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☆ The author of the viral joke post about JD Vance having sex with a couch breaks his silence
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-30 | by ( Katherine Long | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

@rickrudescalves hid the post within a week of publishing it, but the couch joke had already left an impression. AdvertisementOver the past week, for every seven people searching Google for "JD Vance," one person has searched "JD Vance couch," according to Google Trends. AdvertisementBusiness Insider tracked down the post's author, who we'll call Rick, in keeping with his former X screen name, @rickrudescalves. Rick is not the first person to post an absurd joke that ended up roiling political circles after flying over too many heads. As for his decision to include a fake citation in a tweet about a man having sex with a couch, Rick claims highbrow inspiration.

Persons: Donald Trump, JD Vance, @rickrudescalves, vance, Vance fantasizing, Obama, Kamala Harris, Stephen Colbert, Vance, Rick, he's, —, Trump, Rush Limbaugh, Werner Herzog, Jorge Luis Borges, John Fowles, I've, Lyndon Johnson, apocryphally, Hunter S, Thompson, Johnson, John Oliver Organizations: Service, Business, Google, Associated Press, Trump, Pundit, U.S . Postal Service, FBI Locations: Vance's, Columbus , Ohio, English

☆ 'Best thing' is for everyone to stay 'puzzled' on last week's odd retaliation strike on Iran, Israeli president says
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Jake Epstein | Paul Ronzheimer | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"I think the best thing would be for everybody to stay puzzled," Herzog said during an interview with Axel Springer media outlets on Sunday. Military equipment displayed at the Army Day ceremony in front of the President of Iran and high-ranking military commanders on April 17, 2024 in Tehran, Iran. The bold strike killed several high-ranking military officials, including two generals in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. AdvertisementThe incidents of the past few weeks have dragged a decades-long shadow war between Israel and Iran into broad daylight. However, Tehran has signaled that it won't retaliate over the Isfahan strike after appearing to dissociate itself from the attack.

Persons: —, Isaac Herzog doesn't, Herzog, Axel Springer, ATTA KENARE, Antony Blinken, Iran's Organizations: Service, Business, Tehran's, United Nations, Getty Images, Experts, US, Army, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Locations: Tehran, Iranian, Isfahan, AFP, Iran, Israel, America, Syria

☆ Here are Friday's biggest analyst calls: Tesla, Boeing, Amazon, Delta, Spotify, Alibaba, Johnson & Johnson and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Friday: Stifel initiates Boeing at buy Stifel said it sees a "favorable" setup for Boeing shares. Citi downgrades Spotify to neutral from buy Citi said in its downgrade of Spotify that the risk/reward is less compelling. Jefferies initiates Arcos Dorados as a buy Jefferies said the Latin American McDonald's franchisee is a "consistent compounder." Jefferies initiates CSG Systems as buy Jefferies said in its initiation of the software-as-a-service company that it sees burgeoning growth. Jefferies initiates Amdocs as buy Jefferies said it sees opportunity for the Israel-based software and systems integration supplier. "

Persons: Stifel, TD Cowen, Morgan Stanley downgrades Alibaba, Morgan Stanley, it's, Alibaba, Tesla, Cantor Fitzgerald, Cantor, Jefferies, Piper Sandler, TXRH, Wells, Wells Fargo, Emerson, Oppenheimer, Goldman Sachs, Bonnie Herzog's, MarketWise, Redburn, Johnson Organizations: Boeing, Delta, Air Lines, Citi, Spotify, RBC, Western Alliance, Novo Nordisk, Arcos, American, Crescent Energy, Fortrea Holdings, ISI, Aspen Technology, Emerson, JPMorgan, Constellation Brands, Constellation, UBS, Bank of America, Norfolk Southern, of America, Norfolk, CSG Systems, Communication Service, Financial Services, Technology, Healthcare, Westinghouse, Johnson, Innovative Medicine, Pharmaceutical Locations: Europe, China, Arcos, 4Q24, reaccelerate, Aspen, Norfolk, Israel

☆ Elon Musk toured the site of Hamas' October 7 terror attacks on Israel, after being accused of antisemitism
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Elon Musk began his visit to Israel on Monday by touring Kibbutz Kfar Aza with PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Kfar Aza was targeted by Hamas on October 7, with over 100 civilians killed there. Musk will also meet with Israel's president during his visit, to discuss antisemitism on X. AdvertisementElon Musk visited an area of Israel that was targeted by Hamas during its terrorist attacks last month, weeks after the billionaire businessman was accused of antisemitism. After his visit to Kfar Aza on Monday, Musk posted on X: "Actions speak louder than words."

Persons: Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Kfar Aza, —, Musk, Israel's, Netanyahu, Ofir Libstein, Libstein, Avigail, Idan, Isaac Herzog, Herzog, Shin Bet Organizations: Elon, Service, Kfar, Prime Minister's Office, Israel Defense Forces, The, Twitter, Business, Ronen Locations: Israel, Aza, Kfar Aza, Gaza, California

☆ Israel hosts wartime visit by Elon Musk, eyes Starlink for Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Israel hosted Elon Musk on Monday, saying it had reached an agreement in principle for using his SpaceX company's Starlink communications in the Gaza Strip, where a pause to the war against Hamas coincided with the tech entrepreneur's visit. At the time, Israeli Communications Shlomo Karhi objected, saying "Hamas will use it (Starlink) for terrorist activities." Musk has said he is against antisemitism and anything that "promotes hate and conflict" - including on X.Antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen worldwide, including during the seven-week-old Gaza war. Israel and Hamas are now in a temporary truce, with some Gaza hostages and Palestinians held by Israel for security offenses going free. Following the outbreak of the Gaza war, antisemitic incidents in the United States rose by nearly 400% from the year-earlier period, according to the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization that fights antisemitism.

Persons: Elon Musk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Isaac Herzog, Musk, Netanyahu, Communications Shlomo Karhi, Karhi, Walt Disney Organizations: Israel, Elon, SpaceX, Communications, Israeli Ministry of Communications, House, U.S, Warner Bros Discovery, Comcast, Defamation League Locations: Aza, Israel, Kfar Aza, Gaza, California, United States

☆ Elon Musk begins wartime visit to Israel, aviation tracker says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli President Isaac Herzog's office announced on Sunday that Musk would be coming to meet the head of state. Musk's office had no immediate comment. Antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen in the United States and worldwide, including during the now seven-week-old war between Israel and the Islamist Palestinian faction Hamas. In exchange, Israel has been freeing some Palestinians jailed on security grounds. Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elon Musk, Porte, Gonzalo Fuentes, Isaac Herzog's, Benjamin Netanyahu, Musk's, Avi Scharf, Netanyahu, Musk, Dan Williams, Stephen Coates Organizations: SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter, Viva Technology, Porte de, REUTERS, Rights, Tech, Haaretz, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Tel Aviv, Gaza, California, United States, Israel

☆ Elon Musk to meet Israeli president, Gaza hostage families on Monday
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-26 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, accused by civil rights groups of amplifying anti-Jewish hatred on his X social media platform, will meet Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday along with Israelis whose relatives have been held by Hamas in Gaza. Herzog's office announced the meeting on Sunday night, saying, "In their meeting, the president will emphasize the need to act to combat rising antisemitism online." Musk's visit coincides with a four-day truce in an Israeli war with Palestinian Hamas militants in Gaza during which 40 of the 240 hostages Israel says have been held by Hamas have returned to Israel. Israel's Channel 12 said Musk would also meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday. Antisemitism and Islamophobia have risen in the United States and worldwide, including during the now seven-week-old war between Israel and Hamas.

Persons: Elon Musk, Isaac Herzog, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Musk, Netanyahu's, Walt Disney Organizations: Tech, SpaceX, Hamas, House, U.S, Warner Bros Discovery, CNBC, Comcast, Defamation League Locations: Gaza, Israel, California, Tesla's California, United States

☆ At Rosemead High, generations of students were harassed or groomed for sex as they tried to get an education
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Matt Drange | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +87 min

Students were regularly subjected to sexual harassment by Hall, two former students told me. “I feel like so many of us were victims to the culture,” one former Rosemead student told Insider. Manipulation by a trusted adult has been passed like a virus to generations of Rosemead students. AdvertisementThe Shops at Santa Anita in Arcadia have long been a local haunt for Rosemead High students. We wondered aloud whether Masiello had harassed our mother the same way he'd done to generations of Rosemead students.

Persons: Clara didn't, She'd, Alex Rai, Eric Burgess, Burgess, Rai, Clara, they'd, Rai texted, she'd, who'd, Mark Abramson, Rai didn't, Leonard Levine, — I'm, Alex Rai wasn't, wouldn't, Rosemead, RubyAnna Sare, Sare, Harlan Mayne, Mayne, Dwain Crum, he'd, colluded, Crum, Robin Torres, Torres, Edward Zuniga, Zuniga, Paul Arevalo, Kristy, Jim Hall, Hall, groped, Angela, Diane Bladen, Bladen, Michael Sullivan, Sullivan, Denton Todd, Todd, Barbara, Arevalo, Barbara said, Matt Drange, Andrew Dalton, Dalton, ” Mark Abramson, I've, Will, Suzy, Carly Sanchez, Sanchez, aren't, —, David Pitts —, Pitts, Cindy, Scriabin, David Pitts, couldn't, That's, G, You'd, It's, Wing Chan, Chan, Louis Vuitton, Justin Rosien, Rosien, Rosien texted, cringed, Jim Hall's, Don Masiello, Paul Arevalo's, Sergio Caveyo, Caveyo, Brian Day, Alex, messaged, Brian Aliff, Aliff, Nichole, I'd, scoot, Michelle, Michelle's, Michelle didn't, Sarah, Brian Bristol, didn't, Nichole's, Weeks, Herbert Ortiz, Jaime, Ortiz, Richard Daniels, Daniels, Fidel Dominguez, Rosemead High's, Larry Callaham, Masiello, Jan Herzog, Herzog, Justin Fregoso, James Eder, Fregoso, me Eder, Eder, they've, Anne Bazile, Bazile, Unbeknownst, Arevalo —, Jonathan Howard, Credentialing, Howard, Elaine Rose, Rose, El Monte Union High School District Arevalo, he's, José Gallegos, Gallegos, Billie, Jo Grant, Grant, Michael Cohen, Cohen, Santa Claus, Oz, California's, haven't, Lupe Nieves, Nieves, reenacted, faxed, Harold Greenberg, Dan Morris, Morris, Alex Valdez, J, Valdez, alums, Heidi, Guillermo, she's, Clara wasn't, Mark Matthews, Matthews, Rai groped, Janine Salanitro, Zuniga hasn't, Felipe Salazar, Salazar, Andrew Dalton's, Matt Drange’s Organizations: Business, Rosemead High School, Rosemead High, Rosemead, El Monte Union High School District, Sheriff's Department, TA, El Monte Union High School, X's, Ford, Business Insider, Casa del Rey, Nissan, Nike, Bristol, Arroyo High School, High School, Los, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Perris High School, of Education, Angeles County Sheriff's Department, California, California Department of Education, Monte Union High School, Valdez, Gabrielino, Rai, Los Angeles County Sheriff's, Temple City Locations: Southern California, Rosemead, San Gabriel Valley, San Gabriel, Los Angeles, Huntington Beach, Pasadena, Bladen, California, Arevalo, Utah, Santa, Arcadia, Beverly Hills, Burgess, Bristol, Arroyo, Perris, California's, Angeles, Cindy's, Los Angeles County, Temple

☆ Investors want to know when Philip Morris' smoke-free shift will pay off
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Christina Cheddar Berk | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Anticipation should be building as Philip Morris prepares to bring iQOS back to the U.S. market. Philip Morris had partnered with Altria when iQOS was first launched in a handful of U.S. markets in 2019. Eventually, Philip Morris agreed to buy back the commercialization rights from Altria, and that deal is effective April 30, 2024. And this strategy is partly why, Herzog said, Philip Morris is one of Goldman's top picks. Last week, Philip Morris CEO Jacek Olczak spoke on X via ReutersPlus about its harm reduction efforts.

Persons: Philip, Goldman Sachs, Bonnie Herzog, Philip Morris, iQOS, Herzog, mgmt, Gaurav Jain, Jain, FactSet, Jacek Olczak, Jefferies, Owen Bennett, Bennett Organizations: Philip Morris International, Drug Administration, Altria, Barclays, Swedish Match, Bank of America, Rogue, Street Journal, Concordia, United Nations General Assembly Locations: U.S, Altria, New York

☆ Israeli leaders presented with judicial compromise, president says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-13 | by ( Maayan Lubell | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Netanyahu's nationalist-religious coalition in January launched a campaign to overhaul Israel's judiciary, sparking unprecedented protests, sending the shekel down and stirring concern among allies for Israel's democratic health. President Isaac Herzog did not provide details of the new compromise proposal, saying only that it provides the basis for immediate understandings that will keep Israel "a stable democracy." Netanyahu says the judicial changes are meant to balance out branches of government by reining in a court that has become too interventionist. Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption charges he denies, has said that he has already scrapped some of the original judicial proposals while he works to reach agreements on reforms. Successive surveys have shown the overhaul to be unpopular among Israelis and Netanyahu's coalition, which won a decisive victory in a November vote, losing an election were it to be held.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel, Isaac Herzog, Herzog, Herzog's, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Maayan Lubell, William Maclean Organizations: Netanyahu's, Israel's, reining, Thomson Locations: JERUSALEM, Israel, Latrun

☆ A new audiobook of AI-generated poems has an unlikely narrator: Werner Herzog
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Will Gendron | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Werner Herzog, acclaimed German director, narrated an audiobook of AI-generated poetry. The book was a collaboration between childhood friends Brent Katz, Josh Morgenthau, and Simon Rich who reconnected with Dan Selsam, another childhood friend and current OpenAI scientist, at a wedding, Katz told Insider over email. The resulting collection of dozens of poems released on August 1 is told from the AI's own perspective. After the book's publisher made contact with Herzog, Katz managed to connect with him directly over email. "On one performance (I forget the poem), he was so happy with his first take that he said, 'And in fact, I refuse to do it again,'" Katz told Insider of directing Herzog during recording.

Persons: Werner Herzog, Brent Katz, Josh Morgenthau, Simon Rich, Dan Selsam, Katz, Selsam, Morgenthau, Herzog, Stephen Hawking, Herzog didn't, OpenAI Organizations: Artificial, Morning, New York Times, Times Locations: Washington

☆ 13 Hollywood production companies making brand films that streamers like Netflix and Apple want to buy
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

said Marc Gilbar, who runs the brand division at Imagine Entertainment. Some are also looking to brand films to offset some of the revenue they're losing in the dual Hollywood strikes. (Brand films are often unscripted and thus aren't governed by the Hollywood unions.) They also see brand work being a positive for below-the-line workers who are idled by the work stoppage. Led by EVP Kate Oppenheim, Tribeca Studios' projects have included "We Could be King" (ESPN2) for Dick's Sporting Goods and P&G's Queen Collective series (BET).

Persons: Ben Silverman, Issa Rae's Hoorae, Kevin Hart's Hartbeat, Julian Jacobs, we've, Marc Gilbar, Samuel L, Jackson, Emma Stone, Zac Ryder, Olivia Wilde, Laurene Powell Jobs, Caitlin McGinty, It's, James Gay, Rees, Paul Martin, Kevin Hart's, Hart, Hartbeat, Brian Price, Chase Sapphire, Procter, Reese Witherspoon, Zoe Fairbourn, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer's, Ron Howard's, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gilbar, Rocco DiSpirito, General Mills, Rupert Maconik's Saville, Werner Herzog, Barry Levinson, Sugar23, Oscar, Michael Sugar, Trevor Noah's, he's, Kennedy, Matt Rotondo helms, Sugar, Mike Beck, Alexa Conway, Trevor Noah, Kate Oppenheim, HBO Max, Paul McCartney, Mary McCartney Ventureland, Kerstin Emhoff, Paul Hunter, John Battsek, Stacy's Pita Chips, Will, Jada Pinkett, REI, Gargi Organizations: Hollywood, Brands, Mattel, Netflix, Apple, UTA, Imagine Entertainment, Producers, Adobe, IBM, Anonymous, HP, Afghan Girls National Soccer Team, Showtime, Pepsi Boardwalk Pictures, Relativity Media, Super, Pepsi, REI, Unilever, Marriott, Surf League, Major League Soccer, Sam's, Gamble, Weinstein Co, Hulu, Imagine, Paramount, Saville Productions, Disney, Time Studios, Procter & Gamble, Anheuser, Busch, InBev, CAA, Studios, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, Tribeca Studios, Dick's Sporting Goods, HBO, CNN, Mobile, Stacy's, Everest, Vice Studios, Westbrook Media, Meta, Logitech, Samsung Locations: Hollywood, Subway, Magnolia

☆ Manchin warns government to step up after Fitch credit rating downgrade
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Chelsey Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) arrives prior to Israeli President Isaac Herzog's address to a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, July 19, 2023. WASHINGTON — Sen. Joe Manchin on Thursday called on his colleagues to take sorely needed budgetary steps to strengthen the economy after Fitch credit analysts' recent decision to downgrade the United States' long-held foreign issuer default rating. Fitch downgraded the U.S. credit rating from AA+ to AAA on Tuesday, months after having placed the nation's rating on negative watch in May. The credit rating firm cited the U.S. government's lengthy debt ceiling debate, along with the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, in its decision. Manchin's warning comes a day after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen called the Fitch downgrade decision "entirely unwarranted" based on a "flawed assessment."

Persons: Joe Manchin, Isaac Herzog's, WASHINGTON — Sen, Fitch, Manchin, CNBC's, we're, Janet Yellen Organizations: U.S, Capitol, AAA, U.S . Capitol, West Virginia Democrat Locations: Washington, States

☆ White House blasts Israel for passing sweeping judicial changes with 'the slimmest possible majority'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The White House expressed concern after Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition jammed through judicial reforms. Biden has made it repeatedly clear that he wants Israel to reach a consensus on an issue that has led to an uproar. "It is unfortunate that the vote today took place with the slimmest possible majority," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. "As a lifelong friend of Israel, President Biden has publicly and privately expressed his views that major changes in a democracy to be enduring must have as broad a consensus as possible," she said in the statement. The tensions between Biden and Netanyahu come at a time when progressive lawmakers are increasingly skeptical over Israel's rightward push.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Biden, Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Karine Jean, Pierre, Jean, Israel, nudging Netanyahu, Thomas Friedman, Netanyahu's, Yariv Levin, Israel's, Isaac Herzog's Organizations: Service, Israel, New York Times, The Times, Democratic Locations: Israel, Wall, Silicon, Israel's

☆ Progressives dish on 'chilling effect' on Israel criticism after uproar over Pramila Jayapal's comments: 'We never do anything constructive on this issue'
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Rep. Pramila Jayapal's comments on Israel caused an uproar this week in Congress. Even after Jayapal clarified her remarks about Israel, House Democratic leadership issued a statement rebuking her. Separately, 43 House Democrats said in a statement that they were "deeply concerned" about Jayapal's "unacceptable comments." "There's a few issues where any nuance is really discouraged," said another progressive House Democrat who insisted on anonymity to discuss the issue frankly. But Phillips held firm in his belief that it was important to firmly denounce criticism of Israel when it crosses a certain threshold.

Persons: Pramila, Israel, Jayapal, —, Mark Pocan, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Jamaal Bowman, he’s, Leigh Vogel, Bowman, Isaac Herzog, I'm, Ilhan Omar, Minnesota, Rashida, Tlaib, Rashida Tlaib, Dean Phillips, Phillips, Dean Phillips of, Bill Clark, Israel — Organizations: Service, Democratic, Israel, House Democratic, Democrats, Republicans, West Bank, Congressional Progressive Caucus, Democrat, New, New York District, Rep, The Recording Academy, Reps, Dean Phillips of, Jewish Democrat, Michigan Democrats, Palestinian, Jewish, House Democrat, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, Getty, Progressives, Israel Democrats Locations: Israel, Wall, Silicon, Washington, Chicago, Gaza, Wisconsin, Alexandria, Cortez of New York, New York, Westchester County, Congress, Palestine, Michigan, Dean Phillips of Minnesota, Palestinian, Jewish Diaspora, Cortez, Africa

☆ Israel's Netanyahu to meet with Turkish President Erdogan in Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a statement at the Palmachim Air Force Base near the city of Rishon Lezion, Israel July 5, 2023. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File PhotoJERUSALEM, July 20 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a state visit to Turkey at the end of the month, a statement from the Israeli prime minister's office said on Thursday. Once close regional allies, relations between Israel and Turkey were strained for more than a decade, with Ankara having expelled Israel's ambassador following a 2010 Israeli raid on a ship that led a flotilla carrying aid to Gaza, which killed 10 Turkish citizens. Relations began improving with high-level visits last year including Israeli President Isaac Herzog's visit to Ankara. Reporting by Emily Rose; Editing by Chris Reese and Daniel WallisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Cohen, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Israel's, Isaac Herzog's, Emily Rose, Chris Reese, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Palmachim Air Force Base, REUTERS, Relations, Thomson Locations: Rishon Lezion, Israel, Turkey, Ankara, Gaza

[1/2] Israeli President Isaac Herzog looks on during a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, not pictured, in Washington, DC, on October 25, 2022. Stefani Reynolds/Pool via REUTERSWASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - Israeli President Isaac Herzog will address Congress on Wednesday, completing a visit aimed at reassuring the United States that Israel's democracy remains strong despite government attempts to overhaul the country's judicial system. The invitation was extended by the leaders of Congress last year to mark the 75th anniversary of Israel's founding. Biden had held off extending the invitation out of concern over Jewish settlements and the planned judicial overhaul. Proponents of the Israeli government's judicial overhaul say the country's Supreme Court has become too interventionist and that the change will facilitate effective governance.

Persons: Isaac Herzog, Antony Blinken, Stefani Reynolds, Joe Biden, Herzog, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Biden, Chaim Herzog, Herzog's, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Omar, Isaac Herzog’s, Narendra Modi's, Netanyahu, Barack Obama's, Patricia Zengerle, Don Durfee, Howard Goller Organizations: REUTERS, Israeli, U.S . House, Senate, West Bank, Washington, Twitter, Capitol, —, Indian, Democrats, Republicans, Democratic, White, Thomson Locations: Washington ,, REUTERS WASHINGTON, United States, Israel, Washington, Palestinian, Alexandria, Barack Obama's Iran

Herzog, who as head of state plays a largely ceremonial role, begins his two-day Washington visit on Tuesday when he meets U.S. President Joe Biden before addressing a joint meeting of Congress on Wednesday. Herzog will also meet Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan, a senior administration official said. Biden and Herzog last met at the White House in October. On Monday, Biden invited Netanyahu to the United States for an official visit later this year. SPEECH BOYCOTTSIn Congress, U.S. Representative Ilhan Omar said on Twitter "there is no way in hell" she would be at Wednesday's speech.

Persons: Isaac Herzog, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Herzog, Netanyahu's, Kamala Harris, Antony Blinken, Jake Sullivan, Biden, Netanyahu, Ilhan Omar, Isaac Herzog’s, Omar, Alexandria Ocasio, Cortez, Narendra Modi's, Barack Obama's, Primila Jayapal, Israel, Jayapal, Patricia Zengerle, Steve Holland, Richard Cowan, David Morgan, Don Durfee, Howard Goller Organizations: Democratic, West Bank, White, Twitter, —, Indian, Democrats, Republicans, Senate, Democratic House, Thomson Locations: WASHINGTON, Washington, Iran, United States, Israel, Barack Obama's Iran

☆ Moody's outlook downgrade fuels split reaction in Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-16 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Moody's Investors Service on Friday lowered Israel's outlook to stable from positive while affirming its sovereign credit rating of "A1". The legislative push has sparked weeks of intensifying mass protests and Moody's said it reflected weaker institutions. This would "stop the deterioration of the Israeli economy," it said. Israel's economy grew 6.5% in 2022 but the Bank of Israel foresees 2.5% growth this year. On the heels of Moody's action, Israeli government bond prices were down as much as 1.1%, while Tel Aviv share indexes were down 0.2%.

☆ Israel president says judicial compromise 'closer' as protests escalate
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( Steven Scheer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

JERUSALEM, March 6 (Reuters) - Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday said a compromise in the government's judicial overhaul plan could be imminent even as protests against the reform continued to spread. In a statement late on Monday, Netanyahu criticised the threats to refuse military service, which he said endangered Israel's existence. "There is room for protest, there is room for disagreements, for expressing opinions, but there is no room for refusal." Herzog last month floated a compromise plan to spare the country what he described as a "constitutional collapse". The judicial overhaul plan, which has already received initial parliamentary approval, would give the government greater sway on selecting judges and limit the power of the Supreme Court to strike down legislation.

☆ Israel's Herzog tries to prevent 'constitutional crisis' over judicial reforms
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-15 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Lightning strikes as Israelis protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's new right-wing coalition and its proposed judicial reforms to reduce powers of the Supreme Court in a main square in Tel Aviv, Israel January 14, 2023. REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunJERUSALEM, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Israel's president warned on Sunday that the country faced an "historic constitutional crisis" over a contested judicial reform plan, and said he was mediating between the relevant parties. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, now in his sixth term, wants to rein in the Supreme Court, which members of his religious-nationalist coalition accuse of overreach and elitism. This conflict worries me deeply, as it worries many across Israel and the (Jewish) Diaspora," President Isaac Herzog said in a statement. Judicial reforms, he said, had been sought by previous governments of various political stripes "and no one then thought about talking about an end to democracy".

☆ Tapped to head new hard-right government, Netanyahu pledges Israeli unity
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-13 | by ( Dan Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Ronen ZvulunJERUSALEM, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu received an official mandate on Sunday to form a new government and pledged that he would seek national consensus after an election in which Jewish far-rightists surged, drawing concern at home and abroad. Tasking Netanyahu with building the next coalition, President Isaac Herzog noted that Israel's longest-serving premier had received enough recommendations from like-minded parties to secure 64 of parliament's 120 seats. Dismissing what he called "fear-mongering" about the health of Israel's democracy, Netanyahu said the country would continue to be a "beacon" for the region. Herzog noted Netanyahu's trial but said it posed no legal obstacle to him serving as prime minister again. But he looks likely to finalise the talks this week, having launched them semi-formally right after the Nov. 1 election.

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