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November 17, 2017 at 10:07 am
New Jersey Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez exited his federal bribery trial after a mistrial Thursday with an eye on a 2018 re-election effort, but with him neither acquitted nor convicted, the cloud from the investigation remains.
The mistrial gave Democrats hoping to hold onto the seat in next year’s midterm elections cause for optimism and spurred Republicans to keep the pressure up. The stakes are high given that Republicans have a narrow 52-48 Senate majority and head into the midterm election under a historically unpopular Republican president.
Menendez, himself, was buoyed by the decision.
“To those who were digging my political grave so they could jump into my seat, I know who you are and I won’t forget you,” Menendez said.
A bi-partisan group of la...
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November 17, 2017 at 10:07 am
The Trump administration said it will allow the importation of body parts from African elephants shot for sport, contending that encouraging wealthy big-game hunters to kill them will aid the vulnerable species.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in a written notice issued Thursday that permitting elephants from Zimbabwe and Zambia to be brought back as trophies will raise money for conservation programs. A licensed two-week African elephant hunt can cost more than $50,000 per person, not including airfare, according to advertised rates.
The change marks a shift in efforts to stop the importation of elephant tusks and hides, overriding a 2014 ban imposed by the Obama administration. The new policy applies to the remains of African elephants killed between January 2016 and Dece...
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November 17, 2017 at 8:41 am
Women of the Wall (WoW) and supporters were at the Kosel Thursday morning, 27 Cheshvan, ahead of Rosh Chodesh Kislev. In addition to their regular prayers, they left the area allocated to them and then began dancing and singing in the Kosel Plaza, mixed dancing, with Sifrei Torah in hand R”L.
Kikar Shabbos News quotes eyewitnesses, who explained when they were done with their prayer service, they headed towards the Kosel Plaza singing and dancing, a gender-mixed group, without passing through security and without listening to calls to halt.
Kosel Heritage Foundation officials responded: “Unfortunately, this is a group that came to the Kosel this morning to create a provocation and a media event, well-aware their actions were contrary to the rulings of the High Court of ...
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November 17, 2017 at 8:40 am
There has been a rise of hundreds of percent in the past five years in the recruitment of girls entering IDF fighting units according to data from the November 2017 recruitment that began this week.
In 2017 about 2,700 girls joined the combat units, including the mixed battalions and other units. This is a 350% increase compared to the number of female soldiers who enlisted in 2012.
Five years ago, the IDF absorbed 600 girls for combat duties, a year later the number of girls more than doubled and stood at more than 1,300, and the figure rose until it reached its peak this year, compared to last year’s 30% increase in the number of girls who enlisted to combat units.
The IDF attributes this year’s increase to the number of exemptions given to the soldiers in the mixed ...
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November 17, 2017 at 8:39 am
Parshas Toldos / Shabbos Mevarchim Kislev / Baltimore Zmanim / Eruv is UP!
Baltimore, MD – Nov. 17, 2017
Parshas: Toldos
Today: 21 MarCheshvan
Chatzos: 11:52 PM
Hadlakas Nairos: 4:32 PM
Shkiah: 4:50:16 PM
Tzais HaKochavim: 5:41 PM
Rosh Chodesh Kislev: Sunday, Nov. 19, 2017
Kiddush Levanah: Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2017 5:36 PM – Dec. 3, 2017 11:58 AM
Kiddush Levanah may only be said at night
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November 17, 2017 at 8:31 am
Budgets and holidays don’t always go hand in hand. Putting gifts on a credit card can be tempting, but interest charges might sour your spirit and you might be drawn to credit card promotions with enticing offers such as “no interest if paid in full in 12 months” or “0 percent intro APR for 12 months.”
They sound similar, and either can help you avoid interest for a while. But one merely defers interest , which can be more costly if you don’t understand the terms. Find out what you’re signing up for and whether it’s the right fit.
KNOW THE DIFFERENCE
Here’s how these two credit card promotions differ:
— Deferred interest: You won’t pay interest on your qualifying purchase if you pay it off in full during the promot...
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November 17, 2017 at 8:30 am
Russia’s Justice Ministry said Thursday it has warned several U.S. government-funded news outlets that they could be designated as foreign agents under a new bill which has yet to be fully approved.
The bill, endorsed by Russia’s lower house Wednesday, comes in response to the U.S. registration of Russian state-funded RT TV as a foreign agent. It needs to be approved by the upper house and signed by President Vladimir Putin to become law.
Putin has harshly criticized the U.S. demand regarding RT as an attack on freedom of speech, and had warned that Russia would retaliate.
The loosely phrased Russian bill says that any government- or private-funded foreign news outlets could be declared foreign agents, leaving it to the Justice Ministry to single them out.
The ministr...
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November 17, 2017 at 7:00 am
Baltimore County police say they've determined a report of a Tuesday evening armed robbery and attempted carjacking at Towson Town Center was false. Now, the woman who reported it could face charges herself.
Police responded to a parking lot across from the mall around 5:4 p.m. on Tuesday when a Parkville woman, 46, said the incident had just occurred.
She told officers at the time that she saw two black males lurking among the parked cars who approached her and demanded her vehicle in the mall's garage. She said she believed they had a handgun, she refused to hand over her keys and gave them her purse.
Police say they called in air support, K9 units and ground units to locate the suspects they now say were never there. Mall security was alerted and Towson University...
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November 17, 2017 at 5:50 am
70-year-old terror victim describes this morning's terror attack in Gush Etzion that left two injured - one seriously.
Two Israelis were injured in a terror attack Friday morning in the Gush Etzion area south of Jerusalem.
The victims, a 35-year-old man and a 70-year-old man, were injured in two separate ramming incidents at nearby junctions in Gush Etzion. The 17-year-old terrorist slammed into the 70-year-old man at the Efrat south junction, before proceeding to the Gush Etzion junction, where he ran down another pedestrian.
While the 70-year-old suffered light injuries, the second victim suffered serious head injuries, and will be undergoing brain surgery. He is currently listed in serious but stable condition.
The 70-year-old victim has been identified as David R...
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November 17, 2017 at 5:49 am
The second victim of the Friday morning vehicular ramming attack near Gush Etzion Junction has sustained serious head injuries, and is undergoing emergency surgery in Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital. He is described to be a 35-year-old male.
Professor Alon Perkowsky explains “A 35-year-old male arrived from the vehicular attack in a compromised state of consciousness. He was transported expeditiously from the scene by MDA. He sustained head injuries including internal bleeding into his brain. He is in serious/stable condition.
The 70-year-old man, who was wounded in the first vehicular ramming attack nearby, at Efrat Junction South, is David Ramati. He was transported to Shaare Zedek Hospital. Speaking to reporters from his bed, he explains “the terrorist passed m...
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November 17, 2017 at 5:49 am
35-year-old seriously injured in combination ramming, stabbing attack in Gush Etzion.
An Arab terrorist carried out a combined ramming and stabbing attack in Gush Etzion on Friday morning, leaving two Israelis injured, including one in serious condition.
The terrorist ran over a 70-year-old man at the Efrat south junction, lightly injuring him.
The victim was evacuated to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem.
The terrorist then continued to the Gush Etzion junction, where he ran over a 35-year-old man. The 35-year-old suffered a head injury and was evacuated to the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, MDA reported. He is currently in serious but stable condition.
The terrorist then attempted to stab a soldier and was shot and neutralized by the security forces at the scene.
&l...
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November 17, 2017 at 5:48 am
Scientists for the first time have tried editing a gene inside the body in a bold attempt to permanently change a person’s DNA to cure a disease.
The experiment was done Monday in California on 44-year-old Brian Madeux. Through an IV, he received billions of copies of a corrective gene and a genetic tool to cut his DNA in a precise spot.
“It’s kind of humbling” to be the first to test this, said Madeux, who has a metabolic disease called Hunter syndrome. “I’m willing to take that risk. Hopefully it will help me and other people.”
Signs of whether it’s working may come in a month; tests will show for sure in three months.
If it’s successful, it could give a major boost to the fledgling field of gene therapy . Scientists have ed...
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November 17, 2017 at 5:48 am
In less than a year, the residents of Haifa will decide whether a new mayor will be elected, or that the current mayor of the city, Yona Yahav, will continue for another term.
But while the Degel Hatorah is preparing for a strong battle against Yadav’s election, it seems that Agudas Yisrael and Shas are not expected to cooperate with the move and may even publicly support Yahav’s bid for reelection.
Degel will try to promote attorney David Etzioni, who is considered a close associate of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, in order to oust Mayor Yona Yahav, who have a particularly long confrontation with him over the appointment of Miki Alper as deputy mayor. Yahav decided to turn his back on the coalition agreement with Degel, and he refused to appoint Alper as a d...
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November 17, 2017 at 5:48 am
Leading researchers castigated a federal plan that would use artificial intelligence methods to scrutinize immigrants and visa applicants, saying it is unworkable as written and likely to be “inaccurate and biased” if deployed.
The experts, a group of more than 50 computer and data scientists, mathematicians and other specialists in automated decision-making, urged the Department of Homeland Security to abandon the project, dubbed the “Extreme Vetting Initiative.”
That plan has its roots in President Donald Trump’s repeated pledge during the 2016 campaign to subject immigrants seeking admission to the United States to more intense ideological scrutiny — or, as he put it, “extreme vetting .”
Over the summer, DHS published a “sta...
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November 17, 2017 at 5:48 am
President Donald Trump is pressing for the United Nations Security Council to extend the mandate of experts trying to determine who was responsible for chemical attacks in Syria.
The measure could face a veto from Russia, which is pushing a rival resolution opposed by the U.S. and other Security Council members.
If neither resolution is adopted, the Joint Investigative Mechanism would cease operations when its current mandate expires at midnight Thursday.
Trump says on Twitter he needs “all” on the council to renew the so-called JIM “to ensure that Assad Regime does not commit mass murder with chemical weapons ever again.”
Russia, Syria’s most important ally, has been seeking changes in the way the JIM operates. Syria accepted a Russian proposal in 2...
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November 17, 2017 at 4:00 am
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 16, 2017 - This Shabbos, November 18th - Parshas Toldos, Yeshivas Ner Yisroel will be hold its annual citywide Shabbos of Chizuk.
Rebbeim and chavrei hahanhala will spend Shabbos in various Baltimore shuls and neighborhoods, where they will share words of Torah and chizuk with alumni and friends.
For schedule click here
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November 16, 2017 at 11:48 pm
According to statements released on Thursday, 27 Cheshvan by Hamas, Israel’s Mossad is responsible for the murder of Muhammed Zuari in Tunisia last year.
Zuari served as Hamas’ drone expert and Hamas official Muhammed Nazel is quoted saying during a Beirut media conference that Zuari was eliminated by Israeli agencies.
The assassination reportedly took place in Tunisia on December 15, 2016.
He was shot by two assailants.
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November 16, 2017 at 10:02 pm
A Southwest Airlines pilot was arrested early Wednesday after a loaded handgun was found in his carry-on luggage before his flight left St. Louis, officials said.
The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that local law enforcement was alerted around 4:45 a.m. and took possession of the 9 mm Smith & Wesson M&P Shield that was loaded with seven rounds of ammunition.
The 51-year-old pilot, whose name was not released, was arrested on suspicion of unlawful use of a weapon. Officials at St. Louis Lambert International Airport said charges were pending through St. Louis County.
A spokesman in the prosecutor’s office said no criminal charges had been filed by early Wednesday afternoon. Individuals who bring firearms to an airport checkpoint can face ci...
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November 16, 2017 at 10:00 pm
Long-term mortgage rates rose this week to the highest level in months.
Mortgage giant Freddie Mac says the rate on benchmark 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages hit 3.95 percent, up from 3.90 percent last week and highest since July. A year ago, it stood at 3.94 percent. The rate on 15-year home loans, popular among those who refinance mortgages, climbed to an average 3.31 percent, highest since April and up from 3.24 percent last week and 3.14 percent a year ago.
Long-term mortgage rates tend to track the yield on 10-year Treasury notes, which blipped higher this week.
The rate on five-year adjustable rate mortgages slipped to 3.21 percent this week from 3.22 percent last week. A year ago, it was 3.07 percent.
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November 16, 2017 at 9:59 pm
Yes, it turns out, there is something that chafes at the unflappable Ivanka Trump.
The presidential daughter and adviser, in a “full-blown sprint” as she sells the Republican tax overhaul plan and juggles other initiatives, has had it with all that talk about her “pet project” to increase the child tax credit.
“I get a little bit frustrated when people call it a pet project,” Trump told The Associated Press as she spent a day shuttling between events in multiple states. “This is a major project, this is not a pet project. This is a major initiative to ensure that there is meaningful middle-income tax relief for the American taxpayer.”
Trump, who had already been to Japan, California and Maine in the previous two weeks, spent Monday z...
