroy your power and influence here and throughout the world” if his terms were not met.
Among his direct quotes, according to the site:
* “The Jews, a small handful, control the movement of this great nation, like a radar controls the movement of a great ship in the waters. … The Jews got a stranglehold on the Congress.”
* “And you do with me as is written, but remember that I have warned you that Allah will punish you. You are wicked deceivers of the American people. You have sucked their blood. You are not real Jews, those of you that are not real Jews. You are the synagogue of Satan, and you have wrapped your tentacles around the U.S. government, and you are deceiving and sending this nation to hell. But I warn you in the name of Allah, you would be wise to leave me alone. But if you choose to crucify me, know that Allah will crucify you.”
* “And the Christian right, with your blindness to that wicked state of Israel … can that be the holy land, and you have gay parades, and want to permit to have a gay parade in Jerusalem when no prophet ever sanctioned that behavior. How can that be the Israel, how can that be Jerusalem with secular people running the holy land when it should be the holy people running the holy land. That land is gonna be cleansed with blood!”
Democrat Rep. Jerry Nadler, who appears hell-bent on taking down President Donald Trump, is – in the words of the New York Daily News – “rockin’ and rollin’ in campaign cash from the music industry and other intellectual property businesses that he oversees as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a review of recent federal records reveals.”
Nadler reportedly received no less than $65,000 from PACS (political action committees) in the corporate music industry, executives, lobbyists and lawyers, a Daily News search of Nadler’s campaign receipts found. According to the newspaper, Nadler also spent more than $30,000 on a Grammy Awards party in Los Angeles in February.
While no illegality is alleged, any exchange of money and influence – if it happened – is not something with which politicians want to be tarred.
“Congressman Nadler’s record speaks for itself — he has a long history of taking difficult, principled stands, fighting for good government and supporting legislation in the best interest of his constituents and country,” said a statement provided by the campaign.
Undaunted, Nadler continues to make as much noise as he can in an attempt to swing DC politics back in Democrats’ direction. By most accounts, however, he is failing. He recently threatened to hold former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt if he didn’t testify. As the Wall Street Journal insightfully pointed out, “Mr. Nadler insists the point of his subpoena fusillade is to obtain “evidence” as part of his “investigation” into “abuses of power” by Mr. Trump. This is obviously untrue, as evidenced by Mr. Nadler’s dogged, daily efforts to make sure he does not obtain any information of value.”
In the meantime, Nadler continues to invite headlines by aiming invective at Attorney General William Barr. Just two days ago, he announced to the press that he was considering a report recommending that the House of Representatives hold… Barr in contempt of Congress for defying a valid subpoena issued by this Committee.
“This is not a step we take lightly,” Nadler said. “It is the culmination of nearly three months of requests, discussions, and negotiations with the Department of Justice for the complete, unredacted report by Special Counsel Mueller into Russian interference in the 2016 election, along with the underlying evidence.
“I appreciate the fact that the Department responded to the offer we made to them last week and met with us yesterday in a last minute effort to reach an accommodation. We heard the Department out, we responded to them in good faith, and after all was said and done, we, unfortunately, were still unable to reach agreement, and we proceeded with our markup today.”
The family behind Purdue Pharma is finding that no one wants their donations.
The Sacklers, long a formidable name in New York society and known for their generosity, have been – rightly or wrongly – blamed, at least in part, for the opioid crisis.
The billionaires behind OxyContin and other pharmaceuticals has donated tens of millions of dollars to such prestigious institutions and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Columbia University and the American Museum of Natural History.
Numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show more than 200,000 deaths from prescription opioids since the launch of OxyContin back in 1996. And part of that awful stench seems to have attached itself – rightly or wrongly – to the Sackler name.
The family has “become synonymous with the opioid crisis. And it’s costing them their social status in NYC,” the New York Post recently wrote. “More than 2,000 lawsuits target Purdue Pharma for aggressively marketing OxyContin despite the painkiller having known addictive qualities. New York and Massachusetts lawsuits filed by the states’ attorneys general revealed Purdue’s plan, titled “Project Tango,” to roll out medicine to counter OxyContin addiction — ensuring profit on both ends of the spectrum. Connecticut, Rhode Island and Utah have also taken legal action.”
Indeed, the Post quotes one source who reportedly told them, “I wouldn’t invite them to my house. I like to socialize with people who are not involved in trouble … and [who] try to improve society, not hurt it.”
The situation grew worse when Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the Massachusetts Democrat and 2020 presidential candidate, decided to kick the family while it was done. She commented recently that she would like to see the Sackler family held accountable for its role in precipitating the opioid crisis.
“This crisis has been driven by greed, pure and simple,” Warren posted on medium.com. “If you don’t believe that, just look at the Sackler family. They’re billionaires. They own mansions around the world. Entire wings of museums in New York and London have been stamped with the family name. “But here’s the thing: the Sacklers made their money pushing OxyContin. Pushing it even as study after study demonstrated its addictive potential. Even as hundreds of thousands of Americans died.”
Warren added that she looks forward to an America “where when people like the Sacklers destroy millions of lives to make money, they don’t get museum wings named after them, they go to jail.”
Should New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio run for president? The recent New York Times headline said it best: ‘De Blasio for President? ‘Nah’ Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Should New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio run for president? The recent New York Times headline said it best: ‘De Blasio for President? ‘Nah’
Indeed, the prospect of a de Blasio campaign for the White House often produces giggles. As New York magazine recently wrote, “De Blasio hasn’t officially declared his candidacy for president, though it sure looks like he’s going to, traveling to early primary states, holding $5,000-a-plate fundraisers, and opening his own PAC to fund national candidates and pay for his own stateside travel. He’s also pretty close to qualifying for the primary debates this summer, needing a one percent showing in just one more reputable poll to make the cut. Though the mayor appears ready to take on the toughest job in America, his allies in New York — not to mention his constituency — aren’t quite as thrilled.”
The Atlantic chimed in, as well, noting that the mayor’s communications director, Mike Casca, “who two months ago joined the payroll of his PAC, quit on Friday afternoon, shortly after attempting to bat down the latest round of stories that the mayor was soon joining the crowded Democratic-primary field. His government press secretary walked last month, in part to avoid being pulled into forthcoming 2020 efforts. His 2013 campaign manager, Bill Hyers, didn’t respond when I asked him what he made of the mayor’s White House ambitions, though he’s been talking with Pete Buttigieg about getting involved with his campaign.
John Del Cecato, the consultant who made de Blasio’s ads in the past, including the breakthrough, blockbuster spot featuring de Blasio’s biracial son, Dante, which turned around his 2013 mayoral race, won’t be involved either, though he declined to comment other than to confirm that he wasn’t going to participate. Lis Smith, a member of de Blasio’s 2013 team who was later denied an administration post after her own tabloid run-ins, is Buttigieg’s communications adviser.”
The liberal New Republic magazine asked in a recent headline, “Why Is Bill de Blasio’s Presidential Dream a Sad Joke?” Part of its answer was that “as de Blasio weighs entering the 2020 race, the prospect of a President de Blasio has been met with widespread derision. The New Republic’s Alex Shephard termed his interest in the presidency an “embarrassing quest for national fame,” while the mayor’s own allies (anonymously) told Politico that his flirtation with a presidential run was “f-ing insane.” De Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, has said the “timing is not exactly right” for him to launch a campaign.
The New York Times, which seems to take gleeful pleasure in dinging de Blasio for everything from calling errant snow days to ostentatiously hanging around Iowa, recently noted that Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, has generated far more presidential buzz than the mayor of the country’s biggest city. Even in his hometown, there seems to be only one person who thinks a de Blasio presidential campaign would be anything other than a joke: de Blasio himself.”
