Gold prices struggled to recover Tuesday, hovering near $4,590 an ounce after suffering their sharpest weekly decline in months, as the unresolved U.S.-Iran conflict continued reshaping global inflation expectations and driving investors to price in a possible Federal Reserve rate hike before year-end rather than the cuts markets once expected.

The reversal marks a dramatic shift for the precious-metals market.

Earlier this year, gold surged to record highs above $5,200 an ounce as investors anticipated multiple Federal Reserve rate cuts, weakening real yields, and escalating geopolitical instability. But the prolonged energy shock tied to the Iran conflict has effectively flipped that entire macroeconomic narrative.

According to CME Group’s FedWatch Tool, traders now assign roughly a 40% probability to a 25-basis-point Fed rate hike by December, with some institutional desks placing the implied odds even higher.

The result has been unusually painful for gold despite the war backdrop that would historically boost demand for safe-haven assets.

Spot gold has fallen roughly $685 an ounce since late February, dropping from around $5,275 on the eve of Operation Epic Fury to near $4,590 this week. Over the same period, Brent crude surged from roughly $72 per barrel to near $120 at peak panic levels before stabilizing above $110.

The two assets investors traditionally pair together during geopolitical crises — oil and gold — are now moving in opposite directions.

“A geopolitical shock that simultaneously creates a severe inflation shock changes the entire rate environment,” one senior metals strategist at a major Wall Street bank said Tuesday. “That’s what gold is fighting right now.”

The core problem for gold is interest rates.

Rising oil prices tied to the Strait of Hormuz disruption are feeding directly into inflation expectations, forcing markets to assume the Federal Reserve may need to tighten policy rather than ease it.

That shift has sent Treasury yields sharply higher.

The U.S. 30-year Treasury yield climbed this week to its highest level since 2007, while the benchmark 10-year Treasury reached its highest level since early 2025. Real yields — one of the most important drivers for gold prices — are rising because nominal rates are increasing faster than inflation expectations.

That dynamic directly pressures non-yielding assets like gold.

The inflation fears intensified after recent economic data showed a much hotter-than-expected Producer Price Index reading alongside stronger industrial production numbers, effectively destroying the “soft landing” narrative that had fueled much of gold’s earlier rally.

Wall Street banks are now recalibrating their outlooks.

J.P. Morgan, which had previously projected gold could reach $6,300 an ounce by year-end, recently lowered portions of its near-term outlook as higher energy prices altered Federal Reserve expectations.

Goldman Sachs continues forecasting gold eventually reaching roughly $5,400, largely due to sustained central-bank demand, but warned clients that prolonged Hormuz disruption creates meaningful downside pressure in the near term if interest rates continue climbing.

Other bullish long-term forecasts from Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and BNP Paribas were all issued before oil prices surged above $100 and before markets began pricing in renewed monetary tightening.

The policy environment has become the exact opposite of what historically drives strong gold rallies.

Throughout most of 2025, gold benefited from expectations of lower rates, a softer dollar, slowing growth, and reserve diversification away from the U.S. currency system. The Iran conflict has reversed much of that equation.

Markets are now pricing almost no meaningful Fed cuts next year, while the U.S. dollar has strengthened as investors increasingly view the American economy — now a major oil producer itself — as more insulated from the energy shock than Europe or parts of Asia.

One major pillar supporting gold, however, remains intact: central-bank buying.

Global central banks continue accumulating gold reserves at historically elevated levels as countries seek diversification away from the dollar-dominated financial system. Surveys conducted by major investment banks show a large majority of central banks still expect gold prices to remain above $5,000 over the next 12 months.

That demand is helping establish a floor under the market even as hedge funds and institutional investors reduce positions tied to falling rate-cut expectations.

The broader strategic case for gold also remains largely unchanged.

For many long-term investors, gold increasingly functions less as a short-term inflation hedge and more as insurance against rising sovereign debt burdens, persistent fiscal deficits, and long-term currency debasement risks across developed economies.

But the near-term setup remains difficult.

Technical analysts say gold’s recent breakdown below key momentum levels leaves the market vulnerable to additional downside pressure if rates continue climbing and oil prices remain elevated. Several trading desks now view the $4,500 level as a major support zone, with further declines potentially opening a path toward the low $4,300 range.

The clearest upside catalyst would likely be a meaningful diplomatic breakthrough between Washington and Tehran.

Reports continue circulating that negotiators remain close to a framework agreement that could reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for sanctions relief and restrictions on Iranian uranium enrichment. Such a deal would likely reduce oil prices, ease inflation fears, lower Treasury yields, and revive expectations for eventual Fed easing — a combination that would immediately benefit gold.

Until then, markets remain trapped in the same macro trade dominating nearly every asset class tied to the conflict.

Oil higher. Yields higher. Dollar higher. Gold lower.

The metal that traditionally protects investors during war is now being overwhelmed by the inflation and interest-rate shock the war itself created.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Israeli officials currently expect Ben Gurion Airport to remain operational even if fighting with Iran resumes, marking a significant shift from previous rounds of conflict in which Israeli airspace was shut down immediately after hostilities began.

According to a report by Channel 14, the assessment is based on what Israeli officials describe as a dramatic decline in Iran’s missile-launch capabilities following earlier military operations.

During Operation Am K’Lavi, Iran reportedly opened the conflict with barrages of roughly 100 missiles. In the later Operation Shaagas HaAri, the opening salvos had already declined to only several dozen missiles.

Now, Israeli security assessments reportedly indicate that Iran is no longer capable of launching large-scale barrages and could likely fire only limited volleys consisting of several missiles at a time — perhaps 10 to 15 at most.

As a result, current planning calls for Ben Gurion Airport to continue functioning even during renewed hostilities, although officials stressed that the policy could be reevaluated continuously depending on developments on the ground.

Under the current outlook, Israeli airlines are expected to continue operating flights, though many foreign carriers that recently resumed service to Israel would likely suspend operations again if conflict breaks out.

{Matzav.com}

Deep concern continues to spread among the talmidim and admirers of the tzaddik of Tiveriah, Rav Dov Kook, whose condition reportedly worsened suddenly on Tuesday morning after several days of cautious optimism.

Rav Dov Kook has been hospitalized in serious condition at Poriya Medical Center in Teveria since the end of last week and remains in need of rachamei Shamayim.

Family members and close associates had expressed guarded hope earlier this week after a slight improvement was recorded in the rav’s condition, including a successful attempt by doctors to reduce the level of sedation.

However, talmidim were informed Tuesday that Rav Dov’s condition had suddenly deteriorated, forcing the medical staff to return him to full sedation in an effort to stabilize him.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri visited the hospital Tuesday to fulfill the mitzvah of bikur cholim. During the visit, he met with the rav’s sons, Rav Shmuel and Rav Yisroel Meir Kook, as well as hospital director Prof. Noam Yehudai, ICU director Dr. Moshe Matan, MK Uriel Busso, Deputy Mayor Yossi Oknin, and city council member Yosef Chaim Bernes.

The visit came one day after Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein, father-in-law of Rav Dov Kook, broke down in tears at the conclusion of his shiur while pleading for tefillos on behalf of his son-in-law.

Rav Zilberstein emotionally declared, “He is a person that the generation stands upon.”

Rav Moshe Chaim Schneider, a close talmid of Rav Dov Kook and chairman of the Sifsei Kohen Institute, which disseminates the rav’s Torah teachings, issued a heartfelt call urging the tzibbur to intensify tefillos ahead of Shavuos.

“We are now approaching Shavuos, an especially auspicious time, when all of Klal Yisroel was healed at Har Sinai,” Rav Schneider said. “Precisely now, we must unite כאיש אחד בלב אחד for the recovery of our rebbe, who dedicated his entire life for the benefit of the tzibbur, worked tirelessly on behalf of the sick, and whose pure tefillos stood by countless Yidden in their times of distress.”

He continued, “The zechus of our rebbe, who serves as a support for thousands and through whose brachos countless people have experienced yeshuos, should stand for all of us. We beg the tzibbur: tear open the gates of Heaven and arouse abundant Heavenly mercy for the complete recovery of our master and rebbe.”

All are asked to daven for the complete recovery of Rav Dov ben Shoshana.

A massive atzeres tefillah is scheduled to take place Wednesday evening, ערב חג השבועות, at 6:00 p.m. on the soccer field facing Rav Dov Kook’s home in Teveria.

{Matzav.com}

US forces identified at least 10 mines planted by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, CBS News reported on Wednesday, citing US officials with knowledge of the matter. 

The mines were discovered following a recent US intelligence assessment. 

A previous CBS report from March said there were at least a dozen underwater mines in the Strait, according to US intelligence reports. 

Officials had said the mines were Maham 3 and Maham 7 Limpet mines, both manufactured in Iran, CBS reported. 

The Maham 3 is a “moored naval mine that uses magnetic and acoustic sensors to detect nearby vessels without physical contact,” explained the report. It analyzes movement to determine the best time to activate, holding the capacity to engage targets within 10 feet. 

The Maham 7, on the other hand, is known as a “sticking mine,” explained CBS. It is designed to rest on the seabed and relies on a combination of acoustic and three-axis magnetic sensors to detect nearby vessels. This mine targets medium-sized ships, landing craft, and smaller submarines.

The latest US assessments didn’t reveal the type of mines recently discovered, the report added. 

Safe route for commercial ships

The US Navy has spent weeks clearing mines from a route in the Strait of Hormuz meant for the safe passage of commercial ships. 

The US warned that transiting the normal route could be “extremely hazardous” due to mines laid by Tehran, added CBS.

Iran announced this week that it is working with Oman to create a joint “mechanism” to control traffic through the Strait, said the report. 

This post was originally published on here.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu is facing growing criticism within his own party over efforts to appoint his longtime personal attorney, Michael Ravilo, as Israel’s next state comptroller, with senior Likud figures warning the move could politically backfire just months before elections.

According to a report by Channel 12 News, several coalition members had sought to advance the candidacy of Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, who in the past challenged Supreme Court President Yitzchak Amit. However, sources inside Likud claimed Netanyahu’s office applied heavy pressure surrounding the appointment process, leaving Elron without enough political backing.

The controversy has now drawn in opposition lawmakers as well. Although opposition parties reportedly had no initial intention of supporting Elron, they ultimately decided he was a suitable candidate for the position.

Senior Likud officials sharply criticized Netanyahu’s push for Ravilo, arguing that appointing the prime minister’s former personal lawyer to oversee state accountability would create serious public backlash.

“The insane pressure coming from Netanyahu’s office surrounding the appointment of attorney Ravilo as state comptroller is a strategic mistake that will come back to hit us like a boomerang,” a senior Likud official said. “It is not appropriate for someone who served as the prime minister’s personal attorney to be the person overseeing him. This is a secret-ballot vote, and this whole situation could blow up in our faces.”

The official added even harsher criticism, warning that the political damage could hurt Likud at the ballot box.

“Just months before elections, Netanyahu is doing everything possible to push voters away from Likud,” the official said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly told President Donald Trump during recent talks in Beijing that Russian President Vladimir Putin may eventually view the war in Ukraine as a major strategic error.

The discussion, first revealed by the Financial Times, took place during extensive meetings between Trump and Xi last week that focused on the war in Ukraine, tensions involving the International Criminal Court, and the broader geopolitical rivalry involving the United States, Russia, and China.

According to the report, Xi conveyed to Trump that Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine could ultimately become a costly miscalculation for the Kremlin.

The reported remarks drew attention because Xi has largely refrained from publicly criticizing Putin or signaling distance from Moscow throughout the war.

Putin is expected to travel to China later this week for meetings with Xi, highlighting the ongoing importance of the “no-limits” alliance announced by Beijing and Moscow shortly before Russia invaded Ukraine more than four years ago.

Neither the White House nor Chinese officials publicly addressed the report. The White House declined comment, while the Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to inquiries.

The Financial Times further reported that Trump proposed closer coordination between the United States, China, and Russia in opposition to the International Criminal Court, an institution that conservatives and many Trump allies have accused of overstepping its authority and undermining national sovereignty.

Officials in the Trump administration have repeatedly criticized the ICC for what they describe as politically motivated actions and judicial activism, particularly in cases involving American allies and U.S. personnel.

Xi’s comments reportedly came as Ukraine escalated its campaign of long-range drone attacks deep inside Russian territory, exposing weaknesses in Russia’s defensive systems and adding new economic strain on Moscow.

In recent months, Ukraine has increasingly relied on sophisticated drone operations and precision strikes aimed at Russian oil facilities, fuel storage sites, and military-industrial infrastructure.

Military analysts cited by The Economist said the conflict may be approaching an “inflection point,” noting that Russia has recently suffered net territorial setbacks after months of gradual advances.

Politico reported that Ukraine launched more than 1,300 drones over the weekend in one of the war’s largest coordinated strike campaigns, targeting sites near Moscow and causing major disruptions to civilian air travel across Russia.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the strikes showed that Russia is no longer capable of fully protecting its capital from retaliation.

The expanding reach of Ukraine’s drone warfare program has also heightened fears within Russia about economic instability and rising military losses.

Russia’s economy shrank during the first quarter of 2026, while revenues from energy exports — a crucial source of financing for the war effort — have reportedly dropped significantly.

Some defense analysts now believe Putin could face growing internal pressure as the war continues without a decisive victory.

Although the Kremlin has attempted to minimize the impact of the Ukrainian attacks, even several pro-Russian commentators have acknowledged that Moscow’s air defense systems are facing increasing pressure.

{Matzav.com}

A 4-year-old frum girl was niftar in Valley Village, California, on Tuesday after being inadvertently left inside a hot vehicle for hours following her morning carpool ride to school.

According to YWN sources, the child was picked up as part of a carpool to Yeshiva K’tana of Los Angeles, but for reasons that remain unclear, she never exited the vehicle upon arrival. The driver, apparently unaware that the girl was still inside, parked the car and walked away.

The young child, unable to free herself, was niftar from the heat inside the vehicle.

The devastating discovery came only at the end of the school day, when the girl’s mother arrived at the yeshiva to pick her up. She was told by school staff that her daughter had never shown up that morning.

Hatzolah and emergency personnel responded to the scene, but it was too late.

The tragedy is the latest in a string of hot-car deaths that claim the lives of young children across the country every year, particularly during the warmer months. Safety advocates have long urged parents, drivers, and carpool operators to implement systems, such as placing a personal item in the back seat, verifying head counts upon arrival, or using car seat alarms, to prevent these heartbreaking incidents.

YWN does not like posting these tragedies, but we have no choice but to keep doing it, because these stories never seem to stop.

The name of the niftar has not yet been released. Details regarding the levayah will be published when available.

Boruch Dayan HaEmes.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

TORONTO (VINnews) — Toronto Police have elevated the search for a missing 14-year-old girl known as Esther or Esti to Priority 1 status, dedicating all available resources as community volunteers join the effort to bring her home safely.

Esther was last seen late Friday evening, May 15, 2026, near Earl Bales Park in the Bathurst Street and Sheppard Avenue West area of North York. She is described as 5-foot-2 with a medium build and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a green long-sleeve shirt, gray sweatpants and no shoes.

The search has intensified with hundreds of volunteers from Toronto’s Jewish community, including Shomrim Safety Patrol, assisting police with door-to-door canvassing, flyer distribution and searches in the wooded park and surrounding areas. A command center has operated from the Petah Tikvah Synagogue parking lot at 20 Danby Rd.

In a statement Tuesday, officials noted the escalation: “The search for missing youth Esti has now been escalated to Priority 1. Bringing her home safely remains our top priority. We joined Esti’s family today as the search continues, and we are grateful to the Toronto Police and Inspector Peter Wallace for dedicating every available resource to this effort.”

Police and volunteers urge anyone with information to call 911 immediately or contact Shomrim Toronto at (647) 557-6735. Toronto Police can also be reached at 416-808-3200 .

The community has been asked to check security cameras, backyards and sheds in the area and to continue sharing Esther’s photo widely. Her family has made emotional appeals for her safe return.

VINnews will provide updates as more information becomes available.

Iran’s reclusive new supreme leader is urging his country to wage a different kind of struggle for regional dominance: a baby boom.

In a written message released Tuesday, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei told a group of pro-natalist activists that Iran’s path to “great power” status runs through the maternity ward, calling on citizens to embrace a “culture of childbearing” and reverse one of the steepest fertility declines in modern history.

“By earnestly pursuing the correct, necessary policy of population growth, the great Iranian nation will be able to play a major role and experience strategic leaps in the future,” Khamenei wrote in a post on X.

A longer version of the remarks, carried by state broadcaster IRIB, told activists, “It is hoped that your sincere efforts will lead to fruitful results, God willing.”

The message marks a notable shift in tone for the younger Khamenei, whose brief tenure has been defined almost entirely by martial rhetoric directed at Israel and the United States. He was appointed supreme leader in March, days after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the joint US-Israeli strike on February 28 that triggered the ongoing war with the Islamic Republic. Mojtaba Khamenei was himself wounded in the bombardment and has not appeared in public since. His communications have been limited to written statements attributed to his office.

The new directive lands against a demographic backdrop that has alarmed Iranian officials for nearly a decade. Iran’s fertility rate stood at roughly 6.5 children per woman in 1979, the year of the Islamic Revolution. By 2024, the World Bank put it at 1.7. Some Iranian officials now place the figure even lower. The secretary of Iran’s National Population Headquarters said in December that fertility had fallen below 1.5, well under the 2.1 rate needed to maintain a stable population without immigration. Tehran province has reported rates as low as 1.3.

The country recorded just under 980,000 births in the Iranian calendar year ending March 20, the lowest annual total since 1955, according to figures from Iran’s Civil Registration Organization. The United Nations Population Division had not projected Iran to fall below the one-million-births threshold until 2050.

Iran’s population currently stands at roughly 92 million, making it the 17th most populous country in the world. That figure is less than half the population of neighboring Pakistan, which has continued to grow rapidly. Afghanistan, on Iran’s eastern border, also continues to register robust population growth.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In a rare and historic meeting Tuesday night in Yerushalayim, Slabodka Rosh Yeshiva Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch paid a special visit to the home of the Belzer Rebbe, marking the first public visit of its kind between the two gedolei Torah.

Rav Hirsch had arrived in Yerushalayim for a special chizuk visit ahead of Zeman Matan Toraseinu, visiting various Torah centers throughout the city. Late Tuesday night, the Rosh Yeshiva traveled to the Belzer Rebbe’s residence for what sources described as an extraordinary and elevated meeting between two of the leading figures of Yahadus HaChareidis.

Sources told Matzav.com that although the relationship between the Belzer Rebbe and Rav Hirsch has been close and ongoing for years, particularly since the Rosh Yeshiva assumed a central leadership role in the Litvishe world, their communication until now had largely taken place quietly through trusted intermediaries and private telephone conversations. This was the first publicized visit by the Rosh Yeshiva to the Rebbe’s home.

Over the past two years, the connection between the Belzer Rebbe and Rav Hirsch has frequently played a significant role behind the scenes regarding major issues affecting the Torah world and the broader chareidi public. On Tuesday night, however, the two gedolim sat together privately for an extended face-to-face discussion.

The uplifting conversation lasted approximately twenty minutes. Much of the discussion centered around the special segulah of the Shloshes Yemei Hagbalah, the days of preparation leading into Kabolas HaTorah on Shavuos.

The Belzer Rebbe reportedly expressed great interest in Rav Hirsch’s worldwide travels on behalf of strengthening Torah and supporting lomdei Torah across the golah. The Rebbe warmly thanked him on behalf of Klal Yisroel for his tireless efforts to bolster the Torah world.

During the conversation, the Rosh Yeshiva shared an emotional historical detail with the Rebbe, recounting that his grandfather had been a devoted Belzer chossid who regularly traveled to the Belzer Rebbes in Galicia. Rav Hirsch added that his grandfather was also named Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, and that he himself was named after him.

The Belzer Rebbe also spoke at length with the Rosh Yeshiva about his early years learning under his revered rebbi, Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, at the Lakewood yeshiva. The two gedolim additionally discussed the longstanding phenomenon in America of baalei batim and businessmen who dedicate themselves seriously to Torah learning and establish fixed daily sedorim despite their demanding work schedules.

Rav Hirsch described to the Rebbe the remarkable growth of Torah learning he has witnessed during his travels among Jewish communities throughout the world. He also elaborated on a major initiative he recently launched in Eretz Yisroel aimed at instilling greater cheishek haTorah and ameilus baTorah among working baalei batim, bringing an atmosphere of serious Torah learning into the lives of those engaged in parnassah.

Toward the conclusion of the meeting, the two discussed pressing issues currently facing the chareidi community. The gedolim reportedly spoke at length about the overall matzav of Yahadus HaChareidis in Eretz Yisroel and stressed that in these challenging times, Chassidim and Litvaks must remain united together “k’ish echad b’lev echad” in order to stand strong against the various decrees and threats facing the Torah world and faithful Judaism.

Before departing, Rav Hirsch offered heartfelt brachos to the Rebbe for a complete refuah and continued strength and longevity to lead his kehilla. The Rebbe warmly reciprocated, blessing the Rosh Yeshiva that he should continue leading Klal Yisroel with strength and good health until the coming of Goel Tzedek.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the standoff with Iran could soon come to an end, expressing optimism that Tehran is eager to reach an agreement while again warning that the regime will never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons.

Speaking during a Congressional picnic at the White House, Trump addressed the escalating tensions with Iran and suggested a resolution could come in the near future.

“I think we’re going to be finished with that very quickly,” Trump said.

“They want to make a deal so badly. They’re tired of this, and we’re going to be finished with that very quickly. Hopefully, we’re going to get it done in a very nice manner,” he added, while once again stressing that “they won’t have a nuclear weapon.”

Trump’s comments came one day after he disclosed on Truth Social that the United States had been preparing to strike Iran on Tuesday before the operation was delayed because of what he described as serious diplomatic discussions.

Speaking with reporters later Monday, Trump elaborated on the decision to postpone the military action.

“We were getting ready to do a very major attack tomorrow. I’ve put it off for a little while, hopefully, maybe forever, but possibly for a little while, because we’ve had very big discussions with Iran, and we’ll see what they amount to,” Trump said.

Earlier Tuesday, Trump indicated that military action had come extremely close to being approved before he ultimately halted the plan.

“I was an hour away” from authorizing a strike on Iran, Trump reportedly said, before explaining why he decided against immediate action.

“I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit,” he added. “I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon.”

Trump also accused Iran of pursuing nuclear weapons with dangerous intentions extending far beyond the region itself.

Trump said Iran wants a nuclear weapon “to blow up the Middle East and, frankly, to blow up the world. It’s not gonna happen.”

{Matzav.com}

President Trump on Tuesday offered reporters a firsthand look at the massive construction project underway at the White House, explaining that the highly discussed ballroom addition is only one part of a much larger underground military and security complex being built beneath the grounds.

Standing near the active construction site, Trump described the scale and sophistication of the project, encouraging reporters to appreciate the engineering involved.

“You might want to take a look at the complexity,” Trump said as he gestured toward the construction site on the premises.

According to Trump, the ballroom itself serves an additional purpose beyond hosting events. He said the structure is designed to shield a vast network of facilities currently under construction below ground level, including military and research infrastructure.

“These are all different rooms out here,” Trump said. “They’re building a hospital. They’re building a military hospital. They’re building all sorts of research facilities — also meeting rooms and rooms that go hand in hand for the military, using the ballroom, and the ballroom is really a shield and protecting all of the things that are built here.”

Trump said excavation and development have already extended far beneath the White House grounds, reaching multiple underground levels.

“This is down because we’ve already done these floors, but these are already down two floors. That is down about six stories deep. That’s fixed up normally,” he said, walking through other features and complexities of this design.

The president also detailed advanced security measures integrated into the structure, including protection against drone and missile threats, as well as tactical positions for military personnel.

“It’s all knit together between the drone proofing [and] the missile proofing. We have had the drone capacity upstairs. We can have all sorts of military up, whether — I hate to use the word snipers, but we have great sniper capacity,” the president said, revealing that it is “built for our snipers, not the enemy snipers.”

Trump noted that the height and positioning of the project provide sweeping visibility across the nation’s capital.

“And because of the height, we get a very clear view of everything all over Washington,” Trump said.

The president’s remarks came shortly after Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough ruled that a Republican proposal allocating $1 billion toward the White House ballroom project failed to comply with Senate reconciliation rules. Republican lawmakers, however, have said they are working on revisions to keep the funding package alive.

The funding proposal is part of a broader reconciliation bill that also includes money for Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. Because reconciliation bills require only a simple majority in the Senate, Republicans are seeking to advance the measure without Democratic support.

Democrats celebrated the parliamentarian’s ruling as a setback for the administration, though Republican lawmakers insisted a solution is already being prepared.

Reports have since emerged that Trump wants Senate Majority Leader John Thune to remove MacDonough from her position over the ruling.

Opponents of the project have criticized Trump’s vision for what he has repeatedly described as a secure and elegant ballroom complex. Over time, however, the proposal has evolved into a broader underground military and security facility.

Still, renovations and expansions at the White House are hardly unusual. Numerous presidents have altered or rebuilt portions of the executive mansion over the years, and historians note that very little of the original structure from the John Adams era remains intact today.

According to Breitbart News, “The only thing connecting the current structure to the barely ‘habitable’ building that Adams first entered is some of the sandstone exterior walls.”

Supporters of the project have pointed to recent security concerns as justification for the expanded construction effort, particularly following the attempted attack near the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner at the Washington Hilton several weeks ago.

Following that incident, Trump argued on Truth Social that the attempted attack underscored the urgent need for a protected event facility inside the White House grounds.

“What happened last night is exactly the reason that our great Military, Secret Service, Law Enforcement and, for different reasons, every President for the last 150 years, have been DEMANDING that a large, safe, and secure Ballroom be built ON THE GROUNDS OF THE WHITE HOUSE,” Trump said on Truth Social after the foiled shooting attempt.

“This event would never have happened with the Militarily Top Secret Ballroom currently under construction at the White House. It cannot be built fast enough!” he added.

{Matzav.com}

The head of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaniv Asor, has reduced by 10 days the prison sentence of a Nachal Brigade soldier who was convicted for wearing a “Moshiach” patch on his military uniform.

The decision came after recommendations were submitted by the commanders of both the Nachal Brigade and the 162nd Division requesting leniency in the case.

The sentence reduction followed a personal visit by Nachal Brigade commander Col. Arik Moyal to the military prison where the soldier was being held. During their meeting, the soldier acknowledged wrongdoing and expressed regret over the incident. Following that conversation and the soldier’s acceptance of responsibility, senior commanders approved a lighter punishment.

Earlier reports said the soldier, identified as Cpl. Or, filed an appeal through his attorney to the Military Prosecutor’s Office, arguing that the disciplinary process against him had been improperly conducted and questioning whether the brigade commander had the authority to hand down such a severe sentence.

One day earlier, the commander of the 162nd Division rejected the appeal against the original punishment. After that ruling, the soldier submitted a separate request directly to the Southern Command commander asking that his prison term be shortened.

In his filing to military prosecutors, the soldier’s attorney, Ran Cohen-Rochberger, maintained that wearing an unauthorized patch is classified under violations related to “appearance and uniform,” and that military rules do not allow imprisonment for a first offense of that nature.

According to a report by Galei Tzahal, the appeal also argued that the Nachal Brigade commander exceeded his authority in imposing the sentence and acted contrary to military regulations. The filing therefore called for the disciplinary conviction to be overturned.

{Matzav.com}

The Senate on Tuesday advanced a resolution that would force President Trump to withdraw US forces from the war with Iran, marking the first time such a measure has cleared a procedural hurdle since fighting began in late February and signaling a meaningful, if still limited, erosion of Republican support for the conflict.

The 50-47 vote discharged the war powers resolution sponsored by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, setting up a final floor vote on its passage. The timing of that vote was not immediately clear.

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), who lost his bid for a third term in Saturday’s Louisiana Republican primary after President Trump endorsed his opponent, provided the decisive vote. It was the first time Cassidy had supported any war powers measure related to the Iran conflict. He joined Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), all of whom had backed earlier iterations of the resolution.

Three Republicans, Sens. John Cornyn of Texas, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, and Thom Tillis of North Carolina, did not vote. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a consistent supporter of the war, was the only Democrat to oppose advancing the measure.
Tuesday’s vote was the eighth Senate attempt to constrain the president’s authority to wage war against Iran since the conflict began on February 28. The previous seven failed.

“My colleagues and I have been forcing votes to stop the war against Iran, and we’re making progress,” Kaine said on X following the vote. “My colleagues are hearing more and more from their constituents: end this costly and unnecessary war.”

The resolution, if ultimately enacted, would direct the president to “remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Iran, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.” It is rooted in the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the post-Vietnam statute that requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces into hostilities and caps any unauthorized deployment at 60 days.

The 60-day window from the February 28 strikes passed in late April. The administration has argued that the ceasefire reached on April 7 effectively suspended the clock, and Trump informed congressional leaders in a May 1 letter that “hostilities” with Iran had “terminated.” Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho) echoed that position last week, arguing that the hostilities referenced in the resolution “do not exist today and have not existed for some time.”

Democrats and a growing number of Republicans have rejected that framing. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), who led the previous attempt, told reporters before last week’s vote that the war was “at a different stage, and it may heat up again.” Murkowski crossed the aisle last week for the first time, citing the absence of clarity from the administration about the legal basis for ongoing US deployments and naval operations around Iran. The senator from Alaska has separately said she intends to introduce a formal authorization for the use of military force.

Cassidy’s vote on Tuesday reshaped the math in a way none of his colleagues’ had. Until Saturday, he had been weighing his vote with an eye toward a primary fight that ended in his elimination. Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow advanced to the runoff in his place. Cassidy, a physician and two-term senator who voted to convict Trump at his 2021 impeachment trial, is now serving out the final months of his Senate career with no further election to face. He has not publicly explained his shift, but the result freed him to vote without political cost in the same way his earlier convictions had cost him.

The resolution remains, as a practical matter, unlikely to become law. It would require passage by the Republican-controlled House and would face a near-certain presidential veto. An override would require two-thirds majorities in both chambers, a threshold not remotely in sight. But its supporters have framed the exercise as a tool for forcing Republicans to put a position on the record at a moment when public support for the war has eroded.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released earlier this week found that roughly two-thirds of American voters do not believe Trump has adequately explained why the United States is at war with Iran. Gas prices have continued to climb ahead of the summer driving season, driven primarily by the continued partial closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the US naval blockade of Iranian ports. Inflation data released earlier this spring registered the largest monthly spike in four years. Several Republican senators have privately expressed concern that the war’s economic toll could damage GOP prospects in the November midterms.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) urged Republicans to remain unified ahead of the vote, citing the president’s ongoing diplomatic travel and overlapping negotiations with China. “I think it would be best if everybody hung together and supported the president,” Thune said. “But we’ll see. People have their own minds about some of these issues.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged Republicans to “be honest with themselves” ahead of the vote. “Last week we got one more Republican to join with us,” he said. “Republicans, it’s time to break the cycle. Support our war powers resolution.”

Tuesday’s outcome reflects a slow but cumulative shift. Paul had been the lone Republican to vote with Democrats for the first five attempts. Collins joined late last month, just before the 60-day War Powers Act window expired. Murkowski crossed last week. Cassidy crossed on Tuesday.

The vote came hours after Vice President JD Vance, speaking from the White House briefing room, said the administration still preferred a diplomatic solution to the war but was “locked and loaded” to resume military operations if a deal could not be reached. The Trump administration has been engaged in intermittent face-to-face talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad since mid-April, with Pakistan serving as mediator. Negotiations have repeatedly stalled over the scope of Iran’s nuclear program, the disposition of its highly enriched uranium stockpile, and the formal reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The British government has quietly relaxed part of its sanctions policy on Russian energy, allowing imports of diesel and jet fuel refined from Russian crude oil in third countries as the Iran war continues disrupting global fuel supplies.

For everyday consumers, the decision highlights how severe the global fuel shortage has become — and how governments are increasingly prioritizing energy stability over strict sanctions enforcement as diesel and airline fuel prices surge.

Under the new policy issued Tuesday, the UK will now allow imports of diesel and jet fuel produced from Russian oil if that oil is refined in countries such as India, Turkey or China before being sold to Britain.

The move effectively reopens a supply channel Britain had blocked last year.

Officials say the change is aimed at easing pressure on fuel markets after months of war-driven disruptions in the Middle East pushed oil, diesel and aviation fuel prices sharply higher.

The Iran conflict and ongoing instability around the Strait of Hormuz — one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes — have created major supply problems for global energy markets.

Diesel prices are especially important because diesel fuels much of the economy, including trucking, shipping, farming equipment, construction machinery and parts of public transportation.

Jet fuel shortages have also become a growing issue for airlines, where fuel can account for roughly one-third of operating costs.

As fuel prices rise, the effects often spread quickly through the broader economy in the form of higher shipping costs, more expensive airline tickets and increased prices for goods in stores.

The UK’s decision follows a similar move by the United States earlier this week extending a waiver tied to Russian oil purchases amid concerns about global energy shortages.

The European Union has also softened certain restrictions as governments try to prevent deeper fuel crises.

The situation reflects a difficult balancing act facing Western governments.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the UK, U.S. and Europe have tried to reduce Moscow’s energy revenues through sanctions and trade restrictions. But Russia remains one of the world’s largest oil exporters, and much of its crude has continued flowing into global markets through countries that never joined Western sanctions.

India and Turkey, in particular, dramatically increased purchases of discounted Russian crude over the past several years. Refineries there then process the oil into diesel, jet fuel and other products that can legally be resold internationally.

Critics argue the policy shift weakens pressure on Russia and undermines sanctions designed to limit funding for Moscow’s war effort.

Supporters counter that restricting fuel supplies during a global energy crisis could cause major economic damage for households, businesses and airlines while doing little to actually stop Russian exports.

The UK government has framed the move as a practical response to extraordinary market conditions rather than a broader reversal of sanctions policy.

The policy currently applies only to diesel and jet fuel — not gasoline — and officials retain the authority to cancel or revise the license later if global conditions improve.

Still, the decision underscores a growing reality in global energy markets: despite years of sanctions, Russian oil remains deeply embedded in the world economy.

Analysts say many Western governments are increasingly acknowledging privately that completely removing Russian energy from global supply chains may not be realistic during periods of major geopolitical instability and tight fuel supplies.

For British consumers, the immediate impact may be modest but potentially helpful.

The move could ease some upward pressure on diesel and airline fuel prices over time, though oil prices themselves remain heavily influenced by developments in the Middle East and the ongoing Iran conflict.

As long as global crude prices stay elevated, drivers and travelers are still likely to feel pressure at gas stations and airports.

But the policy shift signals that governments are becoming more willing to compromise on sanctions enforcement when fuel shortages begin threatening broader economic stability.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Former hostage Romi Gonen revealed in an emotional interview with singer Ishay Ribo that his song “Tocho Ratzuf Ahava” became a source of comfort and strength for her during her time in captivity in Gaza.

The conversation took place on Gonen’s program, “The New Life of Romi Gonen,” which airs on the V1 app. During the interview, she described the powerful emotions she experienced when she finally heard the song after many months in captivity, saying it immediately brought thoughts of her mother to mind.

Gonen explained that throughout the long period she was held hostage, she constantly hoped the song would eventually come on the radio whenever captives were briefly allowed to listen.

“Something in me was always waiting to hear ‘Tocho Ratzuf Ahava’ whenever we listened to the radio,” Gonen told Ribo during their conversation in the studio.

She then recounted the moment the song finally aired, nearly a year after she had been taken captive.

“Then it came, almost a year later, during the week of October 7. By chance they brought us a radio, and suddenly I woke up when Emily shouted to me, ‘Lula, “Tocho Ratzuf Ahava” is on the radio.’”

According to Gonen, she immediately rushed over to listen, placing both headphones on her ears as the music momentarily transported her away from the suffering and fear around her.

She said the song instantly connected her to memories of her mother. “For one moment, just to be inside it, inside the situation, as if I’m not in Gaza and my mother is here with me – that’s her ringtone.”

Ribo appeared deeply emotional after hearing her story and shared what the song represented to him in the context of her ordeal. He said the lyrics reflect Divine compassion and explained how meaningful it was to hear that the music had offered her comfort during such darkness.

“It moves me very much,” Ribo responded. “The words speak about G-d’s infinite mercy toward us. And from your place – anyone who hasn’t experienced this cannot even imagine it, because we have no human ability to truly understand it – that you are there and these words give you strength. Yes, they remind you of your mother, but in essence you feel protected and strengthened by it.”

Ribo concluded by expressing amazement that a song could bring hope and emotional light during such unbearable circumstances.

“If you hadn’t told me this, I could never have imagined that a song like this, at such a difficult and dark moment, could bring light.”

Rep. Thomas Massie, one of President Donald Trump’s most outspoken Republican critics in Congress, was defeated Tuesday in Kentucky’s Republican primary by Trump-endorsed candidate Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL.

Gallrein will now move on to the November midterm election after securing victory in Kentucky’s Fourth Congressional District in what became the most expensive House primary race in American history.

The race had been closely watched nationwide as a major measure of Trump’s continued dominance over the Republican Party more than a decade after first entering national politics.

Throughout the campaign, Trump repeatedly urged Republican voters to back Gallrein and sharply attacked Massie, referring to him as a “major sleazebag” and “the worst Republican congressman in history”.

Massie, who had represented the district since 2012, frequently clashed with Trump in recent years. He opposed Trump’s “big, beautiful” tax-and-spending package last year, citing concerns over the growing national debt. He also voted against certain military actions backed by Trump, including operations targeting suspected drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and the ongoing conflict involving Iran.

The Kentucky congressman additionally joined Democrats and several Republicans in pushing the Justice Department to release all files connected to Jeffrey Epstein.

Addressing supporters after conceding defeat, Massie said he remained proud of the way his campaign had been conducted.

“we’ve been honourable the whole time,” he told supporters.

“It started nine months ago, and they didn’t even have a candidate, and they decided they wanted to take me out,” he added.

On the eve of the primary, Trump intensified his attacks on Massie in a series of social media posts, labeling him “an obstructionist and a fool”.

Gallrein also received campaign support from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who traveled to Kentucky and accused Massie of engaging in “constant obstruction”.

Massie responded by arguing that Hegseth’s appearance in the district actually reflected concern within the Gallrein campaign.

“You don’t send the Secretary of War to Kentucky during a war if you think your candidate is up 10 points. That’s what you do when you realise your whole campaign is imploding,” Massie told CBS News.

Massie defended much of his voting record alongside Trump but said his disagreements came on matters of principle.

“90% of the time,” Massie said he voted with Trump, though he argued that the president and his allies “want 100% compliance”.

“It’s only the 10% of the time they’re mad about – when I won’t vote for a war, when I won’t vote for warrantless spying and when I won’t vote to bankrupt the country,” he said.

“But in those instances, I’m doing what I told the people in Kentucky I would do.”

In another major Kentucky Republican contest, Rep. Andy Barr won the GOP nomination to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is stepping down after serving more than four decades in the Senate.

Barr’s victory followed Trump’s endorsement and came after the president reportedly helped clear the field by offering an ambassadorship to Barr’s leading Republican rival.

Trump has continued to aggressively shape Republican primaries across the country through endorsements, including efforts targeting lawmakers who opposed him or supported his conviction during the 2021 impeachment proceedings.

In Texas, Trump has also backed Attorney General Ken Paxton over longtime Republican Sen. John Cornyn.

“John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough,” Trump said Tuesday while explaining his endorsement of Paxton.

{Matzav.com}

For the average frum businessman, the Bais Medrash doesn’t end where the corporate office begins—the two flow naturally into one another. While many view the intricate laws of Choshen Mishpat as the exclusive domain of Dayanim, the groundbreaking initiative called Yorucha is making these areas of Halacha accessible and understandable for the everyday entrepreneur. Created by Rabbonim and Dayanim of the Bais Havaad, Yorucha offers working professionals an in-depth, easy-to-follow curriculum to gain a working knowledge of business halacha.

Participants receive comprehensive source booklets paired with daily audio Shiurim, daily business halacha Q&A videos, and more. Shortly, Yorucha will be introducing specialty tracks for specific industries and is currently developing a new mobile app and an upgraded website to enhance the program.

The impact of this approach is already being felt across the country. To date, Yorucha has expanded to over 250 Chaburos and transformed the lives of thousands of individuals. The participants have incorporated their learning into how they conduct their daily business dealings, making sure everything is Al Pi Halacha.

To keep this momentum going and ensure that financial barriers never stand in the way of Torah knowledge, the program is fully subsidized for participating groups, and individual learners receive generous subsidies as well. As Yorucha prepares for its next cycle of learners, they have launched “The Mission Continues Campaign” which is happening now. Donations directly fund the launch of new Chaburos, new and advanced learning tracks and allows Yorucha to expand its reach, deepen its impact, and continue teaching Business Halacha to the professionals who live it every day.

Visit charidy.com/yorucha to give your donation

More than 113,000 electric kettles sold at Costco and HomeGoods have been recalled after reports that the handles can detach and spill hot water, including one reported second-degree burn, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The recall, announced May 14, involves ZWILLING J. A. Henckels Aktiengesellschaft Enfinigy Kettle and Enfinigy Kettle Pro electric stainless-steel kettles after reports of the handles loosening and separating, posing a risk of serious injury due to a burn hazard.

About 113,440 kettles were recalled in the United States, according to the CPSC report. An additional 43,963 were sold in Canada and 48 were sold in Mexico.

BLACKSTONE SEASONING BLEND RECALLED OVER POSSIBLE SALMONELLA CONTAMINATION

The firm received 163 reports of kettle handles loosening or separating, including five incidents involving handle separation and one reported second-degree burn.

The affected kettles can be identified by model numbers 53101-200 and 53101-201 for the 1.5L ENFINIGY Electric Kettle, and 53101-500, 53101-501, 53101-502, 53101-503 and 53101-504 for the 1.5L ENFINIGY Electric Kettle Pro. 

The model numbers and “ZWILLING” branding can be found on the bottom of the kettle and the power base.

MORE THAN 125,000 CHILDREN’S TOWER STOOLS RECALLED NATIONWIDE DUE TO POSSIBLE DEADLY DEFECT

The electric stainless-steel kettles came in several colors, including black, silver, rose gold and white, according to the recall notice. ZWILLING branding appears on the kettle itself.

The kettles were sold at Costco, HomeGoods stores nationwide and online at zwilling.com from December 2019 through February 2026 for between $120 and $200.

Customers are urged to stop using the kettles immediately and to contact the brand in exchange for a full refund.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO 

Consumers in the U.S. should also visit the brand’s website for instructions before disposing of the recalled product, including unplugging the kettle, cutting the cord and uploading a photo of it.

A representative for Costco did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

A 75-page manifesto attributed to the two teenagers who killed three people in Monday’s attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego is being authenticated by federal investigators, who say the writings reflect a sprawling ideological hatred directed at Muslims, Jews, and others, and praise some of the most notorious mass killers of the past three decades.

Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, opened fire outside the mosque shortly before noon on Monday, killing security guard Amin Abdullah and two staff members. Both attackers died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle near the scene, San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said. The mosque, located in the Clairemont neighborhood and described as the largest in San Diego County, was holding classes for children at the time of the attack.

The document, which has circulated online since the shooting and was reviewed by multiple news organizations, includes lengthy sections apparently written by each of the gunmen. The writings refer extensively to accelerationism, a white-supremacist ideology that calls for violence to hasten the collapse of pluralistic society and the establishment of a white ethnostate, and they identify the 2019 Christchurch, New Zealand mosque massacre as the operational and ideological model for the attack. The manifesto is titled “The New Crusade” and bears the subhead “Sons of Tarrant,” a reference to Christchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant.

Three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that investigators are working to verify the document’s authorship and provenance.

“We are dedicating every resource the FBI has to conduct a thorough analysis of that manifesto to try to learn what led to this, but I think also more importantly, how can we stop future attacks,” Mark Remily, special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Diego field office, said at a Monday afternoon briefing. “They didn’t discriminate on who they hated. It covered a wide aspect of races and religions, more than just the Islamic people.”

The writings, the imagery left at the scene, and material recovered from the suspects’ online accounts share common features. A red fuel can found near the suspects’ vehicle bore the twin lightning-bolt symbol of the Nazi Waffen-SS. One of the shotguns recovered at the scene was photographed with hateful phrases scrawled on its stock. The Black Sun, an esoteric symbol with origins in Nazi Germany, and the insignia of Atomwaffen Division, a US-based neo-Nazi accelerationist network, appear repeatedly in the manifesto and across material reviewed by The California Post.

In a section identifying himself, Vazquez wrote that he aligned with “Third Positionism, specifically National Socialism and eco-fascism” and that his only meaningful religion was “the white race.” He described himself as an accelerationist who believed that “an all-out race war for the purpose of societal collapse is the only real way forward.” A separate section attributed to Clark, titled “Death to the World,” contained passages on what the author called “the Jewish question,” “Muslims,” and “the beauty of war.”

Clark described himself as “the average white man wanting to do the right thing” and said his motive was to “secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,” a phrase known as the “14 Words” and one of the most recognizable slogans in modern white-supremacist propaganda.

Both authors expressed admiration for past killers. Clark cited Adolf Hitler as an ideological inspiration and named, among others, Christchurch attacker Brenton Tarrant, Poway Chabad gunman John Earnest, Pittsburgh synagogue gunman Robert Bowers, Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh, and Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik. He also referenced Ted Kaczynski.

The writings include explicit operational discussion of livestreaming an attack, with Vazquez urging readers to “spread our message” and Clark advising future attackers to “try to get the latest version you can if you plan to stream your attack.” A livestream of part of the attack circulated briefly before being taken down by platforms.

The document ends with a question-and-answer section attributed to Clark in which he stated that he hated his victims, did not intend to survive, and was not affiliated with any formal political organization despite his expressed support for various extremist movements. He wrote that, had he survived, he would have allowed his attorneys to manage any subsequent legal proceedings. He also distanced himself from American mainstream politics, writing that “the modern left is retarded, and the modern right is foolish,” and stating that he did not align with either the Trump movement or the institutional right.

Investigators are also reviewing the suspects’ online footprint. A Steam gaming profile and a Venmo account, both using the username “SurfaceLevel,” have been linked to Clark, according to material reviewed by The California Post. The Steam profile contained imagery referencing fascist and Nazi material, including artwork combining the Black Sun symbol with portraits of Hitler, photographs of German soldiers in World War II formation, and a reference to José Antonio Primo de Rivera, the founder of the Spanish Falange. The Post said it identified additional accounts associated with the second attacker containing related imagery and language consistent with the manifesto.

The two attackers appear to have met online, according to a briefing provided by federal officials to CBS News and others, and shared what the FBI described as a “broad hatred” of religions and races.

Clark attended James Madison High School virtually and had been a member of the school’s wrestling team during the 2024-2025 season. He was scheduled to graduate later this month, a district official said. Vazquez has been described in initial reporting as a resident of Chula Vista, where law enforcement officials were observed at a home believed to be linked to his family. Clark’s mother had contacted San Diego police hours before the attack, reporting that her son was missing, suicidal, and had taken her car and several firearms. She told officers that he and a companion had left dressed in camouflage. Officers had been in contact with the family that morning.

Wahl, the police chief, called the assault “every community’s worst nightmare” and said it was being investigated as a hate crime. He credited Abdullah, the security guard killed, with preventing what he described as a potentially far greater toll inside the mosque.

“At this point, I think it’s fair to say his actions were heroic,” Wahl said. “Undoubtedly, he saved lives today.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

(AP) – The two-term state treasurer was uncontested in the GOP primary.

Garrity is running as a strong backer of Trump’s agenda as she attempts to be the first Republican to win the office in Pennsylvania since 2010.

Shapiro ran uncontested for the Democratic Party’s nomination to seek a second term.

Garrity lagged badly behind Shapiro in fundraising after winning two relatively low-profile races for treasurer.

Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Meir Ber, was involved in a minor traffic accident Tuesday morning while returning home from Shacharis.

A statement issued by the Chief Rabbi’s office said the incident took place shortly after the rabbi completed his morning prayers.

As a precaution, Rav Ber was transported to a hospital for medical evaluation and testing to ensure that he had not suffered any internal injuries in the accident.

Doctors conducted a series of examinations, and after the tests were completed, the rabbi was discharged a short time later after no significant medical concerns were found.

His office stated: “The rabbi was examined at the hospital and released shortly afterward – with no abnormal findings.”

The Justice Department has opened an investigation into Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) over allegations of immigration fraud, Vice President JD Vance disclosed Tuesday, giving federal weight to a set of claims that have followed the congresswoman for nearly a decade.

Vance confirmed the probe in response to a question at a White House briefing, taking care to frame the inquiry in measured terms while making clear the administration views the underlying allegations as credible.

“I don’t want to prejudge an investigation,” Vance said. “It certainly seems like something fishy is there, but everybody’s entitled to equal justice under the laws.”

“So we’re going to investigate it. We’re going to take a look at it. If we think that there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime, and that’s something the Department of Justice is looking at right now,” he added.

The vice president, who oversees the administration’s effort to combat federal benefit fraud, has previously gone further. In March, he told reporters that Omar “definitely committed immigration fraud,” referring to long-circulating allegations that the congresswoman’s brief second marriage was to her own brother. Omar’s chief of staff, Connor McNutt, called the assertion “a ridiculous lie” at the time.

The DOJ probe lands at a particularly difficult political moment for the four-term Minneapolis congresswoman, who is simultaneously navigating mounting questions about her possible ties to the Feeding Our Future scandal, the $250 million COVID-era child nutrition fraud scheme that has resulted in more than 70 convictions in her home state.

The immigration questions trace back to Omar’s 2002 Islamic marriage to Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi, with whom she had three children. The couple was not legally married in the United States until January 2018. In the interim, in February 2009, Omar entered a civil marriage in a Christian ceremony in Eden Prairie, Minn., with Ahmed Nur Said Elmi, a British citizen of Somali descent, according to a Hennepin County marriage certificate obtained by the New York Post. The couple divorced in December 2017.

Omar has rarely spoken publicly about the relationship and has consistently denied the central allegation, which surfaced first on the Somali-language discussion board SomaliSpot and was later reported by the conservative magazine City Journal and other outlets. She has described the marriage as brief and said the couple was frequently separated, with only a two-year stretch of cohabitation between 2009 and 2011. The couple has no known children together.

A Minneapolis-based Somali blogger and community organizer, Abdihakim Osman, told the Daily Mail in 2020 that Omar had introduced Elmi to members of the local Somali community as her brother visiting from London in the late 2000s, and that she had said at the time that he was seeking immigration documents. A photograph posted to Instagram by Elmi showed him holding Omar’s third child with a caption referring to “nieces,” according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The photo was subsequently deleted, as were the original SomaliSpot threads.

Omar has previously called the allegations “absolutely false” and the product of a years-long smear campaign rooted in racism and Islamophobia. She has not been charged with any crime.

The Tuesday disclosure represents the first public confirmation that the Justice Department has moved beyond political accusation to an active criminal inquiry. It was not immediately clear which US Attorney’s office is handling the case or how long the investigation has been underway.

The development comes against a wider backdrop of federal and state scrutiny of the congresswoman. The House Oversight Committee earlier this year referred its investigation into the financial disclosures of Omar’s husband, Tim Mynett, to the House Ethics Committee, citing what it called the “apparent rapid growth” of two companies in which Mynett holds ownership stakes. According to a committee letter, those entities, eStCru LLC and Rose Lake Capital LLC, were valued at as much as $51,000 on Omar’s 2023 disclosures and as much as $30 million on her 2024 disclosures. Mynett has not publicly responded to the committee’s questions.

In Minnesota, the Republican-led House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee has spent the spring seeking documents and testimony from Omar relating to the Feeding Our Future scheme. A motion to subpoena her records failed on a tied vote in mid-May, with the committee’s five Republican members in favor and three Democrats opposed. The committee’s chair, Rep. Kristin Robbins, has said Omar’s office did not respond to multiple invitations to testify.

Federal court exhibits from the trial of Aimee Bock, the convicted founder of Feeding Our Future, identified Omar’s office six times, including in an email chain bearing the subject line “Help with USDA Food Program” and in references to a recovered text message thread between Bock and the congresswoman’s office. Bock was convicted in March 2025 of conspiracy, wire fraud, and bribery and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 31.

In an interview with the New York Post over the weekend from federal custody, Bock asserted that Omar had been aware of the scheme, while also accusing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison of having been aware of it. Bock acknowledged in the same interview that she had never personally spoken with Omar and had only dealt with members of the congresswoman’s staff. None of her allegations have been independently corroborated.

A separate strand of state Republican concern has focused on Omar’s authorship of the MEALS Act, which she shepherded into law in March 2020 as a provision of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. Robbins and her colleagues argue that the legislation “took the guardrails off the federal school nutrition program” and created the regulatory conditions under which Feeding Our Future operated.

Omar’s office has rejected that framing. Her former district director, Kendal Killian, wrote to the Minnesota committee earlier this month arguing that the relevant waiver authority was added to the bill by Senate Republicans and signed by President Trump, and was not part of Omar’s original legislative draft.

Omar has previously called the alleged misuse of school meal funds “reprehensible” and demanded answers from the US Department of Agriculture under the Biden administration. She has also pointed out that members of her own family, including her father and a stepmother, were named at various points in connection with smaller related fraud schemes and that she had reported the conduct to authorities.

Vance’s announcement Tuesday was the latest in a series of high-profile public interventions from the vice president on what the administration has labeled benefit fraud, an issue he has made central to his domestic portfolio alongside his role leading negotiations to end the war with Iran. In remarks earlier this spring, Vance described the federal response to pandemic-era fraud schemes as one of the administration’s defining domestic priorities and indicated that further criminal referrals would follow.

For now, the vice president declined to detail the scope of the Omar investigation or any anticipated timeline. “We’re going to take a look at it,” he said. “If we think that there’s a crime, we’re going to prosecute that crime.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Florida governor intensifies attack on visa program as technology companies slash U.S. jobs while continuing to recruit foreign workers amid the AI boom.

NEW YORK — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is escalating his attack on the H-1B visa program, accusing major technology companies of laying off American workers while continuing to import lower-cost foreign labor under the claim of a domestic talent shortage — a contradiction he says is becoming harder to defend as artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes the white-collar workforce.

In a widely circulated post on X that has since evolved into a broader policy campaign, DeSantis called the H-1B program “a scam” that has been “used to import cheap foreign labor at the expense of Americans,” adding that the practice becomes “especially galling when artificial intelligence is forecast to reduce a significant number of white collar jobs.”

The Florida governor, widely viewed as a leading Republican figure and potential 2028 presidential contender, has since moved aggressively to translate that rhetoric into policy, spearheading one of the toughest state-level crackdowns on the visa system in the country.

The criticism lands at a moment when the technology sector itself is undergoing historic upheaval.

According to layoffs tracker TrueUp, the U.S. technology industry has already logged hundreds of layoff events impacting nearly 100,000 workers so far in 2026, as corporations continue restructuring around artificial intelligence, automation and cost reduction.

Major companies across Silicon Valley and the broader tech sector have spent the past two years simultaneously cutting payrolls while dramatically increasing spending on AI infrastructure, cloud systems and data centers.

Oracle reportedly eliminated tens of thousands of positions globally this year. Amazon cut thousands of corporate roles following multiple previous rounds of layoffs. Microsoft and Meta Platforms likewise reduced headcount while continuing massive investments into AI systems and infrastructure.

At the same time, the largest hyperscale technology firms — including Alphabet, Amazon, Meta and Microsoft — are collectively projected to spend hundreds of billions of dollars this year alone on AI-related infrastructure and computing capacity.

That disconnect has become central to the political backlash now building around the H-1B program.

“These tech companies will fire Americans and hire H-1B at a discount,” DeSantis said during a University of South Florida appearance last year. “This is basically, in some respects, cheap labor that they’re bringing in to try to save money.”

DeSantis has also criticized the structure of the visa system itself, arguing that because H-1B workers are tied directly to sponsoring employers, the arrangement suppresses wages and limits labor mobility in ways that disproportionately benefit corporations.

Vice President JD Vance has echoed similar concerns publicly, arguing companies should not be allowed to lay off American workers while simultaneously claiming labor shortages to justify foreign hiring.

The debate is intensifying as artificial intelligence increasingly disrupts the technology labor market itself.

For years, the H-1B program was primarily defended as a mechanism for filling highly specialized technical positions that American companies allegedly struggled to staff domestically. But critics now argue the rapid rise of AI automation weakens that argument as technology firms simultaneously reduce hiring, automate workflows and restructure staffing models.

Supporters of the program counter that the global competition for elite engineering talent remains fierce and that restricting high-skilled immigration could ultimately weaken America’s technological leadership against competitors such as China.

The Trump administration has already moved aggressively to tighten portions of the system.

Federal policy changes imposed higher fees on new H-1B applications and shifted selection rules toward higher-paid applicants rather than purely random lottery selection. The result has been a measurable decline in filings among several major technology firms.

Meanwhile, state governments are beginning to act independently.

Under DeSantis’s direction, Florida’s university system moved to restrict new H-1B hiring across public universities through at least early 2027. Texas implemented similar restrictions at state universities earlier this year.

Labor groups and some economists say the criticism surrounding the visa system increasingly reflects broader anxiety about the future of white-collar employment itself.

Artificial intelligence is already automating portions of coding, customer service, administrative support, reporting and research functions that once required large numbers of employees. That transition is fueling fears that corporations may increasingly combine automation with lower-cost global labor strategies simultaneously.

The economic stakes are significant.

Technology remains one of the most strategically important sectors in the U.S. economy, with AI, semiconductors, cybersecurity and cloud infrastructure now tied directly to national competitiveness and national security.

But the political optics of mass layoffs alongside continued foreign hiring are becoming increasingly difficult for many companies to defend publicly.

That tension is now reshaping the national debate over immigration, labor policy and the future structure of the American workforce.

For DeSantis and other Republicans pushing H-1B reform, the argument is increasingly straightforward:
if artificial intelligence is already reducing demand for certain white-collar jobs, corporations should prioritize retraining and hiring American workers before seeking lower-cost labor abroad.

For Silicon Valley, however, the concern is different.

Technology executives warn that limiting access to global engineering talent could slow innovation at the exact moment the United States is locked in an escalating technological arms race with China.

The collision between those two realities — protecting American workers versus maintaining technological dominance — is now becoming one of the defining economic and political fights of the AI era.

And as layoffs continue spreading across the technology sector, the pressure on Washington and corporate America alike is only intensifying.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Kosher.com brought together food, inspiration, and community with a special pre-Shavuos event benefiting A Touch of Care, the Lakewood-based organization that supports families facing illness and crisis.

The women’s event featured an elegant dairy menu, a tea bar sponsored by Wissotzky, and an uplifting conversation with the inspiring giores Adina Shoshana, known online as @NowJewishNanny. During the event, Adina shared her personal inspiring story and the connection she feels to the story of Rus.

The women gathered for an evening that combined warmth, community, and meaningful inspiration ahead of Shavuos, while also supporting the important work of A Touch of Care, an organization that provides support to Jewish families who have received a diagnosis of Down syndrome, either during pregnancy or at birth.

You can read more about the event here: https://www.kosher.com/article/a-look-inside-our-special-pre-shavuos-event/

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New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) Far be it from this author to weigh in on a debate between Rav Moshe Feinstein and the Satmar Rebbe, but there is one thought that could have been, perhaps, missed.

The two giants of Torah once debated about AI — not the current one but the other one. Rav Moshe held that it did not create mamzeirus, since Yirmiyahu HaNavi consulted with Ben Sira on spiritual matters notwithstanding that the midrash traces Ben Sira’s origin to an accidental embryo-genetic event in a bathhouse that, had it occurred in a different way, would have resulted in mamzeirus.

There is another proof, perhaps, that Rav Moshe zt”l could have cited — and it is hiding in plain sight, in the very Yom Kippur Mussaf that every shul davens. Min hashamayim, the writings of Ben Sira themselves entered the davening. The Ashkenazi piyut “Amitz Koach,” and in particular its famous refrain “Emes Mah Nehedar,” is built directly upon Ben Sira’s words in chapter 50 of Sefer Ben Sira.

A little background is in order. The Hebrew of Ben Sira chapter 50 has been preserved primarily in Manuscript B from the Cairo Geniza — a 12th-century manuscript that nonetheless reflects a much earlier Hebrew Vorlage — and partially in the Masada scroll, which dates to the 1st century BCE. Ben Sira opens this chapter to Shimon HaTzaddik with the words: “מה נהדר בהשגיחו מאהל, ובצאתו מבית הפרכת” — “How glorious (mah nehedar) was he when he looked forth from the Ohel, and when he came out from the Beis HaParoches.”

Now, those familiar with the Yom Kippur Mussaf will immediately recognize where this is going. The piyut opens with the words: “אמת מה נהדר היה כהן גדול בצאתו מבית קדשי הקדשים בשלום בלי פגע” — “In truth, mah nehedar was the Kohen Gadol in his coming out from the Beis Kodshei HaKodashim in peace, without mishap.”

 The keyword “mah nehedar” is taken straight from the Hebrew Ben Sira. The dependence does not stop at the opening line. The structural and imagery dependence is unmistakable throughout.

Ben Sira chapter 50, in the Hebrew, has the Kohen Gadol “ככוכב אור מבין עבים, וכירח מלא בימי מועד, וכשמש משרקת אל היכל מלך, וכקשת נראתה בענן, כנץ ענפי בימי מועד, וכשושן על יבלי מים” — like a star shining among the clouds, like the full moon on the festivals, like the sun reflecting on the King’s heichal, like the rainbow seen in the cloud, like blossoms on branches in spring, like a lily on streams of water. The piyut, for its part, has “k’ohel hanimtach b’darei maalah, k’vrakim hayotzim miziv hachayos, k’godel gedilim b’arba ketzavos, k’dmus hakeshes b’soch he’anan, k’hod asher hilbish Tzur litzurim, k’vered hanasun b’soch ginas chemed.”

The keshes b’anan — “the rainbow in the cloud” — is verbatim. The botanical comparisons differ in vocabulary but occupy the same slot in the structure. The moed/festival framing that Ben Sira uses to anchor his celestial imagery becomes generalized cosmic imagery in the piyut.

A theological point is worth noting before closing. Ben Sira composed this poem while the Bayis Sheni still stood. Shimon HaTzaddik II — son of Yochanan, the Kohen Gadol who served roughly 219–196 BCE, and whom Ben Sira knew personally — was alive in his memory. Ben Sira’s poem is, accordingly, a realistic description of an actual Kohen Gadol leaving the Heichal on Yom Kippur.

The piyut and placement, composed after the churban, transforms the same imagery into a tefillah – a reenactment and perhaps a substitute for the avodah we no longer have.

Which brings us back to the beginning of this article. If the tefilos of Klal Yisrael on the holiest day of the year draw on the words of Ben Sira — if min hashamayim it was decided that the keyword “mah nehedar” and the simile of “keshes b’anan” would enter our Yom Kippur Mussaf — then it would seem that Ben Sira’s wording was, indeed, received by Klal Yisroel. Which would seem to support Rav Moshe’s position. And whether or not this proof would have moved the Satmar Rebbe is, of course, a separate question — and one this author would not presume to answer.

The author can be reached  [email protected]

Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories who has repeatedly drawn criticism over her anti-Israel rhetoric, is facing renewed backlash after publishing remarks that critics say blend antisemitic themes with a distorted portrayal of Holocaust history.

In a Facebook post, Albanese urged Germans to release themselves from what she described as the continuing burden of guilt and responsibility tied to the crimes committed by Nazi Germany.

According to Albanese, Germany’s strong backing of Israel is not rooted in genuine repentance for the Holocaust, but rather in what she characterized as an unresolved sense of superiority. She argued that Germany’s support for Israel functions as a “convenient mask” designed to help restore its standing and acceptance within the international community.

Her comments went beyond criticism of Germany and included broader remarks about Jews and Israel. “The Western club accepted them because they proved themselves capable of tolerating certain members of the group that were previously ‘undesirable,’ and so they accepted the Jews, but not all of them. They learned that to survive in this world they must be superior. No longer a fragile minority. No longer a people in exile. No longer the people of the book. But the chosen people. ‘Chosen to rule?’ one might wonder when looking at what Israel has become.”

Albanese also alleged that Germany discriminates against Jews who oppose Zionism and accused the country of adopting discriminatory legislation. She further called on Germans to distance themselves from what she described as an imposed obligation toward Israel.

The controversy is the latest in a series of incidents involving Albanese’s public statements. Earlier this year, during an Al Jazeera conference in Doha, Qatar, she referred to Israel as “the common enemy of humanity” — remarks that triggered sharp criticism from officials and political leaders across Europe, with some calling for her dismissal from her UN position.

Ocean County officials today announced the activation of two new coordinated traffic signals along the Cedar Swamp Road corridor in Jackson Township, marking an important infrastructure improvement designed to enhance traffic flow and roadway safety for residents and commuters throughout the area.

Ocean County Commissioner Director Frank Sadeghi joined Commissioner Sam Ellenbogen and representatives from Ocean County Engineering for the official “switch flip” ceremony at the intersections of Cedar Swamp Road & Freehold Road and Cedar Swamp Road & Jackson Mills Road.

The intersections have long been identified as areas of concern due to increasing traffic volume, congestion, difficult turning movements, and safety issues during peak travel hours. County officials noted that continued residential and commercial growth throughout the surrounding area made improvements along the corridor a priority for Ocean County.

The newly-installed coordinated traffic signals are intended to improve traffic flow, reduce delays, establish safer driving patterns, and enhance overall safety for motorists, school buses, pedestrians, emergency responders, and residents traveling through the corridor each day.

“These new coordinated traffic signals at Cedar Swamp Road are an important investment in both public safety and traffic efficiency for Jackson residents and everyone traveling through this busy corridor,” said Commissioner Director Sadeghi. “As our communities continue to grow, projects like this help address congestion concerns while improving the overall flow of traffic and reducing potential safety risks.”

Commissioner Ellenbogen emphasized the County’s continued focus on infrastructure and transportation improvements throughout Ocean County.

“Improving infrastructure and roadway safety remains a top priority for Ocean County,” said Commissioner Ellenbogen. “These new signals at Cedar Swamp Road and its intersections with Freehold Road and Jackson Mills Road will help create safer traffic patterns, improve mobility throughout the area, and better accommodate the growing volume of residents, commuters, school transportation, and emergency services using these roads every day.”

Ocean County officials also thanked Ocean County Engineering and all those involved in the planning, coordination, and completion of the project.

County officials noted that investments in transportation infrastructure remain critical to ensuring Ocean County continues to safely and efficiently accommodate future growth while improving quality of life for residents throughout the region.

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that the Trump administration still favors a negotiated end to its war with Iran, but warned that the United States is prepared to resume military operations to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Speaking at a White House press briefing in the place of Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is out on maternity leave, Vance said the administration was making meaningful headway in talks with Tehran while keeping open what he called “option B” — a return to the air campaign that paused under the April 7 ceasefire.

“We are not going to have a deal that allows the Iranians to have a nuclear weapon. So, as the president just told me, we’re locked and loaded,” Vance said.

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The vice president, who has led the American delegation in face-to-face negotiations with Iranian officials in Islamabad alongside special envoy Steve Witkoff and senior adviser Jared Kushner, said the first six weeks of fighting had already substantially degraded Iran’s conventional military capabilities.

“That has been successfully done. You could always do a little bit more, but where we are now is the president has told us to aggressively negotiate with the Iranians,” he said. “We’ve made a lot of progress. We think the Iranians want to make a deal.”
Vance framed the choice in stark terms.

“So we’re in a pretty good spot here, but there’s an option B, and the option B is that we can restart the military campaign to continue to prosecute the case to try to achieve America’s objectives,” he said. “But that’s not what the president wants, and I don’t think it’s what the Iranians want either.”

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The vice president grounded the administration’s nuclear red line in regional terms, arguing that an Iranian bomb would set off a cascade of proliferation across the Middle East. “It would lead to a regional arms race that would make the world less safe,” he said.

“It’s not sometimes totally clear what the negotiating position of the [Iranian] team is, and I don’t know if that’s sometimes bad communication, if that’s bad faith,” he said.

Iranian decision-making since the death of the elder Khamenei has been described by US and regional officials as fragmented, with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps gaining influence relative to President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government and the new supreme leader operating almost entirely through written statements. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has continued to publicly characterize the central deadlock as enriched uranium, while hardline voices have called for a return to full-scale war.

Asked whether a deal remained achievable, Vance said he was “confident enough with the current state of talks to keep on doing the work and to try to find a good deal for the American people.”

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He pushed back on a separate line of reporting that has dogged the negotiations for weeks: the suggestion that Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile could be transferred to Russia as part of a final agreement.

“That is not an idea currently being considered by the United States,” Vance said, adding that the proposal had not been raised by Tehran in the current round.

Russia has offered repeatedly since last year to take custody of the material through its state nuclear corporation Rosatom. President Vladimir Putin personally raised the proposal with President Trump in a phone call earlier in the war, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has reiterated the offer publicly several times, most recently saying the proposal “still stands, but has not been acted upon.”

Trump rejected it in March, and a US official told Axios at the time that “the US position is we need to see the uranium secured.”

Iran’s foreign ministry has separately said its uranium “will under no circumstances be transferred anywhere,” though Iranian negotiators in the Geneva round in February had floated transferring a portion of the 60-percent enriched stockpile to Russia as part of a phased plan.

The administration’s preferred outcome, according to officials familiar with the talks, would involve a verifiable end to Iranian enrichment, the removal or destruction of the existing highly enriched stockpile, the full reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and a long-term moratorium on Iran’s ballistic missile development. Iran has so far rejected zero enrichment as a precondition and has insisted on its right to a peaceful nuclear program under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) – Conservative commentator Larry O’Connor sharply criticized Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., on Tuesday over the congressman’s long-standing opposition to U.S. support for Israel, framing it as inconsistent with professed support for the Jewish people.

“I guess what Thomas Massie is saying here is ‘I’m anti-Zionist, but I’m not anti-Semitic.’ Ok, that’s fine. ‘I like Jewish people. They just can’t have their own country,’” O’Connor said, according to a post by Townhall.

Massie, who faces a competitive Republican primary Tuesday in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, has repeatedly criticized U.S. military aid to Israel and pro-Israel lobbying efforts. He has described the relationship as one-sided and opposed offensive weapons transfers amid Israel’s conflicts with Hamas and other Iranian-backed groups.

The race has drawn record spending, much of it from pro-Israel groups and donors seeking to defeat Massie, whom they view as insufficiently supportive of the Jewish state’s right to defend itself.

O’Connor’s remarks highlight a common critique from pro-Israel conservatives: that distinguishing between anti-Zionism and antisemitism often masks opposition to Israel’s existence as a Jewish homeland. Zionism refers to the movement supporting a Jewish national homeland in Israel, established in 1948 after the Holocaust.

Massie has denied antisemitism charges, emphasizing his support for Israel’s defensive capabilities while opposing what he calls unconditional aid and foreign influence in U.S. elections. He has highlighted spending by groups like AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition in his race.

The exchange comes as Israel continues to face threats from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran, with strong bipartisan support in Congress for the alliance viewed by many as vital to U.S. national security interests in the Middle East.

VINnews will continue to monitor developments in the Kentucky primary and reactions from the Jewish community.

The U.S. military lost 34 aircraft and sustained damage to eight more during Operation Epic Fury, according to a Congressional Research Service report that for the first time provides a government accounting of the full scale of American aerial attrition in the war.

The report identifies 42 manned and unmanned airframes hit during the conflict, with unmanned platforms accounting for 25 of the 34 destroyed. The Pentagon has not released its own comprehensive assessment of combat losses, and the CRS document cautions that the figures “may remain subject to revision due to multiple factors, which may include classification, ongoing combat activity and attribution.”

The single largest category of losses is the General Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, the medium-altitude long-endurance drone that has anchored U.S. surveillance and strike operations for nearly two decades. 24 were destroyed, more than half the total reported. The Reaper losses alone have driven the Air Force’s active inventory of the drone down to roughly 135 aircraft, well below its long-standing minimum operational floor of 189, the deputy chief of staff for plans and programs told the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Airland last week.

The CRS document lists four F-15E Strike Eagles destroyed and one F-35A Lightning II damaged by Iranian ground fire, the first combat damage to the fifth-generation stealth fighter in its operational history. Two KC-135 Stratotanker aerial-refueling jets were destroyed and five more damaged, the heaviest combined toll among manned platforms with seven airframes hit. Also destroyed: two MC-130J Commando II special operations transports, one A-10 Thunderbolt II, and one Northrop Grumman MQ-4C Triton high-altitude maritime surveillance drone. One E-3 Sentry AWACS and one HH-60W Jolly Green II combat rescue helicopter were damaged, the helicopter by small-arms fire during a rescue operation of a downed US airman.

A significant share of the manned-aircraft losses are concentrated around a single early-April incident. After Iranian air defenses shot down an F-15E Strike Eagle over Iranian territory on April 3, the United States mounted a large-scale combat search-and-rescue operation to recover its two airmen. President Trump told reporters the mission involved 68 fighters, 48 aerial tankers, 13 rescue aircraft and four bombers. During the operation, the two MC-130J transports became mired in soft sand inside Iran and were deliberately destroyed by U.S. commandos to prevent capture. An A-10 was shot down the same day, with the pilot ejecting and being recovered. Iranian state media has published imagery of the MC-130J wreckage that appears to show at least one Boeing M/AH-6 Little Bird helicopter among the debris; the CRS report does not address the rotorcraft.

A separate March 12 incident over friendly airspace destroyed one KC-135 in a crash in Iraq that killed all six aircrew. The second tanker involved made an emergency landing. The MQ-4C Triton, a $250 million Navy reconnaissance drone, fell from 52,000 feet to 9,500 feet in 15 minutes after a loss of communication and crashed into the Persian Gulf in what the CRS describes as a mishap rather than an enemy engagement.

The F-35A damage incident, first reported on March 19, marks the first combat damage to the platform anywhere in the world. Iranian state media circulated footage purporting to show an F-35 being struck by an unidentified anti-aircraft munition during operations over Iran. The aircraft was reportedly flown to an emergency landing rather than lost. The F-35A is the cornerstone of the U.S. and allied force structures across Europe, the Indo-Pacific and the Middle East, and the incident has drawn intense scrutiny from partner nations expanding their fleets.

Replacement costs will reach into the billions. The CRS report, paired with current Air Force procurement budgets, suggests a total replacement bill in excess of $4 billion, with some defense-industry analyses placing the figure as high as $7 billion when support equipment and training are included.

Each Reaper now carries an estimated cost of $56 million in 2021 dollars or as much as $150 million for a current-configuration airframe with a full sensor package, according to U.S. Naval Air Systems Command and Air Force figures. General Atomics shuttered the MQ-9A production line in 2025 after the Air Force ceased new orders, and the company says parts remain on hand for only about five new airframes.

The combat losses have accelerated an Air Force effort to field a cheaper, more attritable successor; Brig. Gen. Trey Niemi, the program executive officer, signed off on a formal requirements document for the next-generation platform on May 11.

The four F-15E losses are similarly difficult to replace. The aircraft is out of production, with the Air Force budgeting roughly $125 million per F-15EX replacement, suggesting a $500 million replacement bill for the F-15E component alone. The A-10 has been out of production since 1984. The KC-135 fleet, also out of production, would be replaced by KC-46As at roughly $260 million per airframe, putting the tanker replacement cost at approximately $1.8 billion.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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One of America’s once-dominant beer brands is being discontinued after more than 175 years.

Schlitz Premium, a beer brand that traces its roots to Milwaukee in the 1840s and was once among the largest breweries in the country, is being put “on hiatus,” parent company Pabst Brewing Co. confirmed Friday after Wisconsin Brewing Company announced it would brew the brand’s final batch later this month.

“Unfortunately, we have seen continued increases in our costs to store and ship certain products and have had to make the tough choice to place Schlitz Premium on hiatus,” Zac Nadile, Pabst head of brand strategy, said in a statement to Milwaukee Magazine.

“Any brand or packaging configuration that is put on hiatus is still a cherished part of our history and hopefully our future. We continually look for opportunities to bring back beloved brands, and customer feedback is important in shaping those discussions.”

HEINEKEN TO CUT UP TO 6,000 JOBS GLOBALLY, LOWERS PROFIT GROWTH FORECAST AMID INDUSTRY STRUGGLES

The Schlitz brand became famous for its longtime slogan, “the beer that made Milwaukee famous,” and was once the nation’s largest brewery before Anheuser-Busch overtook it in the late 1950s.

The company was originally founded in 1849 after August Krug opened a tavern brewery in Milwaukee. Joseph Schlitz later took over the business after marrying Krug’s widow and helped transform it into one of the world’s largest beer brands.

Schlitz rose to prominence after the Great Chicago Fire in 1871, when the brewery shipped beer to Chicago as residents struggled to access clean drinking water.

“It’s a nostalgia factor,” Joseph Conforti, general manager of Milwaukee Brat House, told ABC7 Chicago. “People from out of town are surprised that they still make it.”

HOW REAL AMERICAN BEER AIMS TO FULFILL LATE FOUNDER HULK HOGAN’S GOAL OF TOPPLING BUD LIGHT, RIVALS

Schlitz began losing popularity in the 1970s after cost-cutting recipe changes altered the beer’s flavor. The brand was later sold to Stroh Brewing in 1982 before Pabst acquired it in 1999.

Kirby Nelson, brewmaster at Wisconsin Brewing Company, said the company wanted to give the historic beer brand a proper farewell after learning production was ending.

“We decided that, Schlitz being what Schlitz was, it deserved a proper sendoff. One with dignity and respect,” Nelson said.

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Wisconsin Brewing Company said it plans to brew “the last Schlitz” at its Verona, Wisconsin, brewery on May 23, with a limited release scheduled for June 27. Milwaukee-area bars and breweries are also planning farewell events tied to the final batches.

Representatives for Schlitz and Pabst Brewing Co. did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

Senior chareidi political figures on Tuesday dismissed claims from Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office that he has assembled a Knesset majority to pass the controversial chareidi draft exemption bill, even as lawmakers prepared to begin the formal process of dissolving the government tomorrow.

A senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office told Israeli media late Tuesday that Netanyahu’s pressure campaign on holdouts within his own coalition had succeeded in flipping enough lawmakers to allow the bill to advance toward its final readings.

“We achieved the necessary majority and that is what is important,” the official said, adding that Netanyahu’s staff had relayed the message to chareidi party leaders.

Chareidi figures pushed back hard. A senior official in United Torah Judaism dismissed the claim as “nonsense,” while a spokesman for Degel HaTorah chairman Moshe Gafni said his office had received no such communication from the prime minister.

“He doesn’t need to give notice. He should just bring the bill to a vote,” the spokesman said.

The exchange comes one day before the Knesset is scheduled to hold a preliminary vote on legislation to dissolve parliament and trigger early elections, a process set in motion last week after Netanyahu informed UTJ representatives that his coalition lacked the votes to pass the draft exemption law in the current Knesset. The prime minister had reportedly asked the chareidi parties to wait until after the next election to revisit the bill, an offer they refused.

Rav Dov Landau, the leader of Degel HaTorah and head of the Slabodka yeshiva in Bnei Brak, has instructed the faction’s lawmakers not to be “drawn into political games” and to vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset on Wednesday. Rav Landau reportedly called Netanyahu a “liar” in a closed meeting with his lawmakers last week and declared that “the concept of a [right-wing] bloc no longer exists as far as we are concerned.”

The standoff has set off an unusually open fight over the timing of the next election. Under Israeli law, the vote must in any case be held no later than October 27. But chareidi leaders are pushing for a September date, before the Yomim Noraim, calculating that turnout in their communities would be higher ahead of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Netanyahu’s office has reportedly pressed for an October date, which would give the coalition more weeks to advance pending legislation, including bills to split the attorney general’s role and overhaul Israel’s public broadcaster.

On Monday, the draft exemption bill was placed back on the Knesset’s parliamentary agenda, with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee set to resume preparatory discussions tomorrow ahead of the two final readings required for passage. A parallel discussion is scheduled on a bill to extend the length of mandatory service for regular IDF conscripts.

Chareidi sources told Israeli media that the renewed committee schedule was an attempt by Netanyahu’s office to buy time and delay elections into October. A senior Degel HaTorah figure told Kikar Hashabbat that the move was transparent. “What do you do when you want to buy time?” the source said. “They are now informing the chareidim that there is a breakthrough to achieve a majority, and they do not have a majority. They are telling [Knesset Defense Committee chairman] Boaz Bismuth to hold discussions in the committee, and according to the attorney general, at least two or three more discussions are needed before the law is read.”

The legislation, which Netanyahu’s coalition partners have demanded since the government was sworn in at the end of 2022, would ostensibly increase military conscription rates within the chareidi community while in practice preserving the decades-old exemption for full-time yeshiva students. Critics across the political spectrum, including senior military officials, have called it legally unsound and riddled with loopholes. The IDF has continued to warn of a worsening manpower shortage amid ongoing operations in Gaza, southern Lebanon, and the possibility of resumed military action against Iran.

The bill was shelved in March with the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with the Islamic Republic but was revived by Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth in the weeks that followed.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused Netanyahu of attempting to extend his political life at the expense of national security. “Prime Minister Netanyahu knows he is facing defeat in the elections and will do everything he can in order to gain a few more days in the Prime Minister’s Office,” Lapid wrote on X. He called the renewed push to pass the bill “another act of betrayal toward IDF soldiers and reserve service members.”

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff, called the move “another desperate attempt” by the prime minister “to buy himself a few more weeks in power at the expense of the national interest of strengthening the IDF during a war.”

Whether Wednesday’s preliminary vote on dissolution actually proceeds remains an open question. Shas chairman Aryeh Deri had reportedly agreed to give Netanyahu another week to try to advance the conscription law, and that the dissolution bill could yet be pulled depending on movement on the draft legislation. Shas, while having resigned its ministerial portfolios last year over the issue, has continued to support the coalition in plenum votes.

What is clear, even in the absence of a final tally, is that the trust between Netanyahu and his chareidi coalition partners has frayed to a degree without obvious precedent in the prime minister’s long alliance with them.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israel’s Foreign Ministry announced Tuesday night that the Israeli Navy had completed its takeover of the latest flotilla attempting to reach Gaza, with all activists aboard now in Israeli custody and being transported to Israel.

In a statement released by the ministry, officials said the operation had concluded successfully and that the passengers had been transferred off the flotilla vessels.

“Another PR flotilla has come to an end. All 430 activists have been transferred to Israeli vessels and are making their way to Israel, where they will be able to meet with their consular representatives,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.

Israeli officials dismissed the effort as a publicity campaign intended to benefit Hamas rather than a genuine humanitarian mission.

“This flotilla has once again proved to be nothing more than a PR stunt at the service of Hamas,” it added.

The ministry also emphasized that Israel intends to continue enforcing its maritime blockade of Gaza in accordance with international law.

“Israel will continue to act in full accordance with international law and will not permit any breach of the lawful naval blockade on Gaza,” the statement stressed.

Earlier Tuesday, the United States announced sanctions against four individuals connected to the flotilla operation. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the move was aimed at cutting off support networks tied to terrorism and advancing American diplomatic efforts in the region.

According to Pigott, the sanctions “disrupt terrorist financing and advance President Trump’s Middle East peace efforts.”

Among those detained aboard the flotilla was the sister of Irish President Catherine Connolly. Connolly commented on the matter Monday, saying she was “very proud” of her sister.

Media personality Tucker Carlson engaged in a heated interview with Channel 13 News journalist Udi Segal, sharply criticizing Israel’s leadership, opposing continued American support for Israel, and defending controversial comments he has made about the war in Gaza and the broader Middle East conflict.

During the interview, Segal confronted Carlson over the October 7 Hamas massacre, including the murders and kidnappings carried out by terrorists against Israeli civilians, among them women and infants. The discussion quickly escalated into a tense exchange over Israel’s military response and its right to defend itself.

Carlson directed much of his criticism at Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, accusing him of steering the country in a dangerous direction. He said Netanyahu is “leading Israel toward destruction” and called him “a very bad leader and a very unwise leader”, while also adding that he believes Netanyahu “is acting in what he thinks is his nation’s best interest. So I give him credit for that and always have.”

Carlson argued that the ongoing war has damaged ties between Washington and Jerusalem and said American involvement with Israel is harming the United States. He stated that “because of this war…America’s relationship with Israel, while it may be based on good intentions, is hurting the United States very badly” and urged an immediate halt to American assistance to Israel, saying: “I don’t think the United States owes Israel anything. I don’t think the United States should give Israel anything. I think we should stop all aid to Israel, all special deals for Israel.”

Turning to the conflict with Iran, Carlson criticized American participation in the confrontation and expressed disappointment with President Trump’s handling of the situation. According to Carlson, Trump “turned out to be far weaker than I understood” and had been pushed by Netanyahu “into a war that hurts the United States.”

Segal challenged Carlson over his comparison between Israel and the Iranian regime, noting the difference between a democratic country defending itself and a government known for executing dissidents and suppressing its population. Carlson responded by saying, “As an Israeli, you should pause before using the phrase ‘terror regime’, since you live in a country that just murdered thousands of children in Gaza.”

In other remarks during the interview, Carlson claimed that “Israel is not a democracy in any sense,” asserted that “Israel does not represent all Jews,” and accused the country of treating Arabs “like animals or subhumans.”

{Matzav.com}

After Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara’s attempts to thwart the appointment of Roman Gofman as Mossad chief failed miserably, it was believed that the High Court would finally give a stamp of approval to the appointment that they had no business interfering with in the first place.

Instead, the Court ruled on Tuesday that the advisory committee for senior appointments must reconvene and complete the review process it conducted regarding the appointment, claiming that its work “was deficient.”

It should be noted that the composition of the committee has meanwhile changed, since a new Civil Service Commissioner, Doron Cohen, has entered office and now serves as a committee member by virtue of his position.

The court instructed the committee to hear testimony from petitioner Ori Elmakayes, the former underage blogger at the center of the case. It should be noted that Gofman was not aware of Elmakayes’ identity at the time of the incident, which is why the committee members did not feel obligated to hear his testimony.

The court also instructed the committee to hear the testimony of G., the military intelligence officer who questioned Gofman about Elmakayes’ case. The petitions against Gofman claimed that he lied to G. about whether he was aware that Elmakayes was a minor. However, according to G.’s affidavit, he did not even question Gofman about that detail, adding that both Gofman and he himself were unaware of Elmakayes’ identity.

Due to the tight timetable, the committee is required to notify the court by Thursday afternoon whether it will act in accordance with the instructions, and it has been given one week to complete its work. The court will then decide how to proceed with the case.

It should be noted that Prof. Talia Einhorn, a member of the advisory committee for senior appointments, publicly posted her support of Gofman’s appointment and slammed Baharav-Miara for her intervention saying that the material that the committee reviewed proved Gofman’s integrity, and in a barb aimed at Baharav Miara, wrote: “From what emerged during and after the High Court hearing, it appears that serious flaws in the integrity of others were revealed, while Gofman’s integrity remains intact.”

Prof. Einhorn made the following points (among others):

1. The committee proved that Elmakayes’ arrest did not stem from the information he received from the intelligence officer in the division but from classified information he received from other units, for which he was also sentenced to imprisonment.

2. Consequently, Maj. Gen. Gofman could not have done anything to intervene in the arrest proceedings, and the claim that he allegedly abandoned Elmakayes is a baseless fabrication.

3. Only the intelligence personnel in the division, and not Gofman, knew Elmakayes’ identity, even months after his arrest. This was conclusively proven by the material reviewed by the committee.

4. Consequently, there was no reason to summon Elmakayes to the committee, as he never claimed any direct connection to Gofman.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Crews are currently battling a fire burning underneath power lines in Manchester, apparently prompting widespread power outages affecting more than 5,000 customers in Lakewood and Jackson.

The outages in Lakewood are on the west side and in Jackson on the east side. Traffic lights are affected as well.

Officials believe the fire is the cause of the outages impacting large portions of both towns.

JCP&L has advised customers that the estimated time for power restoration is approximately 9:30 p.m.

Developing Story.

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Rising living costs, elevated interest rates and stagnant paycheck growth are pushing more Americans deeper into debt — while major banks report historic profits.

NEW YORK — Serious credit card delinquencies in the United States have climbed to their highest levels in more than a decade, approaching depths last seen in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, according to the latest Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit released May 13 by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Total U.S. household debt now stands at $18.8 trillion — including roughly $1.25 trillion in credit card balances, nearly $1.7 trillion in auto loans, and more than $13 trillion in mortgage debt — as American families increasingly turn to high-interest borrowing simply to keep up with everyday expenses.

For millions of Americans, the financial pressure no longer feels temporary.

It feels permanent.

The paycheck arrives, but the money disappears faster than it used to. Rent is higher. Insurance is higher. Utility bills are higher. Car repairs cost more. Groceries cost more. Dining out costs more. Interest rates exploded. Nearly every part of normal life became more expensive over the past several years, and for most working families, income has not kept pace.

That strain is now showing up across the U.S. financial system. But economists say the deeper issue is not simply how much Americans owe. It is why so many households increasingly need debt just to maintain basic financial stability.

For years after the pandemic, inflation reset the cost structure of everyday American life. While inflation has slowed from its peak, prices across much of the economy never returned to previous levels. Instead, the higher costs became permanent. Families adapted the only way they could. They delayed paying down balances. They financed more purchases. They relied more heavily on credit cards to bridge the growing gap between monthly income and monthly expenses.

A report released this month by debt-management firm Achieve found that 53% of consumers now carry credit card balances to cover essential expenses — not luxuries or vacations, but groceries, gas, utilities and rent. “For many households, higher balances are less a sign of economic optimism and more a sign that wages and savings are struggling to keep pace with essential expenses like groceries, utilities and housing,” said Austin Kilgore, analyst for the Achieve Center for Consumer Insights.

The cost of carrying that debt has never been more punishing. Average credit card interest rates now sit above 22%, according to Federal Reserve data — the highest level in modern American history. Cardholders who can no longer pay off balances in full each month are paying enormous amounts in interest while making little dent in the principal.

For lower-income families, the math has stopped working.

Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told Fortune that lower-income households are “hanging on by their fingertips financially.” Zandi warned that many families are still spending because they remain employed, but the situation is becoming increasingly fragile as hiring slows and inflation continues eating into disposable income.

The strain is showing up unevenly across the country.

Wilbert van der Klaauw, Economic Research Advisor at the New York Fed, said the deterioration is becoming increasingly concentrated in financially vulnerable communities. “Delinquency rates for mortgages are near historically normal levels, but the deterioration is concentrated in lower-income areas and in areas with declining home prices,” van der Klaauw said in the Fed’s quarterly release.

Daniel Mangrum, the New York Fed research economist overseeing the report, said the broader consumer picture remains pressured even as some debt categories stabilized temporarily. “Aggregate household debt levels rose slightly, with modest increases in most debt types offsetting a seasonal decline in credit card balances,” Mangrum said. “Delinquency transition rates were mostly steady, while student loan delinquencies are returning to pre-pandemic levels.”

Even Americans who remain employed and current on most bills increasingly describe the same feeling: they are working hard, paying their obligations, and falling behind anyway.

While American families struggle, the institutions lending them money are reporting some of the strongest profits in years.

JPMorgan Chase, Capital One Financial, Citigroup, Bank of America and American Express all posted robust quarterly earnings fueled in part by elevated lending margins and higher interest income across consumer credit businesses. The wider the gap between what banks pay for capital and what they charge American borrowers, the more profitable the credit card business becomes — and that gap has rarely been wider than it is today.

The imbalance is now fueling growing bipartisan frustration in Washington.

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who introduced legislation alongside Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley to cap credit card interest rates at 10%, accused major financial institutions of exploiting struggling consumers.

“When large financial institutions charge over 25 percent interest on credit cards, they are not engaged in the business of making credit available,” Sanders said. “They are engaged in extortion and loan sharking. We cannot continue to allow big banks to make huge profits ripping off the American people.”

Hawley framed the issue as a direct economic threat to working families.

“Working Americans are drowning in record credit card debt while the biggest credit card issuers get richer and richer by hiking their interest rates to the moon,” Hawley said. “It’s not just wrong, it’s exploitative. And it needs to end.”

The legislation remains stalled in the Senate Banking Committee amid fierce opposition from the banking industry, which argues rate caps could reduce access to credit and push consumers toward payday lenders and less-regulated borrowing markets.

But consumer advocates say the current system is becoming unsustainable.

Duvi Honig, founder and chief executive of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, Newsmax contributor and economic policy analyst, said the imbalance between banks and consumers has reached dangerous levels.

“Banks have no right to make historic profits while abusing the consumer,” Honig said. “Legislation must create a balancing scale to limit their interest rates to help the everyday American family not fall more into debt and pay such high rates on credit cards when they are forced to rely on them simply to survive rising costs.”

The squeeze on households is being amplified by broader inflation pressures still moving through the economy. AAA data shows the national average gasoline price stands above $4.50 a gallon, while food prices remain materially above pre-pandemic levels. The April Consumer Price Index rose 3.8% year over year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, while wholesale food prices posted their largest annual increase in more than three years.

The Federal Reserve — the institution many Americans hoped would eventually deliver relief through lower interest rates — remains trapped between slowing the economy and containing inflation.

Mortgage rates remain elevated above 6%. Auto financing remains expensive. Credit card borrowing costs remain punishingly high. And while Americans continue hoping for meaningful rate cuts, Federal Reserve officials have repeatedly signaled caution because inflation pressures have not fully disappeared.

Former Cleveland Fed President Loretta Mester told CNBC this month that inflation still makes aggressive rate cuts difficult to justify. “I just don’t think right now he can make those arguments in a credible way, because we have an inflation problem,” Mester said, referring to new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh.

That leaves millions of households trapped in an increasingly difficult position.

They are still working.

Still paying bills.

Still functioning.

But increasingly doing it while carrying more debt, more stress and less financial flexibility than they had just a few years ago.

The New York Fed report ultimately reveals something larger than rising delinquency numbers.

It reveals an economy where millions of Americans are no longer borrowing for luxury or excess.

They are borrowing to keep up with everyday life.

And the longer inflation stays elevated while interest rates remain historically high, the harder that cycle becomes to escape.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

(AP) – Google will soon unleash a wealth of new artificial intelligence-powered tools and systems, including an AI assistant that will help users by proactively performing tasks on their behalf.

“Agentic” AI, the recent buzzword of choice for tech firms, was a central focus of Google’s annual developers conference, Google I/O. The upcoming AI agent, Gemini Spark, was one of many of the company’s announcements from the conference Tuesday.

“We are firmly in our agentic Gemini era,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said Tuesday before a packed amphitheater near the company’s Mountain View, California, headquarters. “I’ve played around with all sorts of agents and you can really see the potential, but it’s still early days when it comes to making agents easy to use, super secure and truly helpful.”

Google and its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc., have poured billions into AI development. Its top finance executive said on a call with investors in late April that this year’s capital expenditures may climb as high as $190 billion. But the investment seems to be paying off, with its quarterly earnings showing strong growth. The stock has climbed another 11% since the report last month.

Pichai said during the keynote address that the Gemini app had 400 million monthly active users last year, but that usership has now surpassed 900 million, more than doubling in a year.

The latest version of Gemini is here
Google’s latest family of models, Gemini 3.5, is rolling out Tuesday to billions of global users beginning with Gemini 3.5 Flash. The Flash model is focused on speed, and Google says 3.5 Flash is its strongest agentic and coding model yet, but it’s also about four times faster than some competitors.

This model is now the default for the Gemini app and “AI mode” on Google search. The company is also working on the 3.5 version of Gemini Pro, which it says it’s using internally and expects to launch next month.

Gemini 3.5 was developed with new, more advanced safety training and mitigations, meaning its models are less likely to generate harmful content or to mistakenly refuse to answer safe queries, the company said.

Google also announced a new model, Gemini Omni, which will enable users to create high-quality video by making a query with any input, be it text, images, videos and audio. The video Omni creates can then be edited easily though a conversation with the model. Users will eventually be able to create images and audio with Omni, but there were no details about when those features will be rolled out.

The company said Omni’s videos will appear more realistic than videos created by other models because of its understanding of forces like gravity, kinetic energy and fluid dynamics.

Gemini Omni Flash, the first of the Omni family, is launching Tuesday for Google Al Plus, Pro and Ultra subscribers through the Gemini app and Google Flow. Beginning this week, it will be available at no cost on YouTube Shorts and YouTube Create App.

All videos created with Omni will include Google’s imperceptible digital watermark, SynthID, but Google is also adding content credentials verification to the Gemini app. This tool determines if content like photo or video was created by AI or captured with a phone camera and edited with AI tools. It will be available in search in Chrome in the coming months. Google also announced AI companies Open AI, Kakao and Eleven Labs are adopting its SynthID technology to more of their AI-generated content.

A 24/7 agent and wearable AI
Powered by Gemini 3.5, Gemini Spark will be able to complete mundane, routine tasks like sorting through meeting notes, emails and chats and then creating a document with the biggest takeaways and to-dos. Unlike other available agents, Spark is based in the cloud, so it continues working in the background even when users shut their laptops or lock their phones.

The proactive nature of AI agents is what differentiates them from chatbots, and that has also led to some anxieties about the technology’s power. Gemini Spark is designed to ask for permission before performing “high-stakes” tasks like sending an email or making a purchase, the company said.

Select testers will have access to the agent beginning Tuesday, and the company plans to roll out the beta mode to U.S.-based subscribers to its Google AI Ultra tier.

Later this summer, Gemini Spark will operate directly within Chrome, the company said.

Among the many AI-centric announcements at the conference was an update on the long-awaited smart glasses from Google, of which there will be two kinds: audio glasses that offer spoken help in your ear, and display glasses that provide information visually. The audio glasses will come first, with the company expecting them to arrive later this fall. Users will be able to say “Hey Google” or tap the side of the frame to access Gemini, which will then assist with navigation, managing communication on their phone, real-time translations and other tasks.

Google partnered with Samsung and eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker to create the glasses and gave the first look at two designs on Tuesday, with sunglasses from Gentle Monster and glasses from Warby Parker. Those designs will launch as part of the eyewear brands’ full collections later this year, Google said.

More AI in search and shopping
At last year’s conference, the most talked-about development was the introduction and rollout of “AI mode” on Google’s search engine. The feature gives users a more conversational answer to their query before providing relevant links, building on previously implemented changed how users experience and interact with the platform.

AI mode queries have more than doubled every quarter since its launch last year, and the tool recently surpassed 1 billion monthly users, according to Liz Reid, Google’s head of search.

The new default model in search will now be Gemini 3.5 Flash and the company is introducing what it calls an intelligent search box. This change, which Reid says is the biggest upgrade to the search box in 25 years, means the box will adapt to accommodate longer queries and it can help users write out their questions with AI-powered suggestions instead of traditional autocomplete.

Users can also search using multiple modalities, using text, images, video, files and even Chrome tabs as search inputs. The new search box is starting its roll out Tuesday in all countries and languages where AI mode is currently available.

The company also announced a new tool, the Universal Cart, which it called “a truly intelligent shopping cart.” It works across merchants and across services so users can add things to their cart while browsing Google search, chatting with Gemini, watching YouTube, or reading emails in Gmail. The cart then runs on Gemini models to go to work as soon as an item is placed in the cart, looking for deals and price drops, providing price history information and alerting users when something comes back in stock.

The Universal Cart tool will be available to users on search and the Gemini app this summer, with YouTube and Gmail to follow.

A dollar a day is helping power Israel’s lifesaving first responders

United Hatzalah founder Eli Beer hosted Dr. Jonathan Donath and the Daily Giving board at the organization’s Jerusalem headquarters, spotlighting a partnership built around one simple model: thousands of Jews giving small daily donations that add up to real impact. Beer said Daily Giving now has more than 20,000 people giving just $1 a day and thanked the group for supporting United Hatzalah’s lifesaving work.    

Daily Giving pools those small gifts and sends the money to vetted Jewish nonprofits. The organization says donors can start with as little as $1 a day, and that 100% of Daily Givers’ donations go to beneficiaries, with operations covered separately by private donors.  

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For United Hatzalah, that kind of steady grassroots support matters. The Israeli emergency medical service operates 24/7, free of charge, with more than 8,600 active volunteers and a 90-second response goal across Israel.  

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Jewish music star Mordechai Shapiro was also seen with the group, with Beer noting his involvement in Daily Giving. A small daily act, multiplied by thousands, is becoming a serious engine for saving lives in Israel.

The shekel is trading around ₪2.90 to the dollar, the lowest level since 1993. For an American family trying to buy in Jerusalem, Netanya, Beit Shemesh or Tel Aviv, this is major. A $1 million budget at ₪3.60 bought ₪3.6 million. At ₪2.90, it buys about ₪2.91 million. That is a loss of roughly ₪692,000 in buying power before the buyer even negotiates, hires a lawyer, pays tax or speaks to a mortgage broker.

That is what makes the Israeli housing market so strange right now. On paper, buyers finally have leverage. The latest CBS-based housing data showed apartment prices rising 0.3% month over month, but still down 1.2% year over year. New apartment prices rose slightly, but excluding subsidized government deals, new-home prices actually fell, and were down 3.8% annually. The national average apartment price stood around ₪2.33 million, while Tel Aviv averaged ₪4.59 million, Herzliya ₪3.85 million, Jerusalem ₪3.1 million, Be’er Sheva ₪1.24 million, Ashkelon ₪1.64 million and Haifa ₪1.8 million.

For dollar buyers, though, a modest Israeli price drop can be wiped out instantly by the exchange rate. A Jerusalem apartment priced at ₪5.1 million costs about $1.75 million at today’s Bank of Israel rate. At ₪3.60 to the dollar, that same apartment would have cost about $1.42 million. Same apartment. Same street. Same seller. A roughly $337,000 difference created by currency alone.

That explains why the American buyer story has changed. A new Finance Ministry analysis found that American passport holders still made up the largest group of foreign buyers in Israel, but their share fell to 49% of foreign purchases in the first quarter, down from about 60% a year earlier. Americans bought 238 apartments, slightly below the 248 they bought in the same period last year, while French purchases jumped from 84 to 130 and British purchases rose from 37 to 57. Government economists directly pointed to the dollar’s 13.6% depreciation against the shekel, compared with a much smaller 4% decline for the euro.

The American map is also revealing. More than half of American purchases were in Jerusalem, where the median foreign-buyer purchase price hit ₪5.1 million. About 60% of the apartments Americans bought in Jerusalem were new homes, with a median price of ₪5.95 million. Netanya overtook Beit Shemesh as the second-most active American-buyer market, while Tel Aviv ranked only fifth among Americans, behind Kiryat Gat.

That matters because this is not a broad “foreigners stopped buying Israel” story. It is more specific. Dollar-based buyers are being squeezed. Euro and pound buyers are seeing a different calculation. French buyers, for example, are buying more modestly priced homes, with an average purchase price of ₪2.8 million, and are spreading into Netanya, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Bat Yam. Americans are still buying, but they are concentrated in expensive markets where every currency move is amplified.

The shekel’s strength is not happening in a vacuum. The Bank of Israel says the shekel strengthened against the dollar, the euro and Israel’s broader trading partners in the first quarter, even as volatility rose during Operation Roaring Lion against Iran. Reuters reported that the shekel has been supported by a weaker global dollar, rising Israeli equities and large foreign investment into Israel. Bank of Israel Deputy Governor Andrew Abir said the central bank is not rushing to intervene, even while acknowledging that markets may be over-optimistic.

That creates a sharp divide. For Israelis earning shekels, the strong currency helps tame import prices and inflation. For exporters and foreign buyers, it hurts. For American Jews who kept money in dollars while planning an eventual Israel purchase, it can feel like the market moved against them even when apartment prices did not.

The irony is that this should be one of the better negotiating environments Israel has offered in years. Developers are sitting on heavy inventory. Ynet, citing Bank of Israel data, reported that contractors held a record 83,400 unsold new apartments at the end of 2025, while apartment purchases fell 12% from the previous year. The same report said 44% of projects financed by Israel’s five largest banks had construction progressing faster than sales, a sign of pressure beneath the surface.

That pressure is visible in the sales tactics. The 80/20 and 90/10 deals that became common in Israel let buyers pay only 10% or 20% upfront and the balance near delivery. Those offers helped developers keep sales moving during the slowdown, but they also created risk: some buyers may now struggle to close, especially if their dollars are worth less, their U.S. home sale is delayed, or their mortgage terms change before delivery.

Still, Israel is not a crash market. It is a compressed market. The country has too many unsold apartments in some places and not enough of the right apartments in others. A Shoresh Institution study cited by The Jerusalem Post found that from 1990 to 2023, household growth outpaced construction starts by about 121,000 apartments, and the gap reached about 272,000 when measured against completed apartments. The deeper problem is not just quantity, but mismatch: Israel keeps building large four- and five-room apartments while more Israelis live in smaller households and need smaller, more affordable units.

Rent tells the same story. Even as purchase prices soften, rents keep rising. Recent data showed rents up 2.6% for tenants renewing leases and 3.6% for new tenants, while residential construction input costs rose 3% over the year, driven partly by a 4.7% increase in labor costs. That combination makes sellers stubborn: if they can rent, wait and avoid cutting too deeply, many will.

Security has also changed the buyer checklist. In March, homes with safe rooms accounted for 65% of secondhand transactions, the highest level recorded since at least early 2024. Investor sales fell sharply, especially in Tel Aviv and Haifa, where many older apartments lack safe rooms. The message is clear: buyers are not only comparing price, view and neighborhood anymore. A mamad can now affect liquidity, resale value and family decision-making.

For Americans, the pressure is doubled by the U.S. side of the equation. Freddie Mac reported the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate at 6.36%, while Reuters said the U.S. housing market remains weighed down by elevated borrowing costs, tight entry-level inventory and high home prices. That matters because many Israel buyers do not arrive with idle cash sitting in a shekel account. They are selling a U.S. home, borrowing against assets, liquidating investments or timing a transfer. A slow U.S. sale plus a strong shekel can turn a planned Israel purchase into a moving target.

Tax status can make the gap even wider. Foreign residents are generally treated like Israeli investors for purchase tax, with rates of 8% up to ₪6,055,070 and 10% above that level. Israeli residents buying a sole residence start at lower brackets, and qualifying olim can receive special purchase-tax benefits under updated rules. For an American buyer on a multimillion-shekel purchase, tax planning is not a side issue. It can be a six-figure shekel decision.

MA’ALE ADUMIM, WEST BANK – OCTOBER 16: New houses are seen under construction October 16, 2003 in the Jewish settlement of Ma’ale Adumim, West Bank. The first phase of the road map requires Israel to stop confiscating Palestinian land and to freeze all settlement activity. Ma’ale Adumim has grown from 23 families and a few tents and mobile homes in 1975 to nearly 30,000 residents, most of whom commute to work in nearby Jerusalem. (Photo by Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)

So what does this market actually mean?

It does not mean Americans should panic-buy because the shekel is strong. It also does not mean waiting automatically solves the problem. If the dollar rebounds, a buyer who waited may suddenly regain hundreds of thousands of shekels in purchasing power. If the shekel stays strong and Israeli rates fall, local buyers may return, developers may regain confidence and today’s negotiating window may narrow.

The smarter read is that Israeli real estate has split into two markets. In shekel terms, buyers can find softness, especially in parts of the new-build market and in areas where developers need cash flow. In dollar terms, Israel has become dramatically more expensive. That is why some Americans are pausing, some are lowering budgets, some are shifting from Jerusalem to Netanya or Beit Shemesh, and some are deciding that if they are buying Israel for life rather than speculation, the currency pain is the price of certainty.

The best-positioned buyer right now is not the loudest bidder. It is the one who thinks in shekels, negotiates like the market is soft, protects against currency risk, understands tax status before signing and refuses to confuse a lower sticker price with a cheaper deal.

A young boy riding an electric bicycle suffered serious injuries and was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment after crashing his bike in Lakewood.

The incident occurred while the child was riding the e-bike on a sidewalk. The boy was wearing a helmet at the time of the crash, which may have helped prevent even more severe injuries. The cause of the accident was not immediately clear.

The incident comes as New Jersey prepares to implement new regulations on electric bicycles and scooters. Beginning in July, a new state law will require all electric bicycles in New Jersey to be licensed, registered, and insured. Supporters of the measure say the law is intended to improve accountability and safety as the popularity of e-bikes continues to grow statewide, causing a significant increase in serious injuries.

Under the bill, e-bike users 17 years of age or older would be required to register a low-speed electric bicycle and have a valid basic driver’s license issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission to operate a motorized bicycle. Insurance would also be required for motorized bicycles and electric motorized bicycles.

Additionally, minors under the age of 15 are prohibited from operating an e-bike or motorized bike. Anyone 15 or 16 would have to have a permit. Also included in the wide-ranging bill is a ban on riding e-bikes without reflectors between dusk and dawn.

A bipartisan group of senators on Tuesday introduced sweeping legislation aimed at marshaling the full weight of the federal government against antisemitism in the United States, proposing $1 billion in security funding for at-risk religious institutions, a comprehensive Education Department framework for college campuses, and new transparency requirements for social media platforms.

The Jewish American Security Act, cosponsored by Democratic Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Republican Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, the co-chairs of the Senate Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism, would direct the Education Department to develop and implement a federal framework for combating antisemitism in higher education, invest $1 billion in security resources for at-risk houses of worship and other nonprofit institutions, and require social media companies to demonstrate how they handle antisemitic content on their platforms.

“Our nation is facing an epidemic of antisemitism,” Sen. Rosen said in a statement. “Year after year, we are seeing unprecedented levels of antisemitic violence and harassment. Jewish Americans are being targeted, attacked and killed simply because of who they are. This alarming trend demands a comprehensive, bipartisan approach that addresses both the seeds and the impacts of this vile hatred.”

Sen. Lankford, in his own statement, pointed to the post-Oct. 7 surge. “Since October 7, Jews in America have faced an unprecedented surge in antisemitism,” he said. “These are not just numbers, these are real stories impacting real people. Jewish students being targeted on campuses. Synagogues being vandalized. People being attacked in the streets simply because of their faith and heritage. That is not who we are as a nation, and we unequivocally condemn antisemitism in all its forms. Every American deserves to live their faith freely. That is worth fighting for.”

The bill is backed by nearly every major Jewish communal organization in the country, including Agudath Israel of America, the Orthodox Union, the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the Union for Reform Judaism, the American Jewish Committee, Jewish Federations of North America and Hillel International.

The proposed $1 billion security investment is the dollar figure the organized Jewish community has been seeking for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program for two consecutive funding cycles. The program, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, provides grants for cameras, access controls, alarms, locks, protective barriers and emergency-preparedness training at institutions deemed at high risk of terrorist or extremist attack. Congress allocated $274.5 million for the program in each of the last two fiscal years and $300 million for fiscal 2026, a fraction of demand. In 2024, roughly 7,600 applicants sought nearly $1 billion in grants and only 43 percent were approved.

In March, Rep. Gabe Amo, Democrat of Rhode Island, and Rep. Michael McCaul, Republican of Texas, led a letter signed by 148 House members requesting $1 billion for the program for fiscal 2027. A separate Senate letter signed last month by Sens. Rosen, Lankford, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Gary Peters of Michigan requested $750 million, which Jewish Federations CEO Eric Fingerhut described as “a significant step toward our community’s $1 billion goal.”

The community’s case rests on numbers that have grown progressively more alarming. The ADL recorded nearly 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the United States in 2025, an 893 percent increase over the past decade and the highest annual total since the organization began tracking incidents in 1979. According to a joint ADL and Jewish Federations of North America study, 55 percent of American Jews experienced some form of antisemitism in the past year. Jewish Americans, who make up roughly 2.4 percent of the U.S. population, accounted for 68 percent of religiously motivated hate crimes reported to the FBI in 2023, the agency’s most recent comprehensive figures.

The Jewish community itself spends more than $765 million annually on security, Fingerhut has said, calling it “the largest item in every synagogue, every school, every camp, every Jewish community center budget.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Fallen fathers promised their children the World Cup. Now 110 Israelis are heading to New York.

That is the emotional force behind Fulfilling Dreams’ World Cup 2026 campaign, a volunteer-powered project bringing war orphans, wounded soldiers and returned hostages from Israel to the New York-New Jersey area for the FIFA World Cup. The plan, a 110-person delegation, premium match seats, Broadway shows and a week of moments designed to give people who have carried the unbearable a chance to feel pure joy again. The campaign is listed on Charidy as “2026 World Cup, Fulfill their Dream.”

“Their father promised them the World Cup.”

The videos now being released show why this story lands so hard. Actor and comedian Shalom Michaelashvili surprises Rotem and Roi, the sons of Tal Eilon z”l, and tells them the dream is real, they are flying to America for the World Cup. Tal Eilon, 46, commanded Kfar Aza’s local security team and was killed defending the kibbutz from Hamas terrorists after rushing to protect his home and community. He left behind his wife, Mazi, and three children: Gali, Roi and Rotem.

Another clip opens in the quietest way possible: B’niya being woken up from sleep. Within moments, he is told he will train with Maccabi Tel Aviv F.C. and fly to the World Cup. The power of the video is not only the surprise, but the disbelief on his face as the players he dreamed of meeting stand there in front of him.

Then comes the school-gate moment. A boy who had liked another child’s World Cup video had no idea the team was waiting outside his school to tell him he was next. His classmates explode with happiness around him. That reaction may be the most shareable part of the whole campaign: children celebrating another child’s joy without hesitation.

The final emotional anchor is Hagi Avni z”l of Kibbutz Be’eri, a father of five and member of the kibbutz security team who was killed fighting Hamas terrorists. Israeli records say Avni was retroactively recognized as a fallen soldier with the rank of sergeant major in the reserves; the IDF has also named him among the Be’eri defenders whose battle helped save lives during the attack. In the campaign video, the message is simple: their father promised them the World Cup, and now others are stepping in to keep that promise alive.

The World Cup setting makes this even bigger. New York-New Jersey Stadium is set to host eight FIFA World Cup 2026 matches, including the final, with official hospitality offerings built around premium seating and match experiences. For most fans, that is a dream trip. For these children, soldiers and survivors, it is something deeper: a week where the world is not only asking them to be strong.

Hamas terrorists stole fathers, homes and childhoods. This project cannot undo that. But it can do something real. It can show up at a front door, a bedroom, a school gate or a soccer field and tell these children, your father’s promise still matters, your pain has not been forgotten, and your joy is worth fighting for.

Come be part of it and join us 👇

https://charidy.com/worldcup

The Binyamin Regional Council announced the death of Major (res.) Itamar Sapir, who was killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon. He was 27 years old. His funeral is scheduled to take place tomorrow in Ra’anana.

Sapir, the son of Yehuda and Rivki Sapir of Eli, was raised in the Binyamin region and studied in its local schools before continuing his education at Yeshivat Neve Shmuel in Efrat.

A number of years ago, he married Roi. The couple initially lived in Ra’anana before relocating to Ariel, where they built their home and welcomed their first child, Maayan, who is now approximately a year and a half old.

He joined the IDF in 2019 and served in the elite Maglan unit. By the time he completed his regular military service, he had risen to the position of company commander. During his reserve duty, he continued serving as a company commander in Maglan’s reserve battalion.

Those who knew Sapir described him as a deeply dedicated and principled individual whose loss has left friends and family devastated.

“He was the most upright friend I know,” said Meir, a childhood friend of Itamar. “A cheerful and opinionated friend with a wonderful family. A friend who, when he wanted something, would invest all of himself to achieve his goal.”

Sapir is the 63rd soldier from the Binyamin Regional Council to fall since the beginning of the war. He is survived by his wife, Roi; his young son, Maayan; his parents, Yehuda and Rivki; and his brothers, Tal, Erez, and Yosef.

Binyamin Regional Council chairman Yisrael Ganz mourned Sapir’s death and extended condolences to the bereaved family.

“All of our hearts are broken with the fall of Captain Itamar Sapir, of blessed memory,” Ganz said. “Itamar grew up in Eli, a community that has already sacrificed many of its finest sons since the start of the war. The Eli community sends its sons to the front with faith, responsibility, and endless devotion, and tragically, this time its son did not return.”

Ganz also reflected on the generation of young Israelis currently fighting in the war.

“Itamar was part of a remarkable generation of warriors. A generation that builds homes, raises children, loves life, and at the same time stands up without hesitation to defend the State of Israel. A generation of devotion, mission, and love for the people and the land. On behalf of all the residents of Binyamin, I embrace the dear Sapir family. We will always stand by your side.”

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – After the engine flew off a UPS cargo plane and caused a crash that killed 15 people in Kentucky, investigators quickly discovered cracks in parts of the engine mount. Then they found records showing similar flaws had been found during maintenance on the wings of 10 other planes — most of which had not been reported to the FAA.

The National Transportation Safety Board focused Tuesday on why no one in government or the industry spotted the concerning trend and took action to prevent it before last November’s crash. Investigators also released more than 2,000 pages of related documents during a two-day hearing in Washington to examine the disaster’s root causes.

The engine separated from the MD-11’s left wing as it accelerated down the runway Louisville’s Muhammad Ali International Airport. The crash killed all three pilots on the plane and 12 people on the ground. Twenty-three more were injured. There has only been one other crash involving a similar plane model when the engine fell off.

FAA and UPS officials said the reports they did get about problems related to the spherical bearings may not have included enough information. UPS’s David Springer said Boeing’s service letters made the bearing problem “sound almost benign” and didn’t mention any of the collateral damage that could be caused to the lugs that attach the engine to the wing.

“I think if we would have known that at UPS, I think we would have asked a lot of different questions over the years,” Springer said.

The families represented by attorney Bradley Cosgrove believe that actions should have been taken years earlier. “What happened was a systemic failure to recognize and address a known risk before it resulted in a horrific catastrophe,” Cosgrove said.

The hearings at the NTSB headquarters involve rounds of questions and answers among board members, investigators, and representatives of Boeing, UPS, the mechanics’ union and other parties. The NTSB’s final report will look at every potential factor and likely won’t be ready until more than a year after the crash.

Here’s what you should know:

The crash
The documents released Tuesday revealed that UPS switched planes hours before takeoff, after a preflight inspection found a fuel leak in the first plane loaded for the trip to Hawaii. The cargo was then moved onto a second plane, and the flight crew shared good-natured banter with the maintenance team during its inspection about “meeting again” so soon.

This second plane barely cleared the airport fence before crashing into nearby businesses in a massive fireball. Dramatic images showed the engine detaching as flames erupted on the wing, leaving trails of smoke.

Examining the wreckage, investigators found cracks in parts of the engine mounts that had not been caught in regular maintenance, which raised questions about the adequacy of the maintenance schedule, the NTSB said. The last time the key parts were examined closely was in October 2021, and another detailed inspection wasn’t due for roughly 7,000 more takeoffs and landings.

After all MD-11s and DC-10s, a predecessor aircraft, were grounded following the Louisville crash, similar flaws were found in three other UPS planes and a DC-10, NTSB investigators said Tuesday.

Past problems
NTSB member Tom Chapman said investigators also found records indicating that similar flaws had been found 10 times in other planes during the previous 15 years, but only four were reported to the FAA. Chapman said all should have been reported. FAA officials testified Tuesday that four, spread over years, would not have been enough to demonstrate a problem trend.

Boeing determined that those flaws “would not result in a safety of flight condition,” so didn’t require plane owners to make repairs, instead simply recommending that the bearings be replaced with a redesigned part that was less likely to fail. The FAA never issued an airworthiness directive that would have ensured that was done.

The FAA’s Melanie Violette told the NTSB that she believes the risks associated with spherical bearing failure within the lug were misunderstood when the concern was raised in 2007.

“The lug was designed to be fail-safe so that one side could fail and the other would continue to take the load. And the failure of that one lug would be very visible and very obvious and much easier to detect,” Violette said. “The actual way things played out was not the way it was understood. So that is also an important aspect of this.”

Since the crash, Boeing has “invested heavily” in modeling to understand the stress on the part, said Justin Konopaske, the plane manufacturer’s director of airframe service engineering.

UPS officials told the NTSB that they could have done more, had they known it could cause a crash.

The Louisville disaster was reminiscent of a 1979 crash in Chicago involving a DC-10 that lost its left engine, killing 273 people. That led to the worldwide grounding of 274 DC-10s.

The airliner returned to the skies because the NTSB determined that maintenance workers had damaged the plane while improperly using a forklift to reattach the engine — meaning it wasn’t caused by a fatal design flaw. But even at that point, the plane’s manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas, which later merged with Boeing, raised concerns about the spherical bearings.

MD-11 planes flying again
Some MD-11s, a workhorse of the cargo fleet, are now back in the air.

FedEx resumed using the planes to deliver packages on May 10, but UPS has said it plans to retire its fleet of MD-11s. Western Global also uses MD-11s but hasn’t said what it plans to do.

Some experts had speculated that the MD-11s might never fly again if the repairs proved cost-prohibitive. But Boeing said it found a way to address the safety concerns simply by replacing the bearings and stepping up inspections, and the FAA approved that plan.

Imagine spending nearly 30 years building a company from a tiny yoga-wear shop in Vancouver into one of the most recognizable retail brands in America — only to have that same company publicly tell investors your ideas are “misguided,” your thinking is “outdated,” and your involvement is hurting the business.

That is exactly what just happened to Chip Wilson, the founder of Lululemon Athletica Inc.

In a sharply worded letter sent Monday ahead of the company’s June 25 shareholder meeting, Lululemon’s board accused Wilson of attacking the company for years, damaging the brand and creating distractions during one of the toughest periods in the company’s history. The board urged investors to reject the three directors Wilson wants to place on the board, warning that his return to influence could “derail” the company’s recovery efforts.

Wilson fired back hours later, saying the company’s leadership has lost touch with what made Lululemon special in the first place.

For millions of American consumers, this is more than a boardroom fight.

It is a fight over whether one of the biggest lifestyle brands of the past decade has lost the identity that made customers love it to begin with.

Why Customers Started Pulling Away

For years, Lululemon barely had competition.

If someone wanted premium yoga pants or upscale athleisure wear, they went to Lululemon. The brand became a status symbol — not just workout clothing, but part of a lifestyle.

Then the market changed.

Brands like Vuori, Alo Yoga, and On Holding exploded in popularity. Social media accelerated the shift. Suddenly consumers had options that felt newer, fresher and in some cases more fashionable.

Instead of owning the category, Lululemon became just one choice in a crowded closet.

That shift is now showing up in the numbers.

Lululemon’s U.S. store sales have been flat or declining for eight consecutive quarters. The stock has fallen more than 40% this year alone and has lost more than $50 billion in market value from its peak.

For shoppers, the feeling is simpler than the financials:

Many longtime customers no longer feel the same excitement walking into the store.

The Bigger Problem: The Product Stopped Feeling Special

Wilson’s core argument is not really about Wall Street.

It is about product.

Lululemon built its empire by creating items customers obsessed over. Products like the company’s famous Align leggings became cultural phenomena because they genuinely felt different from everything else on the market.

Recently, however, several new launches have struggled badly.

A major product line called “Breezethrough” was quietly pulled after customer complaints about fit. Another launch, “Get Low,” failed to gain traction. Online criticism about changing fabrics, inconsistent sizing and declining quality has spread across TikTok, Reddit and fashion forums.

For a company charging premium prices, perception matters enormously.

Customers will happily pay $128 for leggings if they feel exceptional.

They stop paying those prices the moment the product feels ordinary.

That is the danger Lululemon now faces.

Why Prices Are Becoming a Problem

Part of Lululemon’s success came from refusing to play the discount game.

The company rarely ran major sales because it wanted customers to believe the product justified the price.

That exclusivity became part of the brand’s identity.

But lately, shoppers have started seeing more markdowns and promotions as the company works to clear inventory and compete with newer rivals.

Wilson believes those discounts damage the brand because they train customers to wait for sales instead of paying full price.

Management argues the promotions are necessary in a slower consumer environment where shoppers are becoming more price sensitive.

Both sides may be right — and that is exactly the problem.

Because once a premium brand loses its “must-have” feeling, it becomes extremely difficult to get it back.

Consumers Are Feeling the Squeeze Too

Lululemon is also dealing with pressures consumers may not immediately see.

The company estimates tariffs and import costs will add roughly $220 million in net expenses during 2026, while labor, marketing and supply-chain costs continue rising.

Management has largely avoided aggressively raising prices further because shoppers are already pulling back across parts of the retail sector.

That means profits are getting squeezed from both directions:
higher costs on one side and weaker demand on the other.

For consumers, it reflects a broader shift happening throughout retail right now.

Even shoppers with money are becoming more selective. They still spend — but they increasingly want products that truly feel worth the premium.

That puts enormous pressure on brands like Lululemon that built their business on emotional loyalty rather than basic necessity.

Why Chip Wilson Is Fighting So Hard

Wilson still owns roughly 9% of Lululemon, making him one of the company’s largest shareholders.

He believes the board became too focused on efficiency, operations and financial targets while losing the creative energy and emotional connection that originally built the brand.

The directors he wants on the board come largely from branding, marketing and consumer-experience backgrounds rather than finance-heavy corporate résumés.

Lululemon’s current board disagrees completely.

The company says Wilson is trying to drag the business backward and argues its current leadership team — including incoming CEO Heidi O’Neill, a longtime Nike executive — is the right group to modernize the brand.

Meanwhile, activist hedge fund Elliott Investment Management has quietly built a stake reportedly worth more than $1 billion, creating even more pressure inside the boardroom.

In other words, this is no longer just a founder fighting his old company.

It is now a full-scale battle over who gets to decide what Lululemon becomes next.

What It Means for Everyday Shoppers

For most customers, tomorrow’s visit to a Lululemon store may not look much different.

The leggings will still be folded neatly on the shelves.
The stores will still smell the same.
The mirrors, lighting and branding will still feel polished and familiar.

But underneath that polished surface, one of America’s most powerful retail brands is going through an identity crisis.

The founder believes the company forgot what made customers emotionally connected to the brand.

The board believes the founder himself is stuck in the past.

Consumers — and shareholders — will ultimately decide who is right.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. health officials said Tuesday they have issued quarantine orders for two passengers from the cruise ship at the center of a hantavirus outbreak who are now at a hospital in Nebraska.

The orders were signed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s acting director, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the CDC said in a statement.

Quarantine orders, which can be enforced with fines and prison time, are a rare legal step that can be taken if someone objects to a public health request. All 18 passengers at the Nebraska hospital had been asked to stay at the facility through May 31, part of their monitoring period, according to the CDC.

On a call with reporters, the CDC’s Dr. David Fitter said there were no hantavirus cases among the returned U.S. passengers.

But symptoms of hantavirus have taken as long as 42 days to appear in previous outbreaks, said Jodie Guest, senior vice chair of epidemiology at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health.

“I’m certain that 42 days is starting to feel very long for those who are in quarantine, but the incubation period is what is setting that time period,” she said.

The CDC statement said three additional cases of hantavirus have been identified — one each in France, Spain and Canada — since the passengers left the ship.

The World Health Organization said last Wednesday that a total of 11 hantavirus cases linked to the cruise have been reported, including three deaths. Eight cases have been confirmed by laboratory tests.

Hantaviruses usually spread when people inhale contaminated residue of rodent droppings. But the hantavirus that has caused the current outbreak, called the Andes virus, may be able to spread between people in rare cases. The risk to the general public from the cruise ship outbreak is low, according to public health officials.

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Beijing late Tuesday for a major summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, where the two sides are expected to sign around 40 agreements covering trade, energy, investment, and broader strategic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing.

The visit comes just days after Xi hosted U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing, underscoring China’s growing role at the center of global diplomacy amid rising tensions involving Ukraine, Iran, and the global economy.

A major focus of the talks is expected to be the long-delayed “Power of Siberia 2” gas pipeline, a massive project that would send Russian natural gas to China through Mongolia as Moscow continues shifting its energy exports away from Europe following Western sanctions tied to the Ukraine war.

Putin called Russia-China relations a “stabilizing force” and said ties between the two nations have reached an “unprecedented level” of trust and cooperation.

This post was originally published on this site.

Randi Weingarten allegedly relied on extensive union-funded support while producing her controversial political book, with consultants, attorneys, and other contributors tied to the project receiving more than $1.4 million from the union, according to a new report released by the Freedom Foundation, the NY Post reports.

The report alleges that Weingarten used significant resources connected to the American Federation of Teachers while writing Why Fascists Fear Teachers: Public Education and the Future of Democracy, a book critics accused of promoting a liberal political agenda. According to the analysis, Weingarten also personally retained part of the book’s proceeds.

Among those involved in the project, the report said, was an attorney who allegedly reviewed the manuscript on a pro bono basis even though his law firm received nearly $977,000 from the union for separate legal work. The report also identified a consultant described as a possible ghostwriter who allegedly received more than $400,000 overall from the union.

According to the analysis, the union additionally spent more than $11,000 on individuals who reportedly assisted with fact-checking the book and photographing Weingarten for promotional materials connected to the publication, which the publisher promoted as “a manifesto for our time.”

Maxford Nelsen, the organization’s director of research and government affairs, argued that union members did not sign up to finance such projects through their dues payments.

“Most AFT members pay dues in exchange for workplace representation, not to fund the union president’s literary pursuits,” said Maxford Nelsen, the Freedom Foundation’s director of research and government affairs.

“However, AFT appears to have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in members’ dues on top-tier consultants, lawyers, and agents to get WFFT published,” Nelson went on. “Indeed, the wide range of expenses borne by AFT suggests that Weingarten may not have contributed anything at all financially to the enterprise.”

Weingarten currently earns $469,442 annually from the AFT, which represents approximately 1.8 million members through thousands of local affiliates nationwide. She has publicly acknowledged that royalties from the book are shared with the union and affiliated nonprofit organizations.

The book itself generated controversy after critics claimed Weingarten implied President Donald Trump displayed fascist tendencies. The book also referenced historical dictators including Adolf Hitler.

“Those hell-bent on unraveling democracy, pluralism, and opportunity have always attacked teachers and education,” Weingarten wrote in her book. “It’s a very old playbook. In the 1930s, Hitler and Mussolini persecuted teachers and tried to control the curriculum.”

Weingarten denied accusations that she directly labeled Trump or members of his administration as fascists, insisting she was discussing broader authoritarian behavior rather than making personal comparisons.

The Freedom Foundation based its findings on an LM-2 financial disclosure filed by the union with the federal government covering the period between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.

The report highlighted Weingarten’s acknowledgment section, where she described writer Sally Kohn as “indispensable as a day-to-day thought partner and collaborator.” According to union financial records cited in the report, Kohn received $400,270 in consulting payments from the AFT during the relevant period, a figure reportedly far higher than in prior years.

The Freedom Foundation argued those payments may have been tied to ghostwriting or substantial writing assistance for the book, services Kohn advertises professionally. Representatives for Weingarten disputed that characterization, saying Kohn worked on multiple union-related initiatives, including the union’s Reconnecting McDowell newsletter.

The report also noted that Weingarten thanked fact-checker Emily Krieger in the book’s acknowledgments. According to financial disclosures, the AFT paid $6,000 to Emily Krieger Editorial LLC, based in Bozeman, Montana. Krieger’s website reportedly states that she “fact-checked” the book.

In addition, the photograph of Weingarten used inside the book jacket and in promotional materials published by Penguin Random House was credited to photographer Tony Powell. Financial disclosures showed the AFT paid Powell $5,212 under administrative expenses.

Weingarten also thanked attorney Charles Moerdler of Patterson Belknap Webb and Tyler LLP for reviewing the manuscript from a legal standpoint.

At the same time, the union disclosed payments totaling $977,275 to Moerdler’s law firm for legal work and union-related services. The Freedom Foundation suggested some of those payments may have indirectly supported work connected to the book, although Weingarten maintained that Moerdler reviewed the manuscript without compensation.

Representatives for the attorney said his firm separately worked on litigation involving New Hampshire’s “divisive concepts” law and on projects tied to the union’s artificial intelligence education initiatives.

The AFT additionally disclosed $64,090 in publication-related payments to InkWell Management, which represents Weingarten as a client and is connected to Penguin Random House.

Although not individually detailed in financial records, the book’s acknowledgments also credited nearly 30 AFT staff members for contributing to the project.

“Also undisclosed, but potentially substantial, is the amount AFT likely paid in travel expenses and other costs associated with Weingarten’s nationwide tour to promote her book,” Nelson said.

The report also questioned how royalties and proceeds from the book are ultimately being distributed.

Weingarten has publicly stated that portions of the proceeds would benefit the AFT, the AFT Disaster Relief Fund, and the AFT Educational Foundation.

However, the analysis also identified two royalty payments totaling $125,000 made to an entity controlled by Weingarten called Teachers Want What Kids Need, LLC, which the report noted is a Delaware-based corporation rather than a tax-exempt charitable organization.

“It has no website or discernible public-facing presence of any kind,” the Freedom Foundation said in its report.

Weingarten sharply rejected the report’s conclusions, calling the investigation politically motivated and accusing the Freedom Foundation of trying to validate the arguments she made in the book itself.

“This desperate fishing expedition by a far right group that refuses to disclose its donors only proves my book’s point — that Fascists Fear Teachers,” Weingarten told The Post.

“Educators need people making the public case for them, for critical thinking and for public schools. I am glad to have been in full partnership with the union on this project — and any and all proceeds from the book are shared equally.”

The Freedom Foundation describes itself as a conservative organization focused on challenging what it calls the influence of left-wing public-sector union leadership and expanding government power.

Before becoming national president of the AFT, Weingarten previously led the union’s New York affiliate, the United Federation of Teachers.

{Matzav.com}

By JBizNews Desk
May 19, 2026

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks closed lower Tuesday for a third straight session as surging Treasury yields, renewed geopolitical uncertainty surrounding Iran, and continued weakness in semiconductor shares pressured Wall Street ahead of Nvidia’s highly anticipated earnings report Wednesday afternoon.

The S&P 500 fell 0.67% to close at 7,353.61, while the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.84% to 25,870.71. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 322.24 points, or 0.65%, finishing at 49,375.46. Selling accelerated during the afternoon after the 30-year Treasury yield climbed to 5.198% — its highest level in nearly 19 years — while the benchmark 10-year yield rose to roughly 4.687%, its highest level since January 2025, intensifying concerns over borrowing costs across mortgages, auto loans, and consumer credit.

Markets also continued reacting to developments in the Middle East after President Donald Trump said he had postponed planned U.S. military action against Iran following requests from regional leaders pursuing what he described as “serious negotiations” toward a broader peace framework. While the announcement helped equities recover from steeper intraday losses, investors remained cautious after Trump later suggested the delay could be temporary. Meanwhile, Brent crude hovered above $110 per barrel for much of the session, reinforcing inflation fears already building inside bond markets.

One of the day’s biggest earnings reports came from Home Depot, which topped Wall Street expectations on both revenue and earnings before the opening bell. The home-improvement giant reported adjusted earnings of $3.43 per share on revenue of $41.77 billion, ahead of analyst estimates calling for $3.41 per share and $41.59 billion in revenue. Comparable sales rose 0.6%, while U.S. comparable sales increased 0.4%.

CEO Ted Decker said the company continued seeing steady demand despite mounting pressure on household budgets and elevated mortgage rates. “The underlying demand in our business was relatively similar to what we saw throughout fiscal 2025, despite greater consumer uncertainty and housing affordability pressure,” Decker said in the company’s earnings release.

CFO Richard McPhail told CNBC that core homeowners remain “engaged,” though larger renovation projects continue to slow as financing costs rise. Home Depot reaffirmed its full-year guidance, forecasting total sales growth between 2.5% and 4.5% and adjusted earnings-per-share growth ranging from flat to up 4%.

Housing-related stocks weakened sharply alongside rising yields. The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) fell more than 1%, while shares of D.R. Horton, Lennar, and Toll Brothers all closed lower, with Toll Brothers declining roughly 2%.

Semiconductor shares once again remained at the center of market attention as investors positioned ahead of Nvidia’s earnings report, widely viewed as one of the most important corporate catalysts of the quarter. The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index traded down more than 1% intraday before recovering some losses into the close. Nvidia shares ended the session down nearly 1%, while Qualcomm fell more than 4% and Broadcom lost roughly 2%.

Memory-chip stocks provided one of the few pockets of resilience inside the technology sector. Micron Technology rebounded more than 4% intraday before finishing roughly flat, snapping a three-session losing streak. Sandisk gained nearly 3%, while the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) rose about 2%.

Jed Ellerbroek, portfolio manager at Argent Capital Management, told CNBC the recent weakness in semiconductors may simply reflect profit-taking after months of explosive gains. “A well-deserved breather after an epic rally,” Ellerbroek said.

On the analyst front, UBS upgraded Jazz Pharmaceuticals to buy from neutral and raised its price target to $307, implying upside of more than 33% from Monday’s close. Analyst Ashwani Verma pointed to growing optimism surrounding the company’s gallbladder-cancer treatment Ziihera ahead of its August 25 regulatory deadline, while also highlighting continued stability across Jazz’s sleep-disorder drug franchise despite pricing pressures and increased competition expected later this year.

Still, the dominant story on Wall Street remained the sharp move higher in long-term Treasury yields. Strategists said investors are increasingly grappling with a combination of rising federal borrowing needs, oil-driven inflation concerns tied to the Iran conflict, and uncertainty surrounding monetary policy under new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh.

Nathan Peterson, director of derivatives research and strategy at the Schwab Center for Financial Research, said investors should focus less on the absolute level of yields and more on how quickly rates continue moving higher. “Higher yields are not necessarily a bull market killer, because it depends on why they are going up and the velocity of the move,” Peterson said.

Attention now shifts squarely to Nvidia’s earnings release Wednesday afternoon, which many investors view as the next major test for a market attempting to stabilize after its powerful rally from March lows. Investors will also closely watch Walmart’s earnings report Thursday for additional insight into the health of the U.S. consumer as gasoline prices climb and confidence begins to soften.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

LAS VEGAS — Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Jensen Huang said Monday that China will eventually reopen its market to American artificial-intelligence chips, signaling confidence that Beijing will ultimately ease restrictions that have frozen billions of dollars in potential sales for the world’s most important AI hardware company despite escalating geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Speaking to Bloomberg Television’s Ed Ludlow on the sidelines of the Dell Technologies World conference in Las Vegas, Huang said Chinese leaders are still weighing how aggressively they want to shield domestic semiconductor champions from U.S. competition. “The Chinese government has to decide how much of their local market do they want to protect,” Huang said. “Over time the market will open.”

The comments landed just days after Huang accompanied President Donald Trump during a closely watched summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing that investors hoped could unlock stalled approvals for Nvidia’s advanced AI processors. While the summit produced no immediate breakthrough, Huang’s remarks offered Wall Street its clearest sign yet that Nvidia still believes a pathway back into China remains possible.

At the center of the standoff is Nvidia’s H200 artificial-intelligence accelerator chip, one of the most advanced AI processors currently available commercially. The company already holds U.S. Commerce Department licenses allowing it to sell H200 chips to approved Chinese buyers, including major technology firms such as Alibaba Group, Tencent Holdings, ByteDance, and JD.com, along with distributors including Lenovo Group and Foxconn. But Chinese regulators have yet to fully authorize large-scale purchases as Beijing pushes domestic companies toward homegrown alternatives such as Huawei Technologies.

The delay has become one of the defining commercial and geopolitical battles of the AI era.

China once represented roughly 13% of Nvidia’s annual revenue, contributing an estimated $17.1 billion during fiscal 2025 before U.S. export controls tightened and Beijing accelerated efforts to build an independent semiconductor ecosystem. Prior to Washington’s restrictions, Nvidia controlled an estimated 95% of China’s advanced AI chip market. Today, analysts say that share has effectively collapsed to near zero.

Huang has repeatedly warned that cutting American companies off from China could backfire strategically on the United States by accelerating Beijing’s drive toward technological self-sufficiency. “If we leave the market entirely, Chinese companies will fill the gap,” Huang said in previous remarks echoed again Monday by his broader comments about eventual market reopening.

The stakes stretch far beyond Silicon Valley.

Nvidia has previously estimated the Chinese AI accelerator market could eventually exceed $50 billion annually, making it one of the largest technology opportunities in the world. The company’s ability — or inability — to participate in that market could significantly impact future revenue growth, U.S. research spending, manufacturing investment, and high-paying engineering jobs tied to the American AI ecosystem.

Trump himself acknowledged Friday that the Nvidia issue surfaced during discussions in Beijing. “The chip did come up, and I think something could happen on that,” the president told reporters after returning to Washington. Trump added that Chinese officials appear reluctant to approve purchases because they want to strengthen domestic competitors capable of challenging American firms.

Huang said Monday he did not directly negotiate H200 sales with Chinese officials during the trip, despite widespread investor speculation that his presence in the delegation was tied to efforts to secure regulatory approvals.

The broader technology landscape is rapidly shifting around the dispute. Chinese AI firms, including DeepSeek, have increasingly promoted models trained using domestic chips instead of Nvidia hardware, underscoring Beijing’s growing urgency to reduce reliance on U.S. technology. Analysts say every month Nvidia remains sidelined gives Chinese semiconductor firms more time to mature and capture permanent market share.

“This is no longer just about one company,” said Daniel Newman, chief executive of Futurum Group, in a note Monday. “The outcome will shape the future balance of power in global AI infrastructure.”

The standoff also carries implications for consumers and businesses worldwide. AI chips are becoming foundational infrastructure for everything from enterprise software and automation to healthcare systems, logistics networks, financial services, and small-business productivity tools. A prolonged fragmentation between U.S. and Chinese AI ecosystems could raise costs, slow innovation, and create competing global technology standards.

At the Dell conference Monday, Huang appeared alongside Dell Technologies Chief Executive Michael Dell, where both executives discussed surging demand for AI infrastructure, growing memory constraints, and massive global investment in next-generation data centers. Demand for advanced AI processors continues to outstrip available supply worldwide, reinforcing Nvidia’s push to maximize every possible sales channel.

Despite the China uncertainty, Nvidia shares have remained relatively resilient as investors focus on explosive demand from U.S., European, and Middle Eastern hyperscale customers racing to build AI computing capacity. Many Wall Street analysts now exclude China revenue entirely from their base forecasts for Nvidia, treating any reopening as potential upside rather than an expectation.

Still, Huang’s remarks underscored Nvidia’s long-term bet that commercial realities may eventually outweigh political tensions.

The licenses already exist. The customers are waiting. The infrastructure demand is massive. What remains unresolved is whether Beijing ultimately decides that protecting domestic semiconductor champions is worth forgoing access to the world’s most advanced commercially available AI hardware.

JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

A 56-year-old Westchester County woman fell to her death down an uncovered Con Edison manhole outside the Cartier store in Midtown Manhattan on Monday night, in a freak accident that has prompted an investigation by the utility into how the hole was left exposed on one of the busiest stretches of Fifth Avenue.

Donika Gocaj, of Briarcliff Manor, stepped out of her parked Mercedes-Benz SUV at around 11:20 p.m. near the corner of East 52nd Street and Fifth Avenue, beside the Cartier and Nike stores, and tumbled roughly 10 feet into the open utility hole, police said. First responders arrived to find her unconscious and unresponsive at the bottom of the shaft.

Emergency crews pulled Ms. Gocaj from the hole and rushed her to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead from her injuries.

Con Edison said it is investigating why the manhole was uncovered. The utility did not immediately disclose whether crews had been working at the site earlier in the evening or whether the cover had been displaced through some other means.

Family members told Eyewitness News they were searching for answers in the hours after the accident. Ms. Gocaj was a mother and grandmother whose son was married in Cancún, Mexico, last July. Her daughter is a co-founder of SISTERWOULD, a hair-care company designed for visually impaired users; the firm’s website describes its founders as “daughters of visually impaired mothers.”

The intersection where Ms. Gocaj died is among the most heavily trafficked retail corridors in New York City, anchored by Cartier, Nike and other flagship stores and lined with pedestrians and high-end vehicles through the late evening hours. The Midtown South Precinct has not announced any criminality in connection with the fall, and the death was being treated as an accident pending the medical examiner’s review.

Open or improperly secured manholes have killed pedestrians in New York before, though such fatalities are rare. The city and Con Edison have both faced lawsuits in past incidents involving missing or dislodged covers, and Department of Transportation rules require utility crews to barricade and supervise any open shaft on a public street.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday accused the Palestinian Authority of waging “war” against the Jewish state, as he confirmed that International Criminal Court prosecutors had submitted a secret request for an arrest warrant against him.

“The prosecutor submitted a request for arrest warrants. Whether they will actually be issued or not, we do not know; they also do not want us to know; this is part of the tactic,” Smotrich told reporters at a press conference in Jerusalem.

“What is certain is that the Palestinian Authority and its people stand behind this entire process,” the senior Cabinet minister said. “They stand behind the legal warfare at the ICC and the International Court of Justice.”

Smotrich described the legal efforts against top Israeli officials at the ICC and ICJ as “not a diplomatic struggle and not a legal struggle,” but rather “a declaration of war by a hostile entity against the State of Israel.”

“This is a declaration of war against the State of Israel, and when war is waged against us, we must respond forcefully,” he declared.

As part of Jerusalem’s response, Smotrich said he would be signing a military order to immediately evacuate Khan al-Ahmar, a Judean Desert site where Palestinian Bedouin have illegally erected buildings and dwellings. Jerusalem has sought for years to relocate the community, which is located in the strategic E1 corridor between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim.

Immediately following the press conference, Smotrich’s office published a letter in which he instructed Hillel Roth, his representative in the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration, to take “all necessary measures” to carry out the evacuation as soon as possible.

“I promise all our enemies: This is only the beginning,” Smotrich said in his remarks at the press conference.

“From today onward, every economic or other target I can act against within my authority as finance minister or as a minister in the Defense Ministry will be targeted—not with words and gimmicks, but with actions,” he added.

Israel’s Channel 12 News broadcaster reported on Monday that in addition to Smotrich, ICC prosecutors were also considering secret arrest warrants against Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz and Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The report said Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and his predecessor, Herzi Halevi, were also under scrutiny by the Office of the Prosecutor.

In 2024, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant in connection to the war against Hamas in Gaza, which was started by the terrorists’ invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

After U.S. President Donald Trump’s reelection, Washington slapped sanctions on Feb. 6, 2025, against four ICC judges for investigating U.S. citizens and U.S. allies.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s latest peace proposal to the United States calls for reparations for damage caused by the U.S.-Israeli war, the withdrawal of American forces from areas near Iran’s borders, an end to the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports, the lifting of sanctions and the release of tens of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets, state media reported Tuesday.

In Tehran’s first public comments on the proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi told the official IRNA news agency that the offer also called for an end to hostilities on all fronts, including Lebanon. The terms appear largely unchanged from the proposal President Trump dismissed last week as “garbage.”

The disclosure landed a day after Trump announced he had paused a planned resumption of strikes on Iran, citing requests from the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and what he described as a “very good chance” of reaching a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program. Officials in the three Gulf capitals told The Wall Street Journal they had been unaware of any imminent U.S. strike plan, contradicting the central element of the president’s announcement.

Iran’s military signaled defiance even as its diplomats laid out terms. The army warned Tuesday that it would “open new fronts” if fighting resumed. “If the enemy is foolish enough to fall into the Zionist trap again, we will open new fronts against it, with new equipment and new methods,” army spokesman Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia told the semiofficial ISNA news agency.

A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the two sides, had passed the proposal to Washington. “The sides keep changing their goalposts,” the source said. “We don’t have much time.”

A senior Iranian official said Monday that Washington had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds and shown flexibility on allowing peaceful nuclear activity under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. The Trump administration has not confirmed any concessions, and a U.S. official denied a report by Iran’s Tasnim news agency that Washington had agreed to waive oil sanctions during the talks.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

If I had to identify the single most common trait among business owners who struggle financially, it would not be poor strategy, bad hiring decisions, or weak sales. It would be avoidance. A pattern of not looking at the numbers, not opening the reports, and not asking the questions — because somewhere along the way, the financial side of the business became a source of anxiety rather than a source of information.

I understand it. Most business owners did not start their companies because they love accounting. They started because they had a skill, a vision, or a product they believed in. The financial mechanics felt like a necessary burden — something to hand off and not think about too much.

But avoidance is expensive. And the good news is that financial confidence is not something you are born with. It is something you build, deliberately, with the right knowledge and the right support.

Why Business Owners Avoid Their Numbers

The avoidance rarely comes from laziness. In my experience, it comes from one of a few places.

Fear of what the numbers might show. If things are tight or the trend is not good, not looking feels safer than confirming it. The problem, of course, is that the situation does not improve because you are not watching it. It simply gets worse in the dark.

Not knowing what to do with the information. If you open a financial statement and feel like you are reading a document in a foreign language, the instinct is to close it. When the numbers are not actionable to you, reviewing them feels pointless.

A belief that someone else is handling it. If you have a bookkeeper, an accountant, or a CPA, it is tempting to assume that the financial side is covered. As I have written about elsewhere, that assumption often leaves significant gaps.

Whatever the reason, the result is the same: decisions get made on instinct, gut feel, and bank balance rather than on accurate, current financial data. And that is a genuinely risky way to run a business.

What Financial Confidence Actually Looks Like

I want to be clear about something: financial confidence does not mean becoming an accountant. You do not need to understand every entry on a general ledger or be able to build a discounted cash flow model from scratch. What you do need is enough familiarity with your own numbers that you can have an informed conversation about your business, spot when something looks wrong, and make decisions grounded in reality rather than guesswork.

In practical terms, a financially confident business owner can answer a handful of fundamental questions at any given time. What was my revenue last month, and how does that compare to the month before and to the same month last year? What is my gross margin, and is it trending in the right direction? Do I have enough cash to cover the next 60 to 90 days of operations? Am I on track relative to my budget? What are my largest expense categories, and are any of them growing faster than my revenue?

You do not need to derive these answers yourself. You need to have systems and people in place that make the answers readily available — and you need the willingness to look at them regularly.

Building the Habit of Engagement

The most effective way to build financial confidence is through consistent, low-pressure engagement with your numbers over time. Not a frantic annual review before tax season. Not a crisis-driven deep dive when the bank account hits a concerning level. Regular, scheduled, calm engagement.

I recommend a simple rhythm: a brief weekly check on cash position and any pending receivables or payables, and a more substantive monthly review of your full financial statements — P&L, balance sheet, and cash flow statement. The monthly review does not need to take more than 30 to 45 minutes if your books are current and your reports are organized clearly.

Over time, this rhythm does something important: it normalizes the numbers. When you look at your financials every month, you develop an intuitive sense of what is normal for your business — and that makes it significantly easier to spot when something is off. A margin that is lower than usual. An expense category that is creeping upward. A receivable balance that is growing faster than revenue. These things become visible when you are looking consistently, and they become invisible when you are not.

Make the Numbers Work for You

Part of what makes financial statements feel intimidating is that they are often produced in a format that serves compliance rather than decision-making. A standard set of financials is accurate and complete — but it is not always organized in a way that immediately answers the questions a business owner actually has.

This is where a good bookkeeper or controller earns their value beyond the basic accounting work. Ask for reports that are organized around the information you need. Ask for a one-page summary that highlights the key metrics that matter most for your business. Ask for variance analysis that flags where actuals are diverging from budget and by how much. You should not have to be a financial expert to extract meaning from your own reports.

If your current financial reporting does not give you clarity, that is a process problem — not a you problem. The right support should make the numbers accessible, not more confusing.

The Payoff

Business owners who are genuinely engaged with their numbers make better decisions. They catch problems earlier. They identify opportunities more quickly. They go into lender meetings, investor conversations, and partnership negotiations with confidence rather than anxiety. They sleep better.

That is not an overstatement. Financial clarity is one of the highest-leverage investments you can make in your own effectiveness as a business leader. It does not require a finance degree. It requires curiosity, consistency, and the willingness to stop avoiding something that is ultimately there to help you.

Your numbers are not your adversary. They are the most honest feedback your business can give you. Start listening to them.

—

About the Author: 

Joe Herskowitz, EA, is the President and CEO of Lionstone Bookkeeping+, where he helps small and medium-sized businesses take control of their finances with expert bookkeeping and financial insights. With years of experience in business finance, Joe is passionate about making numbers work for business owners—not against them.

Have a bookkeeping or business finance question?

Reach out to Joe at [email protected] or call/text 732-803-7793 (no WhatsApp).

Breaking Chizuk Alert: In a powerful shmuess delivered to a packed bais medrash of avreichim in Yeshivas Bais Hillel in Bnei Brak runned by Hagaon Rabbi Eliyahu Man shlita, the Gaon Hatzaddik Rav Don Segal shlit”a addressed the current matzav with a major wake-up call for Klal Yisrael.

The Mashgiach made it crystal clear that our ultimate hatzlacha—especially when dealing with our oyvim—hinges entirely on the ribuy of Torah learning. Dismissing the outside pressures and difficulties facing the Olam HaTorah, Rav Don declared: “There will always be misnagdim, that’s just the derech of Torah.

 We cannot be from the hardships. Our absolute chiyuv right now is to redouble our koach, le’yaker every single second of learning, and realize the massive chashivus and achrayus that yungerleit carry for the entire world.”

Rising grocery costs are colliding with slower SNAP adjustments, leaving millions of Americans struggling to stretch benefits that no longer cover what they once did.

WASHINGTON — America’s food inflation problem may have cooled from the crisis peaks of the post-pandemic economy, but for the roughly 42 million Americans relying on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP or food stamps, the pressure inside supermarket aisles continues building every single week. Grocery prices across many staples remain dramatically above pre-2021 levels, while the federal system used to calculate SNAP benefits updates far more slowly than the real-world pace of inflation — creating a widening affordability gap now hitting working families, seniors, disabled Americans and lower-income households nationwide.

According to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Price Outlook, grocery prices are expected to continue rising in 2026 following several years of elevated food inflation that permanently reset prices higher across large parts of the American supermarket economy. Meat, dairy, packaged foods, fresh produce and household staples all remain materially above where they stood before inflation accelerated several years ago, even as headline inflation readings have moderated.

For SNAP recipients, the issue is not that benefits disappeared. The problem is that prices moved faster than the government system designed to keep pace with them.

SNAP benefits are recalculated annually using the federal government’s “Thrifty Food Plan,” the formula the USDA uses to estimate the cost of a basic but nutritionally adequate diet. Updated benefit levels generally take effect each October. But grocery prices fluctuate constantly throughout the year, meaning families often face months of rising supermarket costs before federal adjustments catch up.

That lag is now becoming increasingly visible at checkout counters across the country.

“The balance may look similar, but the cart keeps getting smaller,” said one Brooklyn food pantry director working with families receiving federal food assistance, describing what community organizations say has become one of the most common frustrations among SNAP recipients over the past two years.

Food banks and local charities across multiple states continue reporting elevated demand from households already receiving government assistance but increasingly running short before the end of the month. Community organizations say families are stretching meals longer, buying cheaper substitutes, reducing protein purchases and cutting discretionary spending elsewhere simply to absorb higher grocery costs.

The squeeze comes as broader household expenses remain elevated across much of the U.S. economy. Housing costs remain high in many regions. Insurance premiums have continued rising. Utility bills remain volatile. High interest rates have increased borrowing costs on everything from credit cards to automobiles. But groceries remain uniquely painful politically and emotionally because Americans experience those prices constantly — often several times a week.

The SNAP debate has also become increasingly political following changes passed under last year’s federal budget legislation signed by President Donald Trump. The law tightened future flexibility surrounding how SNAP benefit increases can be calculated and expanded work requirements for additional recipients unless exemptions apply.

Supporters of the changes argue tighter controls were necessary to slow long-term growth in federal food-assistance spending while encouraging greater labor-force participation. Critics argue the restrictions could make it harder for future administrations to rapidly adjust benefits during inflation spikes and may place additional strain on older Americans with unstable employment situations or caregiving responsibilities.

Under the updated rules, work requirements that previously focused primarily on adults ages 18 through 54 were expanded to include many adults up to age 64 unless exemptions apply. Anti-poverty advocates warn that compliance requirements could become difficult for older workers navigating inconsistent employment, physical limitations or family obligations.

The broader issue, economists say, is that food inflation behaves differently than many other categories inside the economy. Even when overall inflation slows, grocery prices often remain permanently elevated because supply-chain costs, labor expenses, transportation costs and agricultural inputs rarely move fully backward once reset higher.

That reality has created growing frustration among many lower-income households who feel official inflation numbers do not reflect what they experience at the supermarket.

Supporters of the current SNAP structure note that benefits today remain materially higher than they were before the pandemic following earlier federal recalibrations that significantly expanded payment levels. But critics argue those increases have increasingly been overtaken by the cumulative rise in grocery prices over the past several years.

The result is a growing disconnect many families now feel every time they shop: the assistance technically still exists, but the purchasing power behind it continues shrinking.

For Washington, the debate centers around budgets, labor participation and federal spending priorities.

For millions of Americans standing inside Walmart, Aldi, ShopRite, Kroger and neighborhood supermarkets across the country, the issue feels much simpler.

The SNAP card still works.

It just does not go nearly as far anymore.

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Rabbi Reuven Sharbani, the right-hand man of the Rosh Yeshiva of Yad Aharon, HaGaon HaRav Yehoshua Eichenstein, was detained at the entrance to the Kosel on Tuesday by Israel Police officers after a routine check showed that he is classified as a “draft evader”.

His detainment was the first carried out under the new policy announced on Monday by Police Commissioner Danny Levy. After his arrest, officers waited for the arrival of the military police, and when they failed to arrive within 10 minutes, they gave him a summons to report to the draft office and released him.

Rabbi Sharbani also serves as director-general of the “Ezram U’Maginam” organization, which assists bnei yeshivos dealing with draft authorities

According to a B’Chadrei Chareidim report, immediately after his detention, Rabbi Sharbani managed to inform his contacts about what was happening. Within a short time, dozens of bochurim and avreichim arrived at the scene, leading to a crowd around the police forces, which played a part in the officers releasing him after ten minutes rather than waiting for 30 minutes for military police representatives as dictated by the new policy.

Rabbi Sharabani said that after his arrest and release, he informed HaRav Eichenstein about the incident, and the Rosh Yeshiva responded by saying, “Very serious. The continued persecution of the Olam HaTorah endangers the State.”

The Ezram U’Maginam organization sharply criticized the police conduct, stating: “We are witnessing criminal conduct by the Israel Police, which is persecuting Lomdei Torah whose only ‘crime’ is that they diligently study Torah. In light of this, our power to prevent such incidents lies in the power of the masses, and therefore the public is asked to register for the ‘Lo Ta’amod’ alert hotline, which operates under the guidance of Gedolei Yisrael, at 02-500-0110, extension 9.”

The organization added that “following the change in police procedures, in any case of an encounter with a police officer, please contact the organization’s hotline at extension 3, whose effectiveness was also proven in this incident.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Israel is trying to pull off one of the boldest aviation moves since the Abraham Accords, offering Emirates the right to fly directly from Tel Aviv to New York and Bangkok, without requiring the flights to continue to or from Dubai. The proposal, first reported by Israel’s Channel 12, is being pushed by the Transportation Ministry as Israel’s long-haul market remains squeezed by war-driven cancellations, limited seats and painfully high fares.

The key is a rare “seventh freedom” arrangement. It would allow a foreign airline to operate between two countries that are not its home country, without touching its own territory. Emirates already uses fifth-freedom rights on routes like New York-Milan-Dubai and Newark-Athens-Dubai, but this would go further, Tel Aviv-New York as a standalone Emirates route. That makes the proposal commercially explosive and politically sensitive.

American Airlines has extended its New York-Tel Aviv suspension until January 2027, while United and Delta are not expected back before September, leaving El Al and Arkia as the only direct Israel-U.S. options. El Al is currently operating about six daily New York flights, while Arkia flies the route six days a week. For travelers, that means fewer choices and higher prices on one of the most important routes in the Jewish world.

Emirates itself has not flown to Israel since the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, but the UAE’s broader aviation connection to Israel never disappeared. Flydubai and Etihad continued operating through much of the war, even as many U.S. and European carriers repeatedly pulled back. That has made Emirati airlines a lifeline for Israelis traveling to Asia, Australia, Africa and beyond, and a living reminder that the Abraham Accords are not just diplomatic paper. The 2020 treaty specifically recognized regular direct flights between Israel and the UAE as essential to deepening relations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio visits the Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, on February 19, 2025. (Photo by Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP) (Photo by EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

There are major obstacles. The move would require U.S. regulatory approval, and Channel 12 reported it would also require changes in Israeli aviation rules. Israeli carriers, including El Al, Arkia and Israir, are expected to fight it, arguing that allowing a state-backed Gulf giant onto Israel’s most lucrative routes would tilt the field against local airlines that kept flying when others left.

Still, Israel’s calculation is clear, competition is leverage. The collapsed Wizz Air hub plan left the government searching for another way to break open the market, and the Emirates offer appears designed to do exactly that. Flydubai is being offered rights to open a subsidized base in Eilat for flights to Europe, another sign that Israel is looking beyond temporary flight resumptions and trying to build a more durable aviation network.

If Emirates agrees and regulators allow it, the impact could be immediate, more seats, more competition, and a serious challenge to the postwar flight bottleneck that has punished Israeli travelers for nearly three years. It would also mark a new stage in Israel-UAE normalization, not just flights to Dubai, but an Emirati airline helping reconnect Israel to the wider world.

The U.S. military’s investigation into a strike that destroyed an Iranian girls’ school on the first day of the war is “complex” because the building sat on an active Iranian cruise missile site, the head of U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, testified before Congress on Tuesday.

The Feb. 28 strike on the Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in the southern city of Minab killed 168 children, mostly girls between the ages of 7 and 12, along with teachers and parents, according to Iranian officials. Reuters first reported that an initial internal U.S. military assessment found that American forces were likely responsible for the destruction of the school, and the Pentagon has since elevated the probe.

Multiple independent investigations, including reviews by The New York Times, the Associated Press, Amnesty International and the open-source collective Bellingcat, have concluded that a U.S. Navy BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Missile struck the school in a salvo of three impacts in rapid succession, with the second strike hitting an interior prayer room where the principal had moved students after the first explosion. The preliminary U.S. inquiry, as reported by The Times, found that Central Command planners generated the target coordinates using outdated Defense Intelligence Agency data that still classified the school grounds as part of an adjacent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval facility.

President Trump initially attributed the strike to Iran, calling the Tomahawk a “generic” weapon and asserting falsely that Tehran also operated them. That account has been contradicted by the preliminary Pentagon findings, by munitions experts, by geolocated video evidence and by the Senate Minority Leader on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

Adm. Cooper, appearing again before lawmakers Tuesday, also said Iran has hanged dozens of people since the April 7 ceasefire took effect and has targeted civilians in the Middle East thousands of times. He did not detail the specific incidents he was describing. Iranian authorities have carried out a wave of executions across the country since the start of the conflict, with rights groups documenting hangings of detainees accused of spying for Israel and of dissident activity.

The testimony built on Adm. Cooper’s appearance before the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 14, when he told lawmakers that Operation Epic Fury had set back Iran’s defense industrial base by 90 percent through more than 1,450 strikes on weapons-manufacturing facilities. He said it would take Iran “a generation” to rebuild its navy and years for its drone and missile production to recover, and that U.S. forces had destroyed 161 Iranian vessels across 16 classes of warship, eliminated more than 90 percent of Iran’s 8,000-mine inventory and rendered Iran’s air force incapable of flying a single sortie. Before the war, the Iranian air force flew between 30 and 100 sorties a day, he said. “Today that number is zero.”

“Iran has a significantly degraded threat, and they no longer threaten regional partners, or the United States, in ways that they were able to do before, across every domain,” Adm. Cooper told the Senate panel.

He declined this week, as he did on May 14, to directly address a series of reports by Reuters, the Washington Post, The New York Times and other news organizations that Iran, which stockpiled arms in underground facilities, has retained the bulk of its prewar missile and drone arsenal. A confidential CIA assessment reported by the Post estimated that Iran retained roughly three-quarters of its mobile launchers and 70 percent of its missile stockpile. A New York Times report this month cited U.S. intelligence agencies as believing Iran has held onto about 70 percent of its prewar missiles and a similar share of its launchers. Almost all of Iran’s underground storage facilities have reportedly been restored and reopened.

“The numbers I’ve seen in open source are not accurate,” Adm. Cooper told Sen. Richard Blumenthal, the Connecticut Democrat, last week, declining to elaborate, citing classification. “It’s more than just the numbers. It’s the command and control that’s been shattered. It’s the significant degradation and capability. And it’s the lack of any ability to then produce any missiles or drones on the backend.”

The CENTCOM chief has also acknowledged that Iran retains what he described as “nuisance capability,” including fast-boat harassment, drones, rockets, mining activity, GPS interference, proxy attacks and isolated strikes on commercial shipping. He told Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan that Iran maintains “a very moderate if not small capability to continue strikes” in the region.

The Minab strike remains the only formal civilian-casualty investigation Central Command has opened, despite a New York Times report in April that identified 22 schools and 17 healthcare facilities as having been hit or damaged since the war began. Pressed by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, the New York Democrat, last week on how many schools the United States had struck, Adm. Cooper responded that “there is one active civilian casualty investigation from the 13,629 munitions” used against Iran, and that there was “no indication” any of the other reported incidents had occurred. He acknowledged when pressed that Central Command had not investigated them.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NEW YORK (AP) — Nationwide enrollment in the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace could plummet by nearly 5 million people this year, shrinking the number of participants in the program by more than 20%, according to a new analysis from the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.

Those who remain covered are also paying more for healthcare than they used to, the group found, with the average enrollee’s deductible growing by more than $1,000 and the average monthly premium payment rising by $65.

“No matter how you slice it, people are paying more,” said Cynthia Cox, a vice president of KFF who co-authored the report.

The projected drop-off, much starker than initial federal data suggested, reveals how rising health costs, in part due to the Jan. 1 expiration of subsidies that had helped the vast majority of enrollees pay for their coverage, are forcing Americans to make tough decisions mid-year about whether to keep or go without health coverage.

It’s an issue that could play heavily in this year’s midterm elections, where voter concerns about economic stressors have taken top billing in many of the most competitive races around the nation.

Enrollment is declining nationwide
ACA enrollment could fall from 22.3 million Americans in 2025 to around 17.5 million this year, according to KFF’s report, which relied on federal and state data as well as findings from the actuarial firm Wakely Consulting Group.

That’s a significant drop for the government’s flagship subsidized health insurance program for working-age Americans who don’t qualify for Medicaid. In recent years, ACA plans have become a popular choice for gig workers, farmers, ranchers, hairstylists and others who don’t get their health coverage through an employer.

Part of the reason for such a large decline is that many Americans were auto-renewed in their plans from last year, Cox said. In many cases, those plans are now far more expensive because of expired subsidies and other market factors.

When people become unable to pay the monthly fees partway through the year, they lose the coverage, Cox said.

A higher proportion of middle-income Americans dropped coverage compared to other groups, the report found. That group makes too much money to qualify for the remaining subsidies in the program that are reserved for low-income enrollees. But they don’t make enough to comfortably afford their health coverage without the COVID-era enhanced subsidies that are now expired.

Drops in ACA sign-ups were seen across most states, KFF found, though states that had their own exchanges retained a larger percentage of enrollees than states that relied on the federal marketplace.

The Trump administration has maintained that federal efforts to root out fraud in the ACA program are responsible for most of this year’s drop-offs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, whose final 2026 enrollment data is not yet public, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment on KFF’s report.

High costs for those still in the marketplace
Last year, anticipating the expiration of the COVID-era subsidies that had boosted enrollment and offset costs for ACA users for the past four years, KFF had projected that premium payments would more than double in 2026.

As it turned out, premium payments jumped by a more modest 58% on average, the new analysis found. That was partially because many people downgraded to lower-premium, higher-deductible plans that will cost them more money only if they use the coverage, KFF’s report said.

“People are trying to hang on to their health insurance coverage any way they can, even if that means they have a deductible of $7,000,” Cox said.

The potential good news, she added, is that insurers seem to have predicted and already made adjustments for many of the marketplace changes that are playing out.

That could mean future health costs don’t have to rise so sharply.

“I’m hopeful that this could be a one-time market correction and that we might not need to see such a high premium spike in the coming year,” Cox said.

President Donald Trump’s administration on Sunday announced that China has committed to purchasing at least $17 billion in U.S. agricultural products annually in 2026, 2027 and 2028, restoring market access for American beef producers shut out for most of the past year — a major boost for U.S. ranchers at a time when the domestic cattle supply has fallen to its lowest level since 1951 and beef prices remain near record highs.

According to the official White House fact sheet released after Trump’s summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping, China will renew expired export listings for more than 400 U.S. beef facilities and work with American regulators to lift suspensions on dozens more. The agreement restores access to one of the world’s most lucrative premium beef markets after Chinese restrictions caused U.S. beef exports to the country to collapse over the past year.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said Sunday the agreement is designed to reopen critical export channels for American ranchers and processors that had effectively lost access to China’s consumer market. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins called the arrangement “a historic win for American cattle producers.”

The timing is significant because the U.S. beef industry is facing one of the tightest supply environments in modern history.

The U.S. cattle herd stood at 86.2 million head as of January 2026, according to USDA data — the smallest national herd since 1951. Ground beef prices climbed to roughly $6.69 per pound late last year, up nearly 20% from a year earlier and more than 70% above pre-pandemic levels. USDA forecasts wholesale beef prices will continue rising throughout 2026 as supply constraints persist.

At the same time, the United States remains cut off from millions of potential imported feeder cattle after the U.S.-Mexico border closed to live cattle shipments because of the spread of New World screwworm, a parasitic livestock threat that sharply disrupted North American cattle flows.

At first glance, exporting more beef overseas during a domestic shortage may appear contradictory.

In reality, industry economics work very differently.

Why This Is Good News for American Ranchers

China’s reopening does not suddenly create entirely new beef demand. Instead, it restores access to a market American producers already previously served before Chinese restrictions caused exports to collapse.

U.S. beef exports to China peaked at approximately $2.14 billion in 2022 before plunging below $500 million in 2025 after facility licenses expired and trade tensions escalated.

The cattle were still being raised. The beef was still being processed.

But without access to China, many high-value cuts were forced into lower-margin domestic or alternative export channels.

That matters because Chinese consumers often pay premium prices for cuts many American consumers rarely buy at scale, including short ribs, tongue, tendon and organ meats. Those products generate substantially higher margins in Asian markets than they typically do inside the United States.

For ranchers, access to those premium export channels can significantly improve profitability across the entire animal.

The Real Cause of High Beef Prices

The current beef shortage is not being caused by exports.

The core problem is simple: America does not currently have enough cattle.

Years of drought, elevated feed costs, labor shortages, rising borrowing costs and rancher liquidation dramatically reduced herd sizes nationwide. Rebuilding cattle inventories is a slow biological process that can take years because ranchers must retain breeding stock rather than immediately selling animals into the food supply.

The American Farm Bureau Federation has warned meaningful herd expansion likely will not occur until at least 2028.

Meanwhile, the closure of the Mexican cattle border eliminated a major supplemental supply source exactly when the domestic herd was already historically tight.

Restricting exports would not solve those structural supply problems.

In fact, industry economists argue it could make them worse.

Why Exports Can Actually Help Lower Prices Later

The economics are counterintuitive but important.

If ranchers cannot generate strong profits during high-price cycles, many reduce herd expansion plans or sell breeding cattle instead of investing in future production. That shrinks long-term supply even further and prolongs elevated beef prices.

Premium export markets like China help put more revenue back into the hands of cattle producers whose financial stability ultimately determines whether the U.S. herd expands again.

In other words, profitable ranchers are more likely to rebuild herds.

And larger herds eventually increase beef supply and moderate prices over time.

The Trump administration has simultaneously attempted to address domestic supply pressure through other channels, including expanding beef-import quotas from countries such as Argentina and launching antitrust investigations into the major meatpacking companies — including Tyson Foods, JBS USA, Cargill, and National Beef — which together dominate most U.S. beef processing capacity.

Federal officials argue those measures target supply bottlenecks and market concentration without sacrificing export revenue for American ranchers.

What Happens Next

The agreement with China also creates ongoing trade mechanisms intended to reduce future agricultural disputes.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said both countries agreed to establish new U.S.-China trade and investment boards aimed at maintaining regular economic dialogue and resolving market-access issues more quickly.

Greer said Sunday the administration remains prepared to impose additional tariffs or penalties if China fails to meet its beef purchase commitments.

For now, the agreement represents the clearest sign yet that one of the most damaging parts of the recent U.S.-China trade breakdown for American cattle producers may finally be reversing.

For American consumers, however, relief at the grocery store is likely to take far longer.

The underlying cattle shortage remains severe, herd rebuilding is measured in years rather than months, and beef prices are expected to remain elevated throughout much of 2026 regardless of export policy.

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The Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a network of individuals tied to the recent pro-Hamas flotilla that attempted to reach Gaza, along with operatives linked to Hamas-aligned Muslim Brotherhood networks, in what officials described as the latest step in a sustained campaign to dismantle the terrorist group’s overseas financial and political infrastructure.

The action, announced by the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, targets four individuals associated with the flotilla and the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, as well as additional figures connected to Hamas and HASM, an armed Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood offshoot. The flotilla was organized by the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, or PCPA, which the Treasury says operates as a clandestine front for Hamas.

“The pro-terror flotilla attempting to reach Gaza is a ludicrous attempt to undermine President Trump’s successful progress toward lasting peace in the region,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “Treasury will continue to sever Hamas’s global financial support networks, no matter where in the world they are.”

The PCPA was previously designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization on Jan. 21, when OFAC also sanctioned six Gaza-based nonprofits it accused of funneling money to the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’s military wing. Treasury said at the time that the conference had been “established with funding from Hamas’s International Relations Bureau” and that the group “directs its activity through the placement of Hamas officials throughout the organization, including its executive body, the General Secretariat.”

Among those designated Tuesday is Saif Hashim Kamel Abukishek, a Jordan-based member of the PCPA’s General Secretariat who Treasury said served on the steering committee of the flotilla recently intercepted en route to Gaza. Hisham Abdallah Sulayman Abu Mahfuz, the Spain-based acting Secretary General and President of the PCPA, was also designated. The two join Zaher Birawi, the UK-based PCPA founder identified in Hamas documents recovered by Israeli forces in Gaza as the head of the organization’s Hamas sector in Britain, who was sanctioned in January.

Samidoun was designated by the United States and Canada in October 2024 as a fundraising front for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.

The newly sanctioned individuals span Gaza, Turkey, Spain, Belgium, Jordan and Iran, according to OFAC’s update to its Specially Designated Nationals list, and now face secondary sanctions risk. All U.S.-jurisdiction assets belonging to the targets are frozen, and U.S. persons are barred from transacting with them.

The flotilla referenced in Tuesday’s action, intercepted this week by Israeli forces, was the latest in a series of maritime convoys organized under the banner of breaking Israel’s security cordon around Gaza. The Global Sumud Flotilla, which set off last year, drew similar sanctions activity. Israeli authorities have said no humanitarian aid was found aboard the most recent vessels.

A 22-page report published in September by independent researchers, “Global Sumud Flotilla: A Humanitarian Cover With Documented Links to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood,” documented overlapping personnel between the flotilla’s leadership and Hamas’s overseas political apparatus, including photographic and social media evidence. Wael Nawar, a former flotilla spokesman, was photographed in February 2025 at the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and has held documented meetings with Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the PFLP, according to the report.

In its statement Tuesday, Treasury reiterated that legitimate humanitarian assistance to Gaza should be routed through approved international channels and warned banks that flotillas organized by designated parties present significant compliance risks. “Hamas relies on a diverse web of international partners to expand its malign political influence, facilitate violent terrorist activity and undermine international efforts to achieve lasting peace in Gaza,” the department said.

The PCPA dismissed the January designations as politically motivated and, through Birawi, denied any operational link to Hamas. Hamas itself condemned the earlier sanctions in a Jan. 22 statement, calling them “unjust and oppressive” and accusing the United States of acting on Israeli “incitement.”

The new designations also widen the Trump administration’s targeting of Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks, a category of enforcement that has expanded steadily since Trump returned to office. To date, Treasury has targeted nearly 1,000 individuals and entities connected to terrorism financing by Iran and its proxies, including Hamas, Hezbollah and other aligned groups, the department has said.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is throwing her support behind Connie Chan in the race to succeed her in Congress, signaling that Pelosi’s political influence may continue shaping San Francisco politics long after her own tenure ends.

Pelosi’s endorsement of Chan appears driven by a combination of ideological alignment, political calculation, and long-standing ties to organized labor and progressive Democratic politics in San Francisco.

According to Pelosi, Chan closely reflects the political culture and priorities of the city’s Democratic base.

Pelosi said Chan “understands San Francisco — our values, our diversity, our communities.”

Chan has built strong support among labor unions, an important factor for Pelosi, who has maintained deep relationships with organized labor throughout her political career. Chan’s coalition has focused heavily on working-class voters and union-backed groups across San Francisco.

Politically, Chan is widely viewed as part of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party and closely associated with the labor-left faction within San Francisco politics.

Critics have characterized several of her positions as strongly left-wing, including support for a publicly owned city bank in San Francisco.

She has also backed aggressive tenant-organizing efforts and rent protections, including the city’s “Union-at-Home” ordinance, which allows renters to collectively negotiate with landlords.

Chan has additionally pushed for expanded government social programs, including free public transportation and broader food-assistance initiatives.

She opposed efforts to recall former San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, even as the recall campaign gained significant support among many city voters.

Her broader campaign platform has focused heavily on labor unions, working families, immigrant protections, and increasing taxes on billionaires.

Chan has also rejected donations from corporate political action committees as well as contributions tied to industries including fossil fuels and pharmaceutical companies.

News coverage has generally portrayed Chan as a progressive Democrat aligned with San Francisco’s political left rather than with the party’s centrist faction.

Still, despite her progressive positions, Pelosi reportedly viewed Chan as a more workable and reliable governing partner than fellow candidate Saikat Chakrabarti.

Chakrabarti previously served as chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and co-founded the progressive group Justice Democrats. He entered the race positioning himself as an anti-establishment candidate sharply critical of Democratic leadership.

One Democratic insider told Newsmax that while Chan is unquestionably progressive, Pelosi allies see her as more pragmatic institutionally and easier to work with politically.

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A large fire broke out earlier, burning through a building on 14th Avenue and 40th Street, with flames continuing to burn as firefighters battled the blaze.

The FDNY transmitted a 10-75 for the fire at 4002 14th Avenue after flames broke out inside the three story building that housed various mechanical machines. Thick smoke and flames could be seen pouring out as fire crews rushed to get the situation under control.

The fire remained active and continued spreading through parts of the building as emergency crews operated on scene. The fire was then raised to a second alarm.

Hatzolah was on scene and treated one firefighter with serious injuries before transporting them to the hospital. 

Hazmat teams were also requested to the scene to investigate a reported suspicious substance found in the building.

Anthropic has hired Andrej Karpathy, a co-founder of OpenAI and former director of artificial intelligence and Autopilot Vision at Tesla.

“I’ve joined Anthropic. I think the next few years at the frontier of LLMs will be especially formative. I am very excited to join the team here and get back to R&D (research and development). I remain deeply passionate about education and plan to resume my work on it in time,” Kathpathy wrote on X.

Karpathy began work this week inside Anthropic’s pre-training group and will operate under team lead Nick Joseph, TechChrunch reported. Anthropic describes pre-training as the stage that runs massive training jobs that underpin Claude’s baseline knowledge and abilities, and it is also among the most compute-heavy and costly parts of developing top-tier models.

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President Donald Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Monday delivered the clearest public defense yet of what has quietly become the largest peacetime expansion of direct U.S. government ownership in private industry in modern history. In an interview published Monday by Fortune with Editor-in-Chief Alyson Shontell, the two men outlined a corporate-financing model that now spans at least 10 companies, more than $10 billion in committed taxpayer capital, and a deliberate shift in industrial policy away from grants and toward equity ownership. For corporate America, the message arriving on a day of tightening financial conditions and rising Treasury yields was unmistakable: federal support is no longer just a subsidy. It is increasingly a seat at the cap table.

The administration framed the strategy around Intel Corp., whose $8.9 billion federal equity stake has become the defining template for the new model. The Commerce Department acquired approximately 433.3 million Intel shares at $20.47 apiece last August, creating a roughly 9.9% ownership position funded not through a new congressional appropriation but through the conversion of unpaid grants under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act alongside a separate secure-chip federal award. The agreement came just weeks after Trump publicly pressured Intel Chief Executive Lip-Bu Tan over his previous investments tied to China. Tan later met with Trump at the White House, remained in his role, and emerged with Washington installed as a major non-voting shareholder. Since then, Intel shares have rallied sharply, generating a significant paper gain for the government and strengthening the administration’s argument for expanding the structure into additional industries.

That expansion is already underway. The Department of Defense is now the largest shareholder in MP Materials Corp., operator of the only active rare-earth mine in the United States, through a $400 million preferred-stock investment and a separate $150 million Pentagon loan package. Once warrants are exercised, the government’s ownership position could approach roughly 15% of common equity, surpassing the stakes held by Chief Executive James Litinsky and BlackRock Fund Advisors. The arrangement also established a $110-per-kilogram price floor on MP’s neodymium-praseodymium oxide, with the Pentagon covering the difference if market prices fall below that threshold while also participating in upside gains above it. Administration officials have described the structure as a fundamental rethinking of how Washington secures strategic supply chains tied to national security.

The model has spread rapidly into other critical-minerals plays. Earlier this year, the administration committed roughly $1.6 billion to USA Rare Earth Inc., including $277 million in direct federal funding and a $1.3 billion CHIPS Act-backed loan in exchange for a government equity position potentially ranging from 8% to 16%, depending on warrant conversion. The company separately raised another $1.5 billion through a PIPE financing led by Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., the investment bank formerly chaired by Lutnick and now run by his sons Brandon Lutnick and Kyle Lutnick. The government secured its shares at an estimated 31% discount to market pricing, and the company’s stock surged following the announcement.

The portfolio now extends well beyond semiconductors and rare earths. Washington also holds a so-called “golden share” in Nippon Steel-owned U.S. Steel Corp., equity exposure tied to Lithium Americas Corp., Trilogy Metals Inc., and strategic interests connected to Westinghouse Electric Co. in the nuclear-energy sector. Research from the Center for Strategic and International Studies has identified semiconductors, nuclear infrastructure, and critical minerals as the sectors most likely to see additional federal equity activity in coming years. Of the 10 known transactions, six have already centered on critical-mineral supply chains alone.

The implications for capital markets are significant. For corporations seeking federal support, negotiations increasingly resemble strategic private-equity transactions rather than traditional subsidy applications, involving dilution terms, governance structures, warrant packages, pricing mechanisms, and eventual exit strategies. For institutional investors, the federal government’s presence on the shareholder register can imply political backing and strategic protection, but also raises concerns about future intervention, capital-allocation discipline, and the politicization of corporate decision-making.

Executives participating in the deals have emphasized that Washington is taking an economic interest rather than an operational one. Barbara Humpton, chief executive of USA Rare Earth, has publicly described the arrangement as financial rather than governance-oriented, a distinction Lutnick has repeatedly stressed as the administration attempts to reassure investors that the federal government does not intend to micromanage corporate operations.

Still, scrutiny inside Washington is intensifying. Representative Zoe Lofgren, ranking member of the House Science Committee, wrote to Lutnick earlier this year raising governance and conflict-of-interest concerns surrounding the transactions, including Cantor Fitzgerald’s involvement in several capital raises. Critics argue that federal agencies retain enormous leverage over recipient companies even when equity stakes are formally passive because Washington controls the pace and release of committed funding tied to operational milestones. Administration officials counter that existing procurement law already addresses favoritism concerns and that equity participation offers taxpayers stronger downside protection than the open-ended grant structures used previously.

For executives across strategic industries, Monday’s interview crystallized a broader shift now unfolding across corporate America. Federal support increasingly means negotiating over ownership percentages, warrants, price floors, and long-term alignment rather than simply receiving direct subsidies tied to hiring or construction targets. Trump’s willingness to merge industrial policy with capital-markets mechanics has transformed Washington from regulator and customer into shareholder.

If the strategy ultimately generates strong financial returns while rebuilding domestic supply chains, future administrations may find it difficult to reverse. If it produces losses, governance controversies, or political backlash, however, the next chapter of American industrial policy will unfold against a taxpayer-owned portfolio that markets can value in real time.

JBizNews Desk

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President Donald Trump formally endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday in the Republican Senate runoff race, backing the conservative firebrand over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn and intensifying one of the GOP’s most closely watched primary battles.

In a lengthy Truth Social statement, Trump praised Paxton as a loyal supporter of the MAGA movement and portrayed the runoff as a defining fight over the future direction of the Republican Party.

“The Highly Respected Attorney General of Texas, Ken Paxton, an America First Patriot, and someone who has always been extremely loyal to me and our AMAZING MAGA MOVEMENT, is running for the United States Senate,” Trump wrote.

The endorsement is widely expected to create major political problems for Cornyn, a longtime establishment Republican who has faced growing criticism from conservative voters over his positions on gun legislation, Ukraine funding, and his past disagreements with Trump.

Trump made clear in his statement that loyalty played a central role in his decision.

“John Cornyn is a good man, and I worked well with him, but he was not supportive of me when times were tough,” Trump wrote.

The president contrasted Cornyn with Paxton, describing the Texas attorney general as a fighter willing to confront political opponents and challenge the Republican establishment.

“Ken Paxton has gone through a lot, in many cases, very unfairly, but he is a Fighter, and knows how to WIN,” Trump wrote.

Trump’s endorsement is expected to significantly reshape the May 26 runoff, where Paxton already enjoyed substantial backing from grassroots conservatives and many within the Republican base.

The president also used the announcement to highlight several major MAGA priorities, including eliminating the Senate filibuster, tightening election laws, strengthening border security, expanding domestic energy production, and defending gun rights under the Second Amendment.

Trump warned that Democrats would move quickly to abolish the filibuster if they regained control in Washington, opening the door to major structural changes in the federal government.

“The Democrats will terminate it on their First Day in Office,” Trump wrote.

Paxton has served as Texas attorney general since 2015 and emerged during the Biden administration as one of the nation’s most prominent conservative legal figures, filing numerous lawsuits challenging federal immigration policies, vaccine mandates, and election-related procedures.

Cornyn, meanwhile, has emphasized his experience and seniority in the Senate, arguing that his influence in Washington positions him to achieve conservative victories at the national level.

But Trump suggested the Republican Party itself has undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years.

“MAGA is most of the Republican Party,” Trump said earlier Tuesday while previewing the endorsement during remarks at the White House.

The Texas runoff is now expected to become one of the most consequential Republican primary contests of the 2026 election cycle and another major test of Trump’s influence over the GOP.

Trump concluded the endorsement with a direct message to Republican voters in Texas.

“Ken Paxton has my Complete and Total Endorsement,” Trump wrote. “KEN PAXTON WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

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GENEVA (AP) — The body overseeing the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza will ask the United Nations Security Council to press the Hamas group to disarm, according to a report seen by The Associated Press on Tuesday.

The report by the Board of Peace, an international body set up by U.S. President Donald Trump and tasked with overseeing the fragile ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, is expected to be discussed by the Security Council on Thursday when it meets on the situation in the Middle East.

“At this stage, the principal obstacle to full implementation (of the ceasefire) remains Hamas’ refusal to accept verified decommissioning, relinquish coercive control, and permit a genuine civilian transition in Gaza,” the report said.

Hamas in a statement rejected the report and said it contains “fallacies.”

A diplomat familiar with the report confirmed its authenticity, speaking on condition of anonymity because it has not been made public.

Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan calls on Hamas to surrender its weapons and destroy its vast network of tunnels. It also envisions Israeli forces withdrawing from Gaza, the arrival of a new technocratic Palestinian government, deployment of an international security force and the rebuilding of the battered Palestinian enclave after more than two years of war.

Board of Peace head has said the ceasefire has stalled
Last week, the head of the Board of Peace, former U.N. Mideast envoy Nickolay Mladenov, acknowledged that the truce had stalled since taking effect in October, saying the deadlock over disarming Hamas had paralyzed progress.

“Reconstruction cannot commence where weapons have not been laid down,” the board’s report to the Security Council says. “The critical variable — the single factor that unlocks every other element of the plan — is the conclusion of an agreement on the Roadmap for the full implementation of the plan that includes full decommissioning by Hamas and all armed groups in Gaza.”

The Palestinian militant group, which led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, has accused Israel of failing to meet its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire and has sought to link any demilitarization to Israeli troop pullbacks. Israel’s military has expanded its control of Gaza since the truce took effect and now controls some 60% of the territory.

The new report calls on the Security Council to “reiterate publicly, clearly and consistently that the decommissioning of weapons in Gaza is not merely a requirement (of the UN’s resolution to end the war) but critical for reconstruction to begin, for a timebound Israeli forces withdrawal, and for a credible pathway to Palestinian self-determination and statehood to be pursued.”

The Security Council endorsed the Board of Peace in a resolution in November.

Hamas says the report tries to derail the ceasefire
Hamas said the report “contains a number of fallacies that absolve the occupying government of its responsibilities for the daily violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.”

The group said the report ignored Israel’s “failure to uphold the majority of its commitments” in the ceasefire deal, including the continued restrictions on crossings into the Palestinian territory and preventing the entry of material and equipment needed to repair basic infrastructure and shelter for the largely displaced population.

“The report’s adoption of the occupation’s conditions regarding disarmament is a dubious attempt to muddy the waters and derail the ceasefire agreement,” Hamas said in a statement.

It called on the Security Council and Mladenov to compel Israel to fulfill its commitments under the ceasefire’ deal’s first phase, “foremost among them the cessation of the daily aggression against our Palestinian people in Gaza.”

The ceasefire has seen numerous violations
The report noted near-daily ceasefire violations, “some of which are serious, and their human consequences — civilians killed, families living in fear, and continued impediments to humanitarian access — cannot be minimized.”

Israel’s military still carries out airstrikes in Gaza despite the ceasefire and has pushed deeper into the territory, where it now controls more than it was granted under the ceasefire agreement. Living conditions are dire, with most of the territory’s 2 million people living in tent camps lacking basic services.

Mladenov last week said his office is addressing violations by both sides on a daily basis. But he repeatedly cited the disarmament issue as a central sticking point, saying Hamas’ obligation to give up its arsenal is “not negotiable” and that progress on all other issues was being held up.

Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest individual, praised Israel as the global leader in innovation per capita during a virtual appearance at a major technology conference in Tel Aviv, drawing immediate amplification from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

“I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel,” the Tesla and SpaceX owner said Monday in video remarks at the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit at Expo Tel Aviv. “I think it is objectively true that Israel punches high above its weight for population.”

“My hat is off to Israel for just how much incredible innovation,” he added. “I’d say innovation per capita, Israel must be number one in the world.”

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Netanyahu shared video of the remarks in an X post on Tuesday, thanking “the world’s leading man in innovation.” The endorsement, delivered by the chief executive of two of the world’s most prominent technology firms at a government-hosted conference, lands at a moment of acute international scrutiny over Israeli policy and offered the prime minister a high-profile boost from one of the most influential figures in global business.

Musk had been scheduled to deliver the in-person keynote address at the summit in March, but the event was postponed following the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Speaking from Austin, Texas, at roughly 2 a.m. local time, he apologized for not making the trip.

“I would be there in person, but this is IPO, you know, going to get the IPO, SpaceX IPO going pretty soon, I think,” Musk said. He added that he hoped to visit Israel again in the near future.

His last visit to Israel was in November 2023, when he toured Kibbutz Kfar Aza alongside Netanyahu in the weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre and met with families of hostages and victims. That trip coincided with negotiations over a Starlink agreement that was subsequently finalized.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York City’s LaGuardia Airport is bringing science fiction to the terminal with the debut of an AI-powered hologram concierge designed to help travelers find gates, lounges and baggage claim through face-to-face conversations.

The digital assistant, nicknamed “Bridget,” was unveiled this week inside Terminal B, where the hologram chats with passengers in real time and helps them navigate the busy area.

Unlike prerecorded holograms used elsewhere for greetings or ads, Bridget responds to travelers’ questions conversationally, offering directions to gates, baggage claim, lounges and shops.

The hologram speaks English and Spanish, with more languages planned, and includes accessibility features such as closed captioning and wheelchair-friendly controls.

AIRPORT ROBOTS HANDLE BAGGAGE IN TOKYO TRIAL

Airport officials say the system is designed to support — not replace — human customer service staff, especially during crowded travel periods.

“Most people think of airports as stressful and confusing environments, but LaGuardia’s Terminal B leads the world in changing all that,” said David Nussbaum, founder of Proto Hologram, which developed the hologram software.

Nussbaum said the technology will provide a more personalized experience “in ways that feel natural and intuitive,” adding “the future of travel has begun at LaGuardia.”

FAA UNVEILS NEW AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER HIRING PLAN AFTER CHIEF WARNED SYSTEM WAS ‘CHRONICALLY UNDERSTAFFED’

The hologram currently stands near Terminal B’s food hall, with additional units expected to roll out across the terminal’s concourses.

LaGuardia’s Terminal B has become known for testing new travel technology as airports increasingly look for ways to speed up navigation and reduce passenger frustration.

A sweeping overhaul of the federal student-loan system is poised to reshape graduate education across the United States beginning July 1, 2026, when the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan program officially closes to new borrowers under legislation signed last year by President Donald Trump.

According to final regulations issued April 30 by the U.S. Department of Education, roughly 440,000 graduate and professional students annually who previously relied on Grad PLUS financing will lose access to the uncapped federal borrowing program that has underpinned American graduate education since 2006.

The policy change imposes strict federal borrowing ceilings that, for many students attending high-cost medical, law, dental, pharmacy, and graduate programs, fall dramatically below the actual cost of attendance.

Under the new rules, graduate students will be limited to borrowing $20,500 annually and $100,000 total in federal loans. Professional degree programs — including medicine, law, dentistry, veterinary medicine, optometry, podiatry, theology, clinical psychology, osteopathic medicine, chiropractic medicine, and pharmacy — will face annual caps of $50,000 and aggregate limits of $200,000.

In addition, a new lifetime federal borrowing ceiling of $257,500 across all degree levels will now apply, with prior Grad PLUS balances counted toward that cap.

The result is expected to trigger one of the largest migrations from federal student lending into private credit markets in modern U.S. higher-education history.

For nearly two decades, Grad PLUS loans allowed students to borrow up to the full cost of attendance, including tuition, housing, books, fees, and living expenses. At many elite private law and medical schools, tuition and fees alone now exceed $200,000 before accounting for housing and daily expenses.

Without Grad PLUS, the gap between actual program costs and available federal aid becomes immediate and unavoidable.

The Department of Education itself acknowledged in regulatory analysis that private student-loan originations are likely to surge as a direct result of the new caps.

Major lenders positioned to absorb the displaced volume include Sallie Mae, SoFi Technologies, Citizens Financial Group, Discover Financial Services, Earnest — a subsidiary of Navient — and College Ave Student Loans.

The financial consequences for students could be significant.

Federal Grad PLUS loans currently carry a fixed interest rate of 8.94% for the 2025–2026 academic year, with protections built directly into federal law, including income-driven repayment plans, deferment while enrolled, Public Service Loan Forgiveness eligibility, and regulated collection standards.

Private graduate loans typically provide none of those protections.

Many private loans use variable interest rates tied to broader market conditions, often require strong credit histories or cosigners, and may impose substantial late fees, refinancing penalties, or aggressive collection practices.

“There’s still no question that federal loans remain the best option available,” said Robert Farrington, founder of The College Investor, who has publicly warned that the new caps are too low to realistically finance many professional programs. “The problem is that millions of students simply won’t have enough federal funding anymore to complete these degrees.”

Existing graduate borrowers received limited protection under the legislation.

Students already enrolled in graduate or professional programs who borrowed through Direct Unsubsidized or Grad PLUS loans before July 1, 2026, may continue under the current rules for up to three additional academic years or until graduation, whichever comes first.

That carve-out, however, applies only to students who remain continuously enrolled in the same program. Anyone entering a new graduate program after July 1, 2026 — or switching degree tracks — immediately falls under the stricter borrowing caps.

The legislation also significantly tightens borrowing rules for parents.

Federal Parent PLUS Loans, previously uncapped up to full attendance costs, will now be limited to $20,000 annually per dependent student and capped at $65,000 total per child.

Banks and financial institutions are already moving aggressively to capitalize on the financing vacuum.