Could Trump Be Disqualified from Running in 2024?

If convicted of a crime concerning the mishandling of classified presidential documents, could Donald Trump be barred from running for president in 2024?

If convicted, defendants can be fined or sentenced to prison for up to three years. In addition, the statute says, if they are currently in a federal office, they “shall forfeit” that office, and they shall “be disqualified from holding any office under the United States.”

…the Constitution forbids that result with respect to the presidency. Even assuming the government could prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Trump deliberately mishandled government documents… a court couldn’t disqualify him from serving as president.

Trump is 76 years old. Presumably, he does not want to go to jail. Will he seek a plea bargain where he consents to a decree that he never again hold public office? Idle speculation. Only time will tell.

Do Republicans Have a Right to Be Angry?

Republican politicians and constituents alike have reacted to the news of the Mar-a-Lago raid with outrage and a sense that the system is stacked against them. In some cases, they have called for violence.

Mediaite listed pro-Trump supporters calling for political retribution. So those people are now on the radar. Though I doubt they’ll hit the streets and burn down affordable housing. No, they’re just responding to a shocking act against someone they admire.

For now, the prudent reaction to the search would be to await its tangible results. Instead, Republicans are behaving with gross irresponsibility: from talk show hosts urging violence that seems all-too-possible after the events of Jan. 6, 2021, to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and former Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon comparing the FBI to the Gestapo…

The Republican attacks on the Mar-a-Lago raid result not from reasonable skepticism of law enforcement, but something darker: a belief on the right that the government’s functions must necessarily be partisan, either wielded for Republicans’ benefit or against them.

Is There a Happy Future for Gaza?

Israel’s recent conflict in the Gaza Strip has many wondering if the cycle of violence will continue forever or if, somehow, there is a way for Gaza and Israel to live in peace and for Gazans to thrive.

Try to imagine Gaza’s future — is there a way for you to feel hopeful about its future? Try whatever “what if” scenario that comes to mind. Can you think about something that is both realistic and optimistic?

There will be greater hope for peace and a Gaza Riviera when anti-Israel members of Congress, such as Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and their allies, start becoming pro-Palestinian and hold the corrupt Palestinian leadership accountable.

Why can’t we imagine a victory picture of leaders shaking hands and promising their people a new era of calm, while we search together for solutions to the core issues in this conflict? The rounds of fighting in Gaza are not about Gaza alone, they are about the inability of these two peoples to find the best way to share land that each side claims as its own.

Is It Antisemitic to Criticize George Soros?

Senator Marco Rubio is being criticized for his comments about “Soros-backed” prosecutors. Jewish billionaire George Soros is indeed the subject of countless antisemitic conspiracy theories, but does that mean it’s always antisemitic to criticize his political agenda?

The argument that the mere mention of the name “Soros” is tantamount to antisemitism, which is effectively the position of the progressive political, media, and activist elite, is made entirely in bad faith.

The long-debunked efforts to link criticism of Soros to anti-Semitism are not just a distraction from actual anti-Semitism. The persistence and the popularity of this line of attack render efforts to unite both major parties and Americans against this noxious form of hate all but impossible.

When those on the right and their centrist allies seek to drum up opposition to these prosecutors, they often mention Soros; and they do so in ways which go beyond his role as a significant funder, positioning his philanthropy as part of a secret plot threatening America. They know what they are doing.

Should We Compare Monkeypox to HIV?

Frustrated by the government’s handling of the Monkeypox pandemic, many gay men are reminded of the 1980s HIV/AIDS crisis.

Monkeypox is a miserable, painful experience that you don’t want to go through, but it’s rarely fatal and it’s over in about a month. It’s not HIV… It’s simply not good public health messaging to tie these two completely unrelated viruses together simply because they’re affecting the same demographic.

I’ve watched the rise of monkeypox with great sadness and horror. Sadness because of all the people suffering from what can be an excruciating infection. And horror because it seems we are watching as public health officials make the same mistakes they made during the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

This aggressive stigmatization of monkeypox – reminiscent of the homophobic response to HIV/Aids in the 1980s – poses a serious challenge to public health advocates and community leaders trying to have honest conversations about the disease with the gay and bisexual men who are most at risk during the current outbreak.

What Does Serena Williams’ Retirement Say About Work-Life Balance?

Serena Williams announced her impending retirement from tennis in order to spend more time with her family and work on other projects.

… there’s no way around it: For a baby to come into the world, someone has to give her body over to the process of creating life. If the capriciousness of biology can humble a transcendent athlete like Serena Williams, it ought to inspire awe and caution in us all.

…even in the world of office jobs that involve train commutes rather than training sessions, very similar sacrifices are being made. More women than men are taking part-time roles to avoid putting their children in full-time childcare for financial reasons or simply because they feel guilty.

The trade-off has been a fuller life. When I interviewed Williams in 2016, she revealed a tinge of melancholy, wondering if she’d given too much to her sport. In recent years, she’s happily found more. There’s her marriage to tech maestro Alexis Ohanian, and a daughter, Olympia, now 4. She found the equilibrium high-performing athletes often struggle to achieve.

Roundtable Extra: Commentary on Parashat Re’eh

Today we present a collection of past Torah Talks on Re’eh. Five rabbis – five viewpoints. Click here to watch the discussions.

In this Week’s Torah Portion – Parashat Re’eh (Deuteronomy 11:26-16:17) – Moses continues speaking to the people of Israel right before he passes away and before they cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. Moses asks them to recite certain blessings and curses on Mount Grizzim and Mount Ebal after they enter Israel. He demands that they destroy all remnants of idolatry from the Promised Land and asks them to choose a city which will host the Holy Temple. The Parasha also discusses false prophets, kashrut, the sabbatical year and charity, and includes an imperative to “open your hand,” “not harden your heart” and “lend whatever is sufficient to meet the need.”

Today’s Hot Issues

Could Trump Be Disqualified from Running in 2024? Do Republicans Have a Right to Be Angry? Is There a Happy Future for Gaza? Is It Antisemitic to Criticize George Soros? Should We Compare Monkeypox to HIV? What Does Serena Williams’ Retirement Say About Work-Life Balance? Roundtable Extra: Commentary on Parashat Re’eh