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August 6, 2020 at 3:29 pm
A growing number of southern states are taking matters into their own hands to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol in the absence of action by Congress.
The House passed a bill late last month to remove statues of people who served the Confederacy or otherwise defended slavery that are displayed around the Capitol complex, but the GOP-controlled Senate has declined to take it up.
Many Republicans say it should be up to states to decide — and some states are doing just that.
Top state leaders in Georgia endorsed the idea of replacing a statue of Alexander Hamilton Stephens, the Confederacy’s vice president, with one of the late civil rights legend Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.).
A Virginia state commission voted in late July to remove a st...
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August 6, 2020 at 3:22 pm
President Trump’s campaign outraised presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s campaign by $25 million in the month of July and surpassed the $1 billion mark for the 2020 cycle.
The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee (RNC) combined to raise $165 million in July, compared with $140 million for Biden and the Democratic National Committee.
That’s the best month of fundraising for Trump and the RNC this cycle. The Trump campaign boasted about plowing its money into its field game, saying its 1,500 field staffers are double Biden’s.
Read more at The Hill.
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August 6, 2020 at 3:20 pm
In a Christian Broadcasting Network interview snippet released Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence said Supreme Court Justice John Roberts has been a “disappointment” to conservatives, citing his vote on Obamacare and more recent cases.
Read more at Breitbart.
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August 6, 2020 at 1:30 pm
New York prosecutors have subpoenaed President Trump’s longtime lender, Deutsche Bank, as part of the criminal investigation into the president’s business practices, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office issued the subpoena last year seeking financial records Trump and his company provided to the bank, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed sources.
The Times report follows a court filing prosecutors wrote earlier this week hinting that its subpoena for Trump’s tax returns is part of a larger investigation into the Trump Organization, including potential fraud allegations detailed in media reports in recent years.
Read more at The Hill.
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August 6, 2020 at 1:28 pm
Donald Trump’s campaign says it knocked on over 1 million doors in the past week alone.
Joe Biden’s campaign says it knocked on zero.
The Republican and Democratic parties — from the presidential candidates on down — are taking polar opposite approaches to door-to-door canvassing this fall. The competing bets on the value of face-to-face campaigning during a pandemic has no modern precedent, making it a potential wild card in November, especially in close races.
Biden and the Democratic National Committee aren’t sending volunteers or staffers to talk with voters at home, and don’t anticipate doing anything more than dropping off literature unless the crisis abates. The campaign and the Democratic National Committee think ...
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August 6, 2020 at 1:26 pm
Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, said he and his family are getting death threats because people don’t like what he says about COVID-19.
“Getting death threats for me and my family and harassing my daughters to the point where I have to get security is just, I mean, it’s amazing,” Fauci said during an interview with CNN’s Sanjay Gupta on Wednesday.
“I wouldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams that people who object to things that are pure public health principles are so set against it and don’t like what you and I say, namely in the world of science, that they actually threaten you,” he added.
Read more at The Hill.
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August 6, 2020 at 1:24 pm
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living/Administration on Aging has awarded a $5 million grant to the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) to expand Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed (PCTI) care to Holocaust survivors, other older adults with a history of trauma and their family caregivers, JFNA announced on Wednesday.
The funding relies upon annual congressional appropriations and $1.6 million in philanthropic contributions.
“We are grateful to the Administration for Community Living for having the confidence and trust in our ability to continue to serve this vulnerable population,” said Mark Wilf, JFNA chair of the board of trustees. “Holocaust survivors are our teachers and our heroes. Now, they are teaching us how t...
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August 6, 2020 at 1:23 pm
A member of the Israeli delegation to the 52nd International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO), held this year in Istanbul, became the first Israeli competitor in a decade to win a gold medal at the prestigious event.
Israel’s young chemistry whizzes competed against 240 youths from 60 nations, including Iran and Syria. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s IChO was held via Zoom.
Roi Peer, 18, of Gan Haim scored a total of 90.35, qualifying him for the gold medal. He finished 26th in the competition rankings.
Prior to the competition, he said, “Last year, I won a silver medal, and I won bronze the year before that. It’s been a weird year because of coronavirus, mostly because the competition will take place on Zoom, and that kind of lowers your motivation.&rd...
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August 6, 2020 at 1:21 pm
Israel is reportedly at an advanced stage of negotiations with a United Nations (UN) proxy regarding supplying Lebanon with specific equipment following a catastrophic explosion yesterday at the capital Beirut’s port, according to outlet Kan.
Israeli officials have been working to transfer the much-needed equipment to its stricken northern neighbor via intermediaries at the UN, although the government has yet to officially respond.
Read more at i24NEWS.
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August 6, 2020 at 1:19 pm
Jewish advocacy groups on Wednesday expressed sympathy with the victims of the horrifying explosion in Beirut that left behind a death toll of more than 100 people, along with thousands of wounded.
Alongside a photo of Beirut captioned with the message, “Stay strong, people of Lebanon,” the World Jewish Congress (WJC) tweeted its condolences.
The group’s European affiliate, the European Jewish Congress (EJC), tweeted: “Our solidarity with the people of Beirut at this terrible time, our thoughts and prayers for the families of those killed in the explosions and for the many suffering injuries.”
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt — president of the Conference of European Rabbis — stated, “The Conference of European Rabbis expresse...
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August 6, 2020 at 1:15 pm
NEW YORK (VINnews) — Former US First Lady Michelle Obama revealed on her podcast (dubbed The Michelle Obama podcast) that she is suffering from “low-grade depression” due to the pandemic, racial injustice and the “hypocrisy” of the Trump administration. Obama said that managing “emotional highs and lows” required “knowing yourself” and “the things that do bring you joy”.
Obama described the physical effects of her depression, noting that she has difficulty maintaining her exercise routine and was not sleeping well.
“I’m waking up in the middle of the night because I’m worrying about something or there’s a heaviness. I try to make sure I get a workout in, although there have been periods throughout t...
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August 6, 2020 at 12:10 pm
Baltimore, MD - Aug. 6, 2020 - BJL wishes a hearty Mazel Tov to Ruchama Gross and Scott Lavin on their engagement.
יה"ר שיזכו לבנות בית נאמן בישראל. אמן
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August 6, 2020 at 11:45 am
New York’s attorney general sued the National Rifle Association on Thursday, seeking to put the powerful gun advocacy organization out of business over allegations that high-ranking executives diverted millions of dollars for lavish personal trips, no-show contracts for associates and other questionable expenditures.
Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit, filed in state court in Manhattan after an 18-month investigation, highlighted misspending and self-dealing allegations that have roiled the NRA and its longtime leader, Wayne LaPierre, in recent years — from hair and makeup for his wife to a $17 million post-employment contract for himself.
The troubles, which James said were long cloaked by loyal lieutenants and a pass-through payment arrangement with a vendor, sta...
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August 6, 2020 at 11:06 am
WASHINGTON (JNS) – Aaron Keyak just began his new position as Jewish outreach director for the presidential campaign of the presumptive Democratic 2020 nominee, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
Following communication stints on Capitol Hill and serving as interim director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, Keyak co-founded Bluelight Strategies, a consulting group in Washington, D.C., that works with Jewish and progressive causes. (He is on a leave of absence from Bluelight to work in his current role on the Biden campaign.) He started this job on July 10.
Keyak, 35, and his wife, Avigail, have one daughter, Shira.
JNS talked with Keyak by phone on July 17. The interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
Q: U.S. President Donald Trump has been lauded by many, i...
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August 6, 2020 at 11:03 am
The men were apprehended while taking selfies of themselves in front of the banner
Authorities in Arizona said that they arrested four men for hanging a banner reading "Hitler was right" on a railroad bridge in the southwestern part of the state, The Jerusalem Post reported on Thursday.
The men, whose ages ranged from 27 to 38, were apprehended last Saturday while photographing themselves posing in front of their banner.
The banner also listed the domain name of a website containing “bigoted and explicitly racist pronouncements,” according to local NBC affiliate KPNX 12News.
“People who don’t have a strong enough sense of history or their own identity gravitate toward hate communities that give them this little hit, a feeling they&rsqu...
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August 6, 2020 at 10:55 am
The executive order also limits capacity on other indoor establishments to 25% or 25 people.
Indoor dining will resume at 25% capacity Thursday, Baltimore Mayor Jack Young announced.
Young's executive order includes the following:
Restaurants may reopen for indoor dining at 25% capacity with social distancing and face coverings when not eating or drinking
Outdoor gatherings will be capped at 25 people
Indoor gatherings will be capped at 25% of occupancy or 25 people, whichever is lower
Religious facilities will be capped at 25% of occupancy or 25 people, whichever is lower
Retail establishments and malls will be capped at 25% of occupancy or 25 people, whichever is lower
The casino will be capped at 25% of occupancy
Indoor recreation establishments will be capped at 25%...
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August 6, 2020 at 10:48 am
Blue and White party call Israeli PM to accept annual budget plan
As the battle over Israel’s next budget intensifies within the coalition, the heads of the ultra-Orthodox parties said Thursday they will not cooperate with “any initiative to advance the elections.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for a short-term three-month budget plan while Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz has maintained the budget should be biennial -- as stipulated in the coalition agreement.
According to Israel’s Basic Laws, a newly-formed government has to pass a budget within 90 days of its establishment, which in this case would be August 25. If the government doesn’t pass a bill by then -- parliament will disperse. Read more a...
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August 6, 2020 at 10:45 am
System comprised of floating surveillance platform and underwater sonars could be used to spy on US Navy
China is constructing an underwater surveillance grid in the contested South China Sea, Forbes reported Wednesday.
The system is comprised of unmanned floating platforms outfitted with radars and sensor turrets as well as underwater sonar stations.
While many of the platforms, which are part of China's “Blue Ocean Information Network,” have been deployed in China's own waters, some are located in the international part of the strategic waterway, the magazine reported.
The sonars, referred to as the "Underwater Great Wall," are set up in unknown locations and cannot be spotted from ships passing by. Read more at i24
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August 6, 2020 at 10:40 am
Prof Gamzu declares country must reduce number of daily cases to 'hundreds' by September
Israel's so-called coronavirus czar, Prof Ronni Gamzu warned on Thursday that unless the country is able to reduce the number of daily cases to "hundreds" by September, it will face renewed lockdown.
In a livestreamed briefing to reporters, Gamzu said that “Israel has the highest morbidity in the world per capita,” adding that "it cannot continue," according to a report in The Times of Israel (TOI).
It was not immediately clear to which set of data Gamzu was referring, and whether he was taking into account the overall statistics or those based on more recent testing. Read more at i24
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August 6, 2020 at 10:38 am
Israel Institute for Biological Research got down to work on vaccine half a year ago
The Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) will start testing its vaccine against COVID-19 coronavirus in October, Defense Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz announced.
The trials would come after the Jewish holidays this fall, Gantz said after touring the research facility on Thursday.
The country's Health Ministry will be involved in the trials, and all necessary safety requirements and standards will be upheld, Gantz vowed.
He thanked the researchers and the Defense Ministry personnel for the "fantastic job" they had done, comparing the scientists to Israel Defense Forces units spearheading an offensive. Read more at i24
