General Daily Insight for April 19, 2024 Hello, Taurus season! First, communicative Mercury conjoins balanced Venus, inspiring clear, honest expressions of our thoughts. When the confident Sun moves into grounded Taurus at 10:00 am EDT, life takes on a stable, sensual, and patient vibe, making it easier to think before we act or speak. Later on, fiery Mars works with wise Jupiter and innovative Uranus, so we can combine creative ideas from our past and fresh revelations for the present. There’s ample supportive energy, we just have to seize it! Aries March 21 – April 19 You are more than just ..read more

By GISELA SALOMON and ELLIOT SPAGAT (Associated Press) MIAMI (AP) — The Biden administration sent about 50 Haitians back to their country on Thursday, authorities said, marking the first deportation flight in several months to the Caribbean nation struggling with surging gang violence. The Homeland Security Department said in a statement that it “will continue to enforce U.S. laws and policy throughout the Florida Straits and and the Caribbean region, as well as at the southwest border. U.S. policy is to return noncitizens who do not establish a legal basis to remain in the United States.” Aut ..read more

The Space Coast set a new launch record in 2023 with 72 orbital missions from either Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The pace of launches could ramp up by the end of 2024 to a near twice-weekly rate with as many as 111 missions possible. Check back for the latest information on upcoming launches. By The Numbers: 2024: 29 Space Coast launches in 2024 (updated April 18) | 20 from Cape Canaveral, 9 from KSC | 27 from SpaceX (27 Falcon 9s), 2 from ULA (1 Vulcan, 1 Delta IV Heavy) | 2 human spaceflight (Ax-3, Crew-8) 2023: 72 Space Coast launches in 2023 | 59 from Cape ..read more

(JNS) Families of Israelis still being held hostage by Hamas in the Gaza Strip gathered in Kibbutz Nir Oz’s bullet-riddled dining hall on April 11 for a mock seder to demand the return of their loved ones ahead of Passover, which commemorates the biblical exodus from Egypt and the Jewish people’s deliverance from bondage. The hall contained empty yellow chairs (the color associated with the campaign to free the hostages) with pictures of each of the 133 hostages still being held by the terror group, alongside empty plates and cutlery, similar to the iconic exhibit in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square ..read more

(JNS) A rap artist who turned around his hard-partying lifestyle after a near-death experience when he was a teenager and became a rabbi now sees surging success with his newest single. Rabbi Moshe Reuven Sheradsky, 31, has hit the No. 1 spot on the Israeli musical charts with his song “Red and Yellow.” He spoke with JNS about the spiritual influences on his music and whether the antisemitism of Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) signified a potential trend in hip-hop. Courtesy Rabbi Moshe Reuven Sheradsky. Courtesy Lyrics in his hit song reference the near-death experience (someone spiked his ..read more

(JTA) For each of the last four winters, Mount Hermon ski area CEO Refael Nave spent practically every day at the mountain whose peaks straddle the borders of Syria, Lebanon and Israel. As the only place in Israel to see regular snowfall, the Hermon’s Israeli recreation area drew 400,000 visitors in the winter of 2022-’23. Some skied, but most came simply to experience snow, ride a gondola up to a lookout point at an altitude of 7,300 feet, sled and ride the Hermon’s mountain coaster. Over the summer, management invested in myriad upgrades in anticipation of even more visitors. Photo by Uriel ..read more

By DAVID BAUDER and LARRY NEUMEISTER (Associated Press Writers) NEW YORK (AP) — The judge in Donald Trump’s hush money trial ordered the media on Thursday not to report on where potential jurors have worked and to be careful about revealing information about those who will sit in judgment of the former president. Judge Juan Merchan acted after one juror was dismissed when she expressed concerns about being “outed” for her role in the case after details about her became publicly known. The actions pointed to the difficulties involved in trying to maintain anonymity for jurors in a case that has ..read more

CHICAGO (AP) — The Miami Marlins’ game at the Chicago Cubs has been postponed because of rain in the forecast for Thursday night. It will be made up as part of a split-doubleheader on Saturday at Wrigley Field. Chicago was back at home after a 5-4 trip that included stops at San Diego, Seattle and Arizona. Cody Bellinger homered to lead the Cubs to a 5-3 victory over the Diamondbacks on Wednesday in the rubber game of the three-game set. The Marlins are looking to dig out of a 4-15 start. They dropped two of three against San Francisco in their previous series ..read more

When Professor Ron Hassner made the decision to stage a sit-in protest at his University of California, Berkeley office until the school’s administration agreed to take seriously rising campus antisemitism, several other local professors were inspired to visit the professor of political science in solidarity as he ate and slept in his office — and taught class from there — for two weeks. Encouraged by Hassner’s activism and the support he received from other concerned faculty, the Academic Engagement Network announced it will coordinate a national campaign called the Faculty Against ..read more

By EDITH M. LEDERER (Associated Press) UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States vetoed a widely backed U.N. resolution on Thursday that would have paved the way for full United Nations membership for the state of Palestine. The vote in the 15-member Security Council was 12 in favor, the United States opposed and two abstentions. The resolution would have recommended that the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes, approve Palestine becoming the 194th member of the United Nations. Some 140 countries have already recognized the state of Palestine, so its admission would have been ..read more