As a record number of Americans prepare to hit the road for the July 4 holiday, gasoline prices are finally beginning to ease—but not as quickly as President Donald Trump would like.

AAA expects 61.4 million Americans to travel at least 50 miles from home by car over the holiday weekend, slightly above last year’s record of 61.3 million. Drivers are paying a national average of about $3.93 per gallon, down from $4.53 a month ago, but still nearly $1 higher than before the Iran conflict and about 22% above prices a year ago.

Last week, Trump posted on Truth Social that major oil companies were failing to lower gasoline prices in line with falling crude oil prices, accused the industry of “gouging” consumers, and called on the Justice Department to investigate.

Energy analysts say the situation is more complicated.

Oil companies generally do not set the retail price drivers pay at the pump. Individual gas station owners and retailers determine those prices, and they often continue selling fuel that was refined from crude oil purchased weeks earlier at significantly higher prices.

“There is a saying that gasoline prices rise like a rocket and fall like a feather,” David Doherty of BloombergNEF said, noting that it typically takes around three weeks for major changes in crude oil prices to work their way through the supply chain. Karen Young, an energy expert at Columbia University, described Trump’s accusations of price gouging as “political theater.”

The delay is built into the energy system itself. Refineries purchase crude oil well before it is processed into gasoline. The finished fuel must then travel through pipelines, storage terminals, tanker trucks, and local distribution networks before reaching neighborhood service stations.

Today, roughly 57% of the price consumers pay for gasoline reflects the cost of crude oil, with the remainder covering refining, transportation, marketing, and federal, state, and local taxes.

Crude oil prices themselves have fallen sharply. U.S. benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude has dropped about 27% over the past month to roughly $70.45 per barrel, only modestly above where prices stood before the conflict with Iran.

However, global energy markets have not fully normalized. Shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about 20% of the world’s oil supply, remains below pre-conflict levels. Mines still need to be cleared in some shipping areas, and Middle Eastern oil production is gradually recovering.

The gap between falling crude prices and slower declines at the gas pump has temporarily boosted profits for some fuel retailers. Industry analysts note that convenience-store chains and gas station operators are currently enjoying stronger margins after wholesale prices dropped faster than retail prices.

Relief appears to be on the way.

Patrick De Haan of GasBuddy expects national gasoline prices to move closer to $3.70 per gallon as oil markets continue stabilizing and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz returns to normal.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration also forecasts lower fuel costs ahead, projecting retail gasoline prices will decline about 6% in 2026 as global oil production outpaces demand. The agency expects crude oil to average its lowest annual price since 2020 before rising modestly in 2027.

The issue extends beyond family vacation budgets. Energy costs accounted for more than 60% of the increase in May’s inflation report, which showed consumer prices rising 4.2% from a year earlier—the highest annual inflation rate in more than two years.

With the midterm elections approaching, the White House is eager to demonstrate that energy costs are falling. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also announced a 60-day waiver on sanctions covering purchases of Iranian oil in an effort to increase global supplies and ease price pressures.

For families preparing for a holiday road trip, the takeaway is straightforward. Gasoline prices are moving lower, but the process takes time. Comparing prices between stations, using fuel rewards programs, and avoiding high-priced highway exits remain some of the best ways to save money while the market gradually works the remaining war premium out of every gallon.

JBizNews Desk
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Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz strongly condemned remarks made by Rav Aryeh Yazdi during the mass protest against the arrest of bnei yeshivah in Bnei Brak, after the rov harshly criticized IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir in comments that drew loud applause from the crowd.

Speaking at the rally, Rav Yazdi referred to a recent incident in which a soldier was reportedly sentenced to military detention after wearing a “Moshiach” patch on his uniform, blaming the decision on the chief of staff.

“The accursed chief of staff, may his name and memory be blotted out, sent a soldier to prison because he put on a Moshiach note. In the army they educate people toward the gravest transgressions in the Torah, in this impure state,” Rav Yazdi declared, prompting enthusiastic cheers from attendees.

In response, Katz issued a sharply worded statement condemning the remarks.

“I strongly condemn the severe inciting remarks that were made against the chief of staff at the rally in Bnei Brak,” Katz said.

He continued, “The chief of staff and the commanders of the IDF are leading our soldiers on every front in the campaign to defend the State of Israel and ensure the security of its citizens. Any incitement against them is unacceptable, dangerous, and deserves unequivocal condemnation.”

Katz added that while public disagreements are legitimate, attacks of this nature cross a red line.

“Even when there are public disagreements, it is forbidden to cross the red lines of incitement and attacks against those who bear the heavy responsibility of safeguarding the security of the state,” he said.

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – Ford is recalling more than 741,000 vehicles in the U.S. because a transmission issue may damage the park system, which could increase the risk of a crash or injury.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report that the recall includes certain Ford F-150, Lincoln Aviator, Ford Explorer, Lincoln Navigator and Ford Expedition vehicles with model years between 2018 and 2021.

The report states that impacted vehicles may experience temporary engagement of their transmission parking pawl while the vehicle is in motion when certain shifts are commanded by the transmission, potentially damaging park system components.

If transmission park system damage occurs, the ability of the transmission park feature to hold the vehicle if the parking brake is not applied may be affected. Unintended movement in “park” increases the risk of a crash or injury, according to the report.

The NHTSA said that Ford is aware of 24 allegations of property damage and nine alleged injuries, with two of those being allegations of emotional injuries, related to the issue.

Vehicle owners will be notified by mail and told to take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have their vehicle’s Powertrain Control Module updated to the latest level software. Dealers will also inspect the vehicle’s transmission for park system damage and replace damaged transmission components as needed. There will be no charge for the service.

Vehicle owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 for more information.

Robinson De La Cruz Hilario, a Puerto Rico resident facing charges over online threats of mass violence and the receipt of illegal content, admitted to federal investigators that he posted threatening messages directed at both Jewish and other communities, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court on Tuesday.

The FBI announced Friday that De La Cruz had been arrested after an investigation allegedly revealed “repeated online threats of mass violence..”

According to court documents, the FBI’s San Juan Field Office received information in February indicating that De La Cruz was planning a “mass shooting event” and had circulated a “tactical” map of a location in the San Juan metropolitan area. Investigators also uncovered numerous public social media posts in which he praised Omar Mateen, the gunman who killed 49 people in the 2016 massacre at Pulse, a venue in Orlando, Florida, before being shot dead by police. During the attack, Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

The complaint further alleges that on June 8, De La Cruz shared photographs of patches, some linked to neo-Nazi organizations, along with messages calling for murder.

Federal authorities said De La Cruz also posted a selfie in which he was holding “a Glock handgun.” During questioning, he admitted that he operated the social media accounts and made hateful posts. He also acknowledged that some of the posts amounted to threats, but claimed that “he had no intention of carrying it out” and said he wanted the messages to frighten people.

The Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet announced they eliminated two senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in separate airstrikes in Gaza who participated in the October 7 massacre and continued terrorist activities throughout the war.

In a strike in southern Gaza, Israeli forces killed Talal Jaber Mohammed Abd al-Aal, who commanded a terrorist cell that infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre. According to the IDF, Abd al-Aal also took part in holding Israeli hostages in southern Gaza throughout the war.

In a separate strike in central Gaza, the IDF eliminated Ali Kaid Mohammed Satitan, a Nukhba unit commander in Palestinian Islamic Jihad who also infiltrated Israel during the October 7 massacre. The military said Satitan continued working to advance terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians throughout the war, including in recent weeks.

The IDF said forces operating under Southern Command remain deployed in accordance with the current security framework and will continue acting to eliminate any immediate threats.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

At Kansas City International Airport, the officers checking identification and screening carry-on bags wear uniforms and U.S. flag patches, but they are not employees of the Transportation Security Administration. They work for private security contractors. As the busy July 4 travel period approaches, the Trump administration is pushing to expand that model to many more airports across the country.

About 20 U.S. airports already rely on private security companies instead of TSA employees to conduct passenger screening under the federal Screening Partnership Program. The option dates back to the TSA’s creation after the September 11 attacks, when Congress allowed airports to choose between federal screeners or certified private contractors operating under federal oversight.

Among the largest airports using the program are Kansas City International Airport and San Francisco International Airport, while smaller participating airports include Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport in Florida, Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey, Tupelo Regional Airport in Mississippi, and Yellowstone Airport in Montana.

The private companies do not operate independently of the federal government. All screening procedures must comply with TSA security standards, and the agency continues to oversee operations. The primary difference is that private companies decide how many employees to hire, how to schedule staff, and how to manage day-to-day operations.

Supporters point to performance during this year’s partial federal government shutdown. While many TSA employees worked without pay and absentee rates climbed at federally staffed airports—including long delays reported at Atlanta and Houston Bush Intercontinental—privately operated airports continued normal operations because contractors were paid through existing federal contracts.

Companies participating in the program say the flexibility allows them to hire seasonal employees more quickly, adjust staffing to changing passenger volumes, and reduce employee turnover. VMD Corp., based in Virginia, operates screening at Kansas City International Airport, while other companies, including BOS Security and Aviation Security Management, manage operations at additional airports around the country.

The administration now wants to expand the concept. Last month it introduced TSA Gold+, an updated initiative designed to encourage more airports to transition to private screening. Officials argue the approach could save taxpayers tens of millions of dollars while reducing wait times and giving airports greater operational flexibility. Several airports, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, are reportedly studying the option.

The proposal has sparked strong opposition from organized labor. The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents TSA workers, argues that privatization could weaken security by encouraging contracts to be awarded primarily on cost rather than quality. Union leaders also note that airport security was privately operated before the September 11 attacks and contend that federal oversight remains essential to maintaining consistent national security standards.

Federal law requires private contractors to pay screeners wages comparable to TSA employees. Congress also approved a collective bargaining agreement for TSA officers in 2024, although the administration has since sought to reverse portions of that agreement.

For airports, the attraction is greater flexibility in responding to seasonal travel surges and staffing shortages. Supporters argue that local management can often respond faster than a centralized federal workforce.

Security experts caution, however, that expanding private screening to dozens of additional airports would significantly increase the TSA’s oversight responsibilities, requiring the agency to closely monitor contractor performance, technology standards, training, and security compliance across a much larger network.

For travelers heading out this holiday week, the experience at the checkpoint is unlikely to feel any different. Whether the person checking your identification works directly for the TSA or for a certified contractor, the security rules remain the same.

The larger question is whether shifting more of airport security to private companies can deliver the shorter lines and lower costs supporters promise while maintaining the level of security travelers expect.

JBizNews Desk
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JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israeli authorities said Tuesday they arrested a 20-year-old American citizen on suspicion of carrying out intelligence-gathering assignments on behalf of Iranian operatives in exchange for payment.

The Israel Police and Shin Bet said the suspect was arrested on June 9 after an investigation that began with information provided by international security agencies. Israeli officials did not disclose the suspect’s identity.

Investigators allege the suspect maintained contact with individuals linked to Iranian intelligence for several months and was instructed to photograph and document sensitive sites in Israel. Authorities said he allegedly received payments ranging from tens to hundreds of dollars for each assignment.

Prosecutors have filed a prosecutor’s declaration, indicating an indictment is expected in the coming days, along with a request to keep the suspect in custody pending the conclusion of legal proceedings.

Israeli officials said the case is part of what they describe as a growing Iranian effort to recruit people inside Israel to gather intelligence. According to the Shin Bet, 25 Israelis and foreign residents were indicted in Iran-related espionage cases during 2025, while authorities said they thwarted about 120 suspected Iranian intelligence operations during the year.

The allegations against the suspect have not yet been tested in court.

Senior Trump administration representatives have held direct meetings with Hamas officials in recent months as part of ongoing efforts to negotiate the terrorist group’s disarmament, according to a report by Kan News. The report comes as Hamas is said to be taking a significantly tougher position in the negotiations, complicating efforts to reach an agreement.

According to the report, Aryeh Lightstone, who serves both as an adviser to President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and as an adviser to Trump’s Peace Council, met directly with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya during the discussions.

Witkoff himself also previously held direct talks with al-Hayya, though those meetings reportedly focused on efforts to end the war and secure the release of all remaining hostages.

Israeli officials were aware of Lightstone’s meetings with the Hamas leader. According to a source familiar with the discussions, the meetings were part of the broader diplomatic initiative being led by former United Nations envoy Nickolay Mladenov aimed at securing Hamas’ disarmament.

Israeli sources told Kan News that Hamas has recently adopted a more rigid negotiating position. The talks have reportedly regressed considerably and are now centered on disagreements over what types of weapons would be classified as “heavy” or “light” arms under any future disarmament agreement.

Responding to the report, a spokesman for the Peace Council confirmed that negotiations have been ongoing in recent months.

“It is well known that in recent months, the Peace Council and its mediators have conducted several rounds of negotiations aimed at agreeing on a roadmap for disarmament in Gaza. We continue our diplomatic efforts to secure this objective while finalizing measures related to advancing governance, the rule of law, security, reconstruction, and economic development in Gaza,” the spokesman said.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. stocks traded mixed Tuesday after the Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 52,000 for the first time. Investors watched developments in the Middle East as reports of renewed U.S.-Iran talks helped ease concerns over energy supplies, while a quieter oil market helped steady sentiment after weeks of heightened volatility around the Strait of Hormuz.

The mixed trading also reflected investors taking profits in many of the technology stocks that had fueled Monday’s rally. James DePorre, a market strategist who writes for TheStreet Pro, cautioned that a sustainable rally requires broader participation across the market. He noted that rebounds driven primarily by short covering and quarter-end positioning do not necessarily signal improving market fundamentals.

By late Tuesday morning, the S&P 500 was little changed, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped about 0.24%. The Nasdaq Composite gained roughly 0.29%, supported by technology shares, while the small-cap Russell 2000 traded near flat. Among popular exchange-traded funds, the Invesco QQQ Trust advanced about 1.1%, the VanEck Semiconductor ETF added nearly 0.8%, and the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF posted a modest gain after Monday’s sharp advance.

The holiday-shortened week leaves investors focused on several major economic events. The Institute for Supply Management’s June manufacturing report is due Wednesday, followed by Thursday’s closely watched June employment report ahead of the Independence Day holiday.

Market movers

Corporate earnings and analyst actions drove many of Tuesday’s biggest moves.

Concentrix fell roughly 22% after reporting second-quarter earnings and revenue below Wall Street expectations while issuing weaker guidance for the remainder of the year.

Norfolk Southern declined about 8%, Strategy dropped more than 7%, and Digital Realty Trust lost over 4%.

Leading the gainers, AeroVironment surged about 20%, Air Products and Chemicals climbed approximately 9%, and Sunrun gained about 5%.

Several Wall Street research firms also moved stocks.

BMO Capital Markets upgraded Casey’s General Stores to Outperform with a $950 price target.

Raymond James initiated coverage of AppLovin with a Strong Buy rating and a $640 target.

Melius began coverage of Honeywell Aerospace with a Buy rating and a $306 target.

On the downside, KeyBanc lowered its target price on McDonald’s while maintaining an Overweight rating, and Arete downgraded CrowdStrike to Neutral.

SpaceX, after a strong gain Monday, traded modestly lower Tuesday as investors continued preparing for the company’s addition to the Nasdaq-100 before trading begins on July 7.

Commodities and volatility

Oil prices remained relatively stable as traders monitored diplomatic developments in the Middle East and shipping activity through the Strait of Hormuz.

Gold eased as demand for traditional safe-haven assets moderated, while silver also traded lower during the session.

The Cboe Volatility Index (VIX) remained below last week’s highs, suggesting investor anxiety continued to ease even as markets paused following Monday’s record-setting advance.

Investors now turn their attention to Nike’s quarterly earnings after Tuesday’s closing bell and Thursday’s June jobs report, widely expected to be the week’s most important economic release. Those reports could shape expectations for future Federal Reserve policy and determine whether the market’s recent rally has room to continue into the second half of the year.

JBizNews Desk
New York
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned gasoline retailers that the Trump administration is “watching” pump prices and expects them to pass lower oil costs on to Americans.

Speaking on “Fox & Friends,” Bessent’s comments came a day after President Donald Trump urged gas stations to lower prices to around $2.50 per gallon following a decline in crude oil prices.

“I would encourage them to be good actors, especially in the 250th anniversary, because we’re watching,” Bessent said Tuesday. 

Gas prices rose during the conflict between Israel and Iran, though prices have eased since the onset of the fighting. The AAA national average for regular gas was $3.860 per gallon as of June 29, down from $4.391 a month earlier but still higher than the year-earlier average of $3.187.

Higher fuel costs have squeezed consumers and businesses alike, with some California small business owners saying they’re “working for peanuts” just to keep their doors open. But Bessent said that as crude oil prices decline, he’ll be watching gasoline retailers to ensure savings are passed on to consumers.

“We’ve got a chart of how quickly the prices went up and how they followed crude, and we’re going to hold them accountable on the other side,” he said, calling Trump’s Truth Social post on the issue “powerful.”

The president wrote on Truth Social earlier this week, “Gasoline Retailers must get their Prices down, IMMEDIATELY!” and added that “They’re too high considering that Oil is now at $68 a Barrel, and heading south.”

“The Retailers must quickly react to this statement, and do what they know is right — DROP YOUR PRICE FOR OUR GREAT AMERICAN PEOPLE!” he continued. “There will be no gauging, which is totally illegal. If Retailers don’t do this, big problems lie ahead!”

Bessent said stations often benefit when oil prices spike and argued it is now time to provide relief for the public. “They’re making an extra margin there, and they probably had record profits on gasoline retailing. Now it’s time to do something for the American people,” he said. 

Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. (R-N.J.) returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday after a four-month absence, revealing for the first time that he had been hospitalized and treated for depression. His explanation ended months of speculation surrounding his disappearance from Congress, during which he missed more than 100 House votes.

Addressing fellow lawmakers from the House floor, Kean said he felt an obligation to explain what had kept him away from Washington and why his return had taken far longer than anyone expected.

“Several months ago, due to health concerns, I entered the hospital for some testing. I did not believe that this would result in a long-term stay,” Kean said. “I was given the diagnosis of depression.”

He explained that physicians urged him to remain hospitalized so he could receive intensive treatment, even though he initially struggled to accept that recommendation.

“The doctors recommended that I remain in the hospital to address my illness,” Kean said. “They explained to me that this would be the fastest way to recovery, and to be honest, I was hesitant. I didn’t think that I had time for it …. Like many people, I believed that I could simply push through.”

“But I agreed to follow my doctor’s recommendations again, not believing that it would result in a long-term stay,” Kean said.

Until Tuesday’s remarks, the congressman had disclosed almost nothing about his condition. In April, he issued only a brief statement saying he was dealing with a “personal medical issue,” offering no additional details.

Looking back on that announcement, Kean said he himself did not yet fully understand what he was facing.

“When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself, when I said I hoped to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it,” Kean said on the House floor on Tuesday.

He noted that recovery from depression does not follow a predictable schedule.

“But as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. Only the work of getting better one day at a time,” Kean said.

Kean said his treatment has been successful and that he is ready to resume serving his district, telling colleagues he is now “healthier, stronger, and excited to return to the work that I love.”

At the beginning of his speech, Kean acknowledged that speaking about his personal life did not come easily, but said he believed he owed “an explanation to the people of New Jersey’s seventh district, the colleagues in this chamber, and to the American people for my absence.”

His extended disappearance from Washington had prompted widespread questions about his health and when—or whether—he would return. At one point, when questioned by The New York Times, his chief of staff replied, “There’s no cameras where Tom is.”

The prolonged absence also became a political issue as Kean prepares to seek another term representing New Jersey’s competitive 7th Congressional District, a seat widely viewed as one of the nation’s key battlegrounds.

During his remarks, Kean expressed gratitude to the residents of his district for standing by him, thanking them for their patience, understanding, and prayers throughout his recovery.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Wednesday that he had encouraged Kean to be more forthcoming about his condition.

“If it were me I would have been more specific about that. … It’s not an uncommon kind of condition and ailment that he’s been fighting, and I think people resonate with that. I think he’ll get a lot of empathy, because it’s something that’s very, very common,” he said.

Kean’s absence also complicated Republican leadership’s efforts in the narrowly divided House, where even a handful of missing GOP votes can determine the fate of party-line legislation.

Earlier this month, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) publicly criticized Kean’s absence.

“Where is he? No, seriously. It’s embarrassing,” Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) told TMZ earlier this month. “We’re supposed to be the party that is against campaigning from the basement.”

Despite his extended leave, President Trump endorsed Kean’s reelection campaign. Kean also told the New Jersey Globe that his illness has not affected his cognitive abilities.

Concluding his remarks, Kean said the experience gave him a greater understanding of the millions of Americans living with depression and encouraged others not to suffer in silence.

“This experience has given me a deeper appreciation for the millions of Americans who face these challenges each and every day. Many do so quietly. Many do so alone. Many do so like carrying burdens that the rest of us never see,” Kean said in his speech. “To them, I would say asking for help is not a weakness, it is a strength.”

{Matzav.com}

The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) has now opened the application period for the fiscal year 2026 federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) and is urging eligible organizations to begin preparing materials immediately as there will just a brief time period to apply.

The application window is currently scheduled to close at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday, July 15, according to NJOHSP.

The office said it is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to request an extension of the deadline, but cautioned that approval is not guaranteed.

The NSGP was created in 2005 to address the various security threats facing nonprofits at high risk of terrorist attack. Its funding goes to procuring security enhancements and to hardening vulnerable targets and has provided more than $2 billion to nonprofits across the country since its inception.

The grant is available for Shuls, schools and all nonprofit organizations.

“We are grateful that the NSGP application process is now open and that this vital program continues to receive strong federal support,” Shlomo Schorr, Legislative Director of Agudath Israel of America’s New Jersey office, stated to TLS.

“At a time when nonprofit institutions are confronting heightened threats, these grants play an essential role in safeguarding our shuls, schools, and other community organizations. Security at our institutions is not optional — it is a necessity.”

A complete NSGP application requires three documents: an Investment Justification (IJ), a Vulnerability Risk Assessment (VRA), and, where applicable, a copy of the organization’s IRS 501(c)(3) determination letter.

The NSGP is a competitive federal grant program and that all awards depend on the availability of federal funding.

“We will continue to advocate aggressively at every level of government to expand and strengthen the various state and federal security grant programs,” Schorr added. “Protecting our communities must remain a federal and state priority.”

Additional program details, application guidance and access to the online application portal are available on NJOHSP’s website.

A proposed four-building development in Downtown Brooklyn with roughly 1,500 apartments is set to enter public review next month. The Department of City Planning (DCP) on Friday issued a 30-day certification notice for 240 Nassau Street, a mixed-use development near the Brooklyn Navy Yard with 1,500 homes, a new K–8 public school, a community center, a cultural center, retail space, and public open space. The development team, consisting of NYC Educational Construction Fund (ECF), Alloy Development, and GFB Development, is looking to rezone the site to allow for the 1.4 million-square-foot mixed-use development. The uniform land use review procedure (ULURP) will begin in July, with construction anticipated to start in 2027.

Aerial southeast view of 240 Nassau Street

Alloy previously worked with ECF on its five-building Alloy Block project in Downtown Brooklyn, which delivered two new Passive House public schools and more than 1,000 homes, including the city’s first all-electric skyscraper and the world’s tallest Passive House building.

The site currently hosts the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club’s Navy Yard Clubhouse, which Alloy purchased in 2023 after it abruptly closed following the organization’s bankruptcy.

Aerial rendering of 240 Nassau Street

Since acquiring the site, Alloy has led a three-year community engagement process, gathering feedback from more than 1,000 local stakeholders. This included more than 150 meetings with community organizations, nearby NYCHA tenant associations, elected officials, and other neighbors to help shape the project.

The firm later partnered with the club to temporarily restore after-school programming at the community hub, while donating $2 million to support the effort. Alloy has also provided free space to six local community groups offering programming for local youth at 240 Nassau Avenue, according to Yimby.

“As 240 Nassau advances toward public review next month, we’re proud to move this community-driven project forward that reflects more than three years of collaboration with well over 1,000 neighbors, elected officials and local stakeholders,” Alloy CEO Jared Della Valle said.

“The plan for this site includes high quality affordable and senior housing, a new public school, state-of-the-art community facility and cultural centers, and almost an acre of new outdoor space–all shaped by the neighborhood’s needs and priorities.”

The club will receive a new 22,500-square-foot, state-of-the-art community center replacing the existing facility. The space will be operated by a to-be-determined provider selected based on local resident feedback, and will include a large recreation area, a covered outdoor space, classrooms, a dance studio, a kitchen, and a music room.

Roughly 1,500 homes will be distributed across three buildings, including 300 affordable units. Of the total affordable units, 100 will be set aside for seniors in a standalone building designed by Bernheimer Architects, which will include a community room and amenities space.

The project also includes a 15,000-square-foot cultural center, currently envisioned as a permanent headquarters for an expansion of the Cultural Museum of African Art’s Eric Edwards collection, a cherished local collection that currently operates in Bed-Stuy. The new space is expected to include gallery, educational, and research spaces.

A new 120,000-square-foot K–8 public school designed by Architecture Research Office will also be built. Beginning in the 2027–28 school year, PS 287 will temporarily relocate to PS 67 around the corner, while Community Roots Middle School and Community Roots Lower School will permanently move to PS 369, the nearby Susan McKinney Secondary School. The school will remain in the same zone upon its return.

Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates will design 28,000 square feet of retail space and 36,000 square feet of outdoor space, including 21,000 square feet of publicly accessible areas with play spaces, an outdoor stage, gathering areas, and café seating.

The proposed plan will reconnect 240 Nassau to the neighborhood by reintroducing a historic street grid, activating the existing streetscape, and streamlining access to nearby parks.

“Seeing 240 Nassau move closer to becoming a reality is inspiring in so many ways,” Tameek Floyd, co-founder of GFB Development, said. “This project is setting a new precedent for what urban revitalization should look like: community centered, purpose driven, and creating generational impact.”

“240 Nassau provides much needed resources to our neighborhood, from affordable housing and a new school to community and cultural space. It reflects our shared commitment to closing the socioeconomic gap, creating safe spaces, and providing opportunities for the next generation to grow and thrive.”

RELATED:

• World’s tallest Passive House building in Brooklyn secures $535M in financing
• NYC’s first Passive House public schools open in Downtown Brooklyn
• Leasing begins at Brooklyn’s all-electric skyscraper 505 State Street, from $3,475/month

The post 1,500-unit Downtown Brooklyn complex to enter public review next month first appeared on 6sqft.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Google co-founder Sergey Brin has exited a major New York City multifamily real estate investment, selling his stake in a large rent-stabilized apartment fund for roughly six cents on the dollar.

Amphitheatre LLC, an entity linked to Brin, sold its position last year in a fund managed by A&E Real Estate that controls nearly 5,900 units across Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, according to reports.

The sale comes as landlords grapple with strict rent regulations and rising operational costs. On June 25, 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Rent Guidelines Board voted to freeze rents on more than one million stabilized apartments for the upcoming lease year. Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who campaigned on strengthening tenant protections, described the freeze as necessary relief for working-class New Yorkers in a market with persistently low vacancy rates.

Industry representatives contend that the policy fails to account for sharp increases in expenses such as insurance, potentially accelerating building deterioration and discouraging new housing supply. Brin, whose net worth exceeds $265 billion, is among prominent investors impacted by the regulations’ effect on property values.

The transaction highlights ongoing tensions between tenant advocates and property owners in one of the nation’s most heavily regulated housing markets.

A little over a year ago, President Donald Trump set an ambitious deadline: he wanted American companies to build at least three new experimental nuclear reactors by July 4, 2026, the nation’s 250th anniversary. With days remaining, two startups have already reached that milestone, according to the U.S. Department of Energy—a pace the nuclear industry has never experienced and one that has raised concerns among some safety experts.

The effort began after Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Energy to launch its Reactor Pilot Program, aimed at helping companies rapidly build and operate demonstration reactors by significantly streamlining the approval process.

The results have been swift. On June 4, Antares Nuclear announced that its reactor had reached criticality—the point at which a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction begins. Valar Atomics followed on June 18, saying its Ward 250 reactor had also gone critical while operating from a tent-like structure in the Utah desert. The project became the first Department of Energy-authorized reactor built outside a national laboratory.

For the business community, the story is fundamentally about electricity. Artificial intelligence data centers are consuming power at an unprecedented pace, creating demand that existing electrical grids are struggling to meet. That surge has fueled investment in advanced nuclear startups promising smaller, factory-built reactors capable of producing reliable, carbon-free electricity around the clock.

Valar Atomics, founded in 2023, plans to build large nuclear “gigasites” containing thousands of high-temperature microreactors. Its Ward 250 reactor, roughly the size of a minivan, is designed to generate up to 5 megawatts of electricity.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright called the recent milestones a “historic moment for America’s nuclear renaissance.” The administration is supporting the industry not only through regulatory changes but also with conditional financing intended to rebuild domestic commercial reactor manufacturing. Other companies, including Aalo Atomics, Radiant, and Oklo’s isotope subsidiary, are also racing to bring their own reactors online.

The accelerated timeline, however, comes with tradeoffs. To move projects forward more quickly, the Department of Energy revised portions of its safety and security standards, exempted certain demonstration reactors from environmental reviews, and consulted directly with participating companies while limiting broader public input. Department officials maintain that safety remains the top priority, while the Nuclear Regulatory Commission says it assigned additional staff members to support the review process.

Critics remain unconvinced.

Nuclear expert Edwin Lyman argues that relaxing regulations inevitably speeds construction but increases risk. Heidy Khlaaf of the AI Now Institute called the administration’s deadline a “manufactured timeline,” warning that entirely new reactor designs require thorough testing before they can be considered safe. Former Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chair Allison Macfarlane said the compressed schedule, combined with political pressure and reduced transparency, departs significantly from the traditional regulatory process.

Supporters counter that these advanced reactors are dramatically smaller than conventional nuclear plants. Consultant Nick Touran argues that smaller reactors naturally reduce the scale of any worst-case accident, although critics respond that even a relatively small release of radioactive material could create serious health and environmental consequences near testing sites.

The debate also raises a broader institutional question. Before Trump’s executive order, the Department of Energy promoted nuclear technology while the independent Nuclear Regulatory Commission, created by Congress in 1975, handled commercial reactor safety. Critics argue that allowing the department to both promote and oversee new projects risks recreating the conflict of interest the current regulatory system was designed to avoid.

For now, the program has achieved one of its primary goals: jump-starting an industry that had struggled for decades to move projects from the drawing board to operation. At a time when artificial intelligence and data centers are rapidly increasing electricity demand, supporters see advanced nuclear power as a critical part of America’s future energy mix.

Whether the accelerated timetable ultimately becomes a model for innovation—or a cautionary tale about moving too quickly—may not become clear until long after the Fourth of July celebrations have ended.

JBizNews Desk
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A roof collapse at a tutoring center under-construction in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday killed at least 14 schoolchildren, police and rescue officials said.

Eight other children were also injured and were being treated at a hospital, senior police official Faisal Kamran said, adding that the owner of the tutoring center and another person have been arrested.

UPDATE | Roof Collapse in Kahna, Lahore

A tragic roof collapse in Basti Eid Gah, Kahna has claimed the lives of 14 children, while five others were injured, according to the latest update.

The injured were shifted to hospital for medical treatment. The bodies of the deceased… pic.twitter.com/HshMv9S6Ne

— Asif Mehmood (@imasifmehmood) June 30, 2026

Kamran said rescuers were continuing to search through the rubble after receiving reports that more children could be trapped beneath the debris. He said the tutoring center was housed in an aging building and that the roof of an unfinished second floor apparently collapsed because of poor-quality construction.

Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari expressed grief over the collapse of the roof of an evening school building in Lahore. In a statement, he offered condolences to the families of the victims, prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured, and said effective safety measures were needed to prevent similar tragedies.

Building collapses are common in Pakistan, where construction standards are often poorly enforced. Many structures are built with substandard materials, and safety regulations are frequently ignored to reduce costs.

Tens of thousands of Sephardic yeshiva students and supporters gathered Monday evening in Bnei Brak for a massive protest against the continued arrest of yeshiva students, as leading Torah authorities vowed to intensify the fight against efforts to draft full-time Torah learners into the military.

Held under the theme, “A Gathering Honoring Torah to Strengthen Yeshiva Students and the Torah World,” the rally filled Eshel Avraham and Harav Rabinov streets, which were closed to traffic for the event. Leading rabbonim, members of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, community leaders, and public officials joined the crowd in denouncing what they described as the persecution of those whose lives are devoted to Torah study.

The gathering opened with remarks from Rav Shabsai Levi, mara d’asra of Ramat Aharon and head of the Halichos Moshe institutions, who bemoaned the growing number of yeshiva students being imprisoned.

Rav Nissim Ben Shimon spoke about the persecution of lomdei Torah, quoting the Talmudic teaching that one who disgraces Torah scholars has no remedy for his affliction. He lamented that yeshiva students are now being arrested simply because they are learning Torah.

Rav Aryeh Yazdi of Kollel Torah Chaim warned of the spiritual dangers associated with military service, arguing that the army promotes behavior fundamentally at odds with Torah values. He sharply criticized the military leadership, referring to the imprisonment of a soldier over a note relating to Moshiach, and condemned what he described as the moral atmosphere within the army.

Rav Shlomo Machpud, head of the Yoreh Deah rabbinical court and a member of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, declared that neither threats nor economic sanctions would deter the Torah community. He stressed that no government has authority over Torah study or the spiritual lives of yeshiva students and called for unity under the guidance of the leading Torah sages.

Rav Zamir Cohen, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Avnei Nezer, cited the Torah’s promise that devotion to Torah brings Divine protection and victory. He said that the very act of gathering together to proclaim “Moshe is true and his Torah is true,” while affirming that the Torah is “our life and the length of our days,” carries the power to overturn harsh decrees.

Rav Levi Pinchasi, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Or Avraham, argued that the military has no genuine interest in drafting yeshiva students and instead seeks to secularize them. Referring to testimony allegedly given by a senior military commander in court, he said the army “doesn’t need them; it only wants to secularize them.” He added that just as Haman failed in his attempt to destroy the Jewish people, these efforts would likewise fail.

The keynote address was delivered by the former Rishon LeTzion, Rav Yitzchok Yosef, president of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, who urged yeshiva students not to fear imprisonment if they remain faithful to Torah.

“When Torah scholars sit and learn, they are the chosen people. If they arrest you, go to prison with your heads held high and a sefer in your hand. I have spoken with many of those who were imprisoned. Ninety-five percent of those arrested are Sephardim. We are living in a racist country. You are the emissaries of the Jewish people.”

Following the speeches, the assembled Torah leaders signed a formal declaration outlining the rally’s resolutions.

The first resolution called on Israel’s government, military authorities, and judicial system to stop interfering with Torah scholars through arrests and other measures intended to compel military service. The declaration stated that yeshiva students and kollel members are the pillars upon which the world stands and warned that without Torah and those who devote themselves to it, there is no right to existence—either generally or in the Land of Israel. It concluded by declaring that Torah is the nation’s protection and salvation.

The second resolution pledged that if, G-d forbid, another yeshiva student or kollel member from Bnei Brak is arrested, all of the city’s rabbonim will unite and travel to Prison 10 to protest, pray for the annulment of the decree, and undertake whatever additional actions the leading Torah sages direct. The statement also declared that the entire chareidi community, both in Israel and throughout the world, stands firmly behind the Torah learners.

The third resolution urged rabbonim in every city to organize similar efforts, standing behind their local yeshiva students and kollel members, protecting the honor of Torah, and strengthening them so that no one would be tempted to abandon the path of Torah.

An additional statement from the senior member of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, Rav Moshe Maya, was appended to the declaration. Citing the Torah’s promise that those who toil in Torah are blessed with prosperity, security, and peace, he warned that mistreating Torah scholars brings severe punishment and is the source of the nation’s suffering, wars, and persecution. He also cited the Talmud’s account of Rabi Akiva publicly teaching Torah despite the mortal danger involved, explaining that public Torah study is what protects and sustains the Jewish people.

The rally concluded with an emotionally charged recitation of the Yud Gimmel Middos and Kabbolas Ohl Malchus Shomayim, led by the renowned mekubal Rav Yaakov Ades.

{Matzav.com}

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared Tuesday that Israeli forces will remain in the security zone inside southern Lebanon until Hezbollah no longer poses a threat to Israel, emphasizing that troops have standing orders to immediately eliminate any danger they identify.

Speaking during a visit to IDF forces operating in southern Lebanon, Netanyahu said Israel’s security policy has fundamentally changed following the war.

“Our insistence is that we do not leave southern Lebanon until the threat is neutralized,” Netanyahu told the soldiers. “As long as Hezbollah is here, armed and threatening us, we will remain.”

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The prime minister was accompanied by Defense Minister Yisrael Katz, National Security Adviser Shmuel Ben-Ezra, IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, and other senior military officials, who received operational briefings from Northern Command commanders.

Netanyahu praised the troops for what he described as major achievements against the Iranian axis.

“You have done tremendous work here. We have taken the Iranian axis and begun to crush it. We attacked Iran itself—something no one believed was possible—and removed an existential threat.”

Calling Hezbollah “the most important link in the Iranian axis,” Netanyahu said the terror group once possessed approximately 150,000 rockets and missiles, adding that only about eight percent of that arsenal remains.

“That is still significant,” he said, “but it is no longer what it was.”

According to Netanyahu, Israeli operations have killed approximately 9,000 Hezbollah terrorists, including hundreds in recent weeks.

He said one of Israel’s primary strategic objectives has been establishing permanent security zones on the Lebanese side of the border to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding positions adjacent to Israeli communities.

“We are doing this in Lebanon just as we did it in Gaza,” Netanyahu said. “We do not allow a terrorist army to sit on our border. We push them away, and we destroy everything above and below ground that was built to attack us.”

Addressing the soldiers directly, Netanyahu stressed that protecting their own lives takes precedence.

“Our instruction—mine, the defense minister’s, the chief of staff’s, and the deputy chief of staff’s—is to protect yourselves. If you identify a threat to your security or the lives of your soldiers, act. Do not wait. Act. This is an ironclad order.”

Netanyahu also said Israel’s military successes have created an opportunity for improved relations with Lebanon.

“We say to Iran and Hezbollah: Leave. You have nothing to do here. We are two sovereign states that want peace and want to restore security and prosperity to the residents of northern Israel and Lebanon.”

He cautioned, however, that the blows dealt to Iran and Hezbollah “will not necessarily pass quietly.”

During the visit, military officials also presented Netanyahu and Katz with new weapons systems and technologies designed to counter Hezbollah’s growing use of first-person-view (FPV) attack drones.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

California restaurant chains are facing a permanent overhaul to their menus beginning July 1, as a first-in-the-nation law requiring major food allergen disclosures takes effect.

Under California’s Senate Bill 68, food facilities subject to the federal menu-labeling law — generally chain restaurants with 20 or more locations operating under the same name — must provide written notification of major food allergens that they know, or reasonably should know, are contained in each menu item, according to guidance from the California Department of Public Health.

The requirement applies to the nation’s nine major food allergens: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame.

Restaurants may comply by listing allergens directly on printed menus or by providing the information digitally, including through a QR code linked to an online menu. Businesses that choose the digital option must also offer a written alternative for customers who cannot access the information electronically, such as an allergen-specific menu, chart, grid or booklet.

The law applies to restaurant chains already covered by the federal menu-labeling requirements, while compact mobile food facilities, non-permanent food facilities and certain limited-time menu specials are exempt.

The California Restaurant Association said the new requirements extend beyond traditional printed menus, requiring covered restaurants to provide allergen disclosures across customer-facing ordering platforms, including menu boards, drive-thru boards, kiosks, websites, mobile apps and online ordering platforms.

The trade group said California is the first state in the nation to enact restaurant allergen disclosure requirements of this kind.

State Sen. Caroline Menjivar, a Democrat who authored the legislation, said the bill was inspired in part by her own experiences living with severe food allergies and aims to make dining out safer for millions of Californians.

“California will once again lead the nation by becoming the first state to mandate allergens be listed on menus for food facilities with 20 locations and above,” Menjivar said in a statement after the Legislature approved the measure last year.

Menjivar also argued the law could benefit restaurants by giving families managing food allergies greater confidence when dining out.

“These businesses will be able to offer allergen families a unique additional assurance that will drive customers to their establishments,” she said.

According to Menjivar’s office, nearly 4 million Californians have potentially life-threatening food allergies, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates food allergies affect nearly 8% of U.S. children.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America co-sponsored the legislation. AAFA CEO Kenneth Mendez called the measure “a win-win for California families and restaurants.”

“ADDE promotes improved public health by creating a climate that will help reduce the incidence of food allergy reactions and promote food allergen disclosure,” Mendez said in a statement.

California officials said the law makes the state the first in the nation to require large restaurant chains to disclose allergens on menus. Supporters noted that the European Union has required restaurant allergen labeling since 2014, while no comparable nationwide requirement currently exists in the United States.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — A social media post by popular columnist and former attorney Jill Filipovic criticizing an Orthodox Jewish religious practice sparked a heated online debate this week, drawing more than 1 million views and thousands of comments, many defending the custom.

Filipovic wrote that during her years as a lawyer she occasionally encountered Orthodox Jewish men who declined to shake her hand because of their religious beliefs. While acknowledging they had the right to follow their faith, she said she found the practice offensive and described it as sexist.

Back when I was a lawyer I would sometimes meet religious Jewish male lawyers who would refuse to shake hands with me and other women. I honestly found it really off-putting and offensive and so did many others. It’s certainly their right to refuse a handshake. But other people… https://t.co/z9TC81c5sG

— Jill Filipovic (@JillFilipovic) June 29, 2026

The post quickly generated thousands of responses, with many users explaining that the practice, known as shomer negiah, is rooted in Orthodox Jewish religious law, which discourages physical contact between unrelated men and women. Defenders noted that observant women who follow the practice similarly avoid physical contact with unrelated men.

Many commenters said declining a handshake is an expression of religious observance rather than disrespect toward women, adding that observant Jews often substitute a verbal greeting, nod or other courteous gesture.

Others argued that avoiding physical contact in professional settings can also reduce the risk of misunderstandings or allegations of inappropriate conduct. Critics of that argument responded that the custom should be understood in its religious context and cautioned against linking it to assumptions about false accusations.

The exchange prompted a broader discussion on social media over the balance between religious freedom, workplace etiquette and gender equality, with users divided over whether declining a handshake on religious grounds should be viewed as a protected religious practice or as discriminatory behavior.

Two Israeli Air Force fighter jets were scrambled after a civilian passenger flight from Warsaw to Israel triggered a security emergency code while flying over the Mediterranean.

The aircraft, identified as LOT Polish Airlines Flight 155, operated by Bulgaria’s Electra Airways, was en route to Ben Gurion Airport when the emergency alert was activated. The flight crew later informed air traffic controllers that the alert was caused by a technical malfunction.

The aircraft was diverted away from Israel and landed in Cyprus before later preparing to continue to Bulgaria. The crew was not cleared to land in Israel following the incident.

The IDF said the fighter jets were launched after authorities received a report of lost communication with the aircraft. Contact was subsequently restored, and the military confirmed the incident was resolved with no indication of a security threat.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The Trump administration is canceling an offshore wind lease held by Duke Energy off the coast of North Carolina, the latest move in its widening campaign to halt new wind development. Under an agreement with the Department of the Interior announced Monday, Duke will voluntarily terminate its lease in the Carolina Long Bay area, valued at $129 million, and invest the same amount in additional electricity-generating capacity.

According to the company, Duke plans to redirect the refunded money into projects such as nuclear generation and grid modernization before the end of the year. Rather than developing offshore wind turbines, the utility will invest in the types of always-available power generation favored by the current administration.

The cancellation is part of a broader federal rollback of offshore wind development.

Since taking office, the administration has withdrawn offshore wind lease areas, paused permitting activity, rescinded approximately 3.5 million acres designated for offshore wind development, and suspended leases for several major projects, including Empire Wind, Revolution Wind, Sunrise Wind, Vineyard Wind 1, and Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind. Several of those projects have continued operating after receiving court injunctions while litigation proceeds.

Increasingly, the federal government has been negotiating buyouts instead of allowing projects to move forward.

In recent months, offshore wind developers have received nearly $2 billion in agreements to walk away from planned projects. Two developers—Bluepoint Wind and Golden State Wind—abandoned their projects after receiving roughly $900 million combined. Other lease areas off New Jersey and South Carolina have also been terminated.

The Duke Energy agreement adds another high-profile project to that growing list.

The policy shift reflects changing investment priorities throughout the energy sector. With federal support for offshore wind declining, more capital is flowing into nuclear power, natural gas, battery storage, and electric-grid upgrades. Investment firm Brookfield recently said it sees stronger long-term opportunities in batteries and grid infrastructure than in standalone wind and solar projects.

For utilities such as Duke Energy, those investments now offer a clearer regulatory path.

The timing is significant because U.S. electricity demand continues to climb, driven in large part by the rapid expansion of artificial-intelligence data centers. Analysts expect AI facilities alone to add enormous new demand to the nation’s electric grid over the coming decade.

Supporters of offshore wind argue the projects would have helped strengthen power supplies across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, particularly during periods of peak winter demand when natural-gas systems can become constrained. Critics of the cancellations warn that reducing future generating capacity could increase electricity costs if demand continues rising.

The economic effects extend beyond electricity production.

Several coastal states have invested heavily in developing offshore wind supply chains. New York announced a $300 million port investment program, the New Jersey Wind Port represents more than $600 million in development, and California authorized more than $225 million for offshore wind infrastructure. Those investments were expected to support construction, manufacturing, shipping, and related industries.

One completed project, Vineyard Wind 1, is projected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 400,000 homes while saving Massachusetts customers an estimated $1.4 billion on electricity costs over the next two decades.

President Donald Trump has opposed offshore wind projects for years, dating back to disputes over turbines proposed near one of his golf properties in Scotland. What began as campaign rhetoric has evolved into a broad federal policy reshaping where energy investment flows in the United States.

For businesses and investors, the direction has become increasingly clear: federal policy is steering capital away from offshore wind and toward nuclear power, natural gas, battery storage, and grid reliability. Whether that strategy delivers enough affordable electricity to meet rapidly growing demand remains one of the biggest questions facing America’s energy future.

JBizNews Energy Desk
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

A rebbi was dramatically rescued Monday evening after becoming lost and injured while hiking with his talmidim in the Santa Monica Mountains near Malibu, prompting a large-scale search involving ground crews and air units.

The group had set out on the Sara Wan Trailhead at Corral Canyon Park. According to those involved, the rebbi began feeling unwell before the hike and told the bochurim he would remain near the trailhead while they continued on.

When the bochurim returned, however, the rebbi was nowhere to be found.

Realizing something was wrong—and with no cell phone service in the remote area—they were unable to contact him or immediately call for help. Once authorities were notified, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department launched an extensive search, dispatching its Urban Search and Rescue Team along with aerial units.

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After more than four hours of searching, and just before sunset, a ground rescue team located the missing rebbi.

Authorities determined that he had fallen and suffered only minor scrapes and injuries. Due to the difficult terrain, the Sheriff’s Department decided the safest way to evacuate him was by helicopter hoist.

Video from the scene shows the rebbi being hoisted to safety alongside a rescue crew member.

The successful rescue brought a tense ordeal to a grateful conclusion after hours of uncertainty.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A devastating fire destroyed the home of Rabbi Sholom Ber and Chaya Elishevitz on Shabbos morning, leaving the family with virtually nothing.

Baruch Hashem, everyone made it out safely, though some suffered minor injuries. Sadly, within minutes, the family lost their home, belongings, clothing, furniture, Seforim, Tallis & Tefillin and countless treasured memories.

CLICK HERE help this family during their time of need!

Rabbi Sholom Ber and Chaya Elishevitz are known for their incredible kindness, hospitality, and dedication to the community. Their home has long been a place of warmth, support, and open doors for so many in the Greater Seattle & Bellevue area.

Now, this family that has given so much, needs our help!

CLICK HERE help this family during their time of need!

President Donald Trump suffered another major legal defeat Tuesday after the Supreme Court invalidated his executive order seeking to deny automatic U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal immigrants and foreign visitors, ruling that the policy conflicts with the Constitution.

The executive order, signed on Trump’s first day back in office, had been tied up in the courts for months amid arguments over whether it violated the Citizenship Clause of the 14th Amendment, which provides: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

In a narrow 5-4 decision, the justices concluded that the constitutional guarantee extends to children “born in the United States to parents unlawfully or temporarily present,” meaning the policy cannot be changed through executive action and would instead require a constitutional amendment.

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts stated, “If Congress intended to limit American citizenship to the children of those domiciled in the United States, nothing in the succinct language of the Citizenship Clause conveyed that design.” He continued, “Words appearing frequently in the Executive Order—’mother,’ ‘father,’ ‘lawful,’ ‘temporary’— are absent from the Clause. For a simple reason: they did not matter.”

Earlier this year, Trump made history by becoming the first sitting U.S. president to attend oral arguments before the Supreme Court when the justices heard the case on April 1.

Legal observers had largely predicted that the administration faced an uphill battle, with many constitutional scholars questioning whether a president has the authority to redefine birthright citizenship through executive order alone.

A central issue throughout the case was the Supreme Court’s landmark 1898 decision in US v. Wong Kim Ark, which involved a man born in the United States to Chinese immigrant parents who were legally residing in the country but were barred from obtaining citizenship themselves under the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882.

In that ruling, the Court held that nearly everyone born on American soil automatically acquires U.S. citizenship, with only limited exceptions, including children of hostile occupying forces, foreign diplomats and rulers, or births aboard foreign vessels in U.S. waters.

During the oral arguments, Solicitor General John Sauer argued that Wong Kim Ark involved immigrants who were lawfully present and permanently domiciled in the United States, making it distinguishable from today’s immigration landscape. He also contended that the dramatically higher levels of illegal immigration today transform the issue into one involving national security, placing it within the president’s constitutional authority.

The latest ruling follows another Supreme Court decision last year that curtailed the ability of lower federal courts to issue nationwide injunctions blocking presidential policies. Although that ruling involved litigation related to the birthright citizenship order, the justices made clear that nationwide relief could still be granted in properly certified class-action lawsuits.

The case, Trump v. Barbara, was brought on behalf of three families who argued that Trump’s executive order unlawfully denied citizenship to their American-born children.

One of the plaintiffs, identified only as Barbara, is a Honduran asylum seeker whose child was born in October of last year. Another plaintiff, Susan, is a Taiwanese citizen studying in the United States whose daughter was born in April 2025 while her passport application was pending. The third plaintiff, Mark, is a Brazilian permanent residency applicant whose son, born in March 2025, had initially been issued a U.S. passport.

Proceeding under pseudonyms, the plaintiffs argued that the executive order illegally stripped their children of American citizenship and the legal rights and government benefits that accompany it, including eligibility for Social Security, Medicaid, and food assistance.

A federal judge in New Hampshire previously granted a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the order and certified the plaintiffs’ children, along with others in similar circumstances, as members of a nationwide class.

The ruling marks the second time in six months that the Supreme Court has rejected one of Trump’s signature policy initiatives. In February, the Court also ruled that the administration could not rely on the International Economic Emergency Powers Act to impose customized tariffs on foreign countries at the president’s discretion.

{Matzav.com}

Iran is in a stronger position relative to the US than it was before US President Donald Trump’s “reckless and costly war,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) claimed in a press conference prior to a security briefing on the US-Iran war on Monday. 

Jeffries told reporters that the war, which has “adversely impacted the national security interests of the American people,” requires a full unclassified briefing for the US House of Representatives. 

“It’s my hope that that will happen sooner rather than later,” he said regarding the briefing. 

Special US Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio briefed Congress on US-Iran peace talks on Monday for the first time since Trump signed a memorandum of understanding with Tehran earlier this month. 

Witkoff and Rubio reportedly assured lawmakers that a final deal would prevent Iran from keeping its stockpile of highly enriched uranium after officials from both parties pressed the administration on the matter, according to a Politico report.

‘Position remains the same’ on Israel

When asked where he and the Democratic Party stand in terms of supporting Israel, Jeffries answered that his “position has and remains the same.” 

He argued that while the US should continue to support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, a strong push for a Palestinian state that can “live side-by-side in peace and prosperity with the state of Israel” is necessary. 

US policy needs to have “legitimate aspirations for self-determination and dignity for the Palestinian people,” he added. 

“What we’ve seen over the last several years cannot ever happen again, and US policy has consistently, through different administrations until this one, been to try and actually achieve a safe and secure Israel and an independent Palestinian state, side-by-side, as part of our commitment to find and obtain a just and lasting peace in the Middle East,” he claimed. 

Jeffries also told reporters that an in-person discussion is set for Tuesday to deliberate on the state and foreign operations bill that “may or may not be on the floor later this week.” 

“We’ll have more to say on this particular bill and any amendments connected to it,” he added. 

This post was originally published on here.

A Lakewood man has been charged with multiple drug and weapons offenses after a month-long multi-agency investigation into illegal narcotics distribution in Ocean County.

Authorities say the investigation identified Freemon Watts, 46, of Lakewood, as a large-scale cocaine distributor operating throughout the area.

On May 27, detectives conducting surveillance observed Watts leaving his place of employment in Lakewood before stopping his vehicle and taking him into custody without incident.

Investigators then executed court-authorized search warrants at Watts’ residence in Lakewood, a residence in Neptune Township believed to be connected to the alleged drug operation, and a storage unit in Toms River.

According to prosecutors, the searches resulted in the seizure of approximately 400 grams of cocaine, drug paraphernalia commonly associated with narcotics distribution, a suspected Uzi-style submachine gun, two handguns equipped with large-capacity ammunition magazines, approximately $14,000 in cash, and other evidence.

Watts has been charged with Possession of Five Ounces or More of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Cocaine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Firearm During a Controlled Dangerous Substance Offense, Certain Person Not to Possess a Weapon, Possession of a Large Capacity Ammunition Magazine, and Financial Facilitation.

He was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he has remained lodged since May 28, pending court proceedings.

The investigation was conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Narcotics Strike Force in partnership with the FBI Safe Streets Task Force–Red Bank, the Lakewood Township Police Department Street Crimes Unit and Special Response Team, the Toms River Police Department Special Enforcement Team, the Manchester Township Police Department Narcotics Enforcement Team, and the Neptune Township Police Department. Prosecutors credited the agencies for their coordinated efforts throughout the investigation.

Steve Bannon, a leading MAGA commentator and longtime ally of FBI Director Kash Patel, publicly criticized Patel on Monday, urging him to stop highlighting falling crime rates and instead focus on arresting what Bannon described as “deep state” figures, including Democratic megadonor George Soros.

Speaking on his podcast, Bannon argued that radical political activists are responsible for many of the nation’s problems and singled out Soros for his political spending.

“The reason the country’s in the shape it’s in is because of these radicals, Marxist jihadis who want to destroy this country,” Bannon said. “Soros has put in, what, $100 million in this midterm already? He and that freak son of his.”

WATCH:

BANNON: Kash, I love you, brother, but I don’t want to hear any more crime statistics.

Nobody believes them anyway. I’m sorry.

Knock it off. No more stats. I want to see perp walks of the Deep State. I want to see the Soroses perp walked. Then you can give me crime stats. pic.twitter.com/LLznIuHwWX

— Grace Chong, MBI (@gc22gc) June 29, 2026

Bannon then questioned why Soros had not been arrested, while pressing the Justice Department and FBI to move more aggressively against individuals he believes have engaged in wrongdoing.

“Why he’s not been perp walked somewhere, I don’t know. People have other things, have more important things to do, more important things. We need a sense of urgency in the Justice Department! We need a sense of urgency in the FBI, and, Kash [Patel], I love you, brother, but I don’t want to hear any more statistics about how crime’s coming down, crime’s coming down, all that. We want to see perp walks of the Deep State!

“We want to see perp walks of who stole 2020. We want to see — get on with it, while we can still get on with it. Nobody believes the crime statistics, anyway. I’m sorry, they still don’t feel comfortable walking down a street in Memphis, these other places, unless they see the National Guard that President Trump will put in.

“So, knock it off! No more stats. I don’t want to hear any more crime stats. I want to see perp walks, I want to see the Soroses perp-walked. That’s what we want to see. Perp walk George Soros, all good.”

Bannon went on to argue that crime statistics are unlikely to influence voters, saying the public is looking for action rather than government reports.

Bannon added that crime stats are “not going to move the needle. It’s not going to matter in any voting.”

He concluded by calling on federal officials to accelerate investigations into alleged foreign interference and quickly release any evidence they possess.

“Let’s have some urgency! Let’s light a fire,” he continued. “Where is the task force? Show me the foreign interference? It’s there, it’s in the files. You got the documents, let’s get it out, and then you pass SAVE America and sign an executive order. Let’s do it all.”

{Matzav.com}

In an effort to help prevent children from being unintentionally left behind in vehicles, Chaveirim of Central Jersey, in conjunction with Hatzolah of Central Jersey and other emergency services, has launched a new Child Safety Initiative aimed at daycares and Morahs.

The free program is designed to provide an added layer of protection by ensuring children are accounted for shortly after their scheduled arrival time.

As part of the initiative, participating daycares and Morahs will automatically receive a reminder phone call approximately 15 minutes after their scheduled start time, prompting them to confirm that every child expected that day has safely arrived.

The program also offers a tablet-based reminder system, sponsored by DropGuard, for facilities that prefer a digital option. In the near future, parents will also be able to opt into automated text message and WhatsApp alerts to confirm that their child has been dropped off safely.

Organizers stress that while the reminder service is an important safety tool, it is intended solely as an aid and does not replace the responsibility of caregivers to ensure children are never left unattended in a vehicle.

Daycares and Morahs interested in enrolling in the free life-saving program can call 732-329-7732. For additional information or sponsorship opportunities, call 908-308-2181.

Emergency responders encourage all childcare providers and parents to take advantage of every available safeguard, noting that a simple reminder can make the difference between a normal day and an unimaginable tragedy.

Romania’s Ministry of National Defense has finalized a landmark agreement with Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems for the acquisition of SPYDER short‑ and very‑short‑range air‑defense systems.

The deal is the largest contract in Rafael’s history and the second-largest defense deal in Israeli defense-industry history, following the sale of the Arrow 3 missile defense system to Germany for $3.5 billion.

The initial order is part of the first phase of a strategic framework valued at more than €2 billion and positions SPYDER as a central component of Romania’s SHORAD (Short Range Air Defense)-VSHORAD (Very Short Range Air Defense) modernization effort.

According to the Romanian Ministry of National Defense, the first subsequent contract covers one integrated SHORAD-VSHORAD system, three VSHORAD systems, one SHORAD system, and dedicated training and simulation infrastructure. 

The deal includes launchers, interceptors, radar systems, training arrays, and logistical support, with initial operational capability planned within 36 months.

Full package

Deliveries of the first two VSHORAD systems are scheduled within three years, with operator training to begin ahead of acceptance activities. The broader framework agreement, concluded in July 2025, provides for six integrated SHORAD-VSHORAD systems, six SHORAD systems, six VSHORAD systems, and associated ammunition, training, and logistical support.

The SPYDER system is a mobile, quick‑reaction air‑defense solution designed to protect against a wide spectrum of aerial threats. It can intercept aircraft, drones, and UAVs, helicopters, and precision‑guided munitions, and counter‑tactical ballistic missile capability.

The SPYDER Family of short- to long-range mobile, quick-reaction, combat-proven Air Defense Systems includes the SPYDER SR, SPYDER MR, SPYDER LR, SPYDER ER, and the SPYDER All-in-One. 

It is built around the Python‑5 and the Derby missiles, which are adapted from air‑to‑air use for ground launch and are designed to counter aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, and precision‑guided munitions. 

The system uses an electro-optical observation payload and wireless data link communication and can engage multiple threats simultaneously up to 160 kilometers away in all weather conditions. 

The EL/M 2106 radar is manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries-IAI, a subsidiary of Elta, and can track up to 500 targets simultaneously in all weather conditions while on the move.

Its modular architecture allows for both stationary and mobile deployment, and its rapid response time is intended to provide effective protection of strategic assets in complex air environments. 

Popular air defense system

Rafael was selected through a restricted tender aimed at supplying Romania with a large number of SPYDER batteries. Romanian officials emphasized that the procurement aligns with NATO requirements and is intended to strengthen defenses against a spectrum of aerial threats, including drones and cruise missiles.

“The agreement with Romania is a strategic one that demonstrates Rafael’s technological leadership and enduring excellence in the field of air defense. We thank the Government of Romania for choosing the SPYDER system and welcome Romania’s entry into the community of nations that have chosen Rafael’s system to protect their citizens,” said Rafael chairman of the board, Prof. Yuval Steinitz. 

“As a leader in defense innovation, we will continue to contribute to the security of our partners through the development of the most advanced technologies and productive industrial collaborations,” he added.

Over the past three decades, Rafael has supplied Romania with advanced systems in the field of tactical missiles (SPIKE), electro-optics, and communications across all branches of the country’s armed forces, the air, land, and naval forces, alongside additional operational capabilities.

SPYDER has been operational for more than fifteen years and is said to be used by several militaries around the world, including the Czech Republic, which became the first NATO member to deploy it, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, India, the Philippines, Vietnam, Kenya and Singapore.

Romania’s acquisition was approved by Parliament in accordance with national legislation and conducted as a competitive restricted tender. The SHORAD-VSHORAD procurement program aims to equip the Romanian Armed Forces with modern systems capable of countering current and emerging aerial threats while integrating into NATO’s broader defense network.

The contract with Romania further anchors the Israeli system within NATO. Last week, Switzerland began talks with Israeli air defense manufacturers for a second air defense system. Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post understands that the Israeli system being looked at is Rafael’s David’s Sling.

Finland purchased David’s Sling after joining NATO, signing a deal worth more than €300 million. Central European states have also moved toward Israeli systems, with the Czech Republic receiving the Spyder medium‑range system, Slovakia selecting the Barak MX, and Romania is reportedly in negotiations to also acquire the Iron Dome, which would make it the first European country to deploy Israel’s famous short‑range interceptor.

This post was originally published on here.

WASHINGTON (VINnews) – U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said Monday that the relationship between the United States and Israel remains strong and is unlikely to fracture, citing the countries’ shared values and longstanding partnership.

Speaking at an America 250 celebration hosted in Israel by the Israeli-American Council and philanthropist Shari Arison, Huckabee said the alliance is rooted in shared Judeo-Christian traditions and the Jewish heritage that influenced America’s founding.

He also said the United States must not lose sight of its biblical heritage, warning that if America forgets the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, it risks losing the values that helped shape the nation.

The event was attended by philanthropist Miriam Adelson, entrepreneur Yakir Gabay and IAC CEO Elan S. Carr.

Before the event, the IAC and the Ruderman Family Foundation convened Israeli and American philanthropists to discuss ways to strengthen U.S.-Israel relations and deepen ties between Israel and the American Jewish community.

[Video below.] Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy said Monday that the political direction of New York City has become so concerning that he is now considering entering politics himself, even floating the possibility of challenging New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani—though he questioned whether he could actually win.

Portnoy made the remarks during an appearance on Fox News’ Jesse Watters Primetime, where the discussion centered on Mamdani and several candidates he endorsed who emerged victorious in last week’s Democratic primaries.

Among those primary winners were former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who defeated Rep. Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District; labor organizer Darializa Avila Chevalier, who unseated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the 13th District; and state Rep. Claire Valdez, who defeated Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in the 7th District. Because all three districts are heavily Democratic, the Mamdani-backed nominees are widely expected to prevail in the general election.

After host Jesse Watters asked, “What would you do about it?”—as an on-screen graphic read, “Commie wave hits New York City”—Portnoy said the current political climate has caused him to rethink his long-held reluctance to seek public office.

“So I’ve always thought I would never get involved in politics, but I think you can do more in the private sector,” Portnoy replied. “What is going on has actually made me pause that thought. I was saying to you that old Plato quote, if you don’t do your public service and run for office, you’re doomed to be run by basically dummies. And right now I feel like that’s what’s happening. Now, not everyone’s getting out to vote. I think what the Democrats have done is they’ve let the fox into the henhouse.”

Portnoy described the current moment as unsettling and suggested he now feels a responsibility to become more directly involved.

He said it is “a scary time” to live in New York and added, “I do feel like it’s my duty. I can’t turn away. I feel like I could make a change, maybe a do run in politics. So I don’t know.”

Watters then asked whether he would consider taking on Mamdani in an election.

“You might run against Mamdani?” Watters asked.

“If I was going to run, it would be here,” he responded. “Can I win here? I have no idea. I don’t the demographics, whether I’d get enough votes. There’s a lot of people who like me in New York City. I know that. I’ve done a lot of good in New York City when I wasn’t thinking about politics, whether it was the Barstool Fund, pizza places. So, it wasn’t for show. I’ve had a real job. I’ve done real things unlike these clown politicians who have never had a job and never been in the real world for a day. But the people voting for these people that just won are these young, white, like, Ivy League-ish, elite-ish, women. It’s like, who are they? Like, they’ll never vote for me. They’ll never believe in common sense.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Philippine immigration authorities arrested several Israeli citizens during a raid at a Chabad center on the island of Siargao, alleging they had overstayed their visas or were working without the required permits.

The operation, carried out Friday night with the assistance of local police, was part of a broader immigration enforcement campaign targeting foreign nationals suspected of violating Philippine immigration laws. Authorities said those arrested were being held pending deportation proceedings and transfer to an immigration detention facility in the capital.

According to the Philippine Bureau of Immigration, several Israelis were accused of remaining in the country after their visas expired or working without valid employment permits. Authorities also detained foreign nationals from several other countries during the operation on similar alleged immigration violations.

An Israeli family attending Shabbat services and a communal dinner at the Chabad center described armed officers entering the building, ordering those present to remain seated while immigration investigators checked identification documents and searched for individuals suspected of violating visa rules. The family said several Israelis were taken into custody after being questioned.

Immigration officials said the raid was based on intelligence information and complaints received from local residents. They stressed the operation was strictly an enforcement action related to immigration laws and was not connected to religion or politics.

Siargao has become a popular destination for Israeli backpackers, surfers and long-term travelers in recent years, with a growing Israeli community and several Israeli-owned businesses on the island. Philippine authorities said immigration enforcement efforts will continue in Siargao and other tourist destinations, warning that foreign nationals who violate the country’s immigration laws could face detention and deportation.

As temperatures climb and heat waves become more frequent this summer, the Ocean County Health Department (OCHD) is reminding everyone to take precautions to protect themselves, their families, and their neighbors from dangerous heat-related illnesses.

Extreme heat is one of the leading weather-related health hazards in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 700 people die from extreme heat each year in the U.S., and thousands more require emergency medical care.

“Heat-related illnesses can develop quickly, but they are also highly preventable,” said Daniel Regenye, Ocean County Health Department Public Health Coordinator. “Staying hydrated, limiting outdoor activity during the hottest parts of the day, and recognizing the early warning signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke can help protect you and your loved ones. We encourage everyone to take this heat seriously and make safety a priority.”

Heat Safety Tips

• Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water throughout the day, even if you don’t feel thirsty. Avoid excessive alcohol and sugary drinks.
• Stay cool. Spend time in air-conditioned buildings whenever possible. If your home isn’t air-conditioned, visit a library, shopping center, or designated cooling center.
• Limit outdoor activity. Schedule strenuous work or exercise during the early morning or evening when temperatures are lower.
• Dress for the weather. Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, and light-colored clothing.
• Check on others. Older adults, young children, people with chronic medical conditions, and those without access to air conditioning are at greater risk for heat-related illness.
• Never leave children or pets in a parked vehicle. Even with the windows cracked, temperatures inside a car can rise to life-threatening levels within minutes.
• Know the warning signs. Dizziness, heavy sweating, weakness, nausea, headache, and muscle cramps may signal heat exhaustion. Confusion, loss of consciousness, or a body temperature above 103° F may indicate heat stroke—a medical emergency requiring immediate 911 assistance.
• Dog days of summer. Make sure your pets have plenty of water, limit outdoor breaks, and protect their paws from pavement and other hot surfaces.

“Protecting public health is a shared responsibility, especially during periods of extreme weather,” said Ocean County Commissioner Deputy Director Jennifier Bacchione, liaison to the Ocean County Board of Health. “Checking on elderly neighbors, family members, and others who may be vulnerable can make a lifesaving difference. We encourage all Ocean County residents to stay informed, follow heat safety recommendations, and look out for one another.”

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that a president may fire the leaders of independent federal agencies at will, a decision handing the White House direct control over regulators that reach nearly every corner of American business. In a 6-3 decision in Watson’s companion case Trump v. Slaughter, the Court backed President Donald Trump’s firing of Federal Trade Commission member Rebecca Slaughter and overturned the 1935 precedent Humphrey’s Executor, which had protected such officials from being dismissed over policy disagreements.

A 1914 law let a president remove FTC commissioners only for cause — inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office. Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, concluded the protection could no longer stand, reasoning that the Constitution vests executive power in the president and that officers exercising executive authority must remain subject to presidential supervision and removal. He noted the FTC today enforces some 80 statutes that cover nearly every facet of the economy.

The practical effect is large. The decision does not eliminate the agencies, but it allows them to be filled entirely with Republicans or Democrats if a president wishes, giving the White House more direct control over their functions. Trump had removed two Democratic commissioners, Rebecca Slaughter and Alvaro Bedoya, in March 2025 without asserting any statutory ground. The FTC currently has only two commissioners, both Republicans, even though the law provides for five.

The reach extends well beyond the FTC. The same protections cover officials at more than two dozen other independent agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board. They also cover the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which enforces workplace discrimination law, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which protects consumers from unsafe products. All now sit on weaker legal footing, allowing a president to shape their majorities directly.

For businesses, the decision cuts both ways. Companies that have long complained about aggressive regulators may welcome a world where enforcement priorities shift quickly with each administration. A White House friendly to dealmaking could appoint FTC leaders who approve mergers the previous commission would have challenged, or NLRB members who interpret labor law more favorably for employers. But the same flexibility also creates uncertainty. Rules on antitrust, product safety, and workplace rights could now swing sharply every four years, making long-term planning more difficult for businesses.

There was one notable exception. On the same day, in a separate 5-4 decision in Trump v. Cook, the Court declined to let Trump remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, signaling that the central bank occupies a constitutionally distinct status. Roberts cited the Federal Reserve and bodies such as the U.S. Tax Court as institutions that do not fit the new rule. That distinction reassured investors concerned about political influence over monetary policy and helped fuel Monday’s stock market rally.

Reaction split along familiar political lines. Trump, posting on Truth Social, called the ruling a “BIG WIN” and said the Court had overturned 90 years of precedent, greatly expanding presidential authority. Asked whether he expected to remove more officials, Trump said he did not think so, but added that the ruling gives presidents the right to act. Justice Elena Kagan had warned during oral arguments that overturning the precedent would give presidents “massive, unchecked, uncontrolled power.” Senator Dick Durbin, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the Court had effectively authorized presidents to dismiss independent regulators without citing cause.

The ruling also settles a long-running debate surrounding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Some legal scholars had argued Congress could protect the agency by replacing its single director with a bipartisan commission. Under Monday’s ruling, however, a president could simply remove commissioners from the opposing party and leave those seats vacant.

For now, the immediate winners are presidents of both parties, who gain a powerful tool their predecessors lacked. The longer-term question for American business is whether regulators designed to operate independently of politics can continue to do so, or whether every agency that writes and enforces the rules governing the economy will now shift direction with each election.

JBizNews Desk
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NEW YORK (VINnews) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani and the New York City Council reached a handshake agreement Tuesday on a balanced $125.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2027, ending days of negotiations just hours before the July 1 deadline.

The agreement includes $300 million for a new rental assistance program designed to expand housing aid to New Yorkers facing eviction or homelessness, including many who are not currently eligible for CityFHEPS. The city also agreed to withdraw its appeal in the legal battle over the CityFHEPS expansion after the Council approves legislation establishing the new program.

The budget adds $350 million to the city’s general reserve and directs additional funding to affordable housing, libraries, parks, Fair Fares transit discounts, mental health services, immigrant legal assistance, food pantries, cultural organizations and academic support programs at the City University of New York. It also includes funding to preserve affordable housing, expand mobile mental health treatment and strengthen homeowner assistance programs.

The agreement establishes a public online archive containing city records related to post-9/11 air quality and health risks. According to City Hall, the first documents are expected to be released before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, with additional records added over time.

City officials said the budget was balanced through agency savings, additional revenue and state assistance rather than broad spending cuts. The administration said city agencies identified approximately $1.77 billion in savings over fiscal years 2026 and 2027 through efficiency measures.

The final agreement does not include a previously proposed expansion of the New York City Police Department, leaving police staffing unchanged after the mayor abandoned plans to add hundreds of officers amid opposition from activists. The budget nevertheless continues funding for the department while making major investments in housing, education and social services.

The City Council is expected to vote on the spending plan later Tuesday, allowing it to take effect at the start of the new fiscal year on Wednesday.

A federal judge has ruled that the Transportation Department unlawfully suspended $16 billion in funding for the Hudson Tunnel Project, clearing the way for federal support to resume and dealing a setback to the Trump administration’s effort to halt the massive infrastructure project.

In a decision issued Monday, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas of the Southern District of New York invalidated the funding freeze, concluding that the Transportation Department had failed to follow the legal procedures required to suspend federal grant money.

The 59-page ruling found that the department’s September 2025 decision to freeze the funds violated federal regulations governing grant suspensions. While the administration remains free to pursue another suspension or terminate funding through the proper legal process—or challenge the ruling on appeal—the existing freeze can no longer stand.

Responding to the decision, a Department of Transportation spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that the agency remains “committed to ensuring hardworking taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly.”

The Trump administration announced last year that it would withhold the funding while reviewing whether the tunnel project complied with federal nondiscrimination rules and whether it incorporated diversity, equity, and inclusion policies.

In her opinion, however, Vargas pointed to statements made by President Donald Trump suggesting that political considerations also played a role in the administration’s decision. She cited remarks Trump made in October regarding the project, which has long been championed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

“We’re cutting a $20 billion project that Schumer fought for 15 years to get, and I’m cutting the project,” Vargas quoted Trump as saying in October. “The project is gonna be dead. It’s just pretty much dead right now.”

The Hudson Tunnel Project is designed to add two new rail tunnels beneath the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey, supplementing the existing pair of single-track tunnels that have been in service for 116 years. Schumer has repeatedly described it as the nation’s most important infrastructure project.

Earlier this year, the Gateway Development Commission, which oversees construction of the tunnel, warned that work would have to stop if the federal funding remained frozen. Of the project’s federal support, approximately $12 billion consists of grants, while another $4 billion is provided through federal loans that will be repaid by New York, New Jersey, and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The states of New York and New Jersey subsequently filed suit in federal court in Manhattan, seeking emergency relief to restore the funding.

On Feb. 6—the day construction was expected to be suspended—Vargas issued a temporary restraining order preventing the freeze from taking effect. Although the Trump administration challenged that order and argued the court lacked jurisdiction, Vargas wrote that the government largely focused on procedural jurisdictional issues instead of defending the legality of the funding suspension itself.

In Monday’s ruling, Vargas concluded that the administration had failed to demonstrate that its actions complied with governing federal law.

“Defendants make no attempt to justify their actions as consistent with the governing federal regulations,” Vargas said.

While the ruling blocks the Transportation Department from relying on the September 2025 funding freeze, it does not prevent the department from attempting to suspend the funding again if it follows the procedures required under federal law.

In a joint statement, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport praised the court’s decision.

“We are grateful that a federal court has once again agreed that the Trump Administration’s decision to freeze billions of dollars in grants for the Gateway Tunnel Project is flagrantly unlawful,” they said. “This is the most important infrastructure project in the nation, and thanks to our litigation, 1,000 people are back on the job and construction continues every day. This victory sends a clear message: The Trump Administration’s attempt to halt Gateway funding will not stand.”

{Matzav.com}

A Wall Street Journal editorial presents the new agreement between Israel and Lebanon as having profound diplomatic significance. According to the editorial, the United States, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and backed by Vice President J.D. Vance, is no longer pushing for an immediate Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. Instead, it is linking any withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament.

According to the newspaper, the trilateral framework agreement signed on Friday by the United States, Israel, and Lebanon is intended to block Iran’s influence in Lebanon while giving Beirut an opportunity to restore genuine sovereignty in the face of Hezbollah. The agreement states that Israel and Lebanon recognize each other’s right to exist in peace and security as neighboring sovereign states, a formulation the paper describes as unusual in Lebanon, even after years of U.S. mediation.

From Israel’s perspective, the key point is that the U.S. framework recognizes the legitimacy of the IDF’s presence in southern Lebanon until Hezbollah is disarmed. In the first phase, Israel will transfer control of two small pilot sectors to the Lebanese Army, which will be required to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and act against “non-state armed groups,” the diplomatic term commonly used to refer to Hezbollah.

The Wall Street Journal says that officials associated with Vice President Vance’s Iran policy team criticized Secretary Rubio’s agreement, arguing that it was “inconsistent” with the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran. However, according to Trump administration sources quoted in the editorial, the opposite is true: the Lebanon agreement represents the official U.S. interpretation of the memorandum of understanding as it applies to Lebanon.

The editorial states that on this issue, Vance supports Rubio, and that no one on President Trump’s team wants to compel Israel to hand southern Lebanon over to Iranian proxies. The implication, according to the article, is that even Vance, who helped negotiate the understandings with Iran, now accepts the position that Israel should not be required to complete a full withdrawal before Hezbollah has been disarmed.

Under the agreement, Israel declared that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon, only a security requirement to stop rocket attacks against communities in northern Israel. A full Israeli withdrawal will occur only after Hezbollah has been disarmed. Until then, Israel will maintain a buffer zone and retain the ability to act against emerging threats.

The newspaper also refers to Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon and the terrorist tunnel that the IDF said it destroyed earlier this week. According to the report, the underground complex had been used to manufacture and launch drones from inside a mountain. From Israel’s perspective, the editorial argues, this illustrates precisely why a continued military presence and diplomatic caution are necessary before any further withdrawal.

The message conveyed by the editorial is clear: the path to Lebanese sovereignty does not lie in pressuring Israel to withdraw, but in demanding that Beirut finally confront Hezbollah. From Jerusalem’s perspective, the article says, this constitutes especially important diplomatic backing, particularly after the memorandum of understanding with Iran raised concerns that Washington might adopt Tehran’s demand for a rapid Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon.

JPMorgan Chase announced a major leadership shake-up, naming two longtime executives as co-presidents while confirming the retirement of Marianne Lake, one of Wall Street’s most prominent executives and a longtime contender to eventually succeed Chief Executive Jamie Dimon.

According to a regulatory filing, Doug Petno, 61, and Troy Rohrbaugh, 56, were immediately promoted to the newly created co-president positions after previously serving as co-chief executives of the bank’s Commercial and Investment Bank.

Under the new leadership structure, Petno will oversee the Commercial and Investment Bank, while Rohrbaugh becomes Chief Executive of the Consumer and Community Banking division, replacing Lake.

The biggest surprise was Lake’s retirement.

A 25-year JPMorgan veteran, Lake previously served as the bank’s Chief Financial Officer beginning in 2013 before leading several of its largest business units. For years she had been widely viewed as one of the strongest internal candidates to eventually replace Dimon, making her departure one of the most significant leadership changes at the nation’s largest bank in years.

Her exit also removes one of the highest-profile women in American finance from the succession race, marking a notable shift in leadership representation at the top of Wall Street.

The changes come as Jamie Dimon, now 70, continues to tell investors that JPMorgan has multiple executives capable of becoming chief executive. Dimon has previously indicated he expects to remain CEO for approximately three more years, although he has emphasized that no formal retirement date has been set.

JPMorgan described Thursday’s moves as part of its long-term succession planning rather than an indication that Dimon’s departure is imminent.

To strengthen retention, the bank awarded both Petno and Rohrbaugh one-time restricted stock grants valued at $30 million each.

The awards exceed similar $20 million grants previously awarded to Asset & Wealth Management CEO Mary Erdoes and Chief Operating Officer Jennifer Piepszak. The stock awards vest after three years only if JPMorgan achieves an average 12% return on tangible common equity between 2026 and 2028, and the executives remain with the firm.

The bank said the grants are intended to help preserve its strongest internal succession candidates.

The announcement also reflects how JPMorgan’s succession field has narrowed over time. Several executives previously viewed as possible CEO candidates have either retired, accepted different responsibilities, or removed themselves from consideration, leaving a smaller group of potential successors.

The stakes are enormous.

With approximately $4.9 trillion in assets as of March 31, 2026, JPMorgan is the largest bank in the United States and one of the world’s most influential financial institutions. Its lending decisions, capital markets activity, investment banking operations, and consumer banking business touch millions of customers and thousands of corporations worldwide.

Who ultimately succeeds Jamie Dimon, widely regarded as one of the most influential bankers of his generation, will help shape one of the world’s most important financial institutions for years to come.

For now, Dimon remains firmly in charge. But Thursday’s announcement makes one thing clear: JPMorgan’s board is actively preparing for the eventual transition, elevating two experienced executives while ensuring they have strong financial incentives to remain at the bank when that day finally arrives.

JBizNews Wall Street Desk
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Rep. Max Miller, R-Ohio, blasted American Airlines on Monday after a lengthy delay left him and two other members of Congress unable to return to the Capitol in time for House votes.

Miller said the delay caused him and two other lawmakers to miss votes Monday evening, including final passage of the Kids Internet and Digital Safety (KIDS) Act, which cleared the House by a 267-117 vote. The legislation would require major online platforms to adopt new safeguards for minors, including expanded parental controls, limits on certain messaging features and disclosures by artificial intelligence chatbots.

In a post on X, Miller accused the carrier of repeated operational failures, writing that “three members of Congress will miss votes tonight because of your incompetent airline.”

The Ohio Republican said the aircraft remained on the tarmac for more than two hours before returning to the gate, where passengers deplaned and returned to the terminal.

“We have been on the tarmac for over two hours and are now going back to the gate. Pathetic,” Miller wrote.

Miller added that he has resorted to driving from his Ohio district to Washington for the past seven months because of recurring air travel problems.

American Airlines responded publicly to Miller on X, apologizing for the disruption.

“We know how important it is to get where you’re going on time, and we’re truly sorry for the delay,” the airline wrote. “Our ground team is working hard to get you moving soon.”

According to FlightAware, American Airlines canceled nine flights Monday and delayed 706 flights — about 19% of its scheduled operations. Airlines worldwide logged nearly 25,000 delays throughout the day.

The incident came as airlines prepared for one of the busiest travel periods of the year. The Transportation Security Administration expects to screen nearly 18.7 million passengers between June 30 and July 6, with more than 3 million travelers projected to pass through airport security checkpoints on Thursday alone.

TSA said it has fully staffed security checkpoints for the Independence Day travel period and deployed additional personnel and resources to support heightened travel demand tied to both the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is being hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FOX Business has reached out to American Airlines for comment.

On Tuesday, the Tehran newspaper Hamshahri, one of Iran’s most widely read dailies, ran a front page that placed a rifle’s crosshairs over President Donald Trump’s face above the words, “Revenge is certain.” The paper is owned by the Tehran municipality and funded by the Iranian government. Its front page featured calls for retaliation from senior Iranian religious figures who blamed Israel and the United States for the killing of Iranian leaders during the four-month war the two sides are now trying to end.

Screenshot

In most years, a front-page death threat against a sitting American president would have rattled energy markets and driven oil prices sharply higher. This time, markets barely reacted. Brent crude slipped about 1% Tuesday to roughly $72.40 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude traded near $70.32. For consumers, trucking companies, airlines and manufacturers, those prices matter far more than the headline in Tehran.

The reason is straightforward: traders are pricing the negotiations, not the rhetoric. President Donald Trump announced that U.S. and Iranian officials are expected to resume peace talks in Doha, Qatar, with the goal of turning the current ceasefire into a broader agreement. As long as investors believe diplomacy remains alive, the war premium built into oil prices continues to fade.

The decline has been dramatic. Brent crude has fallen roughly 30% over the past three months, its largest quarterly decline since 2020, after surging above $100 a barrel earlier in the conflict. Much of that reversal centers on one of the world’s most strategically important waterways: the Strait of Hormuz. Before the conflict, roughly one-quarter of global seaborne oil shipments and about one-fifth of the world’s liquefied natural gas moved through the narrow passage. As military tensions eased and commercial shipping gradually resumed, oil prices moved lower.

Shipping remains fragile

The recovery remains far from complete. Shipping intelligence firm Kpler reported traffic fluctuated sharply over the weekend, with significantly fewer vessels transiting the strait on Sunday than the previous day. Meanwhile, military exchanges continued despite the ceasefire. U.S. Central Command reported strikes against Iranian military targets following attacks on commercial shipping, while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it responded by targeting U.S. military facilities in Kuwait and Bahrain. Every new exchange tests the durability of the ceasefire and the confidence of global shipping companies.

The next major dispute centers on control of the waterway itself. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has argued that Tehran should manage traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a position rejected by the United States and its allies. Under the current interim agreement, Iran agreed not to impose transit fees for 60 days, although officials have suggested tolls could be considered afterward. The United States, Europe and Gulf Arab nations oppose any such charges, warning they would increase shipping costs and eventually raise prices worldwide.

Why businesses are watching

The stakes extend well beyond crude oil. The Persian Gulf also handles a substantial share of globally traded fertilizer and liquefied natural gas, commodities that directly affect food production, manufacturing costs and household energy bills. An open shipping lane helps keep those costs contained. Any renewed disruption could quickly ripple through supply chains and consumer prices around the world.

The message from Tehran’s front pages also appears aimed at more than foreign audiences. The rhetoric allows Iran’s hardline leadership to project strength domestically after suffering significant battlefield losses while diplomats continue pursuing negotiations abroad. Markets, however, have largely looked past the political messaging and remain focused on whether ships continue moving safely through the strait.

For businesses, the takeaway is straightforward. Oil markets are currently betting that diplomacy will hold, providing relief for transportation companies, manufacturers and consumers alike. But that optimism depends on a ceasefire that has already shown signs of strain. The next move in fuel prices may depend less on newspaper headlines than on whether commercial shipping continues to flow through one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

JBizNews Desk | New York
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A matching AP-style image would pair well with this story by showing oil tankers transiting the Strait of Hormuz, with no text, logos, or branding, emphasizing commercial shipping rather than military action.

Pope Leo XIV delivered one of his strongest denunciations yet of the recent conflict with Iran, declaring that war “is never blessed by God” and signaling continued opposition to arguments advanced by President Donald Trump and other Republicans defending the military campaign.

The remarks are the latest in a series of public disagreements between the first American pope and the Trump administration. Leo has repeatedly criticized armed conflicts around the world, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and, more recently, the U.S. and Israeli military strikes against Iran. Trump, in turn, has sharply criticized the pontiff over his positions.

Before ascending to the papacy, then-Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost frequently challenged the Trump administration on immigration policy, disputed Vice President JD Vance’s interpretation of the theological principle of ordo amoris, and declined Trump’s invitation to serve on his newly created “Board of Peace.”

Since the outbreak of the Iran conflict, Leo has intensified his appeals against war. In March, he urged Christian political leaders who initiate wars to examine their “conscience” and “go to confession.” He followed those remarks in April with several social media posts urging “peace” and calling on the world to “reject the logic of violence and war.”

Last week, Leo convened the College of Cardinals at the Vatican, where he devoted part of his Friday homily to the subject of war. Vatican News highlighted the message with the headline: “Pope at Consistory Opening Mass: War is never blessed by God.”

According to Vatican News, the pope urged the cardinals to seek “the gift of peace in unity” while emphasizing the moral obligation to reject warfare.

“Reflecting on the many conflicts affecting humanity, he stressed that “war is never worthy of humanity, and it is never blessed by God, because, even if we are equipped with high-tech weapons, the Creator has endowed us with intelligence and free will to resolve conflicts as human beings and not as beasts.”

“The Pope then added that “peace is a duty of justice because we are one human family, a magnifica humanitas…”

Christopher Hale, who writes about the papacy in his Letters from Leo Substack, argued that the pope’s comments could have far-reaching theological implications. Hale suggested the homily “signaled the Vatican may rewrite the just war doctrine itself,” which Republicans including Vice President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson have cited in defense of the strikes against Iran.

Pointing to the timing of Leo’s remarks, Hale wrote that it “escaped no one.” “As Leo gathered the cardinals to plead for peace, the United States was bombing Iran for the second straight day,” while the “week-old ceasefire already lies in ruins.”

Hale further reported that Vatican officials have indicated Leo intends to “formally revisit” the Church’s longstanding “just war” doctrine.

According to Hale, Leo had already questioned that doctrine in his May encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas—the same phrase referenced during Friday’s homily—arguing that it is “now outdated” and “has all too often been used to justify any kind of war.”

“Humanity possesses far more effective and capable tools for promoting human life and resolving conflicts, such as dialogue, diplomacy and forgiveness,” wrote Leo. “The use of force, violence and weapons reflects a relational poverty that always has disastrous consequences for civilian populations.”

Hale also noted that Leo’s latest comments followed public defenses of the Iran operation by what he described as “two of the most powerful Catholics in the United States government.” He cited Vance, who argued during a Turning Point USA event that a “more than 1,000-year tradition of just war theory” justified military action against Iran, and Johnson, who similarly defended the strikes and praised Trump and Vance for their understanding of the conflict.

Rejecting those arguments, Hale wrote, “The just war tradition Vance reached for was never written as a permission slip,” contending that Leo’s teaching means the Trump administration’s reliance on just war theory “collapses, and it collapses on the Church’s own terms,” because “[a] doctrine meant to restrain that impulse [to war] cannot be turned into the instrument that excuses it.”

{Matzav.com}

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) Today, the 15th of Tammuz is the yahrtzeit on one of the most famous meforshim on Chumash – the famed Ohr HaChaim. The Novaminsker Rebbe zt”l would give shiur every Shabbos morning in his Yeshiva in the 1980’s and this author was privileged to attend it on a number of occasions.  It was filled with hashkafa, mussar, and cutting edge topics.

Rav Chaim ben Attar zt”l was born in 5456 (1696) in the city of Salé, on the Atlantic coast of Morocco. He was the son of Rabbi Moshe ben Attar and the grandson of Rabbi Chaim ben Attar the Elder, after whom he was named in keeping with the Sephardic custom of naming children after living grandparents. The grandfather served as Rosh Yeshiva in Salé and was renowned for his diligence in Torah, his hosting of Torah scholars, and his nightly recitation of Tikkun Chatzos. It was at the feet of his illustrious grandfather that the young Chaim received his earliest and most formative instruction.

Salé was a center of the Barbary corsairs who raided European shipping, not unlike today, and the Jewish community lived under constant uncertainty. When Chaim was still a boy, the family was forced to flee to Meknes to escape a hostile local official, and the death of his great-uncle and business partner Shem Tov ben Attar in 1705 was the cause of a further relocation.

A Rising Scholar

While still a young man, Rabbi Chaim became famous as a master of Talmud and a deep mekubal. He led a life of extraordinary piety and tzidkus, and he was among the select few tzaddikim to whom the title HaKadosh, the holy one, was applied. This rare designation places him alongside such luminaries as the Alshich and the Shelah HaKadosh.

Notably, the Ohr HaChaim refused to turn his Torah into a means of earning a livelihood. As a student he had learned the trade of becoming a goldsmith specifically so that he would never need to be paid for teaching or for serving in a rabbinic position. Even after his fame had spread and honored posts were his for the taking, he declined to accept payment for his Torah, embodying the dictum that one must not make the crown of Torah a spade with which to dig.

The Journey Toward Eretz Yisrael

In 1733, Rabbi Chaim resolved to leave Morocco and settle in Eretz Yisrael, then under Ottoman rule. The journey was long and circuitous. He was detained in Livorno, Italy, where the wealthy gvirim of the Jewish community, recognizing his greatness, established a yeshiva for him and pressed him to remain. Many of the talmidim he taught there went on to prominence, and it was they who provided the funds to print the Ohr HaChaim. Wherever he traveled he was received with great honor, a tribute to his vast knowledge, his sharp intellect, and his exceptional kedusha.

It was during this period, in Venice in 1742, that his commentary on Chumash first appeared in print. He composed his peirush along the four classical paths of Pardes, weaving together plain meaning, midrashic teaching, and deeper mystical insight in a manner that spoke to learned and unlearned readers alike.

Yerushalayim and His Final Year

The arrival in Yerushalayim was delayed by an epidemic in the city, and Rabbi Chaim settled for a time elsewhere, establishing his yeshiva and teaching Gemara. On the 15th of Elul 5502 (1742) he entered Yerushalayim at last, where he presided over the Beis Midrash Knesses Yisrael.

Among the talmidim who studied under him during these final months was the young Rabbi Chaim Yosef David Azulai, the Chida, who would become one of the towering scholars of the following generation. The Chida recorded his Rebbe’s greatness in unforgettable terms, describing a heart that pulsed with Talmud, a scholar who uprooted mountains, and a kedusha like that of a malach Elokim.

Wherever the Ohr HaChaim had lived he founded a yeshiva and a synagogue that bore his name and endured long after him. The Ohr HaChaim shul and yeshiva in the Old City of Yerushalayim stood for generations until they were destroyed during the Jordanian occupation that followed 1948.

The Light from the West Is Extinguished

Less than a year after entering Yerushalayim, on Motzaei Shabbos the 15th of Tammuz 5503 (July 7, 1743), the Ohr HaChaim was taken from this world at the age of forty-seven.  Rabbi Chaim ben Attar was buried on Har HaZeisim, the Mount of Olives, outside the walls of the Old City. His resting place draws thousands of visitors, particularly on the 15th of Tammuz, his hilula, when Jews gather to learn his Torah and to pray.

A Living Legacy

The enduring power of the Ohr HaChaim is reflected in the practices of the great tzaddikim who followed him. The Baba Sali, Rabbi Yisrael Abuchatzeira, was known to complete the Ohr HaChaim’s commentary on the weekly parsha every Friday. The sefer remains a fixture of Shabbos preparation in countless homes, and its teachings continue to be quoted in shuls, yeshivos, and schools throughout the Jewish world.

Commenting on the posuk describing the passing of Moshe Rabbeinu, that he died there in the land of Moav, the Ohr HaChaim observed that he died only there, in this world, while in another holy and sublime place he lives on by the word of Hashem. The same may be said of the author himself. Through a peirush that has illuminated the Torah for generations of learners, the light of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh has never been extinguished.

Light on Sefer Devarim: Insights of the Ohr HaChaim

This 15th of Tammuz, the yahrtzeit of the Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh, is a fitting time to enter his Torah directly. What follows are insights drawn from across his peirush on Sefer Devarim, gathered and arranged to teach the central conviction that runs through them: no person stands alone. Every Jew is bound to every other, and that bond is the foundation on which everything else rests.

Bound to One Another

Every Person Is a Guarantor

You are standing today, all of you, before Hashem. (Devarim 29:9)

When the whole nation entered the covenant together, standing as one body, it was designed to be that way. The arrangement made each person a guarantor, an areiv, for everyone else. To be a guarantor means a person is responsible not only for himself but for his neighbor too, caring enough to step in and help him stay away from wrong. This mutual responsibility is the very shape of the covenant. When one person falls, the rest are caught up in it, because they were meant to reach out a hand.

Responsible, But Only for What Could Have Been Stopped

The hidden things belong to Hashem our G-d, and the revealed things to us and our children. (Devarim 29:28)

Responsibility has limits, and that is a chessed of Hashem. A person is held to account only where he actually had the power to speak up and make a difference. No one is blamed for a failure he had no way to prevent. The Ohr HaChaim is careful to explain that the duty to step in is real and serious, yet it is measured against real ability. The guilt lands on the chance that was not taken, not on results that were never in one’s hands. This keeps the idea of mutual responsibility from crushing a person, asking of each one exactly what was possible, and nothing more.

A Secret Sin Belongs to One; an Open Sin Belongs to All

The hidden things belong to Hashem, and the revealed things to us and our children. (Devarim 29:28)

There is a clear logic to how far blame spreads. A sin done in secret stays with the one who did it, because no one else even knew to object. But a sin done out in the open, where others watched and said nothing, becomes the whole community’s burden. The chance to speak up was right there, and it was let go. It is the very visibility of the wrong that creates the duty to respond. This is also why, painfully, the consequences of sin can fall even on the righteous who did not sin themselves. When they had the standing to protest and stayed silent, they are folded into the reckoning, not because they did wrong, but because they tolerated it. In a covenant of guarantors, silence in the face of open wrong is itself a kind of taking part.

The Work of the Heart

Once a person knows he is tied to others, the next question is how he serves Hashem from the inside. The Ohr HaChaim maps out the inner life: love, fear, and the slow climb toward closeness.

Two Roads Up the Same Mountain

To love Hashem your G-d, for He is your life. (Devarim 30:20)

There are two ways into the service of Hashem, love and fear, and they are not equal. Fear is the lower, easier road. Love is the higher one. The command to love Hashem with all one’s heart and soul sets the harder standard, the path that asks more of a person but also lifts him higher. A mature spiritual life does not throw fear away, but it reaches past it, climbing from the discipline of awe up toward the warmth of love.

Love Is the Root; Fear Is the Fence

You shall love Hashem your G-d, and you shall guard His charge. (Devarim 11:1)

The order that the Torah chooses is significant: Ahavah comes first, before the mitzvos and the warnings. First a person plants love of Hashem as the root. Everything that grows after, the careful keeping of mitzvos and even the awe that holds us back, grows out of that root and protects it. Love gives the reason to act. Fear builds the fence around it. Without the love, keeping mitzvos becomes hollow and mechanical. Without the fence, love has nothing guarding it from wearing away.

Yirah That Comes From Ahavah

To fear Hashem your G-d, and to love Him. (Devarim 10:12)

Even fear itself the Ohr HaChaim refines. The fear the Torah really wants is not the dread of getting punished. It is the Yirah that grows out of love, the way someone who treasures a relationship is afraid to do anything that would damage it. Fear practiced only for itself, as plain terror of consequences, is the smaller thing. Fear that flows from love is awe in its truest form. Rightly ordered, love and fear are not rivals at all. They are one devotion seen from two sides.

Loving With Every Part of Yourself

With all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. (Devarim 6:5)

To love Hashem with all one’s heart means with both inclinations, the good and the evil alike, the whole divided self made to point one way. With all your soul means even at the cost of life. And with all your might is read in a striking way: with whatever measure Hashem hands a person, he gives thanks and loves Him for it, when life is full and when it is empty, in the cup of rescue and in the cup of suffering. A love that depends on good circumstances is not yet the love the Torah is asking for. The love it asks for holds steady through every condition a life can take.

The Ladder of Closeness

And to cleave to Him. (Devarim 30:20)

Cleaving to Hashem, d’veikus, is the highest and most precious rung in His service, reached only at the top of a long climb. The Ohr HaChaim pictures it as a ladder whose rungs are degrees of nearness. Every act of love and every mitzvah carries a person one step up, until he reaches a closeness that is its own reward. The picture insists that real intimacy with Hashem is never handed over in a single jump. It is built, one patient step at a time.

Speech and Justice

A person who is bound to others and serving from the heart must now act in the world. That means weighing his words and weighing his judgments, because both carry real power.

Why the Torah Says See and Not Hear

See, I place before you today a blessing and a curse. (Devarim 11:26)

The Torah says see rather than hear because some truths cannot be heard about secondhand. They have to be looked at directly, the way a person looks at something standing right in front of him. Moshe does not want the people to treat the choice between blessing and curse as a distant report. He wants them to face it as a real thing, right before their eyes. Moral clarity depends on this kind of seeing, the refusal to keep one’s most important choices at the safe distance of having merely heard about them.

The Judge Who Looks Only at the Truth

And they shall judge the people with righteous judgment. (Devarim 16:18)

A judge must be a person whose only concern is the truth of the case, nothing else. He cannot be swayed, cannot curry favor, cannot lean toward either side. He looks at the case the way an honest outsider would. The Ohr HaChaim treats fair judgment as a spiritual discipline. The judge’s whole task is to keep his own interests, his own sympathies, and his own reputation completely out of the scale, so that what comes out is the truth of the case itself, not the judge’s preference dressed up to look like a ruling.

Justice That Is Both Near and Anchored

Judges and officers you shall appoint in all your gates. (Devarim 16:18)

Courts belong in every gate of every city, and yet the highest court sits in one place, in Yerushalayim, beside the Sanctuary. The setup teaches that justice has to be two things at once: near and anchored. It must be close enough to reach everywhere, so that no person is beyond its help. But it must also be tied to a single source of authority, so that it does not splinter into as many different laws as there are towns. Local justice with no center drifts apart. A center with no local reach cannot serve the people who actually need it.

The Power of Words, to Wound and to Heal

Take with you words, and return to Hashem. (Hoshea 14:3)

One of the hardest things for a person to truly grasp is how much power lives inside words, and especially inside the words of prayer. Speech is not a weak, throwaway thing. The Ohr HaChaim insists it has real force in the world: force to wound and force to heal, force even to reach upward and move what looks immovable. This is exactly why teshuvah is done with words. A person rebuilds himself using the very tool he could have used to tear others down. When the people could no longer bring sacrifices, the prophet taught them to bring words instead, to let their lips take the place of bulls. And this was not merely an emergency backup. The honest, broken-hearted offering of words was always the thing the outer sacrifice was pointing toward. A ritual that never passes through the heart is incomplete, and a broken heart that has only words to give has, in fact, the main thing.

Failure and the Road Back

No honest life avoids failure. So the Ohr HaChaim turns to the most hopeful subject of all: how a person who has fallen finds the way home, and why that home was never really lost.

Return Reaches Even the Farthest Person

You shall return to Hashem your G-d, and He will return your captivity. (Devarim 30:2-3)

No one is ever beyond return. The Ohr HaChaim stresses that the door of teshuvah stays open even for those who have wandered the farthest. And the moment a person turns back toward Hashem, G-d is already turning toward him. Return is never a lonely climb done all by oneself. The instant a person turns, he finds the distance already being shortened from the other side. Real return also has an inner order: leaving the wrong behind, deciding firmly not to repeat it, and turning the whole self back toward its source. Each stage does real work. Skip them, and the word repentance loses its meaning.

Your Deepest Self Was Never Stained

Is He not your Father who acquired you? (Devarim 32:6)

This is one of the Ohr HaChaim’s most comforting teachings. He reads the names Hashem gives Israel as a statement about how indestructible the core of a person really is. Even when someone does an aveirah, the deepest part of his neshama is not corrupted. The sin clings to an outer layer, while the essential self stays Hashem’s own, still able to be cleaned off and restored. This is not an excuse to do wrong; it is the cure for it. Precisely because the innermost soul stays pure, no failure is ever the end. The work of return is always the recovery of something that was never truly lost.

Suffering as Nearness, Not Abandonment

In all their distress, He was distressed. (Yeshayahu 63:9)

When trouble comes to Klal Yisroel, Hashem, as it were, feels the trouble with them. The Ohr HaChaim turns this into a teaching about what suffering even means. Hardship is not Hashem turning His back. It is Hashem drawing near in a hidden form, present right inside the pain. The same Hashem who sends hardship to refine us is the Hashem who shares that hardship with us. Read this way, suffering stops being a sign of abandonment and becomes, however painfully, a form of closeness.

Why the Wicked Are Called Dead While Still Alive

Destruction to him, corruption, not His children. (Devarim 32:5)

The verse refuses to call the wicked living, naming them instead with words of ruin and blemish even as they walk and breathe. The point is moral, not medical. A life cut off from its source, handed over to corruption, has thrown away the very thing that makes living matter. And the opposite is just as true: a soul attached to Hashem draws on a wellspring that even death cannot shut off. What we call life and death, the Ohr HaChaim suggests, comes down in the end to one question, what is a person connected to?

Trust and the Character of a Servant

Having returned, how does a person carry himself going forward? The Ohr HaChaim sketches the character of a true servant of Hashem: one who trusts in the dark, stays humble without lying about his worth, and keeps going after the inspiration fades.

Trust Is Measured in the Dark

Who among you fears Hashem, let him trust in the name of Hashem. (Yeshayahu 50:10)

Real trust in Hashem shows itself precisely in the dark, in the hour when a person is walking with no light, nothing visible to lean on, and still refuses to light his own false fires of self-reliance. The one who lights a substitute flame to keep the darkness away has shown that his trust was conditional all along. True bitachon is the willingness to keep walking toward Hashem right through the night, sure that the One he trusts will not let him stumble. And the sharp flip side is just as real: the one who trusts is saved, and the one who lights his own fire is not.

Humility That Still Knows Its Own Worth

As my righteousness, He repays me. (Shmuel II 22:21)

Here the Ohr HaChaim raises a sensitive problem. How could David call himself righteous and pure, when humble people are supposed to dwell on their flaws? His answer reshapes what humility even means. The good kind of self-knowledge is not denying the real virtues a person has. It is refusing to take the credit for them, seeing the good one has done while tracing its source back to Hashem and to one’s circumstances. A person may, and sometimes must, know the truth about his own conduct. Humility is not pretending to be worse than one is. It lives in what a person does with the truth once he sees it.

When a Human Outgrows the Material

Moshe, the man of Hashem. (Devarim 33:1)

The Ohr HaChaim reads the title man of Hashem as marking the moment a human being has refined himself so completely that the physical no longer runs him. The lower half of his nature has been mastered and folded into the service of the higher. Moshe earns that name not by ceasing to be human, but by perfecting his humanity, until his physical self becomes a clear, transparent instrument of the Divine. And the title is held up less as a description of one unrepeatable man and more as the direction every person’s work is meant to face. True spiritual stature, he adds, shows itself most in those who keep serving even after the inspiration is gone. It is one thing to act when the heart is on fire. It is a greater thing to stay faithful through the long, ordinary stretches when nothing is felt. Character is what is left of devotion after the excitement cools.

Torah and the Discipline of Joy

The servant of Hashem is, above all, a learner. And the Ohr HaChaim makes a surprising demand about how learning must be done: with joy. Joy is not the reward for the work; it is the condition that makes the work possible.

Torah Must Be Learned From Inside Joy

And it will be, because (eikev) you heed these laws. (Devarim 7:12)

The Ohr HaChaim teaches that Torah has to be learned from inside joy. The obligation is not only to study, but to study gladly, and learning pursued out of gloom or grimness falls short of what is asked. He goes so far as to say that someone who simply cannot reach that joy is, in that moment, exempt, because joyless study is not the thing the Torah commanded. This honors emotion as part of the mitzvah itself. How a person learns is not a side detail. It is part of the learning. And the reason runs deep: the early generations faltered, and prophecy itself withdrew, because Hashem’s spirit rests on a person only through gladness and pulls back from heaviness and gloom. Joy is not a prize for spiritual success. It is the very air in which connection to Hashem can happen at all. Sorrow seals the soul shut. Gladness opens it.

The Whole Self Must Be Present

Place these words of Mine upon your heart. (Devarim 11:18)

In a powerful image, the Ohr HaChaim describes how Torah engages the entire human being, heart, soul, and the body’s own faculties, so that learning becomes a force that sustains the whole person, the way food sustains the body. The words of Torah are themselves life. A person who takes them in is not just collecting information; he is feeding the deepest part of himself. This is why the Ohr HaChaim reads the language of life so literally. Torah is to the soul what bread is to the body, and a life cut off from it is, in the way that matters most, starving.

Teaching the Young, Before They Understand

Gather the people, and their children. (Devarim 31:12)

The Torah seems to repeat its call to bring even the smallest children to hear, and the Ohr HaChaim explains that the repetition is on purpose. The youngest are brought not because they will understand the words, but so that the very atmosphere, the awe and the love of learning, can settle into them before understanding even arrives. What a child is surrounded by reaches the heart long before the mind can put it into words. Education, in this reading, begins as the shaping of an environment, not the handing over of facts.

Holiness Turned Outward

The journey ends where it must: not in private perfection, but in holiness that reaches beyond the self, to the stranger, to the nations, and to the generations still to come.

The Holiness of a Place Lived In Rightly

Pass over and possess the good land. (Devarim 3:25)

Moshe’s deep longing to enter the Land, the Ohr HaChaim explains, was a longing for a spiritual height that is only reachable there, a closeness and a completeness the Land itself makes possible. Holiness is not entirely portable. Certain peaks can be climbed only in the place set apart for them. The teaching respects the idea that place and spirit are woven together, and that part of the work of becoming holy is the work of living in the right place in the right way.

Even the Stranger Is Drawn In

He loves the stranger, to give him bread and garment. (Devarim 10:18)

The Ohr HaChaim dwells on Hashem’s love for the convert and the stranger, reading it as a model for how holiness is supposed to reach outward. The one who comes from the outside, hoping to draw near, is met not with suspicion but with food, clothing, and love. The same Hashem who set Israel apart reaches past that boundary to gather in anyone who sincerely turns toward Him. And the people are meant to copy that reach, to mirror the open hand rather than guard the gate against newcomers.

A People Meant to Give Light

Arise, shine, for your light has come. (Yeshayahu 60:1)

Running through the haftaros of consolation is one steady conviction: Israel’s restoration is not for Israel’s sake alone. The redemption of the people is meant to teach the nations, turning a private rescue into public testimony. To be chosen, on this reading, is to be handed a message to carry. The dignity of the calling is not mainly in what it secures for the chosen. It is in what it gives to everyone else.

Each member of Klal Yisroel is bound to others as their guarantor, yet judged only for what was truly in his power. He serves out of love rather than dread, climbing the ladder of closeness one rung at a time. He weighs his words knowing their force, and weighs his judgments knowing the cost of bias. He fails and returns, trusting that his deepest self was never lost and that mercy is already walking back toward him as he walks toward it. He keeps faith in the dark without lighting false fires. He learns from inside joy, and shapes the joy of those who come after him. And he understands his own holiness as something owed outward, to the stranger, to the nations, and to the generations not yet able to understand. This is the world the Ohr HaChaim opens on Sefer Devarim, and it is the world that opens, each Erev Shabbos, to anyone who learns him.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Former Hamas hostage Yosef Chaim Ohana delivered an emotional address this week before thousands of Hasidim and visitors who filled the main synagogue hall at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters (770 Eastern Parkway) in New York.

Ohana, who returned from Hamas captivity in Gaza at the beginning of the year, was invited to speak to the audience and shared the profound spiritual and personal insights he developed during the long, harrowing days of uncertainty and constant danger while being held underground. For Ohana, speaking from the podium of the famous Brooklyn study hall marked a deeply moving personal milestone, given his longstanding connection to the Chabad movement dating back to his childhood.

Freed hostage Yoseph Chaim Ochana and his father, Avraham, spoke at the Yud Beis Tammuz farbrengen at 770. The two concluded by reciting Nishmas with the crowd before joyous dancing. pic.twitter.com/3knsGzJCZl

— Shchuna News (@ch_shchuna770) June 29, 2026

He opened his remarks by speaking emotionally about his Chabad roots, which he said had shaped his character.

“It’s a privilege for me to be here, in a place that I grew up with. I studied at the Chabad Talmud Torah in Nachalat Har Chabad in Kiryat Malachi,” he said to enthusiastic applause from the audience, adding with a smile and pride, “Kvutza Peh-Alef” (the Chabad term for the year during which students studying in Israeli yeshivot spend a year learning at the movement’s central yeshiva in New York).

He went on to explain how Chabad’s emphasis on every Jew having a personal mission in the world accompanied him even in his darkest moments.

“Everyone has their own mission. Whether it’s helping another Jew put on tefillin…We know that the greatest mitzvah in the world is to do good for another Jew.”

He continued: “So I, 50 meters underground, came to understand that the meaning of doing good for another Jew, for another human being, was enough to give me the strength to live anywhere and endure everything that happened to me.”

Throughout his remarks, the former hostage emphasized that despite the immense suffering and trauma he experienced, he feels that the ordeal ultimately refined his character and left him spiritually and emotionally stronger.

“Yes, in a certain sense, it was for my benefit that I was there, because today I can stand before you and tell you that I feel stronger, with greater faith. There are many difficulties, but no one can ever take away from me what I gained there, the understanding of the importance of the small, meaningful things in life.”

He explained that it was specifically in the place where all of his physical freedoms had been stripped away that he discovered the true depth of the values on which he had been raised, especially the commandment to love one’s fellow Jew.

The most moving part of his speech focused on how they tried to live by the commandment “Love your neighbor as yourself” while confined in the narrow tunnels of Gaza under conditions of extreme hunger and overcrowding.

“We say ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ so often, and we know that it’s the great principle of the Torah,” Ohana told the captivated audience. “But you don’t truly understand it until you realize that there were five or six of us together most of the time. Everyone around us hated us and wanted to harm us. We were the only ones who had to want what was good for each other.”

He continued:”And that wasn’t easy. Imagine six people in a space barely a meter by a meter, with no food, under constant threat of death, suffering, every little thing getting on everyone’s nerves. ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ there, the ability to truly see one another, to be friends, that was what we worked on all day.”

Ohana concluded with a thought-provoking message directed at people living in freedom. He expressed hope that those living ordinary lives would find connection and mutual responsibility instead of losing their way amid the abundance of choices and distractions of modern life.

“How much more so for us, now that we’re free. We can choose so many other things, but you know what? Maybe that actually makes it harder. Maybe because we have so many options and so many distractions, money, careers, and whatever each person’s life revolves around, it becomes harder to recognize the importance of ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – A former Israeli hostage on Tuesday reacted with satisfaction to the killing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who held and abused him in Gaza for nearly a year, telling his captor to “have fun in hell.”

Rom Braslavski, who was freed from captivity, posted a detailed account on Instagram following the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service’s announcement that a strike on Sunday killed Talal al-Aal, also known as Abu Yusuf. Al-Aal had commanded the terrorist cell that held Braslavski captive.

“This is Talal Abd al-Aal. Or as I know him — Abu Yusuf. This is the man who weighed 100 kilograms and jumped on my neck while I was malnourished,” Braslavski wrote, accompanying the post with a video of him being informed of the terrorist’s death.

Braslavski described repeated physical and psychological abuse at the hands of al-Aal and those under his command.

“This is the man who forced me, while my hands and feet were tied and my body was covered in bruises, very close to death, to open my mouth and spat into it,” he said. “This is the commander who was in charge of me and led the terrorist cell that held me captive for an entire year. This is the commander who gave the order: Tie up Abu Salem (me) and abuse him.”

He added: “This is the man who, under his orders and with his own hands, abused me and almost killed me several times. This is him.”

Braslavski recalled a message al-Aal had once asked him to relay to Israeli security services.

“Remember when you told me to pass a message to the Shin Bet? That you give a middle finger to the UAV and that you weren’t afraid of them? The message has been delivered. Have fun in hell, you son of a ****,” Braslavski wrote.

The IDF and Shin Bet confirmed the strike that eliminated al-Aal, though they have not publicly detailed the operation. Braslavski was among the hostages taken during the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and held for approximately one year before his release.

Colorado Democratic Socialist candidate Melat Kiros said the September 11 terror attacks were “inevitable” because of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, during a new interview with Colorado’s Next 9News.

Kiros was asked about earlier comments she made on far-left streamer Hasan Piker’s show, where she called the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel “an inevitable consequence of apartheid, of occupation, decades of occupation.” She pushed back on the idea that she meant Israel “had it coming,” saying the issue was about “understanding the conditions in which violence and war happen.”

9News journalist Kyle Clark then asked whether she also believed 9/11 was an “inevitable consequence” of American foreign policy. “Inevitable in the sense that we destabilized a lot of the Middle East, which led people to believe that another act of violence was the only response. And again, just like I said before, our responsibility is to get rid of those conditions that lead to violence in the first place,” Kiros said.

Before launching her campaign, Kiros was fired from Sidley Austin in 2023 after publishing an open letter criticizing law firms, including her own, for calling for action against antisemitism on college campuses. In the letter, she accused firms of “chilling future lawyers’ employment prospects for criticism of the Israeli government’s actions and its legitimacy.”

Kiros is the latest candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America seeking to defeat an incumbent Democrat ahead of the midterm elections, as the party’s far-left wing continues trying to expand its influence in deep-blue districts.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) —  The European Research Council (ERC) has awarded Professor Mladen Popović of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands a €2.5 million grant for a five-year study, in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority and research laboratories in Europe, according to a Yisrael Hayom report.

The study will seek to identify where the Dead Sea Scrolls were produced and written, and to shed new light on the world of the scribes who wrote them, the centers of knowledge and the dissemination of texts in ancient Judea. The Dead Sea Scrolls, which are preserved and treated in the Israel Antiquities Authority laboratories in Jerusalem, include, among other things, the oldest known written editions of the Bible.

One of the great questions in Dead Sea Scrolls research, which has occupied scholars for more than 70 years, is where the ancient writings found in the desert caves were produced and written.

Were at least some of them written in Qumran by a Jewish community that lived there in isolation? Were other scrolls brought from additional writing centers in Judea, perhaps from Jerusalem, and hidden in the caves in a time of danger? Or did the caves also serve as a library or as an ancient genizah, a repository for sacred texts?

The new study seeks to examine this question from a broad angle: not only what is written in the scrolls and how they were written, but also what they are made of and how they were prepared. Through chemical testing of the ink, parchment and papyrus, handwriting analysis, examination of the scrolls’ structure and artificial intelligence tools, the researchers will try to identify the material and stylistic “fingerprints” of the scrolls, and to determine whether they were produced in one place, in several production centers, or brought to the Judean Desert from different locations.

The European Research Council has awarded Popović, a world-renowned Dead Sea Scrolls scholar from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, an Advanced Grant of €2.5 million for the project, titled “Tracing Scribes and Scrolls.” The ERC is one of Europe’s most prestigious grants, awarded to leading researchers with outstanding academic achievements, allowing them to lead innovative, large-scale scientific research. Over the next five years, Popović will head a multidisciplinary team of humanities scholars, scientists and artificial intelligence experts, with the aim of tracing the origins of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Despite the immense importance of the scrolls, scientific knowledge about the precise location where they were produced, processed and written remains partial. The new study seeks to address this gap through a combination of chemical testing, artificial intelligence and paleography, the study of ancient handwriting.

As part of the project, and in cooperation with the Israel Antiquities Authority, some 250 parchment and papyrus samples from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection held by the authority will be examined. For the first time in the history of the research, papyrus samples from Egypt will also be analyzed, in order to compare them with samples from Qumran and other sites in the Judean Desert. Comparing the chemical composition of the materials could help identify the sources of the raw materials, possible production routes and links between different writing regions.

The data collected in the laboratory will be processed using artificial intelligence tools, which will search for complex patterns in the chemical information. The results will then be combined with handwriting analysis and codicological analysis, the study of how the scrolls were prepared and arranged, including the structure of the sheets, the layout of the columns, the margins and the joining marks between parts of the scroll. Linguistic and literary features will also be added to the analysis.

In this way, the researchers hope to build a model that will help map the vast collection of scroll fragments held by the Israel Antiquities Authority, which includes more than 25,000 manuscript pieces, making it possible to place the different scribes and scrolls in time and space. In addition, the researchers hope to point to centers where writing, study, creativity and the transmission of knowledge took place in ancient Judea, and perhaps beyond.

Professor Mladen Popović of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, who is leading the study, said, “The research we are about to conduct is the largest ever carried out with the help of AI to understand the cultural background of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls are extraordinary testimony to a rich intellectual world that operated in ancient Judea. The combination of advanced laboratory testing and manuscript research with artificial intelligence, which has become so much more sophisticated in recent years, allows us to ask questions that could not be answered in the past: not only who wrote them, but where the texts were written, through which knowledge networks they were disseminated, and what place they held in the society of the period.”

The study also builds on the knowledge accumulated in a previous ERC project led by Popović, “The Hands That Wrote the Bible,” which focused on identifying handwriting and scribes in the scrolls. Now, the new project seeks to broaden the perspective: from the writing hand to the place where it worked, the materials it used and the cultural networks in which the texts were created.

Dr. Ilit Cohen-Ofri, the Israel Antiquities Authority’s partner in the study, said, “The study will create an unprecedented database on the chemical composition of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Israel Antiquities Authority, which is responsible for preserving, documenting and making knowledge about the Dead Sea Scrolls accessible, invests enormous efforts in researching the scrolls.

“In recent years, we have come to recognize the great importance of understanding the materials from which the scrolls are made, especially the parchment, papyrus and ink, and these may reveal secrets hidden within the fragments that have survived for hundreds and thousands of years. Participation in an international study of this scale allows the Israel Antiquities Authority to harness its expertise in the study of archaeological materials to address the central questions that concern scrolls researchers and the interested public in Israel and around the world.”

Researchers and laboratories in Jerusalem, Pisa, Naples and Odense, Denmark, will take part in the study, including Ilaria Degano, Laila Birò, Kaare Rasmussen and Frank Kjeldsen. At the University of Groningen, Dr. Maruf Dhali plays a central role in developing and implementing the artificial intelligence methods that will make it possible to analyze all the chemical data and identify patterns of origin and affiliation within it. The project is also being carried out in cooperation with the Egyptian museums in Berlin and Turin, as well as the University of Leuven, for the purpose of comparing papyri from Egypt and the Judean Desert.

The National Weather Service warned Sunday that a dangerous, potentially record-setting heat wave will grip the eastern two-thirds of the United States this week and peak over the July 4 holiday — a forecast that points to soaring electric bills, strained power grids, and a costly stretch for any business that depends on people being comfortable enough to shop, work, and travel. The agency said a “heat dome,” a dome of high pressure that traps hot air like a lid, will push “feels like” temperatures to between 100 and 115 degrees across much of the country.

By late this week, more than 180 million Americans in the Midwest and East could face major or extreme heat-related health risks. Washington, Philadelphia, and New York City are all forecast to top 100 degrees, with daily records possible Thursday and Friday. Nights will bring little relief; lows in the Midwest and Great Lakes will not fall below the lower-to-middle 70s, while many urban areas could struggle to drop below 80.

The first business to feel the impact is electricity. When tens of millions of air conditioners run at once for days, power demand spikes toward record levels, forcing grid operators to work to keep supply ahead of demand. For households and businesses, that means higher utility bills as power companies rely on their most expensive backup generation during peak demand. Prolonged heat also raises the risk of localized outages, creating costly disruptions when cooling becomes a matter of health and safety.

Retailers see a heat wave as both a challenge and an opportunity. Demand typically surges for air conditioners, fans, portable coolers, cold drinks, and ice, with stores often selling out in the hardest-hit cities. At the same time, foot traffic at malls, outdoor markets, and neighborhood shopping districts tends to decline as people stay indoors, shifting more spending online and squeezing small businesses that depend on walk-in customers. Restaurants with outdoor seating and entertainment venues centered on outdoor activities also face slower business.

Employers with outdoor workforces are under the greatest pressure. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends frequent breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas during periods of extreme heat. While those precautions are essential for worker safety, they also slow construction projects, landscaping operations, delivery routes, and farm work, raising labor costs and delaying schedules during one of the busiest seasons of the year. Heat-related illnesses also increase workers’ compensation claims and lost workdays.

The timing makes the heat even more expensive because it coincides with one of the nation’s biggest spending weekends. The hottest temperatures are expected during a period filled with parades, cookouts, sporting events, and fireworks celebrations. Washington is also preparing for large crowds attending events marking America’s 250th anniversary. Organizers of outdoor celebrations now face the challenge of balancing crowd safety with attendance, and some daytime events could see lighter turnout as families wait for cooler evening temperatures.

Health care systems are preparing as well. Heat is the deadliest form of weather in the United States, claiming more lives each year on average than tornadoes, hurricanes, and lightning combined. Emergency-room visits for heat-related illnesses typically surge during prolonged extreme temperatures, while older adults and people with respiratory or heart conditions face the greatest risks.

The U.S. forecast follows a deadly stretch overseas that highlights the dangers. A historic heat wave across Europe recently resulted in roughly 1,000 excess deaths in France during a record-breaking period of extreme temperatures, according to French officials.

For now, forecasters continue to urge Americans to stay hydrated, spend time in air-conditioned spaces, check on elderly neighbors and vulnerable family members, and avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest afternoon hours. The heat dome is expected to remain over much of the East, particularly along the Interstate 95 corridor, through the long Fourth of July weekend before gradually shifting west early next week.

Until then, the cost of staying cool is likely to become one of the week’s biggest economic stories, measured in higher utility bills, slower outdoor business, and reduced productivity across a large portion of the country.

JBizNews Desk
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Wall Street headed into the final session of the second quarter on Tuesday with the S&P 500 on track for its strongest three-month stretch since 2020, a rally built on the artificial-intelligence spending boom and a sharp drop in oil prices after the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. The shift in mood traces back to the weekend, when President Donald Trump said peace talks with Iran would resume Tuesday, easing the war fears that had gripped markets since fighting began February 28.

The numbers tell the story. The S&P 500 has climbed about 14% since the start of April. The Nasdaq Composite has done even better, up roughly 20% for the quarter and now home to SpaceX, the $2 trillion rocket company that joined its ranks in June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is set for its best quarter since 2022.

On Monday, the Dow rose 307 points, or 0.59%, to a record 52,183. The S&P 500 gained 1.2% and the Nasdaq 100 jumped 2.3%. Much of that was a relief rally after a brutal stretch for chip stocks, and it carried into Tuesday, when the S&P 500 edged up 0.2% in early trading.

The gains came despite a Federal Reserve that has turned noticeably tougher on inflation. New Chairman Kevin Warsh, who took over in May, has dropped the central bank’s habit of telling markets where rates are headed and has stuck to a single message: the Fed will get inflation back to 2%. Consumer prices rose at a 4.2% annual rate in May, the highest in three years, pushed up mostly by gasoline during the Iran war.

Market movers

The biggest single name this quarter has been Micron Technology, the memory-chip maker. The company reported adjusted earnings of $25.11 a share last week, far above the $20.78 analysts had expected, and the stock jumped 17% on the news. Memory chips, once treated as a low-margin commodity, have become one of the hottest corners of the AI trade.

Alphabet, Google’s parent, had a notable week of its own. The company replaced Verizon in the Dow and climbed 5% on its first day in the blue-chip index, a sign of how far technology has pushed into a benchmark once dominated by industrial names. Tesla soared 8.5% on Monday, while Amazon rose 3.2%, Meta Platforms gained 2.2% and Nvidia added 1.3%.

Not every name shared in the gains. Apple fell 6% last week after raising prices on its MacBook and iPad lines. Nike, which reports earnings Tuesday after the close, has dropped 24% over the quarter, and analysts expect its sales to fall about 2% from a year ago. In health care, Germany’s Merck agreed to buy Bio-Techne for $73 a share, or $11.3 billion.

Strategists are split on what comes next. Brian Levitt, chief global market strategist at Invesco, said technology stocks went through a period of June gloom that could reverse as earnings season opens in July. Guy Miller, chief market strategist at Zurich Insurance Group, pointed to a bigger change: the easy-money support investors counted on at the start of the year is gone, replaced by talk of rate hikes. Bank of America now expects the Fed to raise rates three times this year.

Commodities and volatility

Oil has been the quarter’s quiet hero for consumers. Brent crude settled near $74 a barrel last week and U.S. West Texas Intermediate near $70, both down about 20% over the three months as the Strait of Hormuz gradually reopened and the U.S.-Iran ceasefire held. That decline has started to pull gasoline prices lower and take some pressure off household budgets.

Gold went the other way. The metal slipped below $4,000 an ounce to a seven-month low, hurt by the stronger dollar and the prospect of higher interest rates, which make gold less attractive to hold. The U.S. dollar is heading for its fourth straight quarterly gain, and the Japanese yen has sunk to its weakest level since 1986. The VIX, Wall Street’s fear gauge, sat near 18, well below the 30-plus readings seen during the worst of the Iran fighting in March.

Investors now turn to two events. Warsh speaks Wednesday at the European Central Bank’s forum in Sintra, Portugal, his first appearance abroad as Fed chair, alongside ECB President Christine Lagarde and other central bankers. Then comes Thursday’s June jobs report, which will shape bets on whether the Fed raises rates as soon as October. For now, the quarter ends on a high note, with cheaper fuel and a booming AI sector outweighing the worry about what the Fed does next.

JBizNews Desk | New York
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Israel is dispatching a joint emergency delegation to Venezuela to assist in the aftermath of last week’s catastrophic earthquakes, following instructions from Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar. The mission was approved after an assessment conducted by the National Security Council.

The delegation will consist of personnel from both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Home Front Command. Ambassador Yoed Magen, who was raised in Venezuela, will head the Foreign Ministry contingent, while Brigadier General Elad Edri, Chief of Staff of the Home Front Command, will lead the military component of the mission.

Among those traveling are Home Front Command engineering specialists and Foreign Ministry officials. Additional experts from the Home Front Command and Israel’s National Emergency Management Authority are expected to join the operation at a later stage.

Israeli personnel will coordinate closely with Venezuelan authorities, providing assistance based on the evolving needs and conditions on the ground.

The humanitarian mission comes as Venezuela continues to grapple with the massive destruction caused by the earthquakes. More than 1,700 people have been confirmed dead, while National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez said Monday that at least 22,619 people have been affected by the disaster. Of those, 5,034 were injured, and 189 of the 855 damaged buildings collapsed entirely.

{Matzav.com}

The Knesset Committee on Tuesday approved the proposed Basic Law: Torah Study for its first reading following a heated debate that centered on the law’s purpose and its constitutional implications.

The bill passed by a vote of 10-4 and is scheduled to be brought before the Knesset plenum for its first reading on Wednesday.

The bill states that Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel. The legislation is intended to serve as a constitutional counterweight to the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty, following court rulings that invalidated previous military exemption laws on the grounds that they conflicted with the principle of equality derived from that Basic Law.

Housing Minister Yitzchak Goldknopf explained the reasoning behind the legislation. “The purpose of the law is to recognize Toras Israel that was given at Har Sinai and in which we all believe. How is it possible that here in Israel, after everything the Jewish people have endured, Jews are arresting Jews for learning Torah? Why are we seeking this law? Because something has happened in this country. We do not want to reach a point where someone learning Torah is punished as though he were a thief. We have reached a situation where Lomdei Torah receive the worst punishments.”

Questions were also raised regarding the bill’s practical consequences. Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak said, “We all agree with the first section. But Section 2 is practical. What are these balances, and between which values? Does this law have budgetary implications? I am not receiving an answer to that question, and there is probably a reason for that.”

MK Moshe Gafni responded, “No one ever asked whether the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty or the Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation had budgetary implications. These questions are aimed in a particular direction. This law will not harm any rights or benefits of soldiers or reserve soldiers. It deals solely with the value of Torah study.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Hundreds of Vizhnitzer avreichim are expected to hold a protest on Wednesday under the banner “The Cry of Torah,” following a directive from the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, Kikar H’Shabbat reported on Tuesday.

According to the report, the Rebbe instructed hundreds of avreichim and bnei Torah to gather outside the home of a senior figure in Israel’s judicial system to protest against the persecution of the Olam HaTorah, the attempt to humiliate the honor of Torah and its students, and the imprisonment of bnei yeshivos.

The protest will take the form of a public beis medrash. Avreichim will bring Gemaras and shtenders and continue their regular sidrei limmud at the demonstration site.

The chassidus said the purpose of the protest is to give voice to the pain of Lomdei Torah and their families in light of the reality of Bnei Torah being thrown into prison solely because of their commitment to Limmud Torah and adherence to the guidance of their Rabbanim.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The panel of judges overseeing the corruption trial of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated on Monday their suggestion from 2023 that the prosecution drop the bribery charge against the premier, as it will be difficult to prove and will therefore drag out the proceedings.

The judges made the same recommendation exactly three years ago for the same reason, but the prosecution declined to drop the charge. The court has since heard extensive testimony from Netanyahu on the allegations, none of which changed the recommendation. On Monday, the judges told the court that their recommendation from June 2023 “remains unchanged.”

During the hearing in the Jerusalem District Court on Monday about expanding sessions to five days a week in the long-running trial, chief defense attorney Amit Hadad stressed that keeping the bribery charge on the docket would draw out the trial.

“If the bribery charge remains, we’ll have hundreds of witnesses here. There’s no chance we would finish by March 2028,” he said, according to Hebrew media reports.

Judge Rivka Friedman-Feldman, one of the three judges on the panel hearing Netanyahu’s case, is slated for mandatory retirement in March 2028. All judges in Israel are forced to retire when they turn 70 years old.

Netanyahu said that his defense team “won’t give up on a single defense witness. They’re coming with baseless claims and we will refute them,” according to Channel 12.

Netanyahu faces a bribery charge in only one of three cases against him, Case 4000, in which he is also accused of fraud and breach of trust in connection with the relations between the Bezeq telecom firm and the Communications Ministry under Netanyahu.

Known as the Bezeq-Walla case, Case 4000 focuses on allegations that Netanyahu authorized regulatory decisions that financially benefited Bezeq telecommunications giant shareholder Shaul Elovitch to the tune of hundreds of millions of shekels. In return, Netanyahu allegedly received favorable media coverage from the Walla news site owned by Elovitch.

Netanyahu is also on trial for two additional counts of fraud and breach of trust in Case 1000, which concerns gifts he allegedly inappropriately received from billionaire benefactors, and in Case 2000, in which he allegedly negotiated to obtain positive media coverage in a newspaper in exchange for curtailing its competitors.

He denies all wrongdoing in each case and claims, without evidence, that the charges were fabricated in an effort to remove him from power. Netanyahu’s supporters claim that one of the reasons the prosecution is insisting on bribery charges is because they carry with them moral turpitude (even in cases of suspended sentences) and this would disqualify Netanyahu from public office for seven years, whereas the fraud and breach of trust charges do not automatically carry a designation of moral turpitude.

Supreme Lending announced Monday the launch of Supreme CASA, a companywide initiative aimed at expanding homeownership opportunities for Hispanic and Latino communities through bilingual mortgage professionals, culturally tailored education and community outreach.

The initiative builds on the company’s HomeSí division, which launched in 2025 to serve Latino borrowers. It centers on bilingual customer support, educational resources and community partnerships intended to make the homebuying process more accessible for Spanish-speaking borrowers.

The company said it also will expand support systems for bilingual mortgage professionals.

Since the launch of the HomeSí division, the company said it has expanded to more than 15 Spanish-speaking branches and now employs more than 150 bilingual loan officers. Supreme CASA extends these efforts across the company under a unified brand.

“At Supreme, our mission is simple: enrich lives. Supreme CASA is an extension of that mission and a reflection of our commitment to meeting families where they are,” Supreme Lending President Scott Everett said in a statement. “By investing in bilingual professionals, culturally relevant resources, and stronger community connections, we’re creating more opportunities to educate, support, and guide families on their path to homeownership.”

Sarah Middleton, the company’s chief growth and marketing officer, said the launch comes as Hispanic homeownership continues to grow.

“Homeownership is about far more than a transaction,” Middleton said. “It’s about creating stability, building generational wealth, and establishing a place where families can grow and thrive.”

Middleton cited industry data showing Hispanic households reached a record 10.2 million homeowners in 2025, marking the largest annual increase on record. She added that the company expects another 500,000 Hispanic households to become homeowners by the end of 2027 and plans to position Supreme CASA as a resource for these buyers.

As the initiative expands, Supreme Lending said it plans to add bilingual content, educational materials and community partnerships while continuing to grow resources for both borrowers and mortgage professionals.

The launch follows other industrywide initiatives to expand Hispanic homeownership.

In September 2025, Chicago-based mortgage lender Rate launched the Rate App in Spanish. That same month, ERA Real Estate expanded its Coached Up Program with Spanish-language sessions.

This article was written by Sarah Wolak and generated with the assistance of HousingWire Automation, then reviewed by a HousingWire editor before publication.

This post was originally published on here.

A bitter dispute erupted within Israel’s coalition Monday after legislation to prohibit Red Cross visits to imprisoned Nukhba terrorists was voted down in the Knesset. Shas accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir of violating coalition agreements by forcing the bill to a vote before it had enough support, while Ben Gvir blasted Shas for helping doom the measure.

Following the bill’s defeat, Shas insisted it strongly backed the legislation but argued that Ben Gvir ignored an agreed-upon strategy that would have given it a better chance of passing.

“Shas fully supports the bill to block Red Cross visits to Nukhba terrorists. We suggested to Minister Ben Gvir that the bill be brought forward on Wednesday so that we could vote in favor immediately following the passage of the Basic Law: Torah Study, as agreed upon with the Coalition Chairman. Regrettably, Ben Gvir insisted on bringing it to the floor today. It appears that pulling a political stunt is more important to him than actually passing this vital legislation,” Shas said in a statement.

Ben Gvir forcefully rejected the accusations, maintaining that Monday was the only realistic opportunity to bring the legislation before the Knesset and blaming Shas for delaying the measure the previous week.

“The bill to prevent Red Cross visits to imprisoned terrorists is coming to a vote today after Shas requested to delay it last week. Contrary to Shas’s claims, the bill cannot be brought to a vote on Wednesday due to opposition from the minority bloc – meaning it would subsequently become irrelevant.”

The minister then launched a scathing attack on Shas, accusing the party of undermining Israel’s security interests and reviving political cooperation with Arab lawmakers.

“Regrettably, Shas is choosing to compromise Israel’s security and allow an antisemitic organization to visit Nukhba terrorists, spreading a ‘Sde Teiman-style’ blood libel against our heroic prison guards and the State of Israel. It seems the Deri-Tibi deal is back in full force. A complete disgrace,” Ben Gvir stated.

{Matzav.com}

A popular Iranian newspaper closely affiliated with the regime published a front-page image on Tuesday featuring U.S. President Donald Trump in the crosshairs of a rifle scope alongside the headline, “Revenge Is Certain.”

The image was published in Hamshahri, a newspaper owned by the Tehran municipality.

Meanwhile, White House officials said on Monday night that US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are heading to Qatar for talks with Iranian officials in Doha. However, Iranian officials denied that direct negotiations with the US will take place.

A Qatari spokesperson said on Tuesday morning that Kushner and Witkoff will meet with Qatar mediators but will not hold a high-level meeting with Iranian officials.

Hamshahri’s headline, “Revenge Is Certain,” directly references Iran’s repeated pledges to retaliate for Soleimani’s death.

Beneath the main headline, the front page quotes Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, as saying, “War criminals should be prosecuted.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Uber and Alphabet’s Waymo have ended their driverless-car partnership in Phoenix, the city where the two first tested whether longtime rivals could work together. Both companies confirmed the split on Monday, with an Uber spokesperson describing Phoenix as “our first pilot market with Waymo” and “an intentionally limited deployment, reaching just over a dozen vehicles dedicated to the program.”

The arrangement dated to a multiyear deal struck in 2023, under which Uber put a subset of Waymo’s robotaxis on its ride-hailing and food-delivery apps. The ride-hailing portion wound down last month, and the food-delivery piece had ended back in May 2025, after the program completed hundreds of thousands of trips. A Waymo spokesperson said the vehicles have already been integrated back into its own Phoenix fleet, where riders can still book them through the Waymo app.

The breakup is less a falling-out than a fork in the road. Uber and Waymo are an unusual pair — former courtroom rivals who became partners while still competing — and each is now pursuing a separate autonomous strategy. Waymo increasingly wants riders in its own app, and Uber wants to be the platform every robotaxi maker plugs into. Phoenix is where those two visions stopped overlapping.

For Waymo, the split shows growing confidence in going it alone. The Google sister company operates a fleet of about 4,000 automated vehicles in the United States, offers rides through its own app in most markets, and is expanding to new cities without Uber, launching in Dallas with Moove and Avis as fleet partners. In Phoenix, its vehicles will remain in use and will make autonomous deliveries through DoorDash, which competes directly with Uber Eats.

Uber, meanwhile, is spreading its bets. Its broader autonomous strategy now spans far beyond Waymo, with partners including Wayve, Avride, and a recently announced agreement for up to 50,000 Rivian-built robotaxis. Waymo vehicles remain available exclusively through Uber in Austin and Atlanta, and Uber says it is preparing another autonomous-vehicle partnership in Phoenix, though it has not yet identified the company. The strategy is to make Uber the front door for autonomous rides regardless of which company’s technology powers the vehicle.

The stakes are enormous because robotaxis have the potential to transform the economics of ride-hailing. Removing the human driver eliminates the industry’s largest operating cost, potentially lowering fares while increasing profit margins for whichever company controls the fleet. That explains why both companies are racing to control as much of the value chain as possible—from the self-driving technology to the customer-facing app and the vehicles themselves.

The shift also reflects an increasingly crowded autonomous-driving race. Waymo is rolling out its newest robotaxi, the Zeekr-built Ojai, and plans to launch rides through Lyft in Nashville later this year without exclusivity. Tesla, which obtained an Arizona ride-hailing permit last fall, is currently operating a limited autonomous fleet of roughly 69 vehicles in Texas. Each competitor is positioning itself in what many believe will become one of transportation’s largest future markets.

The Phoenix split also comes as the industry faces greater scrutiny over safety. Waymo recently recalled nearly 3,900 robotaxis after identifying a software issue that could allow vehicles to enter closed freeway construction zones. Incidents like that carry significant business consequences, influencing both regulatory oversight and public confidence as autonomous fleets continue expanding.

For riders in Phoenix, little changes immediately. The same driverless vehicles will continue operating on city streets—they will simply be requested through a different app.

The larger battle, however, is only beginning.

The central question facing the entire autonomous-vehicle industry is who ultimately owns the customer relationship: the company that builds the self-driving technology or the platform millions of people already use to request rides.

Phoenix has made one thing clear: Uber and Waymo now have very different answers, and the outcome of that competition will help determine how Americans book—and pay for—driverless transportation in the years ahead.

JBizNews Desk
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Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is facing intense backlash after a video showing her chanting “Free Palestine” during the city’s Pride Parade on Sunday spread across social media, prompting critics to accuse her of further alienating Toronto’s Jewish community amid a surge in antisemitic incidents.

The footage was widely circulated online, including by Canadian attorney and author Warren Kinsella, who has frequently spoken out against antisemitism.

Here's Olivia Chow, who claims to be the mayor of every person in Toronto, saying "free Palestine."

Jews are a minority in Toronto. They feel unwanted and unsafe.

Chow is one of the reasons why. #topoli pic.twitter.com/jnuBFGEvEQ

— Warren Kinsella (@kinsellawarren) June 29, 2026

“Here’s Olivia Chow, who claims to be the mayor of every person in Toronto, saying ‘free Palestine,'” wrote Kinsella.

“Jews are a minority in Toronto. They feel unwanted and unsafe. Chow is one of the reasons why,” he added.

Canadian journalist Dahlia Kurtz also shared the video, criticizing the mayor’s remarks during the event.

“Mayor Olivia Chow screams ‘Free Palestine’ at Toronto Pride parade.”

“You know, the same two words terrorists have screamed before murdering and butchering their victims,” added Kurtz.

The latest controversy adds to previous criticism of Chow’s handling of issues involving the Jewish community and Israel. Last year, she declined to attend a Jewish community memorial marking the first anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 massacre. Chow later attributed her absence to what she described as a “miscommunication,” saying her office never received the invitation by email.

She also drew criticism when she chose not to participate in a City Hall ceremony commemorating Israel’s Independence Day, during which the Israeli flag was to be raised. At the time, Chow argued that attending the event would be “divisive” because of the ongoing war in Gaza.

The controversy comes as Toronto and its surrounding communities continue to experience a sharp increase in antisemitic attacks following Hamas’ October 7, 2023 massacre in Israel, with incidents escalating even further in recent months.

In early March, two synagogues in the Toronto area were targeted in separate shootings within hours of one another. Police have since arrested multiple suspects in connection with those attacks.

That same month, Temple Emanu-El in North York was struck by gunfire while congregants were celebrating Purim. No one was injured, although the synagogue sustained damage.

In late April, a man allegedly attempted to force his way into an Orthodox shul in Thornhill, just north of Toronto, assaulting one individual before escaping.

The following day, a rock was thrown through the window of a Toronto Judaica store, marking the third attack on the same business.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Last Friday, a charedi extremist was filmed in the Stamford Hill neighborhood of London cutting the community eruv wires in broad daylight. Immediately afterward, he was seen hurrying to his nearby parked car, getting in, and quickly driving away.

According to B’Chadrei Charedim, the man who cut the eruv is well known in the local charedi community as an extremist who has, over a long period of time, repeatedly targeted the eruv for various reasons. According to the report, his actions have caused significant hardship for hundreds of charedi families, who are then unable to carry items during the long summer Sabbath in London, which ends at around 10:45 p.m.

הפרגוד: ערב שבת בשכונת סטמפורד היל
נתפס בעדשת המצלמה יהודי חרדי שבכל ערב שבת הולך וקורע את חוט העירוב. עסקן מלונדון אמר להפרגוד כי אותו אדם “גורם חילול שבת להרבה מהתושבים החרדים באיזור” pic.twitter.com/yyqb4nqZ5R

— הפרגוד (@moshepargod) June 28, 2026

A video first published by HaPargod allegedly shows the man violating the Sabbath in order to carry out the act. According to London’s published Shabbat schedule, Shabbat began at 9:06 p.m. The man was reportedly recorded cutting the eruv at 9:17 p.m., and then driving toward his home, which is approximately a 10-minute drive from the location according to Google Maps.

Sunset in London that Saturday was at 9:22 p.m., and it is assumed that the man  desecrated the Sabbath.

Residents of the charedi community told BeChadrei Charedim that they have suffered from this individual for a long time. They said he repeatedly sabotages the eruv, each time offering a different justification, and causes many people to unknowingly violate Shabbat because they are unaware that the eruv has been rendered invalid.

Americans preparing to hold a Fourth of July barbecue this weekend will face higher costs for their burgers and hot dogs amid stubborn inflation, a new report finds.

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s Summer Cookout Cost Survey finds that in 2026, a classic Fourth of July cookout for 10 people will cost $73.82, or about $7.38 per person. That amounts to an increase of $2.90, or 4% compared with a year ago.

The basket of goods used to measure the cost year to year includes cheeseburgers, chicken breasts, pork chops, potato chips, pork and beans, fresh strawberries, ingredients for homemade potato salad and fresh-squeezed lemonade, as well as chocolate chip cookies and ice cream.

“While this year’s total is the highest since Farm Bureau began conducting the summer cookout survey in 2016, the increase closely reflects broader inflation,” the group wrote.

“The cost of the cookout basket rose about 4%, while overall inflation in the United States increased 4.2% over the 12 months ending in May,” the Farm Bureau said. “That means families are seeing higher prices at the grocery store, but this year’s cookout cost is generally moving in line with the broader economy.”

The report noted that the cost of the basket is little changed from a year ago when deflating the value using the consumer price index (CPI) inflation metric, with the cost of this year’s basket at $22.03 in 1982-84 dollars, slightly lower than the $22.06 observation using last year’s data.

That means that “while families are paying more dollars at checkout, the purchasing-power cost of the basket is nearly flat from last year,” the Farm Bureau added.

Among the food items in the basket, the report noted that several of the main proteins cost more as the two pounds of ground beef are up 5.5% to $14.06, which is the highest beef price recorded in the survey’s history. Drought has caused the size of the national cattle herd to trend to a 70-year low, while ranchers also face higher operating costs.

Chicken breasts are also 3.5% more expensive than last year, with two pounds now costing $8.06. Pork chop costs also rose 4.7% to $14.79 for three pounds, though they remain below the 2024 price despite this year’s rise.

Strawberries had some of the largest price increases in the basket of goods, with two pints costing $5.27, an increase of 12.4% from last year. The Farm Bureau attributed part of that to a damaging frost in Florida that impacted young plants this spring, as well as higher costs of labor, fuel, refrigeration and transportation.

Lemonade costs have risen 3.9% in the last year to $4.54 for 2.5 quarts, mainly due to the rise in the price of lemons, given sugar prices holding steady.

The largest increase of any item in the basket was pork and beans, which rose 13.8% to $3.06 for 32 ounces. The Farm Bureau noted higher aluminum costs contributed to the rise.

Desserts were also more expensive than a year ago. The price of a pack of chocolate chip cookies rose 6.3% to $4.25, while a half-gallon of ice cream rose 5.3% to $5.99 from a year ago.

Two items tracked by the Farm Bureau declined in price, with potato salad dropping 17.8% from a year ago to $2.91 amid the decline in egg prices with the recovery of egg-laying flocks from an avian flu outbreak.

Potato prices have also contributed to a decline in both the cost of potato salad and bags of potato chips, which are down 0.8% from a year ago to $4.76 apiece.

The Farm Bureau’s analysis also noted that the cookout cost varies by region, with Americans in the West facing the highest cost at an even $80 this year, a figure which is $6 above the national average.

The other three regions in the analysis were below the national average of $73.82, with the Northeast the cheapest at $71.35, followed by the Midwest at $71.45 and the South at $72.08.

Verizon Communications told investors Monday it expects a second-quarter loss of $700 million to $800 million after agreeing to combine its international business with Britain’s BT Group in a new joint venture. The company disclosed the figure in a securities filing dated June 29, and its shares fell about 5% on the day.

The loss is an accounting result, not a sign the core business is bleeding cash. Verizon is moving the international assets it is handing to the venture into a “held for sale” category, and that reclassification forces it to book the charge now. The company said the deal should actually help earnings at its business unit going forward.

Here is the deal itself. Verizon and BT Group are each putting in $625 million to create a 50-50 venture aimed at serving large corporate customers around the world. The new company will operate across more than 180 countries, serve over 3,000 clients, and is expected to generate roughly $4 billion in annual revenue. Verizon is contributing its international wireline connectivity and managed network services operations.

The $800 million figure was not the only number that landed Monday. In the same filing, Verizon flagged more costs tied to a broad company overhaul. It expects $350 million to $450 million in severance charges from continued job cuts, plus $200 million to $300 million to shed real estate and network equipment it no longer needs. Added together, the second-quarter charges could reach about $1.55 billion.

The job cuts are not new, but they are deepening. New Chief Executive Dan Schulman, who took the top job in November, reduced headcount by more than 13,000 positions late last year and announced a second round affecting hundreds more last month. The international venture is the latest move in a turnaround plan he has pushed since arriving.

For everyday readers, the practical question is what this means for service and prices. Verizon is reshaping the part of its business that sells to other companies, not the consumer wireless plans most households use. The venture is about competing for multinational corporate accounts, an area where Verizon has lost ground to nimbler rivals. Combining forces with BT Group gives both carriers more global reach to chase those contracts together rather than separately.

The stock reaction tells the story of investor nerves. Verizon shares dropped roughly 5% after the disclosure, a sharp one-day move for a company usually prized for steady dividends rather than drama. Some of that reflects the surprise size of the combined charges. Some reflects worry about how much more restructuring is still to come.

Valuation gives context for why the drop stung. Verizon trades at a low price-to-earnings ratio compared with the broader market, the kind of number that draws income investors who hold the stock for its dividend. A string of large one-time charges complicates that picture, even when management argues the long-term result is a leaner, more focused company.

BT Group, for its part, gets a bigger international footprint without having to build it alone. The British carrier has been narrowing its own focus to its home market in recent years, and a shared venture lets it keep a hand in global enterprise services while spreading the cost and risk with a large American partner.

Analysts will look closely at whether the venture delivers the earnings boost Verizon promised. The company said the transaction should add to profitability at its business group once the assets move off its books. That claim will be tested when Verizon reports full second-quarter results later in the summer and lays out how the venture is structured and financed.

The bigger backdrop is competition. Telecom carriers face pressure from cable companies offering wireless service and from new entrants eyeing the market. Pooling international operations is one way Schulman is trying to free up money and attention for the fights that matter most at home, where the bulk of Verizon’s customers and revenue still sit.

For now, the headline number is the loss, but the more important story is the strategy behind it. Verizon is trading a short-term accounting hit for a larger global partnership it believes will pay off. Whether investors agree will show up in the share price over the months ahead, not in a single Monday selloff.

JBizNews Desk
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

The legal adviser to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has issued a scathing opinion against proposed legislation aimed at halting the arrests of Yeshiva Bochrim, warning that the bill has evolved into what she described as a “mini draft exemption law.”

In a sharply worded letter to committee members, attorney Miri Frenkel-Shor argued that the legislation no longer merely provides a temporary freeze on criminal proceedings and arrests, as originally intended. Instead, she said, it creates a long-term workaround to broader draft exemption legislation while legitimizing military non-enlistment.

“In practice, this is a ‘mini draft law’ whose central purpose is to regulate the status of yeshiva students both in the immediate term and looking toward the future,” Frenkel-Shor wrote.

She warned that the proposal effectively grants advance immunity to current and future draft-age Chareidim by shielding them from criminal prosecution if they decline to serve.

“The proposed arrangement grants legitimacy to future candidates for military service not to comply with the Security Service Law,” she wrote. “It provides them with immunity in advance and protection from criminal proceedings.”

According to the legal opinion, the revised legislation also removes key provisions that were included in earlier drafts, including military recruitment targets and economic sanctions against those who refuse to enlist or institutions that fail to comply.

Frenkel-Shor concluded that, taken together, the bill would allow future Bnei Yeshiva to avoid military service without facing meaningful enforcement mechanisms or penalties, fundamentally altering the intent of the original proposal.

The legislation is expected to be debated by the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this week.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WATCH:

Chinese artificial intelligence systems are rapidly closing the gap with America’s leading AI models in identifying software security flaws, a development that is intensifying the technology race between Washington and Beijing and adding new pressure on the Trump administration’s AI strategy. The shift centers on GLM-5.2, a new model released this month by Chinese developer Zhipu AI, also known as Z.ai. According to researchers, the model now rivals leading U.S. systems in detecting software vulnerabilities, although it still trails top models from Anthropic and OpenAI across many broader AI tasks.

The findings, first reported Sunday by The Wall Street Journal, have drawn attention from technology companies, policymakers and national security officials as competition in artificial intelligence accelerates.

The broader story extends beyond a single model. Industry observers say the performance gap separating American and Chinese AI systems has narrowed significantly during the past year, while businesses around the world increasingly adopt lower-cost Chinese models to reduce artificial intelligence expenses.

According to OpenRouter, a platform providing access to hundreds of AI models, GLM-5.2 has already become one of the 10 most-used AI models worldwide. Benchmark testing conducted by cybersecurity company Semgrep also found that GLM-5.2 outperformed Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4 on certain software vulnerability detection benchmarks.

The rapid improvement is prompting major technology companies—including Microsoft—to evaluate whether Chinese AI models should be offered through their cloud platforms, potentially reshaping competition across the global AI marketplace.

Chinese companies have openly celebrated the progress.

This week, Chinese cybersecurity company 360 Security Technology introduced a new vulnerability-detection system it said performs at a level comparable to Anthropic’s most advanced models for identifying software flaws. Speaking at a cybersecurity conference in Beijing, 360 Security founder and Chief Executive Zhou Hongyi argued that such advanced AI capabilities “can’t remain solely in American hands,” framing artificial intelligence leadership as both a commercial and national strategic priority.

The advances arrive as Washington continues tightening restrictions surrounding advanced AI technologies.

Earlier this month, one of Anthropic’s newest general-purpose AI models became temporarily unavailable to certain foreign users after new U.S. export restrictions took effect. Access to a related model was later restored following regulatory adjustments, but the episode intensified debate over whether limiting American AI systems ultimately strengthens or weakens U.S. technological leadership.

Some policy experts argue the restrictions may unintentionally encourage greater adoption of Chinese alternatives.

Saif Khan, a technology fellow at the Institute for Progress who previously worked on export-control policy during the Biden administration, argued that restricting America’s most advanced AI models while China continues developing competing systems could ultimately benefit Beijing. He has urged policymakers to ensure American companies remain globally competitive while maintaining appropriate national security safeguards.

Administration officials say they remain closely focused on developments involving Chinese AI.

Jacob Helberg, the Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, recently said the government is carefully monitoring Chinese open-weight AI models as part of broader efforts to protect American technological leadership. At the same time, the Pentagon has expanded partnerships with U.S. developers, including Reflection AI, to support artificial intelligence applications for national security and classified government work.

An important distinction in the competition involves how the models are distributed.

GLM-5.2 is an open-weight model, allowing organizations to download, customize and operate the software on their own systems. By contrast, companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI generally provide access through cloud-based services while retaining control over their most advanced models. Many businesses prefer open-weight systems because they offer greater flexibility, privacy and control over sensitive data.

For businesses, the implications extend well beyond the technology sector. Cloud providers must decide which AI platforms to support, software developers must determine which models to build applications around, and corporate technology teams face increasing pressure to adopt faster and more cost-effective artificial intelligence solutions while navigating evolving geopolitical and regulatory risks.

As Chinese AI capabilities continue improving, competition between American and Chinese developers is expected to intensify, making artificial intelligence one of the defining business and technology battlegrounds of the decade.

JBizNews Desk
© JBizNews.com All Rights Reserved. Reproduction or distribution without written permission is prohibited.

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Otzma Yehudit Minister Amichai Eliyahu sent an urgent letter to President Isaac Herzog urging him to exercise his constitutional authority and grant Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu a presidential pardon, bringing his years-long trial to an end.

His letter comes after the judges presiding over the trial recommended on Monday that the prosecution withdraw the bribery charge in Case 4000, the same recommendation they made in 2023.

“After I submitted my recommendation that you exercise your power of pardon and laid out the legal and precedential basis for doing so, the latest developments in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s trial have only reinforced the need for a decision,” Eliyahu wrote in the letter.

“The judges’ remarks, casting doubt on the central charge in the case, are not a technical detail. They are evidence that even within the judicial system itself there is an understanding that the proceedings are far from clear-cut.”

“The State of Israel is in the midst of one of the most difficult periods in its history. Our children are fighting on the front lines, the entire nation is being called upon to stand strong, and at the same time, in an absurd and incomprehensible situation, the prime minister is being forced to devote his daily attention to legal proceedings that are increasingly proving to deepen divisions, weaken the country’s leadership, and erode public trust.”

“The power of pardon is intended for moments like this—when a national need requires a broader perspective beyond the legal process.”

“Mr. President, the time has come to end the political persecution and the judicial circus, and to allow the State of Israel to focus on the real challenges before it. I call on you to act courageously, exercise your authority, and bring an end to an affair that has disrupted our public life for years.”

Senior Attorney Tzion Amir said during an interview with Galey Yisrael on Tuesday, “If I were in the President’s position, I would convene the Pardons Department, the Attorney General, and all the relevant officials, and tell them, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I have no intention of allowing this to continue any longer.’

“Once the core of the case has collapsed, after so many years and after causing enormous damage to Israeli society in every possible respect, it is time to treat the remaining issues as minor matters. Today it has become clear that since 2016, the country has been dragged through a process that has caused it tremendous harm, led to five election campaigns, and resulted in billions of shekels in damage.

“It is time to bring this to an end. Israeli society deserves a pardon from this entire affair. In my view, the President received a clear signal and strong backing today to take action.”

Publicist Ran Baratz said: “It’s the left’s turn to face reality. Any left-winger who refuses to admit that—while Netanyahu’s trial has been dragging on for three years after the judges told the prosecution it should consider dropping the bribery charge, the prosecution insisted on hearing all the evidence anyway, and now the judges are once again saying the bribery charge should be dropped (just think how much time and how many resources were wasted because of that decision to continue)—that Netanyahu’s trial is a farce that should never have come into existence, that its national cost has been catastrophic, and that since everything was known in advance (as many said), everyone involved in fabricating the case should first be dismissed in disgrace and then face a criminal investigation, at a minimum for fraud and breach of trust—is neither honest nor credible.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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An IDF soldier lost a classified military communications device over the weekend while taking part in an operational mission in the sensitive buffer zone along the Syrian border, Channel 12 reported.

Syrian media outlets, including the state-run SANA news agency, aired footage on Monday showing the device—a Samsung XCover Pro 6 with stickers bearing Hebrew lettering affixed to its back.

According to the report, the phone is a secure communications device of significant operational importance. It uses encrypted technology and is employed by IDF ground forces and intelligence units during combat and routine operations to coordinate troop movements, transmit operational reports, and provide real-time situational awareness. Officials consider the potential security risk of such a device falling into hostile hands to be particularly serious.

After it became clear that the device had been lost and found by local Syrians, the IDF was forced to carry out an extensive emergency security response, including changing security codes, updating software, and replacing encryption keys on numerous similar devices used by combat forces across all operational sectors.

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In a statement to Channel 12 News, the IDF said: “The incident is known and is under investigation. The matter is being handled by the relevant authorities.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has instructed the Defense Ministry and the IDF to resolve the ongoing dispute with Chabad and formulate a new plan regulating the status of its talmidei yeshivos, Channel 14 reported.

According to the report, Katz’s directive follows the IDF’s realization that scrapping the “Chabad arrangement” in August 2025 caused significant strategic harm to the military. The IDF lost hundreds of highly motivated, high-quality recruits who had, for years, helped it meet its Chareidi enlistment targets.

Katz’s intervention comes after negotiations between senior IDF officials and Chabad representatives reached an impasse.

Since 2016, the unique “Chabad arrangement” had allowed Chabad talmidei yeshivos to leave Israel for a year of limmud Torah, known as the “Kvutza” year, at the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770, after signing a commitment to enlist in the IDF at the age of 26.

The arrangement expired after the High Court struck down the draft law, and efforts to establish a replacement have repeatedly failed.

According to the COL Chabad news website, the Chabad Rabbinical Court presented the IDF with no fewer than four compromise proposals. However, the IDF rejected each one, citing “legal limitations under the current circumstances.”

Last year, ahead of the summer Bein HaZemanim break, the Chabad Rabbinical Court issued a detailed public letter to parents and Chabad bnei yeshivos across Israel, emphasizing that the tafkid of yeshiva students is to devote themselves to Limmud Torah study, even to the point of mesiras nefesh.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

The IDF has completed the sealing of the underground tunnel complex where Lt. Hadar Goldin HY”D was held after he was killed in combat and abducted in the Gaza Strip on August 1, 2014, during Operation Protective Edge.

Following the IDF’s prolonged operations in Gaza, Lt. Goldin was brought to kevuras Yisroel as part of the hostage return framework in November 2025.

In an operation led by the Southern Command, combat engineers from the elite Yahalom Unit, together with Shayetet 13, uncovered the underground complex in southern Rafah where Goldin had been held in recent years. Over the past three months, the forces sealed the more than 16-kilometer-long tunnel system using over 30,000 cubic meters of concrete.

According to the IDF, the tunnel network contained approximately 80 rooms and served as a Hamas command-and-control center. It was used by the commander of Hamas’ Rafah Brigade in the group’s military wing to direct terrorist operations.

The tunnel complex was located near the Philadelphi Corridor and ran beneath a residential neighborhood, mosques, kindergartens, clinics, a school, and a UNRWA clinic.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) Every month or so, I have an appointment with one of the top eye doctors in the New York area to deal with a repercussion of diabetes. What happens at that visit is not so pleasant. The treatment is a shot directly in the eye.

It is not a fun thing to go through. Yet skipping it is not an option. Without the shots, my eyes would further lose their ability to see. The doctor is a retina specialist, an expert in the back part of the eye.

This is why a new study on vaping and eyesight should grab everyone’s attention.

New Study: Electronic Cigarettes Harm Vision

New Study: Electronic Cigarettes Harm Vision

Many people think of switching to electronic cigarettes as the “clean” choice. The truth is more complicated. A large new study suggests that trading regular cigarettes for vapes still carries real risks for the eyes — and that the safest path is to give up nicotine entirely.

The research was published online on June 13 in the American Journal of Ophthalmology. It was led by Sangwook Cheon and Yihyun Kim of Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. Researchers analyzed health data from about 179,000 adults through the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Every person in the study had smoked regular cigarettes between 2011 and 2012, and all of them had quit smoking by 2018 or 2019.

The participants were sorted into two groups. One group stopped using all nicotine and tobacco products completely. The other group quit regular cigarettes but switched to smokeless products such as e-cigarettes. The researchers then followed both groups for an average of about four and a half years to see who developed eye disease.

During that time, there were 6,328 major eye disease events across the study. The people who quit nicotine entirely had the lowest disease rate, at 41.1 cases per 1,000 person-years. (A “person-year” is a way of counting that accounts for both the number of people and how long each was followed.) For the switchers, that rate rose to about 44 cases per 1,000 person-years.

The biggest jumps in risk showed up in two areas. The risk of diabetic retinopathy, a disease that damages the blood vessels of the retina, was about 24 percent higher in the switchers. The risk of refractive and focusing disorders was about 7 percent higher.

How Nicotine Hurts the Eye

Doctors explain that nicotine can squeeze blood vessels and make them narrower. When that happens, less blood flows through them. The retina is the light-sensing tissue at the back of the eye, and it depends on a delicate web of tiny blood vessels that are easily damaged. Diabetes can harm those same vessels, which is one reason the eye shots become necessary. Vaping can add to that same danger.

Specialists say nicotine can block proper blood flow, raise inflammation in the body, and add to other problems already tied to eye disease.

The results were clear. People who switched to vaping had a 7 percent higher chance of getting serious eye diseases. The biggest jump was in diseases that affect the blood vessels of the retina. That risk was 24 percent higher. Diabetes can damage those vessels as well, and that is why I need the shots.  Vaping would often cause a need for those shots as well.

Specialists said that nicotine can block proper blood flow, raise inflammation in the body, and add to other problems already tied to eye disease.

The researchers were careful to explain one important point. Not every person who vapes will get an eye problem. The study simply found that people who kept using nicotine had a greater chance of certain eye troubles than people who stopped completely.

The study does not say that regular cigarettes are safe. It says the safest choice for the eyes is to stop using nicotine altogether.

Experts who help people quit smoking added another warning. Many people see vaping as a step toward quitting. But vaping can keep a person hooked on nicotine and can also bring new substances into the body.

Diabetes and the Eyes

There is another major reason for these eye shots, and that reason is diabetes. High blood sugar over many years can damage the same tiny blood vessels in the retina. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy, and it is one of the leading causes of vision loss in adults.

When nicotine narrows the blood vessels and diabetes weakens them, the danger to the eyes grows even larger. Protecting eyesight means watching both at the same time — keeping blood sugar under control and staying away from nicotine.

The Six Mitzvos of Protecting Our Health

Avoiding clear dangers like these is not only smart. It is also a Torah obligation. In fact, there are six separate Mitzvos that apply to guarding our health and the health of those around us.

First, there is the Mitzvah of “veNishmartem me’od b’nafshosaichem” (Devarim 4:9) — the Mitzvah of guarding our health and well-being.

Second, the verse “Rak hishamer lecha” (Devarim 4:15) is understood by most Poskim to be an actual second Mitzvah (see Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l, Shaar HaTeshuvos #25) — to take special care of ourselves.

Third, there is the Mitzvah of “V’Chai Bahem — And you shall live by them” (Vayikra 18:5), which teaches us to choose actions that protect life.

Fourth, there is the Mitzvah found in “vahashaivoso lo — and you shall return it to him” (Devarim 22:2). The Gemara in Sanhedrin (73a) explains that this includes returning a person’s own life to him as well — the Mitzvah of saving a life, referred to in Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 325.

Fifth, “Lo Saamod Al Dam Rayacha” — the negative Mitzvah of not standing by while your brother’s blood is in danger (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 426:1). This includes protecting yourself, your spouse, and your children too.

Sixth, “Lo Suchal l’hisalaym” — the negative commandment of “You cannot shut your eyes to it” (Devarim 22:3). The Netziv (HaEmek She’eilah) discusses this Mitzvah as well. Once we know of a real danger, we are not allowed to ignore it.

Vaping, diabetes, and other clear health risks touch on all six of these Mitzvos. Taking care of our eyes — and our whole body — is part of serving Hashem.

A Growing Body of Evidence

This new research joins a growing list of studies on the long-term effects of e-cigarettes. Some people who read the findings said it made them think twice about vaping. One former smoker said the research pushed him to look for a different way to quit. Others were not convinced and wondered whether money played a role in health warnings.

Doctors keep repeating two clear messages. People who do not smoke should never start using nicotine products. And no one should think of e-cigarettes as harmless.

The author can be reached at [email protected]