Senior BBC employee calls Jews ‘parasites’ on social media;OPINION: Westminster Holocaust Memorial: Keep calm and carry on;Holocaust and Srebrenica survivors launch Jewish-Muslim effort to prevent genocides

 

THE DAILY EDITION Friday, February 2, 2024

Senior BBC employee calls Jews ‘parasites’ on social media BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG Dawn Queva, who has worked in children’s programming, promotes antisemitic and anti-Israel tropes and calls Jews genocidal parasites and thieves

Cherie Blair says she is ‘ashamed’ of Hamas atrocity deniers BY LEE HARPIN   Hostage negotiations continue as Netanyahu insists on ‘total victory’ BY JOTAM CONFINO IN ISRAEL   Informa employee to Israeli tech firm: Israel based companies not welcome at our event BY JN REPORTER

Israeli settlers sanctioned by the US in response to ‘intolerable’ West Bank violence BY LEE HARPIN The four Israelis, who were named, have been blocked from accessing all US property, assets and the American financial system.

Speaker urges MPs to ‘turn down the heat’ as minister quits over safety concerns BY JEWISH NEWS REPORTER Mike Freer announced he was planning to quit Parliament after a series of death threats and an arson attack on his office.

SPECIAL REPORT: ‘We watch those carrying on but for us time has stopped’ BY LIANNE KOLIRIN While the men are fighting for Israel’s very existence, their partners are left holding the babies – literally. Lianne Kolirin speaks to the women left behind

OPINION: Westminster Holocaust Memorial: Keep calm and carry on BY MAURICE HELFGOTT AND MICHAEL HELFGOTT AND NATHAN HELFGOTT It’s a matter of when, not if, the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre is built in Westminster, write the sons of the beloved late survivor and Olympian Sir Ben Helfgott

Holocaust and Srebrenica survivors launch Jewish-Muslim effort to prevent genocides BY TOBY AXELROD (JTA)

New cancer hope with launch of ground-breaking genetic testing BY JENNI FRAZER NHS Jewish BRCA testing programme launches with Chai Cancer Care and Jnetics

THEATRE REVIEW: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick live up to Plaza Hotel’s five-star rating BY RICHARD FERRER Married for nearly 30 years, the Sex And The City star and her real-life Mr Big share a chemistry that lights up the West End in Plaza Suite – Neil Simon’s exuberant 1960s comedy.

Kemi Badenoch: Women’s organisations who ignore rape or try to justify it are shameful BY NICOLE LAMPERT Business Secretary told a packed room of journalists and MPs: “Let me be clear; rape is not resistance or some form of freedom fighting.”

Founders of ethical diamond brand worn by Duchess of Sussex dazzle Dragons BY CANDICE KRIEGER Jessica Warch and Sidney Neuhaus secure record-breaking £250,000 from Steven Bartlett – his largest investment to date

Art auction raises funds for Be’eri BY LOUISA WALTERS The British Friends of the Art Museums of Israel dinner played host to co-creator of the kibbutz’s now-destroyed art gallery

BIBLE PURCHASES POTENTIALLY FLAGGED AS ‘EXTREMISM’ INDICATOR;DAD SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR TRYING TO ‘TRANSITION’ DAUGHTER;POLICE ARREST SUSPECT IN SAN FRAN CHURCH SHOOTING

 

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2 BIBLE PURCHASES POTENTIALLY FLAGGED AS ‘EXTREMISM’ INDICATOR  An agency of the federal government “flagged” Bible purchases as an indication of “extremism” in communications with banks following the events of January 6, 2021.  READ MASSIVE TRUCKER CONVOY HEADS TO BORDER  Hundreds of thousands of trucks and other vehicles are currently headed to the southern border in several convoys to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies. The first “Take Our Border Back” convoy left Virginia Beach, Virginia on Monday, heading for Eagle Pass, Texas.  READ JUDGE TOSSES DISNEY CASE AGAINST DeSANTIS  A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed Disney’s lawsuit against Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. “The federal court’s decision made it clear that Governor DeSantis was correct,” said DeSantis Press Secretary Jeremy Redfern.  READ MARK HOUCK CANDIDACY PICKS UP STEAM  One year after he was acquitted of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act, Catholic pro-life activist Mark Houck is gaining momentum in his run for a U.S. House Seat. Houck this week won the Republican committee vote for two local districts, placing him closer to scoring a stunning upset over his opponent.  READ DAD SUES SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR TRYING TO ‘TRANSITION’ DAUGHTER  A widowed single father filed suit against a New Jersey school district that he alleges “transitioned” his minor daughter behind his back. A pro-LGBT student club’s staff advisor told colleagues at the school to refer to the girl by a male name and male pronouns and not to tell her father.  READ POLICE ARREST SUSPECT IN SAN FRAN CHURCH SHOOTING Local police arrested Debari Charvel Augustine, 22, who this week allegedly opened fire in the direction of St. Augustine Catholic Church in San Francisco, California. On January 30 when the shooting occurred, the St. Augustine parish’ Facebook page stated that no one inside the church was injured, though the bullets struck the church doors. READ NYTIMES READERS REJECT PRO-DEI PIECE  Readers of The New York Times blasted the outlet after it published an essay that attempted to defend the controversial push for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in American institutions. “Every single top-reader comment” on the Times' website “says ‘no, actually, the anti-DEI campaign has a point. Progressive group-think is rotting our universities,’” author Daniel Buck pointed out.  READ MARY'S MVPs: CATHOLIC SUPER BOWL STARS  It’s Super Bowl season, and CatholicVote has compiled a list of some of the most memorable and faithful Catholic football stars and coaches that will leave you saying “Amen!”  READ PANAMANIAN CARDINAL DISAPPEARS, REAPPEARS  Catholic Bishops in Panama have confirmed that the country’s first-ever cardinal was found after mysteriously going missing for two days. After he reappeared, the National Police offered no explanation of his disappearance. It was only communicated that he was found alone, driving his car.  READ RISING INTOLERANCE TOWARD CHRISTIANS IN THE WEST  Intolerance towards Christians in the West has risen sharply in recent years. According to a new report from the Family Research Council, several countries are taking “authoritarian measures against Christians simply trying to live out their faith.”  READ RUNNING FOR THE EUCHARIST  We show our love for the Eucharist by receiving Jesus’ body and blood at Mass, by going to Adoration, or by praying certain Eucharist devotions. But what about doing something radical and “ridiculous”? Meet the man who is doing a public 50-mile run out of love for the Eucharist.  READ CATHOLIC 101  Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio expounds on the idea that Candlemas is about bringing the light of Christ into a world filled with darkness. “The Presentation is a feast of mission, a reminder of the call to commit ourselves wholeheartedly to what our last three Popes have called ‘The New Evangelization.’”  READ SAINT OF THE DAY  Forty days after Jesus’ birth, Mary and Joseph brought the boy to the temple to offer him and two turtle doves to the Lord, following the law of Moses. The celebration of today’s feast of the Presentation became widespread in the 5th and 6th centuries and has traditionally been the day on which men and women religious profess their vows.  READ DAILY PSALM  “Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!” (Psalm 24:8)  READ DAILY READINGS  Today's Mass readings  READ BEAUTY  CatholicVote’s Rose Church reflects on Giotto’s famous fresco, which invites us to be present at the encounter between Simeon and the Christ. Walk through a meditation for today’s feast with this artistic masterpiece!  PRAY Paid for by CatholicVote Civic Action, a 501(c)(4) organization. CATHOLICVOTE  |  PO Box 3310  |  Carmel, IN 46082  |  (317) 669-6127

 

Fani Willis, the DA who charged Trump in Georgia, subpoenaed by House GOP NBC Universal KATHERINE DOYLE February 2, 2024 at 9:22 AM

 

Fani Willis, the DA who charged Trump in Georgia, subpoenaed by House GOP

KATHERINE DOYLE

February 2, 2024 at 9:22 AM

Getty Images/AP

WASHINGTON — House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan has subpoenaed District Attorney Fani Willis of Fulton County, Georgia, demanding documents from her office following allegations that Willis fired a whistleblower who tried to stop a top campaign aide from misusing federal funds.

The subpoena, obtained by NBC News, is part of a broader probe by Jordan, R-Ohio, and House Republicans into whether Willis used federal funds in conducting her more-than-two-year investigation into former President Donald Trump, who was indicted in Fulton County last year on charges that he attempted to overturn Georgia’s 2020 presidential election results. Trump has pleaded not guilty.

In a letter Friday, Jordan says Willis has failed to comply with two earlier requests for documents related to her office’s use of federal grant money. The subpoena calls on the district attorney’s office to provide documents and communications “referring or relating to the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office’s receipt and use of federal funds” and “referring or relating to any allegations of the misuse of federal funds.”

Willis' office has condemned Jordan's requests, writing last year in a letter to him that there is “no justification in the Constitution for Congress to interfere with a state criminal matter.”

Jordan's push for documents follows allegations that the district attorney's office retaliated against an employee who tried to stop what she said was misuse of Justice Department grant funding by a top Willis campaign aide.

The former employee in the district attorney's office told Willis that she was demoted after she warned a Willis campaign aide against misusing federal grant funding earmarked for a youth gang prevention effort, according to a recording of the call reported by the conservative Washington Free Beacon. Two months later, the employee was “abruptly terminated” and “escorted out of her office by seven armed investigators,” Jordan's letter says, quoting the report.

“Instead of using these federal grant funds for the intended purpose of helping at-risk youths, your office sought to use the grant funds to ‘get Macbooks ... swag ... [and] use it for travel,’” Jordan wrote. “Moreover, the whistleblower’s direct supervisor stated that these planned expenditures ‘were part of [your] vision.’”

“These allegations raise serious concerns about whether you were appropriately supervising the expenditure of federal grant funding allocated to your office and whether you took actions to conceal your office’s unlawful use of federal funds,” he added.

Willis' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the circumstances of the employee's departure.

Willis faces broader scrutiny related to her prosecution of Trump in the Georgia election interference case after a co-defendant alleged that she improperly benefited from the hiring of an outside attorney who is alleged to be Willis' romantic partner.