WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews)-The Trump administration is investing in repairs and replenishment of the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve following significant drawdowns and infrastructure issues during the previous administration, according to officials.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other officials have highlighted problems including an inoperable site, uninstalled equipment damaged by exposure, and broader maintenance shortfalls left by the Biden administration. One of the four SPR sites was left inoperable, forcing additional spending to relocate blocking equipment, they said. Some purchased equipment sat unused on the surface and deteriorated due to weather, resulting in wasted taxpayer dollars.

“The previous administration also left one of the four sites inoperable,” officials stated. “This forced the Trump administration to invest more money to move equipment that blocked access to that site.”

Officials added that the Biden administration “drained it of 180 million barrels before the midterm elections in 2022 and never fully refilled it,” contributing to historically low levels.

The SPR, stored in underground salt caverns at four Gulf Coast sites in Texas and Louisiana, serves as the nation’s emergency crude oil stockpile. It reached lows not seen since the early 1980s following large-scale releases.

Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. released approximately 180 million barrels in 2022 in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising energy prices. The reserve was not fully replenished afterward, despite some purchases.

The Trump administration has faced its own challenges, authorizing a 172 million-barrel exchange as part of an international response to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz. As of early July 2026, inventories fell to around 316-331 million barrels — the lowest since 1983 — though officials describe the action as loans with premiums that will ultimately increase stocks.

The administration plans to receive additional barrels through these exchanges, projecting returns above the loaned volumes at no net cost to taxpayers, and is addressing repair backlogs from aging infrastructure and prior rapid drawdowns.

Critics of the Biden-era releases pointed to political motivations ahead of the 2022 midterms and resulting strain on the system’s caverns and equipment. The Biden administration maintained that the sales did not cause structural damage and that the reserve remained operationally ready.

The Department of Energy has ongoing life extension projects for the reserve’s aging facilities, some dating back decades, amid a backlog of maintenance needs.

Trump officials have emphasized a commitment to rebuilding and strengthening the SPR for long-term energy security as they manage current market conditions and plan refills.

VINnews will continue to monitor developments related to U.S. energy policy and its implications.

Via TLS Communities.

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A devastating structural collapse in Yerushalayim claimed the life of an elderly man Monday morning after a second-floor balcony gave way and crashed onto a restaurant below in the Shaarei Chesed-Rehavia neighborhood. Emergency crews continue searching the wreckage amid fears that additional victims may still be trapped.

The collapse occurred on Keren Kayemet L’Yisroel Street, at the corner of Even Shaprut Street, near the historic Shaarei Chesed neighborhood, close to the Gra shul and the former site of Yeshivas Maalos HaTorah, headed by Rav Shmuel Auerbach zt”l.

According to ZAKA, emergency dispatchers received reports that a balcony had collapsed onto a restaurant. Firefighters working through the debris located an approximately 80-year-old man trapped beneath the rubble. Magen David Adom (MDA) personnel were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene. ZAKA volunteers from the Yerushalayim District are assisting emergency responders while ensuring the deceased is treated with dignity and collecting remains from the disaster site.

United Hatzalah medical teams treated several conscious victims at the scene, while early reports indicated that additional people may still be trapped beneath the collapsed structure.

Dr. Aryeh Yaffe of United Hatzalah, together with EMTs Nachman Tubul, Yosef Gabai, and Ariel Deri, who were among the first responders, said they were told that the glass roof of the restaurant suddenly collapsed after being struck by the falling balcony, trapping patrons underneath.

“We provided medical treatment to three people who sustained light injuries and were evacuated from the scene,” the responders said. “Firefighters are continuing rescue operations to locate those still trapped. United Hatzalah’s trauma and crisis response unit is also providing emotional support due to the traumatic nature of the incident.”

Israel Fire and Rescue Services said the collapse involved a three-story residential building, where a second-floor balcony crashed onto the restaurant located on the first floor, causing extensive destruction to both the building and the business.

Officials said that at the beginning of the incident, two people were pulled from the debris by civilians before emergency crews arrived. Firefighters then focused their efforts on locating additional victims, including two people believed to be trapped inside the restaurant and another victim reportedly buried beneath the rubble and believed to be unconscious.

In a later update, firefighters confirmed that they had extricated the elderly man from beneath the debris and immediately transferred him to waiting medical teams. Although his condition was initially described as critical, he was later pronounced dead. Fire officials stressed that rescue operations remain ongoing as crews continue conducting extensive searches to ensure no additional victims remain trapped.

Jerusalem police said officers are assisting rescue, medical, and firefighting personnel while securing the area and closing surrounding roads. Authorities urged the public to stay away from the scene to allow emergency crews to continue life-saving operations safely.

Magen David Adom reported that in addition to the elderly man found unconscious beneath the rubble, paramedics treated three lightly injured victims.

Senior MDA medic Shlomo Margaliot, who happened to be nearby when the collapse occurred, described the dramatic moments.

“I was on a nearby street when I suddenly heard a loud crash,” he said. “I ran toward the source of the noise and saw from a distance that a balcony had collapsed onto a business. There was widespread destruction and frightened people calling for help. I immediately notified the MDA dispatch center and rushed to the scene in my emergency response vehicle.”

“With the assistance of bystanders, we rescued three injured people—an approximately 80-year-old woman and two 16-year-olds, a boy and a girl—who suffered minor injuries and abrasions. After receiving treatment, they were transported to hospitals in stable condition. Inside the rubble I found an approximately 80-year-old man unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, suffering from severe multi-system trauma. Sadly, after the complex rescue operation, we were forced to pronounce him dead at the scene.”

Shaare Zedek Medical Center said one woman with minor injuries was transported to its trauma unit, where she underwent an initial evaluation and remains under medical care.

The Jerusalem Municipality announced that its dangerous structures unit, along with the city engineer, responded to the site to assess the building’s stability, identify structural hazards, and determine what additional safety measures may be required.

Municipal officials said that once the engineering assessment is complete, the city will act in accordance with the professional recommendations. Residents were again urged to avoid the area until rescue operations and safety inspections are finished.

Rescue efforts continued Monday as emergency crews painstakingly searched through the collapsed debris to ensure no additional victims remained trapped. Authorities said further updates would be released as more information becomes available.

{Matzav.com}

Yishai, a Dati Leumi talmid yeshiva, told Kol Chai about a growing phenomenon of Dati Leumi talmidim who seek to defer their military service to continue learning Torah being classified as deserters.

Yishai said that many of his friends have already been declared deserters despite intending to serve in the IDF in the future.

“They want to enlist—just not at age 19,” he explained. “They want to postpone their service so they can learn for a few more years, but because of problems with obtaining draft deferments, they end up being classified as deserters.”

He said that these are tamidim attending well-known Dati Leumi yeshivos rather than Hesder yeshivos.

He added: “This isn’t just a war against the Chareidi community—it’s a war against everything that is holy. The same people who want to dismantle the Chareidi Torah world also want to dismantle the Religious Zionist Torah world.”

He added that, in his view, this is part of a broader campaign against Torah institutions. He also referred to protests within the Religious Zionist community over religious issues in the IDF, including the integration of women into the Armored Corps, saying that these developments make it more difficult for young men who wish to enlist while maintaining their religious way of life.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

India and Israel are bound by far more than strategic interests—they are united by a shared struggle against terrorism, a commitment to democracy, and a deep cultural resilience, according to veteran Indian journalist Aditya Raj Kaul during an interview with Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch on The Viktor Frankl Podcast.

Kaul, Senior Executive Editor at NDTV and one of India’s leading national security journalists, argued that the October 7 Hamas massacre fundamentally reinforced what many Indians have understood for decades: democratic nations facing Islamist terrorism confront many of the same threats.

Reflecting on the Hamas attack, Kaul noted that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the first world leaders to condemn the massacre because India has endured similar terrorist violence for decades, particularly in Kashmir. He said India immediately recognized the brutality of October 7 because it has lived through comparable attacks against its own civilians.
Kaul explained that while India continues to pursue diplomacy internationally, it draws a firm distinction between political disagreements and terrorism.

“When it comes to terrorism,” he said, “one cannot tolerate it.”

Throughout the conversation, Kaul emphasized that both Israel and India have paid a heavy price for extremism while often facing criticism abroad for defending themselves.

A Personal Story of Exile

The interview also became deeply personal as Kaul recounted his family’s forced flight from Kashmir.

Born into a Kashmiri Pandit family, he described how Islamist terrorists targeted the region’s Hindu minority beginning in 1989, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their homes under threats of murder or forced conversion.

He recalled that his family left Kashmir on January 19, 1990—a bus ticket he still keeps today because it marked what became a permanent exile rather than a temporary escape.

According to Kaul, roughly half a million to six hundred thousand Kashmiri Hindus once lived in the region. Today, fewer than 10,000 remain, a demographic collapse he described as ethnic cleansing driven by Islamist terrorism.

Shared Values Beyond Security

Beyond military cooperation, Kaul argued that Israel and India share remarkably similar civilizations.

He praised Israeli resilience during wartime, recalling visits throughout Israel during the current conflict where citizens would calmly enter bomb shelters during missile sirens and then return to everyday life minutes later.

He also pointed to common values including strong family life, respect for tradition, remembrance of history, and determination to rebuild after tragedy.

Kaul said India’s annual remembrance of the Kashmiri Hindu exodus parallels Israel’s commitment to preserving the memory of the Holocaust through institutions such as Yad Vashem.

“The resilience of the Israeli people,” he said, “is something every Indian recognizes and admires.”

A Growing Strategic Alliance

The veteran journalist described the relationship between Jerusalem and New Delhi as entering an entirely new phase.

While defense and intelligence cooperation have existed for decades, he said the partnership is now expanding into agriculture, water technology, manufacturing, innovation, and trade.

Kaul predicted that Israel and India are likely to finalize a free trade agreement in the coming months and suggested that future cooperation could include emergency defense manufacturing, allowing each nation to rapidly assist the other during wartime.

He also highlighted increasing economic ties, expanding Indian employment in Israel, and growing people-to-people connections that strengthen the alliance beyond government relations.

Warning About Global Terrorism

Discussing the broader geopolitical picture, Kaul argued that terrorism has evolved into an international ideological movement fueled by online radicalization.

He said nations can no longer assume such threats are confined to the Middle East or South Asia, pointing to attacks across Europe, Australia, and North America.

Kaul also warned that democratic societies must remain vigilant while maintaining their commitment to freedom, stressing that countries often fail to appreciate the dangers until terrorism reaches their own borders.

Looking Ahead

Despite the challenges, Kaul expressed optimism about the future.

He predicted that India, Israel, and the United States will continue deepening their strategic partnership, driven not only by shared security concerns but also by common democratic values, technological innovation, and economic opportunity.

He believes the relationship has only begun to reach its potential.

“We are only working on the foundation these days,” Kaul said. “The main achievements still lie ahead.”

Follow Rabbi Daniel Schonbuch and the Viktor Frankl Podcast at www.youtube.com/@rabbiforamerica

Mars Wrigley signaled it will lay off hundreds of workers as it relocates its headquarters from Newark, New Jersey, to an expanded facility in Chicago.

The company on Friday submitted a WARN filing with the state of New Jersey that indicated it will eliminate 307 jobs at its Newark headquarters by mid-October, which will end the company’s presence in the city.

The candymaker, which is a division of Mars Incorporated, has a brand portfolio including M&M’s, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix and Skittles.

The move comes after the company spent $100 million to expand its footprint in Chicago, where its global headquarters is now located.

The New Jersey Business & Industry Association (NJBIA) said the news of another departure of a high-profile company comes as another warning sign that the state needs to improve its business climate.

“On a summer Friday when people should be getting excited about the weekend ahead, we are instead hit with the news of another unfortunate exodus of a job creator in New Jersey,” said NJBIA CEO Michele Siekerka.

“We need to wrap our arms around this and do something now that sends a message to our largest employers that things are going to change so we can stop this disturbing trend,” Siekerka added.

FOX Business reached out to Mars Wrigley for comment.

Mars Wrigley has indicated it will continue to operate its manufacturing facility in Hackettstown, New Jersey, despite shifting corporate operations to Chicago.

Mars Inc. acquired Chicago-based gum-maker Wrigley in 2008 and has grown its presence in the area recently following the acquisition last year of Kellanova, a Chicago-headquartered maker of snack foods like Pringles and Cheez-It that was spun off from Kellogg.

NJBIA noted that New Jersey has lost over 9,700 jobs disclosed through WARN notices this year alone, and it comes against the backdrop of other high-profile corporate departures.

In June, Samsung announced it would relocate its corporate headquarters from Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, to Texas this year.

Additionally, ExxonMobil shareholders voted to switch the energy giant’s state of incorporation from the Garden State, where it has been domiciled for 144 years when it began as Standard Oil of New Jersey, to Texas.

President Donald Trump issued a forceful warning to Iran on Monday, vowing overwhelming retaliation for every American service member killed as the conflict between the United States and Iran continues to intensify.

The war, which began on Feb. 28, has now claimed the lives of at least 17 U.S. soldiers. Four American casualties have occurred since Friday, including three confirmed deaths and one service member who remains missing and is presumed dead.

“Every time Iran kills an American Soldier they will pay for that killing many times over!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

The president said he has already instructed the nation’s top military leadership to carry out that policy.

“This directive has been passed on to Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Daniel Caine, and every Leader in the Military,” he added.

Fighting continued unabated on Monday, with both sides launching fresh military operations. U.S. forces conducted a ninth straight day of strikes against Iranian targets, while Iran responded by firing missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain, both of which host American military personnel.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-The Israel Defense Forces announced the elimination of a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist who participated in the Oct. 7, 2023, assault on the Nova music festival, including commanding the abduction of a young Israeli woman whose body was later recovered from Gaza.

Taher Ahmad Salem Abd al-Wahed was killed in an Israeli strike Friday in the central Gaza Strip, the military said. Abd al-Wahed infiltrated the Nova festival site and directed the abduction of Inbar Haiman, 27, of Haifa. Haiman was murdered by terrorists as she attempted to flee the massacre, and her body was taken into Gaza. Hamas returned her remains to Israel in October 2025.

In a separate strike in central Gaza, the IDF killed another Islamic Jihad operative, Salah Subhi Salah Qatrawi. According to the military, Qatrawi had worked to advance attacks against IDF troops near Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid distribution sites during the ongoing war.

The IDF stated that both operatives had recently been involved in efforts to carry out imminent attacks on Israeli troops and civilians, prompting the targeted strikes.

The announcements come as Israel continues operations against remaining terror infrastructure and senior operatives in Gaza more than 21 months after the Hamas-led massacre that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in 251 hostages taken into Gaza.

After nine consecutive nights of U.S. and Iranian strikes, international mediators are reportedly pushing a proposal for a 10-day ceasefire aimed at halting the escalating conflict and creating an opportunity to restart diplomatic negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

According to Reuters, a senior Iranian official said mediating countries have proposed that both sides suspend military operations for 10 days in an effort to revive previous understandings and reopen talks over the ongoing crisis.

Both Washington and Tehran have recently signaled they remain open to diplomacy despite the continued fighting. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States remains “open to a diplomatic solution,” while Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Iran sees no contradiction between pursuing negotiations and continuing military operations, describing both as tools to protect the country’s national interests.

Despite the diplomatic efforts, hostilities continued overnight. The United States launched its ninth consecutive night of strikes against Iranian military targets, while Iran responded with attacks toward Bahrain and Kuwait.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that two oil tankers exploded and were disabled after attempting to transit the southern route of the Strait of Hormuz, which Tehran says is not an authorized shipping lane. The reported incident has heightened concerns over maritime security and global energy supplies as fighting and diplomatic efforts continue simultaneously.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth addressed illegal outposts and violence by Jewish youths in Judea and Samaria during a closed conference of the Farms Association held last week, according to recordings aired by Kan News. The conference focused on the IDF’s operational freedom and counterterrorism efforts in the region.

Bluth told farm owners that the prevention of unauthorized outposts in Areas A and B is carried out in accordance with government directives. “The moment someone crosses the law, it becomes my responsibility, and when it endangers security, it becomes doubly my responsibility,” he said. Bluth described youths who do not respect Israeli law, take the law into their own hands or refuse to recognize state authorities, while expressing hope that the conference would strengthen the positive elements operating in the region.

Addressing a campaign against him and the use of administrative restriction orders, Bluth said such orders are issued on the recommendation of the Shin Bet and based on intelligence concerning individuals suspected of violence against Palestinians. He explained that some evidence is insufficient for a criminal indictment and that suspects frequently remain silent during questioning, leading the defense establishment to use administrative measures in certain cases.

Bluth also referred indirectly to Defense Minister Israel Katz’s decision nearly two years ago to end administrative detention against Jews. He said the security establishment has an extensive set of tools for combating Palestinian terrorism, but fewer tools for confronting nationalist crime and incidents he characterized as Jewish terrorism. “I am not saying this as criticism,” Bluth said. “I am telling you so that you know this is the reality.”

The Central Command chief said such actions are “illegal, immoral” and, in his view, “not Jewish.” He argued that they damage Israel’s international legitimacy and force company and battalion commanders, particularly reservists, to spend significant time dealing with these incidents instead of other security missions.

Bluth concluded by defining the conditions under which an agricultural farm contributes to security: it must be located on state land in Area C, have an allocated grazing area, operate in coordination with the IDF and allow the military to carry out its mission. “A farm that harms security will not be called a farm,” he said. “Anyone who does not meet these conditions will not be called a farm and does not contribute to security.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New Jersey’s energy strategy is entering its next phase as state officials begin implementing the Power NJ Act, signed by Governor Mikie Sherrill on July 13, while local opposition to AI data centers continues spreading across the state. The law launched a 180-day process for the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) to begin soliciting proposals for advanced nuclear generation as municipalities increasingly move to restrict the energy-intensive facilities driving much of the state’s future electricity demand.

The legislation represents one of the most significant changes to New Jersey’s energy policy in decades. Rather than approving a specific nuclear project, the law creates a competitive procurement process designed to identify advanced nuclear technologies capable of supplying reliable electricity as demand continues to rise.

Under the new law, the NJBPU must issue a Request for Expressions of Interest within six months, allowing developers to submit proposals detailing financing, engineering, environmental reviews, workforce development plans, and regulatory approvals. Projects that satisfy the state’s qualifications will advance into negotiations before any final procurement decisions are made.

State officials say the competitive process is intended to avoid many of the financial problems that have affected previous nuclear construction projects around the country. Developers will be required to demonstrate financial viability while providing safeguards designed to protect New Jersey ratepayers from excessive construction costs and delays.

The timing reflects a rapidly changing electricity landscape.

The explosive growth of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, advanced manufacturing, and the continued electrification of transportation are placing unprecedented demands on regional electric grids. Utilities throughout the Northeast have warned that electricity demand is beginning to rise at levels not seen in decades, driven largely by the construction of massive AI computing facilities.

New Jersey’s existing nuclear fleet already provides more than 40% of the state’s electricity and more than 80% of its carbon-free generation, making nuclear energy the foundation of New Jersey’s clean-energy portfolio. State leaders believe expanding reliable baseload generation will be essential if New Jersey hopes to remain competitive while maintaining grid reliability and limiting future electricity price increases.

Governor Sherrill has repeatedly argued that expanding dependable electricity generation must go hand-in-hand with consumer protections. Earlier this month, she also signed legislation aimed at increasing accountability for utilities and ensuring that major electricity users—including large data centers—bear more of the costs associated with the infrastructure needed to serve them.

While the state moves to expand electricity supply, many local communities are taking a different approach.

Municipal opposition to AI data centers continues growing as residents express concerns about electricity consumption, water usage, noise, environmental impacts, traffic, and increased pressure on local infrastructure. Several New Jersey municipalities have already adopted restrictions or zoning changes limiting where data centers may be built, while others continue evaluating similar proposals.

The debate reflects a broader national trend as communities increasingly question whether the economic benefits of large data centers outweigh the impact on neighborhoods, utility systems, and public resources. Although the facilities create construction jobs and generate tax revenue, they also consume enormous amounts of electricity and water while requiring significant upgrades to local transmission infrastructure.

Business leaders argue that reliable electricity has become one of the most important factors companies evaluate when selecting locations for advanced manufacturing, pharmaceutical production, biotechnology, cloud computing, and AI investment. Without additional generating capacity, they warn New Jersey risks losing future economic development opportunities to competing states.

Supporters of the Power NJ Act believe the competitive procurement process offers a balanced path forward by encouraging private investment while requiring strict financial oversight before projects move ahead. They argue advanced nuclear technology can provide the around-the-clock electricity increasingly needed to support economic growth while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.

Environmental groups remain divided. Some support advanced nuclear power as a reliable carbon-free energy source capable of complementing renewable energy, while others continue advocating for greater investment in wind, solar, battery storage, and energy-efficiency measures instead of expanding nuclear generation.

For New Jersey businesses, the stakes extend well beyond energy policy. Stable and affordable electricity is increasingly viewed as essential infrastructure for attracting investment, creating jobs, supporting technological innovation, and maintaining the state’s long-term economic competitiveness.

As implementation of the Power NJ Act begins and additional municipalities debate the future of AI data centers, New Jersey finds itself balancing two competing priorities: providing the electricity needed to power tomorrow’s economy while responding to communities that remain increasingly reluctant to host the infrastructure required to produce it.

JBizNews Desk | Trenton, New Jersey

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

Paramount Skydance’s planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery hit a snag on Monday when a judge granted a temporary restraining order on the merger. 

Paramount CEO David Ellison is seeking to acquire WBD in a $111 billion deal that was expected to close during the third quarter of this year, but California Attorney General Rob Bonta is leading a group of 12 state attorneys general who filed a lawsuit challenging the merger. The lawsuit claims the megadeal would “lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.” 

After a Friday hearing, California District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín approved the temporary restraining order, putting a 14-day pause on the merger and blocking closure of the transaction.  

“Having read the papers filed by the parties and carefully considered their arguments therein and those made at the hearing, as well as the relevant legal authority, and good cause appearing, the Court GRANTS the motion for TRO,” the judge wrote. 

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District for the Northern District of California, claims that the merger violates Section 7 of the Clayton Act, which holds that mergers that may substantially lessen competition or tend to create a monopoly are illegal. Both sides argued their case on Friday but Martínez-Olguín initially declined to make a ruling from the bench, instead taking the weekend to think it over. 

“Because the Plaintiff States raise serious questions on the merits of their Clayton Act claim and because the balance of equities and public interest tip sharply in favor of the Plaintiff States, the Court ultimately finds the public interest favors their requested TRO to stay the merger in the interim,” the judge wrote. 

“Defendants are temporarily enjoined and restrained from closing or consummating the Transaction or taking any steps, directly or indirectly, to integrate or consolidate their operations pursuant to the Transaction,” Martínez-Olguín continued. “This Order extends to Defendants’ agents, officers, servants, employees, attorneys, and other persons who are in active concert or participation with Defendants.”

Plaintiffs’ motion for preliminary injunction is due by July 23, the Defendants’ opposition brief is due by July 27, and the Plaintiffs’ reply is due by July 30. A hearing on Plaintiffs’ preliminary injunction motion at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, August 3. 

“My office and attorneys general nationwide have secured an emergency order blocking the unlawful merger of Warner Bros. and Paramount. This is a critical first win in our case to ensure this megamerger never sees the light of day,” Attorney General Bonta said in a statement. 

“History tells the tale of what happens when a few people have great power over markets that are central to Americans’ lives: fewer opportunities for more people, worse products and services for all people,” Bonta continued. “With our lawsuit, we’re fighting for a free and fair market and a thriving film and television industry that serves creatives and audiences alike. We have a full tank of gas, the law on our side, and look forward to continuing to make our case.”

Paramount has said the lawsuit “reflects a fundamentally flawed application of the antitrust laws and is wrong on both the facts and the law.”

The Justice Department (DOJ) announced last week it has closed its antitrust investigation into Paramount Skydance’s proposed acquisition of WBD, concluding the transaction is not likely to harm competition or American consumers.

The Antitrust Division said its eight-month review examined more than two million documents and found the deal could strengthen competition across the media and entertainment industry, including in streaming video, traditional television and theatrical film distribution. However, state attorneys general retain independent authority under antitrust laws. 

Ellison, the son of billionaire Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, took control of Paramount last year when Skydance Media and Paramount Global completed an $8 billion merger. Adding WBD to his portfolio would make the younger Ellison one of Hollywood’s most powerful people.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

A local talented bachur has completed an incredible project, creating a picture of Rav Chaim Kanievsky ZT”L using approximately 1,500 Rubik’s Cubes.

The boy’s father tells TLS his son decided to take on the unique project, working on it a little bit each day during bein hasdarim over the past few months.

After finally completing the picture, the impressive creation is now being glued onto a wooden board to be framed.

HaGaon HaRav Yitzchak Zilberstein, Rav of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood in Bnei Brak, was asked whether it is muttar to be mesameach seriously ill patients with musical instruments during the Three Weeks.

His psak was published in detail in the Divrei Chemed pamphlet.

Shaila: There are groups of volunteers who visit hospitals to encourage and be mesameach patients suffering from serious illnesses, and they bring musical instruments with them. We would like to ask whether it is permissible to visit and be mesameach the patients with musical instruments during the Three Weeks, and even during the Nine Days, or whether, during this period of mourning over the Churban Beis HaMikdash, playing musical instruments is prohibited.

Teshuva: It is stated in Masectas Yoma (82a), “Nothing stands in the way of pikuach nefesh,” and bringing joy to a sick person is a great mitzvah, as Shlomo HaMelech said (Mishlei 18:14), “A man’s spirit sustains him through illness.”

We also find that simcha itself contributes to healing. As Chazal taught in Masechtas Shabbos (113a), “A large stride diminishes one five-hundredth of a person’s eyesight, and it is restored through the Friday night Kiddush.” That is, a person’s eyesight is restored during Kiddush on Friday night through the enjoyment of the wine and by looking at the Shabbos candles.

The Iyun Yaakov explains this based on the Gemara in Masechtas Avodah Zarah (28b): “The roots of the eyes are connected to the chambers of the heart.” Since it is written, “Wine gladdens the heart of man” (Tehillim 104:15), and also, “The light of the eyes gladdens the heart” (Mishlei 15:30), the joy experienced through the wine of Kiddush and the Shabbos candles brings healing to the heart, which in turn brings healing to the eyes.

Therefore, it is a great mitzvah to visit, sing, and bring joy to patients suffering from serious illnesses, even during these difficult days in which we mourn the Churban Beis HaMikdash.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Federal health officials have dramatically reversed an earlier conclusion about the source of a nationwide parasite outbreak that has sickened at least 1,600 people, acknowledging that a key piece of evidence linking the illnesses to a major lettuce supplier was incorrect.

On Shabbos, the Food and Drug Administration announced that it had traced the cyclospora outbreak to contaminated iceberg lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms, a company that provides produce to Taco Bell. Just one day later, however, the agency withdrew that finding after determining its original analysis had produced a false positive.

The FDA said it reexamined the testing results and concluded that Taylor Farms’ iceberg lettuce should not have been identified as the source of the contamination.

Taylor Farms confirmed that the FDA had apologized for the mistake. In a statement, the company said its “thoughts remain with everyone who has fallen ill” in the outbreak.

Although no fatalities have been reported, the outbreak has led to nearly 100 hospitalizations and has infected at least 1,600 people nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has classified the incident as a major outbreak.

Cyclospora infections often do not become apparent immediately, with symptoms sometimes taking up to two weeks to develop. Those infected can experience severe bouts of sudden, watery diarrhea that may continue for several days, along with a sharp loss of appetite and significant weight loss.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’s administration sought phone records of several New York Times journalists and even those of some of their relatives, according to a motion unsealed Monday — an unusually aggressive attempt to unmask the confidential sources of reporters who wrote about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.

The efforts by the Republican president’s administration to compel the identity of sources in the form of additional subpoenas come at a time when the executive branch’s relationship with the press is increasingly contentious. The efforts, described in a letter-motion filed by the Times over the weekend, were more expansive than previously known, the newspaper noted. They also covered a time frame that exceeded the news articles in question.

“Two of the subpoenas seek records beginning on January 1, 2026, long before the events that are purportedly the basis for the Department’s investigation,” lawyers for the Times wrote in the letter. “That timeframe strongly suggests that the Department is using this investigation not to focus on any purported concerns arising from the July 8 and 9 articles, but instead to forage for information about the Journalists’ source relationships more broadly.”

Government says reporters aren’t the target
The Justice Department has justified the subpoenas by saying that “to be clear, reporters are not the targets, those leaking classified information are.”

The additional subpoenas included a request for phone records of one reporter’s mother and two of the journalists’ spouses. The motion noted that the mother in question is a mental health professional with confidential client relationships and that one of the two spouses is the general counsel of a law firm.

“The disclosure of additional subpoenas for confidential newsgathering information of the Journalists is deeply concerning, revealing yet another instance of the alarming pattern of conduct detailed in the Motion to Quash,” the news organization’s lawyers wrote.

“These actions demonstrate abuse of the grand jury process, continued bad faith attacks on the Journalists, violations of the Department’s own internal regulations and disregard for the law in this Circuit intended to protect critical First Amendment interests,” the motion stated.

It’s part of an ongoing legal challenge
The Times revealed the government’s actions as part of an ongoing legal challenge to quash subpoenas that the Justice Department served on three journalists who reported on security concerns involving the jet.

The original subpoenas, delivered to reporters at their homes, marked a dramatic escalation of the Trump administration’s crackdown on media leaks that free press advocates swiftly condemned as a government effort to intimidate news organizations. It followed an FBI search earlier this year of a Washington Post reporter’s home and the seizure of her electronic devices.

The new jet in question, a present from Qatar that Trump’s administration spent $400 million to retrofit and upgrade, recently entered service. But Trump used an older model Air Force One jet to leave a NATO summit in Turkey earlier this month.

The Times, citing anonymous sources, reported that the switch had come at the urging of the Secret Service and that the newer plane lacked some of the advanced security features of the older Air Force One aircraft, including antimissile capabilities. On social media, Trump denied security concerns.

Trump’s administration has clashed with the press, from newspapers to TV networks to the Voice of America, on multiple fronts since he returned to office last year. The methods include lawsuits, administrative actions and public threats.

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the press’ ability to operate free of governmental restrictions.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump and his White House have enthusiastically promoted the Freedom Fuel Network, a chain of star-spangled convenience stores selling gas at $3.47 per gallon in honor of the 47th president.

Untangling exactly who is behind the Philadelphia-area venture has proven difficult. Records indicate the chain, which was launched last month, is run by a disparate collection of businessmen that includes an NFL kicking coach, a GOP fundraiser and a New Jersey entrepreneur who this year was ordered, along with his brother, to pay civil damages for unlawfully taking more than 200,000 gallons of fuel.

How the stations got Trump’s attention remains a mystery, and the four businessmen declined to — or could not be reached for — comment.

What is clear: Trump loved the idea of cheaper gas. The president celebrated the network’s gas prices just before the busy July 4th travel period as consumers were grappling with higher oil prices sparked by the war with Iran.

“I am pleased to announce that a VERY smart Retailer, located throughout the Northeast, is stepping up,” Trump wrote about the company on his Truth Social platform on July 1. “America has never been stronger than it is now, and Gas Prices will soon be back to the Record Low Prices Americans enjoyed at the pump before our very successful ‘excursion’ in Iran.”

The White House followed up with a post on X a few days later that heralded the opening of the first Freedom Fuel station and produced a video showing patrons waving wads of cash and thanking Trump for reducing the prices outside a store festooned with American flags and a golden eagle logo.

That station, located in Dresher, Pennsylvania, is owned by a subsidiary of Blue Owl Capital, an investment firm, records show. Trump has owned up to $25 million worth of Blue Owl stock, though his most recent financial disclosure says he has sold almost all of that stake.

The White House denied Trump had any personal connection to the venture, but declined to say how the project was developed. It acknowledged having discussions with individuals who set up the network of gas stations.

“The Administration is not involved in the company, nor has the Administration given the company any funding. There is no other entity or person subsidizing the lower gasoline costs,” the White House wrote in a statement.

Blue Owl owns about a third of the Freedom Fuel properties, though the company said it leases the stores to independent contractors and “is not involved in the tenant’s operations or business decisions.”

Fourteen stations in the 25-location network are controlled by companies linked to Shamikh and Syed Kazmi, two brothers who have been dogged by a string of civil misconduct accusations, including fraud, records show.

Shamikh Kazmi is leasing eight of those stations from Blue Owl, according to state records and people familiar with the businesses who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The Associated Press was able to link the brothers to six other Freedom Network locations through records that show they listed those stations’ addresses as headquarters for other ventures or supplied those locations with fuel.

A White House official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the project, said that no one at the White House who was in conversations with Freedom Fuel Network had specifically spoken or worked with Syed Kazmi, a claim that indicates discussions occurred with the other brother, Shamikh.

The Kazmis have marketed themselves as “top tier” petroleum distributors and gas station operators, with over 75 years of experience and a deep well of corporate affiliations, according to an archived version of the website for one of their companies.

Public records offer a more nuanced portrait, showing the Kazmis have been repeatedly sued by companies they had dealings with.

The brothers have legal issues
Legal filings detail a series of judgments against the Kazmis, who failed to comply with a court order and have been accused of obscuring their finances and dodging service processors as a growing list of former suppliers and franchisors sought payment.

In February, a federal judge in New Jersey ordered the Kazmis to pay over $600,000 to a fuel supplier that accused the brothers of stealing gas. The supplier alleged in court filings that it cut the brothers off after they refused to sign a new contract. But the Kazmis exploited a security lapse and gained access to the supplier’s fuel depot. Over a ten-day period in August 2021, tanker trucks absconded with more than 230,000 gallons of fuel, according to the supplier’s court filings. A judge ruled in the supplier’s favor, finding the brothers unlawfully took the gas.

The fuel supplier says it has yet to receive payment.

Syed Kazmi was hit with a $380,000 judgment two years ago in a suit brought by 7-Eleven, the convenience chain, which accused him of “dishonest, unethical, immoral” conduct while operating a franchise in Lawrenceville, New Jersey, that was flagged for unsanitary conditions that included trash issues and a rodent infestation. The company also said “tens of thousands of dollars” of cigarettes ordered from 7-Eleven on credit had gone missing.

A federal judge held a company operated by Shamikh Kazmi in contempt in 2022 in a trademark case brought by BP America.

Though BP had severed ties with Kazmi’s Diwan Petrol two years prior to the legal action, the corporation’s signage had not been removed from the gas station despite a court order to do so. The judge authorized U.S. Marshals to accompany BP workers to remove it.

A man who answered a call to a number listed for the Kazmi brothers said he was not the right person to talk to and instead directed inquiries to the Freedom Fuel Network’s website. But that website has no contact information, phone number or mailing address. A request for comment submitted through an online contact form was not unanswered.

Company formed in a state known for opacity
Records from Delaware, a state known for offering incorporators a large degree of opacity, show the Freedom Fuel Network was registered on June 23. The document forming the company was signed by Randy Brown and Yoni Gontownik.

Politico and the website The Newsground reported that Brown is a senior special teams coach with the Baltimore Ravens. He has also served as the elected mayor of Evesham Township, a New Jersey suburb of Philadelphia, where a Freedom Fuel Network station is located.

Brown, a Republican, considered a run for Congress in 2021, telling a local newspaper he was a conservative and a “proud Trump supporter.”

Gontownik is a former investment director at Mercuria, a Swiss-owned commodities trading firm. He and his wife live in northern New Jersey and have been active with the pro-Israel political action committee NORPAC, including hosting fundraisers for Republican members of Congress.

Gontownik and Brown did not respond to requests for comment.

Experts say gas likely sold for a loss
Jeff Lenard, a spokesman for the National Association of Convenience Stores, said Freedom Fuel’s rock bottom promotional price meant the chain was likely selling the gas at a loss.

“It’s not unusual for retailers to have prices that are different than a market when they’re looking to make a splash,” said Lenard, whose association’s members account for most U.S. retail fuel sales, adding that such a splash typically lasts “a matter of hours or a matter of days.”

Social media posts and gas-price checking websites show that the per-gallon rate advertised at Freedom Fuel locations began creeping up this week.

A Freedom Fuel station in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, for example, on Thursday was selling regular gasoline for $3.82 a gallon. That was 27 cents cheaper than at a Sunoco station across the street.

The Freedom Fuel Network posted a note of thanks to its website this week, crediting Trump’s “strong endorsement” for the “explosive growth” of their business.

“Despite the misinformation and baseless speculation circulating,” the statement reads, “let us set the record straight: Freedom Fuel Network is proudly lowering its prices to benefit our community.”

Cleveland Federal Reserve Bank President Beth Hammack used one of her final public statements before the Federal Reserve’s July 28–29 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting to deliver one of her strongest inflation warnings yet, arguing that price pressures remain too high and suggesting policymakers may ultimately need to tighten monetary policy further if inflation fails to improve. The comments, published Friday on her official LinkedIn account during the Fed’s pre-meeting communications blackout period, underscore growing divisions inside the central bank as officials prepare to decide the direction of U.S. interest rates. 

Hammack, a voting member of the FOMC this year, said she is hearing something new from businesses across the Fourth Federal Reserve District—a region covering Ohio, western Pennsylvania, eastern Kentucky, and northern West Virginia. For the first time since joining the Federal Reserve, she said employers are telling her they believe the central bank should take additional action to bring inflation under control rather than ease monetary policy.

Her message reflected concern not only about inflation data but also about public sentiment.

Hammack wrote that many consumers continue struggling with the rising cost of everyday necessities and described hearing a “growing sense of despair” from households that believe prices are unlikely to improve soon. She added that the labor market remains close to what she considers maximum employment, leaving inflation—not unemployment—as the Federal Reserve’s primary challenge. 

The remarks place Hammack among the more hawkish voices inside the central bank.

While several Federal Reserve officials continue supporting the current interest-rate range of 3.50% to 3.75%, an increasing number have publicly warned that inflation may prove more persistent than previously expected. Rising energy prices, continued investment tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, supply-chain pressures, and insurance costs have all been cited as contributing factors keeping inflation above the Fed’s long-term 2% objective. 

Hammack has consistently argued that allowing inflation expectations to become entrenched would create a far more difficult problem for policymakers later. Businesses expecting higher costs tend to raise prices more aggressively, while workers seek larger wage increases, creating a cycle that can make inflation significantly harder to reverse.

Her latest comments suggest those concerns are no longer theoretical.

According to Hammack, conversations with manufacturers, retailers, and employers indicate that many business leaders are becoming increasingly worried that elevated prices are becoming part of the normal economic environment rather than a temporary disruption. She said businesses continue reporting higher operating expenses while consumers increasingly describe adjusting household budgets simply to keep pace with everyday costs. 

The timing of the statement is significant.

Federal Reserve officials entered their customary communications blackout immediately after Friday, preventing policymakers from making additional public comments until after the July meeting concludes. Investors will therefore spend the coming days analyzing Hammack’s remarks alongside recent statements from other Federal Reserve officials as they attempt to gauge whether additional tightening remains under serious consideration.

Financial markets currently expect policymakers to leave interest rates unchanged later this month, although expectations for future meetings remain considerably less certain. Any indication that more Federal Reserve officials are leaning toward higher rates could affect Treasury yields, mortgage rates, stock prices, and borrowing costs throughout the economy.

For businesses, the debate carries immediate consequences.

Higher interest rates increase financing costs for commercial real estate, equipment purchases, expansion projects, and inventory while also affecting consumer demand through mortgages, automobile loans, and credit cards. Companies planning investments during the second half of the year are closely monitoring whether inflation continues improving or whether additional monetary tightening becomes necessary.

Although Hammack did not explicitly call for an immediate rate increase, her message reinforced that inflation remains the Federal Reserve’s dominant concern. As policymakers gather later this month, her remarks suggest the debate inside the central bank has shifted away from when rates might fall and toward whether current policy is restrictive enough to ensure inflation returns to target.

JBizNews Desk | Cleveland

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

Hunter Biden sharply criticized former Attorney General Merrick Garland during a podcast interview released Sunday, calling Garland’s appointment the biggest mistake of President Joe Biden’s time in office. Hunter argued that Garland failed to aggressively pursue President Donald Trump while simultaneously overseeing the investigation into him.

Appearing on the “I’ve Had It” podcast, host Jennifer Welch blasted Garland and the Justice Department for what she said was its failure to prosecute Trump while pursuing charges against Hunter Biden. She asked Hunter for his thoughts on what she characterized as Democrats surrendering to Republican pressure by backing Garland’s nomination.

“One of the things that pisses me off is the Merrick Garland DOJ and the not prosecuting of Trump. And that they prosecuted you,” Welch said in part when teeing up her question.

Hunter Biden responded that, putting aside his own legal troubles, he believes Garland’s leadership proved to be his father’s greatest error in office.

“My take is this, and removing myself from it as much as I can, my personal feelings, is the single greatest mistake of my father’s administration was the leadership of Merrick Garland,” Hunter Biden said.

He went on to argue that Garland bears much of the responsibility for the nation’s current political climate, while acknowledging that the ultimate decision rested with his father, who selected Garland for the job.

“The reason that we are in the situation that we’re in right now can almost… by the way, the buck has to stop with my dad. He was the president and he chose him. Now, once he chose him, he played by the, you know, a higher standard than the Marquess of Queensberry rules. He played by the Constitution and the tradition that the president will never, you know, particularly since Nixon, involve himself in any decision-making as relates to anything at the Department of Justice. So, I guarantee you there was a division between church and state there.”

Hunter Biden also faulted Garland for not launching what he believed should have been an immediate and forceful criminal investigation into Trump over the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot. He alleged that the events surrounding the attack amounted to a coordinated effort to overturn the 2020 election.

“[I]f Merrick Garland had started a completely 100% legitimate investigation rather than thinking like let’s not fan the flames… did you not watch what I watched? Did you not see the people storming the Capitol of the United States of America, beating cops and running congressmen and senators literally out of the building? You didn’t see that? You didn’t see a president and know that it was a concerted and planned effort on their part beginning all the way back from the day before the election when they knew they were going,” Hunter Biden said.

Throughout the discussion, both Hunter Biden and Welch portrayed Garland as a political moderate whose appointment was intended to attract bipartisan support. They suggested that President Biden selected him in part because Garland had previously been nominated to the Supreme Court by President Barack Obama but was never confirmed.

“Obama picks this milquetoast candidate. Your dad is a decent man, felt bad about what happened to Merrick Garland. And he played integrity politics. Like, well, ‘I’m going to make him whole and make him attorney general.’ And then Merrick Garland gets there, and he’s like, ‘Well, we can’t upset these crusty White Republicans,’” Welch said.

“Massive mistake,” Hunter Biden said.

Hunter Biden had been under federal investigation since 2018, during President Trump’s first administration. In the closing weeks of his presidency, Joe Biden issued his son a sweeping pardon covering any federal offenses he “has committed or may have committed” between Jan. 1, 2014, and Dec. 1, 2024.

{Matzav.com}

The looming energy crisis that is expected to affect Israel and the world in the coming years, with the development of artificial intelligence data centers putting pressure on the grid, might have a solution thanks to nGrid, an Israeli energy management company that spoke to The Jerusalem Post last week.

According to Omer Kriger, the CEO and Co-founder of nGrid, the recent push for renewable energy over fossil fuels and the increase in electricity demand in the country require a virtual response that gives consumers greater flexibility in their energy consumption.

“Renewables, like solar or wind power, are not like fossil fuels. They are constantly changing, offering varying levels of power depending on external factors such as weather or time of day. So we aim to give our clients a tool that allows them to have flexible consumption, saves them money, and has them using the most out of these energy sources,” he explained.

Kriger explained that the company offers AI software that manages electricity consumption and battery usage, with its current applications primarily at industrial and commercial sites.

The system works by using batteries and local energy sources, like solar panels or wind turbines, and managing the amount of energy they use, when they are consuming, and when they are charging the batteries.

Kriger explained that electricity prices fluctuate by the hour and with current consumption, with the software working in real time to determine when it’s best to charge a battery and when companies should use their stored energy rather than grid electricity.

“The value actually stems from the gaps between supply and demand. Gaps between supply and demand are ridiculously volatile in a way, with prices of electricity going from several hundred dollars per megawatt hour all the way to negative numbers,” he said.

“So, sometimes companies are willing to pay you to increase your consumption because, for example, there’s not enough demand during a windy season or when there is a lot of sun now, and it always needs to be balanced.  So on the same day, that kind of fluctuation is happening.”

Not making batteries, but software to improve batteries

Kriger also explained that even if the company doesn’t produce the batteries used in their systems, it can adapt them to several different models currently available in the market with no real disadvantages.

“The only thing that we need is an asset that can turn the electricity consumption into something more flexible,” he said. “I need to have something that I can manage and control, and our clients get a return for that.”

He also said that the installation requires minimal hardware, with the software serving as a layer of optimization within existing facilities, without the need to modernize the site.

Local and remote layers working together

The company’s software works, according to nGrid, with a double system that its present both locally and remotely, allowing it to manage electricity intake both in specific facilities and the flow of electricity amid a network of sites.

“The system has two layers: the local one that has some control locally, but also a cloud one. And communication between them is key for the system to make the best decisions in things like battery charging and usage,” he pointed out.

He also said that even if the system was not designed to be activated during a blackout, it could be adapted for those emergencies if there were a need for a specific client with that as a main concern. 

“For example, our system could perfectly work with just a battery and a solar panel, if the consumption is leveled enough,” he added.

Israel’s electric future needs to be flexible

Kriger also said that these systems that manage electricity and create “virtual power plants” will be key to Israel’s future electricity consumption, which seems to be facing a crisis due to increased nationwide demand.

“There is increasing demand for flexibility, and volatility is expected to increase as renewable energy becomes a significant power source. And Israel being a ‘power island’ that can’t rely on its neighbors for electricity makes these systems a key asset,” he said.

He also added that in terms of regulations, the government’s push to electrify most public transport and make electric chargers available nationwide is a key step in making Israel’s energy sector more flexible.

“The government now faces two challenges: Increasing energy supply nationwide and managing the volatility. And nGrid is already working on solving the second problem,” he concluded.

This post was originally published on here.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing cancer care, with researchers developing tools that could help identify some of the deadliest cancers much earlier than doctors can on their own.

Dr. Peter A. Najjar, a surgeon and Johns Hopkins Health System’s clinical innovation vice president, joined FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on “Mornings with Maria” to discuss how artificial intelligence is already helping researchers improve cancer detection, speed up drug development and make patient care more efficient, while stressing that more real-world evidence is still needed before its full impact can be measured.

Najjar pointed to recent research involving pancreatic cancer, saying artificial intelligence models are helping researchers recognize patterns that would otherwise take physicians decades of experience to identify.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer because it is often diagnosed after it has already spread beyond the pancreas. According to the American Cancer Society, the overall five-year relative survival rate is just 13%. But when pancreatic cancer is detected before it spreads outside the pancreas, the five-year survival rate increases to 44%.

The disease has claimed the lives of several well-known public figures, including Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who died from a rare form of pancreatic cancer; actor Patrick Swayze, known for his role in “Dirty Dancing”; and beloved “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek, underscoring the devastating toll of a disease that is often difficult to detect in its earliest stages.

“Researchers were able to identify signs of pancreatic cancer up to 16 months ahead of human readers,” Najjar said. “Detection always allows us more treatment options.”

Beyond early detection, Najjar said artificial intelligence is also accelerating drug discovery by allowing scientists to test potential treatments using computer models before moving into laboratory testing.

“Many cancer treatments are around figuring out which molecule binds to the right protein for a given cancer,” Najjar said, explaining that AI “dramatically speeds up drug development.”

While the technology has generated enormous excitement, Najjar cautioned against overstating its current capabilities.

“We absolutely need to move full speed ahead to bring this promise to our patients in the clinic,” he said. “But it is still very early days.”

For now, one of artificial intelligence’s most immediate benefits is improving the patient experience. Najjar said AI-powered medical scribes can organize records before appointments and automatically document visits, allowing physicians to spend less time typing and more time focused on their patients.

Andy Burnham officially became Britain’s new prime minister on Monday, completing the formal transfer of power after taking over as leader of the governing Labour Party. During a ceremonial audience with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, Burnham was invited to form a new government, bringing Keir Starmer’s premiership to an end and marking another leadership transition in Britain’s often-turbulent political landscape.

Buckingham Palace released an official photograph showing Burnham and King Charles III shaking hands during the constitutional ceremony traditionally known as “kissing hands,” the formal process that signifies the appointment of a new prime minister.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace announced that the king “received in audience the Rt. Hon. Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. The Rt. Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.”

Burnham assumes office as Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016, following his victory Friday in the race to replace Starmer as leader of the center-left Labour Party.

Before leaving Downing Street for the last time, Starmer delivered a brief farewell address outside the prime minister’s official residence, declaring, “my work is done.”

The departing Labour leader, whose resignation followed mounting pressure from within his own party, maintained that Britain had become “stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” when he first entered office.

“I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” Starmer said before traveling to Buckingham Palace to formally submit his resignation to the king. Buckingham Palace later confirmed that it was an offer “His Majesty was graciously pleased to accept,” the palace said in a statement.

Following Starmer’s departure, Burnham traveled to Buckingham Palace, where King Charles formally invited him to establish a new administration, officially making him prime minister through the long-standing constitutional tradition known as “kissing hands.”

Although the ceremony reflects Britain’s centuries-old monarchical traditions, the king no longer plays a political role in selecting the nation’s leader. Instead, the monarch formally appoints the individual who leads the political party capable of commanding a majority in the House of Commons. Despite the ceremonial name, no actual hand-kissing takes place.

Britain’s parliamentary system allows a governing party to replace its leader—and therefore the prime minister—without holding a nationwide election. While the next general election is not required until 2029, Burnham has the authority to call one earlier if he chooses.

After leaving Buckingham Palace, Burnham was scheduled to return to 10 Downing Street to deliver his first address as Britain’s new prime minister.

According to a spokesperson, Burnham plans to acknowledge that the country has experienced repeated leadership changes over the past decade and will promise to bring greater stability to British politics.

Ironically, Starmer delivered a nearly identical message when he entered office two years ago. However, after a series of political setbacks and controversial decisions weakened his standing among both Labour lawmakers and the public, he announced last month that he would step aside.

Burnham faced no opposition in Labour’s leadership contest, winning overwhelming backing from 379 of the party’s 403 members in the House of Commons.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester has promised to lower the temperature in British politics, raise living standards nationwide, and “bring back the hope we have all been missing.”

“I will work to build a new politics,” he said after becoming Labour leader on Friday. “The country is crying out for it.”

With Burnham now in office, both allies and political opponents are expected to press for specifics on how he intends to turn those campaign promises into government policy.

“Fundamentally, it only will work if you can generate significant economic growth, because it’s the lack of growth that’s really holding the country back,” said Joshi Herrmann, who has followed Burnham’s career as founder of Manchester news site The Mill.

One of Burnham’s first major decisions will be assembling his Cabinet. Observers expect him to reshuffle Starmer’s senior ministers, particularly in key positions such as chancellor, foreign secretary, and home secretary.

When he accepted Labour’s leadership, Burnham praised Starmer’s accomplishments and pledged that he would “build on the foundation laid” by his predecessor.

Starmer first became Labour leader in 2020 following one of the party’s worst electoral defeats and later guided Labour to a commanding general election victory in 2024. Yet once in government, his administration struggled to overcome the demands and political pressures of governing.

During his final appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions last Wednesday, Starmer pointed to what he viewed as the successes of his administration, highlighting Britain’s continued backing of Ukraine as well as several domestic accomplishments.

He cited expanded workplace protections, declining child poverty, legislation aimed at preventing official cover-ups after national tragedies, and increased defense spending as major achievements of his government.

“In six and a half years, I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country and won a landslide general election victory in 2024,” Starmer said in his final remarks before leaving Downing St, hand-in-hand with his wife Victoria.

“Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as prime minister. I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.”

{Matzav.com}

As artificial intelligence reshapes workplaces across industries, one hiring executive says job seekers worried about AI replacing them may be focusing on the wrong challenge.

Instead of looking for candidates with years of AI experience, employers increasingly want workers who can prove they’re willing to learn, according to Sultan Khan, head of talent acquisition and human resources at San Francisco-based OpenArt AI.

“The willingness to learn is the biggest thing that we really need right now,” Khan told FOX Business. “The people that are open to learning are the ones that we’re seeing grab jobs really quickly in this current landscape.”

His comments come as employers increasingly seek workers with AI skills. According to PwC’s 2025 AI Jobs Barometer, the skills required for AI-exposed jobs are changing 66% faster than in other occupations, while workers with AI skills receive an average 56% wage premium compared with those in similar roles.

OpenArt, an AI-powered creative platform with more than 8 million monthly users, has grown its workforce by roughly 300% over the past seven to eight months, according to Khan, and is hiring across engineering, product, design, marketing and creative roles.

But Khan said resumes packed with years of AI experience aren’t necessarily what stand out.

“I think the biggest thing that helps make people stand out to me is when I see that they’ve done a lot of side projects or a lot of learning,” he said, pointing to applicants who complete AI courses, earn certifications or experiment with AI tools on their own.

Because generative AI remains relatively new, Khan said recruiters understand many applicants won’t have years of hands-on experience. Instead, he said, hiring managers are looking for people who show curiosity and adaptability.

“The curiosity is another big thing,” Khan said. “The ones that are really eager and willing to learn how to adapt it into their current workflow are the ones that are getting tons of calls from recruiters.”

That mindset isn’t limited to software engineers.

While OpenArt is recruiting engineers and product managers, Khan said the company is also hiring creative directors, designers and video editors who want to incorporate AI into visual storytelling.

“AI isn’t the creative aspect of things,” Khan said. “It’s the human behind it. AI only does what you tell it to do.”

Khan acknowledged concerns that AI could replace workers but argued the technology is more likely to change existing jobs than eliminate them.

“AI isn’t going to eliminate jobs,” he said. “It’s just going to transform jobs as a whole.”

His outlook echoes part of a broader trend identified by the World Economic Forum, which estimated in its 2025 Future of Jobs Report that technological advances, including AI, could create 170 million new jobs globally while displacing 92 million by 2030, resulting in a net gain of 78 million jobs. The report also found employers increasingly expect workers to build AI-related skills as adoption spreads.

For recent college graduates entering an uncertain labor market, Khan’s advice is straightforward: start using AI before an employer asks you to.

He recommends researching the AI platforms commonly used in a chosen field, building projects with those tools and showcasing that work on resumes and LinkedIn profiles.

“The biggest takeaway is really to start learning how to adopt into the AI space rather than only putting it under a negative light,” Khan said.

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — President Donald Trump declared Monday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form” while in the United States, a day after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said his administration is exploring whether it has the legal authority to seek Netanyahu’s arrest if he visits New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump defended Netanyahu, praising his campaign against Iran and accusing Iran’s leadership of decades of supporting attacks that killed Americans. Trump argued that Iranian leaders — not Netanyahu — should face arrest and criticized previous U.S. presidents for failing to confront Iran sooner.

Trump’s comments followed an interview published Sunday by *The New York Times*, in which Mamdani said his administration is engaged in an “active conversation” with the city’s Law Department over whether New York has the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city. Mamdani said he believes Netanyahu “belongs in The Hague” but added that his administration “won’t be writing our own laws” and would act only within the law.

The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the war in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations, and neither Israel nor the United States is a member of the court.

Homebuilding scale is arriving at the midway point through a structural inflection.

The latest evidence arrived Thursday, as Stanley Martin Homes announced it had entered an agreement to acquire Florida-based Holiday Builders, a transaction that will add approximately 1,050 annual home closings, more than 40 active communities and roughly 10,600 controlled lots to Stanley Martin’s already-potent Southeast axis of operating platforms.

The acquisition bolsters Stanley Martin’s position across Florida, extending its reach beyond Orlando and Tampa into virtually every major growth corridor across the state.

Peel back the surface details, however, and this latest combo begins to reveal a larger, more potent reality in U.S. homebuilding concentration.

This is the second meaningful acquisition Stanley Martin has announced in less than six months, following its agreement earlier this year to acquire United Homes Group. Consider those transactions together – not separately – and a broader strategy begins to emerge.

Rather than simply assembling volume, Stanley Martin appears to be building operational density – footprint cohesion – throughout the eastern United States.

In this ever-intensifying competitive jockeying, competition isn’t simply over who can build the most homes. What’s clarifying is that the real, enduring spoils will go to the one(s) who can build the strongest operating system.

Beyond bigger: the hyper-scale era

The homebuilding industry has entered what increasingly looks like a new phase – one in which scale alone is no longer enough.

Call it homebuilding’s Hyper-scale Era.

The organizations gaining strategic advantage are not merely adding closings or climbing annual rankings. They’re assembling integrated operating platforms capable of deploying capital more efficiently, securing land earlier, attracting leadership talent, strengthening relationships with municipalities and trade partners, improving purchasing leverage and delivering a more consistent customer experience across increasingly larger regional footprints.

The objective isn’t simply to amass volume.

It’s to become structurally stronger, to work greater local clout and leverage into every workflow in an enterprise’s building lifecycle.

Holiday Builders fits squarely within that framework.

The company brings four-plus decades of operating experience across Florida’s most important growth markets, stretching from the Panhandle through Central Florida, across the Space Coast, into Southwest Florida and throughout the state’s rapidly expanding interior counties.

And doing it through some of the most brutal housing cycles an operator can ever have to weather.

For Stanley Martin, those markets don’t represent a new experiment.

They fill in an increasingly continuous – and more and more contiguous – operating geography.

Combined with Stanley Martin’s established Mid-Atlantic footprint – and the pending acquisition of United Homes Group’s operations throughout the Carolinas and Georgia – the company is steadily assembling something that resembles an uninterrupted operating corridor running from Delaware to Florida.

That’s an adaptation of the notion of scale, different than the industry traditionally has used.

It is less about national presence than regional preeminence.

Daiwa House’s American architecture

The Holiday Builders acquisition also provides another glimpse into what Daiwa House appears to be building in the United States.

When the Osaka-based housing giant acquired Stanley Martin in 2017, the transaction was viewed largely as another example of Japanese investment flowing into American homebuilding.

Nearly a decade later, that interpretation feels incomplete.

Taken together with Daiwa House‘s ownership of Texas-based CastleRock Communities and California-based Trumark Companies, Stanley Martin increasingly appears to function as one pillar within a much broader American operating architecture.

Each company retains its own leadership, culture and regional expertise. Each continues operating under its established brand. As a powerhouse triad, they provide Daiwa House with meaningful positions across three of America’s most important housing regions.

Stanley Martin anchors the eastern United States. CastleRock Communities provides scale in Texas and beyond, one of the nation’s most strategically important homebuilding markets.

Trumark Companies extends the platform across California and the western United States, with expertise spanning both homebuilding and multifamily development.

Viewed independently, those companies are successful regional builders. Viewed collectively, they begin to resemble something more powerful: an integrated portfolio of operating platforms positioned to share capital, experience, leadership development, product development, building and operational technology and long-term strategic thinking, while remaining deeply rooted in their respective local markets.

Holiday Builders strengthens that architecture rather than changing it.

Steve Alloy’s operating thesis comes into focus

One reason the Holiday Builders transaction feels strategically important is that it aligns closely with the operating philosophy Stanley Martin President and CEO Steve Alloy has been articulating for several years.

Alloy has consistently emphasized operational capability over headline growth. That philosophy became particularly evident last year when Stanley Martin monetized approximately $700 million through the sale of the Devlin Technology Park property in Northern Virginia.

Originally assembled for residential development, the land ultimately generated far greater value as one of the Washington region’s emerging data-center corridors. Rather than simply pursuing another community, Stanley Martin recognized that changing market conditions had created a different opportunity – and acted accordingly.

That transaction demonstrated something larger than financial discipline. It demonstrated strategic optionality. The company showed it could create value not only by building homes, but by recognizing when its land assets could generate greater long-term returns through entirely different uses.

Seen alongside the acquisitions of United Homes Group and Holiday Builders, the pattern becomes increasingly difficult to dismiss as coincidence. Stanley Martin is not merely adding communities. It is improving the quality, flexibility and resilience of its operating platform.

That distinction may prove increasingly important as competition intensifies among the industry’s largest organizations.

Phase two

The Holiday Builders acquisition also suggests that Japanese investment in American homebuilding has entered a new chapter. The first phase was about establishing meaningful positions in the United States.

Daiwa House acquired Stanley Martin.

Sekisui House built its presence through Woodside Homes, Chesmar Homes, Hubble Homes and, ultimately, MDC Holdings.

Sumitomo Forestry steadily assembled one of the industry’s broadest portfolios before agreeing earlier this year to acquire Tri Pointe Homes.

More recently, companies such as Misawa Homes and Hajime Construction have entered the market through majority investments in Visionary Homes and Wright Homes, respectively, signaling that the next generation of Japanese housing enterprises is following a similar path.

The first decade was about entering America. The second appears increasingly focused on optimizing America.

Rather than simply acquiring builders, these organizations are assembling regional operating systems – talent and capability platforms that can produce compounding advantages across purchasing, land acquisition, technology, manufacturing, talent development and capital deployment.

That evolution may ultimately prove more consequential than any single acquisition.

Because what is emerging isn’t simply a larger collection of builders. It is a different model for competing in American homebuilding. It is a different model for competing in American homebuilding

This post was originally published on here.

Israeli exports reached a record $169 billion in 2025, surpassing both earlier forecasts and the previous all-time high, according to figures released by the Foreign Trade Administration at the Economy Ministry. The total exceeded the projected $165 billion and topped the previous record of more than $166 billion set in 2022.

The increase came despite the war, continued security challenges and lower exports to parts of Europe. High-tech, software, and research and development led the growth, helping offset weaker performance in traditional industries including chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Asian markets also played a growing role. Israeli exports to India rose by about 7%, while increases were recorded in Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand and Japan. Exports to Serbia jumped by roughly 33%, and the Economy Ministry plans to open a new economic mission there during the coming year.

Economy Minister Nir Barkat said the figures showed the continued strength of Israeli industry. “These numbers prove the strength of Israel’s economy and its entrepreneurial spirit. Despite all the crises, the world continues to choose Israeli innovation.” Barkat said the government aims to increase Israeli exports to $1 trillion within two decades.

Israel currently operates 55 economic missions around the world. Those offices helped advance approximately $1.2 billion in export deals during 2025, according to the ministry. Five additional missions are expected to open in Miami, Buenos Aires, Athens, Belgrade and Addis Ababa, bringing the total to a record 60.

Political strategist Roni Rimon says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knowingly accepted a potential political cost among moderate Likud voters by backing a series of chareidi-backed bills, calculating that preserving his alliance with the chareidi parties is more important for the coalition battles that may follow the next election.

Writing after the Knesset passed several measures sought by the chareidi parties—including the Basic Law recognizing Torah study, legislation halting the arrests of bnei yeshiva classified as draft evaders, a law permitting gender-separate higher education programs, and legislation restoring the Chief Rabbinate’s exclusive authority over kashrus certification—Rimon argued that the legislation should be viewed through both political and substantive lenses.

According to Rimon, the legislation was driven primarily by political considerations and the need for the chareidi parties to demonstrate to their constituents that they are delivering tangible results, particularly on the highly sensitive issue of military conscription.

He said the two most significant measures—the Basic Law on Torah study and the law freezing the arrests of draft-eligible bnei yeshiva—were intended to send a clear message to chareidi voters that their representatives had succeeded in addressing their community’s greatest concern.

Rimon argued that Netanyahu played a central role in advancing the legislation because he views maintaining his partnership with the chareidi parties as essential to any future governing coalition.

According to Rimon, Netanyahu wants to prevent the chareidi parties from eventually aligning themselves with opposition leaders such as Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, or others after the next election.

At the same time, Rimon believes Netanyahu’s support for the legislation could come at a political price within his own party.

He identified moderate and liberal Likud supporters—often described as the party’s “soft Likud” voters—as the constituency most likely to object. Many of those voters, he said, have drifted toward opposition parties in recent polling because of dissatisfaction with aspects of Likud’s conduct in recent years.

Rimon suggested that Netanyahu recognizes this trend and has therefore sought to refresh the Likud slate with new outside candidates who could present the party as more moderate and liberal.

Even so, he believes the passage of the chareidi-backed legislation may make it more difficult for those former Likud voters to return.

“In my assessment,” Rimon wrote, “this week’s votes will cost Likud several seats, and Netanyahu nevertheless decided to stand with the chareidim in order to preserve the alliance.”

Rimon also discussed the High Court’s decision to suspend implementation of the law freezing the arrests of draft evaders.

He said he had predicted throughout the week that the law would quickly be blocked because it applied only to chareidim and therefore failed to meet the principle of equality.

According to Rimon, lawmakers could have avoided that outcome by drafting the legislation differently.

He suggested passing a temporary law suspending the arrests of all draft evaders, regardless of sector, until after the election.

“In that case,” he argued, “the High Court would have found it much more difficult to block the law because it would have applied equally to both chareidim and secular Israelis.”

Why lawmakers chose not to pursue that approach, he wrote, “only Hashem knows.”

Looking ahead, Rimon predicted that if Israel’s security situation remains relatively calm, the issue of chareidi enlistment will become one of the central themes of the next election campaign.

He believes opposition parties will make the issue a focal point of their campaigns, targeting what he described as one of Likud’s political vulnerabilities.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli forces have surrounded approximately 40 Hezbollah terrorists inside an extensive tunnel network beneath the Ali Taher Ridge in southern Lebanon.

Troops have secured the tunnel system’s entrances and exits, preventing those inside from leaving. Israeli officials believe the terrorists’ food and equipment supplies could run out within the coming days.

The IDF is preparing for the possibility that the encircled terrorists may attempt to break through the siege or launch attacks against Israeli positions. Military officials assess that those trapped inside have few options for escaping the cordon.

The Ali Taher Ridge is described by the IDF as Hezbollah’s most challenging operational area in southern Lebanon. The underground complex includes tunnels and bunkers extending for more than a kilometer and is believed to have served as a command center, weapons storage site and rocket-launch facility.

Israel has carried out multiple airstrikes against the complex, but its deep underground construction prevented it from being fully destroyed from the air. Ground forces have therefore focused on sealing its access points rather than attempting to eliminate the network through additional strikes.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The expo is going on until 2:00 PM.

The head of the Shomron Regional Council, Yossi Dagan, informed residents of Gilad Farm on Monday afternoon that the Yehuda and Shomron District Police have determined that the circumstances of the devastating fire at the yishuv on Shabbos provide “reasonable grounds to believe that the damage was caused as a result of an arson terror attack.”

The decision means that residents will be eligible for compensation through the Property Tax Compensation Fund and will be recognized as victims of a terror attack.

In a message to residents, Dagan wrote: “Following the discussions we have held over the past two days and the joint inspections carried out by the Israel Police’s Yehuda and Shomron District, Fire and Rescue Services, and our own teams, the classification that has now been approved states: ‘The circumstances of the incident provide reasonable grounds to believe that the damage was caused as a result of a terror attack.’

“Accordingly, applications may now be submitted for recognition as victims of a hostile attack. Anyone encountering difficulties or requiring guidance is asked to contact the community police officer.”

He added: “We are working together in a coordinated effort to secure the governmental and public solutions—through both government funding and donations—for rehabilitation and rebuilding. Gilad Farm will become larger, stronger, and equipped with improved infrastructure. All council staff, as well as I personally, are available around the clock for anything you need. With Hashem’s help, we will overcome this together. We will continue to keep you updated. With love, Yossi Dagan, Head of the Council.”

Earlier in the day, Dagan welcomed the arrest of two suspects in connection with the arson.

“I commend the Israel Police, the Border Police, and the Samaria Regional Brigade for apprehending the suspects in the Gilad Farm arson,” he said. “I call on all the relevant authorities to bring this ongoing saga to an end and formally recognize the obvious—that this was an act of arson which, by a neis, did not claim many lives but caused severe damage to a thriving yishuv.

“The Israeli government must immediately begin rebuilding the destroyed infrastructure and the homes that were burned as a result of the arson, and work together with the Samaria Regional Council and the community leadership to restore normal life. Gilad Farm will continue to grow and flourish. With its strong Zionist spirit and its remarkable community, Gilad Farm will emerge even bigger than before.”

Anyone interested in donating to the residents who lost their homes can click here.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Pakistan has been negotiating an expanded defense pact with Kuwait in exchange for energy cooperation and investment, according to five sources with knowledge of the talks.

The talks remain at an early stage, all the sources said, and could still be complicated by heightened tensions between the United States and Iran, said one source.

Reuters reported on Thursday that there were mounting concerns in Islamabad that its mutual defense pact with Saudi Arabia, signed last year, could draw Pakistan into the US-Iran war. After the Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched an attack on Saudi Arabia on Monday, nuclear-armed Pakistan told Iran it would treat attacks on the kingdom as attacks on itself.

Any defense deal with Kuwait, which has come under heavy attacks from Iran this year, would also raise questions about Pakistan’s role in future mediation between the US and Iran.

Kuwait has had a more limited defense deal with Pakistan for training and joint exercises since 2023. It is now seeking a show of force by Islamabad that would be similar to Pakistan’s pact with Saudi Arabia, including “thousands of Pakistani troops on the ground, fighter jets, drones, an air defense system, and other defense-related facilities,” said a Pakistani government official.

‘Kuwait’s wish list includes everything,’ Pakistani official says

It is unclear whether Pakistan is willing to go this far, given that its agreement with Saudi Arabia was the result of a decades-old close alliance with Riyadh.

“Kuwait’s wish list includes everything,” said a Pakistani security official with knowledge of the talks. “But let me be clear about one thing: We are not, and we cannot consider a deployment of combat troops at this stage.”

A Middle Eastern source confirmed that Kuwait has been in conversations with Pakistan, including about defense procurement, but said it was “not clear this will amount to a defense pact per se.”

Reuters spoke to four Pakistani sources and one Middle Eastern source, none of whom was authorized to speak on the record.

Pakistan’s military media wing and Kuwait’s information ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

 Search for defense alternative

Pakistan and Gulf states have over the past year seen advantages to striking new regional defense pacts.

Pakistan maintains a large military and produces its own fighter jets. This has made it a possible alternative or addition to US protection among Gulf states, as they have grown more wary about the reliability of the US as an ally.

Pakistan is seen in Kuwait as a safe bet, said a source in the Middle East familiar with Kuwait’s security planning.

“They are already in with the Saudis, they have a long history of defense development, they are Muslim Sunni, they have a good relationship with the Americans, so it’s not as sensitive as some other options,” the source said.

Turkey, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have been preparing a draft agreement for a mutual defense pact, separate to the one Islamabad has with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Bahrain is interested in a similar pact, one source said, and Jordan has expressed interest in a weapons and training deal, three sources said.

 Barrels for boots

Pakistan has viewed defense deals with neighboring nations as a way to shore up investments the country urgently needs.

As part of the possible deal with Kuwait, Islamabad would want cooperation on energy security, part of a wider push by Pakistan’s energy ministry to boost its oil and fuel reserves.

Kuwait is exploring a bonded fuel storage with Pakistan that would build on an existing government-to-government diesel supply deal between the two countries, a Pakistani source aware of the talks said.

Such offers could still be sufficiently attractive for Pakistan’s leadership to pursue a larger defense deal, said two sources, adding that negotiations were expected to pick up in speed once US-Iran tensions subside.

Analysts cautioned that this might prove wishful thinking. “Pakistan has to be cognizant of dangers of over-commitment,” said Muhammad Faisal, a South Asia researcher at the University of Technology in Sydney.

This post was originally published on here.

BOCA RATON, Fla. (VINnews) — Rabbi Efrem Goldberg, senior rabbi of Boca Raton Synagogue, is urging local Jewish residents to engage in the Democratic primary process to oppose a candidate backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), a far-left political organization known for its strong criticism of Israel and support for progressive causes including the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

In a social media post this weekend, Goldberg called on “decent people of Boca Raton” to take action against Oliver Larkin, the DSA-backed Democratic congressional candidate in Florida’s 25th District. Critics accuse Larkin of defending Hamas and holding positions that threaten Jewish and pro-Israel interests in South Florida’s heavily Jewish districts.

Recent polling shows U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D) maintaining a strong lead in the Aug. 18 Democratic primary. A Beacon Insights survey conducted June 25-26 found Moskowitz leading Larkin 51% to 19%, with 30% undecided, among likely Democratic primary voters. The poll, with a margin of error of ±3.6%, was commissioned internally by the Moskowitz campaign.

Florida’s closed primary system requires voters to be registered with a major party to participate in that party’s primary. Goldberg’s message highlights the strategic importance of registration or affiliation updates ahead of the primary, as tens of thousands of Orthodox and other Jewish voters in the Boca Raton, Miami Beach and surrounding areas could influence the outcome.

The appeal was amplified by other rabbis, including Rabbi Elchanan Poupko, who thanked Goldberg for his leadership and warned against electing another member of what he called the “Hamas caucus” to represent one of America’s largest Jewish communities.

Goldberg, a vocal advocate for Israel who leads one of the Southeast’s largest Orthodox congregations, has long emphasized evaluating candidates based on their support for Israel rather than strict party loyalty. In past writings, including “Don’t Vote Republican or Democrat—Vote Israel,” he has encouraged the Jewish community to prioritize pro-Israel records across party lines.

The race comes amid ongoing concerns in South Florida’s Jewish community about rising antisemitism and candidates’ stances on Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and the ensuing war. Boca Raton and surrounding Palm Beach County areas are home to a significant and growing Jewish population.

NEW YORK (AP) — Former Mexican drug kingpin Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was sentenced in a U.S. court on Monday to life in prison and called for an end to the brand of brutal violence he used for decades to grow the Sinaloa cartel into the world’s largest drug trafficking organization.

“Nobody wins in a war like this,” the 76-year-old Zambada said through a Spanish-language translator in Brooklyn federal court. He apologized “for the harm I caused and the example I set” and urged future generations to “choose a different path.”

“Violence must end,” the Sinaloa cartel co-founder said. “In Mexico and elsewhere affected by violence, too many lives are lost.”

But violence was Zambada’s “tool for more than three decades when it benefited him,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Amir said.

He ordered torture and plotted murders — including the killing of his own nephew — as the Sinaloa cartel flooded the U.S. with tons of cocaine, fentanyl, methamphetamine and other drugs, Amir said.

More than a million Americans died of overdoses during Zambada’s reign — many from drugs flowing from Mexico or the Sinaloa cartel, the prosecutor added.

Zambada’s punishment was guaranteed by his guilty plea last year to drug trafficking charges that carry a mandatory life sentence.

His sentencing was the culmination of the U.S. government’s yearslong fight to bring the long-elusive drug lord to justice. He was arrested in 2024 after he said he was kidnapped in Mexico and flown to Texas.

“The sentence here is kind of anticlimactic because I have no discretion,” Cogan said. “He is going to spend the rest of his days in prison. He accepts that.”

Cogan said he would recommend that Zambada be sent to a federal prison hospital where he can be treated for what his lawyer described as a “complex of age-related health issues.”

Zambada suffers from a number of “progressive illnesses” and his mental state is “drifting toward cognitively impaired,” Cogan said.

Judges often make recommendations about where inmates should serve time, but it’s up to the federal Bureau of Prisons to decide.

Zambada was seen as the cartel’s strategist and dealmaker and was more involved in its day-to-day operations than his co-founder Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who was convicted in 2019 and is serving a life sentence at the federal Supermax prison in Florence, Colorado.

Zambada pleaded guilty in August 2025 to charges of engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and racketeering conspiracy, acknowledging culpability for 85 underlying crimes, after prosecutors said they wouldn’t seek the death penalty.

Perez stressed in court on Monday that he wasn’t cooperating with prosecutors.

Zambada, wearing a tan jail suit over an orange T-shirt, walked gingerly as deputy federal marshals escorted him to and from the courtroom, which was packed with drug enforcement agents and prosecution staff. The top federal prosecutors in Brooklyn, Miami and western Texas watched from the gallery.

Zambada read his remarks in Spanish from a piece of paper. He stared across the room, looking toward reporters and sketch artists in the jury box, and appeared to show no emotion as Cogan confirmed his sentence.

Along with a life sentence, he also faces $15 billion in financial penalties. Prosecutors said that reflected proceeds from the cartel’s crimes under his leadership, though they haven’t been able to identify or recover any assets.

Upon pleading guilty, Zambada said that from 1980 until last year, he and his cartel were responsible for transporting at least 1.5 million kilograms (3.3 million pounds) of cocaine, “most of which went to the United States.”

He acknowledged the scope of the Sinaloa operation, including underlings who built relationships with Colombian cocaine producers, oversaw importing cocaine to Mexico by boat and plane and smuggling the drug across the U.S.-Mexico border. He said the cartel raked in hundreds of millions of dollars a year and admitted that people working for him paid hefty bribes to Mexican officials “so they could operate freely.”

Months before his arrest, prosecutors said, Zambada ordered the killing of his nephew Eliseo Imperial Castro, also known as “Cheyo Antrax,” after learning that Castro was claiming to be collecting debts for Zambada and pocketing the money without Zambada’s permission.

In 2023, at least three people were killed in retaliatory violence that Zambada directed after a large cache of fentanyl pills, methamphetamine and cocaine was stolen from the cartel, prosecutors said.

According to Zambada’s lawyer, his arrest came after he was beaten, tied up, abducted and driven to a private plane by one of Guzmán’s sons, Joaquín Guzmán López. Their arrests touched off deadly fighting in Sinaloa that pitted Zambada’s loyalists against backers of Guzmán’s sons, dubbed the Chapitos, or “little Chapos.”

An improvised explosive device detonated Sunday outside a federal building in Lower Manhattan that houses dozens of U.S. agencies, including the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). No injuries were reported.

According to preliminary information cited by CBS News, investigators believe the explosion was caused by fireworks placed inside a trash can. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, and police arrested a male suspect at the scene. Authorities said an initial investigation found there were no gunshots fired.

Video from the scene showed heavy smoke outside the building as police took the suspect into custody. The NYPD has warned of significant traffic delays, road closures, and disruptions to public transportation in the area, urging the public to avoid the vicinity while the investigation continues.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

As thousands of bochurim prepare to transition from yeshiva ketanah to yeshiva gedolah, Maran Rav Dov Landau shared extensive guidance on spiritual growth, success in learning, and the proper focus of a ben Torah. The question-and-answer session was recorded in advance of a recent Dirshu gathering for incoming bochurim.

The interviewer noted that each year thousands of bochurim attend the event and are eager to hear guidance from the rosh yeshiva. Rav Landau agreed to answer a series of questions relevant to this pivotal stage in their lives.

Asked about a well-known story related by Rav Moshe Deutsch about the Chazon Ish—that he “learned and learned, and then learned some more”—Rav Landau explained that the lesson encompasses two qualities.

“Both are true,” he said. “Constant diligence and total immersion. His diligence was such that even when the sefer was closed, the learning was always before his eyes.”

When asked how a bochur can develop enjoyment and sweetness in learning, Rav Landau replied that every positive effort helps.

“Everything is good. Every good thing is beneficial.”

Pressed to identify the most important factor in acquiring a true taste for learning, Rav Landau emphasized the importance of tefillah.

“The greatest influence? Tefillah is asking Hashem. If Hashem gives it to him, then he has it. If not, then he does not. We ask—we do not demand.”

When the interviewer suggested that prayer is therefore the primary hishtadlus, Rav Landau agreed, while stressing that a bochur must also become deeply immersed in his learning.

“Yes. And especially through complete immersion in learning. The learning has to occupy his mind. He should live with what he is learning. When he encounters a new insight, he should think about it.”

Rav Landau elaborated that genuine growth comes from stopping to appreciate every fresh insight in Torah rather than rushing ahead.

Quoting the Chofetz Chaim, he said a person should always ask himself, “What would I have thought had this not been written?” He also related a story about the Brisker Rav, who as a young man admired not merely the Rogatchover Gaon’s brilliance, but his ability to stop and carefully analyze every novel idea.

“When something truly new suddenly occurs to you,” Rav Landau said, “your eyes should light up. You should be excited. Every genuine chiddush should awaken a sense of wonder.”

Turning to the transition from yeshiva ketanah to yeshiva gedolah, the interviewer suggested that older bochurim are given greater independence.

Rav Landau expressed surprise.

“There is a mashgiach, and there is a rosh yeshiva…”

When it was suggested that bochurim nevertheless enjoy greater freedom in organizing their schedules, he responded that they should simply follow the established routine of the yeshiva.

“The yeshiva has its schedule. Why not follow it?”

He emphasized that discipline is indispensable.

“If he is disciplined, he should remain disciplined and follow what the yeshiva requires. He may think he’s a great genius, but he must be disciplined.”

Rav Landau added that proper bein adam l’chaveiro is equally essential to acquiring Torah.

“Without that, a person cannot acquire Torah.”

Asked whether interpersonal conduct actually enhances learning, he replied that it certainly does.

“That is the accepted understanding, and it is self-evident. Listen to the other person until he finishes, even if you already have an opposing argument.”

The conversation then turned to attending shiurim. Some bochurim, the interviewer noted, believe they can learn everything independently from seforim or recordings.

Rav Landau dismissed the notion.

“There are even greater foolish ideas than that…”

He encouraged attending shiurim regularly and recommended writing notes whenever possible.

“Not everyone is capable of writing, but for someone who can, it is very good. Later he will enjoy having those notes. Even while writing, new ideas develop. When a person writes, he thinks more deeply about what he is learning. But it depends on the personality of each bochur—not everyone is the same.”

Asked about the challenge many bochurim face in waking up for Shacharis, especially after going to sleep late, Rav Landau answered without hesitation.

“Certainly. Certainly.”

When asked whether attending a later minyan of avreichim might be acceptable, he smiled at the repeated qualifications.

“If… if… there are many ‘ifs.’ If he doesn’t want to get up… then he should get up! Set an alarm clock and get up. The Mechaber says, ‘Strengthen yourself like a lion.’ Once you become accustomed to it, it becomes very easy.”

The interviewer also asked whether young bochurim should spend time studying issues of secularism, modernity, religion and state, particularly given today’s heated public debates.

Rav Landau advised them not to become preoccupied with such matters.

“They should not think about it so much.”

Asked directly whether bochurim should involve themselves in issues of religion and the state, he replied:

“They should learn. They should not be thinking about those things. They should think about their learning. And about bein adam l’chaveiro. Respecting another person is extremely important—listening to him, rejoicing when things go well for him, and if, chas v’shalom, things are not going well, sharing in his pain. As much as possible, live with the other person.”

Concluding the session, the interviewer asked the rosh yeshiva to offer a brachah to the thousands of bochurim preparing to enter yeshiva gedolah.

“May Hashem help us with Siyata DiShmaya. They should know that the world stands upon them. The world exists because of them. The study of Torah is what protects us, and it has always protected us. May Hashem help that all the persecutions disappear like a passing dream, like a vanishing cloud, like a blowing wind. May we merit great blessings in every area, and for all of Klal Yisroel, may we merit the coming of Moshiach Tzidkeinu speedily in our days. Amen.”

{Matzav.com}

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Friday, July 17, that Boeing will once again be permitted to issue airworthiness certificates for newly built 737 Max and 787 Dreamliner aircraft beginning next week, restoring one of the company’s most significant regulatory authorities after years of intensive federal oversight following fatal crashes and manufacturing quality concerns. The decision represents a major milestone for the aerospace manufacturer and signals growing confidence in Boeing’s safety and production improvements.

The authority to issue airworthiness certificates is one of the most important responsibilities in commercial aviation. While the FAA continues to regulate and oversee every aspect of aircraft certification, allowing Boeing to perform the final certification process on qualifying aircraft is expected to streamline deliveries and improve production efficiency at a time when airlines worldwide continue waiting for hundreds of aircraft ordered years ago.

The restoration follows months of detailed evaluations conducted jointly by the FAA and Boeing. Since September 2025, federal inspectors and company representatives alternated responsibility for issuing final certificates before aircraft deliveries. Regulators compared the results from both processes and concluded Boeing consistently met federal certification standards, providing the confidence necessary to return the authority.

The decision marks another step in Boeing’s long recovery from one of the most difficult periods in its history.

In 2019, the FAA revoked Boeing’s authority to self-certify the 737 Max after investigations determined that design flaws in the aircraft’s Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) contributed to two fatal crashes that claimed 346 lives. The worldwide grounding of the aircraft triggered billions of dollars in losses, extensive congressional investigations, criminal and civil settlements, and sweeping reforms to aircraft certification procedures.

Regulatory scrutiny expanded again in 2022, when the FAA suspended similar authority for the 787 Dreamliner following manufacturing quality concerns involving fuselage assembly and production documentation. Deliveries of the wide-body aircraft slowed significantly while Boeing implemented corrective actions under close federal supervision.

The company’s recovery faced another setback in January 2024, when a door plug separated from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 shortly after takeoff. Although the aircraft landed safely with no fatalities, the incident prompted another nationwide inspection program and renewed questions regarding Boeing’s manufacturing quality controls. The FAA subsequently imposed production limitations while requiring substantial improvements throughout Boeing’s factories.

Those oversight measures remain in place despite Friday’s announcement.

FAA inspectors will continue working inside Boeing production facilities, focusing on identifying manufacturing issues earlier in the assembly process rather than performing the final certification of completed aircraft. Federal officials emphasized that restoring certification authority does not reduce regulatory oversight or inspection requirements.

The FAA also confirmed that the decision applies only to aircraft models that have already completed federal certification. The 737 Max 7 and 737 Max 10, which remain under FAA review, are not included in the restoration and must still receive full regulatory approval before entering commercial service.

Production restrictions likewise remain partially intact. While the FAA has gradually increased Boeing’s monthly production allowance as manufacturing performance has improved, regulators continue monitoring output levels to ensure quality standards remain consistently high before authorizing additional increases.

For Boeing, the commercial impact is substantial.

Aircraft manufacturers receive the majority of an airplane’s purchase price only after delivery. Accelerating the certification process can shorten delivery timelines, improve cash flow, reduce inventory carrying costs, and help airlines receive long-delayed aircraft needed to expand routes and replace older fleets.

The decision also carries broader implications for the global aerospace supply chain. Thousands of suppliers throughout the United States and abroad depend on Boeing production schedules, while airlines continue facing strong travel demand and limited availability of new aircraft. Faster deliveries could ease some of those pressures over the coming months.

Despite the regulatory milestone, Boeing continues operating under one of the most closely monitored manufacturing environments in the aviation industry. Federal officials stressed that restoring certification authority reflects measurable progress rather than a return to pre-2019 oversight practices.

For investors, customers, and the aviation industry, the FAA’s decision represents another important step in Boeing’s effort to rebuild credibility after years of safety challenges. Whether that confidence continues will ultimately depend on the company’s ability to consistently deliver safe, high-quality aircraft while maintaining the manufacturing standards regulators now expect.

JBizNews Desk | Washington, D.C.

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

Israeli authorities are investigating whether a service vehicle that struck an Israir aircraft at a London airport before takeoff may have been part of a deliberate act with a nationalist motive. The incident forced the cancellation of a flight to Tel Aviv and marked the third time in less than a year that an Israir plane has been hit by an airport service vehicle in London.

The aircraft was preparing to depart for Tel Aviv on Friday when a ground service vehicle collided with it, requiring an inspection to assess the damage. Following the investigation, officials determined that the aircraft could not operate the flight, and the departure was canceled.

The string of similar incidents has raised concerns within Israel’s aviation industry. Senior aviation officials have questioned whether the repeated collisions could be intentional, prompting Israeli authorities to raise the matter with aviation officials in London and the United Kingdom while considering additional steps with local authorities.

The canceled flight caused significant disruption for passengers. Some travelers were accommodated in hotels, while others were rebooked on alternate flights later that day.

Passengers who observe Shabbos were unable to travel before sunset on Friday and remained in London until Sunday, when they returned to Israel on another flight.

According to passengers, they remained seated inside the aircraft for approximately an hour without air conditioning. The aircraft was then shut down, and they waited for another hour before being informed that the flight had been canceled.

{Matzav.com}

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Israeli security officials have rejected reports that Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, fled the country, saying he remains inside Iran after surviving the assassination attempt at the beginning of the war and continues to issue instructions despite being wounded.

“He is wounded, he is alive and he continues to give orders,” one Israeli official said. “In Iran, they are still waiting for his position and his instructions.”

Khamenei has not appeared publicly since he was injured during the opening strike of Operation Lion’s Roar, in which his father, former supreme leader Ali Khamenei, was killed. His public statements since then have been issued only in writing, fueling questions over how much authority he still exercises.

Israeli officials believe his absence may be intended to conceal his location and prevent another assassination attempt. One official described him as physically injured and politically weak, while another said he has become heavily dependent on senior Revolutionary Guard commander Ahmad Vahidi.

“Mojtaba is in Iran,” the official said. “He is wounded and is a very weak figure who is being managed by Vahidi. They are deliberately building a sense of mystery around him, but the truth is that Vahidi writes everything for him. He is not really an important figure.”

Israeli assessments indicate that the Revolutionary Guard is increasingly controlling the government’s decision-making process, with Vahidi and other senior commanders taking a larger role in military affairs, communications and relations with foreign powers.

Khamenei reportedly suffered severe facial burns during the attack and has remained in a protected hiding place. In recent days, he issued a written statement apparently intended to reassure supporters, but did not appear publicly or deliver a video address.

An Israeli security official said Khamenei’s condition does not necessarily mean he has lost all control, but that he is governing under major restrictions and remains almost entirely concealed.

Israeli officials are avoiding definitive conclusions about the precise balance of power in Tehran. Their assessment is that Khamenei remains inside Iran and still participates in decisions, but that his personal authority has weakened significantly as the Revolutionary Guard tightens its grip over the regime.

Russia may become the first foreign country to establish direct contact with Khamenei. Russia’s TASS news agency reported, citing an Iranian source, that he could soon hold a telephone conversation or meeting with President Vladimir Putin.

For now, Israel’s central assessment is not that Iran has no leader, but that its supreme leader is wounded, isolated and increasingly dependent on the military organization that helped elevate him.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo issued a stark warning to local leadership, arguing that the rise of Democratic socialist policies and aggressive new taxes on high-net-worth residents is directly causing capital to flee to low-tax red states.

Speaking in an exclusive FOX Business interview, Cuomo said that the current political climate is actively chasing wealth and corporations out of the Empire State in favor of southern tax havens, leaving mainstream Democrats divided over the party’s economic future.

“Pick up the garbage, fill the pothole[s], do your job. Bring people to New York, create jobs, don’t demonize corporations. Don’t demonize the rich. Don’t chase people out of New York, which is exactly what [Mamdani] is doing. And you’re seeing the wealth transfer to southern states,” Cuomo told Maria Bartiromo.

In April, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul unveiled a joint legislative proposal targeting luxury second homes worth $5 million or more. Known as a pied-à-terre tax, the annual surcharge is expected to generate an estimated $500 million from affluent out-of-state property owners.

Mamdani has previously said revenue from the tax would go toward initiatives such as free childcare, cleaner streets and safer neighborhoods.

“Socialism has not worked anywhere on the globe,” Cuomo said. “Promises of free lunch, free buses, free rent, free everything. There is no such thing as ‘free.’ Someone always pays. This is a dream. This is nirvana. This is utopia, and they’re selling to young people who are buying it. But it’s not going to work. And this socialist movement is the best thing the Republicans have going for them.”

“It is a major problem for the Democrats. And again, I think the energy comes from the anger of Trump, and they’ve misdirected that anger. But it is a real problem for the Democrats, and as I said before, it’s the best thing the Republicans have going for them,” he added.

According to the Citizens Budget Commission, New York City lost more residents across all income levels than it gained throughout 2025. The city’s population posted a net loss of 114,000 residents.

Cuomo said he increasingly finds himself politically estranged from the modern Democratic Party, which he said has adopted highly disruptive regulatory and economic agendas.

“The Democratic Party is in the middle of the Civil War, right? And you have moderate mainstream Democrats such as myself, which have been challenged by the far-left extremists,” the former governor said.

“I’m too moderate for the Democrats, which is ironic, since I had the most progressive record as governor in the United States of America,” Cuomo said while noting his anti-discrimination and minimum wage legislation. “It’s not about facts. It’s not about merits. It’s about the politics of the moment, and right now, socialism is cool.”

Bell Works Fort Monmouth, one of New Jersey’s largest mixed-use redevelopment projects, has secured a $60 million bridge loan to support continued leasing, tenant expansion, and the next phase of development at its Tinton Falls campus. The financing underscores continued investor confidence in large-scale adaptive reuse projects that are transforming former corporate and military properties into modern economic centers that generate jobs, attract investment, and strengthen regional business growth.

The financing is specifically for Bell Works Fort Monmouth, a redevelopment located in Tinton Falls on the former Commvault headquarters campus within the Fort Monmouth redevelopment area. Although it shares the Bell Works name and mixed-use concept with the well-known Bell Works campus in Holmdel, the two are separate real estate assets with independent ownership entities, financing arrangements, and development plans.

That distinction is important because the Bell Works brand has become synonymous with one of New Jersey’s most successful redevelopment stories. The original Bell Works Holmdel transformed the historic former Bell Labs campus into a thriving “Metroburb,” combining corporate offices, restaurants, retail, healthcare, entertainment, fitness, public gathering spaces, and community programming under one roof. The project’s success demonstrated that aging suburban office campuses could be reinvented into vibrant mixed-use destinations capable of attracting both employers and the public.

Building on that success, Inspired by Somerset Development, led by Ralph Zucker, expanded the concept to Fort Monmouth. While both developments operate under the Bell Works brand and are being developed by the same organization, each property stands on its own financially. Separate ownership structures and financing are standard practice in commercial real estate, allowing each project to obtain financing based on its individual performance and leasing activity. As a result, today’s $60 million bridge loan applies exclusively to Bell Works Fort Monmouth and does not affect the original Bell Works Holmdel property.

Bell Works Fort Monmouth has continued to attract a diverse mix of tenants, reflecting growing demand for flexible workplaces that combine office space with restaurants, retail, wellness services, hospitality, and community amenities. Among the campus’s highest-profile tenants is Jersey Mike’s, which relocated its corporate headquarters there, joining a growing roster of private companies, professional service firms, technology businesses, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The development has steadily expanded its occupancy while creating an environment designed to encourage collaboration, innovation, and community engagement.

The project also represents a significant milestone in the long-term redevelopment of the former Fort Monmouth military installation, one of New Jersey’s largest economic redevelopment initiatives. Since the military base closed, state and local leaders have worked to transform thousands of acres into a diversified economy featuring commercial development, residential communities, education, healthcare, technology, hospitality, and public open space. Bell Works Fort Monmouth has emerged as one of the flagship private-sector investments supporting that broader vision.

For New Jersey’s commercial real estate market, the financing arrives at a time when developers continue rethinking the future of office properties. Across the country, many traditional suburban office campuses have struggled with changing workplace patterns and increased remote work. Rather than allowing these large properties to remain underutilized, developers are increasingly converting them into mixed-use environments where businesses, residents, restaurants, retailers, healthcare providers, and entertainment venues operate side by side. This model not only creates additional economic activity but also generates construction employment, permanent jobs, local tax revenue, and increased consumer spending throughout surrounding communities.

The new financing is expected to provide additional flexibility as Bell Works Fort Monmouth continues attracting tenants and investing in future improvements. Bridge loans are commonly used in commercial real estate to provide interim capital while projects stabilize, complete leasing objectives, or prepare for long-term financing. Securing this type of financing reflects lender confidence in the property’s future performance and long-term value.

The continued growth of Bell Works Fort Monmouth also reinforces New Jersey’s broader economic development strategy of revitalizing existing assets rather than relying solely on new construction. By transforming established properties into modern business destinations, projects like Bell Works preserve valuable infrastructure while creating environments capable of attracting employers from technology, healthcare, finance, professional services, and other high-growth industries.

As investment continues throughout the Fort Monmouth redevelopment district, Bell Works Fort Monmouth remains one of the state’s most closely watched commercial projects. The latest financing represents another milestone in its evolution and highlights continued confidence in New Jersey’s ability to attract capital, support business expansion, and create innovative spaces where companies and communities can grow together.

JBizNews Desk | New Jersey
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Polestar will not appeal a U.S. government decision preventing the Chinese-controlled electric vehicle manufacturer from selling future models in the United States, effectively ending its long-term presence in one of the world’s largest automotive markets and leaving dealers, customers and suppliers facing significant uncertainty. The company confirmed on Monday, July 20, that it will accept the Commerce Department’s decision rather than pursue an administrative or legal challenge, choosing instead to focus future investments on Europe and other international markets.

The decision follows the U.S. government’s implementation of national security regulations restricting connected vehicle technology tied to China and Russia. The rules prohibit certain software beginning with the 2027 model year and expand to specific hardware in later years, reflecting concerns that connected vehicles could collect sensitive information or provide foreign adversaries access to critical communications and vehicle systems.

Although Polestar is headquartered in Sweden, it is controlled by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, placing the automaker within the scope of the federal review.

The decision marks one of the most significant examples to date of how geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing are reshaping the global automotive industry. Rather than challenge the ruling, Polestar said it will redirect resources toward markets where it believes it can achieve stronger long-term growth.

What It Means for Americans Who Already Own a Polestar

For current owners, the news is not an immediate loss of their vehicle or its support.

Americans who already own or lease a Polestar can continue driving, registering, insuring and servicing their vehicles. The federal action does not require existing vehicles to be removed from the road, nor does it invalidate warranties.

Polestar has stated that it will continue providing:

• Warranty coverage
• Replacement parts
• Maintenance and repair services
• Software updates
• Customer support

Existing dealerships and authorized service centers are expected to continue servicing vehicles already in operation.

However, owners could face longer-term challenges.

If dealerships eventually decide it is no longer economically viable to maintain Polestar operations, some customers may need to travel farther for repairs or wait longer for specialized parts. As the vehicle population gradually declines, fewer technicians may remain specifically trained on the brand.

Another concern is resale value.

Historically, vehicles from manufacturers that exit the U.S. market often experience weaker resale prices because buyers worry about future parts availability, dealership support and long-term software updates. While Polestar remains an operating global company, uncertainty surrounding its American future could place downward pressure on used vehicle values over time.

Dealers Face the Greatest Financial Risk

The company’s 32 U.S. dealerships now face a much more immediate financial challenge.

Many invested millions of dollars in dedicated showrooms, service equipment, technician training and inventory based on expectations that Polestar would continue expanding in America.

Once existing inventory is sold, those investments may generate little or no return.

Some dealers could attempt to convert facilities to other franchises, while others may seek compensation through state franchise laws that protect retailers when manufacturers withdraw from a market.

Whether those laws apply may ultimately become a legal question because Polestar’s withdrawal follows a federal government restriction rather than a purely voluntary business decision.

A Broader Warning for the Auto Industry

The decision extends well beyond one luxury EV manufacturer.

Automakers around the world increasingly rely on software, cloud connectivity, artificial intelligence and globally integrated supply chains. Companies with significant Chinese ownership, technology partnerships or software development may now face additional regulatory scrutiny before introducing future vehicles into the U.S. market.

Manufacturers are already reviewing supply chains and software architecture to ensure compliance with the Commerce Department’s connected vehicle regulations, which are expected to reshape sourcing decisions across the global automotive industry.

For Polestar, the decision effectively closes the chapter on future vehicle sales in the United States.

For dealers, it leaves millions of dollars in investments hanging in the balance.

For American consumers, ownership continues largely unchanged today—but questions remain about resale values, long-term service availability and the future of a brand no longer competing in the U.S. market.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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Former Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak made a series of surprising remarks during a recent interview with Rav Ido Weber-Erlich, expressing support for Torah study as a fundamental value, commenting on the arrests of bnei yeshiva, reflecting on past judicial decisions, and addressing the Netanyahu trial.

During the conversation, Rav Weber asked Barak about the recently enacted law declaring Torah study to be a supreme value of the Jewish people.

“Yes,” Barak replied. “There is no problem.”

Rav Weber then raised the issue of the arrests of yeshiva bochurim, saying, “These chareidim really are suffering. A yeshiva bochur is walking down the street, and suddenly they arrest him.”

Barak did not dispute the characterization and continued the discussion.

The conversation then turned to Barak’s judicial career. Asked whether there were rulings he regretted, Barak answered without hesitation.

“Of course.”

When asked for an example, he responded, “Doesn’t a person make mistakes?” However, he declined to identify any specific ruling.

“I need to know myself that I made a mistake. Other people don’t need to hear it.”

Barak noted that he authored approximately 34,000 judicial decisions during his career.

“Do you know how many rulings I issued in my lifetime? Thirty-four thousand. Small and large. Of course there are mistakes.”

Asked whether any of those mistakes related to issues affecting Judaism and the chareidi community, Barak pointed to the Tal Law.

“Specifically there, with the Tal Law, I said that it served a proper purpose and was consistent with the values of the State of Israel.”

When Rav Weber asked why the Tal Law was ultimately struck down, Barak disputed that characterization.

“We didn’t cancel it. I didn’t cancel it. I rejected the petition.”

According to Barak, the law ultimately failed because the military was unable to implement it effectively.

“Because the army was not prepared to manage it. Therefore, all the arrangements contained in the Tal Law were never realized.”

When asked whether that meant the collapse of the arrangement was not the fault of the chareidim, and whether that marked the beginning of today’s draft crisis, Barak replied: “That’s where it began.”

The interview concluded with questions about President Bibi Netanyahu’s ongoing criminal trial and reports that the judges had suggested prosecutors reconsider the bribery charge.

Barak said he was unfamiliar with the matter.

“I don’t know. I’m not familiar with it. If they said that, they know what they are relying on.”

Asked whether the prosecution should heed the judges’ comments, Barak responded:

“The judges are not supposed to say that, and the prosecution should take it into consideration. Yes, it should take it into consideration.”

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. gas prices jumped to an average of $4 a gallon again Monday as the U.S. and Iran launched more attacks.

According to motor club federation AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is now back to $4. The average price a year ago was $3.14 a gallon.

The price is a national average, meaning drivers in some states have been paying well over $4 a gallon for a while now, while others pay less. Prices vary between states due to factors ranging from nearby supply to differing tax rates.

People around the world are also dealing with high gas prices as a result of the war.

Gas prices first went over $4 a gallon on average at the end of March. They dipped below that in mid-June and continued to fall as crude oil prices eased when the U.S. and Iran reached an interim deal. Even then, President Donald Trump expressed frustration that gas prices weren’t falling as quickly as oil prices.

Affordability is likely to be a key issue for voters in the U.S. midterm elections, and higher gas and oil prices can help push up prices for groceries and other goods.

Oil prices have climbed again in recent days as the U.S. and Iran move closer to resuming an all-out war.

Brent crude, the international standard, fell slightly by Monday morning trading in the U.S. — down $1.64 to $86.46 per barrel. But that’s still much higher than prewar levels, when crude was going for close to $70 a barrel. Meanwhile, benchmark U.S. crude dropped $1.87 to $79.91 per barrel.

California will begin collecting its first producer fees under its landmark packaging law next month, opening a combative new phase for the rules — even as a multistate lawsuit and a repeal push from California’s own farm sector move to blunt them before consumers feel the effects at the register.

The Plastic Pollution Prevention and Packaging Producer Responsibility Act, signed in 2022, requires companies that sell single-use packaging and plastic food service ware in the state to help fund the recycling and disposal of those materials. The stated goal is to make all covered packaging recyclable or compostable by 2032, shifting cleanup costs from local governments and taxpayers onto the producers who create the waste. Fees are tiered: materials that are harder to recycle carry higher rates than compliant ones.

An important distinction is getting lost in much of the early coverage. The fees arriving in August are preliminary. CalRecycle, the agency overseeing the program, does not require companies to be fully compliant with the regulations until 2027 — the same year the state’s designated producer responsibility organization begins remitting $500 million annually into a state plastic-pollution fund. The permanent regulations were finalized on May 1, and a public comment period on the draft program plan runs through August 14.

What producers pay — and what shoppers ultimately absorb — is where the estimates diverge sharply. CalRecycle projects households will pay an added $66 to $190 per year, and calculates that if businesses passed along only 30 percent of the costs rather than the full amount, the figure would fall to roughly $20 per person annually. The agency also estimates that more than 546,000 businesses could see the cost of goods rise, at an average of about $4,806 each per year.

Critics put the household number far higher. Katie Davey, executive director of the Dairy Institute of California, has said Californians could pay around $1,300 more a year once the rules take hold, warning the state is only getting more expensive. A coalition of California agriculture groups, in a July 6 letter to Governor Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders, pegged the potential grocery hit near $1,400 annually and called for the law to be repealed and replaced. Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, a vocal opponent, has floated a lower but still substantial figure of roughly $200 per family.

Smaller operators get some relief. Businesses with gross annual sales under $1 million are exempt from many of the requirements — an estimated 7,874 producers that CalRecycle says would face only modest recordkeeping and application costs averaging about $155 a year.

The fee rollout arrives against a widening legal and political fight. On June 22, a 17-state coalition of Republican attorneys general, led by Nebraska’s Mike Hilgers, joined the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors in a federal lawsuit seeking to block enforcement. The association’s litigation director, Karen Harned, argued the entire producer-responsibility model is “completely unconstitutional,” contending it hands quasi-governmental power to a private organization without due process.

That organization, the Circular Action Alliance, was selected by the state as its sole producer responsibility organization and is now assembling the program. Chief executive Jeff Fielkow has pushed back on the constitutional framing, saying the group holds no enforcement authority and operates strictly within limits set by the state. “That’s not our role,” he said, describing the work as building the system rather than policing it.

The stakes reach well beyond California’s borders — the angle that should matter most to tri-state grocers, distributors and manufacturers watching from afar. Because many companies use identical packaging nationwide, opponents argue that firms may redesign products to meet California’s rules rather than run a California-only line, effectively exporting the compliance costs into supply chains across the country. Industry groups tracking the rollout project price increases beginning to surface as early as September and October.

For now, the law’s near-term reality is narrower than the headlines suggest: a first round of fees, a comment window still open, and a courtroom challenge that could reshape or delay what comes next. Whether the eventual cost to a California family lands closer to twenty dollars or fourteen hundred may depend less on the statute itself than on how producers choose to respond — and on whether the federal suit lands before 2027.

JBizNews Desk | Sacramento, Calif.

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During the Nine Days, when Klal Yisroel mourns the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash, Rav Ovadia Yosef zt”l strongly urged people to maintain personal hygiene and kavod habriyos, criticizing what he viewed as unnecessary stringencies. In one of his well-known derashos, he explained that the basic halachah does not prohibit bathing during the Nine Days, emphasizing the distinction between accepted minhagim and the strict letter of the law.

According to the enactment of Chazal, the prohibition against bathing applies only on Tishah B’Av itself. Over the generations, however, early authorities adopted the custom of refraining from bathing during the days leading up to the fast.

Among Sefardim, the accepted custom is to refrain from bathing in hot water only during the week in which Tishah B’Av falls. By contrast, among Ashkenazim, where the climate was historically cooler and people perspired less, the custom developed to avoid bathing throughout the entire Nine Days, even in cold water.

In his derashah, Rav Ovadia sharply criticized excessive stringencies that, in his view, resulted in unpleasant body odor and caused discomfort to others.

“Go to Bnei Brak and you’ll see—they don’t bathe. There’s sweat there… A person sits next to someone else—and with all due respect—he doesn’t smell good. Did the Torah say to do that? That’s not respect for other people. Someone sits next to him and suffers.”

https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/VIDEO-2026-07-20-14-27-40.mp4

Rav Ovadia stressed that, according to the minhag of Sefardim, bathing remains permissible even after Rosh Chodesh Av.

“We have the custom to bathe even after Rosh Chodesh Av. Our Chachamim never prohibited bathing. They prohibited it only on Tishah B’Av.”

He continued, “For our Sefardim, even hot water is permitted. Let them keep their own stringencies… They get upset; they don’t want to be lenient.”

Addressing the Ashkenazi minhag, Rav Ovadia related that he had once sought to permit bathing in cold water for laborers who work hard and perspire heavily, but encountered strong opposition.

“Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, alav hashalom, heard that I was being lenient regarding their customs and became very upset. I was afraid—I didn’t want to get involved with the Ashkenazim.”

The posek hador did not mince words when speaking about those who adopt stringencies where the Torah permits leniency, particularly when those chumros come at the expense of others.

“Someone who is machmir about this is a donkey. That’s what I call him—a donkey. He’s not acting like a human being. Why make stringencies against the Torah? What for? If the Torah permits it, do you want to be a big shot and be stricter than the Torah? What do you want? Everything has to be done with sound judgment and common sense… Someone who is machmir, as I said, is a donkey.”

Rav Ovadia concluded that people should follow the minhagim of their forefathers and bathe in accordance with those traditions. He added that women preparing for tevilah, as well as those who customarily immerse for taharah, may bathe and immerse as usual throughout the Nine Days. Only on Tishah B’Av itself does the prohibition on bathing fully apply.

Wall Street opened the week on firmer footing Monday as investors returned to technology and semiconductor shares ahead of one of the busiest earnings weeks of the second-quarter reporting season, while crude oil retreated after briefly climbing above $90 a barrel amid continued tensions in the Middle East.

The rebound followed two weeks of heavy selling that pushed semiconductor stocks close to bear-market territory. Buyers returned to the sector as investors positioned for earnings from several of the market’s largest technology companies, including Alphabet and Tesla, whose results are expected to provide fresh insight into artificial intelligence spending, cloud computing demand, electric vehicle profitability, and corporate capital investment.

By late morning, all three major U.S. stock indexes traded higher. The Nasdaq Composite led gains as semiconductor and large-cap technology shares recovered from last week’s sell-off. The S&P 500 also advanced, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted more modest gains as investors balanced optimism surrounding earnings with continued concerns over higher energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty.

The recovery comes after a difficult week for equities. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq both posted their sharpest weekly declines in several weeks as investors took profits in many of the year’s strongest-performing artificial intelligence and semiconductor companies. Monday’s trading suggested investors were selectively returning to those names ahead of earnings that could determine whether the AI investment cycle continues to accelerate during the second half of the year.

Semiconductor companies led the early advance. The sector had absorbed much of the recent market weakness as investors questioned valuations and future spending, but bargain hunters returned ahead of results from several technology giants whose capital expenditures remain closely tied to demand for advanced chips and AI infrastructure.

Earnings Take Center Stage

This week’s earnings calendar is among the busiest of the season and is expected to set the tone for markets through the remainder of July.

Alphabet and Tesla headline the technology sector. Investors will closely watch Alphabet’s cloud computing business, advertising performance, AI investments, and updates on its next generation of artificial intelligence products. Tesla’s report will focus on vehicle margins, autonomous driving initiatives, energy storage growth, and progress toward commercial deployment of its Cybercab platform.

The week also includes results from Intel, IBM, Texas Instruments, General Motors, Verizon, Comcast, T-Mobile, Lockheed Martin, RTX, Honeywell, and Blackstone, providing investors with a broad look at conditions across manufacturing, telecommunications, defense, industrial production, consumer demand, and financial markets.

Market Movers

Alphabet shares climbed more than 3% as investors positioned ahead of earnings later this week following renewed optimism surrounding the company’s AI strategy.

Tesla remained under pressure despite the broader market rebound, with investors continuing to evaluate slowing vehicle demand, competitive pricing, and profit margins ahead of its quarterly report.

The broader semiconductor sector outperformed the overall market as investors returned to chipmakers following their recent correction, encouraged by expectations that major cloud providers will continue investing heavily in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Energy Markets Remain a Key Risk

While equities recovered, energy markets continued to reflect elevated geopolitical risk.

Brent crude briefly traded above $90 per barrel before retreating later in the session, while West Texas Intermediate also eased after earlier gains. Prices remain significantly elevated following renewed military activity involving Iran and continued concerns surrounding shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transportation corridors.

Although diplomatic efforts continue, markets remain focused on the possibility of additional disruptions to global oil supplies. Damage to regional energy infrastructure and continued security concerns have kept a geopolitical risk premium embedded in crude prices even as futures retreated from their overnight highs.

Higher energy prices are increasingly reaching consumers. According to AAA, the national average price for regular gasoline has climbed back above $4 per gallon, adding renewed pressure to household budgets and transportation costs for businesses across the country.

Gold prices eased modestly as investors shifted some funds back into equities, though the precious metal continues to trade near historically elevated levels as global uncertainty remains high.

Looking Ahead

Investors now face a pivotal week in which corporate earnings and geopolitical developments will compete for market attention. Strong results from major technology companies could reinforce confidence in continued AI-driven investment, while any deterioration in Middle East tensions could quickly reverse Monday’s improvement by driving energy prices higher.

For now, Wall Street appears willing to give technology stocks another chance, but the combination of elevated oil prices, inflation concerns, and one of the busiest earnings calendars of the year suggests volatility is likely to remain high throughout the week.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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Americans are increasingly sacrificing their retirement security to keep up with the rising cost of everyday life, according to newly released research from NFP, part of Aon, along with additional retirement surveys from Schroders and other financial institutions. Together, the findings paint a troubling picture: for millions of households, long-term financial planning is giving way to immediate survival as housing, healthcare, transportation, insurance and grocery bills consume a growing share of monthly income. 

The trend is no longer limited to lower-income households. Middle-income families, professionals, and even higher earners are increasingly reporting that retirement contributions have become one of the first budget items to be reduced when expenses rise.

According to the latest research, 46% of working adults say they are either deprioritizing or unable to save for retirement because everyday expenses now take precedence. Nearly three-quarters report they are off track in reaching their retirement goals, while many acknowledge they have delayed increasing contributions despite continued employment. 

The financial pressures extend beyond simply contributing less. Another survey found that 27% of workers have either reduced contributions to employer-sponsored retirement plans or borrowed from those accounts to cover emergency expenses, debt payments or other financial obligations. One-third reported carrying more credit-card debt than retirement savings, highlighting the difficult tradeoffs many households now face. 

For years, financial advisers have encouraged workers to consistently contribute to retirement accounts, emphasizing that time in the market often matters more than attempting to perfectly time investments. Missing even a few years of contributions can significantly reduce retirement balances because workers lose not only their deposits but also years of compounded investment growth.

Instead, many Americans now find themselves balancing competing priorities.

Mortgage payments remain elevated in many parts of the country. Property taxes and homeowners insurance have increased substantially in numerous markets. Rent remains historically high in many metropolitan areas. Auto insurance premiums have climbed sharply, while healthcare costs continue to consume larger portions of household budgets. Even groceries and utilities remain noticeably more expensive than just a few years ago.

Those cumulative expenses are forcing difficult financial decisions every month.

The problem has become increasingly apparent despite relatively strong labor markets. Having a job no longer automatically translates into the ability to build long-term wealth if nearly every paycheck is already committed to current expenses.

Recent retirement surveys also show growing concern about the future itself. Americans now estimate they need approximately $1.2 million to retire comfortably, yet more than half expect they will retire with less than $500,000, and many expect substantially less than that. 

Confidence has also weakened.

Gallup’s latest research found that while most current retirees report living comfortably, less than half of Americans who have not yet retired believe they will have enough money to do the same, reflecting one of the largest expectation gaps recorded in more than two decades. 

Among Americans age 50 and older, financial concerns continue to intensify. AARP found that 69% believe prices are rising faster than their income, while 60% worry about having enough money to last throughout retirement. For those still working, many have accumulated relatively modest retirement savings despite approaching retirement age. 

Ironically, these concerns are emerging during a period when stock markets have generally remained elevated.

Many workers simply do not have enough discretionary income available to fully benefit from long-term market gains because they have been forced to reduce or suspend retirement contributions altogether.

Financial professionals warn that the longer these interruptions continue, the harder they become to recover from. Workers who stop contributing for several years often must save substantially more later in life to reach the same retirement income goals.

The challenge becomes even greater as Americans continue living longer, increasing the number of years retirement savings may need to support.

For policymakers, employers and financial planners, the data suggest that retirement security is becoming less about investment performance and increasingly about household affordability.

If everyday living expenses continue to outpace wage growth for many families, retirement saving may remain one of the first financial goals postponed—potentially leaving millions of Americans with significantly smaller nest eggs than they once expected.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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In a closely watched decision which can have ramifications across the state, the New Jersey Supreme Court unanimously ruled this morning that Jackson Township improperly used its eminent domain powers to seize privately owned land as part of a land swap with a private developer, finding the township exceeded its legal authority and failed to deal fairly with the affected property owners.

In a unanimous opinion written by Chief Justice Stuart Rabner, the Court affirmed a lower court ruling that blocked the condemnation of two privately owned parcels that Jackson sought to acquire and then transfer to a developer in exchange for different property the township intended to preserve as open space.

The Court emphasized that while municipalities may use eminent domain to acquire land for a legitimate public purpose, they cannot condemn one person’s property simply to exchange it for someone else’s land that will ultimately serve the public.

“Neither the statutes that govern condemnation proceedings, nor case law from the United States Supreme Court or this State, authorize the type of land swap that took place here,” Rabner wrote.

The dispute centered on two Jackson properties owned by Bellevue Jackson, LLC and Getzel Bee, LLC. Beginning in 2023, the township adopted a series of ordinances authorizing a land exchange with a private developer. Under the agreement, Jackson sought to condemn the two privately owned parcels and transfer them to the developer, who in return would convey different property to the township for preservation as open space.

The township argued that the overall transaction served a public purpose because it would permanently preserve open space.

The Supreme Court rejected that reasoning, finding that the condemned properties themselves were never intended for public use. Instead, the parcels would become the developer’s property without any restrictions requiring they remain open space or otherwise benefit the public.

The Court distinguished the case from landmark U.S. Supreme Court eminent domain decisions, including Kelo v. City of New London, Berman v. Parker, and Hawaii Housing Authority v. Midkiff, all of which involved broader redevelopment or public-purpose plans.

Here, the justices said, Jackson sought to transfer condemned land directly from one private owner to another outside of an integrated public development.

“The compelled transfer from private owner to private developer — from A to B, as Kelo said with disapproval — can raise questions about whether ‘a private purpose was afoot,'” Rabner wrote. The Court warned that allowing such transactions could invite abuse and stray from the constitutional requirement that private property be taken only for a public use.

The justices also sharply criticized the township’s conduct throughout the condemnation process.

Under longstanding New Jersey law, government officials are required to “turn square corners” when dealing with the public by acting honestly and fairly. The Court concluded Jackson failed to meet that standard because its ordinances and communications with the property owners evolved over time and did not clearly disclose that the condemned parcels would ultimately be transferred to a private developer rather than preserved as open space.

“The asserted public purpose for the taking was, at times, vague, inaccurate, and pretextual,” the opinion states.

By the time the Appellate Division ruled against the township in 2025, the land exchange had already occurred, according to Jackson’s attorneys. Because the record does not establish what has happened to the properties since then, the Supreme Court declined to order a specific remedy and instead sent the case back to the trial court to determine what relief should be granted to the property owners.

The decision establishes an important statewide precedent limiting the use of eminent domain in New Jersey. While reaffirming that municipalities may condemn land for recognized public purposes such as parks, open space preservation and redevelopment, the Court made clear that governments cannot seize private property merely to use it as bargaining currency in a land exchange that benefits the public elsewhere.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Mookie Betts has already influenced young players with his play over the years, and now they will be able to wear his glove.

Betts’ glove company, LGND, announced Monday a landmark partnership with Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, naming its glove the official glove of Perfect Game. The partnership will officially launch on July 27.

Betts told FOX Business that “it means a lot” that Perfect Game believed in him and his company.

“It means a lot, man. It shows the belief that they have in my team, me, myself and the team, and what they have obviously, I think it’s really going to affect the young people coming up, cause they can show their personalities,” Betts told FOX Business in a recent interview.  

“They can look and see that hopefully, one day all the big league guys that have the different models and they can aspire to be them.”

Perfect Game Chairman Rick Thurman said the partnership is everything that represents what the youth baseball company is trying to be. 

“This partnership represents everything Perfect Game strives to deliver to athletes, which is access, authenticity and products shaped by the needs of players,” Thurman said in a news release. 

“Mookie is one of the most accomplished and respected players in baseball, but beyond that, he understands what young athletes value. LGND was built with those athletes in mind, and we believe this will redefine expectations for baseball equipment partnerships.”

The launch features premium glove lines, both of which were developed with player performance and feedback in mind. 

The “Mook Series” features Betts’ signature stamped in the palm, his game-worn colorway and the iconic 50 Tri-Star logo embroidered on the thumb, giving players an authentic connection to a future Hall of Famer.

The “MVRK Series” delivers the same premium Japanese leather construction and craftsmanship in a collection designed for players who want professional-level performance with distinctive styling and versatility across multiple positions.

Betts said he has been using the glove all year and said the integrity of the glove has held up. His goal with LGND is to allow young kids to express themselves through a glove, while also ensuring it is well-crafted.

Betts is a four-time World Series champion, American League MVP winner, an eight-time All-Star, a seven-time Silver Slugger and a six-time Gold Glove winner. 

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Dear Matzav Inbox,

I don’t know if I’m the only one who’s bothered by this, but every year it gets worse, and this year I finally couldn’t stay quiet.

What in the world has happened to Tisha B’Av?

We all talk about the churban. We’re supposed to cry over the golus. We lament how far we’ve fallen. But then comes Tisha B’Av, and what do so many people spend the day doing? Sitting in front of a screen watching movie after movie after movie.

Seriously? That’s how we’re mourning the Beis Hamikdash?

People will tell you, “They’re inspirational.” So what?

Let’s be honest: Most of these videos have absolutely nothing to do with the churban. Nothing to do with golus. Nothing to do with Kinnos. Nothing to do with why this day even exists. They’re emotional stories, biographies, historical dramas, or productions with a Jewish message. Nice? Maybe. Appropriate for Tisha B’Av? Since when?

We’ve reached the point where people actually look forward to Tisha B’Av because of the movie lineup.

Read that sentence again.

Isn’t that terrifying?

The day we’re supposed to be mourning the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash has become the day people ask, “Which films are coming out this year?”

Something is very wrong.

I don’t understand the logic. On Tisha B’Av we can’t learn regular Torah because Torah brings simchah. We accept that. We put our seforim away except for the parts we’re allowed to learn.

But somehow sitting in front of a giant screen for hours is perfectly fine? How did we get here?

And please don’t tell me, “It’s better than wasting time.” That’s not the point.

The point is that Tisha B’Av isn’t supposed to entertain us. Even meaningful entertainment is still entertainment. The whole purpose of the day is to sit with the pain. To feel the emptiness. To think about what we lost and why we’re still in golus. If we spend the entire day watching productions, when exactly are we supposed to feel the aveilus?

And that’s before getting into another issue. Some of these productions come from places whose hashkafos are, at the very least, debatable. Have they been reviewed and approved by rabbinic authorities? I know for a fact that 90% of them have not. Who is taking achrayus for what’s shown?

Even the ones that are completely fine still don’t belong on the saddest day of the year if they have nothing to do with the churban.

We’re becoming a generation that can’t sit quietly for even one day.

Everything has to be packaged. Produced. Filmed. Projected onto a giant screen.

Are we really incapable of spending Tisha B’Av with an Eicha, a Kinnos, a meaningful conversation, or simply sitting and thinking?

What are we teaching our children? That the highlight of Tisha B’Av is the feature presentation? Where does this end?

We already have advertisements months in advance. Trailers. Premieres.

Before you know it, people will be voting for their favorite Tisha B’Av film. Maybe we’ll even have Jewish Oscars for “Best Tisha B’Av Movie.” I wonder who’s gonna win “Best Actor.” I wonder if he’ll accept his award while wearing his Tisha B’Av shoes.

It sounds ridiculous.

Years ago, what we’re doing today would also have sounded ridiculous.

I know that some people think that others feel inspired by these films. But good intentions don’t automatically make something appropriate.

Maybe it’s time for all of us to ask a very uncomfortable question: Are these productions helping us mourn the churban or are they helping us avoid mourning the churban?

Those are two very different things.

We’re living in a generation drowning in distractions. Must Tisha B’Av become another one?

It’s a sick world when we can spend hours watching movies on the very day we are supposed to be sitting on the floor crying over the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash.

Maybe instead of asking what new movie is coming out this Tisha B’Av, we should be asking why we’re still in golus. That question is infinitely more important.

UKRAINE (AP) – Ukraine fired more than 400 drones toward Moscow in its latest major attack on the Russian capital, the city’s mayor said Monday.

The blitz came hours after Russia bombarded Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities with ballistic missiles in a relentless cycle of tit-for-tat strikes that make a settlement to end Moscow’s more than 4-year-old all-out invasion appear a distant possibility.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said he would hold “key talks” Monday as he tries to defuse a domestic political crisis, after last week’s government reshuffle exposed a deep split between the military’s old guard and young innovators over how to fight the war.

Zelenskyy needs to reassure Ukrainians that sacrificing 35-year-old Mykhailo Fedorov as defense minister and keeping faith with 60-year-old Soviet-trained Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi as armed forces chief won’t derail the fight against Russia.

Days of street protests in favor of Fedorov and against Syrskyi followed Zelenskyy’s move.

Ukraine hits another Russian oil depot
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said over 400 Ukrainian drones were sent toward the Russian capital from late Sunday until early Monday, with most downed far from the city and 85 intercepted near it.

Moscow regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov said 10 people were wounded by Ukrainian drones, while several residential buildings and civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged.

The attack started a fire at the Yuzhnye Vrata industrial park, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of Moscow, according to Yevgeniya Khrustaleva, the head of the Domodedovo area of the Moscow region.

The Astra news outlet reported the assault also caused a fire at an oil depot in Podolsk, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Moscow, but there was no official confirmation of the strike.

Ukrainian forces hit logistics facilities and an oil depot in the Moscow region, Zelenskyy said, adding that Kyiv’s forces hit two vessels belonging to Russia’s so-called shadow fleet transporting sanctioned oil and four dry cargo ships in the Black Sea.

A drone struck a passenger bus in Shebekino in Russia’s Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, killing five people — four women and a boy — and injuring 23 others, according to acting Gov. Alexander Shuvayev.

It was not possible to independently verify either side’s claims.

Ukraine’s long-range drone technology has evolved during the war, posing a problem for Russia, whose huge land mass is hard to protect fully. Kyiv’s forces have aimed especially at Russian oil facilities, causing fuel shortages and embarrassing Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In May, the Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses downed 1,054 Ukrainian drones in a 24-hour period.

Russia uses ballistic missiles more frequently
As Kyiv pleads with foreign partners to supply it with sophisticated interceptors that can counter Russian ballistic missiles, which are much harder to stop than drones or cruise missiles, Moscow’s forces have sought to take advantage of the weaknesses in Ukraine’s air defenses.

Ballistic missiles fly faster than the speed of sound and can reach Kyiv in minutes, giving air defenses little time to react and civilians to reach shelter.

Russia has stepped up its use of ballistic missiles recently. Ukrainian officials said Sunday that Moscow’s bombardment killed at least six people and wounded dozens.

“Russian forces have launched more ballistic missiles against Ukraine thus far in July than Russia reportedly produces each month,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Sunday.

“Russia appears to be dipping into its stockpiles to continue increasing the number of ballistic missiles it launches against Ukraine, as these missiles have a higher success rate than drones and cruise missiles,” it noted.

Ukraine’s air force said Russia fired two missiles and 94 long-range drones at Ukraine overnight. It said air defenses jammed or intercepted 81 drones, while nine drones and a missile caused damage at nine locations.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday its forces struck fuel tanks in the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa overnight.

A Russian strike on Pavlohrad in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region injured 13 people, according to military administration head Oleksandr Hanzha. Eleven people were hospitalized, including a 13-year-old girl, he added.

A cargo ship attack killed 10 sailors off Odesa
Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority said a cargo vessel under the flag of the West African country of Guinea Bissau was hit by Russian forces on Sunday shortly after it left the port of Odesa, killing 10 of its crew, including five sailors from Syria. Eight people were rescued from the ship, which was carrying Ukrainian corn, it added.

Syria’s General Authority for Borders and Customs said it “strongly condemns the repeated attacks targeting commercial vessels with Syrian sailors and crews aboard in Ukrainian ports and nearby maritime areas in the Black Sea, and the resulting deaths and injuries among Syrian sailors.”

The Syrian statement did not mention Russia. Moscow has built relations with the new Syrian government since former President Bashar Assad was ousted in December 2024 in a rebel offensive led by now-interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A malfunction in an advanced foreign-made production system that led to a shortage of Tnuva cottage cheese has highlighted a much larger challenge confronting Israeli industry. Manufacturers across the country report growing difficulties in bringing foreign technicians to Israel, as many specialists are refusing to travel to install, service, or repair critical industrial equipment.

A review by Ynet found that the problem extends across nearly every major manufacturing sector. Israeli factories rely heavily on imported machinery, making overseas technicians essential not only for installing new production lines but also for maintaining existing operations in industries ranging from steel and plastics to food production, including facilities that manufacture goods for export.

According to manufacturers, Israel’s international isolation is increasingly affecting day-to-day industrial operations. Many companies say foreign firms classify Israel as a war zone, preventing technicians from obtaining insurance coverage for work assignments in the country. In Italy, however, some manufacturers report that labor unions are refusing to allow their members to travel to Israel regardless of insurance considerations.

Asked what steps the Economy Ministry was taking to address the situation, the ministry responded: “The classification of Israel as a war zone is a diplomatic matter and does not fall under the ministry’s authority.”

Dr. Ron Tomer, former president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel and owner of pharmaceutical company Unipharm, said smaller manufacturers lacking strong engineering teams are especially vulnerable.

“We had a new machine worth 20 million shekels ($5.5 million), but with no technicians willing to come, we spent two months installing it remotely with guidance from Germany,” he said. “We had to set up an elaborate camera system so the European technicians could direct our engineering team over Zoom.”

Tomer noted that installation is only part of the challenge, as many sophisticated production systems require ongoing maintenance using proprietary equipment available only through foreign suppliers.

“We managed because we have a strong engineering department, and the supplier located a technician married to an Israeli,” he said. “We covered the cost of bringing him and his wife to Israel for two months, including their accommodation.”

He added that Israel manufactures very little of the specialized machinery used by its factories, leaving the country heavily dependent on overseas suppliers.

“For now, everyone is improvising,” he said. “The public notices only when cottage cheese disappears from supermarket shelves, not when a factory lacks a specialized blade for precision machining. This is an insane crisis that the Foreign Ministry must address.”

Shmuel Donnerstein, owner of the Rav-Bariach Group, described the situation as having severe consequences for new industrial investments. His company is constructing a glass-processing facility that requires dozens of foreign technicians to assemble its production lines. “The technicians are supposed to come from Italy, and they are not coming,” Donnerstein said.

He said efforts to recruit technicians from elsewhere had also failed. “We tried to find technicians from Colombia in South America, but the Population and Immigration Authority would not allow them to enter the country.”

As a result, a factory that had been expected to begin trial operations in July remains delayed. “After we thought everything had calmed down, we bought production lines from Italy, Austria, Spain and China,” he said. “Here too, the technicians do not come, and when they do, they leave as quickly as possible.”

Donnerstein added that one of Rav-Bariach’s door-frame production lines has been idle for a month because an Italian labor union has refused to approve sending technicians to Israel.

“How can you run a production floor when a major fault occurs in the middle of the night?” Donnerstein said. “Under the contract, they are supposed to fly technicians to us, but that is not happening. We try to make the repairs ourselves, but we are not always successful because this is not our field of expertise. Under these conditions, industry can’t operate normally.”

Tzuri Dabush, owner of aluminum systems manufacturer Klil, said his company purchased a new packaging line overseas about a year ago, but it remains unused because the foreign installation team has not arrived.

“The technicians were supposed to install the new line, which we have no experience operating, and to this day it has not been installed because they are waiting for the security situation to calm down,” Dabush said. “It is a major blow. The line cost millions, and all that money is now sitting in crates.”

While the official explanation cites insurance difficulties, Dabush believes fear is the real reason. “But the truth is that they are afraid to come,” he said. “If you were told to fly to Ukraine right now, would you go?”

He warned that the impact on manufacturing represents one of the less visible economic costs of the war. “Manufacturing has been hit extremely hard, and the country will pay for it in the future,” he said. “Some companies are seeing production disrupted, while others are deciding to build new lines abroad.”

Dabush also argued that Israeli industry faces structural disadvantages compared with Western competitors receiving significant government support and claimed some countries have intentionally disrupted Israeli supply chains. “Containers carrying Israeli exports are unloaded at transit ports, supposedly by mistake,” he said. “There are acts of sabotage that no one talks about.”

Avraham “Novo” Novogrotzky, president of the Manufacturers Association of Israel, said the issue has become apparent during visits to factories nationwide. “You see machines that are simply shut down,” he said.

While he believes training Israeli technicians is ultimately necessary, he acknowledged there is currently no comprehensive solution. “Israeli teams need to be trained, but for now there is no solution. Manufacturers that cannot find some kind of workaround are left with a machine that simply does not operate.”

The chairman of Israel’s State Employees Union says Tax Authority workers will not resume operations in Bnei Brak despite a meeting between the city’s mayor and the head of the Israel Tax Authority, insisting that employee safety remains unresolved.

Although Bnei Brak Mayor Chanoch Zeibert met Sunday with Israel Tax Authority Director Shay Aharonovitch and the two sides later issued a joint statement, the State Employees Union made clear that the meeting has not altered its position.

Speaking with Israeli media, State Employees Union chairman Attorney Ofir Elkalei said the union’s directive barring Tax Authority employees from returning to work in Bnei Brak remains fully in effect.

“The blood of Tax Authority employees is not hefker. A highly publicized meeting with the mayor still does not guarantee the safety of Tax Authority employees,” Elkalei said. “Unfortunately, there has been no discussion whatsoever with the workers’ representatives on this issue, and another attack could happen as soon as tomorrow.”

Elkalei stressed that the union’s policy has not changed.

“Therefore, Tax Authority employees will not return to work in the city of Bnei Brak until we know how their safety will be protected while they are carrying out their duties.”

He added that neither the meeting nor the coordinated announcement issued by the municipality and the Tax Authority affects the union’s decision.

“Aharonovitch can go back to work,” Elkalei concluded, “but the employees are not returning to Bnei Brak.”

{Matzav.com}

NEWARK, Calif. — According to an official Form 8-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on July 14, 2026, Lucid Group Inc. stated that reports suggesting the electric vehicle manufacturer was considering Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection or a take-private transaction are “completely false,” adding that the company has sufficient liquidity to fund operations well into next year and has not established any special board committee to evaluate those scenarios.

The filing came after one of the most volatile trading sessions in the company’s history, with Lucid shares plunging more than 50% intraday before recovering part of those losses following the company’s public response. Multiple trading halts were triggered as volatility intensified throughout the session.

The company acknowledged that it has retained AlixPartners, a globally recognized restructuring and operational advisory firm, but emphasized that the engagement is focused solely on improving execution, strengthening operations and positioning the company for long-term growth.

Lucid said AlixPartners has not recommended bankruptcy to management or the Board of Directors and is not evaluating any Chapter 11 filing or privatization strategy. The company further stated that no special committee has been formed to pursue those options.

The clarification followed widespread market speculation that intensified after reports claimed advisers were reviewing strategic alternatives for the luxury electric vehicle manufacturer. Investors reacted swiftly, producing one of the largest single-day declines in the company’s history before Lucid publicly responded.

Although the bankruptcy rumors were rejected, the company continues to face significant operational and financial challenges that have weighed on investor confidence.

Lucid remains in the middle of a broad corporate restructuring under recently appointed Chief Executive Officer Silvio Napoli, who assumed leadership earlier this summer. The company has reduced approximately 18% of its U.S. workforce, streamlined senior management, eliminated executive positions and continues implementing cost-reduction initiatives designed to improve efficiency while supporting future vehicle production.

The automaker has also been managing slower-than-expected demand across the broader electric vehicle market while dealing with production and supplier challenges affecting its Gravity SUV, its newest vehicle expected to play a major role in future revenue growth. Those production issues previously prompted Lucid to suspend its 2026 production outlook as management evaluates manufacturing capacity and supply-chain performance.

Despite those headwinds, Lucid maintains the backing of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which remains the company’s majority shareholder and has continued supporting the automaker through multiple capital raises over recent years.

Lucid reiterated that its liquidity position remains sufficient to support operations well into next year based on resources previously disclosed in its quarterly filings, while management continues focusing on operational improvements rather than financial restructuring.

The sharp market reaction underscores how sensitive investors remain to questions surrounding liquidity and profitability across the electric vehicle sector. Rising interest rates, slowing consumer demand, aggressive pricing competition and continued cash burn have placed increasing pressure on EV manufacturers attempting to scale production while achieving sustainable profitability.

For shareholders, suppliers and industry observers, Lucid’s SEC filing provides the company’s clearest response yet that bankruptcy and privatization are not under consideration. Instead, management says its immediate priorities remain improving manufacturing execution, strengthening operations and positioning the company to capitalize on its proprietary technology and future product lineup.

While Lucid continues to face meaningful business challenges common throughout the EV industry, the company maintains that its current restructuring efforts are designed to improve operational performance rather than prepare for a bankruptcy filing or sale of the business.

JBizNews Desk | Newark, California

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

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on Sunday that he has nominated renowned Jewish-Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgar to serve as Hungary’s interim president following the resignation of President Tamas Sulyok.

Sulyok’s term ended after he signed a constitutional amendment on Saturday, a move tied to Magyar’s broader effort to dismantle the political framework established by former Prime Minister Viktor Orban after Magyar’s sweeping election victory in April.

Hungary’s parliament, where Magyar’s party holds a two-thirds majority, is expected to elect an interim head of state who will serve either until a new constitution is adopted or for a maximum term of five years.

In a Facebook post announcing his choice, Magyar praised Polgar as an ideal candidate for the largely ceremonial role, describing her as someone whose “name has been synonymous with talent and perseverance for decades.”

“Our country needs unity, peace, and a president every Hungarian can take pride in,” Magyar wrote. “The presidency is not simply a position or a job, it is the highest form of public service. The president’s responsibility is to serve and represent every Hungarian citizen.”

He emphasized that Polgar’s international reputation was earned through her remarkable achievements, dedication, integrity, and hard work, not through political affiliations or personal connections.

Magyar said he planned to meet with Polgar to formally ask whether she would accept the appointment, adding that it would be “a great honor” if she agreed to lead the country until the adoption of Hungary’s new constitution.

Widely regarded as the strongest female chess player in history, Polgar rose to global prominence after helping Hungary’s women’s team capture the 1988 Chess Olympiad title, ending the Soviet Union’s long-standing dominance of the competition. She later broke barriers by competing regularly in elite open tournaments against male grandmasters and became the only woman ever to surpass the prestigious 2700 Elo rating, a benchmark reserved for the world’s elite “Super Grandmasters.” Earlier this year, Polgar’s remarkable career was spotlighted in the Netflix documentary Queen of Chess.

As of Sunday, Polgar had not publicly responded to Magyar’s nomination.

The Degel HaTorah party on Monday afternoon responded sharply to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s statements rejecting remarks made by HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau regarding the Religious Zionist community.

The incident began when a video leaked on Sunday night of HaRav Landau meeting with Mir Rosh Yeshivah HaRav Eliezer Yehuda Finkel and the yeshivah’s Mashgiach, HaRav Binyamin Finkel.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

During the conversation, HaRav Landau said: “The reshaim are here—what can you do? There are reshaim, including among those who wear knitted kippahs, no less than the others. I’m talking about those in the knitted kippah community who insist on going if the state orders it. I would ask them, according to their own approach—which is no approach at all, according to their foolishness—if the state sends soldiers to war for the honor of the state and people are killed, is that also permitted? That is actual murder. They are inciting murder. They wage wars not only for survival, but for the honor of the state.”

Netanyahu then issued an official statement voicing his support for IDF soldiers, saying that “IDF soldiers-religious, secular, and Chareidim-leave their homes, work, and families and risk their lives in order to protect the state of Israel.”

It should be noted that HaRav Landau did not criticize IDF soldiers fighting to protect Israel but criticized false ideologies that place soldiers’ lives at risk for unjustified reasons according to the Torah.

In response, the Degel HaTorah party issued a statement declaring that “the words of the Gedolei Yisrael are the Kodesh HaKedoshim for Am Yisrael and we live by them. Those who do not live the Olam HaTorah and don’t understand the depth of their words would do well not to rush to interpret them, and certainly not to attack them. Beware of their burning coals.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., blasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Sunday over the mayor’s suggestion that local authorities could attempt to arrest Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu during his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, dismissing the proposal as both unrealistic and outside the mayor’s authority.

Speaking on Fox News, Fetterman ridiculed Mamdani’s remarks, arguing that the mayor has neither the legal power nor the jurisdiction to carry out such an action.

“[He’s] such a tough guy to say that kind of thing. He has no way to do that,” Fetterman said, adding, “America’s not even part of that corrupt court,” referring to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu.

Fetterman went on to urge the mayor to focus on problems facing New York City rather than international affairs.

“He’s just a clown to even say that, so he won’t try that. Just sit down and focus on other… problems that they have in New York. That’s really not your purview. You and I know that. Sit down.”

The senator’s comments came after Mamdani told The New York Times that his administration is examining whether city officials possess the legal authority to detain Netanyahu during the Israeli leader’s expected appearance at the U.N. General Assembly. Mamdani called Netanyahu a “war criminal” and said he “belongs in The Hague.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office fired back Sunday with a sharply worded statement rejecting both the ICC’s authority and Mamdani’s remarks.

“The ICC is a kangaroo court that has no jurisdiction over Americans or Israelis. Its bogus arrest warrant against Prime Minister Netanyahu was issued by a disgraced former ICC Prosecutor, Karim Khan, a few days before allegations of sexual misconduct against him became public. It was a clear attempt by Khan to divert public attention and seek protection from scrutiny.”

The statement also accused Mamdani of attempting to distract from local issues by targeting Israel.

“Instead of backing Khan’s criminal behaviour, Mr. Mamdani should focus on fixing the damage his policies have caused New York. Like Karim Khan, Mamdani appears interested in diverting public attention from his follies and attacking the leader of the Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.”

The United States is not a party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court, and therefore does not recognize the court’s jurisdiction over American citizens or allied nations such as Israel.

Fetterman, who has emerged as one of Israel’s strongest supporters among congressional Democrats, has increasingly found himself at odds with the progressive wing of his party over Middle East policy. During Sunday’s interview, he also reflected on his close friendship with the late Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, praising both his bipartisan approach and unwavering support for Israel. Graham’s sister is now being encouraged to seek the Senate seat he vacated.

“I’m proud to call Senator Graham as a friend. You know, we bonded over our love and devotion to Israel. You know, the Senator, he was working on important, important work. Yeah, he was a great American. It doesn’t mean that he was just a Republican. That doesn’t change that he’s a great American,” said Fetterman.

He continued by praising Graham’s work ethic and willingness to work across party lines.

“If anything, that poor man worked to death. He was always committed to get things done and work together. You know, he was a very bipartisan guy. Yeah, there might be some professional wrestling kind of stuff in public, but in privately, he was always the first guy to cross the bridge and to find a way forward and be very, very agreeable. You know, you can’t fill those shoes without a doubt, but I think it’s also fantastic that his sister now, it seems like she’s going to be able to carry on that legacy.”

Fetterman concluded by warning that if the Democratic Party continues embracing anti-Israel voices, he may ultimately reconsider whether he still belongs in the party.

“That would force me to kind of reevaluate should I remain as a Democrat,” he shared, later adding, “If we became the kind of party that would embrace someone like Hasan Piker, maybe my party doesn’t want like a reasonable commonsense kind of Democrat that reminds people that standing with Israel… used to be part of our core values and one of the reasons why I’ve been I’m proud to be a Democrat.”20

According to trading activity across the Nasdaq, the Philadelphia Semiconductor Index, and major global exchanges on Friday, July 17, investors continued selling artificial intelligence and semiconductor stocks for a third consecutive session despite strong corporate earnings and robust demand for AI infrastructure. The broad retreat reflects a sharp shift in investor sentiment as markets begin questioning whether the enormous capital being invested in artificial intelligence will generate returns quickly enough to justify record valuations. The sell-off has spread from the United States into Asia and Europe, making it one of the largest synchronized declines in AI-related equities this year.

Unlike previous technology corrections that were triggered by weak earnings or slowing demand, this week’s decline comes despite continued evidence that AI spending remains exceptionally strong. Companies throughout the semiconductor supply chain continue reporting healthy order books, expanding manufacturing capacity and investing billions of dollars to meet expected demand for advanced chips powering data centers, cloud computing and generative artificial intelligence.

Instead, investors are increasingly reassessing how much future growth has already been priced into technology stocks after one of the strongest AI-driven rallies in market history.

The selling accelerated after several semiconductor companies reported strong financial results that nevertheless failed to excite investors. Even companies exceeding earnings expectations found themselves under pressure as markets focused less on current performance and more on whether future revenue growth can continue matching the extraordinary pace investors have come to expect.

Adding to market uncertainty was the introduction of a major new open-source artificial intelligence model from China, reinforcing investor concerns that global competition could accelerate faster than anticipated and potentially reduce the enormous computing requirements many analysts previously projected. Some investors now believe the next generation of AI models may become more efficient, requiring fewer high-end processors than originally expected and potentially slowing the pace of future hardware spending.

Profit-taking has also become an important factor.

Many semiconductor companies entered July trading at or near historic highs following months of extraordinary gains fueled by enthusiasm surrounding artificial intelligence. With valuations stretched across much of the sector, institutional investors have increasingly chosen to lock in profits rather than wait for additional catalysts. Analysts noted that market expectations had become so elevated that even outstanding earnings reports were no longer sufficient to push many technology shares higher.

The weakness has spread well beyond individual companies.

The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index has now fallen sharply from its recent record high, while major semiconductor manufacturers across the United States, Taiwan and Japan have all experienced significant declines during the past several trading sessions. The pullback has weighed heavily on broader technology indexes because chipmakers represent some of the largest components of modern equity portfolios.

For businesses, however, the market correction does not necessarily signal weaker demand for artificial intelligence.

Corporate investment in AI infrastructure remains substantial as companies continue deploying generative AI across customer service, cybersecurity, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing and logistics. Cloud providers are still investing billions of dollars in expanding data-center capacity, while enterprises continue integrating AI into daily operations to improve productivity and reduce costs.

That distinction has become increasingly important.

Wall Street is no longer debating whether artificial intelligence will transform business. Instead, investors are debating how quickly companies developing the technology will convert massive capital expenditures into sustained profitability. Markets appear to be shifting from rewarding AI exposure alone to demanding stronger financial returns, clearer monetization strategies and disciplined spending.

Geopolitical developments have added another layer of uncertainty. Rising tensions in the Middle East, combined with higher energy prices, have encouraged investors to rotate toward more defensive sectors while reducing exposure to higher-growth technology companies. At the same time, growing competition between the United States and China in artificial intelligence continues influencing investor expectations for the global semiconductor industry.

Attention now turns to the next wave of technology earnings, where investors will closely examine executive commentary on AI spending, customer demand and future capital investment. Those reports could determine whether this week’s decline represents a temporary correction following an extraordinary rally or the beginning of a broader reassessment of artificial intelligence valuations across global markets.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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A serious accident involving a Toms River Township truck has shut a portion of New Hampshire Avenue in Toms River.

The accident happened at the intersection of New Hampshire Ave. and Silverton Road.

No serious injuries are being reported.

Expect delays in the area.

Walmart announced Monday, July 20, 2026, that it is expanding price reductions across thousands of products, extending discounts on groceries, household essentials, health and beauty products, seasonal merchandise, and back-to-school supplies as consumers remain focused on managing everyday expenses. The retailer said the latest savings initiative is aimed at helping customers navigate higher living costs while remaining competitive during one of the busiest shopping periods of the year.

The announcement comes as retailers across the country compete aggressively for shoppers who have become increasingly price conscious. While inflation has moderated compared with recent years, many American families continue to face elevated costs for housing, insurance, utilities, and groceries, making value-oriented shopping a top priority.

Walmart said customers will find lower prices on a broad range of products, including fresh food, beverages, snacks, cleaning supplies, laundry detergent, paper products, toiletries, baby items, toys, outdoor recreation equipment, and summer seasonal merchandise. The company is also increasing promotions on school supplies, backpacks, electronics, and dorm essentials as the back-to-school shopping season begins.

Industry analysts say major retailers are relying more heavily on promotional pricing to maintain customer traffic as consumers become increasingly selective about discretionary purchases. Shoppers are comparing prices more frequently and looking for greater value, particularly on everyday necessities.

Retail sales have remained relatively resilient, supported by steady employment and wage growth, but consumer behavior has shifted noticeably toward discount retailers and warehouse clubs. Large chains with strong purchasing power have been able to negotiate lower supplier costs and use those savings to attract customers with competitive pricing.

For consumers, the latest price reductions provide an opportunity to lower household expenses during the summer shopping season. Families preparing for the upcoming school year may particularly benefit from expanded discounts on school supplies and children’s apparel, while savings on groceries and household necessities could help offset continued pressure from higher housing and utility costs.

Retail experts expect promotional activity to remain elevated through the remainder of the summer and into the fall as retailers compete for consumer spending ahead of the holiday shopping season.

JBizNews Desk | Bentonville, Arkansas

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene sharply criticized Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he honored two U.S. service members killed in Jordan during Iranian attacks, arguing that describing their deaths as a “sacrifice” was inappropriate and accusing the Trump administration of dragging America into a war on Israel’s behalf.

Hegseth posted a tribute to the fallen troops on X, writing, “Godspeed, heroes. Their sacrifice only stiffens our resolve.”

Greene reacted angrily, rejecting Hegseth’s characterization of their deaths.

“Sacrifice?? What … are you talking about?? They did not willingly sacrifice themselves. They were killed because of the war you, Trump, and the admin, are waging on behalf of a FOREIGN COUNTRY, Israel,” Greene wrote in a response on X.

“You mean their deaths fuel your bloodlust for a senseless war,” she added.

The Georgia Republican has become increasingly vocal in her criticism of the Trump administration since leaving Congress.

The conflict with Iran has been one of her primary points of disagreement. Greene has repeatedly argued that President Trump campaigned on a promise to avoid new foreign wars. According to The Associated Press, 17 American service members have been killed during the conflict.

Greene has joined other conservative figures, including Tucker Carlson and Megyn Kelly, in asserting that the administration entered the war with Iran to benefit Israel, an allegation President Trump has rejected.

In another post on X, Greene wrote, “This war was started for Israel and is now all about the Strait of Hormuz and control of oil. And there seems to be no end in sight, with the bombing now including power facilities and desalination plants in Iran and Kuwait. Countless innocent people’s lives will be at risk without power and especially water.”

Vice President JD Vance said he believes some members of the Israeli government oppose the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran that was intended to establish a temporary ceasefire.

“There are some people within their system, we know beyond a shadow of a doubt, who are manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely,” Vance said during an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast.

“Not toward any objective, but just indefinitely,” he added.

Despite her concerns about outside influences, Greene urged President Trump to bring the conflict to an end, calling the war “evil.”

“This is evil. Most Americans hate our government dragging us into foreign wars and are disgusted we are in another senseless pointless war. Most Americans want our government to be focused on solving problems at home and helping Americans,” Greene added.

“I cannot believe this is where we are after all the America First promises were made in 2024.”

{Matzav.com}

A new study from the Department of Health and Human Services shows that policies in President Donald Trump’s first administration helped lower some patients’ insulin costs below $35 for a 30-day supply.

FOX Business obtained a copy of the new report set to be released as early as Monday. It shows the executive orders signed by Trump in his first term helped push the price of insulin lower.

Trump signed four executive orders aimed at lowering costs of the life-saving treatment on July 24, 2020. The first ordered federally qualified health centers to pass along discounts received by drugmakers, instead of pocketing the benefit. The second allowed state health plans to import “safe” insulin and create a pathway for personal importation waivers at authorized pharmacies. The third banned secret deals with healthcare middlemen so drug manufacturing discounts go directly to customers. The fourth mandated that U.S. consumers pay the lowest price paid by other countries and opened the door for Medicare to negotiate terms of insulin payments.

A chart tracking the commercial and Medicare cost of insulin doses shows the policies contributed and almost immediately started lowering the cost of the medication. In fact, well before former President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law in 2022, the price of a 30-day dose had fallen well below $35. The Act placed a cap on insulin at $35, and the former president often took credit for lowering the cost of the medications.

“While Joe Biden tried taking credit for $35 insulin, the data is clear: this was President Trump’s success alone, and the second Trump administration continues to harness competition and consumer empowerment with TrumpRx to deliver more relief for everyday Americans,” White House senior deputy press secretary Kush Desai said in a statement.

Adam Gluck, the head of U.S. corporate affairs at Sanofi, said during an announcement of $35 insulin doses in September 2025 that “We will continue to work with policymakers and stakeholders across the healthcare system on additional sustainable, long-term solutions to improve access to medicines.”

Novo Nordisk, in January 2024, said: “Novo Nordisk recognizes that some patients find it difficult to pay for healthcare, including insulin. As such, the Company remains committed to reducing the burden of out-of-pocket costs, helping transform the complex pricing system, and fostering better pricing predictability.”

The Trump administration believes the introduction of TrumpRx.gov and use of its tariff policies will further reduce the cost of insulin in the future.

According to the U.S. Supreme Court and subsequent proceedings before the U.S. Court of International Trade, emergency tariffs imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) were ruled unlawful, ending the government’s authority to continue collecting those duties. Months later, however, many businesses that paid the tariffs are still awaiting refunds, leaving billions of dollars tied up while federal agencies work through the legal and administrative process.

For importers, manufacturers and distributors, the delay has become more than a legal dispute. It is a cash-flow issue affecting working capital, inventory purchases and investment decisions across multiple industries.

The Supreme Court’s ruling concluded that the IEEPA does not authorize a president to impose broad-based tariffs. While the decision halted the collection of those duties, it did not establish an automatic refund process for businesses that had already paid them.

That responsibility shifted to the U.S. Court of International Trade, which has been overseeing how refunds should be administered. Early court actions directed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to begin developing a process for returning improperly collected duties, but implementation has taken longer than many businesses expected as legal questions and administrative procedures continue to be resolved.

The result is an unusual situation.

Thousands of companies paid tariffs that were later found to lack legal authority, yet many have not recovered those funds. For some importers, the amounts involved represent millions of dollars that otherwise could have been used to purchase inventory, expand operations, hire employees or reduce borrowing.

Small and mid-sized businesses have been particularly affected.

Unlike large multinational corporations with dedicated trade counsel and stronger balance sheets, many smaller importers rely heavily on available cash to finance shipments. Delayed refunds effectively leave those businesses financing money that courts have determined should no longer have been collected.

The uncertainty also complicates financial planning.

Companies must determine whether to recognize potential refunds as future assets while continuing to manage day-to-day operating expenses without knowing when those funds will actually be returned.

The Supreme Court’s decision, however, did not eliminate tariffs as a broader trade policy tool.

While the IEEPA authority was rejected, other statutory authorities remain available to the executive branch. Tariffs imposed under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, covering products determined to affect national security, and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, addressing unfair trade practices, continue to serve as the principal mechanisms for imposing import duties.

Those authorities remain active across multiple industries, including steel, aluminum and other strategically important products.

For businesses, the practical consequence is straightforward.

Although one category of tariffs has been invalidated, tariffs themselves have not disappeared. Importers must continue monitoring evolving trade policy while separately pursuing refunds for duties collected under the authority that the Supreme Court struck down.

Trade attorneys advise companies to maintain complete documentation of every affected import entry, duty payment and customs filing while the refund process continues. Businesses that cannot readily document their claims may face longer delays once refunds begin moving through the administrative system.

The case also illustrates how trade policy increasingly influences business planning.

Tariffs affect not only import costs but pricing, supplier relationships, inventory management and long-term capital investment. Sudden changes in trade policy can reshape purchasing decisions across industries ranging from manufacturing and construction to consumer goods and retail.

For executives, the current situation reinforces the importance of monitoring legal developments alongside economic policy. Court decisions can significantly alter the cost of doing business, but administrative implementation often takes considerably longer than the legal ruling itself.

Many companies now find themselves in precisely that position—having won an important legal victory while continuing to wait for its financial benefits.

Until refund procedures are finalized and payments begin flowing, billions of dollars that businesses believe should be returned will remain tied up in the federal administrative process.

For importers, the most immediate priority is ensuring their records are complete and their claims are ready when the government completes the refund mechanism. Businesses that prepare now are likely to be in a stronger position once the process formally begins.

The Supreme Court settled the legal question.

The financial question—when businesses will actually receive their money—remains unanswered.

JBizNews Desk | Washington

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Thousands of Gerer chassidim are expected to gather tonight outside the gates of Military Prison 10 for a massive atzeres tefillah and protest following the arrest of a bochur from Yeshivas Sefas Emes. The demonstration will be led by the Gerer Rebbe, while organizers have issued repeated appeals for participants to conduct themselves peacefully and avoid any confrontation.

The rally is being held in response to the imprisonment of Yisroel Reuven Fine, a bochur from Yeshivas Sefas Emes, who was incarcerated after appearing at the military draft office on three consecutive occasions in an effort to regularize his status.

The gathering is scheduled to begin at 9:30 p.m. with Maariv. The tefillah will be led by longtime Gerer askan Motty Babchik, who is currently observing the year of aveilus following the passing of his father, Rav Ben Zion Babchik zt”l. Following Maariv, the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chiddushei HaRim, Rav Meir Flakser, will deliver divrei hisorerus to the assembled crowd.

Ahead of the rally, Reb Itche Meir Tauman, the administrator of the Gerer bais medrash, sent a recorded message to thousands of chassidim, urging them to participate.

“With the help of Siyata DiShmaya, the tzibbur of those who fear the word of Hashem are called to an atzeres tefillah and outcry tomorrow, Monday, Parshas Va’eschanan, at 9:30 p.m. near Prison 10, to protest the humiliation of the Torah and the desecration of Kavod Shomayim,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of maintaining order throughout the event.

“It is חובה to obey the instructions of the marshals and under no circumstances to resort to violence. The adults should keep watch over the younger participants. We have promised that we will not enter the courtyards of private homes or damage city property. After the rally, everyone should disperse quietly. Please bring Tehillim and water.”

The organizing committee likewise called on the public to attend, saying the gathering represents “the cry of an entire community” over the imprisonment of bnei yeshiva whose only desire is to devote themselves to Torah learning.

According to organizers, “The rally expresses the outcry of an entire tzibbur over the reality that in Eretz Yisroel, bnei yeshiva whose sole desire is to sit and learn Torah are being imprisoned. We call upon the entire public to participate in this atzeres tefillah and outcry.”

The arrest that prompted the demonstration stems from an unusual series of events involving the young bochur. According to sources within Ger, his original draft appointment was scheduled for last Monday. He reported as instructed but mistakenly went to the draft office in Yerushalayim rather than the office in Haifa where he had been assigned.

Officials in Yerushalayim directed him to Haifa, but by the time he arrived, the office had closed for the day. He was instructed to return the following day.

He returned to the Haifa draft office on Tuesday, but according to those close to him, his processing was not completed and he was once again sent home with instructions to return on Wednesday.

When he appeared for the third consecutive day, military officials informed him that because two days had passed since his original reporting date, he had already been classified as a draft evader. He was immediately arrested and sentenced to 20 days in military prison.

At the same time, Ger is preparing to broaden its campaign against the arrests of bnei yeshiva. During an unusual meeting Sunday between the Gerer Rebbe and Eidah HaChareidis askan Shimon Shisha, the two discussed additional steps that could be taken and the possibility of expanding the protests to other locations.

During that meeting, the Rebbe reportedly instructed that a forceful message be conveyed to military officials.

“We are going to war without gloves.”

According to information obtained by Matzav.com, one of the primary targets being considered for future demonstrations is the Meitav induction unit and military draft offices throughout the country. For now, however, organizers have decided to focus on tonight’s atzeres tefillah outside Prison 10.

Tonight’s gathering will be the second major Ger protest outside Military Prison 10 in approximately one month. The previous rally, also led by the Gerer Rebbe, drew thousands of chassidim, who recited Minchah, said chapters of Tehillim, and cried out over the continued imprisonment of bnei yeshiva.

The demonstration follows last week’s massive protest organized by Sanzer chassidim outside the same military prison after two members of the kehilla were arrested. That rally was likewise led by the Sanzer Rebbe and attended by thousands of chassidim who gathered for tefillah and protest. Following that demonstration, one of the detainees, avreich Avrohom Tzvi Shemerler, was released, while the second detainee remains incarcerated.

{Matzav.com}

Large wooden roof beams burned during the destruction of First Beis Hamikdash-period Yerushalayim have been uncovered in the City of David, archaeologists announced Monday. The beams were found at the Givati Parking Lot excavation in a destruction layer associated with the Babylonian conquest of Yerushalayim in 586 BCE.

Excavation director Dr. Efrat Bocher said the beams likely supported the roof of an internal courtyard before collapsing during the fire. “It appears that these beams, which were probably used to roof an internal courtyard in a First Temple-period building, collapsed onto the building’s floor during the destruction,” she said. “We believe that plaster covering the walls melted during the fire, covered the charred wooden beams and helped preserve them so exceptionally.”

The discovery is considered unusual because wood rarely survives in Israel with a substantial number of visible growth rings. Dr. Johanna Regev of the Israel Antiquities Authority said the thick beams could allow researchers to narrow the dating of the building and its destruction to approximately 10 years. Scientific analysis remains underway, and researchers have not yet independently confirmed the exact year the beams burned.

The beams were found inside a large First Beis Hamikdash-period structure whose purpose remains unknown, though archaeologists believe it may have served an important public or administrative function. Excavation directors Dr. Yiftah Shalev and Prof. Yuval Gadot said the evidence shows the building “was deliberately burned and collapsed all at once.”

Residents later returned during the Persian period, blocking the ruined section while continuing to live elsewhere in the structure. Archaeologists believe part of the destruction may have been deliberately preserved as a place of memory. The building previously yielded a seal impression reading “Natan-Melech, Servant of the King,” a name also appearing in the Sefer Melachim.

Announced shortly before Tisha B’Av, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said: “On the eve of Tisha B’Av, this discovery reminds us that our connection to Yerushalayim is not only one of faith, but also of history, archaeology and national memory. Our responsibility is to continue uncovering the truth, preserving it and proudly passing it on to future generations.”

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel’s Red Heifer Project has reached a significant new milestone in its effort to produce a new generation of halachically valid red heifers.

The Red Heifer Visitor Center in Ancient Shiloh announced on Monday that it has begun a controlled artificial insemination program involving two cows. The initiative is intended to secure the future of the halachic project, which originally centered on four red heifers imported from the United States.

Over time, the original animals have changed. Two of the four heifers were disqualified for halachic use after black and white hairs appeared in their coats. The two remaining completely red (“tamimot” – without blemish) heifers have now reached approximately four years of age.

Although Jewish law does not set a formal age limit for a red heifer, researchers at the Red Heifer Center decided not to take unnecessary risks and instead prepare for the future. The current breeding program uses advanced genetic research and modern reproductive techniques to maximize the chances of producing female calves with entirely red coats that would meet the halachic requirements.

Interestingly, the insemination is being carried out using the two heifers that were already disqualified, as scientific studies indicate that, when paired with carefully selected genetic material, they still have a high likelihood of producing offspring that could be fully qualified under Jewish law.

Project officials emphasized that all of the cattle are raised under strict veterinary and halachic supervision, combining scientific expertise with religious requirements to prevent any injury or blemish that could invalidate a future red heifer.

They contrasted this with a separate case involving a red heifer recently discovered in the Golan Heights whose ear was pierced for identification purposes—a procedure that raised complex halachic questions about whether it rendered the animal unfit.

Representatives of the center explained the broader purpose of the project:

“From the very beginning, our goal has been to study and prepare red heifers for the day when it becomes possible to perform the purification ritual on the Mount of Olives in accordance with halacha. Especially during these days, when we commemorate the destruction of the Holy Temple, we are preparing for the day when it can be rebuilt in a state of ritual purity.”

There is a halachic dispute regarding the possibility of bringing a red heifer prior to the construction of the Third Temple. Some views maintain that the heifer must be prepared opposite the entrance to the Temple, and when there is no Temple this cannot be done, while others do not require this stipulation, which is not mentioned in the Rambam. Other prerequisites include preparing the red heifer using people who have never been contaminated by proximity to dead people, and for this purpose some have suggested raising children in secluded communities where they will be pure, enabling them to perform the basic aspects of preparation.