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November 15, 2019 at 1:37 pm
President Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to stop a prosecutor’s investigation of his personal finances, a bold assertion of presidential power that seeks a landmark decision from the nation’s highest court.
The filing by the president’s private lawyers represents a historical moment that tests the court’s independence and highlights the Constitution’s separation-of-powers design. It also marks a new phase in the investigations that have dogged Trump throughout his presidency and have culminated in an impeachment inquiry.
The case involves Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.’s attempt to enforce a grand jury subpoena issued to the president’s accountants for eight years of Trump’s tax records.
Trump went to court t...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:35 pm
Venice has experienced some of the worst flooding in its history this week, with flood levels of over 6 feet submerging the city’s most revered and trafficked historical sites.
High tides have washed over 85% of the one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, causing hundreds of millions of euros’ worth of damage, with shops, buildings and hundreds of pieces of infrastructure being flooded. The mayor has called the acqua alta – or high water – a “blow to the heart of the city,” and a state of emergency has been declared ahead of more expected flooding, according to Washington Post reports.
It has been over 50 years since Venice has seen flooding this severe. The flood of 1966 saw a deluge raise the canals to a height of 6 feet 4 inches, ...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:34 pm
The Justice Department inspector general’s office has told witnesses who are set to review draft sections of its long-awaited report on the FBI investigation of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign that they will not be allowed to submit written feedback – one in a series of unusual restrictions that some fear could make the final document less accurate, people familiar with the matter said.
As is the case in most inspector general probes, witnesses are being invited to review draft sections of the report and offer comments and corrections, the people said. But – unlike most cases – they are being told that those comments must be conveyed verbally, the people said.
Even though Attorney General William Barr and other officials have been working in recent we...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:33 pm
“The new rules of the game are clear—the IDF will operate freely, without any limitation,” Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said on Thursday, a short while after a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) went into effect, ending two days of intense rocket-fire from the Gaza Strip.
Bennett, who took up his post as defense minister on Tuesday as rockets fell across central and southern Israel following the targeted killing of PIJ commander Baha Abu al-Ata, singled out residents of the country’s southern, Gaza-adjacent communities for special praise over their handling of the crisis.
“I’m proud of our soldiers, who stand vigilant, and of the Israeli public,” said Bennett, “especially the residents of the south, who...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:32 pm
Andor Stern, who is recognized by the Brazilian Association of Holocaust Survivors as the only Brazilian-born Holocaust survivor, celebrated his bar mitzvah on Monday at the age of 91.
The ceremony was held in Stern’s native town of São Paulo, where he now lives, in its oldest synagogue, Kehilat Israel. It took place the same day as the 81st anniversary of Kristallnacht, the nationwide Nazi pogrom against Jews that took place the night of Nov. 9-10, 1938 in Germany and Austria.
Rabbi Toive Weitman, head of the São Paulo Holocaust memorial who led the ceremony, told JTA that “Hitler’s goal was not only a physical slaughter of the Jewish people, but also a spiritual extermination. He failed. Mr. Stern continues, connected to his essence, celebrating life wit...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:31 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former U.S. Ukraine Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch opened the second day of Trump impeachment hearings Friday providing chilling detail how she felt a “big threat” after being suddenly ousted from her post and learning that President Donald Trump personally called her “bad news” on his July phone call with the Ukrainian president.
Yovanovitch told the House Intelligence Committee of a concerted “smear” campaign against her by Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and others, including the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr.
As Yovanovitch testified at the Capitol, the president assailed her anew from the White House.
Moments after Trump’s press secretary said he would not be watching the hearing, he went after Y...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:30 pm
North Korea has launched another volley of insults at former vice president Joe Biden, calling him a “rabid dog” who is greedy for power and deserves to be beaten to death.
The attack came two weeks after Biden issued a statement attacking President Donald Trump’s North Korea policy and referring to that country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, as a “murderous dictator.”
In response, North Korea laid on the animal metaphors thick and fast, calling Biden a crafty, rabid dog keen at getting at others’ throats, and a profiteer.
“A crow is never whiter for often washing,” the Korean Central News Agency said in a commentary.
“Anyone who dare slanders the dignity of the supreme leadership of the DPRK, can never spare the DPRK’s merciles...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:29 pm
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived Thursday night at the Shin Bet’s special operations room in central Israel to praise the work of its employees.
The assassination was “a unique campaign in which you have demonstrated extraordinary courage and creativity, which resulted in a very successful outcome for Israel’s security,” Netanyahu told the Shin Bet workers, Hebrew-language broadcaster Channel 12 reported.
“In the name of Israeli citizens,” Netanyahu continued, “I salute you.”
Read more at i24NEWS.
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November 15, 2019 at 1:28 pm
Amazon said Thursday that it will protest a Pentagon decision to award Microsoft a massive cloud computing contract worth up to $10 billion, citing “unmistakable bias” and “political influence.”
The controversial and long-delayed Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure contract had been widely expected to go to Amazon Web Services but was instead awarded to rival Microsoft last month. Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener said in an emailed statement that contract awards should be “free from political influence.”
In July, President Donald Trump directed Defense Secretary Mark Esper to reexamine the contract, citing concerns that it would go to Amazon.
(Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
The JEDI contract, announced in March 2018, is meant to m...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:26 pm
Israeli families who have lost their loved ones in terrorist attacks will file a lawsuit against Hamas and three money changers with US assets, demanding compensation worth of 144 million dollars, Hebrew-language outlet Ynet reported on Friday.
The lawsuit is due to be filed on Sunday at the Jerusalem District Court on behalf of five families.
The families are of Shir Hajaj and Erez Orbach who were killed in a truck-ramming attack at the Armon Hanatziv promenade in East Jerusalem; Rabbi Nehemia Lavi who was stabbed to death in the Old City in Jerusalem; Elhai Taharlev who was killed in a car-ramming attack in the West Bank; and new-born baby Amiad Ish-Ran who was delivered prematurely after his mother was shot while waiting for a ride at a West Bank bus stop.
Read more at i24NEWS.
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November 15, 2019 at 1:25 pm
DETROIT (AP) – Nissan is recalling over 450,000 vehicles worldwide because a brake fluid leak could cause them to catch fire.
Because of the fire risk, the company is urging owners to park the vehicles outdoors and away from structures if the antilock brake light comes on for more than 10 seconds.
The recall, detailed in documents posted Friday by the U.S. government, covers the Nissan Murano SUV from 2015 through 2018, and Maxima sedans from 2016 through 2018. Also included are Infiniti QX60 and Nissan Pathfinder SUVs from 2017 through 2019. Most are in the U.S. and Canada.
Nissan says an antilock brake actuator pump can leak fluid onto a circuit board, causing electrical shorts and fires.
Documents filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration didn’t say i...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:24 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Friday released the summary transcript of an April congratulatory call with Ukraine President-elect Volodymyr Zelensky, the latest salvo in the White House struggle to blunt Democrats’ contention that Trump abused his power in calling on a foreign leader to involve himself in the U.S. presidential election.
The move by the White House is certain to be framed by Democrats as an attempt to muddy the waters of the House impeachment inquiry into whether the president improperly pressured the Eastern European leader to launch an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden and his son.
The 16-minute call, which the president placed from Air Force One flying back to Washington after a weekend at his Florida resort, makes no mention ...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:18 pm
The GOP operat
Republican operative Roger Stone was found guilty on Friday of all seven counts against him, including witness tampering and making false statements.
Prosecutors portrayed Stone, 67, as a serial liar who tried to bully witnesses into not cooperating with authorities. They charged the confidant of President Donald Trump with making false statements, obstruction and witness tampering in a case that was an offshoot of former special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.
Stone is the sixth Trump aide or adviser to be convicted of charges brought as part of Mueller's probe.
His sentencing was set for Feb. 6 and he could face up to 20 years in prison. The jury deliberated for two days.
Trump tweeted shortly after the verdict was announced, asking "what ab...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:17 pm
Baltimore, MD - Nov. 15, 2019 - The Baltimore Shabbat Project is running 2 campaigns this year for Shabbat. They reached out to over 20 organizations/schools including McDonogh, Bnos Yisroel, Bais Yaakov, Bryn Mawr, Hillcrest Elem, Reisterstown Elem, Pinewood Elem, Beth El, Summit Park Elem, Boys Latin, Fort Garrison Elem, Park School, Ohr Chadash, Talmudical Academy, Jewels, Toras Simcha,Krieger Schechter Day School, Gesher LaTorah, Beth Tfiloh, Darchei Noam, Bolton Street Synagogue, Ner Tamid Montessori and Girls Chesed League.
We sent over 1000 Shabbat Kits to Israeli soldiers so they could #ShareTheLight with the world as they light candles this Shabbos. Miriam Adani from Kever Rochel, who had this initial idea, was the point person to distribute the can...
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November 15, 2019 at 1:15 pm
A southern Israeli woman wounded in a rocket attack on Wednesday celebrated her 88th birthday on Thursday with the help of the hospital social workers, who have essentially adopted her as a substitute grandmother.
The Israeli news site Mako reports that when the social workers at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashdod found out that Olga Luria was having a birthday while hospitalized, they got together and brought her cake, flower, and balloons while singing birthday songs in Hebrew and Russian.
Luria was struck in the hands and head by flying shrapnel after her home took a direct hit from a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip during the 48-hour conflict between Israel and Islamic Jihad that wound down with a shaky ceasefire on Thursday morning.
Her condition is described as good to moderate, t...
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November 15, 2019 at 9:59 am
“Now the Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting at the entrance of the tent when the day was hot. And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing beside him, and he saw, and he ran toward them from the entrance of the tent, and he prostrated himself to the ground.” (Genesis 18:1-2)
Avraham, just a few days post-circumcision, waits outside his tent eager to find guests to invite into his home. The Ish Ha’Chessed, this man who embodies kindness and selflessness, cannot focus on his own pain and discomfort, rather he seeks to transcend his personal circumstances in an effort to give to others. Alas, there are no guests to be found. It is hot and all have sought shelter from the blistering sun. God summons three angels and Avraham...
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November 15, 2019 at 9:57 am
Baltimore, MD – Nov. 15, 2019 – An Erev Shabbos Mincha Gedolah minyan begins today at KAYTT (Rabbi Dovid Heber) at 12:22 PM, downstairs in the room adjacent to the Beis Medrash.
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November 15, 2019 at 9:53 am
Parshas Vayeira / Baltimore Zmanim / Eruv is UP!
Baltimore, MD – Nov.15, 2019
Parshas: Vayeira
17 MarCheshvan
Chatzos: 11:51 PM
Hadlakas Nairos: 4:34 PM
Shkiah: 4:52:06 PM
Tzais HaKochavim: 5:43 PM
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November 15, 2019 at 8:32 am
On Friday night our prayers focus on that very first Shabbos, the seventh day of creation, reflecting on the benevolence of G-d who gifted us this world, avowing that He is the One who is the source of all our blessing.
On Shabbos day we reaffirm in our prayers, that second most noteworthy Shabbos, the day of the week we were privileged to exclusively receive the Torah at Sinai, committing to preserving this treasure.
On Shabbos afternoon we align our observance of Shabbos in the context of that greater Shabbos, the World to Come, ‘a day that is completely Shabbos’, appreciating our destiny as the ‘one’ nation, whose role is to represent His ‘Oneness’ in the world.
It is only in this third prayer that the imagery of the patriarchs is evoked where it d...
