WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Israel and the China Dilemma Are the opportunities greater than the risks? Joseph Puder

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2021/03/israel-and-china-dilemma-joseph-puder/

In the late spring of 2020, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Israel. His visit came after Israel formed a coalition government between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party. Pompeo, while endorsing Israel’s rights to Judea and Samaria, had a blunt message for his Israeli friends: “Beware of China.” Pompeo added, “We don’t want the Chinese Communist Party to have access to Israeli infrastructure, Israeli communication networks, and the kind of things that endanger the Israeli people and the ability of the US to cooperate with Israel.”

Pompeo’s gently expressed admonition to Israeli officials was not new. In the 1990’s, the US pressed Israel to cancel a deal to sell the Phalcon Intelligence surveillance aircraft to China. Israel backed down, and was compelled to return the $250 million to Beijing that the Chinese had invested in the project.

For Israel, the situation was terribly uncomfortable. It was forced to choose between its closest and most trusted ally – the US, and a great business opportunity with China. There was little hesitation however, on Israel’s part. The US will always be Israel’s top priority.

In fact, almost immediately following Pompeo’s warning, the Israeli government decided to pass on a bid by the Israeli affiliate of the Hong Kong conglomerate CK Hutchinson, to build a $1.5 billion water desalination plant in southern Israel. The contract was awarded instead to a local Israeli company named IDE Technologies.

American culture is so pervasive in Israel that many Israelis might quip that Israel is the 51st state of the United States. Every American fad and fashion is almost immediately adopted in Israel. Thankfully for Israel, the US and Israeli interests in the region, although not identical, they come as close as two countries can be. Israel moreover, has voted with the US more often than practically any other country.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The Morning Briefing: President Puppet Finally Schedules a Press Conference By Stephen Kruiser

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://pjmedia.com/columns/stephen-kruiser/2021/03/17/the-morning-briefing-president-puppet-finally-schedules-a-press-conference-n1433085

Full disclosure: I was one of those people who thought that the Democrats would have hit President Biden with a 25th Amendment coup by now. After a while, I realized that they prefer having him in place and pulling his puppet strings. They type up the executive orders, tell Ol’ Gropes to sign them, and the dismantling of the Republic proceeds apace.

I also wasn’t factoring in Kamala Harris’s soaring ambition. She’d like Biden to last at least two years so that she can have a ten-year run in office. If the Democrats succeed in their efforts to make the “anomalies” from last year a permanent part of our elections, we may never see another Republican president again. Madam Vice President has probably been redecorating the Oval Office in her head since Inauguration Day but she knows that patience is the best strategy now.

Back in December, though, I was telling everyone that Biden wouldn’t make it to March 1st in office.

Once it became apparent that the old boy would be hanging around for a while I began wondering how they would be able to employ the basement strategy that worked so well for them during the campaign. They can’t let Biden get too much time before the cameras. The potential for embarrassment is always just one short video away with this drooling fool.

I was asked in January how they could hide the president of the United States. Keeping the COVID panic ratcheted up gives them an ongoing excuse for the president’s lack of public availability.

One thing I didn’t consider at the time was that Team Biden would simply refuse to do press conferences. They’ve been blowing off their beloved advocacy press corps for a couple of months already.

That’s all finally changing now. A date has been put on the calendar for Biden’s first presser and I, for one, can’t wait to see the train wreck happen.

ELECTIONS Comments turned off

Trump Vindicated as Judge Rules Michigan Secretary of State Violated Election Laws By Matt Margolis

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2021/03/17/trump-vindicated-as-federal-judge-rules-michigan-secretary-of-state-violated-election-laws-n1433162

A judge in Michigan has vindicated President Trump by ruling that Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat, broke state law when she unilaterally changed election rules concerning absentee balloting in the 2020 election. This ruling legitimizes a key claim made by the Trump legal team in its challenges to the 2020 election.

A major change imposed by Benson was loosening the signature verification requirement for absentee ballots. Michigan Court of Claims Chief Judge Christopher Murray ruled that this change violated Michigan Administrative Procedures Act.

The court made the following conclusion:

…nowhere in this state’s election law has the Legislature indicated that signatures are to be presumed valid, nor did the Legislature require that signatures are to be accepted so long as there are any redeeming qualities in the application or return envelope as compared with the signature on file. Policy determinations like the one at issue — which places the thumb on the scale in favor of a signature’s validity — should be made pursuant to properly promulgated rules under the APA or by the Legislature.

Over 3.1 million Michiganders voted by absentee ballot in November. Biden “won” the state by just over 154,000 votes, according to the state-certified results.

“I’m glad the court sees Secretary of State Benson’s attempts at lawmaking for what they are – clear violations of her authority,” said State Rep. Matt Hall, a Republican. “If she wants to make changes like these, she needs to work with the Legislature or properly promulgate them through the laws we have on the books.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Rachel Levine Committed Cuomocide In PennsylvaniaOnly in government could someone as incompetent as she is continue to hold a job, let alone get promoted.

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://issuesinsights.com/2021/03/17/rachel-levine-committed-cuomocide-in-pennsylvania/

“UPDATE: We’ve been told Sen. Rand Paul placed a hold on the Levine nomination. We hope that prevents floor action until Pennsylvania taxpayers and the American people receive the answers they deserve.”

Pennsylvania’s state health director Rachel Levine is ticketed to be the assistant secretary of Health and Human Services for Policy. A Senate floor vote on her confirmation is expected next week. We generally believe that presidents deserve the advisers they choose, but Levine is about the last person in America you would want devising the nation’s health policies. 

On March 18, 2020, Levine issued a Cuomo-order that said:

“Nursing care facilities must continue to accept new admissions and receive readmissions for current residents who have been discharged from the hospital who are stable to alleviate the increasing burden in the acute care settings. This may include stable patients who have had the COVID-19 virus.”

While Levine defended this policy, “ABC27 learned the health secretary’s mother recently vacated a personal care home in the Midstate.”

FOREIGN POLICY Comments turned off

Biden Imposes His First Sanctions on Chinese Officials Ahead of Bilateral Meeting New sanctions are against 24 officials previously targeted by the Trump administration over Beijing’s suppression in Hong Kong Chun Han Wong

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-imposes-his-first-sanctions-on-chinese-officials-ahead-of-bilateral-meeting-11615976219?mod=world_major_2_pos6

HONG KONG—The Biden administration added new sanctions against two dozen Chinese officials it says have undermined Hong Kong’s partial autonomy from Beijing, signaling a continuing strong U.S. line on an issue that has contributed to fraying bilateral ties.

Announced Tuesday evening in Washington, the measures marked the first time the Biden administration imposed sanctions on Chinese officials. The move comes shortly before senior U.S. and Chinese officials are due to arrive in Alaska on Thursday to hold the first high-level in-person talks between the two countries since President Biden took office in January.

The measures extend the confrontation between the U.S. and China over the governance of Hong Kong, where Beijing has stepped up suppression of dissent in the face of Western criticism. U.S. objections to Chinese policies in the former British colony have fueled bilateral tensions, along with discord over issues such as trade, technology and global influence.

In a statement on the new sanctions, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cited Beijing’s plans—approved by Chinese lawmakers last week—to revamp the electoral system in Hong Kong, a move meant to ensure that only people whom China’s Communist Party considers “patriots” will be allowed to govern the former British colony.

Mr. Blinken said the 24 officials targeted in Tuesday’s action were deemed to have “reduced Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy.” All of these officials, who include senior Chinese lawmakers and Hong Kong-based security officials, had already been hit with sanctions by the Trump administration.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Russia Recalls Its Ambassador to the U.S. for Consultations Moscow’s move follows a critical U.S. intelligence report about Russian efforts to interfere in the 2020 presidential election

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-recalls-its-ambassador-to-the-u-s-for-consultations-11616011568

By Jessica Donati and Ann M. Simmons

The Russian ambassador to the U.S. has been summoned to Moscow for consultations, a Russian foreign ministry spokesman said, as the Kremlin determines the next steps in relations with the U.S. under the Biden administration.

The announcement that Anatoly Antonov had been summoned to Moscow came a day after a U.S. intelligence report for the first time directly accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of ordering a wide-ranging influence operation to interfere in the 2020 U.S. election, intending to hurt President Biden’s campaign.

U.S. intelligence agencies previously have said Moscow tried to interfere in the 2016 election and that it was doing so again last year but hadn’t explicitly linked Mr. Putin to allegations of 2020 meddling. Russian officials have repeatedly denied any effort to influence the outcome of U.S. elections.

A statement by the Russian foreign ministry said the most important thing for Moscow was to identify ways to rectify the relationship, blaming Washington for bringing relations between the two countries to “a blind alley.”

ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

Biden’s ‘BackDoor’ Climate Plan Emails reveal the strategy behind the new regulation to come.

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://www.wsj.com/articles/bidens-backdoor-climate-plan-11616020338?mod=opinion_lead_pos1

“To sum up, Democratic AGs, green groups and a top Biden environmental regulator are colluding on a plan to impose the Green New Deal on states through a back regulatory door because they know they can’t pass it through the front in Congress.”

President Biden wants Congress to pass climate legislation, but that faces political obstacles. No worries—state Democratic Attorneys General are conspiring with green groups on a regulatory Plan B.

Climate activists have long sought to force CO2 emissions reductions under the Clean Air Act, but this has been tricky. The Supreme Court in Massachusetts v. EPA (2007) ruled that the law’s general definition of “pollutant” covered greenhouse gases. But the Court didn’t tell the EPA how it should regulate CO2 under the law.

Massachusetts v. EPA set the ground for the Obama EPA’s “endangerment finding” in 2009 declaring that greenhouse gases are a threat to public health and welfare. Green groups then petitioned the Obama EPA to list CO2 as a “criteria pollutant” and set National Air Ambient Quality Standards (NAAQS).

The EPA dictates air quality standards for six “criteria pollutants” known to directly harm human health: nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, carbon monoxide, ozone and particulate matter. States must craft plans to meet the EPA standards if they are out of compliance.

ANTI-SEMITISM Comments turned off

Tributes pour in for black Jewish actor Yaphet Kotto who played Bond villain, Idi Amin By Paul Shindman

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://worldisraelnews.com/tributes-pour-in-for-black-jewish-actor-yaphet-kotto-wh

One of Hollywood’s few Black Jewish actors was proud of his Jewish heritage and African roots.

One of Hollywood’s few black Jewish actors, Yaphet Kotto, has passed away at the age of 81, after a career that spanned half a century and cast him in memorable rolls with stars like Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver and Roger Moore.

Kotto’s wife, Sinahon Thessa, posted on Facebook that her husband died in the Philippines.

“This is a very painful moment for me to inform you all fans, friends and family,” Thessa said. “You played a villain on some of your movies but for me you’re a real hero and to a lot of people also. A good man, a good father, a good husband and a decent human being, very rare to find.”

Yaphet Kotto’s father came to America from Cameroon in the 1920s and was an observant Jew who spoke Hebrew, the website MaNishtana documented. His mother, Gladys Marie, converted to Judaism and Kotto related that his father’s family originated from Israel and migrated to Egypt and then Cameroon, and had been African Jews for many generation.

MEDIA Comments turned off

Journalists, Illustrating How They Operate, Yesterday Spread a Significant Lie All Over Twitter Glenn Greenwald

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://greenwald.substack.com/p/journalists-illustrating-how-they?token=eyJ1c2VyX2

Eager to obtain vindication for the pre-election falsehood they spread about the Hunter Biden story, journalists falsely claim that the CIA blamed Russia for it.

Journalists with the largest and most influential media outlets disseminated an outright and quite significant lie on Tuesday to hundreds of thousands of people, if not millions, on Twitter. While some of them were shamed into acknowledging the falsity of their claim, many refused to, causing it to continue to spread up until this very moment. It is well worth examining how they function because this is how they deceive the public again and again, and it is why public trust in their pronouncements has justifiably plummeted.

The lie they told involved claims of Russian involvement in the procurement of Hunter Biden’s laptop. In the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, The New York Post obtained that laptop and published a series of articles about the Biden family’s business dealings in Ukraine, China and elsewhere. In response, Twitter banned the posting of any links to that reporting and locked The Post out of its Twitter account for close to two weeks, while Facebook, through a long-time Democratic operative, announced that it would algorithmically suppress the reporting.

The excuse used by those social media companies for censoring this reporting was the same invoked by media outlets to justify their refusal to report the contents of these documents: namely, that the materials were “Russian disinformation.” That claim of “Russian disinformation” was concocted by a group of several dozen former CIA officials and other operatives of the intelligence community devoted to defeating Trump. Immediately after The Post published its first story about Hunter Biden’s business dealings in Ukraine that traded on his influence with his father, these career spies and propagandists, led by Obama CIA Director and serial liar John Brennan, published a letter asserting that the appearance of these Biden documents “has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.”

HISTORY, ISRAEL Comments turned off

Leon Pinsker: A bicentennial marking an early modern Zionist – opinion What was Pinsker’s movement really like and what did it stand for? By Moshe Phillips

Posted By on March 18th, 2021

https://www.jpost.com/opinion/leon-pinsker-a-bicentennial-marking-an-early-modern-zionist-opinion-662228

 Not many Jews today know of the 19th-century Jewish leader who wrote a booklet that inspired young Jews to move to the Land of Israel. The man at first believed passionately in assimilation as an answer for Jews but later, due to what he saw as rising antisemitism, advocated a new idea that eventually became known as Zionism. He met with notables all over Europe to advance his plans. The booklet made an impact and led to his chairing a movement that convened a groundbreaking convention of Jews who came from all over Europe to speak about practical ways to spark a mass Return to Zion.

If you are thinking the man was Theodor Herzl, the book was The Jewish State (1896), the convention was the First Zionist Congress, and the movement was the World Zionist Organization, you are wrong.

This Jewish leader died five years before Herzl wrote The Jewish State, his name was Leon Pinsker, and this year is the bicentennial of his birth. Pinsker’s booklet was titled Auto-Emancipation: A Warning of a Russian Jews to His Brothers, and was published in 1882. The 1881 pogroms that followed the assassination of Czar Alexander II had caused Pinkser, a physician, to rethink his dedication to the idea that assimilation was the best hope for the Jews of Russia. He was recruited to the Hibat Zion (“Fondness For Zion”) movement and chaired its 1884 conference in Katowice, Poland, a result of which was that the various parts of the movement united as Hovevei Zion (“Lovers Of Zion”).