“I don’t speak because I have the power to speak; I speak because I don’t have the power to remain silent.” Rav Kook z"l

Friday, February 26, 2021

Zera Shimshon Parshas T'zaveh

 


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Chag Purim Samaich

 


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Thursday, February 25, 2021

China reportedly gave American diplomats anal COVID-19 tests

 


Never a dull News Day here in the DIN Headquarters!

The Chinese government has used anal swabs to test US diplomats for COVID-19 – but Beijing insisted to Washington that the butt checks were made “in error,” according to a report.

“The State Department never agreed to this kind of testing and protested directly to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs when we learned that some staff were subject to it,” a State Department rep told VICE World News on Wednesday.

Washington complained that the rather invasive procedure was undignified, according to the report.

The State spokesperson said Beijing had assured Washington that the tests were given “in error” — and that diplomats were exempt from the test, which was required for incoming travelers in some parts of China.

“We have instructed staff to decline this test if it is asked of them, as was done in the past,” the rep told VICE World News, which noted it was unclear how many diplomats or their family members had undergone the procedure.

Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian on Thursday denied Beijing had even asked American diplomats to undergo the anal tests.

“To my knowledge…China has never required US diplomatic staff stationed in China to conduct anal swab tests,” Zhao told a daily news briefing in Beijing, Reuters reported.

In an email to Reuters, a State Department spokesperson said it was “committed to guaranteeing the safety and security of American diplomats and their families, while preserving their dignity.”

Officials in China have used anal swabs to test people it considers at high-risk of contracting the illness, including residents of neighborhoods with confirmed cases as well as some international travelers, according to AFP.

Tests using anal swabs can avoid missing infections as viral traces in fecal samples or anal swabs could remain detectable for longer periods than in those from the respiratory tract, Li Tongzeng, a respiratory diseases doctor in Beijing, told state TV recently.

Stool tests also may be more effective in detecting infections in kids as their waste carries a higher viral load than adults, researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong said in a paper published last year.

China’s National Health Commission said in an online post that in some cases, the deadly bug can be more easily detected in anal samples than in throat and nasal samples.

According to the commission’s instructions, the samples are collected by inserting a cotton swab about one to two inches into the rectum.

A traveler from Australia to China who was tested with anal swabs in September told VICE World News the procedure felt like having diarrhea.

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Realizing they Have a "Dangerous Lunatic" in the White House ...House Democrats ask Biden to give up sole power to launch nuclear bomb

 


Over thirty House Democrats are asking President Biden to consider renouncing his authority to launch nuclear weapons.

In a letter sent Tuesday but publicized Wednesday, 31 lawmakers led by Reps. Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.) and Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) urge the commander in chief to “consider modifying the decision-making process the United States uses in its command and control of nuclear forces.”

“As president, two of your most critical and solemn duties are the security of the country and the safeguarding of its nuclear arsenal,” the letter reads, noting the president’s sole authority to order the use of nuclear weapons assures keeping them under civilian control.

“However, vesting one person with this authority entails real risks,” Panetta and Lieu continued.

“Past presidents have threatened to attack other countries with nuclear weapons or exhibited behavior that caused other officials to express concern about the president’s judgment,” the two said, referencing former President Donald Trump’s very public feudwith North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

In terms of alternatives, the two California Democrats suggested a number of options.

One would be to require that the vice president and speaker of the House of Representatives concur with the president’s decision to strike.

Another option would be requiring certifications from the secretary of defense that the strike order was valid, as well as the attorney general that it was legal.

The two lawmakers also suggested requiring a Congressional declaration of war and specific approval from Congress on the strike. 

The last option they suggested was creating a permanent council of Congressional leaders that would hold regular deliberations with the president and their administration on national security issues.

That council would be required to be consulted before the launch of any nuclear weapon.

Panetta is the son of Leon Panetta, who served as Defense Secretary and CIA director under President Obama and was chief of staff to President Clinton. 

The White House did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on the letter.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on his stance on the president’s nuclear authority.

“While any president would presumably consult with advisors before ordering a nuclear attack, there is no requirement to do so,” the letter states, “The military is obligated to carry out the order if they assess it is legal under the laws of war.”

“Under the current posture of U.S. nuclear forces, that attack would happen in minutes.”

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Surprise Surprise... How Much of the Trillion Dollar Covid Stimulus Going to Fight the Virus

 

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Arab Slams Arab MK"s in the Knesset who Support Terrorism

 


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Arab MK in Knesset Cannot Say "Israel" Out of His mouth and Cannot Name the First Palestinian King

 

Israel bans sale of all seafood from Mediterranean after massive oil spill

 


The Health Ministry on Wednesday barred the sale of seafood from the Mediterranean Sea after a massive oil spill severely contaminated most of Israel’s coastline and killed wildlife.

The ban covers fish and other marine life sold for consumption. It went into effect immediately and will last until the Health Ministry issues a retraction.

The decision was made “in light of the environmental pollution in the Mediterranean Sea, which has been expressed, among other ways, in the amounts of tar found on the Mediterranean beaches in recent days,” the Health Ministry said.

The ruling was a precautionary measure and there was no definite evidence that eating the fish posed a danger. Samples of marine life had been sent to Agriculture Ministry laboratories to check for contaminants, the Health Ministry said.

Officials notified the fishing community and sellers of seafood.

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Racism Solved! White Guy will no longer voice black 'Simpsons' character

 

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Press During Trump Called them “kids in cages” But Now by Biden They call them “shelters” or “migrant facilities.”

 

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