"Can We Trust Antone Melton-Meaux's Money?" the campaign literature, first obtained by Vice News, reads.

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Melton-Meaux, a self-proclaimed pro-Israel Democrat, is one of four candidates challenging Omar in an Aug. 11 primary for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District.

Rabbi Avi Olitzky, a resident of the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park and a previous defender of Omar, told Vice News he was "beyond dismayed."

"Most disappointing were the presence of tropes that we'd personally discussed as hurtful, as offensive, and that I received a commitment not only would it not happen again but education would take place to learn more as to why it's a problem," said Olitzky, who is the rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis.

Omar has not yet publicly addressed the issue.

Omar is one of only two US lawmakers who have publicly supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, along with Palestinian-American Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), drawing accusations of anti-Israel bias.

In 2012, at least six years before running for congress, Omar tweeted that "Israel has hypnotized the world" while doing "evil," comments for which she has since apologized.

"It's now apparent to me that I spent lots of energy putting my 2012 tweet in context and little energy is disavowing the anti-Semitic trope I unknowingly used, which is unfortunate and offensive," Omar later wrote.

Omar is currently leading in the polls by double digits, but Melton-Meaux has so far outraised his opponent by over $2.5 million.

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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On Sunday evening, the Likud was scheduled to hold a Hanukkah candle-lighting ceremony in Tel Aviv at which Netanyahu is expected to embrace his primaries rival Gideon Sa'ar and call on him to work with the rest of the Likud to ensure that the party wins the March 2 election.

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In another Likud development, party officials believe Netanyahu will appoint Foreign Minister Israel Katz as head of the Likud election committee after his success waging Netanyahu's campaign in the primaries. As part of an attempt to bolster the party's fieldwork, Likud ministers and MKs will be assigned specific areas of the country for which they will be responsible during the campaign.

Likud faction leader MK Miki Zohar told Israel Hayom that, "The primaries were a great indication of how to win an election and how to get stronger ahead of the general election. We used two very clear strategies: A lot of time out in the field campaigning, which 'woke up' our side, as well as not attacking the opponent and nearly ignoring his existence. We saw in the primary results how that put a damper on the other side."

According to Zohar, "Right now, the seat equation is difficult. There, voter turnout comes into play. We need to create a situation in which our bloc turns out to vote in very high numbers … When it comes to the other side, we need to ignore his existence."

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The various parties know this, so they have been pacing themselves in the past couple of months – meaning that they are going into the final two-week stretch with well-lined pockets and well-stocked arsenals.

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In the Likud, panic is growing, and this time, it's justified. None of the polls to date have shown the right-wing bloc beating the Left, and if that is how the election actually plays out, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government could be in real danger.

The center-left Blue and White is busy with internecine fighting, but they are maintaining their position as a party the same size as the Likud and the only option for a change of government. Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz are attracting the anti-Netanyahuites, leaving the other left-wing parties only crumbs.

The fact that the Labor party hasn't gotten a second wind since the final results of the April election points to a problematic campaign that isn't delivering the goods. While the candidates in the party to the Left of Labor, the Democratic Union (Ehud Barak and Meretz), seem to be aggressive and hungry, both Labor and Blue and White are falling asleep at the wheel and sending out messages that don't hit home. Blue and White exists mostly thanks to inertia, while Labor is failing to take votes from Blue and White and is running the clumsiest campaign of the election.

In the last two weeks, everything could change. It looks like Netanyahu will be the one to dictate the agenda, and the battle between the big parties will be a tough one and close. This is bad news for the "satellite" parties: Labor and the Democratic Union on the Left, and Yamina (formerly the New Right) on the Right. They will all lose votes to the large parties, and it doesn't look like they can do anything about it unless a miracle happens. The Hebrew month of Elul, which has just begun, isn't a bad time to start praying for one.

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Many attribute that victory to the blitz of interviews Netanyahu gave on Election Day, as well as the unforgettable warning that "the Arabs are flocking to the polls." In 2019, Netanyahu did it again and closed the lead polls had predicted that Blue and White would keep over the Likud – this time, by broadcasting a live feed on his Facebook page.

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But this time, Netanyahu won't be alone. The other parties learned their lessons and intend to fire back on Election Day, but they mean to focus not on the rivalry between blocs, but on internal strife within the bloc.

While Likud and Blue and White will try to collect as many seats as possible at the expense of the other parties in their respective blocs, the smaller parties will take advantage of the final day to drive home the message that it isn't the size of the party that matters, but the size of the bloc.

According to one Likud official, "In general, the Likud doesn't comment on its campaign, and the plan for the final stretch is under wraps and known to only a few very workers at the campaign headquarters, who have signed secrecy agreements."

However, we do know that the Likud will be investing millions, mostly in identifying clusters of potential – a process of data analysis that has been underway for two months already. The Likud will be integrating figures from the field with information from social media and cellular phones in an attempt to deploy targeted ads at specific sectors.

We also know that because of the battle with Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman, heavy resources will be invested in bastions of Yisrael Beytenu voters, including hostels and retirement homes, including free rides to the polls on Election Day.

Blue and White

Blue and White is also getting reading for the election by using technology to identify potential voters, as well as a targeted campaign that will call on members of the left-wing camp to support the biggest center-left party, one that is capable of posing a challenge to the Likud government.

Last time, Blue and White attracted the support of many left-wingers, prompting them to abandon satellite parties like Meretz and Labor. This time, Blue and White will try to recreate their April success, but it comes after the rest of the left-wing parties already learned their lesson and are getting ready for a final Election Day push.

Blue and White campaign staffers have set up 200 headquarters nationwide to coordinate fieldwork. On Election Day, a Blue and White-branded bus will travel to various areas. Party activists will be assigned to 9,300 polling places to observe the voting and ballot count.

The Blue and White election office has divided the country into 26 zones, each of which is assigned to a Blue and White MK. A special "situation room" will be in operation from 6 a.m., with legal counsel, logistics coordinators, and computer techs.

The HQ will keep tabs on which voters have and have not voted, thanks to technology that will send the information to special staff who will spend the day calling potential voters.

The Democratic Union

The Democratic Union (the joint list comprising Meretz, the Israel Democratic Party, the Green Movement), for example, intends to run a scare campaign, not about the possibility of the party disappearing because it might fail to make it over the minimum electoral threshold, but about the possibility that "Israeli democracy might be obliterated."

Party leaders will speak out against Netanyahu and the Likud and accuse Blue and White of intending to join a Netanyahu-led government after the election.

The joint party plans to use technological means to find potential voters, all from the left-wing camp, and drive home the message that any party that does not declare that it will work to replace the Netanyahu government is not a viable option.

Labor-Gesher

In recent weeks, the Labor party has set up a special office to create a campaign for the last week of the election, as well as a special headquarters for Election Day itself. Labor party officials say that the last-stage campaign will include a surprise that will "shake up" politics – especially Blue and White. According to the officials, the campaign will keep Labor votes from migrating to Blue and White, and will also cause potential Blue and White voters to vote for Amir Peretz.

In addition to a special Election Day HQ, the party will be sending volunteers to knock on doors in strategic areas identified ahead of time to convince left-wing voters, as well as residents of the periphery, to throw their support behind Amir Peretz and Orly Levy-Abekasis. Labor officials are also saying that one of the sectors they will be focusing on is former supporters of Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon's Kulanu party. The party says that this is the largest field operations program it has ever organized and that millions of shekels were invested in its activities.

Yamina 

Yamina (formerly the United Right, the joint list of Habayit Hayehudi, the National Union-Tkuma, and the New Right) is also gearing up to fire back at the Likud's last-minute efforts at scaring voters. The list plans to station about 1,000 volunteers at polling places to give the party visibility. The list will make use of existing databases from its constituent parties. Yamina is planning a campaign of phone calls to urge supporters to go out and vote.

To thwart any attempt by Netanyahu to siphon off votes on Election Day, Yamina does not plan to wait until the last minute and is already planning to convince voters that the size of the bloc, not the party, will be the deciding factor in the election.

Yamina leader Ayelet Shaked said, "This time, Netanyahu is starting to try and siphon off votes from the [other] right-wing parties early, and that allows us to make our voters able to withstand the intense messages that will flood in on Election Day, and realize that the size of the bloc, not the biggest party, is what will decide."

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Titled "Natural Partners, Final," the clip was styled as a fictional group chat in the popular messaging service WhatsApp. The "group" included United Right leader Ayelet Shaked and the faction's No. 3 Betzalel Smotrich, former Coalition Whip David Bitan, UTJ chairman Yakov Litzman, and Shas leader Aryeh Deri.

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In the chat, group members are asked by "Bitan" to pledge their support to the premiership candidacy of "Benjamin Netanyahu, the first of his name, messenger of God, leader of the Right, and father of dragons."

"I hereby swear to support upholding his immunity forever, regardless of any indictment," Bitan's message dictates. "No messing around this time. ... Swear it in blood,"

פאניקה בבלפור pic.twitter.com/o5mfk1rPXR

— יאיר לפיד Yair Lapid (@yairlapid) August 4, 2019

In the video, Deri responds, "You want me to sign? Give another trillion shekels for the yeshivas" while Litzman replies, "I want all the money in Israel."

Smotrich demands the annexation of the settlements, while Shaked demands that Netanyahu undermines the judiciary.

While Lapid defended the video on Army Radio as "harmless political humor," haredi politicians found nothing amusing about it.

"This is anti-Semitism, there's no other word for it," Deri tweeted.

Litzman likewise called the ad anti-Semitic, saying Lapid crossed a "red line" and that it was reminiscent of "dark periods in which Jews were portrayed as greedy persecutors."

Lapid retorted that he was unwilling to take criticism from someone who "protects pedophiles," a reference to allegations that Litzman had protected sex offenders in at least 10 cases.

"I'm also not impressed that they scream 'hate, hate' every time someone criticizes them. There is real anti-Semitism in the world: Jews are shot in synagogues. This is not anti-Semitism. We will continue to fight for Israel as a Jewish, democratic, free and liberal state." Lapid said, reiterating the video was humorous and part of legitimate political campaigning.

Litzman also criticized Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, asserting that unless he repudiates the video he is "a full and direct partner in a hate crime committed against an entire sector in Israel."

While Gantz has not commented on the video, the faction's No. 3, Telem leader Moshe Yaalon, said he disliked the video, as such moves were "not in favor of hate discourse."

"This is not my style or [party head] Benny Gantz's style," Yaalon said in a statement to local media. "We are not for a hateful discussion, not between Jews and Arabs, Right and Left, Ashkenazim and Mizrahim, religious, secular and haredim."

"This really is not our style," he added. "We believe that we need to come together for the sake of Israel's resilience. We will find a way to clarify this."

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At a packed rally at an arena in Orlando, Florida, Trump made clear he would run for re-election as an outsider, just as he did in 2016.  He revisited campaign themes from four years ago, decrying illegal immigration, "fake news" and his 2016 Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.

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"Together we stared down a broken political establishment and we restored government by and for the people," Trump said. "As long as you keep this team in place, we have a tremendous way to go. Our future has never looked brighter or sharper."

Trump said his Democratic challengers would radically change the United States and seek to legalize migrants coming across the southern border so they could vote and boost the Democratic political base.

Democrats "want to destroy our country as we know it" and it's "not going to happen," Trump said.

"We believe our country should be a sanctuary for law-abiding citizens, not for criminal aliens," he said in defense of the US administration's current immigration policy.

Two dozen Democrats are competing for their party's nomination to face off against Trump in the November 2020 election. Many of the top Democrats lead Trump in opinion polls in some states.

Trump called his opponents a "radical left-wing mob" who would bring socialism to the United States.

"A vote for any Democrat in 2020 is a vote for the rise of radical socialism and the destruction of the American dream. … Tonight I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States. I promise you I will never ever let you down," he said.

During his speech, Trump blasted the media as "fake news," praised the strong economy, said he was putting the heat on China on trade, promoted his proposal for a "space force," vowed to protect Americans' rights to own guns and said he wanted to launch a space mission to Mars.

Trump also declared himself a victim of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. The probe found insufficient evidence to establish that the Trump campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Moscow.

"We went through the biggest witch hunt in political history," said Trump. "It was all an illegal attempt to overturn the results of the election."

Two-and-a-half years into his tenure, Trump sees plenty of positive factors, led by a growing economy with low unemployment.

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A new report from the Atlantic Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab highlights sample posts removed from Facebook that appeared to praise incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari and smear his leading opponent, Atiku Abubakar.

Many of the pages and accounts were discovered to be linked to a Tel Aviv-based political consulting and lobbying firm (Israel Hayom has chosen not to reveal its name). On its sparse website of African stock images, the company advertises its deliberate efforts to conduct disinformation campaigns, boasting that it takes "every advantage available in order to change reality according to our client's wishes" through "unlimited online accounts operation."

Facebook banned the group from the platform Thursday for its "coordinated and deceptive behavior" and conducted a sweeping takedown of dozens of accounts and hundreds of pages primarily aimed at disrupting elections in African countries, with some scattered activity in Southeast Asia and Latin America. Overall, the misleading accounts had reached some 2.8 million users and the pages had engaged over 5,000 followers, according to Facebook's estimates.

One of the pages that Facebook canceled appeared filled with viral misinformation attacking Abubakar, the former vice president of Nigeria. The page's banner image showed Abubakar as Darth Vader, the Star Wars villain, holding up a sign reading, "Make Nigeria Worse Again."

Another page with almost identical visuals, although significantly excluding the Darth Vader mask, purported to support Abubakar, with the slogan "Team Atiku For President." The report identified the page as a covert attempt to infiltrate Abubakar's audience of potential voters and manipulate their views, gradually spamming them with antithetical content and diverting them to the "Make Nigeria Worse Again" page.

The report also featured a page that explicitly lionized and boosted Buhari, with amateur videos eulogizing the accomplishments of his presidency as though he were not locked in a tight battle for re-election.

Yet another series of pages targeted the local Rivers state elections in Nigeria's turbulent south, which was marred by widespread violence. Several of the removed pages attempted to defame a candidate from Abubakar's People's Democratic Party and boost his opponent. One page with artificially amplified audience engagement, called "Rivers Violence Watch," pumped out political propaganda while posing as a neutral monitor of election violence, using the page description to mask its efforts.

Most of the pages claimed to be run by local Nigerian users, but in fact, were managed from Israel.

Fake news flooded Nigerians and played a central role in the recent national election. Rumors, which spread like wildfire in Africa's most populous country, became so outlandish and fevered that last year Buhari was compelled to declare publicly that he had not died and been replaced by a clone. More than a dozen media outlets joined forces before the election for a fact-checking initiative, while government officials acknowledged that fake news could be deadly in a country with multiple ethnic and religious fault lines.

The incumbent Buhari, who ran on promises to clean up government corruption, and his challenger Abubakar, who campaigned more on pocketbook issues, were in a dead heat as the election approached. The vote vaulted Buhari to a resounding victory, but remained clouded in controversy, with each side accusing the other of vote-rigging and Election Day violence halting ballot-counting and sparking dangerous rumors.

Despite the overt political messaging of these inauthentic pages, the Digital Forensics lab could not assign a particular ideological motive to the Israel-based company's campaigns, given the diversity and scope of its general operations. Rather, the company, which poured over $800,000 into deceptive content over the past several years, appeared profit-driven. The report did not probe the origins of its cash flow and it was not clear whether political actors in Nigeria or other countries where the campaigns took off had paid for the company's "strategic consulting."

"The fact [that] the pages were operated by a for-profit company is a troubling sign that highly partisan disinformation is turning into a capital enterprise," the report said.

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Senator Amy Klobuchar told the Senate Judiciary Committee she would send a letter seeking details about a New York Times article that named the Minnesota Democrat as a target of an aggressive Facebook lobbying campaign that relied partly on a Republican opposition research firm.

The New York Times said Facebook conducted an aggressive campaign to combat critics, shift public anger toward rival companies and fend off new regulations contained in proposed legislation that Klobuchar supports.

The Times report also said Facebook hired the Republican firm to discredit activist protesters and lobbied a Jewish civil rights group to cast some critics of the company as anti-Semitic.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Klobuchar. But Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told reporters that he ended the company's relationship with the outside firm, Definers Public Affairs, after he became aware of it while reading The New York Times story. Definers did not respond to a request to comment.

"This is a pretty serious matter for those of us on the receiving line," Klobuchar told the committee.

"I would like to know what was going on with elected officials," she said. "If they in fact were taking actions against critics, this could be a campaign finance issue. ... It could also have other legal ramifications."

If Facebook spent money trying to influence the outcome of an election, it would have been required to disclose that spending to the Federal Election Commission and failure to do so would be a violation of the law. However, recent Supreme Court rulings have given companies leeway, requiring that they directly call for someone to be elected, or lose their office, to trigger the campaign finance laws.

The paper's issue with Klobuchar involved legislation known as the Honest Ads Act, which she has supported along with Democratic Senator Mark Warner and the late Arizona Republican Senator John McCain. The bill would compel Facebook and other internet firms to disclose the sponsors of political ads on their websites.

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