Friday, April 24, 2020



PBS's Rick Steves Travelogues Trip Over Israel - Sean Durns, Myron Kaplan (CAMERA)

In honor of Yom HaShoah:
From March 27

If like me, many of your meetings are migrating to Zoom, Google Hangouts, and What's App, beware: ‘Zoombombing:’ Internet trolls are hijacking video conferences hosted by Zoom, a platform that has soared in popularity amid the coronavirus outbreak. For instance, mischief makers are hopping on public Zoom calls and screen-sharing hardcore pornography to unwitting participants. (NYT)

Afghan officials say 25 killed in Kabul attack on Sikhs - Tameen Akhgar and Rahim Faiez (AP)

Danes Charge Man in Plot to Kill Iranian Opposition Member  (AP-ABC News) A 40-year-old Norwegian citizen of Iranian descent has been charged with helping Iranian intelligence to carry out a plot on Danish soil to kill an Iranian opposition activist, Prosecutor Lise-Lotte Nilas said Wednesday. Nilas said it was "completely unacceptable that foreign intelligence services plan killings on Danish soil, and it is unacceptable that people help foreign intelligence services operate in Denmark." 



Note: The Syrian civil war is in it's 10th yr. 900,000 in Idlib and only 60 hospital beds. 4 million refugees in Turkey. 

Meanwhile this is a US response to COVID-19 (bold is my emphasis): DOJ seeks new emergency powers amid coronavirus pandemic -Betsy Woodruff Swan (Politico) The Justice Department has reportedly asked Congress for the ability to ask chief judges to detain people indefinitely without trial during emergencies, as the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States surpassed 33,000 over the weekend. Documents detail the department’s requests to lawmakers on a host of topics, including the statute of limitations, asylum, and the way court hearings are conducted. Another proposal seeks the authority to extend deadlines on merger reviews and prosecutions. It would allow the DOJ and its sister agency, the Federal Trade Commission, to add 15 days onto merger timelines during emergencies, such as disease outbreaks, natural disasters, or government shutdowns. Norman Reimer, Executive Director of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, warned, “You could be arrested and never brought before a judge until they decide that the emergency or the civil disobedience is over. I find it absolutely terrifying.”