Meron tragedy 'one of the greatest civilian disasters the State of Israel has ever known

 

First responders who arrived at the scene of the Meron disaster spoke about what they had witnessed, describing the events and the initial response.

Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedic Omri Hochman, who was one of the first at the scene, spoke about the tragedy he had witnessed.

"We arrived at the scene when there was a great amount of chaos, and dozens of people ran in our direction," he said. "They shouted at us where to go and said there were dozens of people injured. The sights were very difficult to digest - dozens of injured were lying near the grandstand and on the incline, and dozens more were walking around suffering from various injuries."

"The large number of forces on the mountain began to provide medical treatment and to perform CPR, and by using stretchers we evacuated the injured to MDA clinics on the mountain, and from there we continued treating them in ambulances, mobile ICUs, and helicopters to hospitals in northern Israel and Jerusalem."

MDA paramedic Maor Atedgi recalled Friday morning: "We removed injured people from piles of people, and we performed CPR on people who were critically injured."

"Large numbers of our forces evacuated the injured, some of them to MDA clinics and some to ambulances. In all my years in MDA, I don't remember such an enormous disaster."

MDA Director General Eli Bin said: "This is one of the greatest civilian disasters the State of Israel has ever known, and it is hard to digest the enormity of the tragedy. For over 20 years, Magen David Adom staff have been medically securing the Lag Ba'omer events in Meron, and this year it was one of the most complex security operations that MDA has ever prepared for, with over 250 ambulances and mobile ICUs from around the country, dozens of motorcycles, ATVs, buses for evacuating the injured, unique emergency vehicles, and an MDA helicopter. As we do every year, this year we placed a number of clinics around Meron, in order to appropriately secure the event."

"Yesterday morning, we participated in a largescale exercise led by Israel Police, and we did not imagine that we would find ourselves in such a difficult and complex event. All of the forces acted quickly and with dedication at an extremely difficult and complex scene, in coordination and cooperation with all the others. Even for MDA staff, who are used to difficult scenes, an event on this scale is very hard. We pray and wish a complete recovery to those who are injured, and we share the sorrow of the families whose loved ones were lost in this great tragedy."

Bin also said that at approximately 12:49a.m. on Friday morning, MDA began to receive calls about people who were injured from being crushed near the area where the Toldot Aharon hasidim were gathered by the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron.

"Large numbers of Magen David Adom forces made their way with medical equipment and stretchers, and when they arrived at the scene of the event, they were horrified by the horrible sight of the many who were injured," he said. "It was immediately declared a mass casualty event and the MDA hotline sent hundreds of ambulances and mobile ICUs from around the country, as well as MDA and IAF helicopters."

MDA staff provided medical treatment to 150 people who were injured, and provided hospitals in northern Israel with 207 blood donations and components.

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Cell Phones Belonging to those Killed do not Stop Ringing

 

ZAKA spokesperson Moti Bokchin spoke in an interview with Galei Zahal about the Meron disaster, which left 44 dead and over 100 injured.

"When I arrived at the scene, I understood that this was an unusual event - out of fear, people were running in every direction," Bokchin said.

He added: "The cell phones of those who were killed do not stop ringing, and we see, 'Mommy' and 'My dear wife' - it's unfathomable."

Magen David Adom (MDA) staff have treated 150 people who were injured in the stampede, and transferring six people to hospitals in critical condition, 18 in serious condition, and dozens in light and moderate condition.

Forty-seven of them were sent to Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat, while 26 were sent to Poriya in Tiberias, 27 to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, five to Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, and one to Ha'emek Medical Center in Afula. One patient who was sent to Ziv was transferred by helicopter to Hadassah Ein Kerem in Jerusalem.

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

R' Chaim Kanievsky Rules That One May Enter a Church or Enter a Hamas Stronghold to Save the Spiritual Lives of Jews

 A special delegation from the anti-assimilation group Yad L’Achim met this week with Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky at the rabbi’s home in Bnei Brak.

The Yad L’Achim activists posed a number of questions related to traditional Jewish law as it relates to the organizations work (Halacha) to the rabbi.

Only parts of the questions can be revealed, due to security considerations, Yad L’Achim said.

Two of them, presented to by Rabbi Chaim Deutsch, a senior Yad L’Achim lecturer, “involve matters of life and death and of saving souls from falling into a spiritual abyss, lost forever to the Jewish people,” the group said in a statement Thursday.

The first question concerns a Jewish woman living with her children in an Arab neighborhood in the heart of Hebron in Judea, in a neighborhood that is know to be a Hamas stronghold.

Under the circumstances, a rescue would pose unusual risk to the team going in, activists told Rabbi Kanievsky.

Despite the danger, however, Rabbi Kanievsky said that “they can do it,” and the operation was given the green light.

Another matter raised during the meeting relates to a Jewish woman, a Holocaust survivor, who is over 100 years old and has been staying in a Christian monastery.

Yad L’Achim has been trying for some time to reach her in order to bring her back to Judaism before it is too late.

She recently agreed to receive a delegation from the organization and to be convinced to return to the Jewish people.

However, the only way for Yad L’Achim to talk to her is to enter a monastery. Rabbi Kanievsky ruled that since it was a matter of saving souls, it was permitted to send people into the monastery to bring her out.

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Biden’s first big speech to Congress bombs on all counts

 

President Biden’s speech Wednesday night failed on all counts: It didn’t sell his latest spending plan, it didn’t sell his larger agenda — and, worst of all, it didn’t sell him.

Start with the utterly bizarre “mask theater.” All the politicians in the room have been fully vaccinated, and Biden’s own CDC says that’s enough. So why the universal masking, and the social distancing? The message, cutting across the president’s occasional optimism, was that this nightmare will never end — which simply isn’t true.

Equally, obviously false was Biden’s now-routine effort to claim all the credit for successful vaccinations: All that was set in motion before he took office.

Then he moved into a series of disjointed claims about his “American Families Plan” that barely tracked, even though he was reading a prepared text.

It seemed like he was just skipping whole paragraphs and even pages. You could see even Democrats wincing above their masks.

He tossed in a few blatant whoppers, like his repeated claims that economists “left, right and center” agree his program will work just as he says.

Oh, and a classic Biden non sequitur, attacking those who oppose his plans to hike taxes on the rich: “Ask them, whose taxes are you going to raise?”

“No one’s” is the answer — because the opposition isn’t looking to spend trillions more than the feds already do.

Yet he never gave any clear unifying theme for the “families” plan, because it doesn’t have one. It’s just another grab bag of items off Democrats’ wish list.

Then, bizarrely, he wandered into something like a State of the Union speech, ticking off mostly vacuous sales pitches for a host of bills he’d like Congress to pass.

Mixed in were lies about how he’d solved the border crisis as vice president, plus vague waves at a foreign policy (and trade: He talks “buy American” as much as the guy he replaced) and some noise about being tough militarily when the Defense Department is about the only federal agency he doesn’t want to spend more on.

The speech was packed with hoary clichés and empty rhetoric about unity, spiced with blather about “white supremacy” and “systemic racism” even as he was insisting (correctly) that nearly all cops only work hard to protect the public. 

After all that, his effort to close with the traditional message of hope fell pretty flat, because he was out to show confidence in America after failing to give America reason to have much confidence in him.

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Hisachdus Ha'Ganavim of the USA Plan Huge Protest in New York Against the "Light Rail"

 

This is the most absurd crazed protest ...they are against the building of the "light rail" near Meah Shearim...they claim that this will bring "preezis" to their community..

You know what? Too bad.....

This "rakevet kal" the "light rail" is a blessing ...and guess what .. they use it the most since they don't own cars .... 

These are crazed mishgayim... and the Torah in this week's parsha warned us against these dopes...

At the end of the parsha, the Torah relates a very strange incident 

ויצא בן-איש ישראלית וכו' וינצו במחנה ויקוב בן-איש הישאלית את השם

"The son of a Jewish lady went out and argued with someone in the camp and then cursed the Name of Hashem"

The Midrash asks.. since it says that "he went out.. " so from where did he come out from?'

The Yalkut Shimonie gives many answers... I found one very interesting and "nogia" to our story ...

רבי ברכיה אמר, מפרשה של מעלה יצא, 

Reb Brachye says: "He came from the situation mentioned previously in the parsha..the parsha of the "lechem ha'panim"

So what happened at the Lechem Hapanim...?

The Torah says that 12 loaves of bread were baked and placed on the table, and it remained there the entire week.. from Shabbas to Shabbas

So this guy got upset and asked "how is it possible to treat the Kings of Kings this way ... instead of offering Hashem fresh hot loaves of bread we instead offer Him moldy-week old bread? As this argument escalated, he cursed Hashem רח"ל

Question: What was he so upset about? The Torah itself instructs Klal Yisrael to leave the lechem ha'panim on the table for the entire week? And how was it that a guy that was "holier than the pope" so to speak, a guy that was so concerned about "kvoid shamayim" could turn so fast to curse his Creator in a matter of minutes?

The Yalkut Yehuda, explains, that this story isn't at all strange, and comes as no surprise.

This "ben Yisraelit" was an extremist...and when an individual lends himself to this character trait to be an extremist, he can change sides very easily..

One day he could be fighting for "Kvod Shmayim" even be more protective of Hashem than the Torah itself.. and in the very same day he can turn 180º to G-d forbid curse Hashem רח"ל

The Rambam writes that a person should choose the "middle" way..

Recently, those of you, "lomdei daf yoime" learned in Mesachtas Pesachim 110a,

 "מלך פורץ גדר לעשות לו דרך ואין מוחין בידו"

"for a king may break through fences surrounding another's property to make a path for himself and no one may protest against him"

We here in Israel are making paths for Melech Hamoshiach, since very soon millions will be using this very "light rail" to travel to the newly built Bais Hamikdash....

The Hisachdus Ha'Ganavim don't have to use the Light Rail, they can use the "chamorim" which they have plenty of..

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

 

Welcome to New York's Biden "Peace and Unity" City

 

Biden’s “Peace and Unity.” https://t.co/I79H24j4Zd

— Sebastian Gorka DrG (@SebGorka) April 27, 2021

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME 

BLM Blacks Make Chillul Hashem in Restaurant

 

A massive brawl took place involving about a dozen people at a #Mississippi Olive Garden. pic.twitter.com/XdZbmHhgsy

— The Daily Sneed ➐ (@Tr00peRR) April 26, 2021

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME 

Rashante' Tlaib of ‘The Squad’ is slandering the Jewish state — again

 

Hamas is once again launching rockets into Israel and promoting a viral social-media campaign encouraging violent assaults against Jews in the streets. And once again, a member of the congressional “Squad” thinks she has found the true culprit: the Jewish state. 

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) accused Israel of encouraging hate crimes against Palestinians, tweeting: “During the holy month of Ramadan, Palestinians are met w/ mobs of Israeli settlers calling on [sic] the ‘death of Arabs!’ The anti-Palestinian violence was not stopped by the Israeli [government]. These acts of hate is [sic] what colleagues need to see when I say Palestinians deserve human dignity.”

Rep. Tlaib of course has the right to weigh in on these issues, but as a public figure and a leading voice on the American left, she has a responsibility to get the story straight. Here’s what really happened.

At the beginning of the month of Ramadan, the local Jerusalem police announced a policy barring Palestinians from sitting on the steps of the Nablus Gate, which leads to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. This was done to keep the path clear for Muslims going to pray in one of their holiest sites. 

In response, Hamas released a statement warning that “Al-Aqsa is in danger” — manufactured nonsense designed to garner support for the terror outfit ahead of upcoming elections.

On Friday, Hamas escalated tensions by firing 36 rockets into villages and cities in the south of Israel. At the same time, Palestinian youths began sharing videos on TikTok showing them attacking Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem. 

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

LGBTQ Students Sue Yeshiva University For Discrimination

 

It just so happens that I'm familiar with at least one of the characters who are suing and I know she reads this blog ... so I'll ask her...

"is it so important for us to know what and with who you are busy in the bedroom with?" You come from a beautiful loving family... what did they ever do to you except for loving you, that you find it so important to humiliate them every single day?" ....with love..DIN

A group of students and alumni is suing Yeshiva University for discrimination, claiming that the university violated New York City’s human rights law when it refused to recognize an LGBTQ student club.

The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in New York County Supreme Court.

Over the last few years, the students repeatedly lobbied the university’s administration to formally recognize a Gay-Straight Alliance club. The university, a prominent Modern Orthodox institution, has grappled with how to reconcile a traditional interpretation of Jewish law, which does not allow homosexual relations, with its engagement with the secular world.

Molly Meisels, a recent Yeshiva University graduate who led the effort for inclusion while enrolled, called the lawsuit “a last resort.” The suit asks the university to officially recognize the club as a student organization and to award damages to the plaintiffs.

“Queer students and allies at Yeshiva University have been meeting with administrators, applying for club status, sharing our stories with rabbinical figures and advocating internally for years,” Meisels told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “When we realized that our efforts were for naught, we knew that filing a lawsuit was the last way for us to succeed in our endeavors.”

Yeshiva University registers as a nonsectarian corporation, and has received “hundreds of millions of dollars” in state funds and benefits, according to the suit. The students say that the school should not “pick and choose which New York City laws apply.”

On Tuesday, 48 faculty members of Yeshiva University’s Cardozo School of Law sent a letter to the president of the university, condemning Y.U.’s refusal to allow LGBTQ students to form a club. “Discrimination against a student organization solely because of its focus on LGBTQ+ issues has no place in a university that holds itself out as a community committed to the flourishing and equal dignity of all its members,” the letter reads. The faculty members also wrote that the university’s decision is “unlawful under federal, state, and city civil rights laws.”

In a statement sent Tuesday evening, the university responded: “Yeshiva University is the bearer of a 3,000 year-old Torah tradition, which we hold sacrosanct. At the heart of our Jewish values is love — love for God and love for each of His children. Our LGBTQ+ students are our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, family and friends. Our policies on harassment and discrimination against students on the basis of protected classifications including LGBTQ+ are strong and vigorously enforced. Our Torah-guided decision about this club in no way minimizes the care and sensitivity that we have for each of our students, nor the numerous steps the university has already taken. We are actively engaged with our students, faculty and rabbinic leaders to facilitate productive discussions with an eye toward understanding and embracing diverse perspectives.”

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Lakewood Roshei Yeshivah Banned Lag Baomer Concert Because they Were "Mekabeil Loshon-Hara From the Lying "Tuches-Lekker Askanim

 

This is what happens when even our Torah Leaders are "mekaibeil loshon/hara from every shmoiger with a big brimed hat, that calls himself an askan...

by Aryah Weinstein

As a longtime Lakewood resident, I have watched with pride as our community has grown by leaps and bounds, the kol Torah resonating louder and louder with every passing year.  Finding ourselves as we are now in the midst of sefiras ha’omer, I am both mystified and pained by the news that a Lag B’Omer event for Lakewood-area children that was scheduled to be held at the FirstEnergy Park parking lot was banned based on what appears to be misinformation.

I  personally have close ties to Beis Medrash Govoha and its esteemed roshei yeshiva and appreciate full well that the importance of our community’s long standing policies disallowing concerts or holding any events of any sort in the stadium.  But this Lag B’Omer event, organized jointly by several local Chabads and sponsored by respected local institutions and businesses, was constructed with all of those standards in mind.  Scheduled to take place on Friday afternoon after school, this event is taking place in the parking lot, not within the stadium itself, with a program of Tehillim on behalf of acheinu Bnei Yisroel, a puppet show and a story teller.  And while yes, there will be some live zemiros with Benny Friedman, it is just one of several components of the program, making it difficult to even to classify this as a concert.  Ironically, the program is quite similar to that of another event being held in the same location on Thursday night, one that for whatever reason, has been deemed as being in keeping with community standards.

surmise that this beautiful celebration was incorrectly described to the roshei yeshiva as a concert in the stadium, given the letter that was sent out to Lakewood parents urging them not to send their children.  And it is exceedingly painful to hear that people masquerading as the event organizers have been making robocalls falsely suggesting that Chabad messaging will be at play here, when nothing could be farther from the truth.

The goal behind this event was very simple. In keeping with the time-honored tradition of celebrating Lag B’omer, why not create a program that all community children could enjoy, one that balances Torah with fun, while holding strong to the values and standards that define who we are? It is a sad day in Lakewood when there are those who are intentionally seeking to be divisive and are deliberately misrepresenting facts to our revered roshei yeshiva during a period when we should be focusing on achdus  and Rabbi Akiva’s timeless message of v’ahavta l’reyacha kamocha.

I can only hope that this mistake will be rectified on behalf of our children, who should have the opportunity to celebrate Lag B’Omer with Torah-true simcha.

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Efrat Community Appoints Israel’s 1st Female Orthodox Spiritual Leader

 

The Shirat Tamar community in the town of Efrat south of Jeruselam has made history by appointing a woman to head the community, without a rabbinical figure at her side. Shira Merili Mirvis (40) an alumnus of the Ohr Torah Stone’s Susi Bradfield Women’s Institute of Halakhic Leadership, was appointed as “halachic and spiritual leader” for the community after a majority of 83% voted for her.

While studying in the Ohr Torah halachic program for the last 5 years, Mirvis served as a halachic advisor, answering halachic questions under the auspices of the Beit Hillel rabbinic organization. She also volunteers in the community as a Mikve attendant and in the Chevra Kadisha and supervises together with her Chavrusa a special blog for women, Daf Mishelahen, explaining halachic and Talmudic concepts.

Mirvis said after the appointment that “I am grateful to my friends in Shirat Tamar for the opportunity they have given me to lead and maintain this wonderful community. The official appointment is a natural continuation of my communal work. I pray that Hashem will light our way and we will continue to grow together in our Torah observance.”

Community leaders congratulated Mirvis on the appointment stating that it was “official recognition of her broad activities for building Torah and for her contribution to the community.”

Rebbetzin Devorah Evron, the director of the Women’s Institute of Halakhic Leadership, welcomed the appointment and said that “Shira will know how to serve the community with wisdom and warmth. Her good traits, patience, generosity and wisdom will contribute greatly to the community. This is a significant step for Rebbetzin Shira in particular and for women’s leadership in general.”

Rabbi Dr. Katriel Brander, director of the Ohr Torah institutions, said that this is a pivotal moment for Judaism as we recognize that female halachic and spiritual leadership can go hand in hand with halacha and our tradition. There is no doubt that Rebbetzin Shira has deep Torah knowledge, commitment to tradition and immeasurable compassion and will be a tremendous asset both for the local community and for the entire Jewish world. I believe we will look back at this moment as a halachic breakthrough allowing women to take their proper place as spiritual leaders in an orthodox community.”

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

"Tuchis-Lekkers" Of the Biggest Kehilos in Boro Park Unite To Endorse Andrew Yang For Mayor. Who is Against Jews Making a Bris for Their Children

 

We don't learn from the past ... and now these guys are endorsing a guy who is dead set against circumcisons 

Today, In a historic move, earlier than usual, a coalition of Jewish leaders and local groups representing the Jewish community in Borough Park, including Bobov, Belz, and Satmar united to announced their endorsement of Andrew Yang for mayor of NYC.

In a statement the mayoral candidate Andrew Yang said “I am so deeply proud to have earned the endorsement of this incredible group of community leaders, many of whom I’ve met and gotten to know on a personal level in recent weeks. New York’s Jewish community is not only core to who we are as a City, it is also going to be critical to New York’s comeback. I have had such an amazing time visiting Borough Park, bumping into people on 13th Avenue, visiting local shops — where everyone I met was so optimistic about New York’s future. The vibrancy, hope and joy felt on the streets in Borough Park is a palpable reminder of who we are as New Yorkers.

The endorsers include the following "tuchis/lekkers:

Heshy Dembitzer, Joel Rosenfeld and Chaskie Rosenberg of Bobov, Yaakov Yosef Steinmetz, Chesky Blau and Naftuli Reiner of Bobov-45, Efrayim Fink of Benos Chaya, Yitzchok Mechil Moskowitz and Meir Kuperstein of Belz, Chaim Friedman of Munkatch, Aron Welz and Jacob Landau of Satmar, Berl Lefkowitz and Naftali Tzvi Schwartz of Satmar, Joel Friedman of Pupa, Moshe Weissman and Gershon Weiss of Klausenburg, Moshe Shia Kramer of Rachmastrivka.

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Dr Benjamin Zaremski a Manhattan cardiologist Will Grope You For Free During Exam

 A Manhattan cardiologist previously accused of assaulting a patient in his office allegedly groped another woman’s genitals during an exam, according to court papers.

Benjamin Zaremski, 67, unbuckled the New Jersey woman’s pants and touched her vagina with “an ungloved hand” during the November 2019 visit in his East 80th Street office, according to the legal claim filed in Manhattan Federal Court by the accuser, identified only as “Jane Doe.”

It’s the second time Zaremski has been sued for allegedly inappropriately touching a patient: a 2012 Manhattan Supreme Court claim by a different woman accused the doctor of putting his finger in her rectum without cause and with “unnecessary force” over her objections, according to court papers. 

A lawyer for Jane Doe declined comment. Zaremski could not be immediately reached.

KINDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC all skip John Kerry controversy over alleged leaking of Israeli intel to Iran

While I was briefing Trump, Kerry was briefing Iran

 There's been a widespread blackout in media coverage of the growing controversy surrounding Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry over his alleged sharing of Israeli intel with Iran. 

There has been intense backlash after the New York Times reported that Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif alleged in audiotape that Kerry told him that Israel had struck around 200 Iranian targets in Syria.

The Iranian leader admitted he was shocked by the purported admission, as reported by The New York Times.

While Kerry has called the claims "unequivocally false" and such a conversation "never" occurred during or since his tenure as Secretary of State, GOP lawmakers are calling for investigations and for his resignation from the Biden administration if the allegations turn out to be true. 

Apparently, none of this was newsworthy to ABC, CBS, and NBC, which dedicated zero coverage to the controversy on Monday and Tuesday during their morning and evening news programs, according to Grabien transcripts. 

And despite being a 24-hour news network, MSNBC also skipped any mention of Kerry's alleged chat with Iran. 

NN only addressed the Kerry controversy twice on Tuesday, once during its "Early Start" program in the morning and a brief mention by Jake Tapper during his interview with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Neither CNN nor MSNBC made any mention of Kerry on their most-watched shows in primetime.

INDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Now that Trump is Out The Washington Post Quits its Presidential Fact-Checking Database

 The Washington Post is calling it quits on its presidential fact-checking database, one hundred days into President Joe Biden’s administration.

“Glenn Kessler, editor and chief writer of the Fact Checker, tweeted late Monday that the team would continue to fact-check President Biden ‘rigorously’ but would no longer maintain the database started under former President Trump,” the Washington Times reported Tuesday.

Kessler shared a link to the database, writing, “Here’s the Biden database — which we do not plan to extend beyond 100 days. I have learned my lesson”

Kessler explained, “‘Learned my lesson’ means that who knows what the next four years will bring. We have fact-checked Biden rigorously and will continue to do so. Trump at 500 claims/100 days was manageable; 8,000+ was not.”

Breitbart News reported April 16 the Post continued giving former President Donald Trump “four Pinocchios” for challenging a partially discredited story from 2020 about Russia paying bounties to Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan.

The article continued:

The story, first reported by the New York Times, became a staple of Democratic talking points against Trump. Joe Biden and Kamala Harris used it to argue throughout the campaign that Trump did not care about the welfare of the troops. 

However, the Biden administration admitted Thursday that U.S. intelligence only had “low to moderate” confidence that the story was true after all.

Following his announcement, Twitter users questioned Kessler’s decision and expressed their disagreement.

“Reporting lies by POTUS is one of journalism’s most important responsibilities. Are you saying you can’t maintain a simple database of lies? Too much bother?” one person replied.

“That lesson being: don’t even lightly criticize a Democrat. Just praise whatever they do. Don’t ask questions,” another said.

More at Breitbart

INDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Is PA delaying elections due to E. Jerusalem or fears of losing?

 

INDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Iranian Ships Harass US vessels for Close to 3 Hours....

Do we miss Trump yet?

 'Iranian Warships SWARM US Navy Vessels During Tense Stand-Off in Persian Gulf'

An Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps warship conducted “unsafe and unprofessional” manoeuvres near two US Coast Guard ships in the Persian Gulf earlier this month. A video released by the US Navy showed a tense encounter between a ship commanded by Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard and the Coast Guard patrol boat USCGC Monomoy on April 2. According to the Navy, during the encounter, the Iranian vessel cut in front of the Monomoy, forcing the ship to make “defensive” manoeuvres to avoid a collision.

INDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

Biden Trusts Iran When it Comes to Nuclear Arms but Not When They Claim That Kerry Gave them Classified Info

So which is it: Should we trust Iran or not? 

John Kerry is the biggest proponent of the nuclear deal with Iran. We can believe that country to abide by its provisions, he says. 

Yet when Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that Kerry had revealed to him the fact that Israel had conducted 200 airstrikes in Syria, the Biden official bristled. Zarif was lying. 

“I can tell you that this story and these allegations are unequivocally false,” Kerry said in a statement. “This never happened when I was secretary of state or since.” 

To be sure, the likeliest scenario remains that John Forbes Kerry is guilty of doing exactly what Zarif claims he did. But let’s engage in a little thought experiment: Let’s say Zarif made the whole thing up and the underlying leaked recording was part of a cynical Islamic Republic disinformation operation to create more “daylight” between two of Tehran’s greatest adversaries, the “Big Satan” of America and the “Little Satan” of Israel. 

In this hypothetical scenario, it is not Kerry who is the bald-faced liar — it is Zarif. But in that case, why in the world is Team Biden currently prostrating itself in Vienna before the world’s No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism, with Zarif himself as that No. 1 state sponsor of terrorism’s leading diplomat, in the quixotic hopes of securing a “longer and stronger” nuclear deal? 

As a matter of pure logic, that is sheer lunacy. The 2015 nuclear deal was a house of cards built on the myriad lies of the Iranian regime and its henchmen. Those lies were downplayed and willfully ignored by Team Obama’s zealous ideologues. And if Zarif is willing to lie as part of a crudely calculated disinformation operation, why in the world — other than genuinely malicious, fifth-column intentions — would American diplomats trust him with securing a new nuclear accord? 

President Biden, you have to choose. Either Iran officials are truthful, and Kerry is awful and needs to go. Or Iranian officials are liars, in which case, there should be no deal. 

Josh Hammer is Newsweek opinion editor and a research fellow with the Edmund Burke Foundation. 

INDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME

NYC Council expels Chaim Deutsch following his tax fraud plea

 

Convicted lawmaker Chaim Deutsch was expelled from the City Council Tuesday by Speaker Corey Johnson, just days after he pleaded guilty to federal charges of cheating on his taxes.

“Based on our review of the charging document and Mr. Chaim Deutsch’s plea agreement, the Council has concluded that the office of the 48th Council District has been vacated under the operation of law,” said Johnson, in a terse statement released in the evening. 

“Mr. Deutsch confessed to a crime and violated his oath of office,” Johnson continued. “He is no longer a member of the City Council.”

The conservative Democrat stunned the Council and City Hall last week when he confessed to evading more than $82,000 in property tax between 2013 and 2015 — and then declared he would not resign in spite of the plea deal. 

Johnson said Deutsch’s actions “betrayed the public trust” and demanded his resignation — a call that Mayor Bill de Blasio later joined. 

The charges originated from a joint probe by the city Department of Investigation, the federal IRS and federal prosecutors in Manhattan.

Deutsch would have been forced to leave office at the end of the year under the city’s term-limits law. 

His district covers a swath of southern Brooklyn, including portions of Gravesend, Homecrest, Brighton Beach and Manhattan Beach. 

A spokeswoman for the Council said the seat will remain empty until a replacement is elected in November.

INDLY SUPPORT OUR BLOG BY BROWSING THE ADS

THANKS SO MUCH,, IT MEANS THE WORLD TO US IN THESE DIFFICULT TIME