Federal Judge Blocks Trump Drug Pricing Rule ... Wants Higher Prices

 

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked a last-minute Trump administration rule aimed at curbing drug prices from taking effect on Jan. 1.

The rule, which would have tied Medicare reimbursements for certain drugs to prices paid by some other countries, was challenged by drug industry trade groups. 

U.S. District Judge Catherine Blake in Maryland ruled that the administration had rushed the rule without giving the public a chance to comment.

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Tribute to R' Yaakov Levitz ... a Friend of Din

by Rabbi Moshe Boylan

Klal Yisroel and the Olam HaTorah particularly were saddened by the petirah of Rav Yaakov Levitz zt”l, world renowned distributor of many Sifrei Kodesh. 

The niftar was a talmid of Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman zt”l, the famous Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Netzach Yisroel. He was also very mekurav to lhbc”l Rav Feivel Cohen Shlita, the author of the Badei HaShulchan series on many parts of Shulchan Aruch. 

It was truly appropriate that the niftar’s name was Yaakov, as he represented many of the middos tovos of Yaakov Avinu. One example was in his chashivus haTorah, which related to the middah of Yaakov Avinu, who was an Ish tam yosheiv ohalim. Besides learning in Yeshivos when he was young, even in his later years he was known for his love for Torah. He was a true Talmid Chochom. 

Of course, a parnasah, distributing seforim is a zechus for a person, as he is spreading Torah. {It is even said that the heilige Chofetz Chaim zt”l, who also would sell seforim, sometimes used to say the words (not the beracha) “Laasok beDivrei Torah” when he was involved in selling and distributing his seforim.} 

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Hospitalized COVID Patient Murdered By Roommate For “Praying”

 

A coronavirus patient is accused of beating his 82-year-old hospital roommate to death with an oxygen tank in Lancaster, Calif., last week because he was upset with his Catholic prayers, according to authorities.

The victim shared a two-person room at Antelope Valley Hospital with the suspect, 37-year-old Jesse Martinez. They were both undergoing treatment for COVID-19, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The two did not know each other, but the elderly victim’s praying upset Martinez on the morning of Dec. 17, authorities said. The suspect is accused of grabbing an oxygen tank and pummeling the victim.

Hospital workers detained Martinez at the scene until law enforcement arrived, the Los Angeles Times reported.

The 82-year-old was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m. the next day. Authorities did not immediately release his name.

Martinez faces murder charges, with hate crime and elder abuse enhancements, according to investigators.

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ARRESTED: Terrorist Suspect In Murder Of Esther Horgan, H’YD

  It has been cleared for publication that a terrorist suspected of murdering Esther Horgan has been arrested following a joint operation of the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and the IDF.

The suspect, a Palestinian Arab who lives near Jenin, is being questioned by the Shin Bet. All other details of the investigation are under gag order.

Horgan, a 52-year-old mother of six, a resident of Tal Menashe in the Shomron, was found dead in the Reichan forest with signs of severe violence on her body overnight Sunday.

She had left her home on Sunday at 1 p.m. to go for a run in the nature reserve in the Reichan forest, next to Tel Menashe, and never returned. When her husband failed to reach her on her phone, he contacted the police and a search began.

Horgan left behind her husband Binyamin and six children, the youngest of whom is 13, and celebrated his Bar Mitzva only three months ago.

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7 Thoughts About The New COVID Vaccine

 

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

As many people know, I was recently hospitalized with COVID. One of the downsides of serious breathing problems is the inability to think, to learn, or to have a sense of clarity. I want to share some thoughts about the vaccine, and I hope that what I write will help influence the behavior of others. But first, I would like to thank those who have been davening for me. Along the way, I have met some fascinating people whose chesed is extraordinary. Aside from my family members, I want to thank the staff at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Mrs. Sima Bachrach at Chesed 24/7, Mrs. Breindy Sporn, Hatzalah, Mark Gross, Estie Hoffman, Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, Larry Gordon, Mr. Wasserman, Reb Yechiel Eckstein, and a few others, too.

1. Torah to Klal Yisrael is like oxygen. We cannot live without it. The mashal is much more real and tangible now, for me personally, after this COVID experience. When someone is gasping for every breath, rachmana litzlan, he cannot learn Torah. Believe me, I tried.  Why place yourself at risk not to be able to breathe?  Take the vaccine.
2. This vaccine had no special dispensation. Notwithstanding what one Rabbi in an Israeli hospital is saying, it was required to go through the same process as every other pharmaceutical: (1) pre-clinical trials on animal testing. (2) FDA approval on clinical trials; four phases of clinical trials in humans. The first phase has 20 to 100 volunteers; the second is hundreds of people to see if it truly prevents infections in a meaningful way. The third phase involved 30,000 people to see if it works in diverse populations and to look for rarer side effects. We are in phase four now. But phase four allows for the vaccines.  Those that have a known allergic reaction to things should not take it.
3. The vaccines work. Without the vaccines, some people will get a mild version of it, like my family members did. Others, like I did, could get a more serious version where their breathing is very seriously affected. My treatment included Remdesivir, antibodies through blood plasma, some serious steroids, anti-clotting drugs, etc.
4. Gedolim in Eretz Yisrael said to take the vaccine (I verified this with the gabbaim myself this week.) Rav Hershel Schachter said to take it for two reasons—to save yourself and to save others. Rav Shmuel Kamenetsky (who is not always the biggest advocate of vaccines) said that if your doctor recommended that you take it, of course you must take it.
5. It is this author’s thought that, just based upon the bitul Torah aspect alone, aside from any pikuach nefesh issues, there is not a heter in the world to avoid the vaccine.There is even an Ohr HaChaim HaKodesh (Sh’mos 27:20) which says that Moshe Rabbeinu would not desire to redeem a people who are batlanim from Torah. The Gra in the Even Shleimah (7:6) lists all of the things that bring to bitul Torah. [This COVID is the emperor of bitul Torah maladies.]
6. There is a serious concern that COVID can affect reproduction. One should take the vaccine to avoid any questions in this matter, too.
7. There is also the matter of pikuach nefesh for other people, which involves five separate mitzvas

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Santa Claus With Tefilin

 

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Breaking ....DIN Vaccinates

 

At 8:25am Israeli time, DIN walked into his medical provider in Beit Shemesh and got vaccinated....    

No further info at this time.... we will update you if we have anything  further...

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Homeless man set free after slugging woman in random subway attack ...Had 77 Priors

 

A homeless man with 77 prior arrests sucker-punched a 68-year-old woman in a random attack inside a Manhattan subway station — and was only issued a desk appearance ticket before being set free, according to cops and police sources. 

The victim was inside the 34th Street-Herald Square station, on the northbound R train platform, just before 8 p.m. Tuesday when John Chappell, 64, suddenly clobbered her in the face, according to police.

The woman was taken to Bellevue for her injuries, cops said. 

Chappell was busted a short time later on West 34th Street near Sixth Avenue, and charged with assault. He was handed a desk appearance ticket, cops said. 

Most of his prior arrests, dating back to 1986, were for marijuana possession, reckless endangerment, assault, petit larceny and turnstile jumping, police sources said. 

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British Jews more than two times as likely to die of the coronavirus as British non-Jews.

 

A total of 616 British Jews have died during the coronavirus pandemic, according to data released by the Board of Deputies of British Jews.

Seventeen more coronavirus-related fatalities were reported in the Jewish community last week, pushing the total over 600, the Board of Deputies said.

The deaths counted by the Board of Deputies include all deaths in which the funerals were conducted by Jewish burial organizations, and coronavirus was listed as at least one of the causes of death.

Based on the figures provided by the Board of Deputies, British Jews appear to be disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus, making up nearly 1% of coronavirus fatalities, despite making up about 0.39% of the population of Britain. Jews are thus 2.3 times more likely to die of the coronavirus than the rest of the population.

This despite the fact that the criteria used in the Board of Deputies pandemic death toll count are stricter than those used by the British government, which counts any death as being coronavirus-related if the deceased tested positive for the coronavirus within 28 days.

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Contagious British strain of Covid is in Israel

 

The Health Ministry announced Wednesday that four cases of an especially contagious mutation of the coronavirus which was first discovered in Britain have been found in Israel.

3 of the diagnoses are from people who had returned from Britain and are quarantined at a Corona hotel.

Another case from Israel is being verified.

The ministry said it was "monitoring every case and will update accordingly."

According to government decision, starting at 10 pm tonight, anyone arriving in Israel from abroad will require quarantine at a Corona hotel irrespective of the country from which he arrived.

Health Minister Yuli Edelstein informed government ministers that the British coronavirus mutation had been found in Israel, saying "Unfortunately, alongside the good news there is less good news."

"In the last two days we have been making a concerted effort to ensure that the mutation from the UK has not infiltrated Israel."

"Until a few minutes ago we were optimistic, but now we're less optimistic. This is information from a few minutes ago," he said.

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