OpenAI confirmed in a post earlier this week that it agreed to a White House request to release its next model, GPT-5.6, only to a small group of government-approved partners, citing the model’s advanced capabilities. The request came from the White House’s Office of the National Cyber Director and Office of Science and Technology Policy, according to a source familiar with the matter, and marks the first time the U.S. government has preemptively asked an American AI company to hold back a model before launch.

The move puts a major business decision in the hands of Washington at a moment when the rules for advanced AI are still being written.

The request followed talks between OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who wanted to be sure the relevant parts of the government had tested and approved the model. A source told Axios the government stepped in because GPT-5.6 has “Mythos-like” capability — a reference to the advanced systems from rival Anthropic.

That comparison matters because of what happened to Anthropic just days earlier. The administration placed an export control order on the company, which led it to pull its most advanced models, Mythos and Fable. Those models had stirred fears in Washington and on Wall Street over their cybersecurity abilities and the safety risks that could follow.

OpenAI made clear it does not want this to become the norm. In its Friday post, the company said this kind of government access process should not become the long-term default, warning it keeps the best tools from users, developers, businesses, cyber defenders and global partners who need them. In an internal memo first reported by The Information, Altman said the government is approving access customer by customer, and that the company would push for a more sustainable approach for future releases. OpenAI said it hopes to make the model widely available in the coming weeks.

For the AI business, the bigger problem is confusion over who is actually in charge. The request to OpenAI came from the White House, while the export control order on Anthropic came from the Commerce Department. President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier in June asking AI companies with advanced models to voluntarily submit them for government review 30 days before release, but the framework for that review has not been built. In the meantime, companies are unsure which agency is directing AI regulation.

That uncertainty carries a real cost for the industry. Companies pour billions into building and launching these models, and a launch that can be paused or narrowed at the government’s request changes the math for investors, enterprise customers and developers who plan their own products around release dates. A model that only a handful of approved users can touch generates far less revenue than one sold broadly.

The policy reversal is striking. The administration started out hands-off on AI, scrapping Biden-era rules that required safety reviews of frontier models. It has since shifted hard the other way — clashing with Anthropic, blocking foreign nationals from its most advanced systems, and imposing nominally voluntary reviews.

Safety advocates say government involvement is appropriate but the process needs to be transparent. Brad Carson, who leads the pro-AI-safety group Public First, said the Fable episode shows the need for clear rules and warned that the current approach is ad hoc and opaque. He said it is fair for the government to recall a dangerous product, including an AI model, but it has to be done with basic fairness.

For now, businesses building on these tools are left waiting. OpenAI says it will keep working with the administration to find a steadier path for future launches. Until there is a clear referee, every major model release becomes a negotiation with Washington — and that is a new kind of risk for one of the fastest-growing industries in the country.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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Federal investigators have concluded that every kidnapping-related message that surfaced in connection with the disappearance of “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie’s mother was fraudulent, according to an FBI official familiar with the investigation.

The determination applies to the two purported ransom notes that emerged shortly after 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie disappeared, as well as a third message sent more recently by someone claiming to know who was responsible for the alleged abduction, the official told Reuters.

“None of the ransom notes are believed to be genuine,” the FBI official said, speaking anonymously because the investigation remains ongoing.

A second law enforcement source with knowledge of the case confirmed the FBI’s assessment that the notes were not authentic.

The finding casts fresh uncertainty over one of the central assumptions surrounding the investigation—that Nancy Guthrie was kidnapped in exchange for ransom. Two of the three communications had previously been widely reported as legitimate demands from abductors.

The Pima County Sheriff’s Department, which continues to oversee the overall investigation, declined to discuss the FBI’s conclusions. Sheriff’s spokeswoman Angelica Carrillo said the agency had agreed to direct all questions about the ransom notes to the FBI.

“We don’t have any updates, other than this ⁠is still an active investigation,” Carrillo said. She added that DNA evidence and surveillance footage collected during the investigation “remain under forensic analysis.”

Each of the three messages was first sent to media organizations—including TMZ—before ultimately being turned over to investigators. Savannah Guthrie has repeatedly referenced the ransom demands in emotional videos posted online with her siblings, pleading for anyone holding their mother to contact the family directly. In one appeal, she declared, “we will pay.”

Nancy Guthrie, who was 84 and reportedly suffered from significant health problems that limited her mobility, was last seen at her Tucson, Arizona, home on January 31 after spending the evening with her daughter Annie Guthrie and son-in-law.

Although the FBI has been responsible for analyzing the alleged ransom communications, the bureau had previously declined to publicly address whether any of them appeared credible. According to the official, investigators determined that the first two notes originated from the same sender, though authorities have not disclosed how they reached that conclusion.

TMZ reported that the first note demanded a cryptocurrency payment worth “in the millions” and established payment deadlines of February 5 and February 9. NBC News later reported that the second note claimed Nancy Guthrie had died and mentioned no payment demand or offer to return her body.

Investigators also attempted to verify the legitimacy of the first ransom demand by transferring a small amount of cryptocurrency to the digital wallet specified in the message. According to the FBI official, the funds remained untouched and were never withdrawn.

That unsuccessful test, along with additional investigative techniques that have not been disclosed, led the FBI to conclude that while the first two messages came from the same source, the sender was not actually connected to Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance.

Authorities also dismissed a third communication received by TMZ last week. The sender claimed to know the identities of Nancy Guthrie’s kidnappers and said they possessed video of the “main guy” involved in the abduction, as well as footage of the victim on the day she allegedly died.

The FBI declined to explain what evidence led investigators to determine that the third message was also fabricated.

After NBC News reported on the latest ransom communication, Savannah Guthrie used her “Today” platform to once again appeal for information about her mother’s whereabouts. She urged anyone with knowledge of the case to come forward and reminded viewers that her family is offering a $1 million reward for information, describing the family as living in “agony” since Nancy Guthrie disappeared.

Soon after the disappearance, investigators confirmed that blood discovered on the front porch of Nancy Guthrie’s home was identified through DNA testing as hers.

Public attention surrounding the case has diminished since mid-February, when the FBI and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department released surveillance video showing an armed individual wearing a ski mask tampering with Nancy Guthrie’s doorbell camera shortly before she vanished.

Investigators later recovered a glove near the residence that resembled those worn by the masked individual. However, DNA recovered from the glove did not match any known genetic profiles in the national law enforcement database.

Despite the lack of major breakthroughs, Savannah Guthrie has said her family continues “blowing on the embers of hope” that her mother is still alive, while acknowledging the painful possibility that “she may already be gone.”

{Matzav.com}

Shas MK MK Yinon Azoulay lashed out on Tuesday at Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon during a Knesset discussion on halting the arrests of bnei yeshivos, telling him that he will have blood on his hands if a civil war breaks out in Israel, chalilah.

“You and your Attorney General will bring about a civil war and bloodshed,” Azoulay exploded. “The blood will be on your hands. Why are you smiling? Shame on you!”

“Just once, be flexible and understand the gravity of the moment. What do you want? Bloodshed? Murder in the streets? Rise above yourselves. What have we come to? A Lomeid Torah in the State of Israel is afraid to walk the streets and has to disguise himself out of fear he’ll be arrested.”

‘The director of Netzach Yehuda was here and said that the arrests only harm the enlistment process. We want to create a temporary arrangement to stop the arrests only for those who sit and learn Torah, to stop the madness and hatred and prevent a civil war.’”

“If you could stop air and oxygen for the Chareidim and suffocate them—you would do it,” Azoulay added.

Last month, Azoulay said that Limon is the main culprit behind the sanctions against the Chareidi sector, and he directs Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in her relentless persecution of the Chareidi sector.

“She is carrying out his bidding. He is the brain behind everything,” he said. “The only thing running through his backbone is hatred—hatred for the Chareidim, the right, and Netanyahu.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Hundreds of avreichim from Vizhnitz-Mercaz held a unique protest Wednesday outside Israel’s Attorney General’s Office in Yerushalayim, establishing a temporary outdoor bais medrash as part of a demonstration against the persecution of lomdei Torah and the arrests of yeshiva Bochrim.

The protest, titled “Zaakas HaTorah,” took place outside the Attorney General’s offices on Wolfson Street in the Government Complex. Participants arrived carrying Gemaros, shtenders, and protest signs before davening Mincha and beginning a public Seder that lasted approximately an hour.

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Organizers said the demonstration was intended to convey that Torah learning would continue despite increasing pressure on the Torah world.

“The message is clear: Those who learn Torah will not be broken—not in the heat or the cold, not in an air-conditioned bais medrash and not behind prison bars,” organizers said. “Klal Yisroel will continue learning Torah with mesirus nefesh, because ‘Ki Heim Chayeinu V’Orech Yameinu U’Vahem Nehegeh Yomam VaLaylah.'”

The protest was held with the approval and coordination of Israel Police. It comes amid growing demonstrations across Eretz Yisroel over the arrests of bnei yeshiva and the ongoing dispute surrounding military conscription.

VIDEO AND PHOTOS FOR YWN BY REUVEN BIALA

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

President Donald Trump has decided not to extend the USMCA trade agreement and will instead pursue independent trade deals with Canada and Mexico, FOX Business has learned.

Wednesday marked the deadline for the six-year review, and a Trump administration official told FOX Business that the president opted against extending the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

The official indicated that Trump will instead pursue separate deals with Canada and Mexico that last for up to 10 years.

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

Former Vice President Kamala Harris has privately reached out to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and several prominent pro-Palestinian activists in recent weeks, according to Axios, in what is being viewed as her latest effort to strengthen ties with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing as speculation grows about a possible 2028 presidential campaign.

Last Thursday, Harris called Mamdani to discuss the future of the Democratic Party and arrange a longer conversation, according to a person familiar with the call. The outreach came just two days after three congressional candidates backed by Mamdani swept Democratic primaries in New York City, defeating two incumbent lawmakers and underscoring the growing influence of the party’s democratic socialist wing.

Harris has also held private meetings with progressive figures critical of U.S. support for Israel, including Abbas Alawieh, a Michigan Democratic state Senate candidate and co-founder of the Uncommitted Movement, and longtime Democratic National Committee member James Zogby. Alawieh said he told Harris that “American tax dollars should never be used to target civilians or destroy entire communities,” while also describing the impact of the war on families in his community.

The outreach marks a notable shift after many progressive activists criticized Harris during the 2024 election for remaining too closely aligned with former President Joe Biden’s Israel policy. In her 2025 memoir, 107 Days, Harris wrote that she privately urged Biden to show more empathy toward Palestinian civilians in Gaza, saying his public comments often fell short.

While Harris remains among the leading names in early 2028 Democratic presidential polling, she continues to face skepticism from parts of the party’s far left, as well as moderates and major donors. Her recent conversations suggest she is trying to rebuild bridges with a coalition that could prove critical if she enters the next Democratic presidential primary.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is becoming a major business success for its U.S. television broadcasters, with Fox Sports and Telemundo reporting record audiences as the tournament heads into the knockout rounds.

According to Fox Sports and Nielsen, approximately 84 million Americans watched at least part of the tournament through June 25, making it the network’s strongest World Cup audience on record. Nielsen’s figure includes viewers who watched for at least one minute of tournament coverage.

Telemundo, which holds the Spanish-language U.S. broadcasting rights, said its audience is running at more than double the pace of the 2022 Qatar World Cup, setting new engagement records across its television and streaming platforms.

Individual matches have produced some of the largest audiences in U.S. soccer history.

The United States–Turkey match on June 25 averaged 15.8 million viewers on Fox despite the U.S. already having secured a place in the knockout stage.

The U.S. victory over Paraguay attracted more than 18 million viewers across Fox, FS1, and Tubi, making it the most-watched English-language men’s World Cup broadcast ever in the United States. Viewership peaked at approximately 21.5 million during the match.

Another U.S. victory over Australia, which clinched advancement to the knockout rounds, averaged roughly 14.8 million viewers.

For Fox, the ratings represent an enormous return on its investment.

The network paid approximately $485 million for the U.S. English-language World Cup broadcast rights. Given the record audiences, many media analysts now view that agreement as one of the strongest sports-rights investments in recent television history.

According to reports, the rights package may ultimately prove worth several times what Fox originally paid after the network secured favorable terms years earlier as part of broader negotiations with FIFA.

Hosting the tournament across North America has also contributed to the surge in interest.

Matches played in the United States have generated strong local attendance while the success of the U.S. Men’s National Team has created valuable prime-time television windows that continue attracting large national audiences.

The record ratings are particularly important for advertisers.

Television networks sell World Cup advertising months in advance based largely on projected audiences. As viewership continues exceeding expectations, premium advertising inventory during knockout matches becomes increasingly valuable, particularly with elimination games keeping viewers engaged until the final whistle.

For both Fox and Telemundo, the next several rounds could produce even larger audiences if the United States advances deeper into the tournament.

The broader business message extends beyond one sporting event.

For years, soccer was viewed as a niche television property in the United States. The record audiences now demonstrate that the sport has become a mainstream television attraction capable of delivering the large, national audiences advertisers traditionally associated with the NFL, college football, and other major sporting events.

For broadcasters, advertisers, and sponsors alike, the 2026 World Cup is proving that soccer has become one of the most valuable properties in American sports television.

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

Israel and the United States took another major step in strengthening their diplomatic partnership on Tuesday by signing an agreement allocating land for the construction of a permanent U.S. Embassy complex in Yerushalayim.

The agreement designates property at the Allenby Complex for the future embassy campus and was formalized during a signing ceremony at Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Participating in the event were Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, and Yerushalayim Mayor Moshe Lion.

The United States currently operates its embassy out of the former U.S. Consulate building in Yerushalayim, which was redesignated as the embassy after President Donald Trump recognized Yerushalayim as Israel’s capital in 2017 and relocated the embassy from Tel Aviv the following year.

Huckabee hailed the agreement as another milestone in the relationship between the two allies.

“Today is another historic day for the US-Israel relationship as the US receives the property that will be the future home of the new US Embassy complex — deepening and expanding our presence in Jerusalem — the eternal capital of Israel,” he said.

Sa’ar likewise described the agreement as another significant achievement in the close partnership between the two countries.

“We mark another milestone in the unbreakable alliance between Israel and the United States,” he said, calling Israel Washington’s “most important strategic asset in the Middle East,” before adding, “just as the United States is indispensable and irreplaceable to Israel, Israel is indispensable to the United States and to its interests throughout this region.”

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – — More than 70,000 worshippers had visited the tomb of Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar, known as the Ohr Hachaim Hakadosh, as of Wednesday morning to mark the 283rd anniversary of his passing, Israeli officials said.

Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (1696–1743), author of the renowned Torah commentary Ohr Hachaim, is revered by both Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewish communities as one of the greatest Torah scholars, righteous sages and leading kabbalistic masters of the 18th century. His teachings continue to be studied in yeshivas and Jewish communities around the world, and his burial site on Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives is among the country’s most visited pilgrimage destinations.

The attendance figures were released following a joint situational assessment involving Israel’s Ministry of Religious Services, the Council of Cemeteries, the Jerusalem Municipality and Israel Police.

Officials urged the public to travel to the site exclusively by public transportation, warning that private vehicles will not be permitted in the area because of the large crowds.

Authorities said security, traffic and crowd-control operations will continue throughout the day as tens of thousands more worshippers are expected to arrive for the annual hilula, one of Israel’s largest religious gatherings.

By Y.M. Lowy

On a hot city day, few things feel as good as the spray from a fire hydrant. Years ago, it was a common sight in neighborhoods across New York. Kids in their swim gear, water spraying across the block, and the whole street turning into a playground. But many people today don’t realize it’s still possible and legal to open a hydrant the right way.

When a fire hydrant is opened without a spray cap, it releases water at full force, up to 1,000 gallons per minute. That kind of pressure can flood streets, damage roads, and most importantly, lower water pressure across the area. This can delay firefighters from doing their job safely and quickly during an emergency.

That’s why the city offers a smart solution. Anyone 18 or older with a photo ID can visit their local firehouse and request a spray cap. A firefighter will install it on a nearby hydrant and return later to remove it. The spray cap reduces the water to a safe and gentle stream, about 25 gallons per minute, which is just right for cooling off without wasting water or causing damage.

So, for city parents with kids home this summer, this is a great way to enjoy a city tradition.

WASHINGTON (VINnews) — Popular — and expensive — GLP-1 weight loss drugs just got a lot cheaper for many older Americans.

Starting Wednesday, the federal government is offering a selection of the brand name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge.

The temporary program, which runs until the end of 2027, is the first opportunity for most older adults to get GLP-1s, short for glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, covered by insurance when used strictly for weight loss. But there are weight and health requirements, and those who already get GLP-1s covered for diseases like diabetes and sleep apnea won’t qualify.

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said he hopes the program can help his agency collect data to potentially work toward longer-term coverage, while providing immediate relief to cash-strapped older Americans.

“The sheer cost of these medications is a huge barrier to access,” he said in a call with reporters. “That ends today.”

Eligibility is based on BMI and other conditions
Of the more than 70 million Americans enrolled in Medicare, at least 10 million are overweight or obese, said Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF. But, she said, a narrower slice of that group will have access to this program.

There’s no good data on how many people it can benefit — and Oz declined to speculate on the number with reporters. He said data from the program will reveal how many eligible beneficiaries choose to take the drugs, a number his team is keen to learn.

To qualify, besides having Medicare drug coverage, you must have a body mass index of 35 or higher, or a BMI of 27 or higher alongside another health condition, such as a past heart attack or stroke, prediabetes or another from a list on the CMS website. BMI measurements are counted at the start of GLP-1 therapy — so even people who fall below the threshold now can qualify if they can show they had a high enough BMI when they began taking the drugs.

Medicare beneficiaries who have sleep apnea, diabetes or fatty liver disease can’t access the program, but their Medicare Part D insurance might cover their GLP-1s separately based on those diagnoses.

If you think you might qualify, the first step is to contact your health care provider, CMS says on its website. The provider must send a prescription for one of the covered GLP-1 drugs to a pharmacy and fill out a prior authorization form.

Only some GLP-1s are included
The covered medications include drugmaker Eli Lilly’s Foundayo tablets and Zepbound KwikPens and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injections and tablets. Those GLP-1s have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for weight loss, Cubanski said.

For those in the program, the cost is $50 per month, regardless of dosage. But those payments won’t contribute to their insurance deductibles or out-of-pocket maximums. That’s because Medicare, rather than the Part D insurer, is subsidizing the prescription.

Longer-term coverage of GLP-1s remains uncertain
The program is scheduled to sunset after Dec. 31, 2027. And since Congress hasn’t authorized Medicare to cover weight loss drugs permanently, the federal government is limited in its options to keep the access flowing.

Congress could pass a law to allow the drugs to be covered. CMS also could move forward with a different, voluntary pilot program for covering the drugs called BALANCE, which the agency indefinitely delayed earlier this year when many Part D insurers were reluctant to sign up.

Oz told reporters that CMS plans to “carefully track participation and outcomes” to see whether an extension of the Bridge program or another solution is the best way to move forward. He told The Associated Press a federal law permanently allowing the coverage is “not essential right now” but something “for Congress to debate amongst themselves.”

“We can’t decide what’s going to happen long term with Bridge until we see some of the data,” he said, noting that other negotiations with drug companies to lower costs are ongoing.

Program is life-changing for some, frustrating for others
GLP-1s have soared in popularity in recent years, and they’ve spurred dramatic weight loss in many patients. But their cost — sometimes hundreds of dollars a month for higher doses — has been a barrier.

For 78-year-old California resident Gloria Dralla, who told the AP she’s lost some 40 pounds after buying lower-cost Wegovy in Europe, the Bridge program means being able to continue a treatment that has improved her life.

“This drug should be made available at a reasonable price for everybody who’s got weight loss problems,” she said.

But not everyone will have access to the drugs at an affordable price. Katie Smith, 71, in Virginia isn’t so sure she will be eligible for the program. She has a BMI of 33 but doesn’t know yet if she has another health condition that would allow her to meet the requirements.

Smith, whose mobility and ability to exercise were severely limited by a spinal cord injury in her 20s, said she has looked into getting the medications but was quoted $700 a month, a price she can’t afford.

“I cannot tell you how frustrated I am,” she said. “I have the drive and I have the willingness and I have the motivation, but I have not been able to lose weight in all the conventional ways.”

The Justice Department and attorneys general from 17 states announced proposed settlements Tuesday with three of the nation’s largest egg producers after alleging they coordinated to manipulate a key pricing benchmark that inflated egg prices for consumers nationwide.

Federal officials simultaneously filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch and Versova while lodging the proposed settlements, which – if approved by a federal court – would prohibit the companies from engaging in the alleged conduct going forward.

According to New York Attorney General Letitia James’ office, the companies agreed to pay a combined $3.3 million to participating states and donate approximately 53 million eggs to food banks and nonprofit organizations. The settlements also require the companies to adopt antitrust compliance measures and end the alleged coordination.

The Justice Department alleges the companies manipulated daily price quotations published by Urner Barry, an industry benchmark that influences wholesale egg prices nationwide. 

According to the complaint, the companies coordinated bidding activity to create the appearance of stronger demand and artificially inflate prices for billions of eggs sold each year.

The complaint also alleges benchmark prices fell significantly after the companies learned of the federal investigation and were instructed to preserve documents in March 2025.

“No product more quintessentially represents affordability than the price Americans pay for eggs,” Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward said in a statement. “These actions prove this Department’s continued commitment to protecting competition and providing real relief for everyday Americans’ pocketbooks.”

Cal-Maine, the nation’s largest egg producer, denied wrongdoing in a statement, saying it “was not assessed any fines or penalties” under the agreement. The company said it will pay $1.5 million to participating states and donate 30 million eggs to food banks and nonprofit organizations while implementing certain compliance and reporting measures.

Mantiqueira USA, the joint venture that acquired Hickman’s Egg Ranch in November 2025, said the conduct described in the complaint occurred before its acquisition of the company.

“This settlement fully resolves the allegations against Hickman’s Egg Ranch related to that period,” the company said.

The proposed settlements remain subject to court approval following a 60-day public comment period required under the Tunney Act.

FOX Business reached out to Cal-Maine Foods, Hickman’s Egg Ranch and Versova for additional comment.

Reuters contributed to this report.

The World Bank said Monday it will eliminate its formal climate lending targets, marking a major policy shift that follows months of pressure from the United States, the institution’s largest shareholder. While the bank extended its overall climate change policy framework indefinitely, it will no longer require a fixed percentage of its financing to be dedicated to climate-related projects.

“We will retire the 45-percent climate co-benefits target and the 35-percent target,” the World Bank Group said in a statement, adding that it will instead “complete our shift from inputs to outcomes to maximize development impact.”

In practical terms, the bank will no longer promise that a set share of its annual lending must support climate-related projects. Instead, future financing decisions will be guided by the priorities and development needs of individual member countries.

The targets had become a central part of the bank’s strategy over the past several years. Its previous five-year framework called for 35% of annual financing to generate climate benefits by 2025. World Bank President Ajay Banga later raised that goal to 45% during the 2023 United Nations climate conference.

Under that framework, the bank’s climate financing nearly doubled—from approximately $21 billion in 2021 to $39 billion in 2025—making it the world’s largest provider of international climate financing for developing nations.

The policy change represents a significant victory for the Trump administration.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had urged the World Bank to abandon what he described as a “distortionary” climate finance target, arguing that it diverted resources from poverty reduction and economic growth. The Treasury Department welcomed the expiration of the climate targets and has encouraged the bank to place greater emphasis on expanding access to reliable energy, including natural gas projects. The United States has also withdrawn from the Paris climate agreement.

For the global economy, the decision carries significant implications because the World Bank helps finance infrastructure, energy, transportation, agriculture, manufacturing, and industrial development across emerging markets. Its lending priorities often influence what types of projects governments pursue and private investors support.

Supporters of the policy shift argue that removing rigid climate targets gives developing countries greater flexibility to finance the projects they believe are most urgently needed, including conventional energy infrastructure capable of supporting economic growth and expanding electricity access.

Critics argue the opposite.

Environmental groups warn that eliminating formal targets could gradually reduce funding for climate projects while making it more difficult to measure progress and hold the institution accountable.

“The current plan, while imperfect, provides a basis for accountability,” said Rajneesh Bhuee of the advocacy organization Recourse.

The decision also highlighted divisions among the bank’s shareholders. While the United States pressed for removing the lending targets, several European governments, joined by some Latin American countries and small island nations, favored maintaining a formal climate framework. Many of those countries continue supporting the broader international goal of mobilizing $300 billion annually in climate finance for developing economies by 2035.

Even before Monday’s announcement, the policy had faced criticism from multiple directions. Some analysts argued that much of the increase in climate financing had been directed toward projects containing only limited climate-related components, while others maintained that measurable targets remained essential regardless of imperfections.

Most economists do not expect climate lending to decline immediately. However, the absence of formal benchmarks could gradually reduce internal incentives to prioritize climate investments and make it harder for governments and investors to track how development funding is allocated.

For developing countries seeking financing, Monday’s decision signals a shift away from fixed climate commitments and toward greater flexibility based on national priorities. It also underscores the growing influence of the United States in reshaping how one of the world’s most important development institutions allocates tens of billions of dollars each year.

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

Shas MK Moshe Abutbul responded Tuesday evening to the controversy surrounding remarks made at the recent protest against the arrest of bnei yeshivos, warning that opponents of the chareidi community are seizing upon every controversial statement to undermine the broader struggle on behalf of the olam haTorah.

Speaking on Kol Chai’s Hamahadura Hamerkazis with Avi Mimran, Abutbul said the current climate demands caution in public remarks, arguing that critics are searching for opportunities to damage the image of the chareidi community.

“We are in a very sensitive period,” Abutbul said. “They are searching with a fine-tooth comb for every statement we make in order to spoil and destroy every good thing we’re trying to accomplish. Sometimes, ‘hamaskil ba’eis hahi yidom.'”

Referring to the letter issued in the name of members of Shas’ Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah, Abutbul said the movement has always sought to draw Jews closer rather than push them away.

“Yisroel, af al pi shechata – Yisroel hu,” he said, emphasizing that even during fierce disagreements, leaders must remain mindful of both their language and the broader public consequences of their words.

According to Abutbul, the recent controversy ended up harming efforts to advocate on behalf of bnei Torah. Rather than discussing the substantive issues raised by the rally, he said, lawmakers focused instead on the inflammatory remarks.

“Instead of discussing the issues with us seriously in today’s committee meetings, they brought this up in order to divert attention from the legitimate arguments raised at the rally,” he said. “They were looking for those two words so they could amplify them and deepen the hatred toward us.”

At the same time, Abutbul stressed that the public debate should not obscure the rally’s central message, which he said was to defend the honor of Torah and protest the arrest of bnei yeshivos.

“Bnei Torah are the crown of creation, and the entire world exists because of them,” he said. “Every success achieved by our soldiers comes בזכות the Torah learning of the bnei yeshivos. We say that without embarrassment and without blinking.”

He added that the message should be conveyed clearly, but with wisdom.

“The equation is ‘Yavneh v’Chachameha.’ The olam haTorah sustains the world, and thanks to the soldiers, the olam haTorah is able to sit and learn in safety. These are two things that complement one another.”

Abutbul also drew a distinction between the words of the generation’s leading gedolei Yisroel and those of other rabbonim and talmidei chachamim, saying the former speak with the responsibility and authority of national leadership.

“If I were to say a quarter of what Maran Rav Ovadia said, they would tear me apart like a fish,” he remarked.

Concluding the interview, Abutbul expressed hope that the controversy would soon pass and that attention would return to what he believes is the real issue.

“I believe they’ll get back to discussing the enormous contribution of the bnei Torah. We’re fighting for the olam haTorah—and we have to say that clearly.”

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Palantir Technologies CEO Alex Karp positioned himself as the technology industry’s most outspoken corporate backer of Israel amid ongoing Middle East tensions, declaring that the Jewish state stands “on the side of good.”

“I’m the most publicly supportive CEO of Israel,” Karp said. “I think Israel is on the side of good.”

Karp, whose data analytics firm has provided technology to Israeli security and defense efforts, also pushed back against widespread criticism of the country.

“Half the people criticizing Israel just don’t believe it should exist. And that’s just a fact,” he stated.

The comments come as Palantir has deepened its ties with Israel, including holding a board meeting in Tel Aviv and partnering with the Israeli Ministry of Defense following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Karp has repeatedly affirmed the company’s support, including through public statements and actions that he acknowledged came at the cost of some employees leaving the firm.

Karp, the son of a Jewish physician, has described his backing of Israel as both personal and principled, framing it within a broader defense of Western values against terrorism and existential threats to the Jewish state. Palantir has maintained contracts with Israeli intelligence agencies for years and ramped up operational support in the wake of the Hamas massacre.

The CEO’s latest remarks highlight a consistent stance that has drawn both praise from pro-Israel advocates and criticism from detractors in the tech sector and beyond.

Palantir, co-founded by Karp and Peter Thiel, specializes in big data analytics used for defense and intelligence purposes. The company has emphasized its commitment to supplying technology only to Western allies.

VINnews will continue to monitor developments.

The Palestinian sector is set to rely increasingly on electronic payments, moving away from physical bank notes as a means to deal with the banking crisis, Deputy Governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA) Mohammad Manasra told the PA-run WAFA on Sunday.

The move is part of a multi-track path to deal with the financial crisis partially attributed to Israeli restrictions on the transfer of surplus cash, he said. Under the current restrictions, Palestinian banks can only return physical currency through Bank Hapoalim and Israel Discount Bank with a cap of NIS 18 billion annually.

Palestinian economist Mohammed Samhouri has repeatedly published that such a ceiling barely reaches half the necessary levels, creating an economic crisis.

The exchange depends heavily on the banks receiving a letter of indemnity and immunity, which protects them should there be accusations of money laundering. The letters, issued by Israel’s Finance Ministry, have been repeatedly obstructed in recent years.

According to the research organization Arab Center Washington DC, the accumulation of shekels in Palestinian banks has reached unsustainable levels, which threatens the banking system’s capacity to finance trade with Israel. In 2024, more than half of Palestinian Authority imports and more than 80% of its exports were with Israel.

Palestinian economy misrepresented

Such a ceiling, however, does not reflect the current size of the Palestinian economy. Consequently, the Palestinian banks are replete with surplus shekels cash that they cannot transfer to replenish their correspondent accounts with Israeli banks – accounts which are essential for conducting cross-border trade with Israel. Currently, the accumulation of shekels in Palestinian banks has reached unsustainable levels, threatening the banking system’s capacity to finance trade with Israel.

The consequence, according to the WAFA interview, is that banks have begun refusing to accept shekel deposits, which has created economic hardship for both individuals and businesses.

Manasra asserted that a new law introduced to reduce cash transactions is in place to build a stronger economy, not to burden civilians, and that comprehensive implementation of the law would follow a fully integrated electronic payments infrastructure. The implementation of the law is expected to be introduced over a two-year period.

The PMA official added that talks were being held with the Bank of Israel and an international partner to see the NIS 18 billion cap raised, though responsibility for the issue was transferred to the Israeli government in October 2023.

This post was originally published on here.

Brooklyn’s most notorious unfinished megaproject may finally be getting a last chapter. On Monday, June 29, Empire State Development, the state’s economic-development agency, along with developers Cirrus Workforce Housing and LCOR, unveiled a $5 billion plan to complete the long-stalled Atlantic Yards project, now known as Pacific Park, more than two decades after it was first announced. Governor Kathy Hochul called it one of New York’s most significant unfinished affordable-housing developments and said the state is finally moving it toward completion.

The plan calls for six new high-rise towers holding about 5,600 apartments and condos, including roughly 1,242 units, or about 21%, set aside as affordable for low- and moderate-income households. It would add about five and a half acres of public open space and feature a nearly 800-foot skyscraper connected to a 570-foot tower at the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Pacific Street, in the Prospect Heights neighborhood next to the Barclays Center.

To understand why this matters, it helps to know why the project stalled for so long. Atlantic Yards was first announced in 2003 by developer Forest City Ratner, with star architect Frank Gehry and Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z attached, and the Barclays Center opened in 2012. But the housing kept getting delayed. The project later passed to Greenland USA, which defaulted on roughly $350 million in loans. Cirrus and LCOR acquired the development rights at a foreclosure auction last October, becoming the third development team to take on the project.

The hardest and most expensive part is literally building on air. Six of the planned towers must sit on platforms constructed above the MTA’s Vanderbilt Rail Yard, where Long Island Rail Road trains continue to operate. Building those decks is a complex engineering challenge that adds an estimated $700 million to the cost and has been one of the biggest reasons the project has dragged on for more than two decades. New York State has now pledged about $700 million toward the platforms, including $175 million already approved in the latest state budget.

Here is where the business story becomes especially important for Brooklyn’s economy. Much of the construction will be financed by union pension funds, which will provide financing to the developers rather than relying primarily on traditional bank loans. Cirrus has committed to using union labor, creating the potential for years of well-paying construction jobs throughout the borough. Cirrus Chief Executive Joseph McDonnell said construction could begin by 2028, with the first affordable apartments welcoming residents as early as 2031 and full completion expected by the late 2030s.

For Brooklyn renters, the affordable housing is the centerpiece of the proposal. Housing costs throughout the borough have surged, with Prospect Heights home prices topping $1 million years ago. Adding more than 1,200 income-restricted apartments could provide meaningful relief. Critics, however, argue that too many of those units are aimed at moderate-income households instead of the lowest-income families originally promised when the state used eminent domain to assemble the site. Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon and local housing advocates say the revised plan still falls short of earlier affordability commitments.

The economic benefits extend well beyond housing. The development also includes retail and office space, along with community facilities such as an intergenerational center in the first residential building. Thousands of new residents would bring additional customers to local restaurants, retailers, and neighborhood businesses along Atlantic and Flatbush avenues, helping support an area that has lived alongside construction for years. New public open space is also intended to better connect the development with the surrounding community.

The project still has significant hurdles before construction begins. It must complete an environmental review expected to take about two years before receiving final approval from the Empire State Development board, a vote that may not occur until 2028. A memorandum of understanding between the developers and the state is due by July 31, 2026. If an agreement is not reached, the state could pursue penalties tied to previously unbuilt affordable housing commitments.

Still, the announcement represents the most meaningful progress in years on a project that became synonymous with delays. If completed, Pacific Park would deliver thousands of new homes, years of union construction jobs, expanded retail and office space, and new public parks. After more than two decades of missed deadlines, Brooklyn will now be watching to see whether Cirrus and LCOR can finally deliver what previous developers could not.

JBizNews Desk
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DENVER (VINnews) — Jewish Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser won the Democratic primary for governor Tuesday, defeating U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and becoming the favorite to succeed term-limited Gov. Jared Polis in November.

The son of a Holocaust survivor born shortly after the liberation of the Buchenwald concentration camp, Weiser has been a prominent voice against antisemitism and a strong supporter of Israel throughout his time as the state’s attorney general.

With most votes counted, Weiser led Bennet by roughly 55% to 45% in a closely watched primary between two candidates with family ties to Holocaust survivors.

A former official in the administrations of Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, Weiser has served as Colorado’s attorney general since 2019. During the campaign, he and Bennet shared similar policy positions, with both emphasizing their willingness to challenge President Donald Trump.

“In the face of a lawless bullying Trump administration trying to intimidate us, rip away our rights and freedoms, you made it clear that we need a leader who will fight back and never bend the knee,” Weiser told supporters during his victory speech.

Bennet congratulated Weiser after conceding the race, telling supporters that “sometimes the harder path is the right path, even when it doesn’t lead where you’d hoped.”

Weiser has repeatedly condemned antisemitic violence, including the 2025 firebombing attack in Boulder, and has described himself as a Zionist, saying support for Israel’s right to exist is compatible with criticism of specific Israeli government policies.

Elsewhere in Colorado, John Hickenlooper defeated state Sen. Julie Gonzales in the Democratic Senate primary. Gonzales had campaigned for ending U.S. military aid to Israel.

In Colorado’s competitive 8th Congressional District, state Rep. Manny Rutinel defeated Shannon Bird, who was backed by Democratic Majority for Israel, to win the Democratic nomination.

Weiser will face the Republican nominee in the November general election.

A chareidi advocacy organization has sharply criticized Israeli President Isaac Herzog, accusing him of applying a double standard by swiftly condemning controversial remarks made by a rav while remaining silent in the face of what it describes as incitement and police violence directed at the chareidi community.

The criticism was issued by the organization Emes L’Yaakov B’Yisrael, which said it had sent an urgent follow-up letter to the President’s Residence protesting what it called a recurring pattern of unequal treatment. According to the group, Herzog responded almost immediately to the remarks delivered at Monday night’s gathering in Bnei Brak, yet has failed to respond to repeated complaints regarding alleged police brutality and anti-chareidi incitement.

The organization said its latest appeal follows an earlier, detailed letter sent on June 17, 2026, outlining claims of excessive police force and documented incitement against the chareidi public. According to the group, that correspondence never received a substantive response.

Emes L’Yaakov B’Yisrael argued that the contrast is particularly striking. On one hand, it said, the president quickly issued a public condemnation over statements made by a chareidi rav. On the other, the organization contends that he has remained silent despite inflammatory slogans directed at chareidim—such as calls to “beat the chareidim” and “run over every dos“—as well as allegations of police violence during demonstrations on Highway 4 that, according to the group, left people injured and placed lives at risk.

“When a rav makes a controversial statement, the president responds within minutes,” the organization said. “But when an entire community is subjected to selective enforcement and severe violence, the president remains silent.”

The organization also argued that the silence is particularly troubling because the Office of the President is funded by all Israeli taxpayers, including the chareidi community. Citing figures included in its letter, the group noted that the presidential budget for 2026 exceeds 85 million shekels and that chareidim, who comprise approximately 15 percent of Israel’s population, help finance the institution.

“It is unacceptable for the chareidi public to fully participate in funding the President’s Residence, yet when it needs basic civic protection from incitement and institutional violence, it is met with a wall of silence,” the organization stated.

According to Emes L’Yaakov B’Yisrael, the president’s conduct sends the message that the Presidency is quick to rebuke the chareidi community when it is politically or publicly convenient, but reluctant to defend it when it comes under attack. The organization called on Herzog to apply the same moral standard to cases involving incitement against chareidim and allegations of selective law enforcement, to end what it described as the selective use of public condemnations, and to meet with representatives of the organization so they can present the evidence they have collected.

The group stressed that its appeal is not political but is instead rooted in what it called a fundamental issue of equal treatment. It argued that the president is expected to serve as the president of all Israeli citizens—not only those whose causes receive sympathy in the broader media or those whom it is easier to defend publicly.

{Matzav.com}

Here’s a simple question: If someone breaks the law by entering a country illegally and remains there without authorization for years, isn’t that exactly what every sovereign nation considers a violation of its laws?

No one should be mistreated, and everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. But enforcing immigration laws is not the same as criminalizing innocent behavior. The current administration made it abundantly clear during the campaign that it intended to crack down on illegal immigration. Voters knew that policy before Election Day, and the American people made their choice.

What strikes me as particularly ironic is an experience I had several years ago while traveling to Mexico on a business trip. Knowing kosher food would be difficult to find, I packed a couple of simple cream cheese and tuna sandwiches in my backpack. Upon arrival, I was surrounded by canine units, required to unpack my luggage, and had my sandwiches and other food items confiscated because they violated Mexico’s agricultural import regulations.

Think about that for a moment.

I was treated with intense scrutiny over a sandwich that posed no meaningful threat to Mexico. Yet we’re told that the United States should simply accept millions of people entering illegally, many without documentation or background checks, and anyone who objects is somehow in the wrong.

Every country has the right to protect its borders and enforce its laws. Mexico certainly does. So does Canada. So does Israel. In fact, nearly every nation in the world expects visitors to respect its immigration and customs laws. Try entering another country illegally or bringing in prohibited items and see how quickly you’ll discover that their laws are enforced.

Would Mexico tolerate millions of undocumented Americans crossing its border and remaining indefinitely? Would it ignore people bringing prohibited items or drugs into the country? Of course not. No nation would.

So why is the United States expected to operate by a different standard?

The debate over immigration should include compassion and humanity, but it should also include common sense and consistency. A nation without secure borders cannot effectively enforce its laws or determine who enters and remains in the country. Americans should not be made to feel guilty for expecting the same respect for our nation’s laws that every other country expects for its own.

If sandwiches was enough for Mexico to stop me, search my belongings, and enforce its rules, surely the United States has the right to enforce its own immigration laws.

TLS welcomes your letters by submitting them to us via  Whatsapp  or via email  [email protected]

The trade barriers President Donald Trump raised to protect American industry are pushing some of the country’s biggest trading partners closer together. After more than two decades of stalled negotiations, the European Union and Mercosur — the South American bloc made up of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay — put their trade agreement into provisional effect on May 1, according to the European Commission. Officials on both sides say U.S. tariffs helped push the long-delayed deal across the finish line.

The agreement creates a trading zone of roughly 700 million people. It lowers tariffs on products including automobiles, machinery, and pharmaceuticals, saving European companies an estimated €4 billion each year. In return, exports of European agricultural products such as wine, spirits, chocolate, and olive oil are expected to rise significantly across South America.

The driving force, by many accounts, was Washington. Trump’s tariffs, including an additional 40% duty on Brazilian goods on top of existing rates, gave both blocs a stronger incentive to diversify their trading relationships. Former Brazilian diplomat Roberto Jaguaribe said uncertain trade relations with the United States naturally encourage countries to seek new partners, while former trade official Larissa Wachholz called the agreement a major turning point in Brazil’s traditionally protectionist trade policy.

The impact is already reaching smaller businesses. In Brazil, producers of cachaça — the sugarcane spirit used to make the caipirinha cocktail — see a rare opportunity to expand into Europe as tariffs fall and access to new markets improves. Distillers say exports could grow dramatically once the agreement is fully implemented.

For American businesses, the agreement presents a competitive challenge. Every tariff barrier the United States builds gives foreign competitors another reason to trade with one another instead. European and South American companies will now enjoy preferential access to each other’s markets that U.S. exporters do not receive. American manufacturers of machinery, aircraft parts, industrial equipment, and other products selling into Brazil may increasingly find themselves undercut by European rivals whose tariffs have been reduced or eliminated.

Mercosur is not stopping with Europe. Since Trump returned to office, the bloc has accelerated negotiations with other major economies, completing an agreement with four non-EU European countries while opening new talks with Canada, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Brazil, whose largest trading partner is China, is positioning itself at the center of an increasingly multipolar global trading system rather than relying heavily on any single country.

The agreement also extends beyond trade. Member nations pledged to uphold democratic institutions and remain committed to the Paris climate agreement, commitments European officials say have taken on added importance as the United States has stepped back from several international climate initiatives. The deal also strengthens Europe’s access to strategic raw materials, including niobium, a metal used in MRI scanners, aerospace components, and advanced technologies. The EU currently imports about 82% of its niobium from Mercosur countries.

There are still hurdles ahead. France, backed by its influential farming sector, continues to oppose portions of the agreement, and the pact will require formal approval from the European Parliament before taking full legal effect. Safeguards also allow either side to limit imports that threaten sensitive industries such as beef, poultry, and sugar.

Even so, tariffs are already being reduced on thousands of products, and businesses on both continents are moving quickly to capitalize on the new opportunities.

For Brazil, which also faces a U.S. investigation over alleged unfair trade practices, officials say there is little appetite to return to the protectionist policies of the past. The broader lesson is that global trade is not necessarily shrinking because of tariffs—it is increasingly being rerouted. As the United States becomes a more difficult market to access, many of the world’s largest economies are choosing to deepen trade with one another instead, leaving American exporters at risk of being left outside some of the world’s fastest-growing trade partnerships.

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

YS GOLD 

We regret to inform you of the passing of Reb Dov Berish Miller, z"l, a resident of Boro Park and Monsey. He was 80 years of age, and leaves behind beautiful generations, and a legacy of ehrlichkeit, refinement, and middos tovos.

The niftar was born in Samarkand following the war to parents who had survived the Holocaust. Arriving in America, the family came to Troy, near Albany, New York. Troy was a spiritually-barren place, and it took much mesirus nefesh to live as a frum Yid. His father, Reb Avrohom, would lose his job every week because he refused to work on Shabbos. 

The closest yeshiva was Yeshiva Torah Vodaath in Williamsburg, and this is where young Berish Miller traveled to learn, returning home only every six months. This too was a tremendous sacrifice, and indeed, he grew up to be a ben Torah with ehrliche Yiddishe doros. 

For many years, the Miller's owned Newbend Discount in Brooklyn, and Reb Berish was known for his extreme honesty in business. Every single night, rain or shine, hot or cold, he would trek to his daf Yomi shiur, keeping this set time for learning with great mesirus nefesh. 

In recent years, the Miller's retired to the Highview Hills community in Monsey. 

He suffered a stroke a little over a year ago, and passed away early Wednesday morning. As noted, he leaves behind beautiful generations of ehrliche bnei Torah, in America and Eretz Yisroel. 

The levaya will take place today at 12:00 p.m. at 30 Silverwood Circle in Suffern. 

Yehei Zichro Baruch.

While Wall Street prepares for the prospect of a more aggressive Federal Reserve, Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan has a reassuring message for anxious investors.

Despite Bank of America’s issuing the most hawkish forecast on Wall Street — predicting three interest rate hikes under Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh — Moynihan insists a recession is nowhere in sight.

“The [U.S.] president thought it was going to be rate cuts. Now we’re talking about rate hikes. Will that lead us into a recession?” FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo asked Moynihan on the New York Stock Exchange floor Wednesday.

“No, because at the end of day, that’s the balance the Fed has to have, is they’re trying to keep the inflation from getting out of control, price stability,” Moynihan responded. “And Chairman Warsh made it clear that’s what he stands for.”

“He’s focused on that, that’s their job. But you also have to be mindful of the other side, which is, recession means unemployment goes up, and you have to stabilize unemployment. So they’ve gotta mind that,” he added. “The U.S. economy is growing better than most. The inflation is higher than people want it to be, but if you talk to people who are in the positions Kevin’s in… they could never get inflation back. They’re sort of saying, ‘Wait, we can never get the economies to recover fast enough.’ I think it’s easier to bring it down carefully than it is to get it going, and so you want to air a little bit to the upside.”

During their latest meeting, the Federal Reserve announced that it would hold interest rates steady due to concerns about elevated inflation amid the war in Iran, as Warsh’s tenure leading the central bank begins in earnest.

Fed policymakers voted 12-0 to leave the benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at its current range of 3.5% to 3.75%. The move follows the central bank’s decisions to hold rates steady in January, March and April after three consecutive 25-basis-point rate cuts in September, October and December of last year.

Moynihan argues that higher interest rates shouldn’t be feared but rather celebrated as a sign of a strong U.S. economy.

“We have a great research team… They’ve also put three Fed raises on the table, meaning that the inflation is going to be stickier, go[ing] all the way through ‘27 into ‘28, largely just to deal with the aftermath of the oil price shock,” the CEO said. “But at the end of day, the economy has grown a little faster now than they thought it was going to grow a few months ago.”

“Inflation will take a while, rates will be higher. But everybody argues for rates to be high or low. At the end of it, rates are an outgrowth of a very strong economy in the United States and a need to keep inflation in check.”

FOX Business’ Eric Revell contributed to this report.

YS GOLD 

We regret to inform you of the passing of Rebbetzin Yenta Leifer, a"h, the Bishtiner Rebbetzin. She was 96,  and was known for her tzidkus, ehrlichkeit, and emunah peshutah. 

The nifteres was raised in the home of Rav Shalom Leifer, the Nadvorna Rebbe, who had his beis medrash in Brighton Beach. Theirs was a home steeped in Torah and chassidus. Her brother is, ybl"ch, the Nadvorna Rebbe of Boro Park. 

The levaya will take place 1:30pm in Bhm"d Tiferes Shalom Nadvorna 1441-53rd St.

Yehi zichra baruch.

A federal criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday charges an upstate New York woman with attempting to provide financial support to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization by sending cryptocurrency to an individual who claimed to be an active member of the group, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.

Federal authorities arrested the 37-year-old woman, alleging that she transferred digital currency to Islamic Jihad as part of an effort to support the designated foreign terrorist organization.

If convicted of attempting to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization, she faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a maximum fine of $250,000.

According to court documents, investigators identified the defendant as a prominent member of the Direct Action Movement for Palestinian Liberation (DAMPL), a radical organization that emerged in the wake of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israel.

Prosecutors allege that DAMPL rejects peaceful protest in favor of so-called “direct action,” including vandalism, property destruction, and acts of sabotage targeting organizations and institutions it associates with Israel.

Justice Department officials said the allegations demonstrate that the defendant not only expressed support for terrorism but also allegedly attempted to send money to an individual who claimed to be actively participating in attacks.

Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said that the woman allegedly “repeatedly voiced support for violence against Israeli civilians and attempted to provide material support to the Palestine Islamic Jihad by sending cryptocurrency to an individual who claimed to participate in its attacks. Those who aid foreign terrorist groups will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

According to prosecutors, the alleged financing operation was motivated by extremist ideology and relied on encrypted communications to facilitate the transfer of funds overseas.

U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo for the Western District of New York said investigators were able to disrupt the financial support before it could provide additional assistance to the terrorist organization.

Federal officials also stressed that dismantling funding networks for foreign terrorist groups remains a top priority.

“This individual, as alleged in the criminal complaint, provided money to a foreign terrorist organization engaged in acts of violence,” said Acting Assistant Director Coult Markovsky of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Division. “The FBI is committed to cutting off funding to terrorist groups and will continue to work side-by-side with our Justice Department partners to make sure anyone who engages in terrorism or provides assistance to such organizations is held fully accountable in our justice system.”

The investigation was led by the Joint Terrorism Task Force, which executed search warrants in February and March 2026. According to the complaint, forensic investigators recovered extensive communications between the suspect and a self-described Islamic Jihad terrorist in the Gaza Strip who claimed to have personally taken part in attacks against Israeli forces.

Investigators said those messages included repeated expressions of support for terrorism. According to the complaint, the suspect wrote, “[i]f I lived in Gaza, I would fight alongside the resistance,” while praising the terrorist’s activities. She also wrote, “I wish every day were October 7th.” During the same exchange, prosecutors say she indicated that this was not her first contact with a terrorist, declared that she hated Jews “very much,” and expressed the wish that Israel “would disappear.”

Authorities also recovered additional conversations discussing military operations, weapons, and ammunition. In one message cited in the complaint, the suspect stated, “I feel excited every time I see news of the killing of an occupation soldier.”

Investigators further allege that a forensic review of the woman’s cryptocurrency accounts showed she regularly converted assets into digital currency to finance terrorist activities. According to the complaint, she made approximately 80 separate cryptocurrency transfers totaling 30,116 USDC—equivalent to $30,116—to a digital wallet allegedly controlled by the Islamic Jihad operative.

The complaint also alleges that the suspect understood the legal risks of her actions. In one message sent in November 2025, she wrote, “[b]ased on my passed [sic] fundraising and posting Im [sic] gonna get put away for a few life times,” followed by a laughing emoji.

Following her initial court appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark W. Pedersen, the defendant was ordered held in federal custody pending further proceedings.

{Matzav.com}

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) A caveat is in order at the outset. This author has been, and remains, generally supportive of the Prime Minister. His wartime leadership, the decisions to mobilize the reserves from the first day, the operations that decapitated Hezbollah’s leadership, and the resolve that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons — these are matters for which he deserves credit rather than condemnation

That said, his recent remark was indefensible, and he owes the bereaved families an apology.

A caveat is in order at the outset. This author has been, and remains, generally supportive of the Prime Minister. His wartime leadership, the decisions to mobilize the reserves from the first day, the operations that decapitated Hezbollah’s leadership, and the resolve that Iran will not acquire nuclear weapons — these are matters for which he deserves credit rather than condemnation.

That said, his recent remark was indefensible, and he owes the bereaved families an apology.

During a Channel 14 interview on Tuesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was asked what had changed in him personally since the October 7th massacre. His initial answer was, “I lost a little weight.” The response drew immediate and anguished criticism from bereaved families organized under the October Council.

Yoram Yehudai, whose son Ron was murdered at the Supernova festival, wrote that when one is asked what changed since that day, an answer about weight reflects a complete disconnect between those who lead the country and those who lost everything. Ayal Eshel, father of the fallen IDF lookout Roni Eshel, responded that he too has lost weight since October 7 — because there is no appetite when one is raising a dead daughter.

The pain here is real, and it is worth examining his words as a matter of halacha. This author would submit that the remark falls squarely within a Torah prohibition — that of Onaas Dvarim.

THE PROHIBITION OF ONAAS DVARIM

The verse in VaYikra (25:17) states, “velo sonu Ish es amiso” — one may not wrong his fellow. Rashi explains that this lav refers specifically to onaas devarim, the wronging of one’s fellow through speech. The Mitzvah is generally called Onaas Dvarim, or simply Onaah. The Sfas Emes explains that the fundamental reason behind this Mitzvah is so that we should all have a sense of complete oneness as a people. Causing another pain is prohibited precisely because it fractures that unity.

Onaas devarim is verbal injury — causing another person distress through words that arouse anger or wounded feelings. It is forbidden to cause a fellow Jew pain through speech whether one does so deliberately or through simple thoughtlessness, and one may not cause even a fleeting moment of distress — unless there is some genuinely constructive purpose that can be achieved in no other way.

The Talmud (Bava Metzia 58b) records that three sages explain how the prohibition of verbal abuse is far more severe than the prohibition of monetary abuse (Onaas Mamon). One reason offered is that money can be returned, but words that wound the heart cannot be undone.

PAIN IS PAIN — EVEN WHEN THE INTENT IS PROPER

A striking feature of this prohibition is how little the speaker’s intent mitigates the offense. As noted above, the halacha reaches pain caused through mere thoughtlessness, not only pain caused with malice. There is a little-known debate between Rav Henoch Leibowitz zatzal and Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zatzal regarding Pnina and Chana. Pnina taunted Chana about her childlessness — according to the Midrash, leshaim shamayim, in order to spur Chana to daven with greater intensity. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz (Sichos Mussar) holds that Middah keneged Middah applied to Pnina even though her intention was entirely proper. Rav Henoch Leibowitz held that there must have been an infinitesimally small trace of improper motivation. Either way, the lesson is unmistakable: the seriousness of causing another Jew pain is not erased by good intentions.

If even a Pnina, acting for the sake of Heaven, is held to account for the pain she caused, then a public figure who wounds thousands of grieving parents — even carelessly and without malice — cannot shrug off the injury as unintended.

A THIN LINE, AND ON WHICH SIDE THIS FALLS

It is true that he may have misjudged and perhaps thought that a joke could help ease tensions, but in order to avoid the disconnect, one must always keep another’s kavod and sensitivity in mind — whenever one says anything. This is precisely the exception the halacha carves out and just as precisely why it does not apply here: distress is permitted only where a constructive purpose truly requires it. A quip about one’s waistline serves no such purpose.

The Sefer HaChinuch (251) notes that even necessary rebuke and even parenting must be measured against the pain it causes. Here there was no necessity to weigh against the pain at all.

LO’EG LARASH — A SECOND SOURCE

There is a second halachic principle from which this insensitivity may be derived. In Shulchan Aruch 23:1 and the Mishna Brurah there, we see that the halacha requires one to tuck in or conceal his tzitzis when walking among graves in a cemetery. The reason is the prohibition of Lo’eg laRash — “mocking the poor” (Mishlei 17:5), derived from the fact that the deceased can no longer perform mitzvos. To flaunt one’s tzitzis before those who can no longer wear them is treated by the halacha as a kind of taunt — even though the dead cannot hear and no insult is intended.

The principle is profound. Lo’eg laRash is not about the subjective feelings of the one “mocked.” It is about the objective posture of displaying, before those who have suffered an irretrievable loss, precisely that which they have lost. The Torah brands this as mockery regardless of intent.

When one uses words to cause another pain, one violates not only the mitzvah of onaah but also one further negates the positive command of “v’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha” — for no person wishes to be spoken to in a manner that inflicts such hurt. The weight of the matter, in other words, is cumulative.

CHOSER REGISHUS — INSENSITIVITY ITSELF

There is a further dimension worth naming, and it falls squarely under the halacha of onaas devarim. What produced this remark was, at bottom, choser regishus — a lack of sensitivity, a failure to feel the weight of the moment and of those in it. The seforim that treat this middah understand insensitivity not as a mere personality trait but as a spiritual defect: a timtum haLaiv – a dullness of the heart that must be actively repaired through the refinement of one’s feeling for others. The very faculty that lets a person sense another’s pain before he speaks is the faculty that prevents onaas devarim in the first place. 

This is why the prohibition of onaas devarim is not satisfied merely by avoiding cruelty of intent. The Torah demands a cultivated sensitivity — a trained awareness of the person standing before you and of what your words will do to others.

EVEN THROUGH INACTION, AND CERTAINLY THROUGH WORDS

Rav Yechiel Michel Stern cites the Chikrei Laiv (YD Vol. III #80) that Onaas Dvarim can be violated even through inaction — for instance, by pointedly omitting one person from a Mishebarach. If pain caused by omission is a violation, pain caused by an affirmative and public remark is a fortiori a violation. And a sad and recurring feature of this prohibition is that violators are frequently unaware that they have caused pain, and are quick to characterize the wounded party as “overly sensitive.” That temptation must be resisted here. These families are not overly sensitive. They are bereaved.

THE OBLIGATION TO PLACATE

What must one do when he has violated this prohibition? The Talmud (Yoma 87a) teaches that there is an obligation to placate the one he has wronged, and to undo the damage as far as possible. The Talmud invokes the verse in Mishlei, “Press your plea with your neighbor.” There are opinions that one must even seek to make amends publicly, before others.

The application is straightforward. The Prime Minister should apologize — clearly, publicly, and without the reflexive defensiveness that so often accompanies these moments. He need not surrender his record or his resolve to do so. He need only recognize that a grieving nation asked him a sacred question, and that his answer caused pain to those who have already borne the unbearable.

CONCLUSION

Support for a leader does not require the suspension of Torah judgment; if anything, it demands the opposite. One who genuinely wishes the Prime Minister well should want him to correct this. The remark was a violation of Onaas Dvarim, it implicated the mitzvah of v’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha, and it evokes the very sensibility the halacha of Lo’eg laRash was designed to protect.

The bereaved deserve better.

An apology is not weakness — it is the beginning of the placation that Torah-true Judaism requires.

One other thought:  Kosher food breeds Kosher words.  We find this thought throughout the great Torah commentaries of the past.  Let them both come.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

Extreme heat and severe weather have become one of the biggest financial risks facing the data centers powering the artificial-intelligence boom, insurers and operators are warning, as a record heatwave bakes Europe and strains power grids worldwide. According to insurance company Zurich, severe weather has become the leading cause of losses within its U.S. data center builders’ risk portfolio over the past three years, now accounting for roughly one-third of its losses in the sector.

“Severe weather is no longer something that can be treated as a background exposure,” said Patrick McBride, Zurich’s head of international construction. “It is one of the first things we and the owners we work with look at.” His comment captures a shift in how the industry views the weather: not as an occasional disruption, but as a core threat to a buildout costing hundreds of billions of dollars.

The trouble with extreme heat is that it hits twice. Cooling accounts for roughly 40% of a data center’s energy use even under normal conditions, and that share rises during heatwaves—precisely when air conditioners are already putting enormous pressure on electric grids.

“Data centers need the most energy exactly when the grid has the least available to give,” said Mishal Thadani, chief executive and co-founder of AI software platform Rhizome, which helps utilities identify climate vulnerabilities. He pointed to Turin, Italy, where temperatures approaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit placed underground power cables under thermal stress and contributed to repeated blackouts before additional AI facilities that each consume as much electricity as roughly 100,000 homes are even connected.

Compounding the challenge is where the industry is building. This year, 64% of global data center capacity under construction is located outside traditional hubs such as Northern Virginia, moving instead into rapidly growing markets including West Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Land and electricity are often less expensive in those areas, but many also face elevated risks from tornadoes, hail, high winds, flooding, or wildfires.

The scale of the exposure is enormous. Climate-risk analytics firm First Street found that 79% of global data center capacity faces elevated risks from acute climate hazards. A separate analysis by MS Amlin estimated that 56% of planned U.S. data centers—representing nearly $800 billion in investment—are located in states highly exposed to hurricanes, severe storms, earthquakes, or winter weather.

For businesses, the risk ultimately comes down to money. Weather-related disruptions increase insurance claims, construction costs, repair expenses, and operational downtime. If insurers become less willing to underwrite large concentrations of expensive infrastructure in climate-vulnerable regions, premiums could rise significantly or coverage could become harder to obtain.

“It’s not a matter of if climate risks will impact the digital infrastructure revolution,” said Joe Macejak, U.S. property digital infrastructure leader at Marsh Risk. He warned that unmanaged climate risks “pose a threat to the capital stacks that are fueling the AI-driven data center revolution.”

Technology companies are responding by redesigning their facilities. Microsoft says it engineers its data centers to operate reliably across a wide range of environmental conditions through careful site selection, redundant systems, and real-time monitoring. Nvidia said its latest AI servers can operate with cooling liquid temperatures of 45 degrees Celsius, and that increasing chiller temperatures by just one degree can reduce cooling-energy costs by about 4%. Engineers are also developing more efficient liquid-cooling systems that move heat away from advanced AI chips more effectively.

The implications extend far beyond the technology industry. Modern AI infrastructure increasingly supports hospitals, banks, manufacturers, communications networks, retailers, and government agencies. A major outage caused by extreme weather can quickly ripple across the broader economy.

The artificial-intelligence boom may be creating unprecedented demand for computing power, but at its foundation the industry remains dependent on physical infrastructure—buildings, transmission lines, water, cooling systems, and reliable electricity. As climate risks intensify, the weather is becoming one of the biggest tests of whether that infrastructure can keep pace with the AI revolution.

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Wednesday is taking his maiden voyage on a new Air Force One — a retrofitted Boeing 747 worth $400 million gifted by Qatar that embeds his personality more deeply into the institution of the American presidency.

Gone is the trademark light blue hull that helped Air Force One blend into the sky. The refurbished jet is painted to Trump’s preferred color scheme of a navy belly and red and gold stripes. It has the luxury features that the president believes a commander-in-chief’s entourage should have — plush carpets, lie-flat seats, wood paneling and a presidential seal on the seat belts, according to reported tours of the plane.

Trump told reporters that he was proud of the luxurious plane. “You can do two things: You can low-key it, or you can show it,” he said.

The jet is carrying Trump to North Dakota to see the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, its first official visitor ahead of its opening on the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The gift from the Middle Eastern power raised ethical concerns, but Trump saw the plane as a necessary replacement to the 35-year-old planes that had previously ferried him as president.

“This is a gift from a country that has treated us very well,” Trump said.

President Trump is taking his first trip on the new Air Force One, a Boeing 747-8 luxury plane gifted to the U.S. by the Qatari government last year. https://t.co/HNwAO9Y2pA pic.twitter.com/8ramcN65Q0

— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 1, 2026

The new jet will only temporarily be in the nation’s service, as Boeing is expected to deliver in 2028 long-delayed planes that will permanently serve as Air Force One. Trump, a Republican, has said in the past that the Qatar plane would end up in a presidential library.

The Air Force has said that it did little to change the cabin layout of the plane and that it spent less than $400 million on security upgrades.

President Donald Trump boards Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Air Force One, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

President Donald Trump speaks after touring the newly designated Air Force One presidential aircraft at Joint Base Andrews, Md., Friday, June 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

The newly designated Air Force One is ready as President Donald Trump arrives to board, Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at Joint Base Andrews, Md. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

BOROUGH PARK, Brooklyn (VINnews) — A former U.S. Postal Service employee and an alleged accomplice have been indicted on charges of stealing more than $25,000 in tenants’ rent payments by intercepting mailed money orders, altering them and cashing them, prosecutors said Wednesday.

According to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, the alleged scheme ran from August 2024 through August 2025 while Bianca Graham, 30, worked at the Blythebourne Post Office in Borough Park. Investigators allege she stole envelopes containing rent money orders mailed by tenants to property management companies to pay their monthly rent.

Prosecutors said Graham and Sean Campbell, 36, altered the stolen U.S. Postal Service money orders by removing the original payee’s name and replacing it with Campbell’s name or that of another individual. In other cases, investigators allege Campbell’s name was added alongside the intended recipient before the money orders were negotiated.

Authorities said Campbell then cashed the altered money orders at various Brooklyn post offices or deposited them into bank accounts under his control.

The alleged scheme affected 13 victims and resulted in losses totaling $25,191.48, according to prosecutors.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said tenants who mail rent payments should be able to trust that their money will safely reach landlords and property managers.

“As alleged, these defendants exploited that trust, stole payments meant for landlords and property managers, and converted them for their own benefit,” Gonzalez said.

Officials with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service said the case involved the theft, alteration and negotiation of U.S. Postal Service money orders by a postal employee entrusted with handling the mail.

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General said allegations involving stolen mail and employee misconduct are taken seriously and pledged to continue working with law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of postal operations.

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the defendants are accused of stealing more than $25,000 belonging to New Yorkers who relied on the postal system to pay their rent.

“The victims trusted the integrity of our postal system to pay their rent, as millions do every day, and those who betray that will be held accountable,” Tisch said.

The defendants were arraigned in Brooklyn Supreme Court on an indictment charging each with two counts of third-degree grand larceny, 35 counts of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, 10 counts of fourth-degree grand larceny, petit larceny and fifth-degree conspiracy.

They were released without bail and ordered to return to court on Aug. 26.

According to prosecutors, the investigation began after authorities received a tip. Investigators later obtained a search warrant for Graham’s cellphone as part of the probe.

The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, the NYPD Financial Crimes Task Force and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear Pennsylvania’s appeal of a lower court ruling that struck down the state’s prohibition on emergency concealed carry by adults between the ages of 18 and 20, leaving the Third Circuit’s decision in place.

The case, Lara v. Evanchick, was brought by the Second Amendment Foundation, which challenged Pennsylvania laws restricting firearm carry rights for law-abiding young adults during declared states of emergency.

Explaining the significance of the case, the Duke Center for Firearms Law summarized the Third Circuit’s ruling:

“On January 18, [2024,] a panel of the Third Circuit Court of Appeals invalidated on Second Amendment grounds a set of Pennsylvania statutes that operated to bar 18-20-year-olds from carrying firearms in public during declared states of emergency. The ruling in Lara v. Commissioner is one of a growing number of post-Bruen decisions addressing firearm restrictions on that specific age group. Lara brings into sharp focus doctrinal and procedural questions surrounding these age-restriction cases, especially as the Supreme Court is poised to decide related questions of who may be restricted from possessing firearms in Rahimi.”

After the appellate ruling, Pennsylvania sought a rehearing before the full Third Circuit. That request was rejected, a decision the Second Amendment Foundation hailed as another victory in the case.

In announcing the outcome at the time, the organization said:

“The Third U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a petition for a rehearing in the Second Amendment Foundation’s victory in a case challenging Pennsylvania statutes that prohibit law-abiding young adults from carrying firearms for self-defense and prevents them from acquiring a state license to carry (LTCF) because of their age.”

Pennsylvania then asked the Supreme Court to review the case by filing a petition for a writ of certiorari. On Tuesday, however, the justices declined to take up the appeal, allowing the Third Circuit’s ruling to remain in effect.

Following the Supreme Court’s action, Pennsylvania Gun Rights welcomed the decision, noting that the Court’s refusal to hear the case leaves intact what it called a “major win for gun owners in PA.”

{Matzav.com}

Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich said that the legislation of the Basic Law: Limmud Torah is essential to protecting the Religious Zionist system but that he was vehemently opposed ot the original version because it equated Limmud Torah with IDF service.

It should be noted that the bill, which was passed in the Knesset Committee on Tuesday and was scheduled for its first reading in the Knesset on Wednesday, was pulled from the agenda at the last minute—apparently due to concerns that the coalition lacked a majority to pass it.

In an exclusive recording aired Tuesday evening by i24NEWS from a closed conference of Religious Zionist yeshiva administrators, Smotrich said that he had opposed the bill’s original wording and even threatened to resign from the government and return to the Knesset as an MK in order to vote against the Chareidi proposal.

Describing the negotiations over the legislation, Smotrich said: “We demanded to remove any language comparing Torah study to military service, or speaking about contribution, or anything else from which it could be inferred that Limmud Torah exempts someone from military service. That is completely contrary to everything we believe. I said that if necessary, I would resign myself in order to return as an MK and vote against it.”

“We won,” he continued. “The entire Section 2 was removed. Only Section 1 remains, establishing Limmud Torah as a fundamental value of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, serving as a constitutional counterweight.”

In the recording, Smotrich also warned the heads of Religious Zionist yeshivos that the legislation is not intended solely to protect the Chareidi community but is also vital to safeguarding the Religious Zionist yeshiva system, including hesder yeshivos.

“Without this law, our yeshivos will be in the crosshairs,” he warned. “They’re waiting for us around the corner—we’re next in line. I suggest we not be naïve about this. This law is important for us as well.”

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

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

U.S. stocks pulled back Wednesday, July 1, the morning after major indexes closed out their best quarter since 2020, as investors digested a softer-than-expected read on hiring, watched Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh speak abroad, and eyed faltering peace talks in the Middle East. The retreat was modest, more of a breather than a reversal, after a run that pushed the Dow to back-to-back record highs.

In early trading, the S&P 500 slipped about 0.35%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost roughly 0.35%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell about 0.72%. The one bright spot was small companies: the Russell 2000 rose 0.46%, a sign that money was rotating out of the big technology names and into the smaller, more domestic stocks that tend to benefit when the economy looks steady. For context, the Dow closed Tuesday at a record 52,319.20 to cap a quarter in which the S&P 500 climbed more than 14% and the Nasdaq soared about 20%.

The morning’s big economic news was about jobs, and it pointed to a cooling market. Payroll processor ADP reported that private employers added just 98,000 jobs in June, fewer than economists expected and a clear slowdown. Separately, the outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas said U.S. employers announced just under 46,000 job cuts last month, roughly in line with a year earlier. Together the reports set the stage for the government’s June jobs report, which arrives Thursday, a day earlier than usual because of the July 4 holiday.

Market movers

The standout story for everyday shoppers came from the grocery aisle. Kroger shares fell about 2.8% after the supermarket giant said it would buy regional chain Giant Eagle in a $1.65 billion deal. The move comes after Kroger’s far larger $25 billion attempt to merge with Albertsons was blocked by regulators and courts in 2024. Kroger is fighting to hold down grocery prices while competing with Walmart and Amazon, and this smaller, more digestible acquisition is its way of growing without triggering another antitrust battle.

Technology was the day’s weak spot, extending a rough stretch for the market’s former darlings. The Magnificent Seven group of mega-cap tech stocks shed about $2.3 trillion in market value during June as investors questioned whether massive spending on artificial intelligence will actually turn into profits. CNBC’s Jim Cramer argued that Wall Street is now rewarding the companies that supply the AI boom, naming chipmakers like Micron, Intel, Marvell, AMD, and SanDisk, while punishing the giants footing the bill.

Analysts are still finding winners in the space. Wedbush technology analyst Dan Ives this week began coverage of newly public SpaceX with an outperform rating and a $190 price target, calling it more of an AI play than investors realize. SpaceX, which staged the largest IPO in history last month, is set to join the Nasdaq-100 index before trading opens on July 7, which will force index funds to buy the stock.

Commodities and volatility

Oil gave back its early gains and turned lower after diplomacy stumbled. Peace talks in Doha faltered Wednesday when Iran said its negotiators would not meet President Trump’s team, dimming hopes for a lasting deal and a full return to normal oil flows. Crude fell about 1%, with Brent sliding toward $72 a barrel and U.S. benchmark WTI dropping below $69. Even with the dip, oil remains far below its wartime highs, which has been the single biggest force pulling inflation lower and easing pressure on the Fed.

Much of the day’s caution centered on Warsh, who is appearing at the European Central Bank’s forum in Sintra, Portugal, alongside ECB President Christine Lagarde, Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey, and Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem. Investors are parsing his every word for hints about where interest rates head next, a question that touches everything from mortgage rates to credit-card bills.

Looking ahead

The rest of the holiday-shortened week is all about jobs. After Wednesday’s soft ADP figure, traders turn to Thursday’s June employment report for a fuller picture of whether the labor market is genuinely cooling or simply catching its breath. A reading on manufacturing activity is also due. With the SpaceX index addition looming July 7 and markets thin ahead of the long weekend, trading could stay choppy. After a quarter this strong, a pause is hardly a surprise, and many on Wall Street see the early-July softness as digestion rather than the start of a real downturn.

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

President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that Taiwan is doubling the size of the chipmaking plants under construction in Arizona, adding that it could help the U.S. share of the chip market rise to 50% by the end of his term.

“We’re creating more jobs, we have more people working today than have ever worked in the history of our country. It’s great and that’s before these places opened,” Trump said before his departure from Joint Base Andrews.

The president said that new chip plants will be opening up over the next year and that chipmakers from Taiwan, such as the industry leader TSMC, are adding to their investments in the U.S.

“The biggest company in the world, actually, the chipmaker. But they’re coming in, they’re building in Arizona, and they just announced they’re going to double the size. We could have 50% of the chip market by the time I leave office. You know what we have now? Nothing,” Trump added.

FOX Business reached out to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company for comment.

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

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has informed the High Court that the Education Ministry will be required to prepare to revoke subsidies for after-school programs to bnei yeshivos who are eligible for the draft beginning with the 2026–27 school year.

The Education Ministry has been instructed to implement the policy for the Nitzanim after-school program, which primarily operates in communities with large Chareidi populations. The move is a major financial blow for tens of thousands of Chareidi families as the after-school programs enable many mothers to retain their jobs.

In addition to the revocation of subsidies for the after-school programs, the Labor Ministry has announced plans to expand the revocation of subsidies for daycare centers and after-school programs under its authority.

The loss of daycare and after-school program subsidies will increase childcare costs by hundreds of shekels per child, a staggering burden for large Chareidi families.

In the update submitted to the High Court, Baharav-Miara also expressed her dismay that Transportation Minister Miri Regev has delayed the revocation of public transportation discounts to bnei yeshivos and the government has not transferred authority over municipal property tax (arnona) discounts to the Prime Minister, preventing those benefits from being revoked at this stage.

Baharav-Miara’s update also noted that, pursuant to previous High Court rulings, draft-eligible individuals who fail to report for service are already barred from participating in the government’s subsidized housing lottery program, and that officials are also considering revoking eligibility from families currently on waiting lists from previous lotteries.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

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Walk into almost any coffee shop or grocery store today and you’ll see a growing trend: coffee packed with protein, soda promising better gut health, and bottled water infused with electrolytes, vitamins, and other wellness ingredients. Major beverage companies from Starbucks to Coca-Cola are betting consumers will pay more for drinks that offer benefits beyond simple refreshment, helping fuel a global functional beverage market now valued at roughly $166 billion.

Consumer surveys suggest that bet is paying off.

An EY survey of more than 2,500 adults found that roughly 75% of Millennials and 80% of Generation Z consumers regularly purchase functional beverages. More than half said they are willing to spend extra for products that support their health and wellness goals.

Research from Circana found that nearly 64% of consumers sometimes replace a snack with a beverage, rising to 70% among adults ages 25 to 34. The shift reflects growing demand for drinks that provide protein, energy, digestive support, hydration, or nutritional value.

One of the fastest-growing categories is protein coffee.

Often referred to on social media as “proffee,” the trend has rapidly expanded beyond fitness enthusiasts into mainstream retail. Starbucks recently introduced protein coffee beverages across the United States, Canada, and Europe after launching ready-to-drink versions in supermarkets.

Its newest bottled beverages contain 22 grams of complete protein, 5 grams of prebiotic fiber, multiple vitamins and minerals, and only 2 grams of sugar. Industry data show ready-to-drink coffees containing 20 to 25 grams of protein are among the fastest-growing products in the category, while some competing beverages now exceed 40 grams of protein per serving.

Social media has helped accelerate the trend.

According to industry research, 72% of Generation Z consumers turn to social media platforms for food and wellness recommendations. Circana analyst Sally Lyons Wyatt said younger consumers are expected to drive much of the category’s growth as they enter their highest earning years and increasingly seek products that combine convenience with perceived health benefits.

The opportunity has triggered a wave of acquisitions.

French food company Danone recently acquired protein meal-replacement maker Huel in a deal reportedly valued at $1.15 billion. PepsiCo purchased prebiotic soda company Poppi for approximately $2 billion, while Coca-Cola launched its own prebiotic beverage line, Simply Pop.

The boom is also intersecting with the rapid adoption of weight-loss medications such as Ozempic and similar GLP-1 drugs. As millions of consumers eat smaller meals, beverage companies are developing high-protein, lower-sugar drinks designed to deliver nutrition in fewer calories. Danone recently introduced Oikos Fusion, specifically formulated for consumers using GLP-1 medications.

Consumers should expect to pay more for many of these products.

Protein coffees, prebiotic sodas, and functional beverages typically sell at a premium compared with traditional soft drinks and coffee. Nutrition experts also caution that not every health claim is supported by strong scientific evidence, and consumers should evaluate ingredient lists rather than marketing slogans.

Still, industry momentum remains strong.

Analysts project the global functional beverage market could grow from approximately $166 billion today to nearly $372 billion by 2034. Major retailers including Walmart and Target continue expanding shelf space devoted to protein drinks, prebiotic beverages, electrolyte products, and wellness-focused brands.

For beverage companies facing slower growth in traditional soda sales, the message is increasingly clear: consumers—especially younger shoppers—want drinks that promise added value, and many are willing to pay a premium to get it.

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

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The first Parliament in Syria’s post-Assad era took shape Wednesday with the release of a list of 70 legislators picked up by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

The inauguration of the new Parliament shows the country is moving ahead with drafting laws as the nation works on recovering from decades of iron-fist rule under the Assad family and a deadly war that has killed about half a million people.

Press #conference announcing President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s list for the People's Assembly of #Syria, containing the names of 70 members (one-third of the Assembly's total membership). pic.twitter.com/CnAQpCZlmP

— Qusay Noor (@QUSAY_NOOR_) July 1, 2026

The head of Syria’s electoral committee, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, told reporters that the new 210-member legislature will hold its first meeting Monday. Members will be sworn in and the Parliament’s presidential council will be elected.

The list of 70 legislators picked by al-Sharaa included 15 women, which raised the number of female members in the legislature to 22.

Syria held the first phase of its parliamentary elections in October while excluding the southern province of Sweida, which is controlled by Druze gunmen opposed to the central government. The vote at the time also excluded northeast Syria, which was under Kurdish control.

A vote in northeast Syria was held in May after government forces took control of the area during deadly clashes early this year. No date has been set yet for a vote in Sweida, but two representatives for the predominantly Druze region were among the names released by al-Sharaa on Wednesday.

The Parliament will have a 30-month term and work on a new elections law while preparing the ground for a popular vote in the next elections, according to al-Ahmad.

Syria had been without a Parliament since the December 2024 offensive by insurgents, led by al-Sharaa’s now defunct Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, that ended the Assad family’s five-decade dynasty.

Cotton argued that the Constitution was never meant to grant citizenship to the children of those who entered the country illegally and urged lawmakers to approve his proposed Constitutional Citizenship Act.

“Birthright citizenship was never intended to benefit illegal immigrants,” Cotton said, calling on Congress to pass his “Constitutional Citizenship Act to ensure only the children of those here lawfully are granted citizenship.”

Under Cotton’s proposal, children born to illegal immigrants, terrorists, and foreign intelligence operatives would not qualify for automatic U.S. citizenship.

“There is no constitutional right for illegal aliens to cross the border to gain citizenship for their children. Granting birthright citizenship to illegal aliens has contributed to the highest levels of illegal immigration in history. Fixing this will help reduce the damage from Joe Biden’s catastrophic border crisis,” he added in his July 15 press release.

The legislation would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to specify that birthright citizenship does not apply to children whose parents are in the country unlawfully, are present as foreign diplomats, or are participating in hostile operations against the United States. The measure is co-sponsored by Republican Sens. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, and Bernie Moreno of Ohio.

Paul is pursuing a separate approach, introducing his own proposal to eliminate automatic birthright citizenship through a constitutional amendment.

The Kentucky senator has filed a Joint Resolution that would amend the Constitution to restrict U.S. citizenship and end the current interpretation of birthright citizenship.

“Under current interpretations of American law, anyone born on American soil automatically becomes a U.S. citizen, regardless of whether the parent was here legally or not,” Paul wrote on X. “This is wrong and not at all the intent of those who wrote the 14th Amendment.”

The debate centers on the 14th Amendment, which was ratified in 1868 following the Civil War. Originalist legal scholars generally contend that its citizenship clause was intended to guarantee citizenship to the children of formerly enslaved people, while others argue that the amendment extends that protection to everyone born on U.S. soil.

“We are a country filled with immigrants, and legal immigration is valuable and should be protected,” Paul continued. “But we are also a country whose borders have been too open and our generosity exploited too often. President Trump has moved to seal our border from illegal immigrants more than any other president.”

Paul said he believes citizenship should be reserved for the children of American citizens and legal residents, noting that he has advocated for such changes for years.

“I have supported protecting birthright citizenship from the beginning of my tenure in the Senate, when I cosponsored the Birthright Citizenship Act of 2011, and now I am proposing an amendment to protect United States citizenship in case the Supreme Court fails to address this issue correctly,” he wrote.

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s High Court on Wednesday issued an order to freeze Michael Rabello’s appointment as State Comptroller until it rules on petitions challenging the appointment.

The decision triggered sharp reactions, with coalition lawmakers attacking the Court and calling for its ruling to be ignored.

Likud MK Chanoch Milwidsky said: “The High Court’s unlawful decision should be ignored. As I’ve been saying for some time, it is a mistake to continue participating in the theater of the absurd of Yitzchak Amit and his fellow rebels. If we want governance, the time has come to act.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated: “First the Shin Bet chief, then the Mossad chief, and now the State Comptroller and the director of the Israel Land Authority. Gali Baharav-Miara and her colleagues on the High Court are crossing red lines time after time by holding Israeli democracy hostage without any authority and thwarting every decision and every appointment made by the national camp. They despise, trample, and spit in the faces of the majority of Israel’s citizens. We will not allow Israel to become a judicial dictatorship. The answer will come at the ballot box—in a big way.”

Likud MK Avichai Boaron wrote: “The High Court’s decision to freeze attorney Rabello’s appointment as State Comptroller is yet another of the Court’s political decisions, another instance of the judiciary’s trampling the people and the legislative branch, and further proof that the judicial system, including the High Court, has become a full-fledged political player. This situation is destroying democracy in Israel, and it will not continue much longer.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Spot jet fuel prices have fallen about 40% from their April peak, according to data from Airlines for America, the airline industry’s trade association. But despite the sharp decline in one of their largest operating costs, major U.S. airlines say they have little intention of lowering ticket prices as demand for travel remains strong.

Speaking to investors this spring, Delta Air Lines Chief Executive Ed Bastian said fares are currently at the “right level,” signaling that lower fuel costs will not necessarily translate into cheaper airfare for consumers.

For travelers planning summer vacations, the numbers tell the story.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, airfares were nearly 27% higher in May than a year earlier. Average ticket prices climbed to roughly $1,105 in early May before easing to about $980 in June, but they remain significantly above last year’s levels.

Fuel typically accounts for 20% to 25% of an airline’s operating expenses. The Argus U.S. Jet Fuel Index stood near $2.91 per gallon late last week—down sharply from April’s highs but still above prices seen earlier this year.

So why haven’t ticket prices followed fuel costs lower?

The answer is simple: supply and demand.

Airlines reduced flight schedules earlier this year when fuel prices surged, leaving fewer seats available during the busy summer travel season. At the same time, leisure travel has remained resilient, allowing carriers to maintain elevated pricing.

Independent energy analyst Tom Kloza said lower fuel prices resulted partly from airlines reducing flights, which lowered demand for jet fuel, while U.S. refineries simultaneously increased production to capitalize on earlier high prices.

Airline executives have been unusually direct about their pricing strategy.

United Airlines Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella told investors that the longer travelers continue paying today’s fares, the more likely those higher prices become permanent.

Aviation analyst Michael Boyd offered an even simpler explanation: if customers continue buying tickets at current prices, airlines have little incentive to reduce them.

Additional fees appear even less likely to fall.

Industry analyst Zach Griff, publisher of the aviation newsletter From the Tray Table, said baggage fees and other ancillary charges are expected to remain elevated regardless of fuel costs because they have become an increasingly important source of airline revenue.

Some seasonal relief may arrive later this year.

Historically, airfare declines after the peak summer travel season ends, although analysts expect fall ticket prices to remain above last year’s levels despite lower fuel costs.

Airlines also argue they are still recovering from an extraordinarily difficult first half of the year.

A global jet-fuel supply crunch tied to tensions involving the United States and Iran drove operating costs sharply higher earlier this year, forcing carriers to cut flights and absorb higher expenses. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U.S. airlines collectively lost approximately $1 billion during the first quarter of 2026.

Although fuel prices have retreated, the supply chain has not fully normalized. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains constrained, and aviation analysts say global fuel markets could require months to stabilize completely.

For travelers, the lesson is straightforward.

Falling oil or jet-fuel prices do not automatically lead to lower ticket prices. Airlines continue pricing flights based primarily on demand, available capacity, and overall profitability rather than daily fuel costs.

For now, travelers looking to save money are more likely to find lower fares by flying during off-peak periods later this year than by waiting for airlines to pass fuel savings along to consumers.

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

The following is an ‘Ask The Mayor’ question submitted to TLS, and the Mayor’s response. Email your questions for the Mayor to [email protected].

Question: Hi, I noticed that the traffic lights by Hope Chapel, South Lake, and North Lake are both extremely dim. It’s quite bad, and even at night, it takes extra attention to see.

Can this be fixed?

Response from Mayor Coles: I will ask engineering to get right on it

Thanks

Ray

Question: Dear Mayor Coles

Is there any possibility that the L bus run could go through a Country Place? I would think there are a lot of seniors that could benefit from using this bus.

Thanks

Jim

Response from Mayor Coles: We are working on expanding the bus service to other areas of town.

Ray

Question: Hi Mr. Mayor,

Thank you for your time!

I noticed MLK st can use a restriping down the center of the road, the yellow lines are almost completely gone. Also by Cedar Bridge coming from Clifton right after Hurley the center white lines are completely rubbed out.

Once where talking about Cedar Bridge, is there a plan to add a right turning lane from CB to MLK by moving over that unused baseball field?

Thank you!

Response from Mayor Coles: Good morning

I will ask the engineer to contact the county to see about restriping Cedarbridge, since it is their road, and public works to take care of MLK

The county is in the middle of a project to redesign all the intersections on Cedarbriodge from 88 to the Brick border. It is a federal program and I believe it is in the design stage. The plan is to rework the MLK intersection. The township has agreed to give up some frontage along the ball field to allow for this work

Thanks,

Ray

—————–

Have a question for the Mayor? Send it to [email protected]

Have a question for the Chief? Send it to [email protected]

NEW YORK (VINnews) — New York City officials issued an Extreme Heat Warning for Wednesday through Friday, with heat index values expected to reach between 105 and 110 degrees. Forecasters said dangerously hot and humid conditions are expected to continue into Saturday and Sunday.

Health officials warned that extreme heat is one of the city’s deadliest weather hazards, contributing to more than 500 preventable deaths each year. Older adults, young children, people with chronic medical conditions and those without access to air conditioning face the greatest risk.

Officials urged residents to remain in air-conditioned buildings whenever possible, emphasizing that electric fans alone may not provide adequate protection in the forecast conditions. Those without air conditioning were encouraged to visit cooling centers, libraries, community centers or other public spaces.

Residents were advised to drink plenty of water throughout the day, even if they do not feel thirsty, wear lightweight, light-colored clothing and avoid strenuous outdoor activity during the hottest hours. Officials also recommended checking on elderly relatives, neighbors and others who may be vulnerable to heat-related illness.

Health officials said warning signs of heat illness include hot, dry skin, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing, dizziness, confusion, nausea and vomiting. Anyone experiencing severe symptoms should call 911 or seek immediate medical attention.

City officials also urged New Yorkers to prepare for possible power outages caused by increased electricity demand by ensuring they have necessary medications, water and emergency supplies readily available.

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case of Daniel Grand, an Orthodox Jewish resident of University Heights, Ohio, who is challenging city officials after they ordered him to stop hosting tefillah gatherings in his home without first obtaining a permit. The case could have far-reaching consequences for home minyanim, home shiurim, and other private religious gatherings across the country.

“Every American has the right to host a prayer gathering in his home, and he certainly doesn’t need a city permit to do so,” Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel and Vice President of Appellate Advocacy John Bursch said in a news release. “When government officials forbid that, courts must hold those individuals accountable, immediately. The city’s actions underscore a troubling trend of weaponizing zoning laws against people of faith while allowing other gatherings of the same size, like book clubs or poker nights, to meet without issue. We’re pleased the Supreme Court will hear this case.”

The Supreme Court has not yet announced when it will hear oral arguments. The Court’s annual term begins on the first Monday in October and generally concludes in late June or early July.

Grand is represented by Alliance Defending Freedom together with the San Francisco law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. The legal team filed its petition urging the Supreme Court to take up the case on May 28.

A broad coalition of religious and legal organizations has also thrown its support behind Grand by filing amicus curiae briefs. Those organizations include the National Jewish Advocacy Center, the Manhattan Institute, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, the General Council of the Assemblies of God, the General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventists, the Orthodox Union, the National Council of Young Israel, and the American Center for Law and Justice.

Grand has repeatedly emphasized that the case extends well beyond the Orthodox Jewish community and could affect the religious freedoms of Americans of all faiths.

“This is not just a Jewish thing,” Grand previously told Cleveland Kesher. “Would it impact the Jewish people in a good way if we prevail in the Supreme Court? Yes. Would it impact the Christian prayer groups? Yes. Bible study? Yes. It’ll have a major impact for anyone who wants to do what they’re allowed to do by the Constitution, but really by their creator, which is talk to God. This is just about talking to God. We have to bring God back into the home. So, I simply want to have God in my home with a few of my friends. And I was stopped from doing that. That in itself is unconstitutional.”

Grand, who moved to University Heights in 2017, filed suit against the city and then-Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan on September 9, 2022, alleging violations of his constitutional rights. The lawsuit names Brennan in both his official and personal capacities.

Also named as defendants are Luke McConville, who served as the city’s law director, and Paul Siemborski, a member of the University Heights Planning Commission, both in their individual capacities.

The dispute centers on the city’s zoning regulations. As an Orthodox Jew, Grand is obligated to daven three times each day with a minyan. Rather than walking to a shul for every tefillah, he sought to hold a minyan in his own home.

According to court filings, Grand emailed approximately a dozen neighbors on January 19, 2021, inviting them to join him for a minyan at his home on Miramar Boulevard and encouraging them to bring others if they wished. Grand’s complaint states that later that month, Brennan confronted him about the gatherings.

According to the lawsuit, Brennan telephoned Grand on January 21, 2021, and informed him that he could not hold religious gatherings in his home unless he first obtained a special-use permit under Chapter 1274 of the University Heights Zoning Code.

Although Grand initially applied for a special-use permit in 2021 to classify his home as “a place of religious assembly,” he later withdrew the application.

The federal district court ruled against Grand on September 30, 2024. That decision was later affirmed by the U.S. Court of Appeals on November 13, 2025, leaving the city’s restrictions in place.

The Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case now places the dispute before the nation’s highest court. Its eventual ruling could establish an important precedent not only for home minyanim, but also for home shiurim, tefillah gatherings, and private religious assemblies of many different faiths throughout the United States.

{Matzav.com}

ANTWERP, Belgium (AP/VINnews) — At least six people were killed and many others injured on Wednesday in a fire at an apartment block in the Belgian city of Antwerp, police said.

The blaze broke out mid-morning on the eighth floor of the building, where more than 200 people live, in the city’s Linkeroever neighborhood, sending vast plumes of smoke into the air, Antwerp police said in a statement.

The area is not part of Antwerp’s Jewish Quarter, which is located on the opposite bank near Antwerpen-Centraal railway station.

“Right now, unfortunately, at least 5 people have died in the fire. There are also a significant number of seriously injured people, as well as a number of lightly injured,” Antwerp police spokesperson Kim Bastiaens told Belgian private broadcaster VTM.

The 10-story block was evacuated and local residents were warned to keep their windows and doors closed and, if needed, to turn off any ventilators due to the amount of smoke in the air.

A person is evacuated from an upper floor after an apartment block fire in Linkeroever, Belgium, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Firefighters battled the blaze in difficult conditions due to its size and intensity, police said. Several teams of first responders and police were dispatched to the site, including a specialized drone unit.

It was not immediately clear what caused the fire, but Bastiaens said that it had started on the ground floor, and that forensic experts were scouring the site.

A medical emergency plan was activated to keep the victims from saturating nearby hospitals.

An Associated Press photographer at the scene said that the smoke died down by early afternoon, but that many first responders were still there.

Television images from the scene showed one man on an upper floor enveloped in smoke and hanging over a balcony in an effort to get fresh air, before making his way to a nearby window.

Belgium ‘s Prime Minister Bart De Wever, a former mayor of Antwerp, said his “thoughts are with the victims and the evacuated residents of the terrible fire on Linkeroever.”

“My deep appreciation goes out to the emergency services who are striving to help the many affected people as quickly and safely as possible, and who are working hard to bring the fire under control,” he said in a post on social media.

Linkoeroever, which is located in the eastern part of Antwerp, is a large residential area dotted by high-rise apartment buildings and bordering a major park where outdoor music concerts are held.

Rescue workers wait by a tent to receive injured after an apartment block fire in Linkeroever, Belgium, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

Emergency workers on the street after a fire broke out in an apartment block in Linkeroever, Belgium, Wednesday, July 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) U.S. President Donald Trump has recently considered the possibility of returning to a broad military strike against Iran, but at this stage he has decided to continue on the diplomatic track and give negotiations with Tehran more time, even if they extend beyond the deadline set for August 18, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

According to American officials, Trump recently held several conversations with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, during which options for expanding strikes against Iran were presented to him. The discussions focused on whether Washington should abandon negotiations and resume large-scale attacks, which some officials described as “finishing the job.”

Despite this, Trump told his aides he fears that another round of strikes could derail the talks and reduce the chances of ultimately dismantling Iran’s nuclear program. At the same time, he made clear that he sees no problem with the negotiations continuing beyond the deadline, and that at this stage he is satisfied with limited, targeted strikes against Iran in response to violations of the understanding.

The tension between the sides escalated in recent days following exchanges of attacks that disrupted the fragile ceasefire reached about two weeks earlier. However, the White House emphasizes that Trump’s priority remains diplomacy. “The Iranians would be wise to make a good deal with the United States,” a White House official said.

Publicly, Trump continues to project confidence: “They agree to everything I want, and they have to,” he said last week. “Otherwise, we’ll just go back and do what we need to do.”

Vice President J.D. Vance said in an interview with Fox News that Trump instructed his team to “work on the problem and see where the negotiations lead.” According to him, if diplomacy does not succeed, the United States “still has many options.”

Meanwhile, Trump’s envoys on Iran, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, arrived in Doha on Tuesday for another round of talks, but the discussions were held indirectly through mediators rather than directly with Iranian representatives. Technical teams from both countries are also expected to hold indirect talks this week.

One of the central points of dispute concerns the Strait of Hormuz. Iran insists on charging billions of dollars in transit fees for ships passing through the strait, while the United States demands free passage as before the war. At the same time, Tehran refuses to accept strict limitations on its nuclear program, even though Trump claims it has already committed to them.

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that “Iran is still not cooperating at all,” adding that U.S. naval escort operations for ships are the main reason for the recovery in global oil supply. “With Iran or without it, we will ensure the flow of energy through the Strait of Hormuz,” he said.

At the same time, the United States is working to establish a direct communication channel for crisis management between the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and U.S. Central Command. Some officials in Washington see this as a cautious sign of improved relations, while others stress it is only an initial step. The White House says the channel is already open and being used by both sides.

The deadlock in negotiations is pushing Trump to consider alternatives. Hegseth and Caine presented options for renewed large-scale airstrikes against military sites in Iran, but American officials note that since the ceasefire Trump has repeatedly refrained from approving broad military action.

As part of Operation “Epic Fury,” which began on February 28, U.S. forces struck more than 13,000 targets across Iran, damaging much of Tehran’s missile and drone arsenal as well as its production capabilities. By late March, Trump was told it would take several more weeks to fully eliminate Iran’s military threat, but on April 7 he agreed to an initial ceasefire.

Trump has previously threatened to “wipe out Iranian civilization” and even seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub, but has repeatedly pulled back and returned to negotiations. According to officials, he has said he would only resume the war if Iran kills American soldiers.

“If we bomb them, and we can do it easily, they will have nothing left, but the strait will remain closed for months,” Trump said in June. “Many people would die. Who wants that? I don’t.” He added that a deal would be “stronger than bombs.”

Iran expert Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution said Trump still has intermediate options: delaying access to billions of dollars in frozen Iranian funds or continuing to raise the cost Tehran pays for trying to control the Strait of Hormuz. She said this strategy is limited, but a combination of predictable American responses and conditional economic incentives could prevent Iran from pushing too far.

A new report released Monday by the Cybersafety Research Center — a joint initiative of New York University and Northeastern University — found that most of the child-safety tools promoted by major social media platforms failed to work as advertised, raising new questions about online protections for young users.

The research team, led by Laura Edelson, an assistant professor of computer science at Northeastern University, tested 86 youth safety features across TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. Only 35 worked as promised. The remaining 51 either failed outright, were difficult to access, or could not be triggered despite following the companies’ published instructions. The report is titled “Broken, Buried, Missing.”

Researchers created both teen and adult test accounts on each platform, evaluating whether the safety features actually functioned as described and whether young users could realistically find and use them.

The findings were stark.

Nine safety features were classified as “missing” because researchers could not activate them at all. Thirty-four were labeled “broken,” meaning they failed to work properly or could easily be bypassed. Twelve of those were both broken and deeply buried within settings menus, while another eight technically worked but were hidden where most teenagers were unlikely to find them.

Among the most troubling findings involved TikTok. Researchers said the platform is designed to prevent minors from searching for content related to eating disorders and self-harm, yet its recommendation system instead suggested pro-anorexia search terms and self-harm phrases to a teen account.

Edelson emphasized those recommendations came directly from TikTok’s own algorithm rather than from search terms entered by the research team.

The study also found every platform struggled to moderate abusive behavior.

Safety tools designed to discourage bullying or harmful interactions failed across all four services. An Instagram feature intended to prompt users to reconsider before posting abusive comments never activated when researchers used a test account to harass another user. Many moderation systems relied heavily on blocked-word lists, allowing users to bypass protections simply by misspelling offensive words.

Features intended to limit excessive screen time also performed poorly, functioning successfully only about one-third of the time during testing.

The findings carry significant business implications beyond child safety.

For years, major social media companies have cited expanding safety features as evidence they can effectively regulate themselves without additional government intervention. The report arrives as lawmakers continue debating new online child-protection legislation, with technology executives expected to face renewed congressional scrutiny later this year.

If regulators conclude existing safeguards are ineffective, technology companies could face stricter compliance requirements and additional regulatory costs.

The platforms disputed many of the findings.

A YouTube spokesperson said the company has spent more than a decade developing parental controls and cited survey data showing most parents who use its supervised experiences report greater confidence in their children’s online activity.

A TikTok U.S. spokesperson said teen accounts include more than 50 safety settings enabled by default, maintained that the company’s internal testing confirms those features function properly, and offered to demonstrate them to the researchers.

The report also highlighted several positive examples.

Instagram automatically makes new teen accounts private, while TikTok’s experience for users under age 13 restricts commenting and direct messaging.

Edelson said those approaches point toward a simpler solution: make the safest settings the default rather than expecting parents and children to locate and activate them manually.

For parents, the report serves as a reminder that enabling a safety feature does not necessarily guarantee protection. For technology companies, it adds to growing pressure to demonstrate not only that safety tools exist, but that they consistently work in real-world conditions.

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

(AP) – Kroger is buying regional grocer and pharmacy retailer Giant Eagle in a deal valued at $1.65 billion.

Giant Eagle, which is privately held, has 197 supermarkets and 11 standalone pharmacies across northern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana. Kroger has thousands of stores operating under various brands, including Ralphs, King Soopers, Smith’s and Fred Meyer.

The transaction includes $1.25 billion in cash and the assumption of approximately $400 million in outstanding liabilities, the companies said Wednesday.

“Giant Eagle is a well-run, high-quality regional grocer with a strong reputation for fresh products, pharmacy, private label and customer loyalty,” Kroger CEO Greg Foran said in a statement. “We evaluated the opportunity carefully, and the strategic fit is clear.”

Foran, a former Walmart executive, was named Kroger’s CEO in February. He has a reputation as a tech-savvy and detail-oriented leader.

Kroger and Giant Eagle said that they anticipate having to divest a limited number of Giant Eagle stores in order to receive the necessary regulatory clearance for the transaction.

The deal is expected to close next year.

Kroger’s stock fell nearly 3% before the market open.

Rav Moshe Maya, senior member of Shas’ Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah, on Tuesday sharply distanced himself from inflammatory remarks directed at IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir during Monday night’s protest rally in Bnei Brak, saying such language is inconsistent with the values of the Torah.

In a special public statement issued following the controversy, Rav Maya stressed that while the rally’s purpose—to protest the treatment of lomdei Torah and opposition to enforcement of the draft law—was important, the language used by one of the speakers was inappropriate.

Opening his letter with the words, “Deracheha darchei noam v’chol nesivoseha shalom,” Rav Maya wrote, “I was deeply pained to hear the remarks that were made against the chief of staff during last night’s important rally protesting the humiliation of lomdei Torah.”

His statement marked a clear rebuke of the comments, which sparked widespread political and public criticism.

Rav Maya went on to emphasize that such rhetoric has no place in authentic Torah conduct, writing unequivocally, “This is not the way of the Torah to speak in such a manner.”

He concluded his statement by expressing appreciation for Israel’s soldiers, writing, “We customarily pray at every hotzaas Sefer Torah, on Shabbos and weekdays alike, for the success of the soldiers who sacrifice themselves for the safety of Am Yisroel.”

Rav Maya signed the letter with the words, “Written and signed for the honor of the Torah and those who toil in it, and with great appreciation for the soldiers.”

{Matzav.com}

YWN regrets to inform you of the petirah of R’ Yedidya Langsam Z”L of Flatbush, a pioneering Hatzolah paramedic whose decades of selfless dedication helped save countless lives throughout New York City.

Yedidya was a longtime Flatbush Hatzolah volunteer, known to generations of members by his radio designation, “F-60.” He served with Flatbush Hatzolah for approximately 25 years and also spent many years as a coordinator for Catskills Hatzolah.

One of Hatzolah’s original paramedics, Yedidya responded to an astounding estimated 25,000 emergency calls during his years of service. In Hatzolah’s early days, when there were relatively few paramedics, it was not uncommon for him to spend an entire day responding from one emergency call directly to the next.

Perhaps his most famous “save” when Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva Hagaon HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum Z”L suffered a sudden cardiac arrest while being Menachem Avel someone in a private home. Yedidya’s swift actions saved the Rosh Yeshiva’s life, allowing him to continue leading the Mir Yeshiva and being marbitz Torah for approximately another ten years. Rav Shmuel always expressed tremendous hakaras hatov to Yedidya for saving his life. Yedidya himself davened in the Mir Yeshiva on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur for many years.

Way before Hatzolah had large garages to house their ambulances, Yedidya graciously parked an ambulance “F-4” in his own driveway for many, many years. Prior to becoming a Paramedic and responding in his own car, he would drive the ambulance on most of the calls in his area.

Even after retiring from active Hatzolah service, Yedidya continued serving the EMS community as Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York City (REMSCO), where he remained a strong advocate for Hatzolah for many years.

In 2000, he was honored by the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council as New York City’s Paramedic of the Year.

Outside of EMS, Yedidya enjoyed a distinguished academic career. He was a longtime professor at Brooklyn College, where he taught and mentored thousands of students. He also served as Chair of the Computer and Information Science Department and was a faculty member of the Computer Science Department at the CUNY Graduate Center.

In recent years, Yedidya battled kidney disease, undergoing dialysis and other treatments with remarkable strength and resilience.

He was transported to the hospital by Flatbush Hatzolah on Tuesday night, where he was niftar.

He is survived by his wife, children, grandchildren, and many family members.

The levayah is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Wednesday at Shomrei Hadas Chapels, 3803 14th Avenue in Boro Park.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

This is a breaking news story about the June 2026 ADP National Employment Report. Please check back for updates.

Companies in the private sector added 98,000 jobs in June, payroll processing firm ADP said in its latest report on Wednesday.

The figure is below economists’ estimates of a gain of 118,000 jobs and down from the prior month’s unrevised 122,000 payrolls figure.

“The pace of hiring is telling a story of both supply and demand,” said ADP chief economist Nela Richardson. “We know it’s taking people longer to find work, but there also are signs of labor supply constraints in certain industries. For now, the overall effect is a slowdown in job creation.”

Billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel planted a record-setting flag in Miami’s financial core, signing a historic $250-per-square-foot office lease that experts say marks a transition of the West Coast tech exodus from what began as a residential trend into a broader corporate takeover.

As multibillion-dollar liquidity events loom for companies like SpaceX, OpenAI and Anthropic, tech creators and founders are no longer just buying beachfront homes — they are anchoring corporate operations in a booming South Florida commercial ecosystem that insiders describe as “on fire.”

“Peter Thiel in signing that lease, marking a milestone of $250 square foot, absolutely incredible,” DaGrosa Capital Partners founder and chair Joe DaGrosa told Fox News Digital. “With the signing of that lease, it’d probably take a year or two for a build out. Once that build-out occurs, not just Peter, but his entire team will be coming to Miami, and that entire team will be buyers of homes or renters of homes. So you can see how that has a virtuous-cycle effect of going from commercial to residential.”

“The entire region is just on fire,” Blanca Commercial Real Estate founder, chair and CEO Tere Blanca also told Fox Digital. “With billionaires like Larry Page and Peter Thiel and Sergey Brin and others that have taken residency here, what we expect is that they will continue to grow their footprints in the region, as has always been the case, when people migrate to Miami.”

CALIFORNIA EXODUS 2.0: HOW SPACEX, TECH IPOs COULD TRIGGER THE NEXT MASSIVE WEALTH FLIGHT TO FLORIDA

The migration of California companies to South Florida has followed a residential wealth exodus, according to DaGrosa and Blanca. Miami’s 55-story office tower 830 Brickell, which will welcome Thiel’s family office, houses companies including Citadel, Microsoft and Thoma Bravo.

Prior to the post-pandemic boom, Class A office space in Brickell typically leased for about $40 to $60 per square foot, DaGrosa noted. Thiel’s reported $250-per-square-foot lease set a local record, competing directly with top-tier rates in markets such as Manhattan and San Francisco.

“Office space is just like anything else. [It] will be priced based on how much supply and how much demand exists,” Blanca said. “And so with the flight to quality that we’ve experienced in office, even before the pandemic, there is a lot of competition to acquire the best-in-class office space, the best located buildings in areas that feel very familiar to these companies and their executives that are moving here from major cities around the country.”

With California officially putting a billionaire wealth tax on the ballot, tech founders and institutional leaders are looking at the quantitative numbers, as Florida provides a defensive shelter where capital can be deployed without aggressive state intervention.

“It’s both a quantitative and a qualitative discussion, and those two points go hand in hand. From a quantitative point of view, there’s a significant tax savings opportunity at the state-level by moving to Miami,” DaGrosa said. 

“The concern, certainly on the part of a lot of Californians, it’s a wonderful lifestyle out there. Would they be sacrificing lifestyle, the qualitative side of things, for the benefits of the quantitative side? I think they’ve come to realize that they can have the best of both,” he continued, “tax savings and a great quality of life here that rivals, and I would argue surpasses, many parts of California.”

“Companies like Palantir that announced headquarters moved to Miami, Peter Thiel being here, is a… statement to other states about the business practices that make Florida so attractive that they’re not seeing in the places where they were residing,” Blanca added.

Critics have argued that Florida lacks the deep engineering talent of Silicon Valley. However, the experts believe local tech hubs are actively shifting. The Miami-Dade Beacon Council reports that tech employment across the county has grown about 25% over the last few years, making it one of the top metro areas for tech job growth in America.

There’s also notable case studies like Iru — the AI-powered IT and security management firm formerly known as Kandji — a San Francisco-born tech firm that tripled its Miami physical footprint post-pandemic.

“I think that the technology business in Miami should not be compared to, ‘Oh, this is the next Silicon Valley?’” Blanca said. Miami has its own dynamic and its own opportunity to become a place for founders and entrepreneurs to succeed… And, to protect companies trying to rebuild that in-person culture, Miami is the place to make it happen, right? We have the highest return to office in the country, I think only second to Manhattan. So it really feels like a vibrant and dynamic community for them to attract the right talent and to cultivate the right talents here.”

“I think the rank and file [employees] have to follow the executives, ultimately. If for no other reason, you need face time with your boss to prove your worth,” DaGrosa said. “So I think you’re going to see a lot of folks following these tech giants. And as evidenced by the increased costs in commercial space, it’s being driven up by the fact that these guys want to bring in their teams.”

Rapid growth brings local challenges, including rising housing costs, supply bottlenecks and heavier traffic. However, leaders in Florida’s public and private sectors say they’re working together to address those challenges as corporate investment continues.

“The city’s doing a good job of expediting permitting,” DaGrosa applauded. “That was a big problem for a long time, but that’s changed quite a bit under former Mayor Francis Suarez and the commissioners from Miami-Dade County… Miami has adapted to the needs of the folks who are coming in here.”

“Live Local [Act] that was passed by the legislature about three or four years ago is continuing to evolve to provide that relief that we need in terms of facilitating the development of projects that address workforce housing,” Blanca said. “But more importantly, I think that we have a community that is very aware of the challenges that we can have and is very proactive at coming up with solutions with government support to address these challenges.”

“When those projects deliver, we will see that we’ll be in a much better place to check the box as a place where, yes, we have billionaires, and we have great global companies moving here; and yes, you can also bring your employees and your executives here because there is a solution to accommodate all of them at various price points,” she continued.

As traditional zones like Brickell face massive premium constraints, corporate wealth is decentralizing to the north and south. With multi-million square foot Class A projects delivering across the tri-county Gold Coast corridor, the two insiders say Florida is on a path toward global market dominance.

“With that influx in capital, states can do more, the county and the city can do more to help their constituents. So I view it as a big positive. It’s just more money to go around to improve the quality of life for everyone who’s living here,” DaGrosa said.

“It’s a natural evolution of what we have seen, even before COVID, where the Sun Belt in general is just experiencing a migration that is phenomenal,” Blanca added. “And there’s opportunity for all cities in the Sun Belt, major cities across the Sun Belt, and for cities around the country to continue to thrive irrespective of what is happening here.”

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Officers from the Central District Police and members of the Yasam (Special Patrol Unit) shot and killed a man on Wednesday after he allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing attack during a police operation in the city of Lod.

According to a police statement, officers from the Lod Police Station were conducting operations in the city when they spotted a suspect holding a knife and ordered him to stop. Yasam officers were also operating in the area at the time.

Police said the suspect then ran toward the officers and attempted to stab one of them. In response, one of the officers opened fire, and the suspect was neutralized at the scene.

The police emphasized that none of the security personnel were injured during the incident.

Large forces from the Central District Police were dispatched to the scene, where they began searching the area, collecting evidence, and investigating the circumstances and motive behind the incident. The suspect is believed to have illegally entered Israel from Judea and Samaria.

The commander of the Central District, Commander Amir Cohen, was on his way to the scene to conduct a situational assessment with the officers involved.

Hatzalah volunteer medic Haim Adler reported: “When I arrived at the scene, I found a man approximately 30 years old unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, suffering from penetrating wounds after being shot by a police officer following an attempted terror attack. We conducted medical examinations, and due to the severity of his injuries, paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene.”

The U.S. economy is increasingly moving along two different paths, with economists saying the stock market’s powerful rally is benefiting wealthy households far more than the average American. As of Monday, June 29, 2026, a small share of higher-income households is driving much of the nation’s discretionary spending while many middle- and lower-income families continue facing tighter budgets.

The numbers behind the divide are striking.

The S&P 500 has gained approximately 22% over the past year, 76% since 2023, and more than 327% over the past decade. Those gains have significantly increased household wealth for investors who own stocks, encouraging greater spending on travel, dining, luxury goods, and other discretionary purchases.

Michael Pearce, chief U.S. economist at Oxford Economics, said rising stock prices have become a major driver of spending among older and wealthier households, which account for more than half of discretionary consumer spending.

Because stock ownership is heavily concentrated among higher-income Americans, the spending generated by those gains is concentrated as well.

Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at RSM US, estimates that roughly 75% of the consumer spending fueled by the recent market rally comes from the nation’s top 20% of earners. He estimates the wealth effect created by higher stock prices generated approximately $53 billion in additional consumer spending over the past year.

According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, the highest-earning 20% of households now account for roughly 57% of all consumer spending in the United States.

Much of that financial strength extends beyond the stock market.

Higher-income households are also more likely to own homes and to have locked in mortgage rates below 3% during the pandemic, allowing them to benefit from rising home values while avoiding today’s higher borrowing costs.

Economists say the concentration of spending creates both opportunity and risk.

Consumer spending remains the largest driver of U.S. economic growth. If a relatively small group of wealthy households accounts for an outsized share of that spending, any significant decline in financial markets could have a broader economic impact.

Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, has described today’s economy as increasingly “K-shaped,” with wealthier Americans continuing to prosper while many others struggle with higher living costs.

Despite widespread pessimism, spending has remained surprisingly resilient.

The Bank of America Institute reports that consumer spending continues to outpace last year across many income levels even though surveys show consumer confidence remains historically weak. Economists say affluent households are spending because their investment portfolios continue reaching new highs, while many lower-income households are relying more heavily on tighter budgets and increased borrowing.

Another concern is the concentration within the stock market itself.

Technology companies now account for roughly one-third of the S&P 500’s total value, while semiconductor companies tied to artificial intelligence represent an increasingly large share of overall market gains. That means much of the recent wealth creation depends on the continued performance of a relatively small group of technology companies.

Most analysts do not believe the current rally resembles the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s, noting that today’s technology leaders are generating substantial earnings and cash flow. Still, economists caution that a meaningful market correction could reduce the wealth effect supporting consumer spending among higher-income households.

For businesses, understanding where consumer demand originates has become increasingly important. Retailers, restaurants, luxury brands, travel companies, and other discretionary businesses are benefiting disproportionately from spending by affluent consumers whose investment portfolios continue to grow.

The stock market is not the economy. But with household wealth more concentrated than ever, Wall Street’s performance is playing an increasingly important role in shaping spending patterns across Main Street.

JBizNews Markets Desk
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JERUSALEM (VINnews) — An Egyptian source told the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday morning that the current round of talks with the Hamas delegation in Cairo is focused on four main issues:

• The launch of the technocratic committee’s work.
• The “storage” of weapons, as proposed by Egypt.
• The responsibilities of the Peace Council and the guarantees for the ceasefire.
• Coordination regarding the proposed international stabilization force.

The Egyptian source did not deny that disagreements remain over these issues. He hinted that Nikolay Mladenov, the representative of the Peace Council, may travel to Cairo if the talks make positive progress.

The source claimed that “Hamas is taking positive steps,” and that its delegation has full authority to make decisions while coordinating with other Palestinian militant organizations.

According to the Egyptian source: “There is growing pressure for this round of talks in Cairo to succeed, particularly because of the presence of Turkish intelligence chief İbrahim Kalın, who is helping accelerate efforts to reach an agreement.”

He revealed that: “Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar are making joint efforts to ease the pressure on Hamas, which could otherwise come from other regional actors such as Iran, which has recently entered a period of crisis. There is an urgent need to reach an agreement to move forward on the Gaza issue.”

Recently, Hamas sources raised the possibility that the Iranian regime could incorporate the Gaza issue into its negotiations with the United States.

Regarding the agenda of the Cairo talks, the source explained that the first issue is launching the work of the technocratic committee associated with the Palestinian Authority.

The second issue is establishing the framework and key components of the proposed plan for storing weapons, along with discussions on how to reconcile the principles of disarmament with the concept of storing rather than immediately surrendering the weapons.

The third issue is reaching agreement on the new responsibilities of the Peace Council, particularly concerning the guarantees it is expected to provide.

The fourth issue, according to the Egyptian source, is coordination among the relevant parties regarding the planned international stabilization force. He said that several countries have already sent delegations to discuss the matter, and that the participation of additional countries will become clearer in the near future.

Meanwhile, Israel continues to expand its control of the Gaza strip, as Hamas has shown no signs of disarmament and has reportedly been gaining strength and recruiting new fighters in recent weeks.

According to Energy Minister Eli Cohen, Israel is steadily increasing its territorial control in Gaza as part of the ongoing military campaign, and he expects that trend to continue in the coming months.

“We already see that we are progressing,” he said. “I assume that when you will speak to me [again] in a few months, our control of the territory will only continue to expand until we reach 100%.”

“If two months ago we controlled 53% of the Strip, about a month ago around 60%,  today we’re approaching 70% of the Strip’s area.”

The institution often described as the central bank for the world’s central banks warned Sunday that a sharp reversal in artificial intelligence investment has become one of the biggest risks facing the global economy. In its Annual Economic Report, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, identified an AI investment bust alongside persistent inflation and rising government debt as key threats to global financial stability. The report carries significant influence because the BIS serves as a forum for cooperation among the world’s leading central banks, and its assessments often shape economic policy discussions worldwide.

The report stresses that the primary concern is not artificial intelligence itself, but how the unprecedented wave of AI infrastructure spending is being financed.

Technology companies are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data centers, advanced computer chips, networking equipment, power infrastructure and cooling systems needed to support artificial intelligence. According to the BIS, the scale of those investments has grown so rapidly that even the world’s largest technology companies increasingly rely on borrowing to finance expansion rather than paying for projects solely through operating cash flow.

BIS General Manager Pablo Hernández de Cos said the pace of AI investment is raising fundamental questions about how the global economy may evolve, although he cautioned it would be premature for central banks to establish long-term policy responses before the technology matures further.

The report highlights another growing concern: much of the financing is flowing through areas of the financial system that receive less regulatory oversight than traditional commercial banks.

Private credit funds, hedge funds and other non-bank lenders have become increasingly important sources of financing for AI-related projects. According to the BIS, those funding arrangements often involve complex financial structures and off-balance-sheet obligations that may not be fully visible through conventional financial reporting.

As a result, investors could underestimate the amount of leverage supporting portions of the AI economy, leaving financial markets more vulnerable if investment conditions deteriorate.

The scale of borrowing has been substantial.

The largest technology companies driving the AI buildout—including Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta and Oracle—issued more than $100 billion in corporate bonds during 2025, much of it with maturities extending beyond five years. While the financing provides companies with long-term capital for infrastructure construction, it also represents a significant bet that future AI revenues will justify today’s enormous spending.

The BIS compared current conditions to previous technology investment cycles, warning that supply constraints and intense competition could eventually result in overinvestment, where companies collectively build more capacity than long-term demand ultimately requires.

If that occurs, the consequences could extend well beyond the technology sector.

The report warns that a sudden retreat by private credit providers could amplify any slowdown, particularly if investors rapidly withdraw funding from AI projects. Financial guarantees embedded within complex financing arrangements could also trigger unexpected losses, potentially spreading stress into broader credit markets.

In that scenario, reduced lending could affect businesses and consumers far removed from artificial intelligence, increasing borrowing costs and slowing overall economic growth.

The report also links today’s financial risks with recent geopolitical developments.

According to the BIS, disruptions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz earlier this year contributed to higher global energy prices, creating renewed inflationary pressures at a time when many central banks were already struggling to bring inflation back toward long-term targets.

Although tensions have eased, the organization warned that higher energy costs continue flowing through global supply chains, raising manufacturing expenses, transportation costs and agricultural input prices. Those increases, the report noted, could place additional pressure on food prices, particularly in lower-income countries.

Taken together, the BIS describes an unusually complex global economic environment in which governments face elevated debt levels, inflation remains vulnerable to renewed shocks and artificial intelligence investment continues expanding at an extraordinary pace using increasingly sophisticated financing structures.

Hernández de Cos emphasized that fiscal, monetary and regulatory policies should complement one another rather than work at cross purposes as policymakers navigate these overlapping challenges.

For businesses and investors, the report serves as a reminder that the AI boom has become far more than a technology story. The financing supporting artificial intelligence now reaches deeply into global credit markets, meaning any significant slowdown could affect lending, investment, employment and economic growth across a wide range of industries.

The BIS stopped well short of predicting an AI crash. However, by placing a potential AI investment bust among its principal global financial risks, the organization signaled that central banks are paying close attention to how the next phase of the AI economy is being financed.

JBizNews Desk
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The IDF has detected growing evidence that Hamas is rebuilding its military infrastructure and preparing for another confrontation with Israel, according to an internal military presentation disclosed Tuesday evening by Channel 13 News.

The presentation outlines a series of developments observed in the Gaza Strip in recent months, detailing what Israeli officials believe are significant efforts by the Hamas terrorist organization to restore and strengthen its military capabilities.

According to the report, Hamas has placed renewed emphasis on training members of its elite Nukhba force while simultaneously stepping up recruitment efforts. The document states that the organization is actively recruiting young men between the ages of 18 and 22 to replenish its ranks.

The intelligence assessment also indicates that Hamas has resumed producing military equipment on a large scale. According to the presentation, the group is manufacturing hundreds of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and rockets each month. At the same time, it is working to increase the flow of smuggled materials into Gaza, including drone components and other military hardware brought in through various channels.

The report further states that Hamas has begun circulating operational plans in anticipation of renewed fighting. Israeli officials reportedly believe the terrorist organization is making substantial progress in restoring capabilities that were degraded during the war and is taking concrete steps to prepare for future combat.

As Hamas rebuilds, IDF forces continue operating along the Gaza security buffer, known as the “Yellow Line.” The zone is intended to keep terrorist threats away from Israeli communities near the border and prevent Hamas and other terrorist groups from reestablishing positions close to Israeli territory.

Channel 13 also reported that Israel’s political and military leadership has not held any special high-level discussions on the situation in Gaza in recent days. According to the report, the United States has also informed Israel that, for now, there is no international backing for launching another large-scale military operation in the Gaza Strip.

{Matzav.com}

The first major peace framework between Israel and Lebanon in more than four decades is already facing significant challenges after Hezbollah publicly rejected key provisions of the agreement and vowed to oppose its implementation.

The U.S.-brokered framework, signed last week at the U.S. State Department with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, outlines a phased plan under which Israeli forces would gradually withdraw from southern Lebanon while the Lebanese Armed Forces assume control of the area. A central condition of the agreement is the verified disarmament of non-state armed groups operating in southern Lebanon, including Hezbollah.

That requirement has quickly become the agreement’s greatest obstacle.

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem dismissed the framework, saying the organization would not surrender its weapons as a condition for an Israeli withdrawal. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close political ally of Hezbollah, also criticized the agreement, warning that it could deepen political divisions inside Lebanon.

Supporters of Hezbollah staged demonstrations following the announcement, with some protesters attempting to block major roads in Beirut before security forces restored order.

The framework represents the most significant diplomatic effort between Israel and Lebanon since the failed 1983 agreement. Both countries have endured months of conflict that displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians, damaged infrastructure, and increased regional tensions.

Israeli officials have maintained that military forces will remain in designated security areas until independent verification confirms that armed groups have been removed from southern Lebanon. Israeli leaders argue that any lasting peace requires preventing Hezbollah from rebuilding military positions near Israel’s northern border.

Within Lebanon, however, political opinion remains sharply divided.

Some political leaders view the agreement as an opportunity to restore government authority over territory long influenced by armed militias. Others argue that disarming Hezbollah is unrealistic given the group’s military strength and political influence within the country.

The economic stakes are equally significant.

Lebanon continues to face one of the world’s worst financial crises, with its banking sector largely collapsed, its currency severely weakened, and reconstruction costs expected to reach billions of dollars. International donors, including several Gulf nations, have indicated they are prepared to assist Lebanon’s recovery if security conditions improve and the agreement remains in force.

A lasting peace could reopen opportunities for foreign investment, infrastructure rebuilding, tourism, and regional trade, offering much-needed support for Lebanon’s struggling economy. Renewed conflict, however, would likely delay reconstruction efforts, discourage investment, and further strain government finances.

The agreement also carries broader implications for regional stability. Continued calm along the Israel-Lebanon border would support wider diplomatic efforts involving Iran and other Middle Eastern nations while helping maintain stability in global energy markets.

Analysts caution that implementation remains the greatest challenge. The Lebanese government has historically struggled to exert full control over Hezbollah, and many observers question whether the country’s military possesses the political support or operational capability necessary to enforce the agreement.

For now, the framework provides a pathway toward reducing one of the Middle East’s longest-running security threats. Whether that opportunity develops into a lasting peace will depend largely on political will inside Lebanon, continued international mediation, and the willingness of all parties to avoid another round of conflict.

JBizNews Desk
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JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A Moorpark resident has been sentenced to a year in jail after entering a guilty plea regarding the death of a 69-year-old Jewish rally attendee who sustained fatal cranial trauma during a 2023 clash between opposing Middle East war demonstrations in Thousand Oaks.

Professor Loay Abdel Fattah Alnaji, a 53-year-old educator at the Moorpark College, was handed a one-year incarceration term at the Ventura County Jail alongside two years of felony probation for the 2023 death of retired pro-Israel activist Paul Kessler, KTLA-TV reported on Tuesday, citing an announcement from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

The sentencing follows Alnaji’s legal decision in May of this year to plead guilty to charges of felony involuntary manslaughter and felony battery resulting in serious bodily harm.

According to state prosecutors, Alnaji transformed a heated verbal shouting match into an active physical assault against the victim on November 5, 2023, while opposing groups gathered at the intersection of Thousand Oaks Boulevard and Westlake Boulevard.

The district attorney’s team established that Alnaji hit Kessler in the head utilizing a megaphone, a blow that forced the victim backward onto the asphalt where he struck his head on the hard pavement.

Eyewitness recordings captured from the immediate aftermath showed Kessler immobilized on the ground while multiple bystanders, including at least one individual from the pro-Palestinian Arab demonstration, rushed over to administer first aid.

Following the physical encounter, Alnaji remained at the intersection, placed a call to emergency services via 911, and provided a formal statement to arriving police detectives.

Kessler succumbed to the extensive internal injuries caused by the confrontation one day later. Law enforcement officers subsequently tracked down Alnaji several days after the incident, placing him under arrest for causing the fatality.

The Ventura County District Attorney’s Office formally noted that its prosecution team lobbied heavily for a state prison commitment, registering an official objection when the presiding judge chose instead to grant the more lenient combination of a county jail stay and probation.

“Mr. Kessler lost his life in a violent attack that took him from his family and his wife of 43 years,” said District Attorney Erik Nasarenko, as quoted by KTLA. “Given the circumstances of this case and the death that resulted, we believe a state prison commitment was the appropriate and just sentence.”

Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone launch event on either September 8 or 9, according to a report by Mark Gurman. The event is expected to introduce the new iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, along with a new premium model currently referred to as the iPhone Ultra, which is widely expected to be Apple’s first foldable iPhone.

The report says Apple plans to split the iPhone 18 lineup across two launch events. While the Pro models and foldable device are expected to debut in September, the standard iPhone 18 and second-generation iPhone Air are reportedly being pushed back until spring 2027. The move would spread Apple’s major hardware releases throughout the year instead of unveiling every model at once.

Pricing is also expected to be a major focus. Analysts believe the iPhone 18 Pro models could cost about $200 more than the current generation due to rising memory and storage chip costs. The foldable iPhone is expected to carry an even higher price tag because of its folding display and more expensive manufacturing process.

The iPhone 18 Pro is rumored to feature a new 2-nanometer processor, a smaller Dynamic Island, a variable-aperture camera, and improved battery life. Apple has not officially confirmed the event date, product lineup, or pricing. If the reports prove accurate, this could be one of the company’s biggest iPhone launches in years.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Democratic socialist Melat Kiros defeated longtime Rep. Diana DeGette in Colorado’s 1st District Democratic primary on Tuesday, marking another victory for the Democratic Party’s growing socialist wing. The Associated Press called the race late Tuesday with Kiros leading DeGette 49.3% to 43.5%, ending the 15-term incumbent’s nearly three decades representing the Denver-area district.

DeGette, 68, has served in Congress since 1997 and warned voters before the primary not to replace her with an inexperienced challenger. Kiros, 29, is a Democratic Socialists of America member, a former attorney, and a Ph.D. student who was backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders. With Colorado’s 1st District considered safely Democratic, she is now heavily favored to win the November general election.

During the campaign, Kiros argued that Democratic leadership had lost touch with working-class voters. “The reality is Democrats have the worst approval rating we’ve had in decades, because we’ve failed to actually do anything for working people,” she said at a candidate forum. She campaigned on Medicare for All, universal child care, publicly financed elections, a “housing first” approach, abolishing ICE, and ending U.S. military aid to Israel.

Kiros has also drawn national attention over several controversial remarks. In a recent interview, she described the Hamas terrorists’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel as an “inevitable consequence” of Israel’s actions. She also said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks were “inevitable” because of U.S. policy in the Middle East. In 2023, she was fired from the New York office of Sidley Austin after signing an open letter arguing that calls for the elimination of Israel are not antisemitic. She also faced criticism after declining to describe the June 2025 firebombing of a pro-Israel rally in Boulder as antisemitic.

Kiros’s victory follows a string of recent primary wins by democratic socialist and progressive candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, adding to signs that the party’s left wing continues to gain momentum in Democratic primaries. Elsewhere in Colorado on Tuesday, incumbent Sen. John Hickenlooper defeated state Sen. Julie Gonzales, a former DSA member, in the Democratic Senate primary.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed Tuesday for member nations to provide an additional $100 million to keep the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) operating, warning that the organization is facing a severe financial crisis that threatens its ability to continue functioning, Reuters reported.

Speaking before a special UN General Assembly pledging conference, Guterres said UNRWA is confronting mounting financial shortfalls while also operating under significant restrictions, creating what he described as an increasingly dire situation for the agency.

For years, the United States was UNRWA’s largest contributor. That changed in January 2024, when Washington suspended funding after Israel presented evidence alleging that approximately a dozen UNRWA employees took part in Hamas’ October 7, 2023, terrorist massacre.

Several other major donor countries also temporarily paused their contributions while the United Nations conducted a review of the allegations. Most of those governments have since resumed funding the agency.

Guterres said the agency’s financial condition now poses a serious threat to its ability to carry out the mission that the UN General Assembly overwhelmingly renewed just six months ago.

“They cannot keep going like this without urgent backing and financial support from member states,” Guterres said, according to Reuters, claiming that the agency had taken decisive steps to implement reforms and update its policy on outside and political activities following Israel’s revelations.

Defending the organization, Guterres described UNRWA as an essential source of regional stability and dismissed ongoing criticism of the agency.

“UNRWA is a stabilizing force in an age of instability,” he said, rejecting what he called continued efforts to undermine the agency through “disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions, diplomatic roadblocks and more.”

According to Reuters, UNRWA has already reduced its operating hours by 20 percent this year, cut salaries for locally hired employees, and left approximately 15 percent of its international administrative positions vacant as part of sweeping cost-cutting measures. Guterres cautioned that > “Any further cuts could push conditions past the breaking point.”

After Israel accused UNRWA employees of involvement in the October 7 attack, the United Nations appointed an independent review panel led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna to examine the allegations. The panel concluded that it had identified “neutrality-related issues” within the agency but stated that Israel had not provided evidence supporting claims that large numbers of UNRWA staff belonged to terrorist organizations.

Despite extensive evidence presented by Israel alleging deep connections between UNRWA and Hamas, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that Israel must permit humanitarian assistance to enter the Gaza Strip through UN agencies, including UNRWA. Israel and the United States both sharply criticized that decision.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Rabbi Amos Guetta, a prominent rabbi in the central Israeli city of Netanya, was fatally stabbed Wednesday at the yeshiva he founded, and police later arrested a disciple believed to have carried out the attack.

Guetta, who was in his 70s, was attacked at the Rabbi Yitzhak Hai Taieb Yeshiva on Shimon Bar Yochai Street. Emergency responders found him unconscious with multiple stab wounds and provided lifesaving treatment before transporting him to Laniado Hospital in critical condition. Doctors later pronounced him dead.

Police said officers and forensic investigators were dispatched to the scene after receiving reports of a stabbing. Authorities launched a manhunt before locating and arresting the suspect, whom investigators described as a mentally unstable disciple of the rabbi who had reportedly been involved in a dispute with him. The investigation remains ongoing.

First responders from Magen David Adom and Hatzalah Sharon said they arrived within minutes of the attack.

“We found a man in his 70s unconscious and suffering from penetrating wounds after a violent incident,” first responders Yonatan Yankelovitz and Shmuel Salmon said in a joint statement. “Together with Magen David Adom teams, we provided emergency medical treatment and evacuated him by intensive care ambulance to the hospital in critical condition.”

Police arrest a man on suspicion of fatally stabbing Rabbi Amos Guetta in Netanya on July 1, 2026. (Israel Police)

Born in Libya in 1951, Guetta immigrated to Israel as a child and settled in Netanya, where he became one of the city’s best-known Torah scholars. After working as a mail carrier and studying medicine for several years, he left medical school to dedicate himself fully to Torah study and religious leadership.

For years, he studied with Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Yitzhaki, known as the Rabbi of Porat, before founding the Rabbi Yitzhak Hai Taieb Yeshiva in Netanya. The institution became a center for Torah study, offering programs in Jewish law, weekly Torah study and advanced learning for both young and married students.

Guetta was widely known for his strict religious observance and distinctive synagogue customs. He wore tefillin throughout much of the day and introduced practices intended to deepen reverence during Torah readings. His students described him as a disciplined spiritual leader who emphasized high standards in Torah study, prayer and kashrut.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Guetta continued encouraging Torah study and communal prayer in accordance with his religious outlook, spending a period in Tiberias with a group of students to maintain their study schedule.

The Shas party expressed shock over the killing, describing Guetta as “a great spiritual shepherd and an extraordinary leader who brought countless people closer to Torah.”

Avi Salama called the killing “a difficult morning for the city of Netanya,” saying Guetta “was a towering Torah scholar, a pillar of Torah and loving-kindness who illuminated the path for thousands of residents and served as a source of guidance, blessings and inspiration for generations.”

The motive for the stabbing remains under investigation.

Renault reasserted its influence over struggling Japanese automaker Nissan this week, helping remove one of the company’s most powerful board members and signaling that the decades-old alliance between the two automakers remains as politically sensitive as ever.

At Nissan’s annual shareholder meeting, investors voted against reappointing longtime outside director Motoo Nagai, ending his tenure after Renault withheld its support for his nomination.

Although Renault owns roughly 36% of Nissan’s shares, a 2023 restructuring of the alliance reduced its voting rights to about 15%. Even with that smaller voting stake, Renault’s decision to abstain from supporting Nagai, combined with opposition from proxy advisory firms and other shareholders, proved enough to remove one of Nissan’s most influential directors.

The vote marks Renault’s most significant exercise of influence at Nissan since the companies renegotiated their alliance three years ago.

Nagai played an unusually powerful role within Nissan’s governance structure.

The 72-year-old director served on the company’s nomination, compensation, and audit committees, giving him substantial influence over executive appointments and board oversight. He also supported Nissan’s unsuccessful merger discussions with Honda in 2024 and was closely involved in selecting current Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa following leadership changes inside the company.

Renault argued that Nagai’s independence had become increasingly difficult to defend.

Both Nagai and another board nominee previously worked for Mizuho Financial Group, Nissan’s largest lender, raising concerns about board independence. Proxy advisory firms Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) and Glass Lewis also recommended shareholders vote against his reappointment, with Glass Lewis concluding that “Nominee Motoo Nagai is not independent.”

The latest dispute adds another chapter to one of the automotive industry’s longest-running corporate relationships.

Following the arrest of former alliance leader Carlos Ghosn in 2018 and his dramatic escape from Japan the following year, Renault and Nissan spent years renegotiating their partnership. Their 2023 agreement reduced Renault’s ownership stake from 43% to 15% on a voting basis in an effort to create a more balanced relationship.

This week’s vote demonstrates that Renault remains willing to exercise its influence whenever it believes major governance issues are at stake.

The governance battle comes at a difficult time for Nissan.

The automaker continues working through years of declining profitability, weaker sales in both China and the United States, and approximately ¥4.4 trillion ($27.3 billion) in debt. Credit-rating agencies have lowered Nissan’s debt to junk status, increasing pressure on management to restore profitability.

Chief Executive Ivan Espinosa, who recently succeeded Makoto Uchida, has pledged to return the company to sustained profitability by the fiscal year ending March 2027.

For investors, the boardroom fight highlights the importance of corporate governance during periods of financial stress. Leadership decisions, board independence, and shareholder influence can significantly affect the direction of companies attempting major turnarounds.

The Renault-Nissan alliance, which also includes Mitsubishi Motors, continues collaborating on manufacturing projects across Europe, India, and Latin America, suggesting neither company wants to abandon the partnership entirely.

But this week’s vote makes one point unmistakably clear: despite years of restructuring, Renault remains prepared to use its influence when it believes Nissan’s future is at stake. As Nissan works to rebuild its finances and regain competitiveness, the alliance’s internal politics are likely to remain almost as closely watched as the automaker’s financial performance.

JBizNews Auto Desk
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Israel’s High Court on Wednesday issued an interim order freezing the appointment of Michael Rabello as state comptroller until a ruling is issued on the left-wing petitions filed against it, which claimed that the vote was tainted since coalition MKs took selfies of themselves casting their votes.

The order was issued just days before the end of State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman’s term.

Last week, the justices issued a conditional order after the Knesset refused their recommendation to hold a new vote. It now appears that in the coming days the Court will issue a ruling requiring the Knesset to hold a new election.

During a second High Court hearing on the petitions held Sunday, the Knesset’s attorney, Yitzchak Bart, argued that because there has never been an explicit prohibition against members of Knesset taking selfies in the voting booth during a secret ballot, the practice cannot be considered a flaw in the election process.

Bart explained that any flaw must be clearly defined in advance, and a vote cannot be invalidated based on a retroactive determination that taking selfies in the voting booth was improper.

“In our view, there was no fundamental flaw in the voting process that undermined the validity of the vote,” he said. He added that even if such a flaw existed, the Court should refrain from overturning the vote because of the need for heightened judicial restraint regarding the Knesset’s internal proceedings and because invalidating a parliamentary vote is an extreme measure.

Bart also stated that there is no concrete evidence that MKs were instructed to photograph themselves while voting. “Given the high evidentiary standard required, there is no evidence that such instructions were given,” he said.

Attorney Ilan Bombach, representing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the Likud party, argued that the petitions seek an unprecedented judicial intervention in the Knesset’s internal procedures.

“We are dealing here with an extraordinarily unusual intervention in the Knesset’s internal rules governing a parliamentary vote,” Bombach said. “Retired Justice Elron did not even take the minimal step of filing a petition himself, even though he is the directly affected party. Elron himself has previously ruled that simply naming the affected party as a respondent is insufficient. There is not even the slightest evidentiary basis here.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

WATCH:

China’s manufacturing sector returned to growth in June as booming demand for high-tech exports tied to the global artificial-intelligence boom offset stubbornly weak demand at home. The official Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) edged up to 50.3 in June, beating economists’ forecast of 50.1 and moving back above the key 50-point threshold that separates expansion from contraction, according to data released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics. The index stood at 50.0 in May.

The PMI is one of the world’s most closely watched measures of manufacturing activity, surveying factory managers on new orders, production, employment and supplier deliveries. June’s reading marked China’s first clear return to expansion after months of sluggish factory activity.

A separate non-manufacturing PMI, which measures activity across China’s services and construction sectors, also improved, rising to 50.2 from 50.1 in May.

Much of the improvement came from one powerful source: exports tied to artificial intelligence. Chinese factories continue to benefit from soaring global demand for semiconductors, servers, data-center equipment and other AI-related hardware as governments and companies race to expand computing capacity.

Exports of automated data-processing equipment surged more than 60% from a year earlier, while shipments of chips, semiconductors and other advanced technology products continued to support factory production. The strength of those exports has helped offset concerns that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East would slow global trade.

The export boom has prompted several economists to raise their outlook for China. Bank of America increased its forecast for China’s export growth this year to 15%, citing continued investment in artificial intelligence, renewable-energy equipment and electric vehicles. Strong exports also helped China’s roughly $20 trillion economy outperform expectations during the first quarter.

Despite the encouraging headline numbers, the broader economy remains uneven.

Factories producing technology exports continue to perform well, but domestic demand remains weak. Retail sales have struggled, the country’s prolonged property downturn continues to weigh on household confidence, and more traditional manufacturing industries remain under pressure. Furniture exports, often viewed as a gauge of broader consumer demand, rose only 1.9%.

“The hope of rebalancing is fading,” Helen Qiao, China economist at Bank of America Global Research, said, pointing to the growing divide between strong exports and weak domestic consumption.

That imbalance could create new challenges later this year. Economists expect inflation pressures to weaken once higher energy prices fade, raising the risk of renewed deflation. Persistent deflation can discourage consumer spending and reduce corporate profits, making economic recovery more difficult.

There is another reason economists remain cautious.

Part of June’s strength appears to reflect companies accelerating shipments ahead of possible U.S. trade actions.

“We spotted trade frontloading in June,” said Xu Tianchen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. “Exporters accelerated shipments due to U.S. trade policy uncertainty. Late July will be a big moment because new U.S. Section 301 tariffs are expected to take effect.”

If those tariffs are implemented, some of the current export strength could fade during the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, Beijing has largely resisted launching major stimulus measures aimed at boosting domestic demand. Officials have set a 2026 economic growth target of 4.5% to 5%, below last year’s pace, while economists see little chance of aggressive near-term policy easing. Reports indicate China’s central bank has encouraged commercial banks to expand lending, highlighting continued weakness in credit demand across the economy.

For the global economy, China’s June manufacturing rebound sends mixed signals. The world’s largest manufacturing base continues to benefit from the artificial-intelligence investment boom, supporting global supply chains and technology exports. At the same time, much of that growth remains concentrated in one fast-growing sector while domestic demand continues to lag.

Whether China can broaden its recovery beyond AI-driven exports and revive consumer spending remains one of the most important economic questions facing the global economy in the second half of the year.

JBizNews China Desk
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A major international research project will use artificial intelligence, chemical analysis, and handwriting studies to determine where the Dead Sea Scrolls were produced and written, potentially answering one of archaeology’s biggest unanswered questions.

The five-year project is being led by Mladen Popović of the University of Groningen after receiving a €2.5 million grant from the European Research Council. The study is being conducted in partnership with the Israel Antiquities Authority and research laboratories across Europe.

Researchers will examine roughly 250 parchment and papyrus samples from the Dead Sea Scrolls collection using chemical testing of ink, parchment, and papyrus alongside AI-powered analysis, paleography, and codicology. The goal is to identify unique material and stylistic “fingerprints” that could reveal whether the scrolls were produced at Qumran, in Jerusalem, or at multiple writing centers across ancient Judea.

The project will also compare the Dead Sea Scrolls with ancient Egyptian papyrus samples for the first time, allowing researchers to trace raw materials, production methods, and possible connections between different ancient writing centers.

Scientists hope the AI models will help analyze more than 25,000 surviving manuscript fragments, creating an unprecedented database that could map where individual scribes worked, how texts were produced and distributed, and how knowledge spread throughout ancient Judea.

“The combination of advanced laboratory testing, handwriting analysis, and artificial intelligence allows us to ask questions that couldn’t be answered before,” Popović said. “Not only who wrote these texts, but where they were written, how they circulated, and what role they played in the society of the time.”

Israeli Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said the project will help preserve and better understand one of Judaism’s most significant archaeological discoveries, calling the Dead Sea Scrolls a powerful testament to the Jewish people’s deep historical roots in the Land of Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman)  The sixteenth of Tammuz marks the yahrtzeit of the Kapischnitzer Rebbe, Rav Avraham Yehoshua Heschel zt”l, a man who became a legend in his own lifetime for the pain of others that he insisted on carrying as though it were his own.

Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, once called him “the Gadol Hador in tzedakah and chesed.” These are the words of the Litvishe Torah world’s foremost figure, spoken about a Chassidic Rebbe of the Ruzhiner tradition. The Kapischnitzer Rebbe stood at a place where the ordinary boundaries of the Torah world dissolved, because the quality he embodied — unbounded ahavas Yisroel — belonged to no camp and answered to no label.

A Name and a Legacy

He was born on the fifteenth of April 1888 in Husiatyn, a small town in Galicia on the Zabrotz River, which then marked the border between Austria and Russia. He was named for the Apter Rav, the Oheiv Yisroel of Apta, his direct ancestor and the founder of the Apt-Zinkov-Kopischnitz dynasty — and the name proved prophetic. Like his namesake, whose entire avodah was captured in the two words oheiv Yisroel, this Rav Avraham Yehoshua would make the love of a fellow Jew the organizing principle of an entire life.

His maternal grandfather was Rav Mordechai Shraga of Husiatyn, a son of the holy Ruzhiner. When the boy was six, his grandfather passed away and the family moved to Kapischnitz, where his father, Rav Yitzchok Meir, opened a Beis Midrash and, though he had inherited no Chassidim of his own, drew a following by the sheer force of his tzidkus. Of his son the father used to say, “You can trust my Avraham. He never lets anything leave his hand that is not in perfect order.”

Vienna: The Making of a Baal Chesed

When the First World War erupted in 1914, the family fled to Vienna, where thousands of Jewish refugees had lost everything. It was there that the young Rav Avraham Yehoshua’s character revealed itself. Each day he went to the train station to meet the newcomers, lifting their heavy trunks onto his own shoulders and carrying them to their lodgings. He noted their addresses and afterward slipped money and food beneath their doors so quietly that they would never know who had provided for them.

He made himself a rule from which he would not deviate for the rest of his life: he would not go to sleep until he had given away every penny he owned. When his money ran out, he borrowed; and when he was already deep in debt, he borrowed still more, and gave that away too.

On the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5696 (1936), his father passed away and Rav Avraham Yehoshua was crowned Rebbe. Everyone assumed the weight of leadership would compel him to curtail his chesed.

It did the opposite.

Two lines now formed at his door — one of those come to give him a pidyon and receive a brochah, and one of those come to receive money. Often the second line was the longer of the two.

Under the Nazi Boot

He had been Rebbe for only two years when, in 1938, Germany annexed Austria and Jewish life in Vienna was shattered. The Rebbe was seized and forced to scrub the streets while soldiers jeered. His Chassidim arranged, at the cost of a large bribe, to substitute another Jew in his place — and the Rebbe forbade it. “Should I save myself by putting another Jew in my place? Chas v’shalom!” When a German officer came to shear his beard, the Rebbe extended two fingers and said, “Cut off my fingers instead, but do not touch my beard.”

The astonished officer withdrew.

Years later, in America, he explained the deeper logic of his own conduct through the Akeidah. The test, he said, was not whether Avraham Avinu would obey — who would refuse a direct command from Hashem? “Had Hashem asked Avraham to give up his own life, that would have been no great surprise. The real test was that he was asked to offer up another, to watch someone else suffer. That is true mesirus nefesh.” And then he added the sentence that is the key to his entire biography: “When I was under German rule, I accepted all my own suffering with love. But the suffering of others — that I could not bear.”

His escape carried its own test. A wealthy Chassid gave him money for the passage to America; the Rebbe, unwilling to break his lifelong practice of holding no money overnight, gave it all to tzedakah. On the very morning of departure, with no funds for tickets, a couple came to say farewell, and the woman sold her jewelry on the spot to pay the fare. After the war, the Rebbe sought that couple out and repaid every cent.

America: The Ocean and the Debt

Sailing from Le Havre, he arrived in New York on the twenty-first of February 1939 and settled on the Lower East Side, opening his Beis Midrash on Henry Street, filing his declaration of intention to become a citizen that July. He had barely unpacked before he was back out the door working to rescue the Jews he had left behind. Riding in a car one day, he caught sight of the ocean and wept: “We sit safely on this side of the sea. Who knows what is happening on the other side?” When a gadol wrote urging him to eat properly, he replied that he had undertaken to eat no meat during the week until Hashem had mercy on His people — “I tremble when I think of the suffering of our brothers.”

After the war he traveled to Eretz Yisroel to give thanks, and there he founded Beis Avraham, a home for orphans and refugees in Petach Tikva, taking its upkeep upon himself. It endures to this day. He would visit Eretz Yisroel ten times, and each time returned buoyant. When a fellow traveler once bemoaned the spiritual decline he claimed to see there, the Rebbe answered gently, “Strange — I was just there, and saw only new yeshivos, new shuls, new mikvaos. Every visit, I come home happier than the last.” It was the same eye that refused to see the worst in a person, refusing now to see the worst in a nation being rebuilt.

The Partnership with Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l

Together with Rav Aharon Kotler, the Rebbe was among the founders of Chinuch Atzmai, the independent religious school network for Israel’s children. Rav Aharon said openly that without the Kapischnitzer Rebbe he could never have borne the burden. The Rebbe himself claimed he did not deserve a seat on the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah, and joined its deliberations only because, being obligated to heed the gedolim, he could not refuse their request.

He was a man of almost no public words. But when Rav Aharon pressed him to speak, he would rise, and the words came from so deep a place that no one in the room was untouched. Once he said simply: “I am an old man, and I will soon be called before the Heavenly Court and asked whether I did everything I could to save the children of Eretz Yisroel. I have no strength left. But you are young — you can still do it, Rabbosai! What will become of me? What am I going to say?” — and he broke into tears, and the donations poured in.

The Torah of a Whole Heart

The stories that survive him are not incidental color; each is a compressed teaching. When a poor man needed a hat and refused to accept the Rebbe’s newer one, the Rebbe pressed it on him with a piece of a key hashkafah: “The mitzvos a man does in this world become his garments in the next. I would rather wear the old hat here, and the new one there.” When his family begged him not to donate blood in his frail old age, he answered that he would gladly spend a few days in bed afterward. When they enlisted Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l himself to stop him from attending yet another fundraiser, he said: “Do you not all need air to breathe? A mitzvah is to me like air. If I cannot do mitzvos, why do I need to live?”

The same warmth was the whole of his method in bringing Jews closer, and one episode preserved in the name of the Skulener Rebbe zt”l captures it. The Rebbe fell into conversation with a Jew who had drifted far from mitzvos. He did not rebuke him; he spoke to him b’lev shalem, heart to heart, and in the natural course of the conversation arrived gently at the mitzvah of tefillin. He asked the man to agree to put them on even a single time. Then, rather than lend a pair, he pressed his own tefillin upon him as an outright gift — a matanah — and after a long and loving exchange the man consented, embraced the Rebbe, and took the tefillin home as a present from his hand. The Rebbe understood that a Jew is not argued back to his Father; he is loved back, one warm word and one gift at a time.

Once, an unstable regular at his tish grew so disruptive that he was physically thrown out of the shul. The Rebbe, learning of it, cried out: “All my life I have labored to reach v’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha, and now, in my old age, a Jew is cast out of my shul!” A Chassid protested that there was no mitzvah to love such a man. The Rebbe answered: “About whom did the Torah command us to love? Not a Jew like the Chofetz Chaim — for such a Jew the command would be unnecessary. The Torah commands us to love the one who has nothing to recommend him except this alone: that he is a Jew, a child of Hashem. It is precisely about him that the Torah says v’ahavta l’reiacha kamocha.”

He refused to make Kiddush until the man was found, brought back, and begged forgiveness.

This is the intellectual core of his avodah – stated plainly. Loving the lovable requires no Torah at all. The Mitzvah exists precisely because the human heart resists loving those who offer it nothing. The Rebbe understood the mitzvah not as a warm sentiment but as a discipline aimed exactly at the point of greatest resistance — and he trained himself against that resistance until it broke.

The Final Day

In 1964 he transferred his court to Boro Park, to the shul on 55th Street, and there — as on the Lower East Side — he did not rest until a mikvah was built, as he had helped build mikvaos across Eretz Yisroel. He had long davened that he might remain active until his very last day, and the prayer was granted.

On the sixteenth of Tammuz, 5727 (1967), he asked for the Ramban’s Sha’ar HaGmul, which speaks of the eternal reward awaiting those who keep Hashem’s mitzvos in this world. As he sat learning it, his neshamah departed to receive the reward the sefer described.

His sudden petirah shocked the community; thousands streamed to the shul on 55th Street, and the gedolim and Rebbes of the generation walked in silence behind his casket, which was brought to its rest in the ancient cemetery of Tiberias, on the shore of the Kinneret. He was succeeded by his son, Rav Moshe Mordechai — “Rav Moshele” — a true oheiv Yisroel in his father’s image, until his own sudden passing in 5735 (1975).

The Ponovezher Rav, Rav Yosef Kahaneman zt”l, used to say that from the day the Chofetz Chaim left this world, he had not had a Rebbe — until he found the Kapischnitzer. It is a startling admission from one of the giants of the yeshiva world, and it points to a deep insight that the Ponovezher Rav grasped – that the highest reaches of Torah are measured not only in the sharpness of a sevara but in the width of a heart. Zechuso yagein aleinu.

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Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar! party, officially launched his campaign for prime minister on Tuesday, declaring that the upcoming election will determine “Israel’s security, unity, and soul.”

“By this October, the government born out of the terrible October will have completed its role. A new and much better chapter in Israel’s history will begin,” Eisenkot said. “Israel deserves a new chapter. Together, we will write it.”

Pledging to earn the public’s trust, Eisenkot promised to provide unifying leadership rooted in “Israel’s tradition, heritage, and Torah,” adding that he intends to serve as “the prime minister of all Israeli citizens.”

The former IDF chief said a government under his leadership would make difficult decisions on issues including national security, military service, and education. He pledged to expand the ranks of the IDF to significantly ease the burden on both active-duty soldiers and reservists without compromising Israel’s security needs.

Eisenkot also vowed to direct substantial government funding toward rebuilding northern and southern Israel, while increasing investment in healthcare, education, transportation, and infrastructure.

In addition, he pledged to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 attacks, calling it the government’s “first obligation” so Israel can learn the lessons of the past and better prepare for the future.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The House of Representatives on Tuesday voted down a second effort by Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., to limit President Donald Trump’s authority to direct U.S. military operations in Lebanon, rejecting the measure by a vote of 235-189 as negotiations involving Israel, Lebanon, and Iran continue.

The resolution, H.Con.Res. 108, invoked Section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution and sought to require the president to withdraw U.S. armed forces “from any hostilities in Lebanon” within seven days. The proposal, however, preserved ongoing security assistance to the Lebanese Armed Forces and allowed continued protection of U.S. diplomatic facilities.

Tlaib’s first attempt to pass similar legislation, H.Con.Res. 84, was overwhelmingly defeated on June 4 by a vote of 324-92. Democratic leaders opposed that version, arguing its broader requirement to remove U.S. forces “from Lebanon” could inadvertently force the withdrawal of American troops assigned to protect the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

The revised resolution won the support of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Gregory Meeks of New York. Even so, 22 Democrats voted against the measure, while two Republicans broke with their party to support it.

Speaking to fellow lawmakers on Monday, Tlaib argued that the legislation was intended to halt American involvement in Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon.

She said the vote was about “immediately ending all U.S. participation in the Israeli government’s violent assault against the people of Lebanon,” accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing and territory expansion” through its bombing campaign in the south.

Meeks defended the updated resolution, saying it addressed the concerns that doomed the earlier proposal and would help prevent the United States from becoming entangled in another prolonged conflict. He also said that, to his knowledge, American forces are not currently participating in combat alongside Israeli troops in Lebanon.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast, R-Fla., sharply criticized the measure, arguing that it would undermine efforts to achieve peace by benefiting Hezbollah.

Calling the resolution “a win for terrorists,” Mast said it protected the one group continuing to obstruct a diplomatic resolution.

“Hezbollah is the one holdout that is standing in the way of peace between Israel and Lebanon,” Mast said. “The Lebanese government wants the fighting to stop. Israel wants the fighting to stop.”

The vote came amid intensified diplomatic efforts following last week’s agreement between Israel and Lebanon, which links an Israeli military withdrawal to Hezbollah’s disarmament. The Iran-backed terrorist organization has thus far rejected that condition. At the same time, Iran and Hezbollah have insisted that a complete Israeli withdrawal is a prerequisite for finalizing the broader U.S.-Iran framework aimed at ending the conflict.

Because H.Con.Res. 108 is a concurrent resolution, it is nonbinding and would not have required President Trump’s signature even if it had been approved by Congress.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu said Tuesday night that he intends to form a broad national coalition after the upcoming election, making clear that the chareidi parties would be welcome partners and declaring that he has “zero boycotts” against any legitimate political allies.

Speaking in an interview on Channel 14’s The Patriots with Yinon Magal, Netanyahu discussed his vision for Israel’s next government, his ongoing criminal trial, the toll public life has taken on his family, and the country’s political future.

Asked whether his next coalition would include the chareidi parties and Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich, Netanyahu responded unequivocally.

“Of course. I want a broad national government. It’s not a spin. I want to bring about a broad national government, and in these elections it will either be a broad national government led by me, or a narrow left-wing government led by Gadi Eisenkot and Yair Golan.”

He added, “I accept everyone who is relevant. Zero boycotts.”

Netanyahu also addressed the corruption trial against him, arguing that the prosecution’s case has steadily unraveled.

“This case collapsed years ago when the judges said there was no bribery,” he said. “This will also collapse—you’ll see. There’s nothing there. The judges tried to push for a plea bargain, but I didn’t give in. I’m on a mission.”

He noted that he has already testified 98 times and maintained that the proceedings have failed to substantiate the allegations against him.

Explaining why he previously sought to end the trial, Netanyahu argued that the legal proceedings have deepened divisions within Israeli society.

“The trial tore the nation apart,” he said, claiming it fueled political boycotts, intensified the country’s political instability, and contributed to Israel’s repeated election cycles.

The prime minister also spoke about the personal burden his family has borne throughout his years in office.

He described an incident involving his wife, Sarah Netanyahu, who works as a psychologist in Jerusalem’s religious school system. According to Netanyahu, she spent hours supporting the family of a critically ill woman at Ichilov Hospital, helping them through their final moments with their mother and later assisting the children after the woman’s passing.

At the very same time, he said, demonstrators were gathered outside their home, carrying balloons and issuing threats.

“There were balloons and threats to murder her, and sometimes me as well,” he said.