Daily Briefing Feb. 15: Can Herzog change the course of judicial reform?

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur discusses the president’s efforts to mediate the contested plan; health and science writer Nathan Jeffay looks at the results of 3 new studies

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday.

Senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur and health and science writer Nathan Jeffay join host Jessica Steinberg for today’s podcast.

Rettig Gur discusses why the architects of the judicial overhaul, Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee head Simcha Rothman and Justice Minister Yariv Levin, are in such a rush to push through their proposed legislation, and what role President Isaac Herzog can play.

Jeffay looks at scientific research in three very different areas.

He explains the work done by a startup lab that has taught rats to detect lung cancer by sniffing urine.

He also talks about certain hair straightening chemicals found to cause kidney failure, now banned in Israel.

Finally, Jeffay looks at the high incidence of nearsightedness in Haredi men, possibly due to Talmud study, as those who learn full-time pore over columns of small text for hours each day.

Discussed articles include:

The judiciary fight is fueled by deep distrust; that makes compromise elusive

Lab claims it teaches rats to detect lung cancer with 93% accuracy by sniffing urine

Some hair-straightening products can cause kidney failure – pioneering Israeli study

Haredi men three times as likely to be nearsighted, probably due to Talmud study

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