Three Israelis were injured on Motzei Shabbos in a ramming attack in Gush Etzion, south of Jerusalem. MDA paramedics and IDF medics administered medical aid to three men in their 20s, one in serious condition, one in moderate condition, and the third in mild condition, and evacuated them to Hadassah Ein Kerem and Shaare Tzedek Hospitals. Nearby IDF forces opened fire at the terrorist and killed him. (YWN Israel Desk is keeping you updated on Motzei Shabbos from Jerusalem.)

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by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com Yes, people are going to think it is strange, but there are a number of people that should not necessarily be drinking large shiurim of wine.  According to the practical and halachic research done by this author, this glass is the way to go. It seems that the shiur of a reviis according to Rav Azriel Auerbach shlita, and Rav Ovadiah Yoseph, and many others is that it is 75 cubic centimeters (or ml).  This is equivalent to 2.54 ounces.  The only glass that this author found is the aforementioned 2.6 ounce “I Love Colorado” shot glass imported by Paykoc Imports in Colorado.  Wine is preferable to grape juice l’halacha. As far as the proofs to this shiur, this author hopes to post them Motzai Shabbos. Also, since it is too late to order them from Amazon, this author has ordered 144 of such glasses.  You can contact the author at yairhoffman2@gmail.com

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The high-roller gambler who opened fire on concertgoers on the Las Vegas Strip had lost tens of thousands of dollars while gambling weeks before the mass shooting and was upset about how the casinos had treated him, according to FBI documents made public this week. The documents reveal the strongest indication of a motive for the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history. They paint a detailed account of gunman Stephen Paddock’s final days before the Oct. 1, 2017, mass shooting that killed 60 people and injured hundreds more. A gambler whose name is redacted from the hundreds of pages of documents told the FBI that Paddock “was very upset at the way casinos were treating him and other high rollers.” Neither the FBI nor the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the lead investigating agency, presented an official motive for the shooting. Both agencies have said Paddock acted alone. The 10-minute massacre unfolded on the final night of the three-day Route 91 Harvest music festival across the street from the Mandalay Bay resort. Authorities have said Paddock, 64, unleashed a barrage of bullets into the festival crowd from his corner suite on the 32nd floor of Mandalay Bay. (AP)

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Conservative media figures leaped to Donald Trump’s defense with apocalyptic language Thursday, claiming the former president was being unfairly persecuted by a Manhattan grand jury’s indictment and predicting his 2024 bid for the White House would get a boost from his perceived martyrdom. “This is totally unacceptable and a disgrace to this country,” said Fox News Channel host Jesse Watters. “This is repulsive,” said Fox’s Sean Hannity, three days after he interviewed Trump on his show. “This is a disgusting political hit job the likes of which we have never seen in this country anymore.” “It’s insane,” said Newsmax’s Eric Bolling. The actual charges in the grand jury indictment against Trump have not been made public. The Manhattan district attorney’s office has investigated payments made during the 2016 presidential election to silence claims of an extramarital affair. For conservative-oriented media, Thursday’s fury represented a rapid turnaround. Trump had recently complained of being looked over by Fox, by far the most popular media outlet for conservatives, and had not appeared there for an interview in months before Hannity spoke to him earlier this week. “This is a horrible night for the republic, but politically it’s a great night for Donald Trump,” commentator Pete Hegseth said, predicting that mug shots of the former president would be proudly displayed in college dorm rooms and on T-shirts. Hannity had a live studio audience Thursday evening that frequently shouted and clapped as he and his guests railed against the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg. Fox and Newsmax aired wall-to-wall coverage, and guests seemed to compete for who could use the most heated language. U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham used an unbleeped obscenity to talk about the charges. “The Democrat party has now dragged the country into tyranny!” commentator Mark Levin shouted. Several conspiratorial commentators suggested to viewers that unnamed authorities would come after them when they were done with Trump. “Somebody’s going to do something stupid,” disc jockey Adam Carolla said to Fox’s Tucker Carlson, “and then the storm troopers are going to come in.” “They want you to strike out. Why?” asked Glenn Beck. “Because then they can close the cage.” Beck, let go by Fox in 2013 by the late CEO Roger Ailes, appeared on Carlson’s show to suggest that the U.S. would be at war with China, Russia and Iran by 2025 and that the country’s currency would collapse. Several commentators ridiculed or dismissed the charges against Trump, even though they have yet to be publicly outlined. “This attorney general will be defending his law license before this is over,” commentator Chris Swecker told Fox’s Laura Ingraham. Former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka, on Newsmax, said the Secret Service had a duty to protect the former president and not let him appear for an arraignment in Manhattan. “The extremists are out there,” he said, “and they want to hurt this man.” A headline on Fox’s screen under Carlson said that “Trump’s Indictment is a Turning Point for America.” Another said, “Third-World Banana Republic.” “American politics (has been) thrown into complete chaos, perhaps permanently,” Carlson said. Meanwhile, Newsmax stationed reporter Mike Carter outside of Trump Plaza, who called it “pretty much a normal Thursday night” except for reporters hanging around and “a few folks that are excited about what happened tonight.” Online, the Drudge Report […]

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Well, it was nice while it lasted. For nearly a year, the average used vehicle in the United States had been edging toward affordable again for millions of people. The relief felt belated and relatively slight, but it was welcome nonetheless. From an eye-watering peak of $31,400 in April of last year, the average price had dropped 14% to $27,125 early this month. Now, with the supply of used vehicles failing to keep up with robust demand, prices are creeping up again, with signs pointing to further increases ahead. So many buyers have been priced out of the new-car market that fewer trade-ins are landing on dealer lots. Deepening the shortage, fewer used vehicles are coming off leases or being off-loaded by rental car companies. Average list prices for used car have edged up by about $700 in the past month, and Alex Yurchenko, chief data officer for Black Book, which tracks prices, expects them to keep rising at least into summer. “If you have to buy a used vehicle,” he suggested, “right now would be a good time.” Pete Catalano, a dealer in Independence, Missouri, near Kansas City, has been struggling to get his hands on enough affordably priced cars. Typically, Catalano and his daughter, who co-own Stadium Auto, would have about 50 vehicles on their used-car lot near Arrowhead Stadium. They now have only about half as many. Some of their rival dealers, Catalano said, enjoy a competitive advantage because they can afford to offer financing to buyers with poor credit. Squeezed by higher prices for gasoline, groceries and utilities, many of Catalano’s customers can’t afford either new or late-model used vehicles. Some would-be buyers he knows are using tax refunds just to make ends meet instead of buying a needed car. “A used inexpensive car is now becoming more and more of a luxury,” Catalano said. “What the market wants right now is not available, and that’s $3,000, $4,000 and $5,000 cars.” Behind the vehicle shortage and inflated prices is simple supply and demand. Much of the problem stems from the surging prices of new cars. In February, according to Edmunds, the average new vehicle in the United States sold for nearly $48,000 — beyond the reach of many consumers. Though the supply of new vehicles has inched up, they remain relatively scarce and expensive. Automakers still lack sufficient computer chips to produce enough vehicles to meet demand, a lingering consequence of pandemic-related supply shortages. Sales of new vehicles last year were about 3 million below normal levels. Fewer new-car sales mean fewer trade-ins, which mean fewer used vehicles for sale. With used prices rising again, analysts say buyers who can afford to do so should buy soon. Auto loan rates may continue rising this year as the Federal Reserve keeps raising interest rates. On used lots these days, bargains are hard to find. Even after accounting for the price drops of the past year, the average used vehicle remains about 35% above where it was before the pandemic erupted three years ago. At that time, the average price was $20,425. Once the government sent stimulus checks to most American households, demand for autos rose as many people spent their money. As they did, the supply of used vehicles fell and prices surged. By early last year, […]

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A public inquiry has found widespread failures in how Canada’s federal police force responded to the country’s worst mass shooting and recommends that the government rethink the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s central role in the country’s policing. In a seven-volume report released Thursday, the Mass Casualty Commission also says the RCMP missed red flags in the years leading up to the Nova Scotia rampage that resulted in 22 people being slain April 18-19, 2020 by a denture maker disguised as a RCMP officer and driving a replica police vehicle. The assailant, Gabriel Wortman, was killed by two Mounties at a gas station in Enfield, Nova Scotia, 13 hours into his rampage. Disguised as a police officer, Wortman shot people in their homes and set fires in a rampage across the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the release of the report in Nova Scotia and said his government will examine it closely. “There is no question that there needs to be changes and there will be,” Trudeau said. Among other things, the commission says the national police force is badly disorganized. Its review of the RCMP’s 5,000 pages of policies and procedures found the force’s own members were unclear on proper responses to critical incidents and communication with the public. The report delves deeply into the causes of the mass shooting. These include the killer’s violence toward his spouse and the failure of police to act on it, and “implicit biases” that seemed to blind officers and community members to the danger a white, male professional posed. In response, the commissioners call for a future RCMP where the current 26-week model of training is scrapped — as it’s no longer sufficient for the complex demands of policing. The academy would be replaced with a three-year, degree-based model of education, as exists in Finland. The document begins with an account of the police errors in the years before the killings, and the events of April 18 and 19. The report’s summary says that soon after the shooting started in Portapique, Nova Scotia, RCMP commanders disregarded witness accounts, and senior Mounties wrongly assumed residents were mistaken when they reported seeing the killer driving a fully marked RCMP cruiser. “Important community sources of information were ignored,” it says. In addition, the report says police failed to promptly send out alerts to the public with a description of the killer until it was too late for some of his victims. Having laid out a litany of shortcomings, the inquiry calls for a fresh external review of the police force. It says the federal minister of public safety should then establish priorities for the RCMP, “retaining the tasks that are suitable to a federal policing agency, and identifying what responsibilities are better reassigned to other agencies.” “This may entail a reconfiguration of policing in Canada and a new approach to federal financial support for provincial and municipal policing services,” the report says. The victims in Canada’s worst mass shooting included an RCMP officer, a teacher, health-care workers, retirees, neighbors of the shooter and two correctional officers killed in their home. The rampage started when Wortman attacked his spouse. “Nothing will bring my brother back or any of the other people in this horrible ordeal,” said Scott McLeod, the brother of victim […]

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During an interview with Sean Hannity, Donald Trump claimed he was unaware of Kanye West’s anti-Semitic remarks before the two shared a meal at Mar-a-Lago in November. White nationalist Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes also joined them at Trump’s Florida residence. Hannity inquired about Trump’s thoughts on Kanye, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2018, in light of his controversial statements. “When I was with him, he didn’t say that,” Trump said. “And when he asked me to have dinner because he needed some help, I didn’t say, ‘Well, what the problem?’ So, I didn’t know anything about his attitude toward—I’m not reading about Kanye, I’m reading about President Xi and I’m reading about Putin and Kim Jong-un. I’m not reading exactly about Kanye West. But when he came here, I think he—and I will say this, he didn’t say anything about anti-Semitism or anything else. And if he would’ve done that, I would have not been a happy camper.” You might believe him – if you live under a rock. Trump has made eerily similar claims about other disgusting figures with whom he associated with, which turned out to be evident lies. As a presidential candidate, Trump was asked if he would publicly reject the support of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke, Trump said, “I just don’t know anything about him.” Later in the campaign, Trump held a press conference to announce the endorsement of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. With Christie at his side, Trump was asked how he felt about receiving Duke’s support. “I didn’t even know he endorsed me,” Trump said, clearly irritated by the question. “David Duke endorsed me? OK. Alright. I disavow. OK?” Trump was again asked about Duke in a Feb. 28 interview on CNN’s “State of the Union” by anchor Jake Tapper. “I want to ask you about the Anti-Defamation League, which this week called on you to publicly condemn unequivocally the racism of former KKK grand wizard David Duke, who recently said that voting against you at this point would be treason to your heritage. Will you unequivocally condemn David Duke and say that you don’t want his vote or that of other white supremacists in this election?” Tapper asked. “Well, just so you understand, I don’t know anything about David Duke, okay?” Trump replied. “I don’t know anything about what you’re even talking about with white supremacy or white supremacists. So, I don’t know.” Trump went on to say that he did not want to condemn any groups until he knew something about them. He told Tapper to “give me a list of the groups” and he would review them. But Tapper returned to Duke. “OK. I mean, I’m just talking about David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan here, but…” “I don’t know any — honestly, I don’t know David Duke,” Trump insisted. “I don’t believe I have ever met him. I’m pretty sure I didn’t meet him. And I just don’t know anything about him.” Trump also put out a statement that day, according to the New York Times, which referred to Duke as “a Klansman.” However, Trump certainly knew who David Duke is. Trump published a statement in the New York Times on Feb. 14, 2000, which read: “Mr. Trump painted a fairly dark […]

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A shaila about an incident that began 12 years ago was recently asked to HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein, who printed the story and shaila in a booklet published by Kollel Beis Dovid in Holon. The protagonist of the story wrote: “About 12 years ago, when I was 21 and I was having trouble finding a shidduch, my friend suggested that I request the bracha of a Gadol B’Yisrael whose brachos are known to be fulfilled. I stood in a long line and when it was finally my turn, I asked to find my zivug quickly. The tzaddik gave me a bracha and said: ‘Your zivug is very close.’ My friend took photos and a video of the encounter. “When I heard the unequivocal bracha from the tzaddik’s mouth, I was filled with joy, and I said that if the words of the tzadik come true, I’ll donate NIS 10,000 to a certain tzedaka. “But months passed, and then a year, and then two years, and my zivug wasn’t even in sight. During that time, I grumbled to my friend – ‘what about the bracha of the tzaddik who said ‘your zivug is very close?” “Many years after the bracha, at the age of 32, an 18-year-old girl from a good family was suggested to me. Baruch Hashem, despite my age, her parents agreed to the shidduch and after several dates, we got engaged. It was 11 years after the tzaddik’s bracha, a period that according to all opinions isn’t considered a ‘zivug b’karov.’ “The friend who convinced me to seek the tzaddik’s bracha is a relative of the kallah. One day, the subject of the bracha came up and the fact that I harbored a bit of grievance in my heart that the tzaddik said my zivug was close but it didn’t turn out to be. Of course, as it turned out, I couldn’t have gotten engaged earlier because the zivug that was set from Shamayim when the tzaddik gave me a bracha – was only seven years old at the time. “The kallah, whose family is also close to the tzaddik, said that she must see the photos. My friend had saved the photos and video on his computer and my kallah and I sat down to watch the video. We watched as I stood in line and waited and I spoke with the tzaddik and he said: ‘Your zivug is very close.’ “Suddenly, my kallah jumped up from her chair and screamed: ‘This is unbelievable! I can’t believe this.’ “‘What happened?’ we said, and she replied: ‘Look at the video. The person standing behind you in line for a bracha is my father and the young girl who’s holding his hand is me…I was seven years old and I came with my father to get a bracha from the tzaddik!’ “Suddenly, retroactively, after 11 years of waiting and uncertainty, the tzaddik’s bracha that ‘your zivug is very close’ was proven to be true – close in a physical sense rather than in a timely sense. “After we recovered from our shock and surprise, my friend told me: ‘One minute, didn’t you promise that if the tzaddik’s words were fulfilled, you would donate a large amount of money to tzedaka?’ “I replied: ‘Correct, I remember it like yesterday. But […]

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A federal judge in Texas who previously ruled to dismantle the Affordable Care Act struck down a narrower but key part of the nation’s health law Thursday in a decision that opponents say could jeopardize preventive screenings for millions of Americans. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor comes more than four years after he ruled that the health care law, sometimes called “Obamacare,” was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court later overturned that decision. His latest ruling is likely to start another lengthy court battle: O’Connor blocked the requirement that most insurers cover some preventive care such as cancer screenings, siding with plaintiffs who include a conservative activist in Texas and a Christian dentist who opposed mandatory coverage for contraception and an HIV prevention treatment on religious grounds. O’Connor wrote in his opinion that recommendations for preventive care by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force were “unlawful.” The Biden administration had told the court that the outcome of the case “could create extraordinary upheaval in the United States’ public health system.” It is likely to appeal. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on the ruling. In September, O’Connor ruled that required coverage of the HIV prevention treatment known as PrEP, which is a pill taken daily to prevent infection, violated the plaintiffs’ religious beliefs. That decision also undercut the broader system that determines which preventive drugs are covered in the U.S., ruling that a federal task force that recommends coverage of preventive treatments is unconstitutional. Employers’ religious objections have been a sticking point in past challenges to former President Barack Obama’s health care law, including over contraception. The Biden administration and more than 20 states, mostly controlled by Democrats, had urged O’Connor against a sweeping ruling that would do away with the preventive care coverage requirement entirely. “Over the last decade, millions of Americans have relied on the preventive services provisions to obtain no-cost preventive care, improving not only their own health and welfare, but public health outcomes more broadly,” the states argued in a court filing. The lawsuit is among the attempts by conservatives to chip away at the Affordable Care Act — or wipe it out entirely — since it was signed into law in 2010. The attorney who filed the suit was an architect of the Texas abortion law that was the nation’s strictest before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June and allowed states to ban the procedure. (AP)

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The White House on Thursday said it has new evidence that Russia is looking again to North Korea for weapons to fuel the war in Ukraine, this time in a deal that would provide Pyongyang with needed food and other commodities in return. It’s the latest accusation that Russia, desperate for weaponry and restricted by sanctions and export controls, is turning to “rogue” nations to help it continue to prosecute the 13-month-old war. “As part of this proposed deal, Russia would receive over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions from Pyongyang,” White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said. “We also understand that Russia is seeking to send a delegation to North Korea and that Russia is offering North Korea food in exchange for munitions.” The administration has previously declassified intelligence to present evidence that Iran sold hundreds of attack drones to Russia over the summer and that the Wagner Group, a private Russian military company, has taken delivery of arms from North Korea to help bolster its forces as they fight side-by-side with Russian troops in Ukraine. Experts believe the food situation in North Korea is the worst it has been under Kim Jong Un’s 11-year rule, but they still say they see no signs of imminent famine or mass deaths. Kim vowed to strengthen state control over agriculture and take a spate of other steps to increase grain production, North Korean state media reported earlier this month. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last month that U.S. intelligence suggested China was considering providing arms and ammunition to Russia, though White House officials have said they have yet to see evidence of Beijing following through with weapons delivery. The publicizing of Russia’s efforts to get weapons from North Korea is just the latest example of the Biden administration loosening restrictions on intelligence findings and making them public over the course of the grinding war in Ukraine. The administration has said it has sought to disseminate the intelligence findings so allies and the public remain clear-eyed about Moscow’s intent and Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks twice about his actions. Earlier Thursday, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against a Slovakian national, Ashot Mkrtychev, alleging he attempted to facilitate arms deals between Russia and North Korea. Between the end of 2022 and early 2023, Treasury said Mkrtychev worked with North Korean officials to obtain over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for commercial aircraft, raw materials and commodities to be sent to North Korea. Mkrtychev worked with a Russian citizen to find commercial aircraft to delivers goods to North Korea in the exchange. “Russia has lost over 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment since the start of the war, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has become increasingly desperate to replace them,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a statement. “Schemes like the arms deal pursued by this individual show that Putin is turning to suppliers of last resort like Iran and the DPRK.” (AP)

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Jewish social media star Chaya Raichik, better known as “Libs of TikTok,” and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez engaged in a war of words in the Capitol building on Thursday after Raichik filed an ethics complaint against the leftist congresswoman. The ethics complaint alleges that AOC lied about Raichik during a hearing in which AOC said her work “culminated in a real-life harassment and bomb threat to the Boston Children’s Hospital.” Raichik hand-delivered the ethics complaint to AOC’s office, but the congresswoman wasn’t there at the time. However, she met her later in the building and posed for a picture with her before initiating a direct confrontation. I “just delivered an ethics complaint to your office because you lied about me in a committee hearing,” Raichik told her. “Uh-huh. Oh hi! Yeah no, I actually didn’t,” a flustered Ocasio-Cortez said. “I never inspired a bomb threat,” Raichik replied while AOC accused her of being “actually super transphobic and I never want to share a space with you!” Settle down, pumpkin. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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For every American killed by gunfire, an estimated two or more more survive, often with terrible injuries — a fact that public health experts say is crucial to understanding the full impact of guns on society. A new government study highlights just how violent the recent past has been in America by showing a surge in people wounded by gunshots during the pandemic, when the number of people fatally shooting each other – and themselves — also increased. During the first two years of the COVID-19 outbreak, the number of people injured by gunfire rose 40%, compared with 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a study published Thursday. In 2022, gun injuries tapered off, but were still 20% higher than before the pandemic. Gun injuries rose similarly for men and women over the past three years, while the largest proportional increase occurred among children younger than 15, a subset that remains a small fraction of the overall problem. Experts say the CDC gun injury study, which uses data from hospital emergency departments, helps provide a more comprehensive picture of gun violence in America than simply measuring homicides and suicides. “Hospitals are a great place to keep the pulse on who is being shot, and when and where,” said Catherine Barber, a senior injury researcher at Harvard University’s school of public health. The CDC study results came from more than 2,200 U.S. hospital emergency departments, which represent the bulk of the nation’s ERs, said Thomas Simon, one of the authors of the new study. The study suggests that the number of gunshot-related ER visits at hospitals in the study rose from around 50,000 in 2019 to more than 72,000 in 2020. Because more than a quarter of U.S. hospital emergency departments were not involved in the study, the actual number is likely significantly higher. Experts believe a variety of factors contributed to the pandemic surge in gun violence, including a rise in guns purchased, more time spent inside homes where guns are present and mental health struggles stemming from social isolation and economic hardships. The CDC study shows a rise in gun injuries around mid-March 2020, after a pandemic emergency was declared and lockdowns and other measures were put into place. A sharper jump occurred a couple of months later, in the second half of May, when protests and civil unrest followed the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. While the CDC study did not differentiate between injuries caused by assaults or accidents, other research has shown that about 3 out of 4 gunshot wounds are intentional. The CDC says more than 45,000 people died from gun-related injuries in the U.S. in 2020, and more than 47,000 in 2021. The country’s gun violence problem was thrust into the national conversation again this week after a shooter killed 3 children and 3 adults at a Christian school in Tennessee; nobody who was shot survived. The shooter was killed by police. “We are in a week when people are paying attention to this issue again, sadly, after a mass shooting in Nashville” said Nina Vinik, executive director of Project Unloaded, a not-for-profit advocacy organization focused on the impact of firearm violence on children. “Hopefully this paper will add new data to that conversation.” (AP)

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Donald Trump has been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury, a historic reckoning after years of investigations into his personal, political and business dealings and an abrupt jolt to his bid to retake the White House. The exact nature of the charges was unclear Friday because the indictment remained under seal, but they stem from payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of an extramarital encounter. Prosecutors said they were working to coordinate Trump’s surrender, which could happen early next week. They did not say whether they intended to seek prison time in the event of a conviction, a development that wouldn’t prevent Trump from seeking and assuming the presidency. The indictment, the first against a former U.S. president, injects a local district attorney’s office into the heart of a national presidential race and ushers in criminal proceedings in a city that the ex-president for decades called home. Arriving at a time of deep political divisions, the charges are likely to reinforce rather than reshape dueling perspectives of those who see accountability as long overdue and those who, like Trump, feel the Republican is being targeted for political purposes by a Democratic prosecutor. Trump, who has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly assailed the investigation, called the indictment “political persecution” and predicted it would damage Democrats in 2024. In a statement confirming the charges, defense lawyers Susan Necheles and Joseph Tacopina said Trump “did not commit any crime. We will vigorously fight this political prosecution in court.” A spokesman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed the indictment and said prosecutors had reached out to Trump’s defense team to coordinate a surrender. Tacopina said Trump is “likely” to turn himself in on Tuesday. Trump was asked to surrender Friday but his lawyers said the Secret Service needed additional time as they made security preparations, two people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they couldn’t publicly discuss security details. District Attorney Alvin Bragg left his office Thursday evening without commenting. The case centers on well-chronicled allegations from a period in 2016 when Trump’s celebrity past collided with his political ambitions. Prosecutors for months scrutinized money paid to two women whom he feared would go public with claims that they had extramarital encounters with him. The timing of the indictment appeared to come as a surprise to Trump campaign officials following news reports that criminal charges were likely weeks away. The former president was at Mar-a-Lago, his Florida estate, on Thursday and filmed an interview with a conservative commentator earlier in the day. For a man whose presidency was defined by one obliterated norm after another, the indictment sets up yet another never-before-seen spectacle — a former president having his fingerprints and mug shot taken, and then facing arraignment. For security reasons, his booking is expected to be carefully choreographed to avoid crowds inside or outside the courthouse. The prosecution also means that Trump will have to simultaneously fight for his freedom and political future, while also fending off potentially more perilous legal threats, including investigations into attempts by him and his allies to undo the 2020 presidential election as well as into the hoarding of hundreds of classified documents. In fact, New York was until recently seen as […]

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By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com This article is dedicated in honor of the yahrtzeit of Rav Henoch Liebowtz zatzal which is tonight – the 10th of Nissan.   Every year at this time, we negate the Chometz.  But what is it, exactly, that we are doing? Our great Roshei Yeshiva have always taught us that we must look at everything that happens in the world through a Torah lens.  And yet, sometimes, we just plow through life and the fulfillment of our precious Torah rituals, customs, and Tefilos, without really thinking about things. This is a mistake. We need to wonder and ponder about our Tefilos and customs too.  And we need to look at them through the eyes of the Rishonim and Acharonim.  As we say in davening, “Ki Haim Chayeinu” – for these constitute our lives.” THE FOUR OPINIONS Perhaps, somewhat shockingly, there actually seem to be four different understandings of this particular term – “the Bitul of the Chometz.” And, if we further explore these varied opinions we can gain a deeper insight and more appreciation of what it is. TOSFOS An unscientific straw poll indicated that most people believe that the declaration of Bitul is essentially declaring it ownerless – or hefker.  This, in fact, is the opinion of Tosfos (Psachim 2a “Mide’oraisah) and the Rosh (1:9). THE RAMBAN The Ramban, however, challenges the view of Tosfos on several grounds: If it is a mere declaration of ownerlessness (not sure if that is a word), then why did Chazal use the particular term bitul – negation and not use the term ownerlessness? (The Hebrew is less bulky – hefker). Whatever happened to the idea that ownerlessness declarations have to be done before three people? These declarations are done by oneself, alone and at home. Whereever do we ever find that the terminology of “shall be considered like the dust of the earth” is ever effective to declare something ownerless? Don’t we say that “Dvarim sh’b’laiv ainam dvarim – things left unsaid by mouth but said internally are invalid? The Gemorah (Psachim 7a) says that you can do it on Shabbos – and making something hefker on Shabbos is forbidden! The Ramban (basing himself on the Sifrei – lo yira-eh lecha – to you) concludes that the Bitul is a revelation,a gilui daas, that he does not care a twit about that Chometz he had owned previously. “It is nothing in my eyes – I don’t care about it!”  This, in essence, undoes the “the Torah made it as if it is back in his possession.” THE RAN – RABBEINU NISSIM The Ran’s view appears to be some sort of synthesis of the two aforementioned views.  He writes that the revelation that he cares not a twit – leads to an automatic reassessment of the ownership status and now places the said item of Chometz in a legal status of hefker – ownerlessness. RASHI AND THE RAMBAM And then there is the fourth view.  Both Rashi (Psachim 2a “b’bitul”) and the Rambam (Hilchos Chometz uMatzah 2:2) indicate that this negation is a form of destruction – tashbisu. There is, of course, much to explore here.  How do the Baalei Tosfos defend themselves against the Ran?  How do the Ramban and the Ran differ exactly? Why did’nt the […]

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Sephardic Chief Rabbi, HaRav Yitzchak Yosef visited Flatbush Hatzolah headquarters on Thursday night. Rav Yosef who is currently on a brief trip to the United States visiting Yeshivos and Batei Midrashim in Brooklyn, felt it was important to devote some of his time to giving Chizuk to the volunteers of Hatzolah. A large number of Hatzolah volunteers are learning Daf Hayomi together, and a Siyum had been planned for Thursday night. When Rav Yosef learned of the Hatzolah Siyum , he requested to attend this momentous occasion. Well over 100 Hatzolah members gathered to greet the Chief Rabbi, who arrived in a motorcade of NYPD and Flatbush Shomrim. Flatbush Hatolah Posek HaRav David Cohen was at the garage to greet him, and was photographed bending down to kiss the Chief Rabbi’s hand. Following the Siyum, Rav Yosef delivered words of Chizuk to the Hatzolah members. Earlier on Thursday, Rav Yosef visited Magen David Yeshiva, and delivered a Shiur at Bnei Yosef Shul. He will be Davening Shacharis on Friday morning at Rabbi David Ozeri Shul on Ocean Parkway, and will be visiting Y.D.E. and Yeshiva Ateret Torah on Friday. He will be at Shaarei Tzion on Shabbos. The Chief rabbi is scheduled to return to Eretz Yisroel on Motzei Shabbos.

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By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com There is a minhag in many families of Klal Yisroel to avoid eating gebrochts. And yet, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 461:4) writes that one fulfills the Mitzvah of Matzoh with matzoh shruyah – gebrochts, soaked Matzah – as long as the Matzoh remains intact and whole.  This is based upon the Gemorah itself (Psachim 41a) which states the very same law. WHAT IS THE SOURCE? What then is the source for the custom of avoiding Gebrochts – dipped or wetted Matzoh? Almost without exception, the custom to refrain from Gebrochts has spread throughout the Chassidic world and even among others.  How did this Minhag develop?  In this article we will attempt to trace the origin of this stringency. THE OLAS SHABBOS The first reference this author could find that directly mentions the Minhag is the Olas Shabbos (453:3) who discusses a halacha in the Bach that Matzos should be baked prior to Pesach and not during Pesach, as Chometz is only batel before Pesach and not during Pesach.  The Olas Shabbos adds, “And one who is concerned for this stringency should not cook a baked Matzoh on Pesach either, for how is it different than baking?” In other words, the Olas Shabbos is concerned that the Chametz that was mixed into the Matzoh but became nullified before Pesach is now re-awakened on Pesach itself. The Mogain Avrohom 458:1 cites the Olas Shabbos and asks questions on it, differentiating between the Bach’s case and the scenario described by the Olas Shabbos. COOKING NOT SOAKING Regardless, the concern of the Olas Shabbos deals with a Gebrokts of actual cooking.  Simply soaking the Matzoh would not seem to be a concern of the Olas Shabbos, because it is not reawakened yet through any process. The Knesses HaGedolah cited by the Mogen Avrohom (OC 473) tells us to avoid it as a fish coating because of a woman who did confuse it with flour.  The Pri Chadash (in Orech Chaim 461:2) disagrees and writes, “I say that this is all permitted  and we cannot make our own enactments, and who cares if one woman made a mistake in halacha..” The Shaarei Teshuva in OC 460:2 after explaining that it is technically permitted, writes, “Nonetheless, one who wishes to sanctify himself with that which is permitted.. we do not stop him.” The next time we see a concern for Gebrokts in print is in the response of Rabbi Shniur Zalman of Liadi, the GraZ or the Baal HaTanya.  The concern he raises is that perhaps the Matzoh was not kneaded sufficiently, and some unbaked flour remains on the Matzoh.  The soaking will thus bring about a Chometzizing process. DIFFERENT THAN THE OLAS SHABBOS The observant reader will note that this is a different concern that that mentioned by the Olas Shabbos.  The Machtzis HaShekel voices the same concern in 458:1 about the unbaked flour.  The Aishel Avrohom (Botshatch 447:4) is similarly concerned. SOME HINTS If we wish to find hints to the common practice of avoiding some form of Gebrokts – we can.  The Gemorah in Psachim (40b) discusses an item called Chassissi which the workers of the house of the Raish Galusa would make.  There were Amoraim, the Gemorah indicates, who were unsettled with eating it, however.  Although […]

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by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com

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CNN reported Thursday night that Donald Trump’s indictment includes 34 separate counts, all of them relating to the falsification of business records. “I am told by my sources that this is 34 counts of falsification of business records, which is probably a lot of charges involving each document, each thing that was submitted as a separate count and a couple of matters,” CNN law enforcement analysts John Miller said. “So he would surrender to the district attorney’s office. Now, presumably that would happen at the district attorney’s office. He would be taken upstairs to the detective squad. He’d be fingerprinted and photographed for mug shot. They would be given a conference room because remember, nothing is the same here. He’s a defendant who is under guard by the United States Secret Service. I can’t remember in history that ever occurring before. But his detail will be with him. Presumably they would put him in a conference room and say, all right, you’re now booked. Right. And your information is being entered into the system. Now, we’ll have an arraignment judge. They’ll bring him to the arraignment judge, and they’ll be released on his own recognizance.” Miller’s comments were made after Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s grand jury reportedly voted to indict Trump, though the official indictment remains under seal and its exact details are still not publicly known. Trump has attacked the investigation and called for mass protests over it, prompting the NYPD to mobilize all of its forces on Friday. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday night that he will do nothing to assist prosecutors extradite Trump from Florida if the former president refuses to go to New York once his indictment is unsealed. “The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head,” DeSantis tweeted Thursday. “It is un-American.” “The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct,” he continued. “Yet, now he is stretching the law to target a political opponent.” “Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda.” The weaponization of the legal system to advance a political agenda turns the rule of law on its head. It is un-American. The Soros-backed Manhattan District Attorney has consistently bent the law to downgrade felonies and to excuse criminal misconduct. Yet, now he is… — Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) March 30, 2023 The indictment reportedly includes 34 counts relating to the falsification of business records in connection with hush money payments he made during the 2016 presidential election. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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