By Donald H. Harrison
NATIONAL/ INTERNATIONAL — In order to build a border wall, President Trump decided on Friday to declare a national emergency, prompting a constitutional crisis over whether he legally can reprogram money previously allocated by Congress for other purposes. U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, told The New York Times, “I will fully support the enactment of a joint resolution to terminate the president’s emergency declaration in accordance with the process described in the National Emergencies Act, and intend to pursue all other available legal options.” House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-California) declared, “This isn’t an emergency – it’s a blatant abuse of power, and we must stop it. This unconstitutional action will be challenged in the courts from day one, but Congress must act too.” Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) commented, “The public was more opposed to the emergency declaration than they were to the wall.” As President Trump has the power to veto a joint resolution — if it passes — the entire matter is expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court. … Judy Rabinovitz, deputy director of The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) announced on Thursday the ACLU has filed suit against the President’s “Remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers. One part of the complaint, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune, contends that “asylum seekers in Mexico face a heightened risk of kidnapping, disappearance, trafficking, sexual assault, and murder, among other harms. Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons, as well as people of indigenous heritage, are particularly at risk.” … Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, was among the minority voting against the confirmation Thursday of William Barr as attorney general in a near party line vote, 54-45 for confirmation. The Associated Press quoted her as saying, “Mr. Barr’s views about the power of the president are especially troubling in light of his refusal to commit to making the special counsel’s [Robert Mueller’s] findings and the report publicly available.” She said an attorney general should be “clearly committed to protecting the interest of the people, the country and the Constitution.” …. ..Elliott Abrams, a U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, secretly met with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza in New York, prompting embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to invite Abrams to come to Venezuela to meet with him. “If he wants to meet, just tell me when, where and how and I’ll be there,” Maduro was quoted as saying by the Associated Press. … U.S. Rep. Susan Davis (D-California) in an Op-Ed for The San Diego Union-Tribune says the Democratic sponsored H.R. 1, titled the “For the People Act,” includes some provisions which she authored, including one guaranteeing all registered voters throughout the United States to vote by mail and another prohibiting election officials who are candidates or part of campaign committees to supervise the counting of ballots in which they have such a direct interest. … U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and U.S. Sen. Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts have been pressing the Federal Trade Commission to take action against Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook, saying in a joint letter, “When Americans’ privacy is breached, they deserve a speedy and effective response. The FTC and Facebook have been negotiating a fine that would be accepted without resort to a trial over Facebook selling information about 87 million users to Cambridge Analytica, according to a report by The Washington Post.
ISRAEL MATTERS — Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin with his wife Nechama attended a memorial ceremony marking five years since former Prime Minister Ariel (Arik) Sharon died following a long coma, and is buried alongside his wife, Lily, who predeceased him. Arutz Sheva reported that Rivlin commented “There were those who worshiped Arik, and those who were scared of him, but everyone acknowledged the strength of his leadership. Even those who disagreed with him could not fail to listen to him and believe him. He had a wonderful sense of how to be at the most strategic place in the eye of the storm. He never fought on the flanks – he was always there in the middle, calling out ‘follow me’ and taking companies, battalions, brigades, whole armies and the whole people with him with supreme strength.” … Dozens of families who lost members to terrorism in Israel gathered in Jerusalem to demand stronger action against terrorists. The Im Tirzu organization quoted Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked urging security officials “to find a way to stop the money that terrorists receive through Israel.” Devorah Gonen, whose son Danny Gonen was murdered while hiking in 2015, said, “Our loved ones left us a will written in blood with one sole purpose–to prevent the next attack. We expect from all the members of the government, including the ones present here tonight, to commit to advancing an all-out war against the terror rampaging through Israel.” Hadas Mizrahi, widow of Baruch Mizrachi who was murdered in a drive-by shooting, said, “We didn’t choose to become bereaved families. We could have disconnected, coped by ourselves, and become lost in our grief. But at this crossroads we decided to stand up, unite, and fight for life. We decided to work together to defeat terrorism.”
SAN DIEGO COUNTY — Freshman U.S. Rep. Mike Levin (D-California) on Friday endorsed San Diego City Councilwoman Barbara Bry for mayor. “Leadership requires tough decisions in order to protect the public interest,” he said. “We are both committed to putting an end to politics-as-usual and more accountable to the people, she replied.
SIMCHAS — Actress Claire Bloom, who costarred in Limelight with Charlie Chaplin, Alexander the Great with Richard Burton, The Outrage with Paul Newman, and Clash of the Titans with Laurence Olivier, among numerous other roles, is 88 today. … Actress Alex Borstein, who won an Emmy for her portrayal of Susie Meyerson in the current television series, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, is 48 today. … Actor Zach Gordon, who plays Greg Heffley in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies, is a kid no more. He turned 21 today.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com
Interesting read!