By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

Elon Musk’s SpaceX starts pitching investors Thursday, June 4, the opening act of a Nasdaq debut targeted for June 12 — a timeline grounded in the S-1 prospectus the company filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 20. The stock will trade under the ticker SPCX, with final pricing set for June 11, and by nearly any yardstick it would be the largest market debut in history.

The scale is difficult to comprehend. SpaceX is seeking to raise as much as $75 billion at a target valuation of approximately $1.75 trillion, a figure that would make it the most valuable company ever to go public on a U.S. exchange and shatter previous IPO records. For comparison, Alibaba’s 2014 listing raised $21.8 billion, still the largest U.S. IPO on record.

The valuation itself has shifted over recent months, with some reports pointing as high as $2 trillion before expectations settled closer to the current target range.

But the number captivating Wall Street is not the size of the raise.

It is what the offering could do to the net worth of one man.

The Trillion-Dollar Question

The math remains surprisingly unsettled.

The Bloomberg Billionaires Index most recently estimated Musk’s fortune at approximately $722 billion, already making him the richest person in the world by a wide margin.

The IPO could push him into territory no individual has ever reached.

If SpaceX achieves and maintains a valuation above roughly $1.7 trillion, analysts estimate it could effectively confirm a $1 trillion personal fortune for Musk.

Some observers argue he may already be there.

Using recent private-market transactions, Barron’s estimated the value of Musk’s roughly 6.4 billion SpaceX shares at approximately $830 billion. Combined with his holdings in Tesla, that analysis placed his net worth near $1.1 trillion.

The reason those estimates vary so dramatically is simple: most of Musk’s wealth has never been assigned a public market price.

A public offering changes that.

For the first time, investors around the world will collectively determine what SpaceX is worth.

That is why June 12 matters.

Wall Street’s Biggest Names Are Behind It

The underwriting syndicate includes many of the largest banks in the world.

Goldman Sachs leads the offering alongside:

• Morgan Stanley
• Bank of America
• Citigroup
• JPMorgan Chase

and approximately 18 additional financial institutions.

The size of the syndicate reflects both the scale of the transaction and the enormous investor interest expected during the roadshow process.

The Business Behind the Hype

The excitement surrounding the IPO has overshadowed a less discussed reality.

SpaceX remains a company with substantial losses despite extraordinary revenue growth.

According to the company’s SEC filing, SpaceX generated $18.674 billion in revenue during 2025, an increase of approximately 33% from $14.1 billion in 2024.

Yet profitability moved in the opposite direction.

After reporting $791 million in net income during 2024, SpaceX posted a $4.9 billion net loss in 2025 as it accelerated spending on Starship, artificial intelligence initiatives, and the integration of xAI.

The company reported an operating loss of approximately $2.589 billion, while adjusted EBITDA reached $6.584 billion.

Starlink Is Carrying the Business

The strongest performer inside the company remains Starlink.

SpaceX’s satellite-internet division generated approximately $11.387 billion in revenue during 2025 and produced roughly $4.423 billion in operating income.

Subscriber growth also remained impressive, reaching approximately 10.3 million users by the end of March.

Those profits, however, were largely offset elsewhere.

The company’s space-launch segment recorded an operating loss of approximately $657 million, while the AI segment generated an operating loss exceeding $6.36 billion.

Debt and Valuation Concerns

The filing also highlights a growing debt burden.

SpaceX carries approximately $29.1 billion in total debt, including a $20 billion bridge loan used to retire legacy debt associated with xAI.

That loan must be repaid within six months after the IPO closes, meaning a portion of the proceeds will immediately go toward debt reduction rather than future growth projects.

For skeptics, valuation remains the central issue.

At the proposed valuation, SpaceX would trade at more than 96 times annual sales, compared with roughly 15.7 times sales for Tesla.

Critics argue that first-quarter revenue growth of approximately 15% does not justify such a premium.

Supporters counter that SpaceX occupies unique positions in satellite communications, launch services, artificial intelligence, and advanced aerospace technology.

Public Investors Won’t Control the Company

One thing will not change after the IPO.

Elon Musk will remain firmly in control.

The filing states that Musk controls approximately 85% of voting power through special Class B shares, which carry enhanced voting rights.

That structure gives him effective control over board elections and major corporate decisions.

Public shareholders will participate in the company’s financial performance, but not its governance.

A Rare Opportunity for Retail Investors

The company is also taking an unusual approach to individual investors.

According to comments by Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen, SpaceX intends to allocate a substantial portion of shares to retail buyers.

Johnsen reportedly told bankers that retail participation could become “a bigger part than any IPO in history.”

If that occurs, it would mark a significant departure from many high-profile technology offerings that primarily favor institutional investors.

What Happens Next

The next ten days will determine whether the most ambitious valuation in modern IPO history holds up under market scrutiny.

The roadshow begins June 4.

Pricing is scheduled for June 11.

Trading is expected to begin June 12.

At that point, speculation ends and the market takes over.

Investors will decide what a company built around rockets, satellites, artificial intelligence, and one of the world’s most famous entrepreneurs is truly worth.

And in the process, they may determine whether Elon Musk becomes the first trillionaire in history.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

A four-month-old baby left in a hot car in Kfar Chabad, a town located southeast of Tel Aviv, was discovered unconscious and showing signs of heatstroke by paramedics who were called to the scene Wednesday when residents noticed the infant had been left in the car for an extended period, according to Magen David Adom.

The baby was taken to Shamir Medical Center for emergency care and remains in critical condition.

“When we arrived, we were led to the baby who was unconscious, after being in a closed vehicle for a long time,” a medic from MDA said.

“We performed an initial medical assessment of the baby, and noticed that he was very warm to the touch,” the medic added.

Wednesday marked the first day of a heat wave that struck Israel and nearby countries, with temperatures above 86°F in central Israel, where Kfar Chabad is located.

As temperatures continue to rise, the Israel Meteorological Service issued heat advisory warnings, including severe heat warnings for the Jordan Valley and Judean Desert and moderate heat warnings for the eastern Galilee.

Last year, four deaths resulting from prolonged enclosure in hot cars were recorded, with a total of 41 such deaths since 2009.

Last month, a routine school drop-off in Los Angeles ended in tragedy when a four-year-old child who was left in a car died from heat exposure.

A tense overnight hostage crisis at a Chase Bank in Bakersfield came to an end early Wednesday when the suspect, who claimed to be carrying explosives on his body, was fatally shot during a law enforcement operation, authorities said.

Police reported that every hostage held inside the bank was safely rescued and suffered no injuries. Although none required emergency treatment, those involved were evaluated by medical personnel at the scene. The standoff concluded shortly after 4:20 a.m.

“The hostage situation concluded following an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel,” Bakersfield police said in a news release.

Authorities have continued to block off streets surrounding the bank while investigators process the scene. Police announced that additional details would be released during a press conference scheduled for Wednesday morning.

Earlier in the ordeal, negotiators succeeded in persuading the suspect to release two hostages. Law enforcement officials had maintained communication with him by telephone throughout the standoff.

As the situation unfolded, officials established a security perimeter covering the area between 18th Street and Truxtun Avenue and stretching from Chester Avenue to H Street.

When the suspect initially barricaded himself inside the bank on Tuesday, several customers and employees were still in the building. Some individuals managed to escape before the situation escalated further.

Authorities said no injuries were reported during the incident. In a statement issued around 6 p.m. Tuesday, the Bakersfield Police Department said that “an adult male subject had barricaded himself inside the building with several community members.”

Several hours later, police announced that negotiators had secured the release of another hostage.

“We remain on scene at the Chase Bank building and have negotiated the release of a second hostage,” police said. “There are currently no injuries reported. Avoid the area as this remains an active scene. We will continue to provide updates as information becomes available.”

As the crisis continued into the night, the FBI assumed responsibility for tactical operations. According to reports, federal agents took over “SWAT operations,” while the FBI’s Sacramento field office said it planned to “support the response” throughout the overnight hours.

Bakersfield Mayor Karen Goh said she was closely following developments as law enforcement worked to bring the situation to a peaceful resolution.

“The best way the public can help at this time is by avoiding the area and allowing law enforcement officers, negotiators, and other trained professionals the space and opportunity to safely carry out their duties,” she said in a statement.

The incident began Tuesday when authorities received reports of a bomb threat inside the Chase Bank, according to Good Morning America.

Police communications during the standoff indicated that officers believed the suspect might have been carrying an improvised explosive device.

“The suspect possibly has a makeshift detonator in his hand and wires coming out from under his shirt,” a police radio broadcast said.

{Matzav.com}

New York City recorded a 46%rise in antisemitic hate crimes in May, with incidents targeting Jews increasing significantly compared to the recent monthly average, according to new NYPD data. Experts caution that many hate crimes may never be reported to police.,

The latest figures showed three hate crimes targeting Asians, none targeting Black victims, one against an unspecified ethnicity, one motivated by gender, one against a Hispanic victim, five targeting Muslims, 10 involving unspecified religious groups, five based on sexual orientation, and one against a white victim.

The 46% increase in antisemitic hate crimes last month came after 30 confirmed incidents in April, 32 in March, and 21 in February.

The NYPD adjusted its hate crime reporting system in February, moving from suspected cases to confirmed incidents. Because of the change, confirmed data was unavailable for January. Following criticism, the department now publishes both suspected and confirmed hate crime numbers.

Since the beginning of the year, Jews have been targeted in 152 confirmed hate crimes across the city, making up 57% of all confirmed hate crimes — the same share recorded throughout 2025. Overall hate crimes have risen 8.6% this year compared with the same period last year, while antisemitic incidents have increased by 6.3%.

The rise in hate crimes poses a challenge for Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who entered office on January 1 after promising to address hatred and discrimination in New York City.

An active lifestyle requires hydration, and it’s not just those moments during a workout each day. 

BODYARMOR Sports Drink, the leader in sports and active hydration, understands that concept more than most, which is why their latest innovation in the space, BODYARMOR FIT, has launched to give modern hydration to those everyday moments. 

Unlike its traditional sports drink, or their BODYARMOR Flash I.V., BODYARMOR FIT is a sparkling sports drink that molds together electrolytes, caffein, functional ingredients and zero sugar to reinforce the brand’s commitment to premium hydration and continued innovation to meet the fitness and active lifestyle of its consumers. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXBUSINESS.COM

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is among those consumers, and as an athlete partner of BODYARMOR, he’s supporting the BODYARMOR FIT launch with the “Fitness Never Rests” digital campaign.

The new hydration innovation is something Burrow believes in. 

KNICKS’ JALEN BRUNSON, LSU’S FLAU’JAE JOHNSON HELP BODYARMOR’S ‘CHOOSE BETTER’ CAMPAIGN BEFORE MARCH MADNESS

“BODYARMOR FIT is BODYARMOR’s take on modern hydration. It’s built for real life, when you’re moving through your day and staying active in different ways,” Burrow said in an exclusive statement to Fox Business. “It’s a sparkling sports drink with electrolytes, a little bit of caffeine, and ingredients that support metabolism. Whether I’m training, traveling, or just on the go, it fits into those in-between moments and has become a great addition to my routine. That’s really where the idea behind ‘Fitness Never Rests’ comes from. 

“For me, fitness isn’t just a workout, it’s a mindset that carries through the whole day. BODYARMOR FIT fits the way people live now, always moving, always doing something.”

Fox Business also got to speak with Sara Weaver, vice president of brand marketing at BODYARMOR, to discuss this new innovation and why she believes it was the “natural progression” for the brand in this space. 

“At BODYARMOR, we are always looking to modernize the space,” she explained. “We have a portfolio that addresses these different needs and occasions by consumers. …Consumers are looking for beverages that are feeling lighter, more refreshing. They fit into their active lifestyle throughout the day. Really here, hydration goes beyond just workouts, just that one hour of the day. It’s about how people fuel their entire day, and BODYARMOR FIT is intended to meet these shifts, fitting seamlessly into everything from work to travel, to social moments, to fill in the blank. It really sits in this intersection of sports drink and functional beverages.”

The beverage, which comes in five flavors – Mixed Berry, Tropical Passionfruit, Orange Mango, Citrus Grapefruit and Watermelon Lime – has 290 milligrams of electrolytes for hydration, while also featuring 60 milligrams of caffeine. 

“It was a very intentional choice,” Weaver said when asked about that balance of hydration and caffeine. “So, we deliver 290 milligrams of electrolytes for the hydration. We also have the combination of about 60 milligrams of caffeine, which we see as lightly caffeinated to give that extra boost, but not take you over the edge and you have a crash later. Ingredients like green tea extract and choline, which supports metabolic function. So, the combination of hydration and metabolism support in one seamless experience is a big part of what makes this product versatile and so different than what’s on the market today.”

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Weaver also called Burrow a “natural partner” when they approached him to be the launch athlete here because of his active mindset no matter if he’s on the field with the Bengals, or off it. 

“When we brought this to Joe and we asked him to be our feature with BODYARMOR FIT, he was totally aligned,” Weaver added. “Because his discipline and his performance really extends far past that one gameday, which really made him a natural partner. We’ve received lots of great feedback on the product with our athlete partners.”

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Bank regulators say supervision should focus on measurable financial risks—not whether a customer or industry might generate negative headlines.

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

Federal banking regulators have taken a major step toward ending one of the most controversial concepts in bank supervision, removing references to “reputation risk” from guidance used to examine the nation’s banks.

On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) jointly announced they had reissued 15 interagency guidance documents with all references to reputation risk removed. Regulators also said they will continue reviewing additional supervisory materials to eliminate the concept from their rulebooks.

For businesses that have struggled to obtain banking services—or feared losing them—the move could have significant implications.

What Is Reputation Risk?

For years, federal regulators defined reputation risk as the possibility that negative publicity surrounding a customer, industry, or business activity could harm a bank’s earnings, customer relationships, or legal standing.

In practice, critics argued that the concept allowed regulators to pressure banks away from serving certain lawful industries or customers, even when those relationships posed no measurable financial risk.

Industries frequently raising concerns included:

• Cryptocurrency companies
• Firearms businesses
• Energy and fossil-fuel firms
• Cannabis-related businesses
• Certain religious organizations
• Politically active individuals and organizations

Supporters of the change say those concerns evolved into what became widely known as “debanking”—the termination or denial of banking services based on perceived reputational concerns rather than objective financial risk.

Trump Administration Push

The effort traces directly to President Donald Trump’s Executive Order 14331, signed on August 7, 2025, titled “Guaranteeing Fair Banking for All Americans.”

The order directed federal banking agencies to prevent reputation risk from being used as a basis for limiting access to financial services.

Regulators subsequently began dismantling the practice.

The OCC stopped examining banks for reputation risk during 2025. The Federal Reserve announced similar changes later that year.

In April 2026, the OCC and FDIC finalized rules formally prohibiting regulators from criticizing or taking supervisory action against banks solely because of reputation-risk concerns. Those rules become effective on June 9, 2026.

Tuesday’s announcement represents the latest step in that process.

What Regulators Are Saying

Michelle W. Bowman, Vice Chair for Supervision at the Federal Reserve, said concerns emerged that reputation-risk standards had been used inappropriately to pressure banks into dropping customers.

She argued that supervisory decisions should not be influenced by political, religious, or other non-financial considerations.

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan V. Gould was even more direct, stating that reputation risk is “not a sound basis for supervision.”

FDIC Chairman Travis Hill similarly argued that focusing on reputational concerns outside traditional risk-management frameworks contributes little to maintaining a safe and sound banking system.

What Is Not Changing

Regulators emphasized that this is not a rollback of core banking safeguards.

Banks must still comply with:

• Anti-money laundering requirements
• Sanctions screening rules
• Consumer-protection laws
• Safety-and-soundness regulations
• Fraud prevention requirements
• Credit-risk and operational-risk management standards

The agencies also included provisions designed to prevent examiners from simply relabeling reputation concerns under other supervisory categories.

In short, regulators say banks can still reject customers based on measurable risks—but not merely because a relationship could generate controversy or bad press.

What It Means for Businesses

The practical impact could be substantial.

Banks may now have greater flexibility to serve industries that have historically complained of restricted access to financial services.

For businesses operating in sectors such as cryptocurrency, energy, firearms, and other politically sensitive industries, the removal of reputation risk could make it easier to maintain banking relationships.

Compliance departments inside banks will still assess risk, but the focus is expected to shift more heavily toward objective financial metrics rather than public perception.

The Bigger Debate

Supporters view the change as restoring equal access to banking services and preventing regulators from using informal pressure to shape economic activity.

Critics argue that reputation risk gave banks a legitimate tool to avoid problematic relationships before they became financial or legal liabilities.

What both sides agree on is that a long-standing and often misunderstood supervisory tool is disappearing from federal banking oversight.

What Happens Next

The ultimate test will be whether complaints about debanking decline over the coming months and years.

If businesses that previously struggled to obtain banking services gain broader access without increasing financial-system risks, supporters will point to the reforms as a success.

For now, federal regulators are sending a clear message:

Banks should be judged on financial risk, not on whether a customer, business, or industry might create negative headlines.

Washington — JBizNews Desk

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

HaRav Yaakov Bender, the longtime Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah and one of the most influential voices in chinuch in the United States, has issued a blistering warning to parents regarding the growing danger of electric bikes and scooters, saying that allowing children to use them is “akin to giving a gun to a child.”

In a sharply worded letter to parents, HaRav Bender expressed frustration that despite repeated tragedies and warnings, some parents continue to allow their children to ride electric bikes and scooters to yeshiva.

“I am at my wits’ end that there are still parents who allow their children to bring electric bikes and scooters to the Yeshiva,” he wrote.

The Rosh Yeshiva pointed to the recent fatal collision on the Queensboro Bridge in which two e-bike riders lost their lives, as well as other deadly incidents involving children riding scooters in Jewish communities.

“Jewish children on scooters have been killed in other communities. Other children have been maimed,” he wrote.

HaRav Bender placed responsibility squarely on parents who permit their children to use the vehicles, calling it “pure negligence on the part of the parents.”

“I believe in making children happy—but allowing a child to ride an electric bike or scooter is akin to giving a gun to a child,” he stated.

In an extraordinary step, HaRav Bender revealed that he has personally confiscated numerous electric bikes and scooters brought by students to yeshiva. According to the letter, some children have been leaving the vehicles in nearby backyards rather than bringing them onto campus in an attempt to evade school rules.

“In my office, I now have a collection of electric bikes and scooters that were ridden to Yeshiva and then placed in backyards of homes down the street,” he wrote.

The vehicles are being kept under lock and key, he explained, to prevent students from retrieving them and continuing to ride them.

Acknowledging the intense pressure many parents face from children seeking the increasingly popular vehicles, HaRav Bender nevertheless urged parents not to give in.

“I understand that every single child asks for these toys, but parents who give in are ignoring the (chas v’shalom) consequences,” he warned.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

JBizNews Desk

Wednesday, June 3, 2026

Wall Street opened in mixed fashion Wednesday, June 3, after two fresh reads on the economy showed steady hiring and a strengthening service sector, even as oil pushed back toward $100 a barrel following an overnight exchange of fire between the United States and Iran. The ADP National Employment Report, released Wednesday, said private employers added 122,000 jobs in May, topping the 117,000 economists expected, while the Institute for Supply Management reported its Services PMI rose to 54.5% from 53.6% a month earlier, the 23rd straight month of growth, according to committee chair Steve Miller. At the opening bell, the S&P 500 slipped 0.14% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.56%, while the Nasdaq was virtually flat and the small-cap Russell 2000 rose 0.90%. The moves came a day after all three major indexes closed at records, with the S&P 500 posting its first finish above 7,600 at 7,609.78.

The data carried a catch for anyone hoping for lower interest rates. The same ISM report that showed services expanding also put its prices gauge at 71.3%, near a multi-year high, a sign that companies are still paying more for fuel, materials and labor and passing those costs along. The employment piece of that survey stayed below 50, meaning service businesses are still trimming staff even as orders pick up. April’s ADP gain, meanwhile, was revised down to 105,000.

Energy set the tense backdrop. Brent crude climbed toward $97 a barrel and West Texas Intermediate rose above $93, both gaining for a third straight session, after U.S. Central Command said Iran fired ballistic missiles toward neighboring states and U.S. forces carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island. Iran’s missiles hit Kuwait and Bahrain, killing one person in Kuwait, according to Kuwait’s Foreign Ministry. Adding fuel, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday that domestic crude inventories fell by 7.974 million barrels last week, far more than the roughly 2.9 million-barrel draw forecast and the sixth straight weekly decline. President Donald Trump said Iran had agreed not to pursue a nuclear weapon and that talks continue, though Iranian state media disputed that.

The day’s hardest hits landed on the private-equity group. Blackstone dropped about 6%, KKR fell more than 5.5% and Blue Owl Capital lost nearly 4% after Bloomberg News reported that Swiss firm Partners Group had capped withdrawals from one of its private-equity funds, a move that rattled investors holding similar managers. GitLab fell roughly 4% after the software maker guided to adjusted earnings of 17 to 18 cents a share, below the 19 cents analysts expected, and flagged $30 million to $35 million in restructuring charges. Palo Alto Networks slipped about 2% even after beating, posting adjusted earnings of 85 cents a share on $3 billion in revenue, ahead of the 80 cents and $2.94 billion expected, and lifting its full-year revenue forecast.

The chip trade still had momentum. Marvell Technology rose more than 13%, building on a 32% surge Tuesday that ranked as its best day ever after Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang suggested the company could one day reach a trillion-dollar valuation. In retail, Macy’s gained about 1.5% after reporting its strongest first-quarter sales growth in four years, with revenue of $4.68 billion beating the $4.61 billion estimate and a raised full-year outlook. Cboe Global Markets rose about 1.5%, steadying after a three-day slide of nearly 20% tied to worries that newly proposed perpetual futures could eat into traditional exchanges. Ulta Beauty dipped about 1% despite a quarterly beat and a bigger $1.5 billion buyback target.

On the analyst side, Loop Capital raised Hewlett Packard Enterprise to Buy from Hold after Tuesday’s blowout quarter, in which cloud and AI revenue climbed 22.9% from a year earlier and the stock jumped about 26%. Upgrade activity this month has clustered in chip and AI infrastructure names, while several previously cautious analysts have warmed to Intel after a sharp run higher.

The day is not over. Broadcom and CrowdStrike are scheduled to report results after the closing bell, two readings that will test whether the AI-spending boom still has room to run. The bigger event comes Friday, when the Labor Department releases the May jobs report, the broadest look yet at whether hiring is holding up as oil prices climb. Beyond that, new Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh holds his first rate-setting meeting on June 16–17, with markets caught between a growing economy and a war that keeps pushing energy costs higher.

Wall Street — JBizNews Desk

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

An Israir flight bound for Ljubljana was unable to reach its scheduled destination on Wednesday after Slovenian authorities declined to issue the landing authorization required for the aircraft, forcing the plane to divert and land in neighboring Croatia instead.

The flight, which had been scheduled to arrive in Slovenia’s capital city, was redirected to Zagreb after clearance to land in Ljubljana was denied by local officials.

Reports indicate that Slovenian authorities have recently adopted a policy of refusing landing permits to Israeli carriers, reportedly as a protest against the actions and policies of the Israeli government.

Israeli officials view the move as a breach of international aviation arrangements governing air travel among European Union nations. The incident prompted immediate involvement from both Israel’s Foreign Ministry and the Civil Aviation Authority, which began working to address the situation.

Efforts by diplomatic representatives and aviation officials to obtain last-minute approval for the aircraft to proceed to Ljubljana continued throughout the day but had not produced results by Wednesday evening.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev condemned the decision, accusing Slovenia of politicizing civilian air travel and unfairly targeting Israeli passengers.

“This is an unacceptable political decision that directly harms Israeli citizens,” Regev said. “Those who seek to boycott Israel through aviation should understand that there will be consequences. Israel will not stand idly by and will use every tool at its disposal to protect its airlines and the freedom of movement of its citizens.”

The dispute comes as Slovenia undergoes a change in political leadership. The outgoing administration has been among the most outspoken critics of Israel within Europe, and the landing ban was imposed during the transition period between governments.

Israeli officials are hopeful that relations may improve soon, as the incoming government, which is expected to assume office in the coming weeks, is generally regarded as more favorable toward Israel than the current administration.

{Matzav.com}

In a victory for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, the Knesset plenum elected Adv. Michael Rabillo to the position of state comptroller by a vote of 61-57 on Wednesday afternoon.

Rabillo is considered a close confidant of Netanyahu and previously served as his lawyer, representing him in several High Court proceedings.

The voting process was a stormy one. Rabillo’s rival, retired High Court Justice Yosef Elron, won the first round but only received 60 votes instead of the 61 he needed.

A second round was called, but during the process, it was reported that coalition MKs were taking selfies of themselves voting for Rabillo, despite the elections being carried out by secret ballot. A loud shouting match erupted, with opposition members claiming that Likud MKs were ordered to film themselves. The Likud strongly denied the accusations.

As a result, the Knesset’s legal adviser ordered the voting process halted.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana then restarted a second round from the beginning.

Meanwhile, the decision was barely made public, and the Yesh Atid party already announced that it intends to petition the High Court against the appointment.

In addition, the left-wing Movement for Quality Government, which constantly submits petitions to the High Court, including against the appointment of Roman Gofman as the Mossad chief, announced it will petition the High Court against the appointment.

The organization stated: “Appointing the Prime Minister’s personal attorney to a position tasked with overseeing the Prime Minister himself is a severe conflict of interest, and the appointment process was compromised after MKs were reportedly instructed to illegally document their votes as a loyalty test, contrary to the position of the Knesset’s legal adviser.”

It should be noted that Justice Elron, who was supported by most of the opposition, is considered a conservative judge who challenged Israel’s judicial establishment, including Supreme Court Justice Yitzchak Amit.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Although the artificial intelligence (AI) investment thesis is still young, some investors are already eyeing the next big thing in tech. They don’t have to look far, and the next big thing may actually be two things: humanoid robots and physical AI.

Fortunately, these aren’t daunting concepts. As the name indicates, humanoid robots are modeled after us and designed to work alongside us, performing basic functions to enhance productivity. Those robots are part of the broader physical AI landscape, which also includes various autonomous systems such as self-driving vehicles and surgical robots.

Experienced investors know there are plenty of robotics stocks and a fair number of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) focused on this theme. Still, when it comes to an emphasis on humanoid robotics, the KraneShares Global Humanoid Robotics and Physical AI Index ETF is the ETF to consider.

HOW ETFS CAN BE EFFECTIVE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR RETIREES

This robotics fund, which tracks the MerQube Global Humanoid and Embodied Intelligence index, is the first ETF of its kind to trade in the U.S., and it has a first-mover advantage. Investors like that, along with the fund’s purity because it turns a year old on June 4 and already has $241 million in assets under management (AUM).

WHAT ARE ACTIVE ETFS AND HOW ARE THEY RESHAPING HOW AMERICANS INVEST?

Year-to-date inflows of $89 million bolster that tally, confirming that investors see opportunity with this next-generation tech ETF. Understandably, they feel that way because the KraneShares fund could reward long-term investors. Morgan Stanley estimates that the humanoid robotics market could be worth $5 trillion by 2050.

Perhaps underscoring the case for taking the long view with this ETF is the fact that humanoid robots are currently expensive. Still, prices are forecast to decline, which should spark increased adoption. Two years ago, one humanoid robot cost $200,000. That’s the price of a house in some places; Morgan Stanley sees that price falling to $150,000 in 2028.

As investors already learned with “old guard” AI stocks, adoption trends and the emergence of more real-world uses are crucial to the humanoid robotics/physical AI theme. Stock-picking to that effect can be tricky even for highly seasoned investors, highlighting why some are embracing this ETF.

US ETF ASSETS UNDER MANAGEMENT TO MORE THAN DOUBLE TO $25T BY 2030, CITIGROUP SAYS

It’s worth noting that, at the sector level, robotics stocks span multiple sectors. Featuring exposure to four sectors, this ETF reflects this with tech and industrial stocks combining for about 78% of the portfolio.

It should also be acknowledged that humanoid robotics isn’t a theme bound by geography, so this is a global ETF, not a domestic one. The 28% allocation to Chinese stocks, second only to U.S. equities, is important because China is the undisputed leader in AI-powered robotics, including humanoids. Of course, there are no guarantees that China will wear that crown permanently, highlighting the advantages of this fund’s geographic diversity.

The KraneShares Global Humanoid Robotics ETF charges 0.69% per year, or $69 on a $10,000 investment. That’s slightly above the 0.63% average on thematic ETFs.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

Todd Shriber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

This post was originally published on this site.

In a sharply worded address, Rabbi Menachem Zupnik called on the Passaic community to preserve the simplicity and modest standards that have long characterized the kehillah, expressing concern over what he described as increasing materialism at local simchas and events.

According to Rabbi Zupnik, a group of younger newcomers to the community has helped drive a trend toward more elaborate celebrations, raising expectations and standards in ways that he warned could place unnecessary pressure on families and alter the community’s longstanding character. Stressing the importance of maintaining a Torah-based perspective on simchas, Rabbi Zupnik urged residents to resist the pull of extravagance and to safeguard the values of simplicity and authenticity that have traditionally defined Passaic.

https://thelakewoodscoop.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Rabbi-Zupnick-TLS.mp3

As Americans continue to flee high-tax blue states for lower-tax destinations, Florida lawmakers have just passed what supporters describe as a major win for economic freedom.

Moving to provide long-term property tax relief for residents, the Florida Legislature has cleared a historic, DeSantis-backed constitutional amendment for the November 2026 general election ballot that could eliminate non-school property taxes for many homeowners through a proposed $250,000 homestead exemption.

“I think it will be particularly appealing to people leaving the Northeast and other high-tax states who are evaluating where to establish permanent residency. The state already wins on weather and lifestyle. Tax policy simply becomes another advantage in an increasingly competitive relocation landscape,” Douglas Elliman’s Nick Malinosky told Fox News Digital.

“This proposal could strengthen that appeal, particularly among households planning a permanent move rather than purchasing a second home. I think it could encourage more families, retirees and remote workers to establish Florida residency,” Elliman colleague Lourdes Alatriste added.

FLORIDA A.G. SAYS OPENAI ‘EXPOSED’ TO BILLIONS IN POTENTIAL DAMAGES, CITES EVIDENCE UNCOVERED IN INVESTIGATION

“The biggest beneficiaries may be families and retirees looking to establish permanent residency and maximize long-term savings,” The Corcoran Group’s Mick Duchon agreed.

If Florida voters approve House Joint Resolution (HJR) 1-F in November, the amount of your home’s value that is exempt from certain property taxes would increase over the next two years. On Jan. 1, 2027, the homestead exemption would increase from the existing $50,000 to $150,000. One year later, in 2028, the homestead exemption would rise to $250,000. For some homeowners, that could reduce non-school local property taxes to zero.

A Florida Senate press release states that this sets up the framework “for full [tax] exemption over time.”

Residents who establish primary Florida residency on or before Dec. 31, 2026, would be eligible for the expanded exemption when it takes effect. However, those who move to the state after that deadline would have to wait four years before qualifying for the full $250,000 exemption.

“By increasing the homestead exemption, the proposal could help reduce the tax burden on primary residences and provide homeowners with greater financial flexibility year after year,” Alatriste said.

“What I’m hearing from clients is less about speculation and more about affordability. Buyers see it as a potential way to reduce their long-term cost of ownership, while existing homeowners view it as meaningful relief in a market where insurance, maintenance and other housing expenses have continued to climb,” Douglas Elliman’s Senada Adzem said.

“Whether someone owns a $500,000 home or a $20 million home,” Malinosky added, “everyone has felt the impact of rising ownership costs over the past several years. Clients are encouraged that lawmakers are looking at ways to provide tax relief.”

The amendment’s language would reduce the annual assessment increase cap on non-homestead properties, including many commercial properties, from 10% to 5% per year.

This tax break would not apply to school board taxes, and local governments would be required to prioritize remaining property tax revenue for services such as police, fire rescue, EMS, infrastructure, flood-control projects and government employee pensions.

“The strongest argument in favor is that it offers relief to Florida homeowners at a time when affordability remains a major concern,” Alatriste said. “The biggest challenge will be answering questions about how local governments and school districts would offset the reduction in tax revenue.”

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

“Voters will likely support the concept of tax relief, but they’ll also want transparency regarding schools, public safety, infrastructure and municipal budgets. If lawmakers can clearly address those concerns, the proposal has a strong chance of gaining broad support,” Duchon noted.

“The strongest selling point is affordability,” Malinosky said. “I think voters are generally supportive of tax relief, but they will want clear answers before approving a constitutional amendment of this magnitude.”

READ MORE FROM FOX BUSINESS

A 27-year-old father of four children, including a six-month-old baby, was arrested near his kollel in Petach Tikvah on Wednesday morning and handed over to the military police.

The avreich was stopped by a police officer due to a broken headlight. The police officer then discovered that he was classified as a “draft dodger” but knowingly misled him, claiming he wouldn’t hand him over to the military police to ensure he didn’t call the “Black Alert” system.

He was then transferred to the police station in Rosh HaAyin, and later handed over to the military police, who transferred him to Prison 10.

With the help of Adv. Shlomo Hadad of the Am Kadosh organization, the avreich was released about four hours later.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

By JBizNews Desk

June 2, 2026

The biggest obstacle facing many recent college graduates may not be artificial intelligence after all.

According to a study published June 1 by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York on its Liberty Street Economics blog, the rise of remote work—not AI—is the primary driver behind higher unemployment among young college graduates.

The research was conducted by Natalia Emanuel of the New York Fed alongside Emma Harrington of the University of Virginia and Amanda Pallais of Harvard University.

The numbers are striking.

The unemployment rate for recent college graduates rose to 5.6% in March 2026, up from 3.6% in March 2019, before the pandemic transformed workplace norms.

The researchers estimate that approximately 64% of that increase can be attributed to work-from-home trends.

Their conclusion centers on training rather than technology.

When employees work remotely, companies become less willing to hire inexperienced workers who require mentoring and supervision. Teaching new graduates through video calls and virtual meetings is simply harder than training them in person.

As the researchers wrote, “Remote work has weakened incentives to hire young workers by impeding on-the-job training.”

The result is a growing preference for more experienced workers who can operate independently with minimal oversight.

The evidence becomes clearer when comparing different professions.

The researchers examined occupations that can be performed remotely—such as software engineering, accounting, finance, and consulting—against occupations that require physical presence, including nursing and mechanical engineering.

In fields requiring hands-on work, youth employment has largely returned to pre-pandemic norms.

Nursing, in particular, remains one of the strongest hiring sectors.

The deterioration appears concentrated almost entirely in remote-capable occupations.

That distinction is important because it weakens the argument that AI is primarily responsible. If artificial intelligence were the main cause, economists would likely expect broader effects across white-collar jobs regardless of age.

A case study involving a large technology company reinforced the findings.

After shifting to remote work, the company significantly reduced hiring of recent graduates and instead hired workers who were, on average, roughly ten years older.

When the company later implemented a stricter return-to-office policy, hiring of younger workers increased again.

The findings arrive amid a broader transformation of the American workplace.

According to Gallup, approximately 78% of jobs in remote-capable industries now operate under remote or hybrid arrangements, compared with about 40% in 2019. Fully in-office roles have fallen from roughly 60% to about 22% during the same period.

At the same time, younger workers overwhelmingly prefer flexibility. Surveys show only about 6% of Gen Z workers favor fully in-office employment, with most preferring hybrid schedules.

The Fed’s findings suggest that flexibility may carry unintended consequences.

The arrangements many experienced workers fought to secure may be making it harder for the next generation to get its foot in the door.

Other researchers are reaching similar conclusions.

A separate study from economists at the London School of Economics and the University of Oxford, examining hundreds of millions of hiring records across the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom, likewise found remote work to be a more significant factor in early-career hiring weakness than artificial intelligence.

Some economists see a compromise.

Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economist known for his work on remote employment, argues that hybrid schedules may provide the best balance by preserving in-person collaboration while maintaining workplace flexibility.

For businesses, the findings raise an important strategic question.

Companies may save money and improve employee satisfaction through remote work, but they risk weakening their pipeline of future talent if fewer young workers receive the mentoring necessary to develop into future leaders.

For the broader economy, the implications are significant.

Early-career unemployment often carries lasting effects, influencing earnings, advancement opportunities, and career trajectories for years.

The researchers emphasize that artificial intelligence could eventually play a larger role.

As AI systems increasingly handle entry-level tasks, the labor market may evolve further.

For now, however, the evidence points to a different culprit.

The challenge facing many young graduates appears to be the home office—not the algorithm.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

(AP) – Ford is recalling almost 420,000 vehicles because of a seat belt issue that may result in an injury if a crash occurs.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a report Tuesday that the recall includes certain Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles with model years 2018 through 2022.

The issue involves seat belts that may lock inadvertently, not allowing them to retract or extend. The NHTSA report says a seat belt that doesn’t retract or extend may result in an injury if a crash happens. Individuals may also face injury in some instances if the seat belt retracts rapidly.

The recall replaces and expands on two previous NHTSA recalls. The report states that Ford Motor Co. is aware of two warranty claims and two field reports related to the latest recall. The company is also aware of one injury.

Vehicle owners will receive a notification in the mail about the recall. They can take their vehicle to a Ford or Lincoln dealer to have both front seat belt retractors inspected and to replace retractors involved in the recall for free.

Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or the NHTSA at 1-888-327-4236 for more information.

A Republican congressman known for his strong support of Israel has introduced a resolution urging the United States to end its annual military aid package to Israel and replace it with a new arrangement under which Israel would purchase American defense equipment using its own resources. The proposal has received the backing of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman of Indiana unveiled the measure on Wednesday, calling for negotiations on a new memorandum of understanding that would gradually move the U.S.-Israel defense relationship away from direct aid and toward a framework based on arms purchases funded by Israel.

The proposal seeks to replace the current 10-year agreement that provides Israel with $38 billion in military assistance through 2028. Rep. Abe Hamadeh of Arizona has joined Stutzman in supporting the initiative.

According to Stutzman, he personally presented a draft of the resolution to Netanyahu during a 45-minute meeting at the prime minister’s office in Yerushalayim on May 27. Hamadeh also attended the meeting.

“I like it,” Netanyahu replied after reading, according to Stutzman.

“This is the direction I’ve been wanting to go for a long time,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu later reinforced that position in a letter sent Monday expressing support for the effort. In the letter, he wrote that Israel remains grateful for American military assistance but believes the relationship has reached a new stage.

Israel, he wrote, “appreciates the financial component of the military aid” but that “the time has now arrived for us to move from aid recipient to partner.”

Supporters of the proposal stress that it does not call for an abrupt termination of military cooperation. Instead, it envisions replacing direct aid with a trade-based defense partnership while maintaining extensive strategic collaboration between the two countries.

Additional forms of cooperation could continue under joint defense programs, including discussions surrounding provisions in the next National Defense Authorization Act that would expand cooperation in weapons development and military technology.

During the Jerusalem meeting, Netanyahu emphasized Israel’s desire for greater self-sufficiency while preserving its close alliance with the United States.

“We want to stand on our own feet,” Netanyahu told the lawmakers in Jerusalem, language the prime minister has used publicly for months.

Stutzman argued that changing the structure of the relationship would address shifting attitudes in the United States and help strengthen public support for the alliance.

“A lot of taxpayers don’t even like foreign aid altogether, but there’s a lot of questions around why are we giving Israel $3.8 billion a year under the MOU,” he said.

The congressman said the proposal would demonstrate that Israel is a capable strategic partner rather than a nation dependent on American assistance.

The goal, he added, is to signal “to the rest of the world that Israel is not just leaning on America,” and that “even though we will have a strong partnership with them going forward, it’ll look different.”

Stutzman said he has already discussed the idea with the White House, House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, senators, and AIPAC, and reported a generally favorable reception.

He described the response as “very much an openness to the dialogue.”

Recent developments suggest that the proposal is gaining traction among some policymakers. Earlier this week, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee publicly referenced a future arrangement based on trade rather than aid.

In a post on X, Huckabee wrote that the “New MOU w/ Israel ends aid & will be based on trade,” marking the first public confirmation by an American official that such a framework is being discussed.

The debate comes as public opinion toward Israel has become more divided in the United States. A Pew Research Center survey conducted in spring 2026 found that 60 percent of American adults view Israel unfavorably, compared to 53 percent a year earlier. Among Republicans under age 50, 57 percent expressed negative views.

Hamadeh praised the proposal, saying it reflects the evolution of the U.S.-Israel alliance into a more equal partnership.

The relationship, he said, is “moving towards true collaboration as strategic partners.”

The resolution itself would not immediately change existing policy. As a nonbinding measure, it serves primarily as a statement of congressional intent and would not alter the current military aid agreement, which remains in effect through 2028.

LONDON (VINnews) — A Jewish doctor in Britain said he has encountered physicians who told him they would refuse to treat Israeli patients, even in life-threatening situations, according to comments aired in a television report on rising antisemitism in the United Kingdom.

The doctor, identified only as Baruch, made the remarks during an ITV News segment examining the experiences of British Jews amid growing concerns about antisemitism.

Baruch said some doctors had expressed unwillingness to provide medical care to people from Israel.

“It is very scary to me that I have met doctors who’ve said that they will not, point-blank, treat somebody who has come from certain areas of the world,” he said. He added that some physicians told him they would not treat Israeli patients even if their lives were at risk.

Baruch also said he has faced verbal abuse while wearing a kippah in public, including being told “Free Palestine” and “You don’t belong here.”

Britain’s Department of Health described the allegations as “shocking” and said it is unacceptable for people to feel unsafe while working in or using the National Health Service, according to reports.

The department also acknowledged concerns about the ability of existing regulatory systems to protect Jewish patients and NHS staff.

The comments come amid heightened tensions and reports of increased antisemitic incidents in Britain following the war between Israel and Hamas.

Canadian leaders push back as renewed trade tensions emerge alongside calls to revisit the USMCA trade agreement.

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

President Donald Trump reignited debate over U.S.-Canada relations this week after responding to reports that Canada had entered a technical recession with a brief but provocative post on Truth Social: “51st State!”

The comment came Monday evening after economic data showed Canada’s economy had contracted for a second consecutive quarter, meeting the common definition of a technical recession. The post quickly spread across social media and political circles on both sides of the border, drawing swift responses from Canadian officials.

The economic backdrop is real.

Fresh data released this week showed Canada’s economy shrinking for a second straight quarter, marking its first technical recession since 2020. While Bank of Canada Senior Deputy Governor Carolyn Rogers cautioned lawmakers against drawing sweeping conclusions from a single set of figures, the report nevertheless raised concerns about slowing growth, weaker consumer spending, and pressure on key industries.

For Trump, the recession provided an opportunity to revisit a theme he has raised repeatedly since returning to office.

Over the past year, the president has repeatedly joked—or suggested, depending on the audience—that Canada would be better off as America’s 51st state. He has often linked the idea to trade disputes, arguing that many economic disagreements between the two countries would disappear if Canada were part of the United States.

Canadian leaders were quick to reject the notion.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded publicly, stating, “Canada will never be the 51st state. Canada is not for sale.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has previously dismissed similar remarks, saying annexation “will never happen” and emphasizing Canada’s sovereignty while continuing to pursue cooperation with Washington on trade, defense, and economic issues.

Behind the political rhetoric lies a more consequential business story.

On Tuesday, Canadian Minister for Internal Trade Dominic LeBlanc formally called for renewal discussions surrounding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the trade pact governing commerce across North America.

The agreement affects hundreds of billions of dollars in annual trade involving automobiles, auto parts, energy, agriculture, manufacturing, and consumer goods.

Any uncertainty surrounding USMCA negotiations carries significant implications for businesses throughout the continent.

For investors and corporate executives, that may matter far more than the headline-grabbing political exchange.

Canada remains one of America’s largest trading partners, with deeply integrated supply chains stretching across automotive manufacturing, energy production, agriculture, construction materials, and technology sectors.

A slowing Canadian economy could affect demand for American exports, while renewed trade tensions could create additional uncertainty for companies already navigating elevated interest rates, geopolitical risks, and shifting global supply chains.

Markets have largely learned to treat Trump’s “51st state” comments as negotiating rhetoric rather than a serious policy proposal.

The more important questions involve tariffs, trade rules, currency movements, and the future of North America’s economic partnership.

Those issues carry real financial consequences for businesses and investors on both sides of the border.

For now, the headline may be Trump’s latest jab, but the underlying story is a Canadian economy under pressure, a critical trade agreement entering a new phase of negotiations, and a relationship that remains both politically complicated and economically indispensable.

Washington — JBizNews Desk

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

Police have arrested two additional suspects accused of throwing stones and other objects from the roof of a Yerushalayim hotel at demonstrators affiliated with Peleg Yerushalmi during a protest earlier this week.

The arrests mark a significant development in an ongoing investigation into the incident, which drew widespread attention after footage surfaced showing objects being hurled at protesters marching on a nearby roadway.

Earlier in the week, police arrested a security guard employed at the hotel who is suspected of facilitating access to the roof for those involved in the attack.

Investigators from the Moriah police station continued gathering evidence and eventually identified two additional suspects—a 20-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man, both residents of eastern Yerushalayim.

According to police, the pair are believed to be the individuals seen in video footage throwing stones and other objects at demonstrators below.

The investigation included reviewing videos circulated on social media, collecting witness testimony, and examining evidence gathered from the scene.

According to police, footage obtained during the investigation allegedly shows hotel employees throwing objects from the rooftop while the armed security guard, who had already been arrested, stood nearby without intervening or attempting to stop the incident.

The three suspects are expected to appear Wednesday before the Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court, where police will seek an extension of their detention as the investigation continues.

Authorities said they remain committed to fully investigating the incident and pursuing legal action against all individuals found to have been involved.

Earlier this week, the Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court granted a police request to extend the detention of the hotel security guard by three days.

Investigators believe the guard, who was employed as an armed security officer at the hotel, accompanied other workers to the roof and played a role in enabling the incident.

According to the allegations, he used his authority to unlock the secured rooftop access door, effectively allowing the other suspects to reach the roof.

Police contend that despite his responsibility to maintain order and security, the guard failed to prevent the attack, did not stop the individuals involved, and did not notify the appropriate authorities about what was taking place.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Israel Defense Forces’ 252nd Division has completed its operational mission in the northern Gaza Strip after four months of intensive activity, the military announced Wednesday.

Troops from the division, which deployed at the beginning of Operation Roaring Lion, dismantled numerous terrorist targets including weapons storage facilities, observation posts, combat compounds and both aboveground and underground infrastructure, according to the IDF.

A major recent effort focused on clearing the Beit Hanoun area of terrorist infrastructure.

The division’s Fire Brigade eliminated more than 35 terrorists during operations, including several who infiltrated Israeli territory during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and continued to pose threats to IDF forces in Gaza.

Engineering units destroyed approximately seven kilometers of underground routes in the northern Gaza Strip.

The IDF said forces from the 99th Division will now continue operations in the area.

NEW YORK (AP) — The 9/11 Memorial and Museum has launched a $75 million fundraising campaign as the nonprofit tries to educate the millions of U.S. youth who don’t remember the terror attacks on their upcoming 25th anniversary.

Boosting The Never Forget Fund’s latest appeal, announced Wednesday, is Mike Bloomberg. The former New York City mayor, who has rallied hundreds of millions of dollars toward the 9/11 Memorial and Museum as its chair, pledged to match the next $25 million in donations through his Bloomberg Philanthropies. Organizers already secured the first $25 million through unspecified initial gifts.

Officials count about 97 million memorial visitors and nearly 28 million museum attendees since they opened in 2014 at the site where hijacked jetliners destroyed the World Trade Center’s twin towers in lower Manhattan. But recent years have seen a budget crisis following pandemic closures and interest from the Trump administration in taking control of the site.

Beth Hillman, the organization’s president and CEO, says they need a permanent funding source to reach the roughly 100 million Americans born after the attacks. The goal is to frame the aftermath as one that inspired selfless acts of service and provide basic facts through new on-site exhibits and classroom materials.

“The ongoing importance of remembering 9/11 is to remind people that they can come together even in the face of incredible loss,” Hillman told the Associated Press.

The legacy of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people remains hotly contested. Younger generations have only ever known the existence of airport screenings, immigration enforcement officers and other security measures pursued afterwards by the U.S. government. Many engage with the events through popular memes of the photograph showing then-President George W. Bush learning about the developments. Conspiracy theories abound about what government officials knew in their leadup.

Also debated is the notion of unity advanced by the memorial and museum. The Sept. 11 attacks fueled 20 years of war abroad that grew increasingly unpopular as the death toll rose. Young American Muslims growing up under their shadow have faced hostility, mistrust and suspicion.

As the 25th anniversary approaches this September, Hillman sees a “compelling story of service, of hope, of resilience, of coming together” for the people who didn’t live through that period. Those stories will be told in an exhibit called “In Their Honor.” Celebrity chef Bobby Flay, she noted, was among the many chefs who prepared meals for first responders in the months following the attacks. Theater workers brought their lights to power the blacked-out area around ground zero. Victims’ family members started social services organizations such as 9/11 Day to inspire volunteering in memory of their lost relatives. They also want to inform more people of the first responders who developed chronic illnesses and still face barriers to care.

The funds raised by the 9/11 Memorial and Museum will ensure free museum access continues for students, first responders and veterans, according to Hillman, who said “we don’t want the price to be a barrier to them.” Standard adult admission currently costs $36. The nonprofit’s website notes that it “relies primarily on ticket sales to help fund its operational costs.”

The organization plans to reach more educators with the funds. As teachers enter the workforce without lived experiences of Sept. 11, Hillman said they want to help prepare lesson plans. The nonprofit runs summer teachers’ institutes, offers professional development programs and remakes a 30-minute film each year with firsthand stories.

Hillman acknowledged a greater “degree of distraction and confusion” today than in the past when it comes to efforts to memorialize recent historical events. She sees a need to give “simple representations of what happened.” The March/April issue of The National Council for the Social Studies’ magazine, which was guest edited by 9/11 Memorial and Museum staff, features a timeline of the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

“9/11 is heavy and compelling and full of inspiring stories,” Hillman said. “But also, just a trusted set of what happened on that day, of materials that can convey the basics of it — that’s the beginning of people learning and starting to understand, too.”

Alex Edgar, a Gen Z civic leader who is working with a group called Made By Us to amplify youth voices ahead of the United States’ 250th birthday, sees value in emphasizing the power of service. His peers, he said, have “never really seen a country that has worked” or one that “really lived up to the promise of America.” He finds that narratives about overcoming division to accomplish shared goals serve as an antidote to the political polarization frequently experienced by young people.

But he emphasized that those narratives must permeate classroom walls and museum doors.

“They invite young people to consider what’s preventing us from using any of the issues of our time as a rallying cry for folks to come together across backgrounds to build the type of country, the communities, that we want to live in,” he said.

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

Long Island could soon see its first newly built hospital in more than four decades.

NYU Langone Health announced Tuesday that it intends to construct a major academic medical center in Melville, near the Nassau-Suffolk border, marking what would be Long Island’s first ground-up hospital construction since 1980.

The project ranks among the largest healthcare investments announced in the region in years.

Planned for a 45-acre site in the Huntington Quadrangle near the Long Island Expressway and Route 110, the campus will feature a hospital with more than 500 private inpatient rooms, over 70 emergency department bays, advanced surgical suites, and state-of-the-art diagnostic imaging facilities.

NYU Langone acquired the property on May 21 for approximately $135.5 million.

Local officials estimate the total investment will exceed $1 billion.

The vision extends far beyond a hospital.

Plans also include the tuition-free NYU Grossman Long Island School of Medicine, research facilities, outpatient centers, and a broader medical campus designed to integrate patient care, education, and scientific research.

“This is one of the most ambitious and exciting projects ever undertaken by NYU Langone,” said Alec Kimmelman, the health system’s dean and chief executive.

The proposal still faces extensive environmental review and multiple state and local approvals before construction can begin.

If approved, the project could deliver significant economic benefits.

A hospital of this scale would generate thousands of construction jobs during development and support a substantial permanent workforce after opening.

The surrounding area could also benefit from increased demand for housing, restaurants, retail, and professional services.

The expansion further strengthens NYU Langone’s growing presence across Long Island.

The system currently employs more than 13,000 people in the region, operates over 120 physician practices, and has expanded its regional footprint by roughly 376% since 2007, now encompassing more than 320 locations.

The Melville project follows NYU Langone’s acquisition and expansion of NYU Langone Hospital—Suffolk in Patchogue, where the health system is investing approximately $650 million in upgrades, including a new 144-bed tower.

Since joining NYU Langone, the facility has improved from two stars to four stars in federal Medicare quality ratings.

The system also emphasized that existing facilities in Mineola will continue operating and expanding even after the new campus opens.

The announcement reflects a broader national trend.

Large healthcare systems continue expanding through acquisitions, network growth, and regional consolidation as they seek greater scale, stronger negotiating leverage, and access to specialized talent.

Supporters argue consolidation improves care quality and access to advanced treatments.

Critics warn it can reduce competition and eventually contribute to higher healthcare costs.

For Long Island residents, however, the immediate significance is clear.

A region that has not seen a newly built hospital in more than 40 years could soon gain a major new healthcare destination.

Whether the project proceeds exactly as envisioned remains uncertain, but NYU Langone’s announcement signals a major long-term commitment to Long Island’s future.

Long Island — JBizNews Desk

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

President Trump confirmed Wednesday that he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a profanity-laced expletive during a phone call earlier this week, while insisting the two remain close allies and that a nuclear deal with Iran is within reach.

Trump confirmed in a wide-ranging interview on the New York Post’s “Pod Force One” podcast, published Wednesday, that he called Netanyahu “[expletive] crazy” during a Monday phone call. He pushed back on characterizations of the exchange as a blowup. “I wouldn’t say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump said, adding, “We’ve worked very well together. I like Bibi a lot.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

The explosive language, first reported Monday by Axios, was met with disbelief by some defenders of Israel, including conservative commentator Mark Levin, who called on the FBI to investigate the leak, claiming it aided Iran.

Trump framed the friction as the natural tension between two leaders operating under wartime conditions. “I’m a wartime president,” he told host Miranda Devine. “He’s a wartime prime minister.”

The spat is more than a matter of tone. Israel’s expanding ground and air offensive in Lebanon has emerged as the most consequential setback to nuclear framework talks since a proposed 60-day memorandum of understanding was reached, with Iran suspending its exchange of texts through mediators in protest of Israeli actions it characterized as ceasefire violations.

Tehran has conditioned any deal on a halt to Israeli targeting of Hezbollah, a demand Netanyahu has so far resisted.

Despite that rupture, Trump projected confidence that a resolution is near. “I think we’re going to be in very good shape,” he said. “I think this will resolve itself fairly quickly.”

Your browser does not support the video tag.

“We’ve essentially defeated the military,” he said, adding that Iran “has no navy, they have no air force, they have very few soldiers” and that its economy is “crashing” under what he estimated is 250% inflation.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Trump nonetheless indicated he has not yet made a final determination on whether to sign a deal or resume the military campaign. “Now I have to make a determination: do we sign a deal or do we do it the other way? And the other way is not nice,” he said, though he expressed a preference for the diplomatic route.

A ceasefire has been in effect since April 7, though both the Iranian and U.S. militaries have shut off most commercial traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil flows. The U.S. imposed a counter-blockade in mid-April targeting ships seeking to reach Iranian ports.

Asked directly whether the blockade could remain in place through Labor Day, September 7, Trump did not rule it out. “I don’t know. I mean, I think it could be, but I think it’s unlikely,” he said. A prolonged closure would keep fuel prices elevated heading into November midterm elections, compounding political pressure on congressional Republicans.

Trump pointed to oil prices as evidence that fears of a prolonged energy shock have been overblown. “Everyone said it was going to be $300, $400 a barrel — it’s $98 a barrel,” he said. He tied inflation broadly to energy costs, arguing that “if you take away just the price of gasoline, the energy, we have very little inflation” and predicting prices would “start coming down very rapidly” once the conflict winds down.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

Trump said Iran has already agreed in principle not to obtain nuclear weapons and expressed a desire to meet new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, 56, who assumed power after Israeli airstrikes killed his father, Ali Khamenei, on the first day of the war in February. “I’d love to meet everybody. I would like to meet him, and we probably will meet at some point, depending on how it all works out,” Trump said.

A memorandum of understanding that could reopen the Strait to commercial shipping has been in draft form for weeks, but several false starts — attributed partly to Iranian backtracking and partly to Tehran’s courier-based communications process, designed to reduce the risk of assassinating the new supreme leader — have prevented it from being signed.

Talks are described by the administration as “rapidly evolving,” with Trump saying “we’re not going to have a nuclear weapon and lots of other good things are going to happen.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A fascinating story shared directly and exclusively with TLS by the family of a Yeshiva administrator who was recently Niftar is being seen by relatives as a powerful testament to the extent to which he guarded every penny and possession entrusted to the Yeshiva throughout his lifetime.

The administrator, who was Niftar several months ago, spent many years serving the Yeshiva and was known for his unwavering commitment to safeguarding its resources. According to family members, he would often repair items himself rather than spend Yeshiva funds unnecessarily and was meticulous about ensuring that nothing belonging to the Yeshiva was ever taken or retained improperly.

Following his Petirah, family members in Boro Park began the difficult task of sorting through and packing up his belongings. The bulk of the work was being handled by children living in Boro Park, while some of his children reside in Lakewood.

During this process, one of his Lakewood-based children – who was not there for the packing up – experienced a vivid dream. In the dream, her father was assisting with packing up the house. He reportedly picked up a box, placed a stapler inside, and said that it needed to be returned to the Yeshiva. Moments later, he disappeared.

The dream was striking enough that she immediately contacted one of her siblings in Boro Park and asked whether a stapler could be found among their father’s belongings.

To the family’s surprise, a search uncovered a lone stapler sitting on a shelf in a closet located in a room where the administrator had worked. According to the family, there was nothing else on the shelf besides the stapler.

Convinced that the dream carried a message, the daughter urged her siblings to return the stapler to the Yeshiva as soon as possible.

Adding another layer to the story, the family also discovered a printer on a lower shelf that belonged to the Yeshiva. However, the current administrator noted that he was not surprised the printer had not appeared in the dream. According to him, the family had already informed the Yeshiva that the printer was ready to be returned and the only reason it remained in the home was because arrangements to pick it up had been delayed.

The stapler, despite its minimal monetary value, had not yet been identified for return.

For the family, that detail made the story especially meaningful.

“All his years he was so careful with the Yeshiva’s money,” family members told TLS. “He fixed things with his own two hands to save the Yeshiva money and was always careful not to take or keep anything that belonged to the Yeshiva.”

They believe that the discovery of the forgotten stapler serves as a fitting reflection of the values he lived by throughout his lifetime.

While each person may draw their own conclusions from the story, the family views it as a powerful reminder that a lifetime of Emes, Ehrlichkeit and dedication leaves a lasting impact long after a person is no longer on this world.

Have a story you’d like to share with TLS? Email us at [email protected]

photos: Issac Y

LOS ANGELES (AP) — After a tough first term framed by the most destructive wildfire in city history and an ongoing struggle with widespread homelessness, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass advanced to a November runoff Tuesday as she fights to stay in City Hall against challengers from both ends of the political spectrum.

“I appreciate you for standing with me when others doubted me, because you know who I am,” she told supporters. “I have devoted my entire life to serving the city that I love, where I was born, and I’m going to continue to do that all the way to victory in November.”

The Associated Press has not yet called a second candidate to advance to the runoff. California has a history of substantial vote updates after Election Day that can sometimes shift the outcome as late-arriving mail and drop-off ballots are counted.

Spencer Pratt, a Republican and former star of the reality television show “The Hills,” was second in early returns. Pratt accuses Bass of letting the fires get out of control and failing to make enough progress on the homeless crisis.

Speaking to reporters outside a restaurant where he gathered with supporters, Pratt signaled he would welcome a matchup with Bass, a former member of Congress and the first Black woman to serve as mayor.

“This is not a candidate that I’m too concerned about,” he said.

“I got in this because as a citizen, I felt like my city failed — myself, my neighbors, my family,” Pratt said. “Mayor Bass has allowed the city to be covered in potholes. We don’t have sidewalks. We don’t have lights.”

“I’m an Angeleno who said ‘Enough is enough,’” Pratt said.

Bass has acknowledged that her time in office has been bumpy but pointed to reductions in homelessness and a historically low homicide rate in the nation’s second most populous city.

Running behind Bass and Pratt was Nithya Raman, a former ally of the mayor and a progressive city council member elected with support from the Democratic Socialists of America. A Democrat, Raman campaigned on promises to reduce inequality, revive the slumping entertainment industry and build more housing.

Political observers said a November runoff would be likely with 14 names on the ballot, including tech entrepreneur Adam Miller and community activist Rae Huang.

Bass defends her record
Pratt’s candidacy drew national attention as a barometer for dissatisfaction with liberal urban governance and because of viral videos that supporters created with artificial intelligence.

Bass lined up most of the Democratic establishment behind her, including former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Gavin Newsom and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, along with the city’s powerful labor unions.

Candidates made a rush of last-minute appeals to voters, urging them to cast ballots in an election that appeared headed for a light turnout. Bass made a swing through the heavily Hispanic Boyle Heights neighborhood, where she recalled federal immigration raids in which she said Pratt and Raman were “nowhere to be found.”

In online posts before polls closed, Pratt said the contest had become a two-person race between him and Bass and said a vote for either Raman or Miller would be wasted.

“At this point, it’s me and Karen,” Pratt said.

Voter Jose Rivera said he backed Bass because she deserves a second term to deliver on her promises: “She’s done a pretty good job in my opinion overall.”

Another, Leo Blain, said he was drawn to Raman’s progressive agenda and believes she can be effective at building coalitions in the diverse city.

“I think she has a really good understanding about how the city of LA works and would be a really effective mayor,” Blain said outside his polling place.

Los Angeles faces questions about its future
The race unfolded at an unsettled time for the city.

The mayor is still trying to overcome fallout from her absence when the most destructive wildfire in Los Angeles history ignited in a wealthy seaside neighborhood in January 2025. Bass was on a trip to Ghana as part of a presidential delegation. Pratt lost his home in the Palisades Fire, which killed 12 people. And some say the recovery is happening too slowly.

While statistics suggest that Bass has made headway on homelessness, makeshift encampments and rows of rusting RVs remain commonplace across the city. Complaints about the rising cost of living — whether for rent, taxes or groceries — are a constant refrain. Dirty, pocked streets and sidewalks abound.

Meanwhile Hollywood jobs have been decamping for years to more affordable filming locales. Trump administration immigration raids also shook the city.

Population in the once-booming region is falling — Los Angeles County lost about 54,000 people from July 2024 to July 2025, the largest numeric population drop in the nation, according to federal figures.

Crime statistics are down, but public safety is still an issue. World Cup games begin in Southern California in June, and Los Angeles is readying to host the 2028 Olympics. The federal government spearheads security at the Olympics, but there are already concerns that the Los Angeles Police Department will not have adequate funding or personnel to hold up its end of the job.

Bass has acknowledged making missteps but argued that a drop in homelessness and a historically low homicide rate show she is making progress. “I’ll keep fighting for LA,” she said.

Pratt has focused his campaign on reducing homelessness and boosting police ranks, arguing that an outsider is needed to shake up city hall. Looking to tap into voter frustration, he says he is “an Angeleno who’s had enough” and rails against “homeless drug zombies” on the streets.

He received a nod of approval — if not an actual endorsement — from President Donald Trump, who recently said, “I heard he’s a big MAGA person.”

That remark could haunt Pratt in a city where Trump is widely unpopular beyond his conservative base and Republicans account for less than 15% of registered voters.

PCS Software & Web Development Course 

Looking into programing? This is your path to a successful career!

OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, June 10 | 7:30 PM

NEW! Incorporating AI- Learn Tomorrow’s Skills Today 

PCS/Agudath Israel · 15th Cohort

Why PCS?

• 8 dedicated placement coordinators

• Job placement support (Tri-State area)

• Top-tier, experienced instructors

• In-person & remote classes

• Bachelor’s degree option (Yeshiva/Sem credits accepted)

• Men & women tracks

-Unsure if programming is right for you? Aptitude testing available.

–Limited partial scholarships!

Open House: June 10, 7:30 PM 

In-Person: PCS/Agudath Israel 1771 Madison Ave, Executive Center, Lakewood

Register for Zoom Open House
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/wOQdSxCBRp-eDyExwyh5Kw 

🎥 Watch the Course Overview https://pcsnynj.org/course/software-web-and-app-development/

📞 Call for Info & Registration 732-905-9700 ext. 610 [email protected] 🔗 www.pcsnynj.org

Join the PCS WhatsApp group: https://chat.whatsapp.com/JW8vWxfeggfATqFuMCKt4D

Redfin reports down payments are shrinking for the first time in years, while separate Realtor.com data shows the national median has fallen to its lowest level since 2021.

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

The cash needed to buy a home is finally starting to come down.

A new report from Redfin, released Tuesday, found that the typical homebuyer’s down payment fell to approximately $64,000, down 1.5% from a year earlier, signaling a significant shift in housing-market dynamics after years of seller dominance.

While the decline may appear modest, it reflects a broader trend that is giving buyers more leverage than they have enjoyed since before the pandemic housing boom.

A separate Realtor.com report released earlier this year found that the national median down payment fell to $23,400 during the first quarter, the lowest level since 2021.

The difference between the two figures comes down to methodology.

Redfin’s data focuses on county records from 40 major metropolitan areas, many of them among the most expensive housing markets in America. Realtor.com’s figure reflects the national median across the broader U.S. housing market.

Together, however, the reports point to the same conclusion:

The housing market is becoming more favorable to buyers.

Bidding Wars Are Fading

The primary reason is simple.

For the first time in years, many buyers no longer have to bring oversized down payments to compete for limited inventory.

During the pandemic-era housing frenzy, buyers routinely increased down payments to strengthen offers and stand out in competitive bidding situations.

Today’s market looks very different.

Housing inventory has increased, homes are spending more time on the market, and sellers are becoming more willing to negotiate.

According to Sheharyar Bokhari, Principal Economist at Redfin, buyers now have significantly more flexibility when determining how much cash to put down.

The negotiating power has shifted.

The National Numbers Show a Bigger Change

The trend is even more visible in Realtor.com’s national data.

According to the firm’s analysis, the typical down payment has declined roughly 19% from a year ago and sits well below the approximately $32,700 peak reached in 2024.

As a percentage of the purchase price, buyers are now putting down about 12.8%, compared with 14% a year earlier.

That brings down-payment levels back near where they stood in 2021 before the market became dominated by aggressive bidding wars and rapid price appreciation.

As Hannah Jones, Senior Economic Research Analyst at Realtor.com, noted, the “down payment wall” facing prospective homeowners is beginning to come down.

Regional Differences Remain Dramatic

Despite the national decline, down-payment requirements still vary dramatically across the country.

In some of America’s most expensive housing markets, buyers continue putting down substantial amounts.

In San Jose, San Francisco, and Anaheim, typical buyers are still putting down roughly 25% of the purchase price.

Elsewhere, the numbers are far lower.

Typical down payments average approximately:

• 2% in Virginia Beach
• 5% in Detroit
• 6% in Las Vegas

Those differences reflect local housing prices, lending practices, and buyer demographics.

Lower-Down-Payment Loans Are Making a Comeback

Part of the shift is being driven by increased use of government-backed mortgage programs.

More buyers are turning to FHA and VA loans, which require significantly smaller down payments than conventional mortgages.

Some FHA loans require as little as 3.5% down, while many VA loans require no down payment at all.

The tradeoff is important.

Smaller down payments reduce upfront costs but increase the amount borrowed, resulting in larger monthly payments, higher total interest costs, and often mortgage-insurance requirements.

The barrier to entry falls.

The long-term cost can rise.

Cash Buyers Are Pulling Back

Even cash buyers are becoming less dominant.

According to Redfin, approximately 28.8% of home purchases in March were completed entirely in cash, down from 29.8% a year earlier and tied for the lowest March share since 2021.

Cash purchases peaked near 35% in 2023, when mortgage rates approached 8% and buyers with available cash enjoyed a major competitive advantage.

As mortgage rates have eased closer to 6%, some of that pressure has diminished.

What It Means for Buyers

The broader housing market remains far from affordable.

Home prices remain historically high, and even after recent declines, down payments in many markets remain well above pre-pandemic levels.

Yet the trend is moving in buyers’ favor.

Inventory is growing, price appreciation has slowed, some markets are seeing outright price declines, and sellers increasingly find themselves negotiating rather than dictating terms.

For mortgage lenders, real-estate brokerages, homebuilders, and housing-related businesses, the market is entering a new phase.

For would-be homeowners, the largest obstacle to buying a home may finally be getting a little smaller.

The challenge is that lower upfront costs often come with larger monthly payments—and many Americans remain hesitant to take on those obligations amid ongoing economic uncertainty.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

Mortgage applications decreased 2.5% from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA)’s weekly mortgage applications Survey for the week ending May 29, 2026.

This week’s results include an adjustment for the Memorial Day holiday, the association noted. On an unadjusted basis, the index decreased 13% compared with the previous week.

The refinance index continued to trend down, decreasing 2% from the previous week. The index, however, was 20% higher than the same week one year ago.

The seasonally adjusted purchase index decreased 3% from one week earlier, and the unadjusted purchase index decreased 14% compared with the previous week and was 7% higher than the same week one year ago.

“The prospect of easing energy prices, given the evolving situation in the Middle East, brought mortgage rates slightly lower last week. The retreat in rates, however, did not lead to an increase in mortgage applications,” said Joel Kan, CMB, MBA’s vice president and deputy chief economist. “Purchase applications remained ahead of 2025’s pace but were at its slowest weekly pace since April, and refinance activity was at its weakest since last June.”

Kan continued, “The 30-year fixed rate decreased to 6.57% while the 5-year ARM rate inched up slightly, reflecting a flattening yield curve, as short-term rates are at risk of increasing while longer-term rates have dropped. Additionally, the ARM index decreased 12% over the week, and the ARM share dropped to 8.5%.”

The refinance share of mortgage activity increased to 38.0% of total applications from 37.5% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity decreased to 8.5% of total applications.

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) share of total applications decreased to 17.0% from 17.2% the week prior. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) share of total applications increased to 14.4% from 13.2% the week prior, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) share of total applications remained unchanged at 0.5%.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($832,750 or less) decreased to 6.57% from 6.65%, and rates for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with jumbo loan balances (greater than $832,750) decreased to 6.66% from 6.68%.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA decreased to 6.26% from 6.31%, and the average interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages decreased to 5.93% from 5.97%. Bucking the trend, the average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs increased to 5.82% from 5.81%.

Xactus Mortgage Intent Index

Xactus‘s Mortgage Intent Index — which analyzes aggregated, anonymized credit-pull activity across the Xactus Intelligent Verification Platform — declined week-over-week to a reading of 111.8.

“The Memorial Day holiday contributed to a decline in the non-seasonally adjusted Xactus Mortgage Intent Index, which fell approximately 12.4% from the prior week and 17.4% from the same week last month,” said Thomas Lloyd, Xactus’ chief strategy officer.

Lloyd continued, “However, after four consecutive weeks averaging roughly 3.3% year-over-year declines, the index was down just 0.9% compared to Memorial Day week last year. The improved annual comparison may suggest the market is gradually adjusting to a higher-for-longer interest rate environment.”

This post was originally published on here.

George Santos, the disgraced former New York congressman whose political career unraveled amid fraud convictions and expulsion from Congress, is now facing questions over his activity on online prediction markets, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The scrutiny reportedly centers on betting activity tied to a market offered by Kalshi that asked whether Santos would attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address earlier this year.

According to one source, Kalshi detected unusual trading patterns involving the market and launched an internal review. The platform allegedly concluded that the account responsible for the activity belonged to Santos.

The market attracted millions of dollars in wagers from users betting on whether various public figures would appear at the president’s address. Those listed reportedly included Santos, Barron Trump, hockey star Jack Hughes, and MAGA-aligned journalist Nick Shirley, whose reporting on a Minnesota fraud case drew widespread attention online.

Before the speech, Santos publicly indicated that he planned to attend. However, he ultimately did not appear at the event.

The source said Kalshi determined the account belonged to Santos, froze the account, and referred the matter to the Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

A second source said the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the federal agency responsible for overseeing prediction markets, has opened an investigation into the matter.

CNN contacted Santos for comment. Kalshi declined to comment on the allegations.

The federal inquiry was first reported by NPR. In comments to NPR, Santos said he was unaware of any investigation involving insider trading allegations. NPR further reported that the Justice Department is also examining the matter. CNN subsequently sought comment from the department.

The latest controversy comes after Santos’ highly publicized criminal case. He had been serving a seven-year prison sentence after being convicted on aggravated identity theft and wire fraud charges tied to his 2022 congressional campaign. President Trump commuted his sentence last year, resulting in Santos spending fewer than three months behind bars.

The case also shines a spotlight on the rapid growth of prediction markets such as Kalshi and Polymarket, which allow users to wager on a wide range of future events, from sporting contests and elections to entertainment outcomes.

These platforms operate under federal oversight and are regulated as commodity futures markets. However, critics argue that the industry’s explosive expansion has outpaced the regulatory framework governing it, prompting growing concern among lawmakers and state officials who believe additional safeguards may be needed.

{Matzav.com}

By JBizNews Desk

A few years ago, knowing Excel could help someone stand out in the workplace.

Today, that skill is artificial intelligence.

Across Corporate America, employees who know how to use AI are increasingly becoming the people managers rely on first. They are writing reports in less time, handling more customers, analyzing data faster, creating marketing campaigns in minutes instead of days, and completing projects that once required entire teams. As a result, many companies are paying more for those workers, promoting them faster, and making AI knowledge a key factor in hiring decisions.

The shift is happening far beyond Silicon Valley.

A human resources manager using AI to screen resumes, a salesperson using AI to prepare proposals, an accountant using AI to analyze financial records, a customer service representative using AI to answer inquiries, or a small-business owner using AI to manage marketing and operations can often accomplish significantly more work than someone relying entirely on traditional methods.

That reality is beginning to reshape the labor market.

According to Stanford University’s 2026 AI Index, AI-related skills now appear in 2.5% of all U.S. job postings, a 297% increase over the past decade. Demand for AI skills is growing roughly 20 times faster than the overall job market, and employers increasingly view AI proficiency as a competitive advantage rather than a specialized technical skill.

For workers, the financial impact can be substantial.

Research from PwC found that employees with advanced AI skills earn approximately 56% more than peers performing similar work without those capabilities. Companies are increasingly rewarding workers who can use AI to improve productivity, increase sales, streamline operations, and reduce costs.

Major employers are responding quickly.

IKEA has trained more than 40,000 employees in AI literacy. Bank of America uses AI-powered simulations to improve employee performance and customer interactions. Accenture operates systems that track thousands of workforce skills and connect employees with projects and training opportunities. Manufacturers including Intel and TSMC have launched apprenticeship programs focused on AI and advanced manufacturing technologies.

The reason is simple: productivity.

Organizations across Corporate America are discovering that employees who understand AI can often complete tasks in a fraction of the time previously required. In many cases, workers are reclaiming hours every week that can be redirected toward customer service, business development, sales, strategy, and revenue-generating activities.

For business owners facing labor shortages and rising costs, that productivity boost can translate directly into stronger profitability.

Yet many employers remain unprepared.

A 2026 study by DataCamp found that while 82% of organizations offer some form of AI training, 59% still report significant AI skills shortages. Many companies have invested in AI tools but have not yet developed structured programs to help employees use them effectively.

The challenge is not simply learning how to write prompts.

Many business leaders say the most valuable employees are not those who merely know how to operate AI software, but those who can evaluate results, identify errors, challenge assumptions, and apply sound judgment. AI can generate answers quickly. Human judgment still determines whether those answers are accurate, useful, and appropriate.

The rapid adoption of AI is also fueling demand for executive education and workforce development programs. Business organizations, universities, and industry groups are expanding AI-focused courses, workshops, and conferences as employers look for practical ways to help employees integrate the technology into daily operations. Among those efforts is the JBizNews AI Leadership & Operations Summit, scheduled for July 13-14 in Eatontown, New Jersey, where business owners, executives, managers, HR professionals, and operational leaders will explore practical AI implementation, workflow automation, productivity strategies, revenue growth opportunities, and real-world business applications as organizations work to close the widening AI skills gap.

The business case remains compelling.

Research from McKinsey & Company suggests employees hired for demonstrated skills are roughly 30% more productive during their first six months than workers hired primarily on traditional credentials. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in everyday business operations, companies increasingly want employees who can produce results rather than simply hold qualifications.

For workers, the message is becoming increasingly clear.

The question is no longer whether AI will become part of the workplace.

It already has.

The employees who learn how to use it effectively may find themselves earning more, advancing faster, creating greater value for their organizations, and becoming significantly harder to replace. Those who ignore it risk watching the workplace move ahead without them.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

For more information:
[email protected]
212-659-5270 ext. 104

Many knew Yehudis Kugielsky as someone who loved every person with her whole heart. She was deeply devoted to her family and friends, and so many were fortunate enough to feel that love firsthand. It is a love that’s profoundly missed more than words can express.

But perhaps the lesser-known aspect of my mother’s greatness was her unwavering devotion and extraordinary love for Torah. There is no doubt that the Torahdik home she built, and the tremendous Torah accomplishments within her family, are entirely to her credit. She lived to support, encourage, and celebrate every aspect of Torah learning, and that legacy and zechus will endure forever.

It is only fitting that we honor her memory and bring an aliyah to her neshamah through the writing of a Sefer Torah in her zechus. We are reaching out to all who knew and loved her — and even to those who were not zocheh to know her personally — to take part in this priceless mitzvah and help make this dream a reality.

May your generosity and willingness to be part of this incredible zechus bring abundant bracha to you and your family, and may it serve as a zechus to bring the ultimate geulah במהרה בימינו.

https://www.charidy.com/kugielsky/MKugielsky

LONDON (AP) — Britain’s Royal Navy said Wednesday that three of its members died in a helicopter crash earlier in southwest England during a training exercise.

The helicopter went down in the county of Devon in England at 4 a.m.

The navy’s head General Gwyn Jenkins, said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened to share the news that three crewmembers onboard a Royal Navy Merlin Mk4 helicopter have died after it crashed in the early hours of this morning near Sourton, Devon.”

He said an investigation is under way and further updates will be provided in due course.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is declaring a “war on the education sector” and threatening to shut down the “Bnei Yosef” and “Independent Education” networks. He stated: “We will dismantle a state within a state.”

Bennett, leader of the “Yachad” movement together with Yair Lapid, announced that if he returns to the Prime Minister’s Office, he will act to shut down all Haredi education networks such as “Bnei Yosef” and the “Independent Education” system.

He claimed that “a separate, anti-Zionist charedi state has been created right under our noses, and we are funding it from our own pockets.”

Bennett presented his education plan titled “From Tribes to One Nation”, aimed at establishing a unified education system in Israel. As part of the plan, he said state funding for sectoral and independent education systems would be stopped immediately.

Speaking at the Elie Hurvitz Conference for Economy and Society at the Israel Democracy Institute, Bennett criticized the charedi education system, saying:“A charedi state has been created under our noses, an independent, anti-Zionist state inside Israel. And we are financing it ourselves.”

He added:“In the next government, we will fix the historic mistake of creating separate education systems that created separate states.”

He also clarified:“I am not only referring to the charedi sector, this is also true for schools in the Negev that do not teach Hebrew and employ Palestinian teachers. The principle is simple: no state education, no state funding.”

Bennett’s plan proposes that at least 60% of the curriculum in all schools will be dedicated to core subjects: Hebrew, English, mathematics, Bible, civics, and Zionism. The remaining hours would allow schools to expand their curriculum freely.

He concluded: “We will dismantle the state within a state and create here one Jewish, democratic, prosperous, and strong state. I am telling you, it is possible. And it will happen soon.”

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

Israel’s defense industry delivered another record-breaking year.

The Israeli Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday that defense exports reached an all-time high of $19.2 billion in 2025, representing a nearly 30% increase from the prior year and marking the fifth consecutive annual record.

Officials said defense exports have more than doubled over the past five years and quadrupled over the past decade.

The strongest growth came from large contracts.

More than half of all export agreements signed during 2025 were valued at $100 million or more, while government-to-government agreements alone accounted for approximately $10 billion, another record.

The largest category was missiles, rockets, and air-defense systems, which represented 29% of exports.

Observation, surveillance, and optronics technologies followed at 22%, up sharply from just 6% the year before.

The customer base was global.

Europe accounted for 36% of exports, followed by the Asia-Pacific region at 32%, while the Middle East and North Africa represented 15%.

The ministry declined to identify specific buyers.

Industry officials noted that some governments publicly critical of Israeli military actions continue purchasing Israeli defense systems privately, highlighting the growing demand for combat-proven military technologies.

Israeli officials directly linked the export surge to the country’s recent military conflicts.

Amir Baram, Director General of the Ministry of Defense, said the figures reflect the strength of Israel’s defense sector, the performance of Israeli military systems in combat, and rising global security concerns.

Israeli defense manufacturers increasingly market their products as “battle-tested,” having been deployed in conflicts involving Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran.

That distinction has become a significant competitive advantage as governments worldwide accelerate military spending.

The ministry also credited regulatory reforms that expanded access to foreign markets and streamlined export procedures.

The timing has been favorable.

Governments across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East continue increasing defense budgets amid growing geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts.

The record arrives despite persistent international criticism of Israel’s military operations.

Several advocacy groups and governments have called for restrictions on Israeli defense exports.

The latest figures suggest those efforts have done little to reduce demand.

The results carry major implications for companies such as:

• Elbit Systems
• Israel Aerospace Industries
• Rafael Advanced Defense Systems

The firms manufacture many of the air-defense systems, drones, radar platforms, missiles, and precision-guided munitions driving export growth.

Record sales translate into larger production runs, expanded hiring, and growing order backlogs.

Looking ahead, officials identified counter-drone technologies as a major growth area.

Recent conflicts have highlighted the challenge of defending against low-cost drones, creating demand for new detection, tracking, and interception systems.

That market is expected to become a significant focus of future investment and export activity.

The broader takeaway is clear.

As countries around the world increase military spending, suppliers offering proven battlefield performance continue gaining market share.

Israel’s fifth consecutive record year underscores the country’s growing importance within the global defense industry—and suggests demand remains strong heading into 2026.

Jerusalem — JBizNews Desk

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

Your browser does not support the video tag.

YS GOLD 

Boro Park Satmar mega philanthropist Lipa Friedman has been making waves with his largesse and generosity, donating generously to countless organizations and individuals, and erecting and dedicating massive buildings for Satmar's mosdos in Boro Park.

He merited to marry off a child earlier this week, and this occasion too was an opportunity for giving. On the day of the wedding, his doors were open wide, and hundreds of people emerged from his home with large sums for tzeddakah. The wedding drew representatives from institutions throughout the world, all grateful for the generosity of this young visionary who has absorbed his Rebbe's chessed philosophy. 

Among the guests were representatives from both Satmar kehillos, on account of a recent historic development in which Reb Lipa was a pivotal pillar. The yerusha of the Beirach Moshe of Satmar had been in contention for many years, and hadn't been allocated to the children since his passing. But just last week, after much work on the part of Lipa Friedman, the precious heirlooms were fairly and equitably split between the children. The Admorim were deeply grateful for this, and demonstrated their appreciation to Reb Lipa on his child's wedding day. 

In conjunction with the sheva brachos celebration, Reb Lipa will be donating the first sefer Torah to the boys yeshiva on Ocean Parkway which he dedicated in recent years. The celebration will bring together thousands of Satmar chassidim from Boro Park and beyond, along with the children from the cheder--all of whom will rejoice with the Torah on the streets of our community. The celebration will be headed by the Satmar Rebbe shlit"a. 

The procession will go out from the Friedman home on 16th Avenue an 52nd Street until 17th Avenue. From there, the Rebbe and other dignitaries will be transported to Ocean Parkway where the Torah will officially be inaugurated to be used by the precious tinnokos shel bais rabban for many years to come.

Three groups are competing for Europe: Integrationists, nationalists, and Muslims. While the first two have a cohesive narrative and flags, the nascent Muslim national movement is in its early stages of development.

Muslims who came to Europe from various cultures and locations are united on the one hand through voluntary separatism, and on the other, through European actions that force Muslims together: religious suppression, racism, and alleged rising anti-Muslim violence.

Both forms of Muslim collectivization are viewed as a threat to Europe.

But what if Europe can collectivize Muslims through a common bond that has nothing to do with Europe: Opposition to Israel?

As Europe is escalating its assault on the Jewish state, some argue that this is exactly what is happening: Throwing the Jewish nation under the bus in a desperate effort to save Europe.

Europe’s engineering of such a “replacement narrative” worked well in the past:

Nation building: through war vs through peace

In the mid-19th century, the father of Germany, Otto von Bismarck, first tried to unite a number of unrelated German-speaking kingdoms and principalities through the “German spirit”: German songs, banners, and dreams. 

This did not work, and Bismarck resorted to Plan B: Unite through a common enemy. Bismarck orchestrated what historians view as intentional wars – first against Denmark, then against Austria, and eventually against France.

This worked, and after a decade of wars, United Germany was established – not in Germany, but on French soil, in the Palace of Versailles.  

Theodor Herzl, who studied Bismarck’s efforts, fathered Zionism as an ideological exodus from Europe. He replaced the European value of voluntary wars with the Zionist value of peace through strength: Once free at home, Jews would advance humanity to such an extent that Europe and the world would need the Jewish state to thrive, he posited. 

Indeed, today innovations produced in Tel Aviv,  Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), Jerusalem and throughout Israel are prolonging life, revolutionizing science, and altering humanity.

And yet, Europe and its proxies have been spending billions to block the light from Zion through sanctions, threats of renewed arrests of Jews, travel paralysis, and massive incitement of the global population against the Jewish state.

If Bismarck could unite Germans through opposition to France, perhaps Europe today could unite its Muslims through opposition to Israel.

This is even more so, given Europe’s successful identity-engineering experience in the Middle East over the last century.

European identity engineering

In the 1920s, the British were given a mandate by the League of Nations to usher in a Jewish homeland in Palestine. But the British wanted Palestine for themselves, and therefore resorted to the good-old “divide and rule” tactics deployed throughout their empire. 

With France obliterating the short-lived Arab Kingdom of Syria, the British forced a new identity on Arabs living between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea: Palestinians. 

British diplomat Mark Sykes (of the Sykes-Picot agreement) even designed a flag.

This colonialist identity-engineering exercise was initially rejected by Arabs living in Palestine. Yet, during the following century, European powers successfully cultivated Palestinian nationalism in order to promote their own interests: The British as counterforce to the Jews, Germans as counterforce to the British in the lead-up to World War II, and in recent decades, the EU and European governments as a counterforce to the State of Israel and by extension to America.

Continuing this trend, Palestinian nationalism cultivated by Europeans in the 20th Century is now arguably exploited by Europe to deflect Muslim frustration away from Europe, and towards the Jewish state.

Moreover, the Sykes flag is now waved throughout the streets of Europe.

And so, European integrationists have a flag – that of the EU, the nationalists have a flag – that of their countries, and now the Muslims have a flag – that of Palestine.

But this is where European colonialist thinking of 2026 has not caught up with realities: Europe seems to believe that it can deflect Muslim frustration towards Israel, while convincing Muslims to integrate en masse. For example, it established “The Office of Promoting Our European Way of Life.”

Neither is happening, and Europe, through its own actions, is turning into a rising threat to global stability and to US national security. 

Europe’s hope: End the assault

Can Europe pivot and recognize that its assault on the Jewish state is harming, not benefiting Europe?

It could do so by asking US President Donald Trump to lead a Truth and Reconciliation Commission that would halt the 2,300-year-old European-Israeli conflict, as suggested in a recent column article.

Moreover, there is still hope that a class of righteous Europeans would emerge that would force their governments to end this century’s assault.

Some argue that this is already happening – a concurrent shift within European countries, and from West to East; from “Old Europe,” which obsessively prioritizes opposition to Israel over self-perpetuation, to “New Europe,” which wishes to benefit from the crisp light emanating from Zion.

The writer is the author of the new book From Survival to Peace: Turning the Assault on Judaism around (2026). He is also the author of The Assault on Judaism: The Existential Threat is Coming from the West (2024), and of Judaism 3.0: Judaism’s Transformation to Zionism (2022). He is chairman of the Judaism 3.0 think tank. For his geopolitical analysis, visit EuropeAndJerusalem.com.

Tensions between the United States and Iran intensified overnight after American forces reportedly struck a Revolutionary Guards communications tower on Iran’s Qeshm Island, prompting Tehran to launch missiles and drones toward Kuwait and Bahrain in what it described as a retaliatory operation.

According to Iran’s Mehr News Agency, explosions were reported overnight on Qeshm Island. Shortly afterward, Kuwait’s military announced that its air-defense systems had been activated to intercept incoming missiles and hostile drones.

A short time later, air-raid sirens sounded in Bahrain amid what authorities believe was a missile attack launched from Iranian territory.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed responsibility for the missile and drone barrage directed toward Kuwait, saying the operation targeted American military installations in response to the earlier U.S. strike on Qeshm Island.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that American forces successfully intercepted multiple Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. According to the military, the strikes on Qeshm Island were conducted as acts of self-defense following Iranian attempts to carry out attacks elsewhere in the Middle East.

Iranian officials said the United States targeted a Revolutionary Guards communications tower located in the southern part of Qeshm Island.

“The American enemy attacked a communications tower belonging to the Revolutionary Guards in southern Qeshm Island using air-launched missiles,” the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.

Iranian officials also claimed that their retaliatory operation struck American military facilities in the Gulf region.

“They struck an air force base and the headquarters of the Fifth Fleet in one of the countries in the region,” the Revolutionary Guards asserted.

The group further warned that additional attacks could follow if the confrontation continues.

“Any aggression will be met with a different and harsher response, and this has indeed been carried out.”

The exchange comes amid mounting friction between Washington and Tehran as President Donald Trump continues efforts to secure a new agreement with Iran while also facing domestic pressure related to energy prices and regional stability.

At the same time, reports have pointed to growing disagreements between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over policy toward Iran and the conflict in Lebanon, adding another layer of complexity to the regional crisis.

The latest Iranian attacks come at a particularly delicate moment, with the U.S. administration reportedly seeking to advance an interim arrangement with Tehran.

According to recent reports, Iranian officials are reviewing a new draft proposal submitted by the United States. However, Tehran is said to be maintaining a tough negotiating stance even as diplomatic efforts continue alongside the escalating military confrontation.

{Matzav.com}

Your browser does not support the video tag.

By BoroPark24 Staff

A vehicle fire was reported in the ShopRite parking lot last night at around 12:35 a.m.

FDNY responded to the scene and extinguished the fire without any reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. 

Bank of America on Wednesday announced that it will be hiring nearly 4,000 summer interns and full-time recruits from campuses this summer as the nation’s second-largest bank looks to bring new talent into its workforce.

The firm said in a release that the hiring plans are reflective of Bank of America’s deliberate and ongoing approach to recruiting high-performing talent from more than 500 colleges and universities to support the bank’s clients and drive its long-term growth.

“Our approach to hiring is intentional and long term,” said Sheri Bronstein, chief people officer at Bank of America. 

“We focus on attracting the best talent with the right skills, potential, and a strong career mindset – and we invest in growing that talent through long-term careers that meet the needs of our clients and drive responsible growth,” Bronstein added.

BANK OF AMERICA’S LEGACY OF BUILDING THE AMERICAN DREAM

Bank of America’s announcement noted that the financial services provider remains committed to other previously-announced initiatives aimed at hiring entry-level workers.

The bank’s military veteran program has resulted in over 20,000 hires to date, the bank said. It added that it is also continuing to hire from community colleges around the country and its other early career programs to meet the evolving needs of the firm’s global client base.

WHY 529 PLANS REMAIN A POWERFUL TOOL FOR COLLEGE, TRADE SCHOOL SAVINGS

Last fall, Bank of America said that it aims to hire another 10,000 more individuals with military backgrounds over the next five years – adding to the more than 20,000 hires dating back to 2015 and raising the new goal to 30,000 from that time.

Its September 2025 announcement also said it planned to move forward with 8,000 new hires from community colleges over the next five years, doubling its annual hires from 800 to 1,600 in that period of time.

BANK OF AMERICA TO AWARD $1B IN STOCK TO NEARLY ALL EMPLOYEES THROUGH SHARING SUCCESS PROGRAM

Bank of America also said in September that it plans to invest in 700 jobs within its network of financial centers in new growth markets, including Alabama, Idaho, Louisiana and Wisconsin. 

The jobs would support the opening of 26 financial centers over the next 18 months and 37 financial centers in those states in 2027.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — More than two and a half years have passed since October 7. Since that morning, when entire communities near the Gaza border lost family members, friends, and homes, public discourse has often focused on trauma, loss, and the need for recovery. However, a new study conducted in the Eshkol Regional Council reveals another side of the story, one that speaks not only of suffering, but also of extraordinary resilience.

The data, collected from 374 residents aged 65 and older as part of the “Yeshutenu” (“Our Being”) initiative run by the organization Shitufim, points to a generation that has chosen to remain actively engaged. Rather than withdrawing from public life, many continue to work, volunteer, and contribute to a community that is itself still recovering.

According to the study, 40% of senior residents in the Eshkol (Gaza envelope) region worked for pay during the past year, nearly double the national average in Israel. The most striking figure was among those aged 75 and older, where one in four continued working during the past year.

For many, work is about much more than earning a living. Ninety-one percent of working seniors said that their jobs provide them with a strong sense of purpose. Some continue working in agriculture, others in tourism, services, education, and training, fields that have been integral to the fabric of the Gaza border communities for decades.

Volunteering is another area where the findings stand out. Forty-five percent of seniors in Eshkol volunteer regularly, a rate three times higher than the national average. More than half of them volunteer at least once a week.

These figures take on special significance considering what the region has endured. The Eshkol Regional Council was among the areas hardest hit during the Hamas attack. Many older residents lost relatives and friends, some experienced the kidnapping of family members, and nearly all were forced to leave their homes for extended periods.

Yet despite the grief and loss, the study portrays a population determined to remain active participants in rebuilding community life. For example:

• 22% of seniors who are not currently employed said they would like to work if suitable opportunities were available.
• 48% of seniors who do not currently volunteer said they would be interested in volunteering if appropriate opportunities were offered.

At the same time, the study does not ignore the difficulties. Forty-three percent of respondents reported reducing their activities since October 7, with men showing a particularly significant decline in social involvement and their sense of community resilience.

“The study seeks to change the way we view the older residents of the Gaza border region,” said Michal Inbal Jacobson, director of the Yeshutenu initiative for quality of life in old age.

“Alongside the challenges and needs, there is a population here with strengths, life experience, and a deep desire to remain active, contribute, and make an impact. The rehabilitation of the Gaza border region cannot focus only on treatment, it must also include opportunities for meaning, community, and action.”

The Eshkol Regional Council is already working to translate these insights into practical programs. Together with the Yeshutenu initiative, it is advancing efforts to expand employment opportunities for older adults, encourage entrepreneurship, train professionals, and develop new retirement-preparation models based not only on ending a career but also on continued involvement, activity, and belonging.

“When people ask us what the secret of Eshkol’s strength is, our answer is clear—our seniors,” said Eshkol regional head Michal Uziyahu.

“This is the founding generation. Even after the massacre, the loss, and the prolonged evacuation, they were among the first to return home, reopen community frameworks, and bring life back to this place. They are not merely a population that needs support. They are a central part of our resilience and our ability to grow again.”

Ultimately, this may be the central message of the entire study. More than two and a half years after the darkest day in the history of the Gaza border communities, many older residents still carry deep scars. But alongside the memories and pain, they continue doing what they have done all their lives: getting up in the morning, working, volunteering, and remaining part of the community they built with their own hands.

JOLTS report shows demand for workers jumped unexpectedly in April, though employers continue filling jobs at a sluggish pace ahead of Friday’s payrolls report.

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

The U.S. labor market delivered a surprise Tuesday morning, but not the one many economists were expecting.

According to the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings surged to 7.6 million in April, an increase of approximately 731,000 positions from March and the highest level since May 2024.

The figure significantly exceeded economists’ expectations of roughly 6.8 million openings and pushed available jobs back above the number of unemployed Americans seeking work.

On the surface, the report suggests employers are becoming more optimistic.

Dig deeper, however, and a different picture emerges.

The Hiring Engine Is Still Stalling

While job openings climbed sharply, actual hiring moved in the opposite direction.

Employers hired approximately 5.1 million workers in April, down from the previous month, while the national hiring rate slipped to 3.2%.

In other words, companies are posting more positions but filling fewer of them.

That disconnect has become one of the defining characteristics of today’s labor market.

Economists increasingly describe the current environment as a “low-hire, low-fire” economy, where employers are reluctant to aggressively expand payrolls but also unwilling to conduct major layoffs.

One Sector Drove Nearly All the Growth

The headline increase was also heavily concentrated.

The largest contributor was professional and business services, which added approximately 668,000 job openings, accounting for the overwhelming majority of the national increase.

The category includes consulting firms, accounting firms, legal services, administrative support providers, and other white-collar employers.

Meanwhile, health care and social assistance added roughly 89,000 openings, while financial activities actually lost approximately 134,000 positions.

Without the surge in professional services, the overall report would have looked considerably less impressive.

Big Companies Are Hiring Differently Than Small Businesses

Another notable trend emerged beneath the surface.

According to analysis from Indeed Hiring Lab, the strongest demand is coming from America’s largest employers.

Job openings among organizations with 5,000 or more employees remain roughly 81% above pre-pandemic levels.

Smaller employers tell a different story.

Businesses with fewer than 1,000 workers account for the overwhelming majority of job openings nationwide, yet demand from those firms has remained largely unchanged since mid-2024.

That matters because small and midsize businesses historically generate a substantial share of new jobs in the U.S. economy.

Workers Are Staying Put

Employees appear increasingly reluctant to switch jobs.

The national quits rate edged down to 1.9%, indicating fewer workers are voluntarily leaving positions in search of better opportunities.

At the same time, layoffs remain exceptionally low.

The layoff rate fell to 1.1%, near historic lows and further reinforcing the picture of a labor market that is slowing but not breaking.

Workers are staying put.

Employers are holding onto existing staff.

And new hiring remains cautious.

Could AI Be Playing a Role?

The concentration of openings in professional and business services is already drawing attention from economists.

Some analysts have begun exploring whether artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape demand for white-collar labor, creating new hiring needs in consulting, technology implementation, operations, compliance, and business services.

At this stage, economists caution that the data does not prove a direct AI effect.

Still, the unusual concentration of new openings in white-collar sectors is likely to attract closer scrutiny in the months ahead.

All Eyes Turn to Friday

Tuesday’s report serves as the opening act for one of the most closely watched labor-market weeks of the year.

The ADP private payroll report arrives Wednesday, followed by the government’s monthly nonfarm payrolls report on Friday.

The labor market remains one of the most important indicators guiding Federal Reserve policy.

With unemployment holding near 4.3%, policymakers are looking for signs that hiring is either accelerating or weakening enough to influence future interest-rate decisions.

For now, the message from the April JOLTS report is clear:

America has more job openings than economists expected, but employers are still moving cautiously when it comes to actually bringing workers onboard.

The labor market is not collapsing.

But it is not booming either.

It remains frozen in an uneasy middle ground—one that Friday’s payroll report may finally help clarify.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday establishing a new voluntary review framework that encourages artificial intelligence companies to submit advanced AI models for government evaluation before making them available to the public.

The measure calls on developers to provide their AI systems for federal review 30 days prior to launch, a shorter timeframe than what administration officials had initially considered.

According to Politico, the order represents a revised version of a proposal circulated last month that would have asked companies to participate in the review process 90 days before releasing new models. The president approved the updated policy after meeting with senior officials to discuss growing concerns surrounding AI safety and cybersecurity risks.

The executive order emphasizes both the strategic benefits and potential security challenges posed by increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence technologies.

“Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action across executive departments and agencies (agencies), and components. As these capabilities evolve, my Administration will continue to work closely with industry to ensure that the best and most secure technology is deployed rapidly to confront any and all threats to our country. We will continue to lead an America First cybersecurity effort that enhances both our national security and our global AI dominance.

“It is the policy of the United States to promote AI innovation and security by working collaboratively with the private sector to modernize government and private sector information systems and harden them against external threats; to protect American ingenuity and intellectual property from exploitation and theft by adversaries; and to cultivate America’s advanced AI-enabled capabilities.”

The administration had originally planned to move forward with the more expansive 90-day review requirement on May 21. However, that proposal was withdrawn just hours before it was scheduled to be signed.

Throughout Trump’s presidency, the administration has generally favored reducing regulatory obstacles for AI developers in an effort to maintain America’s competitive edge in the rapidly evolving technology sector. At the same time, officials have expressed growing concern about the security implications of increasingly powerful AI systems.

Those concerns have been heightened by reports that Anthropic’s Mythos AI model may possess capabilities that could threaten even highly sensitive computer networks, fueling calls for stronger safeguards while still allowing continued innovation.

{Matzav.com}

Send in YOUR school pictures to [email protected] or via WhatsApp.

This is a breaking news story about the ADP national employment report for May. Please check back for updates.

Companies in the private sector added 122,000 jobs in May, payroll processing firm ADP said in its latest report on Wednesday.

The figure is above economists’ estimates of a gain of 117,000 jobs. The prior month’s payrolls number was revised lower to a gain of 105,000 from an initially reported gain of 109,000.

TOP CEOS BRACE FOR DOWNTURN, WARN US ECONOMY WILL WORSEN IN NEXT 6 MONTHS

HOW AI EXPOSURE IS RESHAPING JOBS IN CREATIVE FIELDS

The ADP data is released before the Labor Department’s nonfarm payrolls report, which is due on Friday morning and can differ notably. The government data is expected to show an increase of 85,000 positions, below the 115,000 reported in April.

Companies in the private sector added 63,000 jobs in February, payroll processing firm ADP said Wednesday.

The figure is above economists’ estimates of a gain of 50,000 jobs. The prior month’s payrolls number was revised lower to a gain of just 11,000 from an initially reported gain of 22,000.

“We’ve seen an increase in hiring and pay gains remain solid, especially for job-stayers,” said Nela Richardson, ADP chief economist. “But with hiring concentrated in only a few sectors, our data shows no widespread pay benefit from changing jobs. In fact, the pay premium for switching employers hit a record low in February.”

STANLEY BLACK & DECKER TO CUT HUNDREDS OF JOBS, SHUT CONNECTICUT PLANT

Education and health services added 58,000 positions, leading job creation in February. Construction added 19,000, information gained 11,000 and other services added 6,000.

Financial activities added 2,000 jobs, natural resources and mining gained 2,000 and leisure and hospitality added 1,000 positions.

DEADLIEST JOBS IN AMERICA REVEALED

On the negative side, professional and business services lost 30,000 jobs. Manufacturing lost 5,000 positions and trade, transportation and utilities lost 1,000.

EBAY CUTS 800 JOBS ACROSS COMPANY OPERATIONS JUST DAYS AFTER DROPPING $1.2B ON TRENDY GEN Z FASHION APP

Large businesses – those with 500 or more employees – added 10,000 jobs in February. Businesses with 50 to 499 employees lost 7,000 workers. Establishments with fewer than 50 employees added 60,000 jobs.

CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO

Wage growth in February was little changed from last month. People staying in their roles saw their pay climb 4.5% from the prior year, while pay gains for those changing their jobs fell slightly to 6.3% from 6.4% in January.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A remarkable full-circle moment took place at the headquarters of the Mossad, when the incoming Mossad director, Roman Gofman, met with United Hatzalah medics Moshe Weizman and Elyashiv Mizrahi during his official inauguration ceremony, according to an Arutz Sheva report.

The two men, volunteer medics with United Hatzalah, had provided life-saving medical treatment to Gofman and evacuated him under fire on the morning of October 7. The meeting was organized as an expression of gratitude after Gofman and the Prime Minister’s Office invited the medics to participate in the official ceremony.

On the morning of October 7, when the rocket sirens began, Weizman and Mizrahi headed toward the combat zones in southern Israel to save lives. At approximately 8:30 a.m., near the Bror Hayil Junction, a civilian vehicle signaled Weizman to stop.

Inside the vehicle lay Gofman, who at the time was serving as a brigadier general and commander of the Tze’elim Base, suffering from severe gunshot wounds after fighting terrorists who had infiltrated the area. Gofman had succeeded in eliminating two of the terrorists at the Shaar Hanegev junction before being injured.

Weizman transferred the wounded Gofman into the ambulance and immediately began an emergency evacuation to a medical center, maintaining constant conversation with him throughout the journey to prevent him from losing consciousness.

Mizrahi later joined the medical evacuation after transporting other wounded individuals in his private vehicle to Barzilai Medical Center. Together, the two medics fought to keep Gofman alive throughout the evacuation until they delivered him safely into the care of hospital medical staff.

Weizman reflected on the experience after the ceremony: “In those moments in the ambulance, I had no idea that this was someone who would one day lead one of Israel’s most sensitive and important organizations. We saw a wounded soldier on the road, a heroic commander who spoke with us throughout the journey, and we had one mission before our eyes: keep him conscious and save his life. Who could have imagined that one day he would become the head of the Mossad? Standing here today at Mossad headquarters and watching him assume leadership of the organization is a full-circle moment that words cannot describe.”

Mizrahi also shared his feelings following the meeting: “That morning, after transporting wounded people in my private car to Barzilai Hospital, I heard Moshe’s call over the radio and didn’t hesitate for a moment. I joined him on the road to fight together for General Gofman’s life and make sure he stayed with us throughout the entire journey. Standing today at Mossad headquarters and seeing that same wounded soldier from the ambulance receive the responsibility for Israel’s security is an extraordinarily moving full-circle moment. It is a living reminder of the power of mutual responsibility and life-saving efforts in Israel.”

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

America’s electricity system is being rebuilt around artificial intelligence, and the latest numbers show why.

The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects national electricity demand will reach record levels in 2026, climbing to roughly 4,250 billion kilowatt-hours, while the International Energy Agency expects global data-center power consumption to roughly double by 2030. Much of that growth is being driven by AI.

What was once a niche concern for utilities has become a national economic issue, reshaping where data centers are built, how they operate, and ultimately what households and businesses pay for electricity.

The reason is straightforward. The advanced chips used to train and operate AI systems consume far more electricity than previous generations of computing hardware. Packed into increasingly dense server farms and operating around the clock, these AI facilities are becoming some of the largest power consumers in the country.

According to the Electric Power Research Institute, data centers consumed approximately 26% of Virginia’s electricity in 2023. The organization projects that figure could rise to between 41% and 59% by 2030. Several other states, including Iowa, Nebraska, and Oregon, are expected to see data centers account for more than 20% of electricity demand.

The financial implications are staggering.

Goldman Sachs Research estimates global data-center electricity demand will increase 165% by 2030 compared with 2023 levels. Meanwhile, a study of 51 major U.S. utilities published by PowerLines found those companies now plan to spend at least $1.4 trillion through 2030 expanding and modernizing the grid, a figure more than 21% higher than utilities projected just one year ago.

Those investments ultimately find their way into electricity rates.

The growing strain is also forcing engineers to redesign how data centers are built. Operators are rethinking server density, cooling systems, backup power strategies, and electrical infrastructure as AI workloads continue expanding.

Technology companies are pursuing efficiency improvements as well. Nvidia’s latest chips deliver substantially more computing power per watt than previous generations. Yet demand continues growing faster than efficiency gains.

As Elon Musk remarked earlier this year, “Very soon, maybe even later this year, we’ll be producing more chips than we can turn on.”

Faced with grid limitations, many operators are no longer waiting for utilities to catch up.

Instead, they are building their own power supplies.

A growing number of large data centers are developing dedicated natural-gas plants, battery systems, and private energy infrastructure. Some are effectively creating what industry executives call “energy islands” that can operate independently of the public grid.

One example is a Meta campus near Columbus, Ohio, which received approval to operate using dedicated on-site natural-gas generation supplied by Williams Companies.

The shift reflects real infrastructure bottlenecks. Utilities face multi-year shortages of critical equipment such as transformers, while some grid-interconnection queues stretch so long that projects approved in 2025 had already been waiting nearly eight years.

Not everyone believes the demand surge will be as dramatic as projected.

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) argues that data centers can often use existing grid capacity more efficiently by reducing consumption during peak-demand periods.

There are also signs the expansion may be occurring more slowly than some forecasts suggest. New data-center agreements reportedly fell more than 40% between the third and fourth quarters of 2025, only about one-third of announced projects are currently under construction, and reports indicate that OpenAI’s Stargate project in Texas has encountered delays.

Even so, the business effects are already visible.

Utilities are accelerating investments in generation capacity. Interest in both natural gas and nuclear power has surged. Manufacturers producing transformers, switchgear, and grid equipment face record backlogs. Chipmakers increasingly market energy efficiency as a competitive advantage.

The AI race is becoming less about access to capital and more about access to power.

For consumers, the impact is increasingly visible on monthly utility bills.

As companies and utilities invest hundreds of billions of dollars in transmission lines, substations, and power generation, regulators are wrestling with how much of those costs should be borne by households versus the technology companies driving the demand.

The bottom line is that the AI boom has quietly become an energy story.

The race to build smarter machines now runs directly through power plants, transmission lines, substations, and utility rate cases. How those challenges are resolved will shape not only the future of artificial intelligence, but also what Americans pay for electricity for years to come.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli has barred anti-Semite Linda Sarsour from entering Israel.

“Sovereign nations protect their borders. Israel will no longer open its gates to those who work to destroy it,” Chikli said.

“Sarsour is a leading figure in the BDS movement and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), an organization who openly celebrated the October 7 massacre… Whoever dedicates their life to isolating and harming Israel will not walk our streets. Period,” Chikli said.

Sarsour, NY born of Palestinian descent, currently serves as an adviser to NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

*Join a _YWN Live Alerts_ Community for Live Breaking News Updates!*
https://chat.whatsapp.com/CWR7H5Ub4aY9T8qJf7IyfB

Although the 2026 tax season has ended, a number of Americans are still waiting for their federal tax refunds. For many of those taxpayers, however, their money could arrive in the coming weeks.

Federal officials projected that average refunds for the 2025 tax year would exceed $3,400, representing an increase of roughly 11 percent compared to the previous year. While that marked a notable rise, it fell short of claims by some administration officials that refunds would increase by as much as $1,000.

The timing of a refund depends largely on when a taxpayer submitted a return and whether it was filed electronically or on paper.

According to the IRS, most taxpayers who submit returns electronically receive refunds within approximately 21 days. Those who mail paper returns often face longer processing times, and any errors, corrections, or amended filings can further extend the wait.

As a result, taxpayers who filed by the standard April 15 deadline generally should have received their refunds already.

There are exceptions, however, and some groups of taxpayers remain in the processing pipeline.

Among those most likely to receive refunds in June are filers who submitted returns in May, either because they obtained filing extensions or because the IRS granted additional time in areas affected by natural disasters.

The IRS routinely extends tax deadlines for communities impacted by severe weather and other emergencies. For example, residents affected by storms, flooding, and the “remnants of Typhoon Halong” in parts of Alaska last October were given until May 1, 2026, to file returns and make certain payments that had originally been due before October 8, 2025.

Additional May 1 extensions applied to taxpayers affected by storms and flooding in Montana, as well as those impacted by “severe storms, straight-line winds, flooding, landslides, and mudslides” in parts of Washington state. Similar relief deadlines continue to affect certain taxpayers in Mississippi, Hawaii, and Georgia.

Another category of taxpayers who may finally see refunds arrive this month includes those whose payments were delayed because they failed to provide required banking information.

Earlier this year, Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee disclosed that thousands of taxpayers had received notices informing them that their refunds were being held up. In some cases, the delays lasted “more than 2 months” because the IRS lacked the necessary banking details needed to issue payments electronically.

The IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service previously cautioned taxpayers that refunds could be placed on hold if direct-deposit information was missing. Those refunds generally remain frozen until taxpayers either provide the required information or choose to receive a paper check instead.

Many affected individuals have already received IRS notices directing them to update or verify their banking information through the agency’s website. Others may simply be issued paper refund checks after a waiting period of approximately six weeks.

Lawmakers have warned that taxpayers relying on mailed checks could face significantly longer delays.

In a letter earlier this year, Reps. Danny K. Davis of Illinois and Terri A. Sewell of Alabama noted that taxpayers receiving paper checks “could face more than a 10-week delay (over 2 1/2 months).”

For taxpayers who filed closer to the April deadline and later encountered processing issues, those extended timelines could mean that their long-awaited refunds may not arrive until sometime this month.

CBS News fired longtime “60 Minutes” correspondent and former “CBS Evening News” anchor Scott Pelley on Tuesday, one day after he had a tense and confrontational exchange with new “60 Minutes” executive producer Nick Bilton during a staff meeting.

The termination came hours after Pelley met privately with CBS News executives. The meeting ended without any clear resolution, and Pelley told staffers he expected to be let go.

In a “60 Minutes” all-staff introductory meeting Monday, Pelley accused CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss of “murdering the show” and called Bilton’s qualifications “slender.” Bilton had been named the new executive producer by Weiss the previous week.

Pelley also pressed Bilton about the recent firings of former executive producer Tanya Simon and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. Bilton said those decisions had predated his appointment.

In the termination letter, Bilton did not mince words. “Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you,” Bilton wrote, adding that Pelley’s “employment with CBS is terminated for cause effective immediately.”

In a separate memo to “60 Minutes” staff, Bilton wrote: “I know how much Scott meant to many of you, and I don’t say this lightly. I made repeated attempts to have direct conversations with him over the weekend, and this afternoon I tried to find common ground. That was not the path Scott chose.”

Pelley, in a statement following his dismissal, offered little conciliation. “Incompetence and unprofessionalism in the new management have wreaked havoc,” he said, referring in part to Weiss. He also expressed gratitude “for the men and women of CBS News who encouraged and enriched my work, very often at the risk of their own lives.”

The firing caps a months-long escalation between Pelley and CBS’s new leadership. Tensions at “60 Minutes” had been simmering since correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi clashed with Weiss last year over the decision to postpone a segment about the Trump administration’s deportation of Venezuelan men to an El Salvador prison. Alfonsi alleged the story was abruptly pulled for “political reasons.” Weiss maintained it was “not ready” for air. The segment, titled “Inside CECOT,” ultimately aired in January and featured statements from the White House and the Department of Homeland Security that were not in the original version.

Pelley’s dismissal ends a 37-year career with CBS News. During that time he won 51 Emmy Awards, four Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Silver Batons, and three George Foster Peabody Awards. As a war correspondent, he covered Ukraine, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan. On Sept. 11, 2001, he was reporting from the World Trade Center when the North Tower collapsed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

NEW YORK (VINnews) — The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday a series of severe sanctions against Nobitex, Iran’s leading cryptocurrency exchange, as well as against its senior executives and the oligarchs said to be behind it.

The American move follows directly from a Reuters investigation published in May 2026 and comes amid U.S. military operations and fighting on Iranian territory. According to the article, the objective is to cut off Tehran’s secret financial channels.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent accompanied the sanctions announcement with a strongly worded statement describing how the Iranian government allegedly uses blockchain technology to sustain itself: “While Iran’s economy is in free fall, the regime has chosen to embrace digital-asset technologies for its corrupt agenda, including sanctions evasion and the transfer of wealth out of the country.”

The statement continued: “Nobitex provided significant support to the Iranian government and facilitated a significant number of digital transactions linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Central Bank of Iran.”

The Treasury also alleged that after the beginning of U.S. military operations in Iran, Nobitex helped protect and transfer assets and funds outside Iran in order to shield regime wealth despite nationwide internet shutdowns.

The Reuters investigation reportedly caused a major stir by identifying the exchange’s true owners and linking them directly to influential political and religious elites in Tehran. According to the report, the company is controlled by two brothers from the Kharazi family, described as one of the most influential dynasties in the Islamic Republic and closely connected to Iran’s supreme leadership.

The investigation alleged that company records revealed an intentional effort to obscure ownership: “Corporate records show that when the exchange began operations, the brothers registered under a surname used by only a small number of family members.”

Based on these findings, the U.S. government announced not only sanctions against the exchange itself but also personal sanctions against its leadership. According to the Treasury: “The two brothers, Seyed Mohammad Ali Aghamir Mohammad Ali and Seyed Mohammad Aghamir Mohammad Ali, were added to the sanctions list individually, along with the exchange’s CEO, Amir Hossein Rad.”

In an email sent to Reuters in April, company representatives rejected the allegations and denied any improper relationship with the Iranian government.They stated: “We have no direct governmental ties and deny providing assistance to the state.” The company added: “Any illicit funds that passed through Nobitex did so without the approval or knowledge of management.” It also denied allegations concerning the owners’ identities, claiming that “The two brothers never used alternative identities or changed their identities.”

The sanctions against Nobitex are part of a broader economic and technological front running parallel to the physical conflict involving Iran. Since U.S. military operations began in Iran, the country has faced severe economic and maritime pressure, resulting in a sharp decline in the value of its currency and significant economic distress. In this context, cryptocurrency has allegedly become a crucial strategic tool for both the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Reuters investigation alleged that the Iranian government provided Nobitex with special treatment. While authorities reportedly shut down internet access nationwide during periods of unrest or military strikes, Nobitex allegedly retained exceptional access that allowed it to continue processing cryptocurrency transactions worth millions of dollars.

The U.S. action represents a targeted effort to block what it describes as the regime’s “digital escape route.” By sanctioning the exchange and the alleged oligarchs behind it, the United States seeks to prevent Nobitex from working with international trading platforms and liquidity providers. This could hinder the ability of the Revolutionary Guards to launder money, purchase military equipment abroad, move state assets overseas, or transfer the personal wealth of senior officials to foreign tax havens.

Acquisition gives Salesforce a critical content engine for Agentforce as the race to build enterprise AI platforms accelerates.

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

Salesforce Inc. has agreed to acquire Contentful, the Berlin-based content management software company, in a move designed to strengthen its fast-growing Agentforce artificial intelligence platform and deepen its position in the increasingly competitive AI software market.

The companies announced the deal Monday, though Salesforce did not disclose financial terms. The acquisition is expected to close during the third quarter of Salesforce’s fiscal 2027 year, subject to customary regulatory approvals.

While no official purchase price was announced, the transaction has already attracted attention because of the gap between Contentful’s peak valuation and what Salesforce reportedly paid.

Contentful was valued at more than $3 billion during a 2021 funding round led by Tiger Global, when software valuations across the technology sector were near historic highs. According to The Information, citing a person familiar with the matter, Salesforce paid between $1 billion and $1.5 billion for the company, representing a significant discount to its previous valuation.

What Contentful Actually Does

For many outside the technology industry, Contentful operates behind the scenes.

Founded in 2013 by Sascha Konietzke and Paolo Negri, the company provides what is known as a “headless content management system.”

Instead of storing information in traditional webpages, Contentful organizes content as reusable data that can be distributed across websites, mobile apps, e-commerce platforms, emails, digital kiosks, and other customer-facing channels.

The company says it serves more than 4,800 organizations, including approximately 30% of Fortune 500 companies, with customers including IKEA, Vodafone, Electronic Arts, and DoorDash.

Why Salesforce Wants It

The acquisition is less about content management and more about artificial intelligence.

Salesforce’s biggest growth initiative today is Agentforce, its platform for AI-powered digital agents that can interact with customers, answer questions, create content, assist employees, and automate business processes.

But AI agents require trusted information sources.

An AI system can only generate accurate responses if it has access to organized, approved, and up-to-date content.

That is where Contentful enters the picture.

By integrating Contentful into Agentforce, Salesforce gains a content infrastructure layer capable of supplying AI agents with structured information in real time.

The result could allow businesses to deliver more personalized customer experiences across multiple channels without requiring human employees to manually create every interaction.

Part of a Larger AI Acquisition Strategy

The deal continues Salesforce’s broader effort to assemble an end-to-end AI ecosystem.

Over the past two years, the company has aggressively expanded its AI capabilities through acquisitions and platform development.

Salesforce previously completed its approximately $8 billion acquisition of Informatica, strengthening its data-management capabilities, while also purchasing several smaller AI-focused firms.

The strategy reflects a growing industry belief that successful AI systems require three critical components:

• Reliable data
• AI reasoning capabilities
• Structured content

Salesforce already possessed the first two.

Contentful gives it the third.

Investors Respond Positively

Wall Street welcomed the announcement.

Shares of Salesforce (NYSE: CRM) surged roughly 10% following the news, marking one of the company’s strongest single-day performances since late 2024.

Investors continue rewarding software companies that demonstrate clear AI strategies, particularly those capable of monetizing AI products through existing enterprise customer bases.

Salesforce has reported strong momentum for Agentforce, with management citing thousands of signed customer agreements and rapidly growing recurring revenue tied to AI offerings.

Questions Remain

For Contentful customers, the immediate message from Salesforce is business as usual.

The company said Contentful’s platform will continue operating normally, with future integration into Agentforce occurring over time.

Still, some customers may question whether an independent platform known for flexibility will maintain that identity inside one of the world’s largest enterprise software companies.

European observers are also watching closely.

Because Contentful is headquartered in Germany, the acquisition raises questions about data governance, digital sovereignty, and the application of U.S. laws such as the CLOUD Act, which can affect access to data held by American companies.

The Bigger Picture

The acquisition highlights how rapidly the AI arms race is reshaping enterprise software.

Companies are no longer competing simply on customer databases or cloud infrastructure.

They are competing to build complete AI ecosystems that combine customer data, business knowledge, content libraries, and autonomous digital agents into a single platform.

Salesforce believes Contentful fills a critical missing piece.

The next question is whether combining those pieces creates a stronger AI platform—or simply a larger software company.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

The Social Security Administration announced Tuesday that it plans to finish phasing out paper benefit checks during 2026, advancing a government-wide effort to shift federal payments entirely to electronic methods.

Officials are urging beneficiaries who still receive checks through the mail to switch immediately to either direct deposit or a government-backed prepaid debit card to prevent any interruption in future payments.

The initiative is part of a broader federal modernization effort launched through Executive Order 14247, titled “Modernizing Payments To and From America’s Bank Account,” which President Donald Trump signed on March 25, 2025.

Under the order, the Treasury Department was instructed to end the use of paper checks for nearly all federal payments by September 30, 2025. The directive applies to programs including Social Security benefits, Veterans Affairs payments, and federal tax refunds issued by the IRS.

Administration officials have argued that eliminating paper checks will reduce fraud, lower administrative expenses, and decrease problems associated with lost or undeliverable mail.

Although the September 2025 deadline formally ended routine issuance of federal paper checks, Social Security has continued serving a small group of recipients who have not yet transitioned to electronic payment methods while encouraging them to make the change.

According to agency data released last year, fewer than one percent of the approximately 70 million people receiving Social Security benefits were still being paid by paper check.

In a blog post published Tuesday, the agency cited Treasury Department statistics showing that producing and mailing a paper check costs an average of $3.07, approximately twenty times the cost of sending an electronic payment. The agency also noted that paper checks are sixteen times more likely to be lost, stolen, altered, or returned than digital transactions.

Federal officials have estimated that maintaining the infrastructure required to support paper payments cost taxpayers more than $657 million during fiscal year 2024.

Recipients who wish to enroll in direct deposit can do so through their online my Social Security account or by providing their banking information directly to the agency.

Individuals without traditional bank accounts can instead receive benefits through the Treasury Department’s Direct Express program by calling 1-800-967-6857 or visiting GoDirect.gov.

The government said exemptions remain available for certain beneficiaries who face significant barriers to electronic banking. Those living in remote locations, lacking banking access, or experiencing documented hardships may seek a waiver through the U.S. Treasury by calling 1-877-874-6347.

As of Tuesday, Social Security had not announced the exact date when the final paper benefit check will be issued, stating only that it expects all remaining beneficiaries to complete the transition sometime during 2026.

The move mirrors similar efforts across the federal government. In recent months, agencies including the Labor Department, Justice Department, and Internal Revenue Service have issued their own guidance outlining how they will comply with the Treasury’s mandate to eliminate paper payments.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s attack on Kuwait was not just another failed shot at a U.S. base. Kuwaiti officials now say Iranian drones struck Terminal 1 at Kuwait International Airport, killing one person, wounding more than 60, and causing severe damage to the passenger terminal and other vital facilities.

Photos from the scene show fire damage inside the airport, with debris across the terminal after the strike. Flights were suspended and incoming aircraft diverted, before Kuwait Airways began limited operations from Terminal 4 after safety checks.

CENTCOM says Iran also fired missiles toward Kuwait and Bahrain, but two missiles aimed at Kuwait fell short or broke apart, while three launched at Bahrain were intercepted by U.S. and Bahraini air defenses. U.S. forces also downed Iranian drones aimed at civilian vessels and struck an Iranian military ground-control station on Qeshm Island.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — The New York Post revealed the extraordinary story of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle pilot who was shot down twice during the war with Iran—and survived both incidents. According to the report, she is likely the first pilot since the Vietnam War to be shot down twice in the same military conflict.

The chain of events reportedly began on March 2, when Kuwaiti air-defense systems mistakenly fired on three American McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft. All six crew members were forced to eject, but they landed safely in Kuwaiti territory.

Despite the unusual incident, the pilots quickly returned to operational duty. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly said that just four weeks later they were already participating in strikes against targets in Tehran and praised their courage. However, bad luck continued to follow at least one of the pilots.

A few days after that mission, another F-15E was reportedly shot down over Iranian territory, and the two crew members parachuted into hostile territory.

According to the report, the pilot was rescued quickly on April 3, but the aircraft’s Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) was injured and forced to hide after Iran allegedly placed a bounty on him. The officer, described as a colonel, was rescued the following day after U.S. forces located him in the Zagros Mountains, where he had been hiding.

American military officials quoted in the report said the case is nearly unprecedented in modern U.S. Air Force history. “Almost certainly, this is the first fighter pilot to be shot down twice in the same conflict since the Vietnam War,” the officials reportedly said.

A potentially deadly arson attack was narrowly averted early Tuesday when a suspect allegedly set a fire inside a residential building housing young Jewish families in London’s Golders Green neighborhood before fleeing the scene.

According to a statement issued by Shomrim, residents were jolted awake in the early morning hours by the sound of a fire alarm echoing throughout the apartment complex.

Witnesses reported that an individual intentionally ignited a fire in a shared stairwell within the building. After being spotted and challenged by residents, the suspect reportedly ran from the area before authorities arrived.

A quick-thinking resident acted immediately upon discovering the flames and succeeded in putting out the fire before it could spread through the building. Despite the danger, no injuries were reported.

Shomrim volunteers arrived promptly and began assisting with the response. During their investigation, they recovered items believed to have been left behind by the suspect, evidence that may prove valuable to law enforcement. Volunteers are also working alongside police as officers review surveillance footage from nearby security cameras and CCTV systems.

Investigators have not yet determined a motive, and authorities continue to piece together exactly what occurred. The incident, however, comes during a period of growing concern within Britain’s Jewish community following a series of attacks and security incidents targeting Jewish institutions and individuals.

Police and Shomrim are asking members of the public who may have witnessed suspicious activity or who possess dashcam or surveillance footage from the area to contact investigators as soon as possible.

The attempted arson follows another disturbing incident in Golders Green less than a month ago, when two Orthodox Jewish men were stabbed.

That attack led British authorities to elevate the country’s terrorism threat level from “substantial” to “severe,” marking the first such increase in more than four years.

In a separate incident just weeks earlier, a Jewish resident was reportedly assaulted in Golders Green after being heard speaking Hebrew.

The neighborhood was also shaken in late March when four emergency vehicles belonging to Hatzolah were deliberately set ablaze. Authorities have arrested nine suspects in connection with that case as the investigation continues.

{Matzav.com}

Conference Board survey falls back below key optimism threshold as executives warn of slower growth, weaker hiring, and rising uncertainty.

By JBizNews Desk

June 3, 2026

The people who make America’s biggest hiring decisions are becoming worried again.

A closely watched survey released by The Conference Board found that confidence among chief executives of major U.S. companies fell sharply during the second quarter, signaling growing concerns about the economy and raising fresh questions about future hiring plans.

According to the Conference Board Measure of CEO Confidence, conducted in partnership with The Business Council, the index dropped to 47 in the second quarter from 59 in the first quarter. Any reading below 50 indicates that more CEOs are pessimistic about business conditions than optimistic.

The decline erased the surge of optimism that followed the start of President Donald Trump’s second term and marked one of the sharpest quarter-to-quarter swings in recent years.

“This tells us that America’s top executives have become significantly more cautious,” said Dana M. Peterson, Chief Economist of The Conference Board, noting that confidence has returned to negative territory after a brief rebound earlier this year.

The Mood Shift Is Dramatic

Just three months ago, many CEOs expected tax cuts, deregulation, and business-friendly policies to support stronger growth.

That outlook has changed.

Only 15% of executives surveyed said economic conditions were better than six months ago, down from 39% in the previous quarter.

Meanwhile, 47% said conditions had worsened, compared with only 8% in the first quarter.

The deterioration wasn’t limited to the broader economy.

About 33% of CEOs reported worsening conditions within their own industries, more than double the percentage reported earlier in the year.

What CEOs Are Worried About

The biggest concern is uncertainty.

Business leaders continue to face elevated energy prices, geopolitical tensions, supply-chain concerns, and questions about the pace of economic growth.

For executives managing large workforces and billion-dollar budgets, uncertainty often translates into caution.

And caution frequently affects hiring first.

The survey found many CEOs expect slower growth over the next six months, with roughly 40% anticipating weaker economic conditions ahead.

Historically, when executive confidence declines, hiring plans tend to soften shortly afterward.

That doesn’t necessarily mean widespread layoffs are imminent, but it often means fewer new positions, slower expansion plans, and greater scrutiny of labor costs.

A Silver Lining

Not all of the survey results were negative.

One encouraging sign was that most CEOs reported little change in planned capital expenditures.

In other words, while executives may be becoming more cautious about hiring, they are not abandoning long-term investments.

That distinction matters.

Companies that continue investing in technology, equipment, infrastructure, and growth initiatives are positioning themselves for the future rather than preparing for a severe downturn.

The behavior looks more like caution than panic.

What It Means for Workers

For employees and job seekers, CEO sentiment can provide an early glimpse into future labor market conditions.

The executives surveyed are responsible for millions of jobs and billions of dollars in investment decisions.

When they become less confident, hiring often slows before broader economic data reflects the change.

The survey’s findings suggest that while businesses are not retreating, many are becoming more selective about expansion and workforce growth.

The Bigger Picture

The survey was conducted between May 4 and May 18 and included responses from 141 CEOs of major U.S. companies.

The results align with other recent measures showing that business leaders and consumers alike are becoming more cautious about the economic outlook.

The broader message is straightforward:

America’s CEOs are not predicting a crisis.

But they are signaling that the optimism that defined the beginning of 2026 has faded considerably.

The people who decide whether companies hire, expand, invest, or wait are becoming more careful—and those decisions often shape the direction of the economy long before they appear in official economic statistics.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

Higher government borrowing costs keep pushing through to mortgages, business loans and commercial property financing.

By JBizNews Desk

The yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note held around 4.46% on Tuesday, staying near its highest level in weeks after a fresh government report showed the job market is still running hot. New figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed U.S. job openings climbed in April to their highest level in nearly two years, a sign of strength that gives the Federal Reserve little reason to start cutting interest rates soon.

Yields and rate cuts move together in investors’ minds. When traders expect the Fed to lower rates, they tend to push bond yields down ahead of time. Lately, they have been doing the opposite. Strong hiring, better-than-expected manufacturing activity in May, and inflation that remains above the Fed’s 2% target have convinced markets that cuts are further off than once hoped.

The numbers tell the story. The 2-year Treasury yield sat near 4.04% Tuesday, while the 30-year yield hovered near 4.98%. The Fed’s benchmark rate has stayed in a range of 3.50% to 3.75% since a cut last December, and futures markets now put the odds of no change at the central bank’s June 16-17 meeting at roughly 97%, according to CME FedWatch.

That meeting will be the first led by new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh, who was sworn in May 22 after a narrow Senate confirmation. President Donald Trump picked Warsh in part because he has argued there is room to cut rates. But persistent inflation, driven higher by energy prices tied to the conflict between the U.S. and Iran, is making that case harder to act on right away.

A major reason inflation has stayed sticky is oil. April’s consumer price index rose 0.6% in a single month and ran 3.8% higher than a year earlier, well above where the Fed wants it. Investors will get more clues this week, with private payroll data due Wednesday, the May jobs report Friday, and the May inflation reading on June 10 — the last major figures before the Fed decides.

Here is why this reaches far beyond Wall Street. The 10-year Treasury yield is the reference point for the 30-year mortgage, so when it stays high, home loans stay expensive. The same is true for business loans, auto financing and the debt companies use to expand. Every month yields hold near these levels, borrowing stays costly for households and businesses alike.

The squeeze is sharpest in commercial real estate, where owners of office towers, apartment complexes and shopping centers borrow heavily and refinance often. Loans taken out years ago at low rates are now coming due, and the only financing available carries today’s much higher costs.

For now, the bond market is sending a clear message: it does not expect relief soon. Until inflation cools or hiring slows in a convincing way, the high cost of money looks set to stay — and so does the pressure on anyone who needs to borrow.

New York — JBizNews Desk

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

WATCH:

A secret bunker, an underground tunnel and an armband bearing the Star of David are among the rare findings in a house in southern Poland that was used by Jews, including young members of the resistance, to hide from the Nazis.

“This armband is a witness, it’s like directly touching that evil which people created for other people,” Karolina Jakoweńko from the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation, which organized the search, told The Associated Press. Seeing it felt like a “jolt,” she said.

Jakoweńko spoke inside a two‑story redbrick house in the town of Bedzin, within the former Jewish ghetto during the World War II. The house served as the site of a “kibbutz” organized by youth from left‑wing Zionist groups — in this case, a network that relied on each other to try to ensure its members survived and resisted the Nazi occupiers.

In the days before the interview, Jakoweńko and her colleagues cleared the house attic in preparation for renovation, lifting floorboards one by one and collecting rubble in buckets, then carefully examining each handful. Among objects spanning several decades, they discovered a Jewish prayer book from 1934, and the armband bearing the Star of David.

The Cukerman’s Gate Foundation last year uncovered a bunker and an underground tunnel on the grounds of the redbrick house, relying on survivors’ memoirs and oral histories the foundation had collected. Evidence suggested there were three bunkers around the property.

“The entry to the bunker was through the kitchen oven,” Piotr Jakoweńko said, pointing to a second bunker located under the kitchen, where bricks were arranged differently. “We are not aware any of the people here survived when the Nazis discovered this place. Perhaps as many as 60 were hiding here.”

Uncovering the hideouts used by Jews to escape certain death required carefully examining the property, bit by bit, under the guidance of archaeologists.

Wojciech Mazan, one of the volunteers who helped with the search, said their work was grueling but it mirrored what the Jewish youth was doing to dig out the tunnel and bunkers. “We feel some closeness to them in this energy. The house is speaking to us.”

About 27,000 Jews lived in Bedzin before the war, representing half the town’s population. Others lived in nearby towns and villages in the coal-mining area neighboring Germany, forming one of the most cosmopolitan and economically developed Jewish communities in Poland. In 1942, the Nazi occupation authorities formalized the creation of ghettos for Jews.

The house Jakoweńko and her colleagues are caring for today is an important point on the map of Jewish resistance in Nazi-occupied Poland. While the best-known episode is the fight of Jews against Nazis during the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto in 1943, many other pockets of resistance existed across the country.

The house is also likely to become a significant landmark on the European map of Holocaust history, said Joanna Król-Komła from the POLIN Museum of the History of the Polish Jews in Warsaw.

“There are only a few authentic places in Europe where Jews hid that have been preserved,” she said. “But in those cases, the story is usually told from the perspective of the righteous — those who saved Jews.” In Bedzin, by contrast, the preserved hiding place was organized by Jews themselves.

By the time the Nazis began destroying the Bedzin ghetto in the summer of 1943, Jews hiding there had managed to smuggle in about 20 guns from outside the ghetto. They were aware that the Warsaw Ghetto, where the resistance movement was bigger and stronger, had been liquidated in May.

The Jews in Bedzin knew well they stood no chance to survive, and some chose to die weapons in hand, shooting at the Nazis who found them, Król-Komła said.

Frumka Płotnicka, a female fighter and courier from the Warsaw resistance movement who was sent to Bedzin to help organize local Jews, died in a third bunker that hasn’t been found yet, according to Karolina Jakoweńko.

She said the acts of resistance in the community went beyond shooting back at the Nazis. “Whether building bunkers or trying to hide a child or an aging parent, this is all resistance. It doesn’t always have to be a fight with weapons in hand. The fact that they wanted to survive was a form of resistance.”

Before World War II, Poland was home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, counting around 3.3 million. While Nazi Germany, which occupied Poland during the war, is responsible for the Holocaust, Poland today still struggles with some episodes during which Polish neighbours were involved in local pogroms against Jews.

In Bedzin, however, the local community is actively working to revive its Jewish history. Karolina Jakoweńko, who is originally from Bedzin, said “this Jewish history, for me, gave meaning to this town.”

She also honored the Polish family who built the redbrick house in the interwar period, Maria and Józef Polak, and lived together with the Jews, kids playing together, throughout the war, as permitted by the rules of the Bedzin ghetto. According to accounts given by the family to Jakoweńko, the woman witnessed the courtyard fill up with bodies after the Nazis killed the Jews who were hiding.

After the war, the Polish family and their heirs chose not to fence off the property, allowing Jewish and other visitors. In recent years, they agreed to sell the house to the Cukerman’s Gate Foundation, which plans to turn it into a museum under the name “the Bedzin Ghetto Fighters’ House.”

(AP)

Two of Iraq’s most powerful Iran-backed militias said on Tuesday they would begin handing in their weapons to the authorities, a major step in the new government’s effort to rein in militias that have long operated on their own even though they were nominally under state command.

One of the groups, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, said it had formed a committee to oversee the move, inventory its fighters, weapons and equipment, and coordinate with the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces. It cast the decision as a response to calls by Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority and the Iran-aligned Coordination Framework, the largest bloc in Parliament that dominates Iraqi politics.

The second group, the Imam Ali Brigades, made a similar announcement saying the time has come “to build a strong state with full sovereignty.” It added that its aim was now to have weapons only with the state and help boost state institutions.

The war in the Middle East, which the United States and Israel launched on Feb. 28 with strikes on Iran, has exposed the fragility of Iraq’s state institutions and their limited ability to restrain Iran-backed groups.

A parallel confrontation between Washington and the militias has deepened the crisis, with factions acting as an extension of Iran’s regional campaign and escalating attacks on U.S. assets in Iraq before a tenuous ceasefire deal was reached in April.

A week ago, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said his Saraya al-Salam militia, also known as the Peace Brigades, would split from his political movement and integrate into state institutions.

Under pressure from Washington, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has been working to assert state authority over weapons. Al-Zaidi, a 40-year-old banker sworn in last month, has made a state monopoly on arms a centerpiece of his program.

The Trump administration has warned against having any Iraqi government influenced by Iran-linked factions and has tied defense cooperation and funding to efforts to curb them.

Many Iran-backed militias are funded through the Iraqi state budget and embedded within the security apparatus, although not under the government’s control. This has drawn criticism from the U.S. and other countries that have borne the brunt of attacks by the militias and which say Baghdad has failed to take a tougher stance on armed groups.

Several armed factions aligned with Iraq’s Coordination Framework have taken a different stance on efforts to bring weapons under state control. Two important groups, Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, have rejected disarmament, tying the issue to Iraq’s sovereignty and the presence of foreign troops.

Kataib Hezbollah welcomed moves by other factions to place weapons under state authority but said its own armed activity will continue as part of what it describes as “resistance work.”

In a recent statement attributed to its Abu Mujahid al-Assaf social media channel, the group said it would offer to coordinate with the paramilitary Popular Mobilization Forces — a state-backed umbrella of mostly Shiite armed groups — rather than surrender its arms.

The Popular Mobilization Forces was formed in 2014 to fight the Sunni militant Islamic State group, which at the time had seized a wide swath of Iraqi territory. Many of its groups still keep their own command and ties to Iran.

(AP)

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Tefila4Life-Shiur-1091-Power-Vayevarech-Dovid.mp3

LISTEN:

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Bitachon4Life-Shiur-1786-Semichah-Part-86-Only-Him.mp3

For more info, email [email protected].

This post was originally published on this site.

Canada is failing Jewish Canadians and the community is being brutally targeted by hate, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Monday.

Carney said across Canada, antisemitism has surged to levels not seen in the post-World War II era. He noted that last year over two-thirds of all religion-motivated hate crimes were directed at Jewish Canadians. Jews make up only 1% of the population.

“The horror and shame are global. Our actions must be local. They start with clearly admitting that Canada’s civic compact is failing Jewish Canadians,” Carney said at Holy Blossom Temple in Toronto.

Carney said antisemites in Canada have fired bullets at Jewish schools and thrown firebombs at synagogues and attacked community centers. He said they have targeted Jewish-owned businesses and drove Jewish students from common spaces on university campuses.

Carney said antisemitism plagues Europe, Australia and the United States. But he said the crisis of antisemitism in Canada is “specific, severe and demands a targeted response.”

There has been a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents globally since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Something important happened: Canada finally said the quiet part out loud,” Harley Finkelstein, a prominent Jewish Canadian and president of the e-commerce company Shopify, posted on social media.

Noah Shack, the CEO of the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs, said before the speech that the Canadian government must do more to strengthen community security and combat hate.

Carney said his government has introduced legislation over the last year to combat antisemitism and other forms of hatred. He said $75 million (US $54 million) in funding will provide faith-based institutions with things like security infrastructure and additional security personnel.

“It pains me that we had to commit $75 million to this, any dollar to this,” Carney said.

The prime minister also said a new Ministerial Advisory Council on Rights, Equality and Inclusion will examine the nature, scale and drivers of antisemitism. It will measure its impacts and investments in education, prevention and community safety will follow, his office said.

“I want to be clear about what these potential measures are, and what they are not. They are not curtailments of freedom of expression. They are not constraints on legitimate criticism of any government on any subject anywhere,” Carney said.

“They are the basic standards we owe one another, in our shared public institutions, to ensure that no Canadian community is driven from those institutions by hatred.”

(AP)

Boulder firebomb terrorist Mohamed Sabry Soliman and his murder of an Israeli hostage advocate were praised by a Colorado anti-Israel student group on the anniversary of the attack.

Boulder Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Leeds group Direct Confrontation Media published a now-deleted statement of solidarity with Soliman on Monday, who in 2025 threw two Molotov cocktails at participants of a Run for Your Lives rally for the release of October 7 Massacre hostages, burning 29 people and inflicting fatal wounds on 82-year-old Karen Diamond.

“One year ago today, Mohamed Sabry Soliman took direct action against the Zionist death cult festering in our city. He struck against the colonist procession that gathers weekly to celebrate the pretext for ongoing genocide,” read the text of a website version of the statement published by SJP and still linked in its social media biography.

“The state would have us believe that Mohamed took the action he did because he is insane-a fanatic, a terrorist, guilty of a hate crime-but we know the truth and we reject the state’s inversion of it. Mohamed chose the only sane response available to a rational human being confronted with the normalization of genocide. He refused the comfortable position of the grateful immigrant and the role of obedient subject, choosing confrontation with a violent system over passive proximity to the comfort of empire.”

Boulder SJP characterized the victims and participants of the rally as “colonists,” and the hostages that they were advocating for as “war criminals” who ostensibly provided a pretext for a supposed genocide in Gaza. The march was an act of “Zionist violence,” according to the SJP chapter, asserting that there was no difference between speech and force.

‘Manifestation of Zionist violence a lethal threat,’ SJP says

“We reject the distinction between speech and material force. The Run for Their Lives procession functions as a mechanism for normalizing the celebration of mass killers, rendering ordinary the sight of war criminals treated as heroes on streets that sit upon stolen land,” said Boulder SJP. “Mohamed refused their normalization with direct action. He chose to treat the manifestation of Zionist violence as the lethal threat it actually constitutes.”

The American student group condemned the 46-year-old Egyptian National’s May 7 sentencing to life in prison, though Soliman himself expressed remorse for his crimes and himself pleaded guilty to the 101 charges, which included first degree murder, attempted murder, assault, and criminal use of incendiary devices. The eight consecutive life sentences were a federal attempt to “assassinate” Soliman, according to SJP, which also decried the hate crime charges that he still faced in federal court as a discriminatory legal mechanism used against Muslims and Arabs since the September 11 attacks.

Boulder SJP also attacked the arrest and subsequent release of Soliman’s family by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) as “an instrument of collective punishment,” and a tactic used both in the US and Gaza.

“We honor a man who sacrificed his comfort and his proximity to empire, willingly expending his own liberty in attaining his objective,” said SJP. 

The group demanded the release of Soliman, abolish ICE, and called on others to “continue the struggle,” as his “act of resistance obligates us to maintain unyielding opposition against every structure that normalizes occupation while enabling genocide.”

“Boulder Students for Justice in Palestine affirms that the Palestinian Resistance stands as the sole legitimate authority capable of delivering accountability for the genocidal actions of the Zionist entity,” the statement concluded. “Mohamed acted alone on June 1st, compelled by the grisly realities of a war against his people and the absolute refusal of formal channels to deliver anything resembling justice.”

The Anti-Defamation League, which brought attention to the now-deleted Instagram post on Tuesday, called the post “unacceptable and simply horrific.”

“While we and others around the country remembered and mourned Karen Diamond z”l, who died from her injuries, and honored the other victims who were badly burned, the local SJP chapter chose to condone the violent attack that claimed an innocent life and left others with devastating injuries,” ADL said in X. “The content of the post is beyond reprehensible. It is so detached from basic facts, human decency, and reality that it would be difficult to take seriously if its message were not so dangerous.”

Reuters reported that at his trial, Soliman had asked the prosecution to impose the death penalty, and previously told investigators that he wanted to “kill all Zionist people” in an attack that he had plotted for a year.

Soliman had reportedly yelled “free Palestine,” as he threw the gasoline bombs. While he apologized and insisted he held no malice against Jewish people, he lamented the war in Gaza and insisted that the “enemy is Zionism.”

In his weekly column last week, Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal issued a scathing attack on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara for her selective enforcement of the law, calling her misuse of her power “evil” and noting that her actions are precisely the reason why the bill splitting the Attorney General’s powers is so necessary.

“Long-standing practice requires the Attorney General to notify the Knesset Speaker of an intention to investigate or indict a Knesset member,” Segal wrote.

“Under these circumstances, the phone rang last week in [Knesset Speaker] Amir Ohana’s office. On the line was a childhood friend: Gali Baharav-Miara. She updated him regarding the indictment against Tally Gotliv over revealing the name of a senior Shin Bet official who is married to [far-left activist] Shikma Bressler.”

“‘Tell me,’ Ohana inquired, ‘since we’re already talking—where does the decision stand regarding MK Gilad Kariv, who is suspected of leaking a secret protocol from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee?’ Baharav-Miara was momentarily flustered. ‘I’ll check where it stands and get back to you,’ she said. She never got back to him, and her office stated: ‘We won’t comment on closed-door conversations.'”

“Gotliv indeed broke the law, and her case was handled relatively quickly. Kariv, against whom the evidence appears extremely strong, allegedly committed the offense in January 2024—that is, nearly three years ago. The Attorney General showed great interest in Gotliv’s case, but didn’t bother to take any interest in the Kariv affair. One could dwell on excuses until tomorrow, but it’s clear to everyone that if Kariv had exposed the name of a Shin Bet employee while Gotliv had been suspected of leaking protocols, Baharav-Miara’s areas of interest would have shifted.”

“A similar attitude was recorded toward Roi Kachlon in one of the most shocking affairs of miscarriage of justice, frame-up, and abuse of the power of office. The Attorney General fought his appointment as Civil Service Commissioner. During the High Court hearing, a minute before it ended, she dropped a bomb: a disciplinary investigation had been opened against him. Kachlon’s appointment was blocked — how convenient. Since then, a full 16 months, the investigation has advanced nowhere. The miscarriage of justice serves the attorney general very well, so it won’t truly become clear why Kahlon’s appointment was thwarted. The Ombudsman for Complaints Against Judges has already ruled that Baharav-Miara’s handling of the affair was scandalous and recommended that Kachlon petition the High Court. Who said there’s no humor in the legal field?”

“Selective enforcement is evil, even when carried out by people with the ‘right’ views on the justice system. Using criminal and disciplinary proceedings as tools to block appointments or opponents turns the legal system into a political weapon. Favoring allies while cracking down on others is precisely the proof of how dangerous it is to place such immense power in the hands of a single individual driven by multiple interests and motivations. That is precisely why the role of the Attorney General must be split, so that the Prosecutor General cannot leverage one authority to reinforce another. The sooner, the better — and preferably in time for Kariv as well.

Amit’s fierce attack on Baharav-Miara comes only two weeks after his previous attack against her for her corrupt behavior regarding the appointment of Roman Gofman as Mossad chief.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)