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March 23, 2017 at 9:08 pm
New documents from WikiLeaks point to an apparent CIA program to hack Apple’s iPhones and Mac computers using techniques that users couldn’t disable by resetting their devices.
Security experts say the exploits are plausible, but suggest they pose little threat to typical users. They say that many of the tricks are older — the iPhone hack involves the 3G model from 2008, for instance. The techniques also typically require physical access to devices, something the CIA would use only for targeted individuals, not a broader population.
“The most notable part of this latest WikiLeaks release is that it shows the CIA doing exactly what we pay them to — exploit specific targets with limited attacks to support our national interests,” said Rich Mogull, CEO of...
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March 23, 2017 at 9:05 pm
Virgin America, the California-based carrier with the blue mood lighting and high-tech entertainment system, will be fully absorbed by Alaska Airlines by the end of 2019 as Alaska strives to become the West Coast’s dominant airline.
Only three months after Alaska Airlines’ parent company completed the $2.6-billion acquisition of the popular upstart airline launched by billionaire Richard Branson, Alaska Air Group says it will retire the Virgin America brand.
Since the purchase, Alaska Air Group has operated the two carriers as separate subsidiary airlines, with the ultimate goal of combining their forces to compete against bigger air rivals.
“We are going to be able to create a real, strong, integrated airline for travelers on the West Coast,” said Andrew Harriso...
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March 23, 2017 at 9:03 pm
President Trump warned House Republicans on Thursday that he will leave ObamaCare in place unless they approve legislation to repeal and replace it.
Trump officials meeting with the House GOP conference said Trump is done negotiating over the legislation, which was set to come up for a vote Thursday but was delayed.
Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a former member of the House Freedom Caucus that has been negotiating with Trump, told the GOP conference that Trump wants a vote on Friday during a dramatic closed-door meeting, according to a GOP source in the room.
If the vote fails, Trump will move on to other priorities and ObamaCare will stay as the law of the land, Mulvaney said.
The developments set up a likely vote on the measure Friday afternoon.
Dozens of Republic...
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March 23, 2017 at 6:04 pm
Jerusalem - Attacks like the one in London are almost impossible to stop, the former head of VIP protection at Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said on Thursday, acknowledging that even Israel struggled to prevent them.
Despite building a barrier intended to prevent Palestinian attackers protesting against occupation entering from the West Bank, Israel has suffered dozens of low-tech vehicle or knife attacks in the last two years on civilians, police and soldiers.
“What happened in London was basically in a public area and, when it comes to public areas, it’s nearly impossible (to prevent),” said Shlomo Harnoy, who spent 25 years in the Shin Bet, sometimes coordinating protection for U.S. presidential visits. He now directs Sdema Group, a global security consulta...
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March 23, 2017 at 5:12 pm
Tel Aviv - Israel, a leader in marijuana research and health technology, is attracting international investment as it tries to position itself as a cutting-edge exporter in the rapidly-growing market for medical-grade cannabis.
With estimates that the global market for medical marijuana could reach $50 billion by 2025, the Israeli government is set to allow the local industry to start exporting and projects annual revenues in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Medical cannabis is a relatively new field with no universal clinical standard. Israel aims to fill the void by combining its expertise in agriculture, technology and cannabis-based medicine, said Yuval Landschaft, head of the health ministry’s medical cannabis unit (IMCA).
“In the United States, for example, they us...
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March 23, 2017 at 5:10 pm
Washington - The top Senate Democrat said Thursday he will oppose President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee and lead a filibuster of the choice, setting up a politically charged showdown with Republicans with far-reaching implications for future judicial nominees.
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer criticized Judge Neil Gorsuch, saying he “almost instinctively favors the powerful over the weak” and would not serve as a check on Trump or be a mainstream justice.
“I have concluded that I cannot support Neil Gorsuch’s nomination,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “My vote will be no and I urge my colleagues to do the same.”
Shortly before Schumer’s announcement, Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey, who faces re-election next year in a state Trum...
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March 23, 2017 at 4:48 pm
The Justice Department is investigating Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), the House Ethics Committee revealed in a statement on Thursday.
The ethics panel was reviewing alleged campaign finance violations by Hunter but has halted that work at the request of the Justice Department, the panel said.
“The Department of Justice has asked the Committee to defer consideration of this matter and the Committee, following precedent, unanimously voted on March 22, 2017, to defer consideration of this matter at this time,” the House Ethics Committee in a statement.
The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), an independent watchdog for the House, has been looking into potential campaign finance violations, according to the report released by OCE. However, the specific allega...
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March 23, 2017 at 4:37 pm
HHS Secretary Tom Price on why the proposed Obamacare replacement plan, the American Health Care Act, lives up to Trump’s promises, could give Americans access to universal coverage and why groups of Republicans have opposed it.
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March 23, 2017 at 4:36 pm
GOP House leaders delayed their planned vote Thursday on a long-promised bill to repeal and replace “Obamacare,” in a stinging setback for House Speaker Paul Ryan and President Donald Trump in their first major legislative test.
The decision came after Trump, who ran as a master dealmaker, failed to reach agreement with a bloc of rebellious conservatives. Moderate-leaning Republican lawmakers were also bailing on the legislation, leaving it short of votes.
The bill could still come to a vote in coming days, but canceling Thursday’s vote was a significant defeat. It came on the seven-year anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act, years that Republicans have devoted to promising repeal.
Those promises helped them keep control of the House and...
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March 23, 2017 at 4:35 pm
President Reuven Rivlin today (Thursday) departed from Hanoi to visit Ho Chi Minh City. The visit marked the first by a President of Israel to the city.
President & First Lady Rivlin opened the special visit to the city by touring a model cow dairy established in 2013 by MASHAV (the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ international development program), together with the Ho Chi Minh regional authorities. The dairy, which houses 200 cows, is based on an Israeli model using technology developed by leading Israeli companies in the field. Israeli experts assisted in training the dairy workers, and continued to provide professional guidance. In addition, the dairy acted as a center of excellence for the local area, and accordingly the staff regularly traveled to other dairies ...
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March 23, 2017 at 4:35 pm
ABC News says three of its Twitter accounts were hacked Thursday morning and sent out profanity-filled tweets to its millions of followers.
The tweets have since been deleted and ABC News says it is “working on resolving the problem.”
The hacked accounts included the main ABC News one, which has nearly 10 million followers, and two accounts related to its morning show “Good Morning America.” ABC News is owned by Burbank, California-based The Walt Disney Co.
San Francisco-based Twitter Inc. declined to comment, saying that it does not discuss individual accounts for privacy and security
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March 23, 2017 at 4:29 pm
Thousands were on hand for the Thursday morning 25 Adar levaya of HaGaon Rav Aharon Zachs ZT”L, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka L’Tzeirim. The rav was niftar in Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak during the night.
The levaya began at 9:30AM from the yeshiva and then towards the rav’s home on Sokolov Street in Bnei Brak and from there to Beit Knesset Heligman and Kvura on Har HaZeisim.
The rav was born 80 years ago to HaGaon Rav Chaim Eliyahu Zalman Zachs ZT”L and Moras Esther Leah A”H. He studied in Slobodka where he was known as an illui at a young age. He was very close to his brother-in-law, HaGaon Rav Dov Landau Shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slobodka.
The rav was hospitalized about two months ago in serious condition following a heart attack.
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March 23, 2017 at 4:18 pm
Baltimore, MD - Mar. 23, 2017 - Pesach dishes in the pantry? Old baby clothes stuffed in the bottom of a drawer? Winter coats and boots hidden away in the back of your closet? Are these items taking up valuable space you could be using for more important things? Not to mention with Pesach around the corner, you need a place to store your miscellaneous chametz items.
Now, you no longer have to put up with your space being taken over by possessions that you aren’t using.
Luckily, Store It Small, launching this Sunday, March 26th by Baltimore native Moshe Langermann, can take it off your hands and, for a minimal fee, store it in a secure location.
Enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your valued belongings are being stored with the utmost care, in small sealed cont...
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March 23, 2017 at 3:59 pm
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri has come out again in support of Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, who came under fire from Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman after condemning the IDF’s new policy of integrating women into combat units.
Deri met on Thursday morning 25 Adar with prominent dati leumi rav Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita, Rosh Yeshivat Yeshivot Bnei Akiva. During the visit Rav Druckman showed Deri a rare printing of the Rambam dating back 400 years.
The two discussed the matter of the Defense Minister trying to decertify Bnei David due to Rabbi Levinstein’s remarks, and the fact that Rabbis Levinstein and Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Eli Sadan Shlita were summoned by the Defense Minister Director-General to a hearing on the matter next week.
Deri, who used the media to express h...
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March 23, 2017 at 3:51 pm
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-General Gadi Eizenkott met for a number of hours with rabbonim from thje dati leumi community headed by Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita and Rabbi Zalman Menachem. Eizenkott listened to their concerns over the integration of females into combat units, informing them that religious officers’ cadets in Base 1 would be accommodated rather than forced to enter a mixed unit.
He promised them that separate companies would be established in the Lahav and Nachshon battalions next month.
Rav Melamed has recently spoken out about serving in and commanding such units, stating one has to give up one’s parnasa rather than to command a mixed unit.
Eizenkott met with 16 rabbonim this week in his office, a meeting that latest a number of hours.
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March 23, 2017 at 3:45 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Republican-led Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump's pick to be U.S. ambassador to Israel, ignoring objections from Democrats that David Friedman lacked the temperament for such an important diplomatic post. Senators voted Thursday largely along party lines, 52-46, to approve Friedman's nomination. Only two Democrats – Sens. Bob Menendez of New Jersey and Joe Manchin of West Virginia – voted in favor of Friedman. The son of an Orthodox rabbi, Friedman has been a fervent supporter of Israeli settlements, an opponent of Palestinian statehood and staunch defender of Israel's government Friedman, a combative attorney who once worked as Trump's bankruptcy lawyer, generated strident opposition from many Democrats. They pointed to Fr...
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March 23, 2017 at 3:39 pm
Agudath Israel of America, a national Orthodox Jewish organization, supports the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. We urge the Senate to confirm the nomination expeditiously.
By all accounts, Judge Gorsuch is an outstanding selection to join the High Court. During his tenure in government, in private practice and on the bench he has distinguished himself by his outstanding scholarship, intellect and temperament. That he has garnered support from Americans of diverse political, ethnic and religious backgrounds is testament to the confidence our citizenry has in Judge Gorsuch's adherence to the fair and faithful application of the law.
The prospect of Judge Gorsuch's elevation to the Supreme Court is particularl...
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March 23, 2017 at 3:34 pm
The Washington Post's Bob Woodward warned on Wednesday that there are people from the Obama administration who could be facing criminal charges for unmasking the names of Trump transition team members from surveillance of foreign officials.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., said earlier that he had briefed Trump on new information, unrelated to an investigation into Russian activities, that suggested that several members of Trump's transition team and perhaps Trump himself had their identities "unmasked" after their communications were intercepted by U.S. intelligence officials.
The revelation is notable because identities of Americans are generally supposed to remain "masked" if American communications are swept up during sur...
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March 23, 2017 at 12:55 pm
London - A video filmed by a British lawmaker shows the initial panic inside parliament during Wednesday’s attack in London in which an assailant killed three people nearby.
Cries of “Is he coming?” and “Get back, get back” can be heard in the clip from member of parliament David Davies as he runs through a building warning those around.
He told British media he was walking with a colleague to parliament’s lower chamber, the House of Commons, from nearby Portcullis House when he heard gunfire.
The footage shows him running up an escalator and stairs. British media quoted him saying he ran back to Portcullis House where people were “milling around”.
A British-born assailant, once investigated by MI5 intelligence agents over concern...
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March 23, 2017 at 12:54 pm
Former Arab MK Basel Ghattas was convicted of charges pertaining to his bringing cellular telephones to Arab prisoners in Israel. As per the plea bargain agreement, he admitted to his actions and will serve two years in prison.
He was convicted in the Beersheva Magistrate court on charges including breach of trust, bribery, and smuggling prohibited electronic contraband to prisoners.
Some of his former colleagues including MK Hanin Zoabi were in the court as a showing of support for him.
