The Jewish Home | JUNE 3, 2021
with the U.S. or defending the country against the nuclear threat from Iran, Israel will choose to confront the Islamic Republic. Netanyahu said Israel must “do everything, but everything, in order to ensure that under no circumstance Iran arms itself with nuclear weapons. “The greatest threat against us is the existential threat which is presented by Iran’s attempt to arm itself with nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu said. Faced with a choice between relations with the U.S. or neutralizing Iran, “the elimination of the existential threat prevails,” he said. Netanyahu’s remarks came the day after the UN nuclear watchdog voiced concern that Iran had not clarified queries over possible undeclared nuclear activity, adding that its enriched uranium stockpile was 16 times the limit set out in the 2015 accord. The two reports issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Monday are the first substantive reports since Iran suspended some inspections in February. Iran and world powers are engaged in talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 nuclear deal after former U.S. President Donald Trump walked away from it in 2018 and reimposed crippling sanctions on Tehran. U.S. President Joe Biden wishes to restart the agreement.
intelligence officials, who alerted the White House to a trove of still-untouched evidence. Officials told the Times that they are likely to use an “extraordinary amount” of computer power to analyze the data but did not provide further details. The Times added that Biden’s 90-day deadline for a conclusive answer is intended to pressure U.S. allies and intelligence agencies into re-examining relevant evidence while simultaneously pursuing new intelligence. The site also noted that, so far, efforts to bolster intelligence contributions from U.S. allies has proven mostly futile. A month-long investigation in Wuhan, China, conducted by a team from the World Health Organization (WHO) has already determined that COVID-19 “most likely” jumped from bats to people via an intermediary animal host. However, the group was unable to definitively prove their theory or disprove the theory that COVID-19 was leaked from a laboratory. Additionally, there is much criticism of the WHO’s investigation. Many point out that the WHO was not given full access to China’s laboratory, in additional to other problems in the investigation. Earlier this week, China announced that it will not cooperate with any further WHO investigations on the virus’ origins. On Wednesday, Biden said that two intelligence agencies believe COVID-19 was likely naturally occurring, but added that at least one other agency believed that the virus was likely to have been accidentally leaked from a lab. Neither theory is proven, the U.S. president noted.
Uncovering Covid’s Origins in 90 Days
Ukraine Again?
U.S. President Joe Biden urged the intelligence community last week to “redouble their efforts” to determine the origins of COVID-19, Business Insider reported. According to The New York Times, this push was prompted by
Federal prosecutors in New York are investigating whether Ukrainian officials attempted to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, The New York Times reported, quoting unnamed sources “with knowledge of the matter.” The criminal investigation includes examining whether Ukraine officials used Rudy Giuliani, who at the time was former U.S. President
Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, to spread misinformation about Biden, according to the Times. According to the Times, the inquiry is separate from a criminal investigation into Giuliani’s dealings in Ukraine, and it is being handled by federal prosecutors in Brooklyn. In the elections investigation, Giuliani has not been accused of wrongdoing. One of those under investigation in the elections case is Ukraine MP Andriy Derkach. Derkach has been previously described by the U.S. Treasury Department as being an “active Russian agent for over a decade.”
California: DAs Sue State
Over three-quarters of California’s district attorneys are suing the state over good conduct rules which could result in the early release of
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over 76,000 inmates. Some of those who would be eligible are serving time for violent offenses. The lawsuit, brought last Wednesday by 44 of the state’s 58 top prosecutors, accuses Corrections Secretary Kathleen Allison of using an emergency declaration to bypass the normal process. It also asks a judge to bar California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) from awarding the credits until it goes through the regular process and a “transparent and rigorous public comment period.” Of the 76,000 inmates affected by the new system, 63,000 were convicted of violent crimes, Fox News noted. In a statement, Sacramento District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert warned, “Allowing the early release of the most dangerous criminals, shortening sentences as much as 50%, impacts crime victims and creates a serious public safety risk. “This lawsuit asks the court to enjoin CDCR from awarding these credits unless and until these regulations are exposed to a fair, honest and transparent debate, where the public has input on dramatic chang-
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