The swift death of the media darlings known as the Lincoln Project

 

As quickly as it rose to its perch as a media darling, the Lincoln Project (LP) is crashing down swiftly to its fitting end. And it has no one to blame but itself.

The beginning of the end came a few weeks ago. Co-founder John Weaver has been accused by nearly two dozen young men and boys of sexually inappropriate harassment via direct messages and texts. Weaver's LP co-founders said nothing when Axios broke the first story on an allegations against Weaver, apparently hoping that left-leaning media outlets would simply let the story die. And said media certainly did its best to do just that: In 17 TV appearances after the Axios story, the allegations against Weaver never came up once in interviews with other co-founders, including Steve Schmidt, Rick Wilson and George Conway. 

But earlier this month, The New York Times reported that 21 others had come forward to share their allegations against Weaver, which included receipts of the creepy conversations of the 61-year-old offering teenage boys jobs for sex. Only then did the Lincoln Project respond with perhaps the most laughable defense you'll ever hear this side of Jussie Smollett. 

"It's terrible and awful," Conway told MSNBC's "Morning Joe" when gently asked about the Weaver allegations following the bombshell from The New York Times. Conway — who wouldn't see a microphone extended within 500 yards of him if not for his wife, former Trump senior counselor Kellyanne Conway — then added, "I didn't know John very well. I frankly only spoke to him a couple times on the phone early on in the Lincoln Project."

Hold the phone. You didn’t know him very well? You co-founded the Lincoln Project with Weaver while raising more than $80 million with him last year going into the presidential election. Oh, by the way, there's also an op-ed in The New York Times that you co-wrote with that guy you don't really know. 

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R' Amnon Yitzchok Goes into the Gutter to Mock Harav Yitzchok Yosef

 

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Harris Takes Role Of President by Calling Several Heads of State

 

Vice President Kamala Harris has recently called multiple heads of state, a task that is normally done by the president.

Harris spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday, the White House said.

Harris “expressed her commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the United States and France and to revitalizing the transatlantic alliance,” a readout said. She and Macron “agreed on the need for close bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address COVID-19, climate change, and support democracy at home and around the world.”

“They also discussed numerous regional challenges, including those in the Middle East and Africa, and the need to confront them together,” according to the readout.

There was no mention of President Joe Biden.

“We discussed COVID-19, climate change, supporting democracy at home and around the world, and regional challenges. @POTUS and I look forward to working with President Macron to build a better future for our two countries,” Harris wrote in a tweet.

Biden spoke to Macron on Jan. 24.

Harris shared a call with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this month. The White House said it was her first call to a foreign leader as vice president.

“The Prime Minister congratulated the Vice President on her historic election, and she recalled fondly her years spent in Montréal,” a readout from Trudeau’s office said, adding that they discussed other matters, including fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We discussed our commitment to work closely on several issues, including combating COVID-19, addressing climate change, and expanding our economic partnership in ways that advance the recovery and create jobs in both countries,” Harris said in a statement after the call.

Biden and Trudeau spoke on Jan. 22. It was the first call Biden made after being sworn into office two days prior.

Vice presidents rarely call heads of state. The last vice president, Mike Pence, did not share calls with Trudeau or Macron, though he visited in person with heads of state on a number of occasions.

The White House didn’t respond to requests for comment.

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Halakhic ruling: Confession at time of accident is invalid

 

The head of the Eretz Hemda-Gazit High Court, Rabbi Yosef Gershon Carmel, recently ruled that a driver of a vehicle that hit a moving car while leaving a parking lot must pay the owners of the damaged vehicle the amount of money their car repair cost.

In the ruling, the court ruled that the fact that the damage to the vehicle traveling on the road was on the car's side and not front is evidence that the culprit in the accident was the driver who was leaving the parking lot.

The ruling also states that the way to determine guilt in an accident is based, among other things, on traffic laws, according to which the increased duty of care is imposed on a vehicle exiting a parking lot and not on the driver traveling on the road.

The court also heard the claim that the driver of the damaged vehicle drove at a higher speed than usual, and ruled that the relatively high speed does not absolve the offending driver from liability, as long as it is not higher than allowed, and that the burden of proof lies with the offending driver. .

Another question that came up in the discussion was the significance of the fact that shortly after the driver exited her car, at the time of the accident, she allegedly admitted that she was to blame for the accident because she was driving fast.

The tribunal accepted the driver's claim that the admission was said out of the pressure she was under immediately after the incident, and ruled that the confession did not bind her, for three cumulative reasons.

First, it was not an explicit admission of pecuniary liability, but rather an apology. The driver had no way of knowing at the time of the apology whether she was the one who was financially to blame for the accident or the driver of the other vehicle.

In addition, the tribunal brought the opinion of some Rishonim, according to which a confession that was not said before two witnesses is not a confession at all, but are to be considered just empty words. According to this approach, which is held by, among others, the Baal HaMaor, the Raav'ad and others, only if the confession was said before witnesses should it be taken seriously, because only in front of witnesses is a person careful and meticulous in his words and does not speak loosely.

As a third argument, the tribunal cited a ruling by Rabbi Avraham Dov Levin, who ruled that a claim that one's confession of guilt was uttered in a time of stress and under emotional influence is an acceptable excuse, which allows a confession to be revoked.

In view of all this, the court ruled that the driver's confession does not nullify her right to assert her legal rights and does not prevent her from claiming what she deserves. The tribunal therefore ruled that the offending driver must pay full damage, whether his insurance company will bear it or whether he will have to pay it out of his own pocket.

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Bill Gates thinks we should start eating ‘100% synthetic beef’

 

Bill Gates believes the wealthiest countries should switch to eating “100% synthetic beef” in order to help combat climate change. 

The second-richest man in the world floated his ideas to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in a new interview with MIT’s Technology Review.

“I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef,” Gates said when asked how to cut back on methane emissions. “You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time. Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand.”

Gates, whose book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” is out Tuesday, also spoke of the difficulties in tackling emissions when it comes to livestock — and that faux meat may be the way to go, noting the popularity of Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.

“There are all the things where they feed them different food, like there’s this one compound that gives you a 20% reduction [in methane emissions],” the Microsoft co-founder said.

“But sadly, those bacteria [in their digestive system that produce methane] are a necessary part of breaking down the grass. And so I don’t know if there’ll be some natural approach there. I’m afraid the synthetic [protein alternatives like plant-based burgers] will be required for at least the beef thing.”

Gates said a faux meat plan for “the poorest 80 countries” wouldn’t be viable, noting that “we’ll have to use animal genetics to dramatically raise the amount of beef per emissions for them.”

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Biden is still pushing blatant lies about the Trump vaccine plan

 Why is Team Biden sticking to its ridiculous “Trump had no vax-distribution plan” claim?

Vice President Kamala Harris trotted it out in a weekend interview, yet again insisting that the new administration is effectively “starting from scratch” because of its predecessor’s failures.

Ha! After President Biden made a similar statement weeks ago, Dr. Tony Fauci, Biden’s chief medical adviser as he was Trump’s, set the record straight: “We are certainly not starting from scratch because there is activity going on in the distribution.”

In other words, the jabs administered before the end of Trump’s term didn’t just magically find their own way into the arms of more than 16.5 million Americans.

Sure, Fauci notes that Biden is greatly increasing federal involvement, but his plan is based on “amplifying” what Trump had already established.

Trump’s plan left control to the states, but that’s a reasonable choice, not a lack of a strategy. The feds partnered with and delivered doses to chain pharmacies, set aside billions for vaccine distribution, set up programs for nursing-home residents and hospital workers and provided a playbook from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to guide state plans.

Under Trump, the US gave shots to millions, enrolled tens of thousands of private providers in the vax program and organized a data-collection system that includes all 50 states.

To reduce all these efforts to a “dismal failure,” as Biden did, or absolutely “no national strategy or plan,” as Harris just put it, did, is flat-out wrong.

Nor is it remotely clear that the Bidenites’ approach is better: Their obsession with racial “equity” in vaccinations, for example, is all too likely to add paperwork and other complications, slowing everything down.

The “no strategy” line seems designed to give the new administration a ready scapegoat if anything does go wrong, which is both cheap and shameful.

Worse, it seems like Biden & Co. are looking to outdo Trump in insisting on blatantly fake “facts.”

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Sephardic Chief Rabbi: Women Are Exempt From Zachor...also the New Purim regulations

 Sephardi Chief Rabbi Rav Yitzchak Yosef just issued a significant psak (ruling) regarding the coming Purim celebrations in the wake of COVID-19, according to BeChazit. Rav Yosef met  with  Coronavirus manager Nachman Ash to work out protocols and issues for the upcoming Parshas Zachor and to ensure some consideration would be taken for the religious when setting the regulations for the holiday.

The agreement they arrived at led Rav Yosef to issue the following halachic guidelines in relation to Parshat Zachor.

1. The first reading of Zachor in shul should be done with a bracha, before and after, as normal. The Torahs should be taken out after davening for additional readings, but brachas should not be said. They can also do readings later in the afternoon. Multiple readings should be arranged to avoid large gatherings of people.

2. Children under the age of 16, who are not vaccinated or recovering from Corona, should have a minyan arranged just for them for reading Zachor, so they will not put adults in a situation of risk or danger.

3. For Parshat Para – the minyan should be divided into multiple minyanim to avoid congregation of large crowds.

4. Women should not be machmir this year to hear Zachor, so as to avoid congregating. This year they can rely on the opinions in halacha that exempt women from hearing Zachor. Women who normally go to hear Zachor do not need hataras nedarim this year.

5. Children below the age of 13 are exempt this year from hearing Zachor. They should read the portion of Zachor at home from a chumash, for chinuch purposes.

6. Megilla on Purim must be heard from a proper scroll, and not via radio, zoom, or other similar methods. Additional minyanim should be arranged to accommodate everyone without congregation of crowds. People arranging readings for women should do so according to the guidelines.

7. The Purim seuda, on Friday in most places and on Sunday in Jerusalem, should only be held with the nuclear family and as small as possible. Extended family should be informed that because of the situation around the world the halacha is to avoid groups of people.

8. For mishloach manos, people should make do with the minimum of halachic requirements of two portions to two people, and should not send out a lot to a lot of people as might be done in normal years.

9. Matanos La’evyonim – two gifts to two poor people, and this year people should try to give more and should try to transfer via bank transfers rather than giving directly.

10. Yeshiva bochurim who normally go fundraising for the yeshiva “tatim” should not go this year but should make do with sending out requests by mail and telephone and request bank transfers.

11. All Purim parties should be cancelled in all yeshivas and all institutions. Purim celebrations should be held only with immediate family at home.

12. People should get vaccinated as soon as possible and not listen to those who confuse the public taking responsibility for issues of pikuach nefesh against daas torah and against halacha.

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Hamas: Women Can Travel Only With Guardian’s Approval

 

A Hamas-run Islamic court in the Gaza Strip has ruled that women require the permission of a male guardian to travel, further restricting movement in and out of the territory that has been blockaded by Israel and Egypt since the terror group seized power.

The rollback in women’s rights could spark a backlash in Gaza at a time when the Palestinians plan to hold elections later this year. It could also solidify Hamas’ support among its conservative base at a time when it faces criticism over living conditions in the territory it has ruled since 2007.

The decision by the Sharia Judicial Council, issued Sunday, says an unmarried woman may not travel without the permission of her “guardian,” which would usually refer to her father or another older male relative. Permission would need to be registered at the court, but the man would not be required to accompany the woman on the trip.

The language of the ruling strongly implied that a married woman would not be able to travel without her husband’s approval.

The edict also said that a man could be prevented from traveling by his father or grandfather if it would cause “grave harm.” But the man would not need to seek prior permission, and the relative would have to file a lawsuit to prevent him from traveling.

The ruling resembles the so-called guardianship laws that long existed in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, where women were treated as minors requiring the permission of a husband, father or even a son to apply for a passport and travel abroad. The kingdom loosened those restrictions in 2019.

Hassan al-Jojo, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, told The Associated Press that the ruling was “balanced” and consistent with Islamic and civil laws. He dismissed what he called “artificial and unjustified noise” on social media about the edict.

He justified the measure by citing past instances in which girls had traveled without the knowledge of their parents and men had left their wives and children without a breadwinner.

The ruling sparked criticism on social media, where many accused Hamas of rolling back women’s rights even as Saudi Arabia has eased its restrictions, including by allowing women to drive. The Palestinian People’s Party, a small left-wing group, called on Hamas to reverse the decision.

Zainab al-Ghunaimi, an activist who runs a Gaza-based group focused on women’s rights, said the ruling contravenes the Palestinian Basic Law, which grants equal rights to adults, and means that authorities are “going backwards in protecting human rights.”

She noted that the same legal body allows a woman to marry at age 16 and get travel documents on her own.

Hamas has not imposed the kind of harsh interpretation of Islamic law championed by other armed groups, such as the Islamic State group and the Taliban in Afghanistan. But it has taken some limited steps to enforce the territory’s conservative mores, including the imposition of an Islamic dress code on female lawyers and high school students.

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Only Those Vaccinated May Enter Chabad Shuls In Israel

 HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Yehudah Yaroslavsky, the Av Beis Din of the Chabad Beis Din in Israel, announced on Tuesday that only those who have been vaccinated or have recovered from the coronavirus will be allowed into Chabad shuls.

In a letter published on Tuesday, the Rav wrote that anyone who hasn’t yet been vaccinated and doesn’t have documentation that they recovered from the coronavirus must continue davening only in outside minyanim and it’s forbidden for them to enter regular shuls.

“Everyone is obligated to be vaccinated and no one should chalilah take this lightly,” the Rav wrote.

In response to the many questions he received on the matter, HaRav Yaroslavsky responded sharply: “The necessity to be vaccinated is not optional but obligatory according to the Torah. No one should ‘be smart,’ coming up with all type of strange hypotheses that have no bearing in reality.”

“Whoever doesn’t vaccinate and causes others not to vaccinate, woe to him on the Yom HaDin – he literally causes much blood to be spilled, Rachmana Latzlan.”

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CNN’s Jake Tapper mocks Trump’s Orthodox Jewish lawyer over religion

 By World Israel News Staff

CNN Washington news anchor Jake Tapper fired a mocking tweet Friday at a Jewish lawyer representing former president Donald Trump, insinuating that David Schoen was violating Jewish law for defending Trump.

“Trump attorney David Schoen has left the Senate to observe the Sabbath. At synagogue tomorrow, he will hear the reading from the Torah of: Mishpatim – Rules,” Tapper tweeted, referring with the weekly bible reading in synagogues. Mishpatim is in the Book of Exodus.“Exodus 21:1-24:18 includes: ‘You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice,'” Tapper tweeted, using a standard English translation of the biblical Hebrew.

Tapper, who is also Jewish, appeared to be mocking Schoen, insinuating that the lawyer was violating the Torah by representing the former president at the Senate impeachment trial.

Joel Petlin, an Orthodox Jew who is Superintendent of the Kiryas Joel School District that is home to several ultra-Orthodox schools, noted that Tapper made the tweets as the Sabbath was starting, in violation of the Torah.

“Jake Tapper posted two tweets on the Jewish Sabbath to insult an Orthodox Jewish attorney because he didn’t like his client,” Petlin tweeted. “Using biblical verses to score political points to attack David Schoen isn’t clever, it’s beyond reprehensible. Shame on you Jake.”

Tapper was blasted by other social media users who slammed the CNN reporter for making an issue out of Schoen’s religion.

“One holier than thou Jewish, Jake the snake, Tapper calls out Trump’s (also Jewish) lawyer for what? I thought religion was also one of those 1st Amendment, Bill of Rights, issues! What do you care Tapper what David Schoen’s religious practice is?” tweeted Daniel F. Baranowski.

“Jake Tapper isn’t going to like it when he has to answer to God for mocking David Schoen,” tweeted Tina Summers.

“This is disgraceful. Jake Tapper is lecturing an Orthodox Jew on Judaism – implying that it’s somehow a violation of Jewish law to defend Trump. Tapper, a Jew, uses Judaism to score political points,” tweeted Dan Fined.

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