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Ruth King

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POSITIVE NEWS FROM ISRAEL FROM MICHAEL ORDMAN

By on August 24th, 2025

www.verygoodnewsisrael.blogspot.com

Heartwarming Israeli recovery stories from the war in Gaza.

Israeli breakthrough in spinal cord surgery.

Israelis are restoring vines and olive trees at a monastery

Israeli startup speeds up production of eco-friendly aviation fuel.

Two Israeli women win the lottery on consecutive days.

Israeli comedy about kidnapping is a (surprise?) hit with Israeli audiences.

Israelis were dancing for joy (and medals) in Vietnam.

More ancient Jewish history unearthed in Israel.

POSITIVE NEWS IN A WAR
 
Avi and Eden are married. IDF Commander Avi, shot in the head on Oct 7 2023, was rehabilitated at Raanana’s Lowenstein center where he met and got engaged to his nurse Eden (see here previously).  They were recently married.  See links here. And here. And note the multicultural Jewish wedding in Israel.
 
Idan Amedi’s reunion with medic who saved his life. Actor and singer Idan Amedi reunited with the doctor who saved his life after he was severely injured in Gaza. At his Jerusalem concert for thousands of fans, Amedi paused his performance, hugged Dr Tuvia Book, saying “I love you, “I will never be able to thank you enough.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413376  https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413495
 
Hearts go out to female soldiers. (TY Yanky) Lev LeChayalot (Heart for Female Soldiers) was started as a grassroots initiative to raise the spirits of thousands of courageous female IDF soldiers defending the country, providing them with the vital care they need to help them better able to serve their country.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-835281  https://chayalot.com/who-we-are/
 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-864530
 
Attack on Iran stopped its cyber-attacks against the UK. (TY OurCrowd) In May, Israel’s Cyabra (see here previously) uncovered an Iranian bot network attack intending to manipulate UK political sentiment and deepen domestic divisions. But for 16 days in June, after Israel began attacking Iran, the bots went silent.
https://www.globenewswire.com/en/news-release/2025/07/11/3114008/0/en/Cyabra-Uncovers-Iranian-Bot-Operation-Undermining-UK-Democracy.html 
 
Oct 8. Jewish-American filmmaker and author Wendy Sachs showed her documentary “October 8”, which tries to reclaim control of the narrative, at the Jerusalem Film Festival. According to her, the film seeks to explain “how we got to where we got,” and it’s intended for an international and not necessarily Jewish audience.
https://www.jns.org/hollywood-has-no-spine-jewish-director-fights-antisemitism/
 
 
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
 
The first human spinal cord implant. Tel Aviv University and Israel’s Matricelf (see here previously) are to perform the world’s first surgery, where a personalized engineered human spinal cord will be implanted in a paralyzed patient. The procedure aims to enable the patient to rise from a wheelchair and walk again.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-864808  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UYHX2NNLRUg
 
Eliminating EoE. Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) is a food allergy (milk, eggs, wheat, nuts, fish etc.,) disease that affects 1 in 2,500 people. Now a team of researchers from Tel Aviv University have found that blocking the protein TSLP might stop the disease from developing. It may also help understand other allergic disorders.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-food-allergy-disease-eoe-rises-israeli-team-says-blocking-a-protein-can-shut-it-down/   https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.02.25.640192v1
 
4th FDA clearance for AI blood analysis. Israel’s Scopio Labs (see here previously) has now received the fourth FDA clearance for its groundbreaking, full-field digital hematology imaging platform. The new Decision Support System significantly helps labs analyze blood smears for anomalies.
https://www.ourcrowd.com/startup-news/scopio-labs-receives-fourth-fda-clearance-elevating-digital-morphology-with-enhanced-ai-powered-rbc-and-platelet-capabilities
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9HqaBCg4Ac
 
Good Medicine. (TY Sharon) The Good Medicine experience at Jerusalem’s Friends of Zion, featured Chief Joseph and Dr. Laralyn RiverWind, founders of FireKeepers International, a Native American Zionist charity. They gave messages of support and the gift of healing, from one indigenous people to another.
https://rjstreets.com/2025/08/17/jerusalem-protests-beating-drums-but-more/
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/r9bg_iR3Pk0  https://www.firekeepersinternational.org/  
https://www.firekeepersinternational.org/copy-of-projects
 
Therapeutic playroom in memory of Bibas family. Schneider Children’s Medical Center has inaugurated its first therapeutic playroom, dedicated to the memory of murdered hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. It offers hospitalized children a space for play, healing, and hope. It was created thanks to non-profit “Toys for Simcha.”
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/413450  https://israelactive.com/?s=%22Toys+for+Simcha%22

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Aiding, Abetting and Rewarding Evil Peter Smith

By on August 24th, 2025

https://quadrant.org.au/news-opinions/qed/aiding-abetting-and-rewarding-evil/

“You have to despair for Australia in the year of Our Lord 2025. A battle between good and evil is going on before our very eyes. And our government, representing all of us in the eyes of the world, is aiding and abetting evil.”

The minister at my church, an Army Reserve chaplain, studiously and admirably steered cleared of politics from the pulpit. It was Sunday, October 8, 2023. Who could not have been affected by the previous day’s horrendous events in Israel? He took a step out of his lane. Israel had a right to fight back, he said. Adding, provided it was proportionate.

We debated afterwards on the meaning of proportionate. He lent me a book, Military Ethics by Stephen Coleman. Thereafter we had more informed discussions without necessarily reaching agreement on what proportionate meant in the circumstances Israel faced. It is fair to say that once obvious abuses such as the wanton killing of civilians are put aside, proportionality is highly subjective. Best to quote Coleman:

The fact that something is a legitimate military target means that it can be directly targeted, but an attack will only be justified if is also proportionate … The commander will need to determine what the military value of the target is, what collateral damage is likely to be caused … and whether the target is of sufficient military value to justify the level of collateral damage that will be caused. (p.192)

Unsurprisingly, there is no uncontested view about any number of past war-time events: from the Allied saturation bombing of German cities to the Dambusters Raid to Hiroshima to the sinking of the Belgrano, and so on. What is not contested is that “War is Hell”, as General Sherman put it during the American Civil War. And this remains the case despite the Geneva Conventions, which pointedly do not in the least restrain Hamas terrorists. Which brings me to the war in Gaza.

Israel is up against an enemy emerging from tunnels to shoot from behind women’s skirts, from hospitals and schools; an enemy which invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, killing, raping and kidnapping its citizens, and which expresses a religious determination to wipe Israel off the map. Yet, bizarrely, Israel is being held solely accountable by the media and assorted prime ministers for any and all deprivations suffered by the resident population in the enemy’s territory. The situation is unique in the annals of war. I wonder what Churchill would have said about the deprivations of German civilians who voted the Nazis into power; just as Gazans voted Hamas into power.

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Gaza Part Two: The Global Political Fallout Western elites, from academia to media, keep amplifying Hamas propaganda—fueling unrest abroad and eroding their own nations’ credibility. By Thaddeus G. McCotter and Andrew Zack

By on August 24th, 2025

https://amgreatness.com/2025/08/23/gaza-part-two-the-global-political-fallout/

This is the second installment of a three-part series on the Gaza situation, political fallout, root causes, and real-world ramifications.

The United States and the European Union have rightly designated Hamas a terrorist organization. Yet one would be hard-pressed to know it, given the global political fallout regarding Gaza.

Literally, the day after Hamas invaded Israel—killing, raping, and kidnapping innocent civilians—and weeks before Israel counterattacked, there were pro-Hamas demonstrations throughout the United States and Europe. Some Hamas supporters denied outright that the designated terrorist organization had committed their atrocities, claiming it was all fabricated Israeli propaganda. Still, other Hamas supporters accepted that Hamas had committed the terrorist atrocities but argued they were justified by Israel’s purported “occupation” of Gaza. Both sets of Hamas supporters tendentiously alleged Israel was a genocidal, racist Western colonial power oppressing “people of color,” i.e., the Palestinians.

In the U.S., pro-Hamas activists took over parts of many American college campuses, denouncing Israel and chanting “from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free” and “globalize the intifada.” Both slogans are barely disguised demands that Israel be destroyed and its Jewish citizens be expelled or, more likely, slaughtered. Pro-Hamas supporters also chant them to seek to instill fear and intimidate Israel’s supporters, especially American Jews, into silence. Pro-Hamas supporters assaulted American Jews, notably by physically harassing students. College administrations, many of whom are sympathetic to Hamas and its aims, did nothing to quell these acts. Nor did the Biden administration. Seeing no pushback to end the intimidation and abuse of Israel’s supporters, in particular, and Jews, in general, professional associations took it as a green light to demand a U.S. boycott of Israel (along the lines of their continued Boycott, Divest, and Sanction campaign), and, yes, to continue to make American Jews feel unwelcome.

Such assaults and batteries against Jews are not limited to the United States. Antisemitism in Europe, already rising before Hamas attacked Israel, has sharply increased. Israelis have been assaulted in Europe, including the pogrom against Jews in Amsterdam earlier this year. Jewish restaurants in Europe (and the U.S.) have been damaged, and their patrons have been harassed. Israeli cruise ships have been prevented from landing at European ports by gangs of pro-Hamas demonstrators. Predatory acts against Israelis and Jews seemingly abound worldwide with apparent impunity and abetment.

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When even consensus in Israel is contentious By Ruthie Blum

By on August 24th, 2025

https://www.jns.org/when-even-consensus-in-israel-is-contentious/

Consensus is so hard to come by in Israel that even when it exists, it’s a source of strife. The issue of the hostages’ rescue is a perfect case in point.

At this juncture, everyone agrees that all 50 captives—20 of them living—have to be freed together. In other words, no more partial deals that involve a Nazi-like selection process determined by Hamas.

Rather than alignment on this score, however, the protest movement is demanding that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu send a delegation back to the negotiating table to engage in talks over the very “Witkoff plan” that involves the return of half of the hostages in a phased ceasefire arrangement.

The backdrop, and the reason that Hamas suddenly expressed willingness to reconsider Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff’s previous blueprint, is the Cabinet’s decision to launch a major military operation to take over Gaza City—the terrorist group’s last stronghold in the Strip—and finally conclude the war. It’s important to note that the protest movement is also calling for an end to the war.

The way it’s doing this is through anti-government demonstrations. Anyone unfamiliar with the Israeli psyche might find this peculiar. After all, both the government and those who oppose it want all the hostages to come home in one fell swoop and for the war to finally be over.

Ditto for U.S. President Donald Trump, who declared last Monday on Truth Social: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed. The sooner this happens, the greater the chances of success.”

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Trump’s Whirlwind Week: Peace Talks, D.C. Cleanup, and a CBO Win Trump’s whirlwind week: pushing peace abroad, restoring order in D.C., boosting markets with tariffs, and scoring a CBO win—all while critics scramble to keep up. By Roger Kimball

By on August 24th, 2025

https://amgreatness.com/2025/08/24/trumps-whirlwind-week-peace-talks-d-c-cleanup-and-a-cbo-win/

A week ago, I was writing about Donald Trump’s summit meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska to talk about ending Russia’s war with Ukraine. A few days before that, I wrote about the Trump administration’s announcement that it would conduct a thorough “internal review” of the Smithsonian Institution and its vast network of museums, research centers, and related activities. It turns out that when Trump ordered the elimination of DEI initiatives, he meant it. In recent years, the Smithsonian has gradually morphed from an institution for the “increase & diffusion of knowledge among men” into a woke repository of progressive, anti-American shibboleths. Among other things, the colonoscopy-like review will counter the pervasive assumption that the history of the United States is tantamount to a history of oppression.

Last Monday, Trump quickly made good on his promise in Alaska to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, when he assembled the heads of Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, the European Union, and NATO at the White House to talk with Zelensky. It was an extraordinary event. Alas, “intransigence” seems to be Putin’s—or is it Zelensky’s?—middle name, so peace in that deadly conflict (total casualties have topped one million) continues to be elusive, despite Trump’s heroic efforts.

That disappointment has not stymied Trump. Instead, he took his peace agenda to Washington, D.C., putting the city under federal control—it had withered under home rule since 1973—and calling in the National Guard to help the Metropolitan Police reestablish order, aesthetic as well as legal. Homeless encampments were disassembled, grass is being replanted, and the law is being enforced. The results were nearly instantaneous. CNN put it this way: “Trump’s DC takeover produces moderate drop in crime—and huge spike in immigration arrests.”

A reporter for Fox was more forthright. “DC just had a murder-free week, and yes, Dems, Trump did that.” “As of Wednesday afternoon,” we read, “the nation’s capital has had no murders for seven days, something that had not been achieved since March and something I can find no recent record of in summer months when the murder rate is typically at its highest.”

And it’s not just murder, according to the local police union. Robbery dropped 46% in the week after the takeover, carjackings were down a whopping 83%, and violent crime was down 22%. Who could possibly argue against that?

Ask CNN.

Tariffs were supposed to be the stupid Trump idea that was going to eviscerate the stock market and crash the U.S. economy. A couple of days ago, Canada joined the long list of countries to drop its retaliatory tariffs in order to curry favor with Trump. Friday, the DOW logged an 840-point gain, closing above 45,600.

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‘Tortured and Gang-Raped’: The Persecution of Christians, July 2025 by Raymond Ibrahim

By on August 24th, 2025

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21855/persecution-of-christians-july

Muslim extremists now forbid Christians from farming, and punish defiance with shootings, kidnappings, and threats against families. Thousands remain displaced, living in overcrowded shelters with no food or medical care….. Despite military presence, extremist Muslim militias continue to terrorize rural Christian communities with near total impunity. — persecution.org, July 1, 2025 — Nigeria.

Entire families were found burned alive in their homes. “They came from all sides, shooting and setting houses on fire. Anyone who ran was shot.”…. “The fact that this community… reported the imminent attack to the STF military officers at that military checkpoint makes it more worrisome, suspicious and raises many questions.” — Farmer Ezekiel Dung, persecution.org, July 22, 2025 — Nigeria.

“[K]illings, kidnappings and robberies persist without real measures being implemented to curb them,” highlighting the Syrian government’s failure to protect Christian and other non-Muslim communities. — syriacpress.com, July 10, 2025 — Syria.

The situation in Syria’s Christian Valley remains dire. Locals who once defended their communities now face persecution despite promises that Christians would be spared. One resident… explained that his home was “destroyed” and “looted,” and that authorities had “placed an arrest on his piece of land so he could not sell it.” Similar measures were taken against his colleague…. [T]hose who resisted the jihadist forces are now being targeted. — dzen.ru, July 6, 2025 — Syria.

According to a July 6 report, the situation in Syria’s Christian Valley remains dire. Locals who once defended their communities now face persecution despite promises that Christians would be spared. One resident, Zhoryk, former head of a self-defense unit in the valley, explained that his home was “destroyed” and “looted,” and that authorities had “placed an arrest on his piece of land so he could not sell it.” Similar measures were taken against his colleague… [T]hose who resisted the jihadist forces are now being targeted….. The report illustrates the systematic targeting of Christians who defended their communities: despite prior promises of protection, those who opposed Muslim militants are being punished under the new regime, their homes and property seized, and their leadership removed. — dzen.ru, July 6, 2025 — Syria.

According to a July 15 report, jihadists and other terrorists loyal to the nation’s new “president,” Ahmed al-Sharaa, attacked the Church of San Michel, a Greek Orthodox church. Militants looted it before setting the church on fire. Local sources described the assault as part of the new regime’s ongoing campaign against non-Sunni populations. — greekcitytimes.com, July 15, 2025 — Syria.

Turkey announced that the Armenian Cathedral of Ani — a UNESCO-listed site and “once the crown jewel of medieval Armenian architecture” — will reopen not as a church but as a mosque…. — zartonkmeda.com, July 4, 2025 — Turkey.

World Heritage Watch called on UNESCO to place the Saint Catherine Area in Egypt on the List of World Heritage Sites in Danger due to Egypt’s continued failure to uphold its World Heritage obligations. — orthodoxtimes.com, July 7, 2025 — Egypt.

[T]he church in Arudy was desecrated with excrement (an old jihadist tactic). Feces were smeared on the inside and outside of the church, and on its altar. Parish priest Father Armand Paillé called it “deliberate and symbolic,” saying vandals sought to “reduce the church and the faithful to what they left behind.” — intoleranceagainstchristians.edu, July 13, 2025 — France.

[T]hrongs of Muslims surrounding the Helsinki Cathedral, while waving Islamic State flags and engaging in provocative behavior. — x.com, July 9, 2025 — Finland.

[H]undreds if not thousands of Muslims encircle[ed] Melbourne’s cathedral while waving Islamic flags and engaging in militant behavior. The X account of Christian Emergency Alliance adds that “These are acts of intimidation and insulting attempts at domination. Christians must not tolerate these disrespectful acts of intolerance.” — x.com, July 8, 2025 — Australia.

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A Thirst for Freedom: The Case for Supporting Iran’s People by Majid Rafizadeh

By on August 24th, 2025

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21850/support-the-iranian-people

How can the West, particularly European states, which never hesitate to lecture others on democracy and human rights, stay silent when one of the most oppressed peoples in the world was risking everything for those very ideals?

It is high time for an approach that does not cower behind diplomatic fears or economic loss.

To the European Union: stop delivering lectures on human rights while turning your back on those who fight and die for them.

The shift from empowering a regime to empowering its people would mark the first time in more than four decades that Western policy truly aligned with democratic values.

It is also worth asking why is it considered acceptable for Iran’s rulers to openly call for the assassination of a U.S. president and attempt to assassinate Western officials, yet somehow unacceptable for Western leaders to plainly say, “we support the Iranian people’s right to freedom”?

The choice facing the West, particularly European governments and the Trump administration, is simple. Continue down the path of quiet complicity, driven by fear and greed, or choose to be remembered as champions of freedom.

History does not remember as heroes those who stayed silent in the face of tyranny…. This is the moment to choose which side you will be on.

For more than 40 years, the people of Iran have lived under a suffocating dictatorship that has stripped them of their freedoms, denied them basic human rights, and crushed any glimmer of hope for a better future. Yet despite the unrelenting repression, the Iranian people have never stopped dreaming of liberty. They have taken to the streets again and again, often at unimaginable personal risk, demanding the right to live in dignity and determine their own future. Each time, they have been met with the full force of a ruthless regime that treats dissent as treason and humanity as an afterthought. This struggle for freedom is not a fleeting political cause — it is the very heartbeat of a nation that refuses to surrender its spirit.

Iran’s brave uprisings have united students, workers, women and ordinary citizens, demanding change. They rose up in 1999, 2009, 2017, 2019, 2022 and beyond — each time with breathtaking courage. Sadly, every one of these movements was crushed brutally. Security forces flooded the streets, firing on unarmed crowds, arresting thousands and torturing detainees. Families have been left with no answers, their loved ones disappearing into the nightmare of the regime’s prisons. Many who are arrested never return. Some who do return are permanently scarred, physically and emotionally. The message from Iran’s rulers has been consistent: dissent will be extinguished by any means necessary.

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Trump administration is reviewing all 55 million foreigners with US visas for any violations

By on August 22nd, 2025

https://apnews.com/article/trump-visas-deportations-068ad6cd5724e7248577f17592327ca4

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration said Thursday it is reviewing more than 55 million people who have valid U.S. visas for any violations that could lead to deportation, part of a growing crackdown on foreigners who are permitted to be in the United States.

In a written answer to a question from The Associated Press, the State Department said all U.S. visa holders, which can include tourists from many countries, are subject to “continuous vetting,” with an eye toward any indication they could be ineligible for permission to enter or stay in the United States.

Should such information be found, the visa will be revoked, and if the visa holder is in the United States, he or she would be subject to deportation.

Since President Donald Trump took office, his administration has focused on deporting migrants illegally in the United States as well as holders of student and visitor exchange visas. The State Department’s new language suggests that the continual vetting process, which officials acknowledge is time-consuming, is far more widespread and could mean even those approved to be in the U.S. could abruptly see those permissions revoked.

There were 12.8 million green-card holders and 3.6 million people in the U.S. on temporary visas last year, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

As Trump cracks down on student visas, other countries see opportunity

The 55 million figure suggests that some people subject to review would currently be outside the United States with multiple-entry tourist visas, said Julia Gelatt, associate director of the U.S. immigration policy program at the Migration Policy Institute. She questioned the value of spending resources on people who may never return to the United States.

The State Department said it was looking for indicators of ineligibility, including people staying past the authorized timeframe outlined in a visa, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity or providing support to a terrorist organization.

“We review all available information as part of our vetting, including law enforcement or immigration records or any other information that comes to light after visa issuance indicating a potential ineligibility,” the department said.

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After Decades of Scandals, Hillary Finally Faces a Ticket She Can’t Dodge David Manney

By on August 22nd, 2025

https://pjmedia.com/david-manney/2025/08/21/after-decades-of-scandals-hillary-finally-faces-a-ticket-she-cant-dodge-n4942909

The Long Drive Without a Ticket

Some drivers tempt fate for years, rolling through stop signs, cruising above the speed limit, and coasting through red lights, yet still never see flashing lights in their rearview mirrors. 

That describes Hillary Clinton’s story. 

From the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas to the corridors of Washington, she has been navigating the political arena, driving in the wrong direction on one-way streets, avoiding being pulled over, yet never receiving a ticket.

She’s muddied the waters by generating swirls of “stuff,” sometimes not so thick, other times so thick that a fork could remain vertical in the water.

Suddenly, an ethics complaint in Arkansas over her law license might lead to her finally getting pulled over after decades of FA; she might finally receive a dose, no matter how light, of FO.

1970s-1980s: Early Deals, Early Questions

At the Rose Law Firm in Arkansas, Hillary Rodham Clinton’s career began with promise and power, establishing a reputation as a capable lawyer and a future first lady of the state. Yet the seeds of controversy began sprouting in soil well fertilized by bulls.

Want to make an easy $100,000 from a $1,000? Follow the example of Hillary, who turned that $1,000 into $100,000 with an investment in cattle futures within a year. How? Who knows, economists and traders were stumped, calling it statistically implausible for a rookie to achieve such a feat.

Clinton’s friends in the commodities market were suspected of smoothing the path for success, yet regulators turned a blind eye, while Hillary referred to it as a shrewd investment and moved on.

Meanwhile, both Clintons embarked on the Whitewater Development Corporation, where allegations of cronyism and political manipulation marred a land deal. The project had collapsed by the time investigators began reviewing records in the 1990s.

Hillary’s billing records, “missing” for two years, magically appeared in the White House residence after a subpoena. No charges, license suspensions, legal rebukes, simply another warning instead of receiving a moving violation.

Hillary walked into the 1990s with the same unblemished professional record and license, and critics called it a case of déjà vu. 

The cop, parked behind the billboard, clocked her speed and sat there, finishing his donut.

1990s: Whitewater, Travelgate, and the “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy”

Bill Clinton moved into the White House with Hillary’s controversies following close behind. Whitewater escalated from a state-level issue into a national one, with hearings in Congress followed by extensive media coverage. Hillary’s role at the Rose Law Firm came under further scrutiny, as her professional work overlapped with her land ventures. Despite all the suspicions, nothing could be proved, neither intent nor personal gain.

The court of public opinion bruised her reputation, which remained intact.

Then came Travelgate, the abrupt firing of seven White House Travel Office employees in 1993, which raised alarms about cronyism. Critics determined that Hillary directed the purge to install loyalists. Investigations suggested that her fingerprints were present, but that was where it ended, with her denying wrongdoing, and the matter faded again.

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Neetu Arnold The High Costs of Classroom Disorder With consequences ranging from teacher attrition to declining student learning, schools have failed to enforce fundamental behavioral standards.

By on August 22nd, 2025

https://www.city-journal.org/article/classroom-disorder-student-learning-schools-discipline

Since at least 2022, the education world has been preoccupied with the “teacher exodus”: a troubling trend of teachers quitting at record rates. Though attrition has eased somewhat since its pandemic peak, it remains stubbornly high. Deteriorating classroom conditions are a big reason. Teachers cite chronic student misbehavior as the top source of stress and burnout, ranking it above workload and even pay.

Longtime educator Ben Foley is one of many who found the situation unbearable. After more than two decades teaching middle school in California, he resigned midyear, worn down by classrooms that had descended into chaos. He described the daily environment as “anarchic,” with students routinely ignoring basic instructions, roaming the room, throwing things, and roughhousing. Foley likened the experience to “death by a thousand cuts,” explaining that “for every request I make, several kids flat-out defy it.”

Foley blamed the breakdown on lax discipline practices introduced under Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a widely adopted framework for managing student behavior. In debates over weak school discipline, PBIS often escapes scrutiny, overshadowed by its more politically charged cousin, restorative justice. But PBIS is no less problematic; it simply masks its anti-punitive bias behind uncontroversial goals like improved data collection and clearer communication. It’s also far more widely used than restorative justice and has been a fixture in school discipline policy for decades—backed by a dedicated, taxpayer-funded center run by the U.S. Department of Education.

When I began asking teachers about PBIS, I heard no shortage of complaints. Educators described how it drove disruptive classrooms, undermined their authority, and made effective teaching nearly impossible. Yet when I spoke with PBIS trainers and reviewed official materials, the disconnect was striking: trainers insisted that the teacher accounts didn’t reflect the structured framework they endorsed. It quickly became clear that PBIS is complex and highly adaptable, with implementation varying widely from school to school. To understand how one discipline model can produce such divergent outcomes, we need to examine what PBIS is, where it came from, and how it rose to dominate school discipline in the United States.

PBIS is designed to promote positive student behavior—and, ideally, to reduce the negative kind. Trainers emphasize that PBIS is a management system, not an intervention. It doesn’t mandate specific behavior expectations or consequences for misconduct; instead, those decisions are left to each school’s discretion, with PBIS offering tools to manage and assess them. Still, the framework strongly encourages rewarding positive behavior over punishment, and newer versions take ever-firmer stances against punitive measures.

PBIS operates through a three-tiered system, with each tier offering increasingly targeted support for students struggling with behavior. Tier 1 is universal: school leaders set conduct expectations for all students. While full implementation includes all three tiers, many schools—and most PBIS studies—focus only on Tier 1, due to limited resources. Tier 2 provides extra support for students who don’t respond to the universal approach, using tools like regular staff check-ins. Tier 3 delivers individualized strategies for students with the most serious behavioral challenges. This layered model is also used in related frameworks like the Multi-Tiered System of Supports and Response to Intervention.

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