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Top Netanyahu adviser hits back at criticism from Democratic politicians: ‘No one should make excuses for’ Hamas

Mark Regev, a senior adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, responded to American critics on Sunday, defending Israel’s right to defend itself from attacks from Islamic terrorists in the Palestinian territories.

What is the background?

Members of the so-called “Squad” — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) — amplified anti-Israel rhetoric last week as Israel continued its military campaign against Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip.

Ocasio-Cortez called Israel an “apartheid state,” Omar accused Israel of committing acts of terrorism, while Tlaib called Netanyahu the “Apartheid-in-chief” and accused him of “committing war crimes.”

Tlaib and Omar even said after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire that a ceasefire was not enough. Omar, instead, demanded“accountability for every war crime committed.” Meanwhile, Tlaib saidthe U.S. should stop sending aid to Israel if the Jewish nation doesn’t “uphold human rights,” claiming the ceasefire “will not alone achieve freedom, justice, and equality for all who live under Israel’s apartheid government.”

What did Regev say?

Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” the top Israeli diplomat dismissed criticism from Democrats, saying they don’t represent the views of a majority of Americans.

Regev also reiterated that Hamas is not just an enemy of Israel’s — but of the free world.

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Michigan Gov. Whitmer Apologizes After Violating Social Distancing Guidelines

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer apologized Sunday after photos emerged that appeared to show her violating social distancing guidelines mandated as part of the state’s health order while at an East Lansing restaurant.

A photo circulated on social media of Whitmer with a large group of unmasked people at the Landshark Bar & Grill, Breitbart first reported.

The photo, which showed the Democratic governor seated with roughly a dozen people at tables that had been pushed together, was posted online by an attendee, but later deleted, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Restaurants and bars in the state are able to operate with capacity limits and social distancing requirements due to the ongoing CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, as per a May 15 order from the state Department of Health and Human Services. Currently, a maximum of six people can be seated at a table, and tables must have a distance of six feet between them.

“Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been committed to following public health protocols,” Whitmer said in a statement to multiple news outlets Sunday. “Yesterday, I went with friends to a local restaurant. As more people arrived, the tables were pushed together. Because we were all vaccinated, we didn’t stop to think about it.”

“In retrospect, I should have thought about it. I am human. I made a mistake, and I apologize,” she added.

NTD has reached out to Whitmer for additional comment.

Whitmer, who received her second dose of COVID-19 vaccine on April 29, has said that she plans to tie the state’s reopening and lifting of restrictions to the rate at which residents get the COVID-19 vaccination jab.

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Biden ICE Nominee Partnered With Chinese Propaganda Ministry

Joe Biden’s nominee for immigration enforcement chief partnered with a Chinese government propaganda ministry on a 2014 public relations campaign to bolster the international image of Shanghai, a partnership that is now under scrutiny ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing.

Ed Gonzalez was a member of the Houston City Council and was serving as the city’s mayor pro tem when he signed a cooperative agreement in October 2014 with Zhu Yonglei, the head of the Chinese government’s Information Office of Shanghai, according to news reports and Gonzalez’s Twitter posts at the time.

The “memorandum of understanding” between Gonzalez and Zhu was an “agreement to promote each of the partner cities for a year through a series of videos at strategic locations and on social media,” according to China Daily. The deal was reportedly an expansion of an existing partnership intended to promote economic ties between Houston and Shanghai.

Gonzalez, who currently serves as the sheriff of Harris County, Texas, was nominated for director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement last month. But his involvement with the Chinese propaganda bureau has come under scrutiny ahead of his Senate confirmation hearing. The Washington Free Beacon reported last week that Gonzalez also took a 2015 trip to China that was bankrolled by an advocacy group for the EB-5 cash-for-visa program.

Zhu—who has since been promoted to deputy of Shanghai’s propaganda department—praised the agreement at the time and said he “hope[d] this exchange will unite us together to promote the sustainable development of cities around the globe.” Gonzalez tweeted a photo of him and Zhu signing the deal. Another photo from the event shows the two men standing next to each other while Gonzalez displays a framed photograph of Shanghai.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

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The January 6th Commission Isn’t About The Truth – It’s About Silencing Conservatives

In the movie Darkest Hour, Winston Churchill declares, in response to the idea that Britain could negotiate and appease Hitler to avoid defeat, “You cannot reason with a tiger when your head is in its mouth.”

The 35 House Republicans who joined with Nancy Pelosi in voting for a sham January 6 commission would do well to heed that advice, and so would Senate Republicans.

The proposed January 6 commission has absolutely nothing to do with finding out what happened that day, which is why you don’t hear Pelosi – or her new pal Liz Cheney – asking why the only person who died on that day was an unarmed female Trump supporter, a military veteran – who was shot and killed by police – and yet to this day we still don’t know the identity of who shot her or why she was shot.

The sham January 6 commission isn’t looking for answers, they are looking for facts to support the conclusion they have already reached.

Democrats and their allies in the mainstream media want the American people to believe that January 6 was an “armed insurrection” – despite the fact that not one gun was recovered from the Capitol.

An “armed insurrection” ordered by President Trump – despite the fact Trump himself called for a peaceful march to the Capitol.

And an “armed insurrection” ordered by President Trump that intended to violently seize control of the government – though no one has bothered to explain to us how a couple hundred unarmed people – including the elderly and the obese – planned on seizing control of the government.

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Exactly How Corporate Media Launders Opinion To Attack Inconvenient People And Facts

A New York Times business correspondent in Hong Kong, a weekend editor at The Guardian who lives in New York, a British Business Insider reporter with a focus on the Saudis, and the executive editor of The Daily Beast.

A 48-year-old blogger who works for Rachel Maddow, a union activist who covers “extremism, far-right politics and media disinformation” for The Huffington Post, and the 29-year editor of the Arkansas Times.

A breaking news reporter at The Washington Post who wrapped up her most recent internship in May 2016, a 2016 University of Pennsylvania graduate who covers “young people doing big things” for Forbes, a 45-year-old former George Will intern who writes for CNN, and David Frum.

What do these people have in common, aside from their political ideology? Every one of them is a part of a machine that launders smears and opinions through newspapers, magazines, and television channels, presents the cleaned-up product as unimpeachable truth to the public, and then uses the fresh-minted facts to protect friends and hurt enemies. It’s called “the news,” and here’s how it worked for Arkansas’ Sen. Tom Cotton’s completely plausible theory that COVID-19 came from a Chinese lab.

That Hong Kong business correspondent? She wrote this headline for the Times in February 2020: “Senator Tom Cotton Repeats Fringe Theory of Coronavirus Origins.”

“Scientists,” the slug reads, “have dismissed suggestions that the Chinese government was behind the outbreak, but it’s the kind of tale that gains traction among those who see China as a threat.”

“Republican who floated virus conspiracy says ‘common sense has been my guide,’” the weekend editor at The Guardian dismissively explained.

“A GOP senator,” our award-winning Saudi investigator declared, “keeps pushing a thoroughly debunked theory that the Wuhan coronavirus is a leaked Chinese biological weapon gone wrong.”

“Sen. Tom Cotton Flogs Coronavirus Conspiracy Theory Dismissed by Actual Scientists,” the editor of The Daily Beast howled.

“Tom Cotton’s veiled threats really aren’t helping,” Maddow’s blogger chimed in.

“Don’t Listen To Sen. Tom Cotton About Coronavirus,” our “media disinformation” boy piped up.

“Tom Cotton and the virus conspiracy theory,” the three-decades’ veteran of an Arkansas weekly blogged, citing a Vanity Fair write-up that maintained far more nuance than the grizzled writer.

“Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) repeated a fringe theory,” the young Post staffer confidently led, “suggesting that the ongoing spread of a coronavirus is connected to research in the disease-ravaged epicenter of Wuhan, China.” That “theory,” her headline definitively states, “was already debunked.”

“Senator Tom Cotton Ramps Up Anti-China Rhetoric,” Forbes’ “Under 30 community lead” righteously wrote.

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She Poured Boiling Water On Her Husband’s Face After He Said He Wanted A Separation. She Received No Jail Time.

On September 22, 2018, Australian woman Maria Doris Axiak, 58, attacked her husband while he slept by pouring boiling water over his face and torso. His crime? He said he wanted out of the marriage.

That night, he told Axiak that he was unhappy and wanted a separation, NCA Newswire reported. He said he would sleep in the guest bedroom so that she could sleep in the master bedroom, and after he fell asleep, Axiak smoked a cigarette before disconnecting the landline so that he could not call for help. She then boiled a pot of water and poured it over him as he slept.

“She then drove out of the house, taking the (victim’s) mobile phone and car keys with her,” a police summary of the case said.

Her husband had to seek help at a neighbor’s house. He had to be put into an induced coma at the hospital and receive skin grafts, as the burns from Axiak’s attack covered 12% of his body.

After leaving the house, Axiak drove to her daughter’s home and told her “he deserves it.”

“Out of 20 years of misery, I want him to look in the mirror every day …” she reportedly said. “I took his keys and phone and I don’t give a f***.”

She later sent her daughter a “thumbs up” and “clapping hands” emojis to show excitement. She also wrote, “I hope they keep him there (in hospital) for at least a month.”

Axiak told police she did it because she was tired of her husband’s drinking and claimed he kept “spoiling her weekends.” She later claimed to the court that she “felt abused and controlled” by her husband.

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California governor ordered to pay $1.35 million in legal fees for shutting down churches

Discriminatory restrictions on worship and religious gatherings may no longer be applied.

This week, a California District Court approved the settlement of Harvest Rock Church and Harvest International Ministry’s lawsuit against Gov. Gavin Newsom, establishing the first state-wide permanent injunction in the country against COVID restrictions on churches and places of worship.

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Ron Paul slams CDC over suggestion to have children wear masks while playing

Ron Paul criticized the recommendation of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky that children should wear masks while playing. Walensky’s reason is to ensure that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is not spread by “heavy breathing” of children near each other.

In his weekly column published Monday, May 10, at Ron Paul Institute website, the former Texas representative accused Walensky of ignoring the science, noting that wearing a mask while exercising or playing sports has negative health effects.

“Dr. Walensky’s recommendation is one more example of COVID authoritarians’ refusal to listen to the science,” wrote Paul, who worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist from the 1960s to the 1980s.

He said that Walensky’s most outrageous disregard of science is ignoring the fact that children are statistically unlikely to be at risk of either spreading or becoming sick from the virus. “Many children have had their physical and mental health damaged because they cannot go to school, play with their friends, or even have a birthday party because of the lockdowns,” wrote Paul.

CDC wants children as young as two years old to wear mask

According to the CDC, children two years and older should wear “cloth face coverings”when they are “in the community setting” to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.

The CDC has also indicated that masks are an important part of reopening schools for all children. While the guidance is not “mandated” by the organization, Walensky told NBC News that masking and social distancing are part of a “road map” of “what we believe are the next best steps” toward reopening.

“So much of getting back to school safely is really about how much disease is in the community, because most of what comes into the schools is coming in from the community,” Walensky said.

Dr. Deborah Gilboa, a family physician and child development expert, said children should wear masks as much as possible, especially in congregate settings like a school classroom or on a playground.

“We do a lot of good when we say, ‘Hey, in addition to washing your hands, and please stop licking things, we’d also like you to wear a mask,’” Gilboa told TODAY Parents. “We really want to slow and stop the spread of this.”

Dr. Jamie Macklin, a pediatric hospitalist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, stressed the importance of not allowing babies and children two years old and below to wear masks.

“Babies and young toddlers have smaller airways,” Macklin said. “Breathing through a mask can be harder for them. Using a mask on an infant can increase their risk of suffocation.”

Gilboa agreed that babies and toddlers should not wear masks that “could be a choking hazard,” telling parents to make sure that the material and strings do not pose risks to little ones.

Macklin said the CDC also tells people not to put masks on anyone who may not be able to remove the mask by themselves, providing yet another reason why babies should not be masked.

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‘Where the crypto market goes from here is completely dependent on the stock market,’ says digital-asset tycoon Barry Silbert

Want to know where the crypto market goes from here? Barry Silbert, a power player in the digital-asset sector, says that investors ought to look no further than the stock market, in a Sunday-night tweet amid a downturn in digital assets.

Silbert’s comments came as bitcoin BTCUSD, Ether ETHUSD and alternative assets such as dogecoin DOGEUSD were in the midst of a turbulent weekend of trading that saw all three of those cryptocurrencies shed at least 50% from recent peaks at their Sunday nadirs. 

CoinDesk reported that some of the turmoil being experienced in digital assets was linked to China’s crackdown on the sector. Specifically, the crypto-focused website reported that crypto exchange Huobi may be scaling back some of its offerings and suspended some of its miner-hosting services in some countries due to the Chinese government’s hard-line stance on virtual currencies. 

Still, a number of market participants have tried to suggest that crypto’s recent slump has less to do with the fundamentals of digital assets, or the changing narrative and regulatory landscape, and more to do with Wall Street’s appetite for speculation.

In this case, Silbert is suggesting that stocks may be the key indicator for how much risk investors can stomach in crypto, and not the other way around. 

Last Sunday, Mott Capital’s Michael Kramer said in a blog post that bitcoin’s recent breakdown could signal risk appetite on Wall Street is in transition —presumably in a bearish direction. 

Silbert is considered a luminary in the world of digital assets, after founding two of the most widely known enterprises in crypto: Grayscale Investments, which runs the popular Grayscale Bitcoin Trust GBTC, and the Digital Currency Group, which also owns CoinDesk. He’s also been an early investor in companies such as trading platform Coinbase Global COIN and Ripple, a blockchain-focused startup behind the cryptocurrency XRP XRPUSD. CoinTelegraph ranks Silbert the fifth-most important person in decentralized digital assets.

He also knows a thing or two about equities: Second Market, a popular trading exchange for private-company stock that he founded in 2004, was sold to Nasdaq Inc. NDAQ in 2015 for an undisclosed sum.

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Ending Big Tech’s Free Ride

COVID-19 shed a bright light on the value of America’s internet infrastructure. As stay-at-home orders spread across the country, millions of families turned to the internet for educating their kids, working remotely, connecting with doctors or streaming their favorite shows. It is safe to say that we have never relied more heavily on our high-speed connections.

So it is no surprise that regulators and lawmakers in Washington are focused on extending our broadband networks to every American. Republicans and Democrats alike are pledging to inject billions of dollars in federal support to get the job done. The question is how to pay for this massive investment in our internet infrastructure.

Up to now, there have been two leading approaches. The first is the FCC’s current model for funding internet builds. Many consumers are unaware that the federal government collects roughly $9 billion a year through a tax on their monthly bills for traditional telephone service—both wireless and wireline. The FCC then uses that pot of money, known as the Universal Service Fund, to support internet builds in rural areas and on other efforts to close the digital divide.

This model made sense when Congress established it back in 1996. But it is now hopelessly outdated. The dominant platform for communications has shifted from the telephone network to the internet. Indeed, the revenue base associated with the traditional telephone network has fallen sharply from a peak of around $80 billion in the 2000s to less than $30 billion today as more and more services—including those now offered by Big Tech—are delivered over the internet instead. Yet we continue to rely on that shrinking base of revenues from the telephone network to fund the broadband network. This is like taxing horseshoes to pay for highways.

This antiquated system is on the verge of collapse. The FCC has kept it on life support by increasing the tax on consumers’ telephone bills at an accelerating clip. Indeed, that tax recently surged above 30 percent for the first time. This is not sustainable; relying on this model to fund additional infrastructure would strain the system well past its breaking point.

A second funding option that policymakers have been considering is direct appropriation. While this is an improvement over the FCC’s failing model, it is not without its downsides. The annual budget process in Washington is far from predictable, so it could lead to an unreliable source of funding. There is also growing concern about adding to the national debt.

It is time to fundamentally rethink how we fund our high-speed networks. That is why I am proposing a third way. We should start requiring Big Tech to pay its fair share.

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