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Earlier this week, an Israeli entrepreneur and peace activist who attempted to show empathy to Arab migrants from Gaza at a demonstration in Venice was beset by a mob when they discovered he was Israeli.

Eyal Waldman lost his daughter and her fiancée at the Nova Music Festival on Oct. 7, 2023, but he still forged ahead with his idealistic vision to create bridges of peace between Israelis and Arabs in Gaza, Judea and Samaria. To that end, he hired 20 Arabs from Gaza, donated $360,000 to a Gaza hospital and worked for years to develop partnerships between the two peoples.

During a visit to Italy, he attended an anti-Israel demonstration in Venice, which took place at the Venice Biennale, an international exhibition of art and architecture, with the express purpose of talking to the migrants there and expressing empathy and understanding.

As soon as he revealed his origins, the mob turned aggressive, screaming and telling him to leave. For his own safety, he had to be escorted away by security.

A man aboard a bus in Stamford Hill in London shouted at passengers and threatened them Thursday, warning that he had a knife.

The man shouted, “Shame Hitler didn’t kill you” and “You should all go in the gas chambers.” He also threatened to kill Jewish children.

The driver stopped the bus and activated the emergency alarm, whereupon passengers and members of Shomrim, who arrived on the scene quickly, detained the man until police arrived to take the white male into custody.

In a separate incident last month, parents of students at Hasmonean High School for Boys, an Orthodox Jewish school in the London neighborhood of Hendon, received a letter notifying them that a car had jumped the curb in front of the school, forcing students to leap out of the way to avoid getting hurt. The incident is being investigated as an antisemitic hate crime.

The Metropolitan Police Service has asked for the public’s assistance in finding the suspect.

Campaign Against Antisemitism, a British Jewish advocacy group, denounced the rise in antisemitic attacks.

“Attacks on ambulances, suspected attacks on children — there is nothing to which these antisemitic cowards won’t stoop,” the group wrote on X. “What’s so tragic is that nothing surprises British Jews anymore, because all of this was preventable if the authorities had heeded our warnings two years ago and did their jobs.”

“They refused, and now we and our children are paying the price for their stubborn ineptitude,” the group concluded.

(JNS) – A federal judge ordered Texas chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Tuesday to turn over donor lists and travel records in a discovery dispute tied to a lawsuit challenging Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s designation of CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization.
U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright granted in part motions to compel filed by Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

The ruling requires the CAIR Foundation to produce records identifying certain foreign donors and recipients of funds, as well as communications related to foreign funding.

Albright also ordered the production of records related to travel by CAIR co-founder and executive director Nihad Awad to Egypt, Gaza, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates between 2019 and 2023.

Amy Mek of the RAIR Foundation, which investigates and combats “threats from Islamic supremacists, radical leftists and their allies,” called the ruling “a massive victory for transparency and national security.”

Brandon Hall, a Republican member of the Texas State Board of Education, praised the ruling.

“Your days of masquerading as a ‘Muslim civil rights organization’ are over, CAIR,” he stated. “We will never stop until we push your terrorist organization out of Texas.”

(JNS) – The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board issued a cease-and-desist letter on Wednesday to an entity calling itself Texas American Muslim University at Dallas, alleging it is operating illegally without state authorization.

According to the board, the organization, also known as “TexAM,” has advertised STEM degree programs and student admissions despite lacking the certificate of authority required under Texas law for institutions offering to grant degrees.

The board ordered the Richardson-based entity to immediately stop advertising, enrolling students and using protected terms such as “university,” warning that continued operations could lead to criminal penalties, civil fines and enforcement under the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The letter, signed by Associate Commissioner Daniel R. Perez, demanded that the TexAM confirm by May 8 that it had permanently ceased offering or advertising degree programs in Texas or “this matter may also be referred to local district attorneys and the Texas Attorney General for further action.”

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he directed the board to issue the cease-and-desist order, describing TexAM as “an unauthorized Islamic educational institution operating illegally.”

“If they refuse to comply, legal action will follow,” he stated. “Texas will not allow illegal educational institutions to operate in our state.” (JNS sought comment from TexAM.)

The action came days after Richardson Mayor Amir Omar publicly supported the initiative and said he helped the organization secure a location. Omar, the city’s first Muslim mayor, was born in Richardson to Palestinian and Iranian parents.

TexAM shares an address on Campbell Road with the Dallas Diyanet Mosque and the Islamic Seminary of America. The organization also promoted what it described as a “special initiative allowing Pakistani students to earn a TexAM Bachelor’s degree without applying for a U.S. student visa or traveling to the United States.”

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JERUSALEM – Israel’s Health Minister Haim Katz, together with Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov, visited United Hatzalah’s national headquarters in Jerusalem on Thursday for a working visit focused on emergency medical response and cooperation with the Health Ministry.
The delegation was welcomed by United Hatzalah’s founder and President Eli Beer, CEO Ehud Davidson and Deputy CEO Eli Pollak, and members of the organization’s executive leadership, United Hatzalah said in a statement.

Katz and Bar Siman Tov toured the organization’s National Dispatch and Command Center and received briefings on its emergency response operations, technological systems, volunteer network, Drone Unit, Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit, and fleet of emergency vehicles.

The visit also included discussions on strengthening coordination between the Ministry of Health and United Hatzalah during both routine operations and national emergencies, according to United Hatzalah.

During the visit, the minister said, “Today, I met people who leave behind their families, workplaces and daily routines in order to save lives entirely on a volunteer basis, driven by a true sense of purpose and mission to save lives.

“United Hatzalah is a significant part of Israel’s emergency medical response system, with the ability to reach anyone, anywhere, within minutes. The cooperation between the Ministry of Health and the organization is important during both routine times and emergencies, and we will continue working to remove barriers and provide volunteers with the tools they need so they can continue doing what they do every day: saving lives,” Katz said

Beer was cited in the statement as highlighting the growing partnership between the organization and the ministry.

“United Hatzalah operates as a civilian operational arm supporting the national healthcare system, ensuring that every individual in need receives assistance within minutes,” he said.

“The combination of the ministry’s policy and regulatory framework with the operational strength of our thousands of volunteers in the field significantly enhances our collective ability to save lives every day. We thank the minister and director-general for their strong support, for recognizing the indispensable role of our volunteers as an integral part of Israel’s national resilience, and for addressing critical bureaucratic challenges that will help save lives across the country.”

(JNS) – A city-owned water park in Grand Prairie has canceled a “Muslims only” day after the Texas Public Safety Office sent a letter on Wednesday threatening to pull approximately $530,000 in grants from the city for “discriminating based on religion.”

Epic Waters Indoor Water Park, operated by American Resort Management, LLC, had advertised the event as closed to the public and open only to Muslims, as part of a June 1 Eid celebration.

“An event at a city-owned pool that was publicly and indiscriminately advertised as ‘whites only’ would surely violate the Constitution,” Andrew Friedrichs, executive director of the state PSO, wrote. “The same must be true here.”

Friedrichs pointed to five PSO grants active in the city, and said Grand Prairie was “in breach with respect to all grant agreements” unless it confirmed in writing that the event would not take place on city property and committed to “never allowing a ‘Muslim only’ event to occur in property owned or operated by the city.”

On Tuesday, the city released a statement that it had been in contact with the park’s management team “to ensure all policies and procedures have been followed,” adding that individuals and organizations can rent the park “like other city-owned facilities.”

“After further review and in the best interest of the City of Grand Prairie, the June 1 Eid event at Epic Indoor Waterpark has been canceled,” the city stated the next day.

The event’s organizer, Aminah Knight, said promotional materials for the annual event had been updated to be more inclusive of other faiths.

“In response to feedback, we have updated our materials to clearly reflect that this is a modest dress-only event, centered around a respectful and family-friendly environment,” she said. “So if you are a friend of a different faith who wants to celebrate the Eid holiday with us and adhere to the modest dress code, this event is for you too.”

JERUSALEM (JNS) – WhatsApp founder Jan Koum is donating $200 million to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in what is being described as the largest philanthropic contribution in the history of Israel’s healthcare system, officials from the Jerusalem hospital told JNS on Thursday.

The donation, made through the Jan Koum Family Foundation, is expected to triple the size of the hospital, which currently has approximately 1,000 beds. Koum, 50, who was born into a Jewish family in Ukraine and immigrated to the United States as a teenager, co-founded WhatsApp in 2009 before selling the messaging platform to Meta for approximately $19 billion in 2014.

The funds will be used to construct a new inpatient tower that will also include housing for medical staff, tripling the size of the hospital. According to a source in Israel’s healthcare system, planning approvals for the new tower are advancing rapidly through Jerusalem’s municipal planning institutions.

The contribution surpasses the previous record donation to Israel’s healthcare sector, a $180 million gift made in 2025 by Anat and Shmuel Harlap to Rabin Medical Center’s Beilinson Hospital.

The two donations reflect a growing trend in which private philanthropy—much of it from American Jewish donors—is increasingly funding major hospital infrastructure projects that the state has not undertaken on a similar scale.

As an independent hospital not affiliated with one of Israel’s health funds, Shaare Zedek relies heavily on philanthropic support to expand and develop its facilities. Officials said the latest donation underscores the widening gap between institutions capable of attracting major private capital and those primarily dependent on government funding.

Koum, who divides his time between California and Europe, has become a prominent philanthropist, supporting Jewish, educational and pro-Israel causes around the world. In recent years, he has donated to several Israeli organizations and initiatives, including the Maccabee Task Force, Friends of Ir David and the Central Fund of Israel.

President Donald Trump said Thursday night that negotiations with Iran are ongoing, even after a confrontation earlier in the day near the Strait of Hormuz.

He also revealed that Pakistan had urged the United States to hold off on moving forward with his proposed “Project Freedom,” which would involve escorting ships through the strait, while diplomatic discussions are still underway.

“We’re negotiating with the Iranians. We have, you probably heard, we took our three destroyers and we rammed them through some pretty big stuff today, and we knocked the hell out of them,” Trump said, describing the exchange of fire with Iranian forces.

President Trump on Iran:

"We're negotiating with the Iranians.

We took our three destroyers and we rammed them through some pretty big stuff today and we knocked the hell out of them. The destroyers weren't hurt in any way.

The people weren't hurt but they were firing at us… pic.twitter.com/ZMZHn6M1bV

— World Source News (@Worldsource24) May 8, 2026

He added that American vessels and personnel were unharmed despite the incident. “The destroyers weren’t hurt in any way. The people weren’t hurt, but they were firing at us, and we were firing back at them. And our firepower was a hell of a lot stronger than theirs, and they knocked the hell out of them,” he said.

Addressing a proposed agreement to resolve tensions with Iran, Trump said the plan goes far beyond a simple, short document.

“Well, it’s more than a one-page offer. It’s an offer that basically said they will not have nuclear weapons, they are going to hand us the nuclear dust and many other things that we want,” Trump told reporters.

When asked whether Tehran has formally accepted the terms, Trump expressed skepticism about the reliability of any such agreement. “They have agreed. When they agree it doesn’t mean much because the next day they forgot they agreed.”

He noted that shifting leadership within Iran complicates the process. “And you know, we’re dealing with different sets of leaders,” Trump added.

Trump reiterated that the United States will not permit Iran to develop nuclear weapons. “We’re not going to give them the right to have a nuclear weapon, there’s zero chance, and they know that, and they’ve agreed to that. Let’s see if they are willing to sign it.”

Earlier in the day, a senior U.S. official told Fox News that American forces carried out strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Port and Bandar Abbas.

The official emphasized that the actions were not intended as the start of a broader conflict.

A later update from another U.S. official indicated that additional strikes targeted Iran’s Bandar Kargan naval checkpoint in Minab.

Iranian media, however, offered a different account. The Tasnim news agency reported that Iran’s navy launched missile and drone attacks against three U.S. destroyers operating near the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement, the Iranian military’s Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters accused the United States of breaching the ceasefire by targeting Iranian ships.

“We will respond to any attack with force and without any hesitation,” the statement read.

Despite the flare-up, Trump downplayed the significance of the U.S. response in remarks to ABC News, calling the strikes a “love tap.”

Asked whether the ceasefire had collapsed, Trump insisted that it remains in place. “No, no, the ceasefire is going. It’s in effect.”

In a follow-up post on Truth Social, Trump warned Iran that failure to finalize an agreement could lead to stronger action, writing that “we’ll knock them out a lot harder, and a lot more violently, in the future, if they don’t get their Deal signed, FAST!”

Earlier in the week, Trump announced that Project Freedom would be paused to give diplomacy a chance, just two days after unveiling the initiative to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Wednesday, he issued a public warning to Iran, writing on Truth Social, “Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran.”

He added that failure to comply would trigger renewed military action: “If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before.”

Later, speaking at the White House, Trump said recent discussions with Iranian officials have been encouraging, while emphasizing their desire to reach an agreement.

“They want to make a deal badly. And we’ll see if we get there. If we get there, they can’t have nuclear weapons. It’s very simple,” Trump stated.

A political storm is brewing after comments attributed to Ateres Shlomo Rosh Yeshiva Hagaon Rav Chaim Feinstein, with a sitting member of Knesset calling for financial repercussions against the yeshiva he leads.

MK Vladimir Beliak of the Yesh Atid party sent an urgent letter on Thursday to Tax Authority Director Attorney Shay Aharonovitch, urging him to revoke the Section 46 tax-deductible status granted to donations made to Yeshiva Ateres Shlomo in Eretz Yisroel.

The request follows sharp remarks made by the rosh yeshiva, Hagaon Rav Chaim Feinstein, during a recent gathering of roshei yeshiva and rabbonim in the south addressing the issue of drafting bnei yeshiva into chareidi army frameworks.

In his letter, Beliak pointed to statements attributed to Rav Feinstein and cited in Channel 12 News, in which the rosh yeshiva said: “We must understand what we are facing — this is a terrible war, the enemy is not playing games.”

Earlier this week, a major gathering of roshei yeshiva and rabbonim from southern communities took place, at which Rav Feinstein delivered a powerful and uncompromising address warning of the dangers posed by enlistment initiatives targeting the chareidi public. His words generated significant reaction and were widely reported across the general media.

Letters of support for the gathering were also sent by leading gedolei Yisroel, including HaGaon Rav Dov Landau, HaGaon Rav Meir Tzvi Bergman and HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch.

Senior figures within the chareidi political parties strongly pushed back against the move, declaring: “The attempt to use economic terrorism to silence the cry of Torah emanating from the mouths of gedolei Torah will not succeed. These are Soviet-style tactics imported from the exile, and the gedolei Yisroel will continue to proclaim the daas Torah clearly and without fear.” They added that there had even been “a disgraceful attempt to silence voices” by inserting a provision into proposed draft legislation that would make a yeshiva’s eligibility for arrangements contingent on preventing roshei yeshiva from speaking out against the draft.

{Matzav.com}

As President Donald Trump drove through the Reflecting Pool at the Lincoln Memorial to see the progress of the paint job he had ordered — changing it from the gray stone color, which he said was “never good,” to a color he calls “American flag blue” — a sniper from the Secret Service could be seen on a roof guarding the president.

After Trump was driven across the new coat of paint, he emerged from his vehicle to address reporters who had gathered to await his arrival.

Trump said the cost of the project added up to nearly $2 million. “It never had the color people wanted, but now it’s going to have the great color,” he declared.

Trump apparently doesn’t like the color gray. He submitted a request for the gray exterior of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House to be covered with white paint, a proposal that two federal agencies are currently reviewing.

Trump also said that “we have a beautiful plan” to improve the actual memorial to President Abraham Lincoln but did not disclose any details.

The president also took the time to talk to workers at the site, shaking their hands and thanking them in person for their work.

Sen. John Fetterman is rejecting suggestions that he is breaking with the Democratic Party, insisting he remains committed even as his positions continue to draw backlash from progressives over issues like border enforcement, cooperation with Republicans, and his strong backing of Israel.

In an opinion column published Thursday in The Washington Post, Fetterman addressed the criticism head-on, arguing that his principles have remained consistent despite claims that he has shifted politically. The Pennsylvania senator said his willingness to collaborate across party lines and occasionally align with the Trump administration has fueled misplaced concerns.

“Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave — but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first,” Fetterman wrote. “Plus, I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.”

The essay, titled “John Fetterman: I haven’t changed. Here’s what has,” was framed as a direct rebuttal to growing talk that he is distancing himself from Democrats as the party moves further left, particularly on immigration and support for Israel.

Fetterman maintained that many of the stances drawing criticism today were once widely accepted within the party.

“My values have not changed, and I have always turned to those kinds of ideals that defined being a Democrat,” he wrote. “I refuse to cave on my conscience because Pennsylvania deserves someone who is honest and can work across the aisle.”

Reflecting on his early political career as mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, Fetterman said his focus was always on delivering tangible help to working-class residents, not engaging in partisan maneuvering.

“I wasn’t interested in playing political games. I wanted to help deliver change,” Fetterman wrote, adding that he still believes government should focus on results instead of ideological warfare.

He also criticized what he described as a reflexive tendency among Democrats to oppose President Donald Trump on nearly every issue.

“My party cannot simply be the opposite of whatever President Donald Trump says,” he wrote. “The president could come out for ice cream and lazy Sundays, and my party would suddenly hate them.”

Fetterman defended his stance on immigration, including support for stricter enforcement measures aimed at curbing illegal crossings and deporting violent offenders.

“I strongly believe that someone who comes here illegally and commits a violent crime should be deported. Full stop,” he wrote.

He further justified his votes to avert government shutdowns, arguing that Democrats should not have allowed federal workers or national security operations to be jeopardized over political disputes.

On international matters, Fetterman reiterated his firm support for Israel and voiced approval for efforts targeting Iran and its allied terror organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

“These once-common views have become increasingly toxic in the Democratic Party,” he wrote, blaming “the fringe and agitated parts of our base.”

Despite the pushback he has faced, Fetterman emphasized that he continues to back core liberal priorities, stating that he remains “strongly pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-LGBT, pro-SNAP, pro-labor.”

He also pointed to his bipartisan efforts with Republican colleagues on issues such as infrastructure, mental health services, and nutrition assistance, arguing that constituents expect practical solutions rather than ongoing political conflict.

{Matzav.com}

New York Governor Kathy Hochul informed representatives of Agudath Israel of America on Thursday that New York State will take part in the federal Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA), a sweeping initiative expected to generate $5 billion annually in K-12 scholarships nationwide starting in 2027.

The update was delivered during a closed-door meeting at the Manhattan offices of Outerstuff, hosted by Agudah Chairman of the Board Mr. Shloime Werdiger.

ECCA was enacted earlier this year after President Trump signed it into law as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act.” The framework mirrors tax credit scholarship programs already operating in more than 20 states across the country. Under the legislation, individuals who contribute to Scholarship Granting Organizations (SGOs) will receive a full federal tax credit for their donations. Those organizations will then distribute scholarships that families can apply toward private school tuition and other qualified educational costs.

Beginning next year, residents in participating states will be eligible for the federal credit when donating to approved scholarship funds. These funds will in turn provide K-12 financial assistance to qualifying students. Contributions are capped at $1,700 per individual each year, and the program carries no overall national funding limit, having been written as a permanent part of the federal tax code.

Qualification for scholarships will depend on income thresholds that vary by region.

Agudath Israel indicated that, based on current guidelines, a large percentage of frum households are likely to qualify for assistance under the program.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is seeing a rise in early indicators for the next presidential race, with both polling trends and prediction market activity pointing to increased momentum for the Florida Republican.

Rubio, who previously ran for president in 2016, has recently moved to the top spot on Kalshi’s market projections, with a 19% probability of winning the presidency, reflecting growing confidence among investors.

For months, expectations have centered on Vice President JD Vance as the leading Republican contender to follow President Donald Trump. Vance remains a strong presence in the market, currently holding 17% odds.

Just behind them is Gavin Newsom, with Kalshi participants assigning him a 16% chance of winning the presidency.

Further down the list are Jon Ossoff at 6%, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez at 5%, and Kamala Harris, also at 5%.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis currently sits at 2%, though some observers suggest he could still attract interest as an underdog candidate.

Rubio’s improving position has coincided with his expanded role in the administration, where he has taken on a range of responsibilities and drawn attention for his composed and understated style.

Even with his gains in overall presidential projections, Rubio is still viewed as trailing Vance in the Republican primary contest. However, the difference between them has begun to shrink.

Vance continues to lead the GOP field with 38% odds, but Rubio has climbed to 27%, a significant jump from the single-digit range he occupied as recently as December 2025.

DeSantis also remains a distant contender in the primary outlook, holding at 4%.

President Donald Trump had previously signaled confidence in Rubio’s potential, remarking last year that a ticket featuring Vance and Rubio would be “unstoppable,” though he did not specify which of the two should lead it.

{Matzav.com}

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (VINnews) – Rutgers University has rescinded its invitation to biotech entrepreneur Rami Elghandour to deliver the keynote address at its School of Engineering convocation, citing student concerns over his social media criticism of Israel.

Elghandour, a Rutgers alumnus and chairman and CEO of Arcellx, was scheduled to speak at the May 15 ceremony. University spokesperson Megan Florance said some engineering students indicated they would not attend graduation if he spoke, prompting the decision to prioritize “the celebratory spirit of the event.”

“This decision keeps the focus on our engineering students and honors the celebratory spirit of the event to ensure that no graduate feels forced to choose between their personal convictions and a convocation ceremony,” Florance said in a statement.

One post that drew particular criticism, according to a Rutgers official, was an April 20 message on X in which Elghandour accused Israel of committing “genocide,” claimed it operated “dungeons where they train dogs to sexually assault prisoners,” and called for a weapons embargo, sanctions and diplomatic isolation.

Elghandour, who has frequently posted in support of Palestinians and accused Israel of war crimes during the Gaza war, condemned the university’s action Wednesday.

“After a ‘few’ students complained about my selection as speaker because of my social media advocacy for Palestine, Rutgers has canceled my speech,” he said in a statement. “They decided that the feelings of a handful of students who said that my social media posts ‘opposed their beliefs,’ were more important than the experience of the entire graduating class, the reputation of the school, the dignity and belonging of Arab and Muslim students, and the First Amendment.”

Elghandour, who served as an executive producer of the documentary “The Voice of Hind Rajab” about a Palestinian child killed in Gaza, said he would not waver on his principles.

The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) condemned the disinvitation, accusing Rutgers of favoring pro-Israel voices. The group noted a recent event hosted by the student group Students Supporting Israel that featured an Israeli soldier on campus.

“We call on Rutgers School of Engineering to reinstate Rami Elghandour as commencement speaker and approach issues of student safety and freedom of expression with more care,” CAIR said.

The move surprised some on campus. Just last week, Rutgers’ Executive Masters in Business Administration program highlighted Elghandour following a recent startup event, praising his leadership in closing a $7.8 billion acquisition of Arcellx by Gilead Sciences. The School of Engineering had also featured him prominently on its website in March.

Hank Kalet, a Rutgers professor of journalism and media studies who is Jewish, said Elghandour had been thoroughly vetted and remained popular among students.

“I don’t think that this is tremendously different than what we’ve seen at the University of Michigan and other schools that have been removing graduation speakers because of where they stand primarily on the Palestinian issue,” Kalet said. “It is incredibly chilling.”

Rutgers has faced protests over commencement speakers in the past. In 2014, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice withdrew after student objections tied to the Iraq War. Last year, the university initially faced pressure to cancel comedian Ramy Youssef as Newark campus speaker over his pro-Palestinian views, but he ultimately spoke and received an honorary degree.

Deborah Birx said Thursday that while the threat posed by a recent hantavirus outbreak connected to a cruise ship appears limited, health authorities must remain alert and communicate clearly in order to restore public confidence following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking on Newsmax’s “National Report,” Birx pointed to what she described as a stronger global response compared to the early days of COVID-19, noting that governments are acting more decisively to contain the situation.

“The good news is, as opposed to what happened early on in COVID, countries are responding and governments are responding really well,” Birx said, noting that authorities are “taking precautions of contact tracing, staying in touch with them, monitoring them.”

The outbreak has been tied to the Andes strain of hantavirus and has drawn widespread attention after multiple passengers aboard a cruise ship contracted the illness following a stop in Argentina. The World Health Organization reported that three individuals have died.

Birx explained that hantavirus spreads less easily than COVID-19, stressing that it is not as well adapted for human-to-human transmission. At the same time, she cautioned that the United States has its own dangerous variant of the virus.

“We do have a different strain of hantavirus, but a deadly one in the Southwest,” she said. “Really being careful in the Southwest, when you see deer mice droppings, this can get aerosolized and cause hantavirus, as it has in the U.S. for years.”

She recommended that anyone who traveled on the affected cruise ship get tested, emphasizing the virus’s extended incubation period and the importance of early detection.

“Everyone who was on that ship, they should get tested for hantavirus, just to be reassuring to themselves over the next two to three weeks, because it has a long incubation period,” Birx said.

“We have 21st century testing. We ought to be using it because people need the peace of mind.”

Birx also said the situation underscores the erosion of trust in public health institutions that followed the COVID-19 crisis, and she called for greater openness in addressing past missteps.

“We all need to step back and really be very clear to the public about misstatements that did occur during CV,” she said, criticizing early pandemic guidance that claimed there was “no human-to-human transmission,” “no asymptomatic spread,” and that the virus “wasn’t aerosolized.”

“All of that isn’t true,” Birx said. “Breathing was enough to transmit the virus with COVID.”

She maintained that public health officials must learn from those errors and be better prepared for future outbreaks, including providing clearer guidance for schools and families.

“We have to revise our school closures to make it very clear to parents what we’re going to do when there’s another pandemic,” Birx said.

“All of us need to work with communities to reestablish that trust. It’s critically important.”

Birx concluded by warning that hantavirus infections can sometimes present with only mild symptoms, making testing and monitoring especially important to prevent further spread.

“No one wants to spread a virus,” she said. “So we need to give people the tools that they need.”

Police are searching for three persons of interest related to antisemitic graffiti at Greenwood Elementary School, a Montgomery County public school, in Brookeville, MD. Three people were seen leaving the school at 3 a.m. Saturday, when the vandalism occurred.

Police have asked anyone with information to come forward. “Anti-Semitic graffiti was spray-painted on a wall and the side of the school building’s roof. The three persons of interest were seen leaving the school,” the Montgomery County Department of Police said in a statement alongside a security photo of three suspects. “Anyone with information regarding the persons of interest or this crime is asked to visit the Crime Solvers of Montgomery County.”

As in so many towns and cities across the country, the incident follows a spike in antisemitic incidents since the October 7 attacks.

“The number of reports JCRC has received about antisemitism at MCPS is significantly higher than other school districts across our region,” Franklin Siegel, chief operating officer at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, told a local news outlet. “They come at a time when antisemitism is becoming more dangerous and violent throughout our country and internationally.”

The people in this photo have been identified by local police as persons of interest. (Credit: Montgomery County Department of Police)

“While the details vary, these incidents reveal a harsh truth: too many Jewish students and educators at too many MCPS schools continue to face too many threats,” he added.

Maryland politicians and leaders condemned the vandalism on social media.

“A terrible act of antisemitism took place this weekend at Greenwood ES in Brookeville,” wrote Councilmember Dawn Luedtke. “This tight-knit community has strongly and immediately stood up against this unacceptable hate.”

“I unequivocally condemn the antisemitic graffiti at Greenwood Elementary School in Olney; such hate has no place in our schools or our state, especially as we begin Jewish American Heritage Month,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore stated. “Ensuring my people feel safe where they live, work, worship, and learn remains my greatest priority. Our administration is working closely with local authorities to combat this hate and stomp out antisemitism in all its forms.”

StopAntisemitism posted the strongest words and urged people with information to contact the group.

“Greenwood Elementary has been vandalized with vile antisemitic graffiti,” the group said. “Montgomery county public schools have been identified by StopAntisemitism as a top 10 district infected by antisemitism. Are you a parent or employee in the district? We want to hear from you.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday directed federal immigration officers operating in the state to refrain from wearing face coverings, a step that is expected to face legal opposition from the Trump administration following similar efforts in California that were struck down in court.

Since President Donald Trump launched a wide-ranging deportation campaign, agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement have frequently worn masks during operations, citing concerns about being identified and targeted outside of work.

“For ICE, wearing masks without good cause is nothing short of an intimidation tactic, a cowardly attempt to evade responsibility,” Hochul said Thursday.

Images earlier this year showing heavily armed, masked officers in plain clothes conducting enforcement actions in cities such as Minneapolis drew widespread global attention. The scrutiny intensified after a deadly incident in which ICE agents fatally shot two Americans in that Midwestern city.

Alongside the directive on masks, Hochul announced additional limits on ICE activity, stating that agents would be barred from entering certain locations—including schools, libraries, community centers, and polling places—unless they obtain a judicial warrant.

She also instructed local law enforcement agencies not to assist in operations that are based solely on immigration enforcement.

“Our officers, paid for by local taxpayer dollars, were hired to protect their communities … they’re not there to do the federal government’s bidding,” Hochul added.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, recently warned that the federal government would respond forcefully to such measures.

“what’s going to happen with places like New York, and [if] people pass ridiculous legislation not to work with us, we’re going to flood the zone.”

A similar policy enacted by lawmakers in California requiring federal agents to show their faces was blocked earlier this year by a district court, with an appeals court later upholding that decision.

{Matzav.com}

OCEAN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (VINnews) – Seven years after purchasing a former school on Logan Road for $2 million amid a court battle over plans to convert it into a Jewish yeshiva with dormitories, Ocean Township is now seeking to sell the property.

The township will auction the site with a minimum bid of $2.75 million, Mayor John Napolitani said Monday. The auction, originally set for June 9, has been postponed pending additional information from the township’s attorney and engineer.

Following the acquisition, township officials had discussed multiple possible public uses for the property, including a new senior center, a pre-K school or the township’s municipal building.

The sale marks the latest chapter in the long-disputed Logan Road property, which drew opposition when a developer sought to establish a yeshiva there. The township prevailed in court before buying the site itself in 2018 or 2019.

No new date for the auction has been announced.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Thursday that she has reached a conceptual agreement on a delayed $268 billion state budget that includes a politically charged measure to create protective buffer zones around synagogues and other houses of worship — even as a top legislative leader quickly disputed that any final deal exists.

The provision, a priority for many Jews, would establish zones around religious sites to shield worshippers from harassment as they enter or leave services. Hochul’s office said the budget measure “establishes buffer zones to protect places of worship so New Yorkers can practice religion, a guaranteed right, free of harassment.”

But within hours, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie threw cold water on the governor’s rollout. “There is no budget deal,” Heastie said. “I don’t care what the governor says.”

The public split highlights the delicate endgame of Albany budget negotiations, where governors sometimes announce agreements before all legislative leaders are fully aligned, using the pressure of a public declaration to help force the process over the finish line. Hochul’s office described the agreement as “conceptual” and said lawmakers are expected to pass the budget bills “in the coming days.”

The buffer-zone language is among the more sensitive policy items still on the table. Supporters, including leading Jewish groups, argue the measure is needed after a series of vitriolic protests outside New York City synagogues, including demonstrations targeting events connected to Israel. They say the state has an obligation to ensure that people can attend religious services without intimidation.

Opponents on the left have cast the proposal as a threat to free speech, warning that buffer-zone laws can criminalize constitutionally protected protest in public spaces. The debate has set up a collision between two First Amendment concerns: the right to worship freely and the right to demonstrate.

The state measure would go further than a New York City law passed late last month. The city legislation requires the NYPD to develop and publicize plans to protect houses of worship during protests, but it does not set a specific distance or create a criminal penalty. The state proposal would establish a firm 25-foot zone and criminalize protest activity inside it.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani allowed the house-of-worship bill to take effect, while vetoing a similar measure for educational facilities, saying the school-related bill was overly broad. Civil liberties groups praised the veto, while Jewish organizations criticized it as a failure to protect students from targeted harassment.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

UTJ MK Meir Porush sent a letter on Wednesday to the US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, calling on the Trump administration to intervene to stop the persecution of Bnei Torah in Israel.

The letter was sent on the background of President Trump’s declaration of May as “Jewish American Heritage Month” and his call to American Jews to observe Shabbos, and in light of the continued arrests of Bnei Torah in Israel.

In his letter, entitled “Regarding: Urgent Request for the Protection of Yeshiva Students In Israel in Honor of “Jewish American Heritage Month,” Porush began with words of appreciation.

“Dear Mr. Ambassador, In these days, as the United States reverently marks ‘Jewish American Heritage Month,’ we witness the profound respect that the world’s greatest power holds for the Jewish tradition and the eternal contribution of the Jewish people to culture and society.”

“Throughout the generations, the United States has proven itself to be a nation that can be defined as ‘Righteous Among the Nations.’ Today, under the leadership of a true personal friend of the Jewish people, President Donald J Trump – who heads a ‘Kingdom of Kindness’ (‘Malchut Shel Chesed’) – we see an administration that also honors the Torah of the Jewish people, cherishes its values, and works tirelessly for the security and prosperity of the Jewish people.

“Out of this deep appreciation, I find it necessary to reach out to you with a heavy heart regarding a difficult reality occurring specifically here, in the Holy Land. While in the U.S., the government goes out of its way to celebrate and honor the Jewish religion and heritage, in Israel, the military and judicial authorities act in ways of persecution and arrests against Yeshiva students whose sole occupation is Torah study.

“The necessary message is simple and clear: If the American government, through all its branches, finds it appropriate to honor the Jewish religion and respect its values, it is only fitting that the authorities in the State of Israel act with similar respect toward Yeshiva students, who have been the guardians of our people’s eternal flame for thousands of years.

“I appeal to you with the request that the American government exercise its moral influence and call upon the judicial authorities in Israel to immediately and completely cease the arrests of Torah scholars Yeshiva students. There is no more fitting time than ‘Jewish Heritage Month’ to clarify that the protection of Yeshiva students is a supreme Jewish and democratic value.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Leaders of the Jewish Cemetery of the Virginia Peninsula said 24 Matzeivos were damaged in a vandalism attack that has deeply unsettled members of the local Jewish community.

The destruction was discovered in a section of the Hampton cemetery that dates back more than 130 years, making it one of the oldest burial grounds in the area.

“This is not merely property damage,” E.D. “Buddy” David, president of the Jewish Cemetery of the Virginia Peninsula told WVEC-TV. “It is an assault on our dead, on our grief, and on our dignity as a community.”

David said investigators found shattered and overturned headstones spread across part of the cemetery grounds.

Hampton Police Chief Jimmie Wideman said authorities believe the damage was caused by an 11-year-old boy who lives nearby.

Police said the FBI has been consulted and investigators currently do not believe the vandalism was driven by antisemitism or considered a hate crime.

“At this point, there’s nothing to suggest that was his motive,” Wideman said. “The primary indication right now appears to be issues within his family situation, including substance abuse.”

Wideman said no charges have been filed so far, though detectives are continuing to examine potential charges.

Despite police saying the act does not appear to have been motivated by hate, David said the Jewish community still feels deeply shaken by what happened.

“It might turn out to be the actions of a disturbed 11-year-old juvenile, but we nonetheless feel violated,” David said. “And of course, as Jews, we have cause to look around the corner.”

Cemetery officials said efforts are already underway to repair the damaged graves and restore the cemetery grounds.

“We are in touch with a company and expect this to be done within the next 10 days or so,” David said. “But we will never forget.”

Leadership at the cemetery also said additional security measures are being considered, including improved lighting and motion-detection systems.

The U.S. State Department is moving forward with a plan to cancel the passports of thousands of Americans who owe substantial amounts in unpaid child support, marking a significant step in enforcing longstanding federal policy.

Officials said Thursday that the first wave of revocations will begin Friday, targeting individuals who owe at least $100,000. Based on data provided by the Department of Health and Human Services, approximately 2,700 U.S. passport holders fall into that category.

The initiative, which was first detailed earlier this year, is expected to widen considerably in the near future. According to the State Department, enforcement will soon extend to those with unpaid child support exceeding $2,500, the level set by a 1996 law that has historically seen limited enforcement.

Authorities acknowledged that the total number of people owing more than $2,500 remains unclear, as HHS continues gathering information from state agencies responsible for tracking such debts. Officials indicated that the broader enforcement could ultimately affect many thousands more individuals.

Previously, enforcement was limited to people seeking to renew their passports. Under the updated approach, HHS will regularly notify the State Department of anyone with overdue obligations above $2,500, and those individuals who already hold passports will face revocation.

“We are expanding a commonsense practice that has been proven effective at getting those who owe child support to pay their debt,” Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said. “Once these parents resolve their debts, they can once again enjoy the privilege of a U.S. passport.”

Following initial reports in February about the expanded effort, officials said there has already been a noticeable response from affected parents.

“Since the AP reported the expansion of the program on Feb. 10, the department said it had “seen data that hundreds of parents took action and resolved their arrears with state authorities since news broke that the State Department would start proactively revoking passports.””

“While we can’t confirm the causation in all of those cases, we are taking this action precisely to impel these parents to do the right thing by their children and by U.S. law,” the department said.

Even before the latest expansion, the State Department described the policy as highly effective in collecting overdue payments. Since the program began in 1998, states have recovered approximately $657 million in back child support, including more than $156 million in over 24,000 lump-sum payments during the past five years.

Individuals whose passports are canceled under the policy will receive notice that their documents are no longer valid for travel and that they must reapply once their outstanding obligations have been settled.

Those who are overseas at the time their passports are revoked will be required to contact a U.S. embassy or consulate to obtain emergency travel papers allowing them to return home.

{Matzav.com}

A classified CIA assessment delivered to Trump administration officials this week concludes that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for three to four months before facing acute economic hardship—directly undermining the president’s public claims about the regime’s imminent collapse, The Washington Post reported Thursday.

The Post cited four sources familiar with the confidential intelligence analysis, which found that Iran has retained approximately 75 percent of its prewar mobile missile launchers and roughly 70 percent of its ballistic missile stockpiles despite weeks of intensive American and Israeli military operations. The assessment indicates Tehran has successfully recovered underground storage facilities, repaired damaged missiles, and assembled additional weapons that were nearing completion when hostilities began.

President Trump said Wednesday that Iran’s missiles have been “mostly decimated,” estimating the regime possesses only 18-19 percent of its prewar inventory. The Washington Post’s reporting suggests this public claim diverges significantly from classified assessments reaching policymakers.

A senior intelligence official acknowledged to the Post that the blockade inflicts “real, compounding damage,” yet the broader intelligence picture presents a more complex narrative of Iranian staying power than administration rhetoric suggests.

The White House has claimed Iran hemorrhages $500 million daily from the blockade imposed after the April ceasefire. However, the Washington Post reported that the CIA assessment found Tehran implementing countermeasures to extend its economic endurance.

According to the Post’s sources, Iran is storing oil aboard tanker vessels idled by the embargo and reducing oil field production rates to maintain infrastructure functionality. One official told the Post that Iran’s actual economic situation is “nowhere near as dire as some have claimed.”

The Post also reported that one U.S. official believes Iran’s economic resilience could extend beyond the CIA estimate if the regime successfully executes overland smuggling operations through Central Asia via truck and rail convoys.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

El Al inaugurated a state-of-the-art kosher meal production facility Wednesday at Ben-Gurion International Airport, marking a major expansion of the carrier’s in-flight dining capabilities.

The 14,000-square-meter complex—nearly double the capacity of the facility it replaces—can produce approximately 50,000 meals daily, substantially increasing the airline’s ability to serve its growing passenger base. The expansion allows El Al to broaden its culinary menu offerings while maintaining strict kosher certification standards.

“The new facility will allow us to expand the variety of meals served onboard, further improve product quality and elevate the culinary standard for El Al passengers,” the airline said in a statement announcing the opening.

With most major international carriers suspending service to Tel Aviv due to ongoing regional instability stemming from the war with Iran, El Al and a handful of other Israeli operators have assumed responsibility for the vast majority of flights connecting Israel to the international network.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Officials in Florida are reportedly engaged in discussions with the Trump administration about the possible shutdown of the immigration detention facility known as “Alligator Alcatraz,” as concerns grow over the high cost of maintaining the site.

The detention center, located deep in the Everglades, has emerged as a prominent symbol of strict immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

According to a report by The New York Times, officials within the Department of Homeland Security have privately determined that the facility is too costly to sustain and has fallen short of expectations in terms of effectiveness.

Newsmax reached out to DeSantis’ office for a response to the report.

The state is said to be spending more than $1 million each day to operate the center, which began housing detainees last summer at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport, situated between Miami and Naples.

Its isolated swamp location, chosen in part to discourage illegal crossings and limit escape attempts, has significantly driven up operating expenses.

Supplies such as tents, generators, and trailers must be transported into the site, while waste and sewage must be removed, adding to the logistical burden.

Despite the costs, DeSantis and Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier have consistently defended the facility, arguing that it plays a critical role in supporting federal immigration enforcement efforts.

The site marked the first state-operated center to house federal immigration detainees and was hailed by officials in the Trump administration as a model that other states could follow.

President Trump and then–Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited the facility shortly after it opened.

Opponents, including environmental advocates and immigration activists, have criticized the center for months, raising concerns about conditions at the site as well as its environmental impact.

Florida officials have rejected those claims, maintaining that the criticism is driven by political motives.

In April, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Florida and the Trump administration, reversing a lower court decision that would have required the facility to be closed and dismantled, according to The Hill.

The appeals court determined that the federal government did not have sufficient direct involvement in the construction of the facility to require an environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.

At the time, a DHS spokesperson welcomed the decision, saying the lawsuit was driven by “open-borders activists and judges trying to keep law enforcement from removing dangerous criminal illegal aliens from our communities.”

Even with that legal victory, uncertainty continues to surround the future of the detention center, as Florida has reportedly yet to receive more than $600 million in federal reimbursements it has requested to cover operating costs.

Data from ICE cited in the Times indicated that the facility was holding close to 1,400 detainees as of last month, with about two-thirds classified as individuals without criminal records.

{Matzav.com}

The White House is set to start making public a trove of long-anticipated UFO-related records on Friday, following President Donald Trump’s directive earlier this year instructing senior officials to initiate the disclosure process, The Post has learned.

Details about the timing emerged during a Thursday meeting in the West Wing that included Tim Burchett, who serves on the House Oversight Committee’s task force focused on declassifying federal secrets.

“It’s going to start tomorrow. It’s going to have some stuff in there from pilots, and maybe one video,” Burchett told independent journalist Jeremy Corbell in remarks shared with The Post.

Sources indicated that the reference to “pilot materials” likely points to documented encounters involving U.S. military aviators who reported sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena during active missions.

The initial batch of records will not feature the 46 UFO-related videos that lawmakers have been pressing the Department of War to make public.

Officials plan to release additional materials in weekly installments, a structured approach that differs sharply from the bulk document dumps seen in past disclosures such as those involving the Assassination of John F. Kennedy and files connected to Jeffrey Epstein.

Burchett acknowledged that resistance remains among some members of Congress regarding the declassification effort, but expressed confidence that the administration will follow through on its commitment.

“I totally support and am grateful to President Trump for keeping his word and being the president of transparency and disclosure,” Burchett said in a statement to The Post.

“I would like to remind people that transparency won’t all happen at once, it will take some time.”

{Matzav.com}

According to a report in TOI, the United Arab Emirates has transferred $100 million to the Board of Peace to fund the training of a new Palestinian police force for Gaza, marking the largest transfer received so far by the US-led body overseeing the Strip’s postwar management.

The planned force is expected to operate under the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, known as NCAG, a panel of Palestinian technocrats tasked with governing Gaza after the war. The force would also play a role in collecting weapons in the Strip as part of broader postwar security efforts.

Recruits are slated to undergo training in Egypt and Jordan, while an Emirati security firm has been tasked with helping build a force of roughly 27,000 officers.

Palestinians who previously served as Hamas civil servants have reportedly been allowed to apply, though they would require Shin Bet vetting before being approved.

The report said the UAE’s decision to move ahead with the funding signals Abu Dhabi’s continued commitment to involvement in Gaza’s postwar management, despite shifting regional priorities following the Iran war.

Several countries — including Indonesia, Albania, Kazakhstan and Kosovo — have also pledged troops for a planned International Stabilization Force that would help secure Gaza, though no forces have yet been deployed.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Lakewood Board of Education member tells TLS he will be undergoing open heart surgery, and is asking all for their Tefillos.

The surgery will be taking place in the next few days.

Please be Mispallel for Shlomo Zalmen Eliyahu Ben Tziporah.

Voters across the United Kingdom headed to the polls Thursday in a wide slate of local and regional elections that are widely expected to deal a significant blow to Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labour Party, raising renewed doubts about his political standing.

Nearly 5,000 council seats in England, along with elections to devolved legislatures in Scotland and Wales, are up for grabs. The results could signal a major shift away from the country’s long-standing two-party system if voters turn instead to nationalist and populist alternatives over Labour and the Conservatives.

Polling indicates that Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, may expand its presence in English councils and could emerge as a leading opposition force in Scotland and Wales, competing against pro-independence parties such as the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru.

At the same time, the Green Party is expected to challenge Labour’s traditional support base, particularly in London and other urban centers, presenting a threat from the political left.

The possibility that Labour could lose a substantial number of local council seats, along with its dominant position in the Welsh Senedd and a potential drop to third place in Scotland’s Holyrood parliament, is likely to intensify pressure on Starmer to step down or at least outline a timeline for his departure.

Financial markets have already shown signs of unease, with Britain’s borrowing costs rising in recent weeks amid concerns that a leadership change could bring in a more left-leaning government inclined toward higher public spending.

Starmer, 63, who came to power with a sweeping victory less than two years ago, has insisted he will remain in office, focusing on addressing the country’s cost-of-living crisis, which has been exacerbated by conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.

“We can rise to this moment together – become a stronger, more resilient and more united nation with opportunities for all, or we can sink into the politics of grievance and division,” Starmer wrote on Substack at the weekend.

“The answer to this moment, to the world we face today, is not passive government nor is it the populists who look out at the world and offer only easy answers that would make us weaker, or bankrupt. This is a time for patriots.”

Hinting at possible changes after the elections, Starmer pledged to pursue what he described as an “active, interventionist government.” He is seeking an opportunity to reset his leadership after spending weeks dealing with criticism over his appointment of veteran Labour figure Peter Mandelson as British ambassador to the United States.

That appointment has sparked a broader controversy centered on Mandelson’s past connections, including ties to the late convicted offender Jeffrey Epstein, as well as business links involving Russia and China. Starmer dismissed Mandelson last September after emails surfaced detailing the extent of those connections.

Mandelson was arrested by British authorities in February on suspicion of misconduct in public office, though he has not been formally charged.

Labour campaigners and party activists say they have frequently encountered voter anger on the campaign trail. Any electoral losses are expected to deepen dissatisfaction within the party toward Starmer and his leadership team, with some lawmakers considering a move against him that could include a formal call for him to set a departure timeline.

However, replacing him would not be straightforward.

Potential successors such as Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner are not currently positioned to launch leadership bids, while other possible contenders appear reluctant to challenge him at this stage.

Former Labour deputy leader Tom Watson, who previously supported a push for Tony Blair to announce his resignation date in 2006, cautioned against repeating that approach.

“I would tell them not to be as reckless as we were,” Watson, now a member of the upper house, said in his own Substack column. “Firstly, it will not work,” he said. “Secondly … voters will see a party talking to itself while the country is shouting at it.”

{Matzav.com}

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that he had met with Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, marking a rare reported interaction with the reclusive cleric who has not made a public appearance since assuming the role.

“What struck me most during this meeting was the vision and the humble and sincere approach of the supreme leader of the Islamic Revolution,” Pezeshkian said in a video broadcast by Iranian state media.

The meeting comes amid persistent questions about Khamenei’s physical condition. The 56-year-old supreme leader has remained out of public view as he recovers from severe injuries sustained in the Israeli airstrike that killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, at the outset of the Israel-US war with Iran.

In April, three people close to Khamenei’s inner circle told Reuters that he is still recovering from significant facial and leg wounds suffered in the strike on the supreme leader’s compound in central Tehran. His face was disfigured in the attack, and he sustained a serious injury to one or both legs, the sources said.

Despite his injuries, the sources described Khamenei as mentally sharp and actively engaged in governance. He has been participating in meetings with senior officials via audio conferencing and remains involved in decision-making on major matters, including the conduct of the war and ongoing negotiations with Washington, according to two of the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.

Pezeshkian’s public confirmation of an in-person meeting represents one of the few official acknowledgments of Khamenei’s continued role at the helm of the Islamic Republic since his appointment. The supreme leader’s prolonged absence from public ceremonies, sermons, and televised addresses — once a regular fixture of his father’s tenure — has fueled speculation both inside and outside Iran about the extent of his recovery and the distribution of authority within the regime.

Neither Pezeshkian nor state media released photographs or video footage of the meeting itself, and no details were provided about where or when it took place.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military said it intercepted Iranian attacks Thursday on three Navy ships in the Strait of Hormuz and “targeted Iranian military facilities responsible for attacking U.S. forces.”

U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that U.S. forces intercepted “unprovoked Iranian attacks” and responded with self-defense strikes.

The U.S. military said no ships were hit. It said it doesn’t seek escalation but “remains positioned and ready to protect American forces.”

Meanwhile, Iranian state media said the country’s armed forces exchanged fire with “the enemy” on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz. It is the largest Iranian island in the Persian Gulf, home to about 150,000 people. It also houses a water desalination plant.

Iranian state media also reported loud noises and defensive fire in western Tehran. In southern Iran, explosions were heard near Bandar Abbas, semiofficial Iranian news agencies said. The reports from the Fars and Tasnim agencies did not identify the source of the blasts.

Iran creates agency to control vessels transiting strait
Earlier Thursday, a shipping data company reported that Iran has created a government agency to vet and tax vessels seeking passage through the crucial Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran said it was reviewing the latest U.S. proposals for ending the war.

The Iranian effort to formalize control over the channel raised new concerns about international shipping, with hundreds of commercial ships bottled up in the Persian Gulf and unable to reach the open sea. Still, hope that the two-month conflict could soon be over buoyed international markets.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei said the Islamic Republic was reviewing messages from Pakistan, which is mediating peace negotiations, but Iran “has not yet reached a conclusion, and no response has been given to the U.S. side,” Iranian state TV reported.

Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Middle East peace efforts at the Vatican with Pope Leo XIV, whose opposition to the Iran war has led to open sparring with President Donald Trump.

Administration has sent mixed messages
The Trump administration has sent mixed messages on its strategy to end the war. A tenuous ceasefire and previous declarations that military operations were over have given way to new threats of bombing if Tehran does not accept a deal that allows for resumption of oil and natural gas shipments disrupted by the conflict.

Trump also suspended an attempt by the U.S. military to open a safe passage for commercial ships through the strait, saying the pause would allow more time to reach a peace agreement. An official in Saudi Arabia said Thursday that the kingdom and U.S. ally refused to support Trump’s effort to reopen the strait by force.

The ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran has largely held since April 8. But in-person talks between the two countries hosted by Pakistan last month failed to reach an agreement. The war began Feb. 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched strikes against Iran.

Pakistan says it expects a deal soon
Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar spoke by phone Thursday with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said.

“We expect an agreement sooner rather than later,” Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Thursday. “We hope the parties will reach a peaceful and sustainable solution that will contribute not only to peace in our region but to international peace as well.”

He declined to give a timeline.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, speaking in televised remarks, said Islamabad remained in “continuous contact with Iran and the United States, day and night, to stop the war and extend the ceasefire.”

In other regional developments, direct talks between Israel and Lebanon were scheduled to resume next week in Washington, according to a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss plans for the closed-door meetings. The official said talks will be held May 14 and 15.

Iran creates agency to control passage at Hormuz
Iran established a new government agency to approve transit and collect tolls from shipping in the strait, shipping data firm Lloyd’s List Intelligence said Thursday. The move has raised concerns about eroding the freedom of navigation on which global trade depends.

The agency, called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, is “positioning itself as the only valid authority to grant permission to ships transiting the strait,” Lloyd’s reported in an online briefing. Lloyd’s said the authority had emailed it an application form for ships seeking passage.

Iran has effectively closed the strait, a vital waterway for the shipment of supplies of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products, while the U.S. is blockading Iranian ports. The disruptions have sent fuel prices skyrocketing and rattled the global economy.

The new Iranian agency formalizes an existing, albeit murky, vetting lane that takes vessels through the strait’s northern waters near the Iranian coastline. Iran controls which ships are allowed to pass and, for at least some vessels, imposes a tax on their cargo.

Maritime law experts say Iran’s demands to vet or tax vessels violate international law. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea calls for countries to permit peaceful passage through their territorial waters.

The U.S. and its Gulf allies are pushing for the U.N. Security Council to support a resolution that condemns Iran’s chokehold on the strait and threatens sanctions. A prior resolution calling for reopening the strait was vetoed by Iran allies Russia and China.

Iran’s president reports lengthy meeting with new supreme leader
Top Iranian officials have said Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is playing a key role in overseeing negotiations with the U.S. But he remains in hiding and has not appeared in public since he was wounded early in the war.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said he met recently for more than two hours with Khamenei. In remarks aired Thursday on Iranian state television, Pezeshkian praised the supreme leader’s “sincere” behavior in what he said was a long in-person meeting.

Khamenei has only released a series of written statements since being named supreme leader in March. He replaced his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed during the war’s initial strikes.

Saudi official says kingdom did not support US effort to reopen strait
Trump did not consult with U.S. ally Saudi Arabia before launching the short-lived effort to force open a shipping passage through the strait, according to a Saudi official who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“We told them that we are not part of this and that they can’t use our territories and bases for this,” the official said Thursday.

The official said Saudi Arabia sent a message to Iran that the kingdom would not be involved in U.S. attacks related to Trump’s attempt to reopen the strait.

Trump suspended the effort, dubbed Project Freedom, during its second day Tuesday. Only two American-flagged merchant ships are known to have passed through the U.S.-guarded route. The U.S. military said it sank six Iranian small boats threatening civilian ships.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that he held what he described as a productive conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while warning that the European Union has until July 4 to meet its commitments under a previously agreed trade deal or face significantly higher U.S. tariffs.

“I’ve been waiting patiently ⁠for the EU to fulfill their side of the Historic Trade Deal we agreed in ⁠Turnberry, Scotland, the largest Trade Deal, ever!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.

Trump added that the agreement required the EU to follow through on specific tariff reductions, and that he had set a firm deadline tied to a symbolic national date.

“A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO! I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs ⁠would immediately jump to much higher ⁠levels.”

Earlier in the week, Trump had already signaled his willingness to escalate trade measures, warning that tariffs on European automobiles could rise sharply in response to what he views as noncompliance with the deal reached in Scotland last summer.

The president also noted that his discussion with von der Leyen extended beyond trade, saying the two leaders addressed concerns about Iran and reached a shared position on preventing the country from obtaining nuclear weapons.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal court ruled Thursday against the new global tariffs that President Donald Trump imposed after a stinging loss at the Supreme Court.

A split three-judge panel of the Court of International Trade in New York found the 10% global tariffs were illegal after small businesses sued.

The court ruled 2-1 that Trump overstepped the tariff power that Congress had allowed the president under the law. The tariffs are “invalid″ and ”unauthorized by law,” the majority wrote.

The third judge on the panel found the law allows the president more leeway on tariffs.

If the administration appeals Thursday’s decision, as expected, it would first turn to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, based in Washington, and then, potentially, the Supreme Court.

At issue are temporary 10% worldwide tariffs the Trump administration imposed after the Supreme Court in February struck down even broader double-digit tariffs the president had imposed last year on almost every country on Earth. Those tariffs, invoked under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, were set to expire July 24.

Both engines were shut off and there was a cockpit struggle before a China Eastern Airlines jet slammed into a mountain in 2022 and killed all 132 people aboard, newly released data released by American investigators suggests.

In response to a public records request, the National Transportation Safety Board released a report recently on what the Boeing 737-800’s flight data recorder revealed. The NTSB became involved in the Chinese investigation because the plane and engines were made by American companies and the U.S. investigators are regarded as the world’s leading experts on analyzing black boxes after a crash.

The report offers the best explanation yet about what caused the crash and confirms news stories at the time suggesting the crew may have played a role after Chinese investigators said they did not immediately find a problem with the plane.

Aviation safety experts agree that the data shows the fuel to both engines was cut off and someone sent the plane into a nosedive and a 360-degree roll, but it does not conclusively show exactly what happened because the Civil Aviation Administration of China has yet to release its final report than four years later. International standards call for investigators to strive to release their report by roughly a year after a crash.

The NTSB report was released May 1.

Likely intentional fuel cut
By design the fuel levers in a 737 cannot be easily bumped or shut off inadvertently — someone has to pull them out to release them before they will move. John Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, said the levers lock into place, so it’s likely that someone deliberately moved them both to the cutoff position.

The data ended while the plane was still at 26,000 feet (7,900 meters) of altitude after the flight recorder and all the plane’s hydraulic systems lost power, but the report of the 12 minutes before that suggests what happened.

The cockpit voice recorder, which continued working because it had a battery backup, could also help shed light, but the NTSB did not release a transcript of what it found on those recordings. It is up to Chinese authorities to release those details.

Jeff Guzzetti, who formerly investigated crashes for the NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration, said the flight data suggests a struggle and the crash could have been a pilot suicide. There have been a number previous instances of that, including a Germanwings flight that crashed into the French alps in 2015, killing everyone aboard.

“Typically when you want to roll an airplane, it’s a smooth movement of the control wheel in one direction. But here you have it moving back and forth, back and forth, as if someone is trying to counter the initial movement of the roll,” Guzzetti said. “So it’s not conclusive, but it sure has the earmarks of a struggle in the cockpit.”

Pilots’ mental health
The details about this crash will renew longstanding industry concerns about how to ensure pilots’ mental health.

Many are reluctant to come forward and seek help for fear they could lose their medical certification and be grounded. Getting recertified can take months or longer during which a grounded pilot is not getting paid. Meanwhile some countries prohibit pilots from taking common psychiatric medicines such as antidepressants.

“Clearly pilots — and very understandably so — are oftentimes reluctant to come forward, knowing that to get recertified after having gone through a mental health evaluation, it can be very arduous and very lengthy,” Cox said.

Guzzetti said the co-pilot of an Egypt Air plane that crashed in 1999 is believed to have deliberately sent it into the ocean off New York. In 2023, in an incident that did not end in a crash, an off-duty pilot who took psychedelic mushrooms days beforehand tried to cut the engines of a Horizon Air flight while riding off-duty in the cockpit.

Plane plowed into a mountainside
The jet was flying from Kunming in the southwest to Guangzhou, near Hong Kong, when it went into a nosedive at about 8,800 meters (29,000 feet), appeared to recover but then slammed into the mountain. The crash left a 65-foot (20-meter) crater and set the forest on fire.

The crew reported no problems before losing contact with air traffic control. Chinese investigators said no abnormalities were found among the plane or crew or with outside elements such as bad weather.

Cox also said the new report from the NTSB does not indicate any problem with the plane.

The March 21, 2022, crash was a rare failure for the Chinese airline industry, which dramatically improved safety following deadly crashes in the 1990s. China Eastern is one of four major state-owned airlines in the country.

[Video below.] Hundreds of young men affiliated with the Peleg Yerushalmi gathered Thursday evening in the heart of Yerushalayim, blocking major roads and shutting down the light rail for hours in protest of the recent arrests of yeshiva bochurim.

The police eventually moved in to disperse the crowd, deploying a water cannon that sprayed blue-colored liquid.

The demonstrators, identified with the kehilla of Rav Tzvi Friedman, assembled at the Sarai Yisroel–Yaffo intersection near the central bus station and the Navon train station, bringing traffic in the area to a standstill. For an extended period, they remained in place, preventing vehicles from passing and halting the train service.

At the conclusion of the protest, police stated that they had been working for two hours to disperse what they described as a disturbance. According to the police, “As part of the incident, a small group of individuals blocking the roads and the light rail route caused disruption, including the involvement of minors.”

During the course of the dispersal, five individuals were taken into custody. Police reported that all roads were reopened shortly afterward and that calm was restored to the area.

The protest led to major disruptions throughout central Yerushalayim, with the light rail service repeatedly suspended and multiple roads closed. Large police forces were dispatched in an effort to remove the demonstrators from both the streets and the train tracks.

As tensions escalated, a police officer officially declared the gathering illegal and instructed the crowd to disperse. According to police accounts, when the protesters refused to comply, officers began crowd-control measures, including the use of a water cannon that sprayed blue-colored water. Footage from the scene showed many demonstrators soaked in blue dye as a result.

Members of the Peleg Yerushalmi say the protest was sparked by the arrest of a yeshiva bochur in Herzliya last week. According to their version of events, the arrest was carried out through deception, claiming that a military police officer posed as a delivery messenger, contacted the bochur, and told him there was a package waiting outside his home, where he was then arrested.

Holding the protest in Yerushalayim marked a departure from the group’s usual demonstrations, which are typically concentrated along Route 4 in central Israel. This time, organizers appear to have deliberately shifted the location to the capital in order to catch authorities off guard.

Earlier, police issued a statement saying: “Yerushalayim District police officers and Border Police forces are working to remove individuals disrupting public order in the Yaffo–Sarai Yisroel area. The demonstrators are blocking roads and the light rail route, thereby disturbing public order. A police officer declared the gathering unlawful and instructed the protesters to clear the roadway. Since they did not comply, forces began dispersing them using force and a water cannon in order to restore order and reopen the roads for public use.”

Police added: “The Israel Police will continue to allow lawful protest and freedom of expression. At the same time, we will not allow a blatant disruption of public order that harms freedom of movement, and we will act decisively to restore order.”

The Manchester Township Police Department has unveiled 10 new emergency vehicles purchased through a federal grant secured with the assistance of Congressman Chris Smith.

The new fleet includes nine Chevy Tahoe police SUVs and one animal control van funded through approximately $1.148 million awarded under the Fiscal Year 2024 Byrne Discretionary Grant Program. Township officials said the vehicles were obtained without any municipal tax burden.

Police Chief Antonio Ellis was joined by Manchester Township elected officials and Congressman Smith during the unveiling ceremony, where officials highlighted the department’s efforts to replace an aging fleet that had increasingly become difficult to maintain.

According to the department, former Police Chief Robert Dolan first identified concerns several years ago after many patrol vehicles exceeded their operational lifespan and temporary repairs were no longer sufficient to keep the fleet service-ready.

“Our department — serving over 45,000 residents across 85 square miles — was facing increasing demands with limited resources,” Ellis said in a statement. “That’s when we put forward a comprehensive plan — focused on restoring reliability, safety, and sustainability, and that plan led to the real results we see before us today.”

Township officials said Dolan worked with then-Mayor and current Commissioner Rob Arace to seek federal assistance through Smith’s office.

Smith credited local officials and police leadership for advancing the funding request through the congressional appropriations process.

“Today is an amazing example of what good local governance can lead to,” Smith, whose fourth Congressional District includes Manchester, said. “Their remarkable advocacy has reaped tangible benefits for the people of Manchester Township.”

Ellis also thanked township officials and Smith for supporting the department’s public safety needs.

“I join with Congressman Smith in thanking our elected officials for their continued leadership and support in ensuring that our officers have the equipment they need to respond safely to calls for service,” Ellis said.

Officials said the upgraded fleet is expected to improve reliability, officer safety and overall emergency response capabilities throughout the township.

Senior legal officials are warning that Israel’s High Court of Justice is likely to invalidate the proposed draft law outright, even if the coalition revises its language and advances the framework led by MK Boaz Bismuth.

According to a report citing conversations with legal sources, the expectation is that the court will not allow the legislation to stand due to concerns that it fails to meet equality standards. The assessment is based on recent rulings and statements made by justices during hearings, which indicate that the law does not satisfy constitutional requirements. Officials said that “an order to halt the law will be issued immediately — since it does not align with the requirements of equality.”

The situation is further complicated by the position of the Knesset’s legal advisory body, which has raised “several significant comments” regarding the current wording of the bill. Despite the lack of legal approval, Bismuth, who chairs the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, appears determined to continue advancing the legislation.

Legal experts cautioned that the effort is unlikely to succeed in its present form, stating that “there is no chance of passing the draft law in its current version” without the backing of professional and legal authorities.

At the same time, leading rabbinic authorities have not yet issued a final ruling on the matter. Reports indicate that while Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch has expressed reservations about the proposed law, a final decision from Rav Dov Landau has not yet been handed down.

Sources in Bnei Brak suggest that given the intensifying situation on the ground, including arrests of yeshiva students, Rav Landau could ultimately support the legislation in an effort to halt sanctions and detentions.

However, the latest legal assessments cast doubt on whether any political or rabbinic decision would ultimately matter. If the High Court issues an immediate injunction against the bill, even full backing from chareidi parties would not be enough to bring the law into effect.

This leaves the yeshiva community in a state of uncertainty, as the proposed legislation faces the prospect of being struck down immediately and outright, by High Court order.

The conduct of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee has also raised questions within legal circles. The fact that its chairman has continued to move forward in recent discussions without the approval of the Knesset’s legal advisers is seen by some as an attempt to bypass fundamental legal obstacles.

Legal analysts say the High Court is closely monitoring the legislative process, and any attempt to pass a version of the law that does not meet equality standards is expected to face firm judicial opposition.

{Matzav.com}

NEW YORK (AP) — People who buy luxurious second homes in New York City, but live most of the year elsewhere, would have to pay a new tax on the properties under a tentative agreement — an initiative to appease Mayor Zohran Mamdani and liberal voters who launched him into office with chants of “tax the rich.”

But the deal, part of a sprawling budget plan announced Thursday by Gov. Kathy Hochul, would stop short of a major priority for the mayor: a broad tax increase on the state’s wealthiest residents.

The proposed tax on multimillion-dollar second homes, known as pied-à-terres, comes as Democrats are trying to address voter concerns about affordability ahead of this year’s midterm elections without alienating the business community.

Critics, including prominent business leaders, Republicans, and some moderate Democrats, have warned that slapping new taxes on rich people who maintain apartments and townhouses in New York, but don’t consider it their primary home, will just lead the very wealthy to abandon the city.

The details of the proposal are not yet finalized, but Hochul said it would apply to homes worth over $5 million. It would only apply to second homes in New York City, not other state playgrounds for the rich, like Long Island’s mansion-dotted Hamptons.

Hochul estimated the tax would bring in at least $500 million for the city annually.

After the governor’s announcement, the state’s legislative leaders warned that much was still left to be negotiated. “There is no budget deal,” said Carl Heastie, Democratic speaker of the state Assembly, adding that much of the financial backbone of the budget had yet to be decided.

Meanwhile, the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, of which Mamdani is a member, blasted out text messages to supporters saying the budget proposal doesn’t go far enough to close New York City’s multibillion-dollar budget deficit or fund needed social programs.

“Hochul is trying to shove a deal down our throats with no new taxes on the rich besides the pied-a-terre tax, which only fills 10% of NYC’s deficit,” the organization’s co-chair, Gustavo Gordillo, said in a statement.

Hochul, a Democrat running for reelection, opposes broader tax hikes on the rich, saying it risks encouraging wealthy residents and businesses to flee to lower-tax states.

“We were able to accomplish this extraordinary budget, with all these accomplishments, without raising statewide taxes at all,” Hochul told reporters Thursday.

Mamdani has cast the pied-a-terre tax as a victory, while still pushing — sometimes in personal terms — for more, targeted tax hikes on the very wealthy.

Last month, the mayor, seeking to boost excitement about the new tax plan, posted a video of himself standing outside a luxury building where billionaire hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin purchased a penthouse for about $239 million.

“When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich,” Mamdani said in the clip, which has been viewed on X more than 52 million times, before mentioning Griffin by name. “Well today, we’re taxing the rich.”

Griffin later said he was shocked by the video, calling it “frightening,” and potentially threatening to his safety. He added that the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson, had been shot to death in the same neighborhood, allegedly by someone upset about perceived corporate greed. Griffin said his company has decided to expand its operations in Miami.

“What the mayor of New York has made clear to my partners, and principally my New York partners, is we need to double down on our bet in Miami,” he said at an economic conference in California this week. “Because we want to be in a state that embraces business.”

The man responsible for a firebombing attack targeting a pro-Israel march in Boulder, Colorado, was sentenced Thursday to life in prison after admitting guilt to every state charge filed against him.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman entered guilty pleas to 101 counts, including a murder charge in connection with the death of 82-year-old Karen Diamond. The attack, which took place last June, targeted participants in a demonstration calling for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its October 2023 assault on Israel.

More than a dozen others were injured in the assault, which shook Boulder’s Jewish community and heightened concern over growing antisemitic violence across the United States.

Addressing the court, Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty said the attack spread “terror, fear and death.”

During Thursday’s hearing, victims and relatives rose one after another to describe the lasting trauma they have endured in the months since the attack.

They recounted scenes of chaos as Molotov cocktails exploded around them, forcing them to flee in panic while others tried desperately to put out flames that engulfed clothing and burned fellow participants.

“When I’m alone and close my eyes I can vividly see Karen’s body in flames,” Orrie Gartner testified in court.

Several victims spoke of lingering psychological scars, describing how memories of screams, fire, and the smell of gasoline and burning hair continue to haunt them. Some said they now remain constantly on alert, scanning their surroundings for danger, while others fear they could be targeted again.

One man said he now checks for escape routes wherever he goes. Another said he has begun concealing his Star of David necklace, while a woman said she chooses to wear hers openly despite the hatred. Others reflected that the attack shattered their sense of security in what they once believed was a safe and peaceful college town.

“We learned the full meaning of the expression ‘Living Hell,’” Ms. Diamond’s sons, Ethan and Andrew, said in a statement read aloud in court.

Karen Diamond’s husband, Lou, suffered severe burns in the attack and endured a month of intense suffering in a hospital burn unit, located near his wife’s room, their sons said. She succumbed to her injuries three weeks after the incident.

According to their sons, the attack abruptly ended a life filled with activity and purpose. The couple had recently participated in the Bolder Boulder 10K race, where Ms. Diamond placed fourth in her age category and her husband, then 84, finished seventh in his. They frequently hiked, worked in their garden, attended concerts, and had been planning a trip to France.

“Now, none of those things will happen,” their sons said.

Inside the courtroom, victims and family members were visibly emotional, many wiping away tears as they listened to the statements.

After the testimonies concluded, Soliman, an Egyptian national who arrived in the United States in 2022, addressed the court for the first time. Speaking in Arabic, he expressed regret and said he believed he deserved the death penalty.

“I find that to be the justice for Ms. Diamond,” he said while seated beside his attorneys.

He rejected the claim that his actions were motivated by antisemitism, but then launched into an extended criticism of Zionism, calling it “the enemy,” and spoke about civilian deaths in Gaza.

“Yes, I am against Israel, and I can’t deny that,” he said. “And that’s my right.”

Chief District Judge Nancy W. Salomone dismissed his arguments, stating that his actions constituted terrorism and had impacted an entire community.

“Your choices were acts of terror, and they victimized an entire community,” she said.

“You chose to victimize these people because they were members of the Jewish community,” the judge added.

Soliman also told the court that his wife and five children had no knowledge of his plans and would have tried to stop him had they known.

Following the attack, his family was taken into federal custody and held for several months in an immigration detention facility in Texas before being released earlier this year. His legal team is currently fighting efforts by the Trump administration to deport them.

At the start of the hearing, Judge Salomone reviewed each of the charges individually, naming each victim as she confirmed Soliman’s pleas.

He responded briefly in Arabic, confirming that he understood he was giving up his right to trial and appeal, and stated he had no questions.

“Guilty,” he repeated multiple times as the charges—ranging from murder to attempted murder and assault—were read out.

Because Colorado law does not allow for the death penalty, the life sentence without the possibility of parole represents the most severe punishment available at the state level. However, Soliman could still face capital punishment in a separate federal case involving hate crime charges.

Prosecutors said Soliman spent approximately a year preparing for the attack, which targeted a group known as Run for Their Lives, whose members gather weekly in downtown Boulder to advocate for hostages taken by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

Many participants in the march were members of Boulder’s Jewish community, including elderly individuals, at least one child, and a person using a wheelchair.

“They were completely defenseless,” Mr. Dougherty said in court. “To show up and attack people who were standing outside the Boulder courthouse in a peaceful gathering, walking in the middle of the day? That is, beyond anything, cowardly.”

Authorities said Soliman approached the group disguised as a gardener before launching the attack, throwing homemade Molotov cocktails and shouting “Free Palestine.” According to an FBI affidavit, he had intended to “kill all Zionist people.”

{Matzav.com}

Rabbi Eyal Tzionov is facing a potential defamation lawsuit demanding 200,000 shekels after publishing a video urging the public to boycott a Tel Aviv nightclub, which he described as a “place of drug users,” just days after drawing attention for his appearance at the state Independence Day ceremony.

Tzionov, who sparked widespread public controversy after managing to enter the VIP section at the official torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl while dressed in the attire associated with the Rishon Letzion, has now become embroiled in another legal dispute—this time with one of Israel’s nightlife venues.

According to a report on N12, the latest episode began when Tzionov was seen at a nightclub at the Tel Aviv Port just days after the state event. Footage circulating on social media showed him dancing near the DJ booth, surrounded by large crowds who filmed the unusual sight.

However, the visit quickly turned into a public attack against the venue. In a video he later released, Tzionov called on his followers to boycott the club entirely, claiming that his visit had been intentional and aimed solely at raising awareness and persuading the public to avoid the location.

He described the venue as a “place of drug users” and called for the closure of nightclubs across Israel, arguing that such environments represent a corrupt culture incompatible with the values of the Jewish people. His remarks went beyond general criticism of nightlife and included serious allegations of criminal activity and violence.

In the video, he claimed that stabbings occur at the club and alleged that the venue is saturated with drugs and alcohol, stating that he is working “to eliminate the phenomenon at its root.” These statements, which gained wide exposure on social media, angered the club’s owners, who contend that the accusations are baseless and intended to damage their reputation and livelihood.

Following the publication of the video, attorney Oren Ben Yair, representing the club’s owners, sent a formal warning letter ahead of legal action for defamation. The letter demands that Tzionov pay substantial compensation totaling 200,000 shekels.

The attorney emphasized that the claims were false and misleading, designed to portray the establishment in a negative light and deter customers from visiting. It remains to be seen whether the matter will be resolved through a settlement or proceed to court, adding to the broader legal complications surrounding Tzionov in the wake of the Independence Day incident.

This is not the only issue Tzionov has faced in recent days. As previously reported, the Sephardic Community Committee sent him a formal warning letter demanding that he stop wearing the robe and turban associated with the Rishon Letzion. The letter stated that doing so constitutes “deception and misleading the public” and amounts to a “desecration of God’s name and a desecration of the honor of the former Rishon Letzion sages.”

Following public and legal pressure, Tzionov contacted the chairman of the Sephardic Community Committee, Avraham Doron, and agreed to stop appearing in that attire. During the conversation, he requested permission to continue wearing a robe without gold or silver embroidery and a turban without the diagonal marking associated with the Rishon Letzion, and the committee chairman agreed.

In an earlier interview prior to reaching that agreement, Tzionov explained how he began wearing the robe. “My students bought me this robe as a gift, I started wearing it on Purim and saw that the public really enjoyed it and connected to it,” he said. He added, “My goal is to bring peace and love, and everywhere I go people stop and ask, and I tell them explicitly: this is Rabbi Eyal Tzionov, I am not the Rishon Letzion.”

In recent days, Tzionov has been seen in the streets of Bnei Brak wearing Bukharian-style clothing, with the turban replaced by a regular hat.

{Matzav.com}

In a sign of increasing tensions between Israel and Spain, Israel’s top envoy, Dana Erlich, was summoned to protest the “unacceptable and intolerable” detention of Palestinian-Spanish national and Gaza flotilla activist Saif Abu Keshek, according to Spain’s Foreign Ministry.

The Gaza Sumud Flotilla, with 170 activists aboard, set sail from Italy, France and Spain in its second attempt in a year to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza and provide humanitarian aid. However, little to no humanitarian aid was found on the boats, and critics called the endeavor a publicity stunt.

Israel intercepted the flotilla last week and released nearly all the activists in Greece, detaining two: Keshek and Thiago Avila from Brazil, who insisted he had simply taken an innocent excursion, a fishing trip to Greece. He failed to explain how a fishing trip landed him on a Gaza flotilla boat.

Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, denounces Israel’s detention of Gaza flotilla activists to like-minded Israel haters. (From a post on X)

Israel accused the two men of ties to Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, a group that the United States said acts on behalf of terrorist organizations. It said Keshek is a leading member of the group, and Avila is “suspected of illegal activity.”

“We again summoned Israel’s charge d’affaires [acting ambassador] to convey to her how unacceptable and intolerable it is to extend the detention of our citizen,” Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares declared Wednesday in parliament.

Israel extended the detention of the two activists until Sunday in defiance of international demands for their release and condemnations of the arrests as illegal. The pair of activists have gone on a hunger strike, with Avila allegedly also recently refusing water. They have alleged abuses, which Israel has denied.

The relationship between Israel and Spain has been spiraling downward since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. Spain has characterized Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide and joined South Africa’s case of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice.

Sánchez poses with Francesca Albanese, widely regarded as an antisemite, after presenting her with an award.

Spain recognized Palestine as a state in 2024, and Israel retaliated by recalling its ambassador to Spain. Spain in turn recalled its ambassador to Israel in March.

Worse yet, Spain awarded the Order of Civil Merit to Francesca Albanese Thursday. Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in the territories, is so antisemitic — identifying Israel as the common enemy of humanity in a speech in Doha, Qatar, in February — that even France demanded her resignation, a condemnation that Germany shared.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez presented the award to a person a majority of Jews consider an odious antisemite “for her extensive work documenting and denouncing the violations of international law in Gaza.”

Police in Yavne’el, Northern Israel, released footage on Thursday, from a raid on a wedding between a 16-year-old girl and a 30 years old man.

Despite the family’s claim that the event was only a “vort” (an engagement party), officers discovered a hidden kesubah, a ring, and a decorated car. The Kalah as well was dressed in

a white dress.

Marriage under 18 is not legal in Israel.

A similar raid occurred a few weeks earlier. Law enforcement officials described it as a complex phenomenon of secret weddings involving underage girls. They say it is difficult to combat with the current tools available. According to the officials, in many cases when police receive information about an event, those involved claim it is only an engagement ceremony, which makes it hard to take legal action at an early stage.

As long as there is no clear indication that it is leading to an actual marriage, the law does not give police clear authority to intervene. In many cases, investigations are opened only after the fact, and even then, investigators struggle to build a strong enough evidence base.

The Ocean County Prosecutors office have charged a Maine man with attempted murder and multiple weapons offenses following a police-involved shooting last month in South Toms River.

Ocean County Prosecutor Brad Billhimer said Brian Lanzim, 37, of Bangor, Maine, was charged with three counts of attempted murder, along with weapons offenses, burglary, terroristic threats and 22 counts of possession of large-capacity ammunition magazines in connection with the April 29 incident.

According to prosecutors, officers from the South Toms River Police Department responded to a residence on Dover Road after receiving reports that Lanzim had threatened residents of the home and was traveling from Maine to New Jersey while armed.

While officers were stationed near the residence, authorities said Lanzim drove his vehicle across the front lawn toward responding officers, forcing them to take cover behind a fence. Prosecutors allege Lanzim then exited the vehicle and attempted to force entry through a locked door of the home.

Officers confronted Lanzim, who authorities said was wearing body armor and carrying a handgun. During the encounter, a South Toms River police officer fired his service weapon, striking Lanzim in the pelvis and hand.

Officials said officers disarmed Lanzim and rendered medical aid before he was transported to Jersey Shore University Medical Center for treatment.

Investigators later discovered that Lanzim allegedly had a loaded rifle and numerous large-capacity ammunition magazines inside his vehicle.

After being released from the hospital, Lanzim was transported to the Ocean County Jail, where he remains pending a detention hearing.

The investigation remains ongoing and is being conducted by the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit and Professional Standards Unit. Prosecutors said additional information will be released at the conclusion of the investigation

President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Thursday, urging that the New York congressman face charges for allegedly encouraging violence. Trump’s remarks came in the wake of an incident last month involving an armed individual who tried to gain entry to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

“This lunatic, Hakeem ‘Low IQ’ Jeffries, should be charged with INCITING VIOLENCE!” Trump posted on his Truth Social page. “The Radical Left Democrats actually want to Destroy our Country. President DJT.”

Although Trump did not directly reference the attempted breach in his written statement, the post featured two images: one showing Jeffries speaking in front of a sign promising “maximum warfare” against Trump’s policies, and another depicting the suspect—identified as California resident Cole Allen—captured on surveillance footage while attempting to access the event.

In the aftermath of the incident, Jeffries publicly defended his use of the phrase “maximum warfare,” according to reporting by Axios, maintaining that the language was tied to political disputes rather than any endorsement of violence.

“As it relates to the comment related to ‘maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time,’ in connection with the redistricting battle that Republicans launched, I stand by it,” Jeffries said. “You can continue to criticize me for it. I don’t give a damn about the criticism … get lost.”

Some Republican lawmakers have argued that Jeffries’ rhetoric contributes to heightened tensions. Representative Andrew Clyde criticized the remarks in a social media post last month.

“Hakeem Jeffries called for ‘Maximum warfare’ against President Trump and his Administration,” Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., wrote in a post last month on X. “The Democrat Party’s rhetoric is demonic and dangerous.”

Representative Randy Fine also weighed in, calling on Democrats to respond to Jeffries’ statements.

“It is unacceptable that House Democrats continue to remain silent in the aftermath of his call for ‘maximum warfare, everywhere, all the time’ against Republicans,” Fine posted on X.

{Matzav.com}

Jackson Township officials say they will aggressively defend a newly adopted ordinance aimed at protecting residents of manufactured housing communities from what township leaders describe as excessive and unsustainable rent increases, after several mobile home park owners filed suit seeking to overturn the measure.

The lawsuit challenges Ordinance 2026-06, adopted by the Township Council on March 24, which strengthens rent control protections for residents living in manufactured housing communities, many of whom are senior citizens or individuals on fixed incomes.

Under the ordinance, annual rent increases in manufactured housing communities are capped at 2.5%, which township officials said is one percentage point below the maximum increase allowed under New Jersey law. The ordinance also requires landlords to obtain approval for rent increases through the township’s rent control process, with unauthorized increases considered void and subject to penalties.

Additional provisions require park owners to disclose rent components — including base rent, tax surcharges and fees — to new tenants and to file rent increase applications with the township’s Rent Leveling Board. The ordinance also allows residents to petition for rent decreases and authorizes penalties that could include the temporary loss of vacancy decontrol privileges for certain violations.

Mayor Jennifer Kuhn said the ordinance was adopted in response to mounting concerns over housing affordability in the township’s manufactured housing communities.

“For many seniors and working families, these communities represent one of the last affordable housing options available,” Kuhn said in a statement. “The Township will not stand by while residents are subjected to excessive rent increases that threaten their financial stability and ability to remain in their homes.”

The lawsuit was filed by several manufactured housing community owners, including Southwind Village, Oak Tree, Fountainhead Properties Inc., Land O’ Pines Mobile Home Park, Shady Lake Park II, Silver Pine Park Land LLC and Jackson Acres LLC. The plaintiffs are seeking to invalidate the ordinance, block its enforcement and recover monetary damages, according to township officials.

Township leaders contend the litigation is an attempt to eliminate local oversight and preserve the ability of park owners to impose substantial rent increases on residents who may have limited housing alternatives.

“The Township Council enacted this ordinance because protecting residents from unreasonable housing costs is a core responsibility of local government,” Kuhn said. “We remain committed to defending these protections and standing with the residents of Jackson Township.”

Township officials said Jackson will continue defending the ordinance and pursuing policies aimed at promoting affordability, transparency and housing stability for residents.

Rudy Giuliani’s current hospitalization is being linked to health complications stemming from his time at Ground Zero following the September 11 attacks, according to information he shared publicly on Thursday.

The 81-year-old former New York City mayor reposted a message from Dr. Maria Ryan, who detailed how Giuliani developed restrictive airway disease after spending prolonged periods at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the attacks.

“On 9/11 @RudyGiuliani ran to the towers to assist and lead,” Ryan wrote on X. “While there one of the towers fell and he was trapped. Upon emerging from the building he was covered by white dust.”

According to Ryan, the long-term effects of that exposure led to chronic respiratory issues, which were recently aggravated when Giuliani contracted human metapneumovirus.

“He lives with difficulty breathing every day,” Ryan wrote. “Recently he got a virus, metapneumovirus that overwhelmed his already compromised 9/11 lungs.”

She noted that Giuliani is still in the hospital but remains conscious of the widespread support and prayers being offered on his behalf.

“He is a deeply religious man. Keep the prayers coming!” she wrote.

Giuliani has since been transferred out of the intensive care unit, though he continues to receive treatment in the hospital as he recovers from pneumonia.

His spokesman, Ted Goodman, said that Giuliani and his relatives are grateful for the “outpouring of love and prayers” expressed by supporters.

Giuliani became a global figure during the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, when he led New York City through the crisis, earning widespread recognition as “America’s Mayor.”

In the days and weeks that followed the attacks, he was frequently present at Ground Zero, working alongside emergency personnel and recovery teams amid hazardous conditions filled with dust and debris.

Health officials and advocacy organizations have since documented that many first responders and workers who were exposed to the site developed serious respiratory conditions and other lasting medical issues.

Giuliani’s recent health crisis was described by some as “nothing short of a miracle,” following his hospitalization with severe breathing complications tied to double pneumonia.

Individuals close to him told Newsmax that doctors initially viewed his condition as potentially fatal.

Despite the seriousness of his illness, Giuliani is said to be focused on returning to his media appearances and continuing his vocal support of President Donald Trump.

Trump commented on Giuliani’s condition earlier in the week, writing on Truth Social that Giuliani is “a True Warrior” and “the Best Mayor in the History of New York City, BY FAR.”

Giuliani has been a prominent supporter of Trump since backing him in the 2016 presidential race.

Those familiar with his condition say that physicians are encouraged by his progress as he undergoes continued care and recovery efforts in the hospital.

Iranian military strikes have inflicted far greater harm on American military installations throughout the Middle East than previously disclosed, according to an investigation by the Washington Post published Wednesday using satellite imagery analysis.

The study documented damage or destruction at 15 U.S. military facilities spanning Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates since fighting commenced on February 28. Researchers identified 217 damaged or destroyed structures alongside 11 pieces of compromised equipment, including aircraft hangars, personnel barracks, storage facilities, fuel caches, airframes, and air defense systems.

The heaviest concentration of damage occurred at Naval Support Activity Bahrain, home to the Navy’s 5th Fleet command center, and at three Kuwaiti installations: Ali al-Salem Air Base, Camp Arifjan, and Camp Buehring. Iranian strikes also compromised Patriot air defense batteries, satellite communication nodes at Qatar’s al-Udeid Air Base, and THAAD radar equipment deployed in Jordan and the Emirates.

Seven American service members have been killed in Iranian attacks on regional facilities, with six deaths occurring in Kuwait and one in Saudi Arabia. Over 400 troops sustained injuries by late April, though most returned to duty within days; at least a dozen suffered serious wounds requiring extended care.

The threat of continued Iranian missile and drone bombardment prompted U.S. commanders to reduce personnel levels at vulnerable bases, relocating some troops away from exposed positions. The measure lowered casualty risk but strained operational capacity across the theater.

The Washington Post acknowledged that its analysis remains incomplete. Commercial satellite imagery providers restricted access to conflict-region photography following a U.S. government request, with Planet Labs indefinitely suspending coverage of Iran and surrounding areas to prevent adversaries from exploiting commercial imagery for targeting purposes.

Iranian state media, however, has continued releasing high-resolution photographs purportedly documenting damage to American installations, though the Post excluded comparisons where conclusions remained inconclusive.

The findings emerge amid revelations that Iran quietly obtained a Chinese spy satellite in late 2024 through its aerospace division, expanding Tehran’s reconnaissance capabilities over regional military positions. Beijing has disputed the claims of any satellite transfer. Israeli forces meanwhile conducted strikes in March aimed at disabling Iranian satellite-targeting infrastructure, reflecting concerns that such systems could enhance Iranian monitoring of American, Israeli, and allied military assets.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Officials in Merom HaGalil say widespread damage totaling millions of shekels was caused in recent days after large numbers of people attempted to reach Mount Meron for Lag BaOmer by bypassing security restrictions.

According to local authorities, many individuals made their way through open areas, forests, and agricultural land, leaving behind extensive destruction to infrastructure and private property.

The regional council reported significant damage, including breached fences, trampled farmland, harm to orchards, and destruction of irrigation systems. In addition, security fencing in communities near the northern confrontation line was damaged—barriers that had only recently been installed with government funding as part of defense preparations.

Council head Amit Sofer warned about the severity of the situation, stating: “We raised this important issue with government ministers. This involves heavy damage to security fences in frontline communities that were funded just this year by the Ministry of National Security, as well as to private agricultural infrastructure: fences that were broken and trampled, damage to crops and orchards, and to irrigation systems. Farmers on the confrontation line are still recovering from the damage of the war. A solution must be provided—this situation cannot continue without accountability.”

The council is currently working to collect evidence and document the full scope of the destruction in order to seek government assistance and compensation for those affected.

By Y.M. Lowy

In the latest issue of Dee Voch, readers will find the first part of extensive Lag BaOmer photo coverage from around the world. Also featured is coverage of the historic Shabbos led by the Belzer Rebbe for supporters helping build new buildings for Belz mosdos in Eretz Yisroel. The magazine also follows the Toldos Tzvi Spinka Rebbe during his visit to kivrei tzaddikim in Europe; a dinner for Kollel Shomrei Hachomos in Williamsburg; the bar mitzvah celebration for a grandson of the Pshevorsk Rebbe; and the visit of the Makova Rebbe to New York.

In the Shrift, readers will find a timely feature on the growing challenges facing many heimishe neighborhoods, as investors continue buying properties and driving up prices. The article looks at how these changes are affecting communities, why some areas have reached a breaking point, and whether anything can still be done to protect the future of our neighborhoods.

In this week’s Business Shrift, readers are given an inside look at the story behind the renowned Lilac and Crème brand, as R’ Dovid Friedman shares how the company built a reputation for its beautifully crafted cheesecakes, now delivered to customers across the country year-round.

The women’s Fink magazine brings readers a rich mix of heartfelt stories, thoughtful inspiration, practical topics, and meaningful perspectives for women.

The Kinder Shrift is packed with engaging stories, educational features, fun activities, and exciting content that keeps children entertained while giving them something valuable to learn.

Get your copy at grocery stores and local retailers, or subscribe via WhatsApp or the website!

Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Rav Kalman Meir Bar issued a sharply worded protest following a decision by authorities in Belgium to file charges against three mohalim, condemning the move as antisemitic and comparing it to historic persecutions.

In a formal letter, Rav Bar—who also serves as president of the Chief Rabbinate Council—strongly criticized the decision, underscoring the central importance of circumcision in Jewish life and calling on Belgian authorities to reverse course. “One of the defining markers of a Jew, wherever he may be, is the fact that he fulfills the divine command of ‘you shall circumcise every male.’ History teaches us how Jews in every generation and across the globe, since becoming a nation, have sacrificed themselves for this important mitzvah. I call on the authorities to reconsider this hasty step, to take into account the harm to Jewish communities around the world, and to withdraw this unprecedented prosecution—and the sooner the better.”

In his full letter, Rav Bar expressed deep shock at the development, writing, “I was shocked to hear that law enforcement authorities in Belgium have filed an indictment against three mohalim. Words are insufficient to express my dismay at this matter. It is deeply regrettable that this country is joining an unflattering list of those who wage war against Judaism—something that, by definition, is called antisemitism.”

He continued by emphasizing the historical and religious significance of circumcision, adding, “One of the defining markers of a Jew, wherever he may be, is the fact that he fulfills the divine command of ‘you shall circumcise every male.’ History teaches us how Jews in every generation and across the globe, since becoming a nation, have sacrificed themselves for this important mitzvah. This reminds us of one of the decrees imposed by Antiochus upon the Jews during the period of Hellenistic rule over the Land of Israel. This is a decree that outrages every Jewish soul, and the public will not remain silent in the face of such a phenomenon.”

Addressing claims that circumcisions could instead be performed by physicians rather than certified mohalim, Rav Bar rejected the argument outright. “The claim that circumcisions can be performed by doctors rather than trained mohalim, on the grounds that the latter are not qualified for surgical procedures, is fundamentally flawed. History shows that since the Jewish people became a nation—long before there was documentation of European populations—it has been the mohalim who circumcised Jewish children.”

He stressed that the practice is rooted in religious obligation rather than medicine, writing, “Circumcision is a mitzvah, not a surgical procedure, and there are halachic requirements that doctors are entirely unfamiliar with and do not meet for the fulfillment of this commandment.”

Rav Bar concluded with a renewed appeal to Belgian officials: “I call on the authorities to reconsider this hasty step, to take into account the harm to Jewish communities around the world, and to withdraw this unprecedented prosecution—and the sooner the better.”

He signed the letter, “On behalf of the right of the Jewish people to live everywhere according to their faith.”

{Matzav.com}

Amid a recent wave of electronic benefit thefts targeting recipients in Lakewood and around the state, state officials say federal rules prohibit the state from reimbursing victims, leaving some families without food assistance after many recipients reported their benefits stolen over the last few days.

During a budget hearing in Trenton this afternoon, state Senator John Burzichelli questioned New Jersey Department of Human Services Commissioner Dr. Stephen Cha about the growing number of reports involving stolen SNAP funds.

“We were allowed in the past to replace skimmed benefits, but we are no longer allowed to do that per federal guidance,” Cha said during the exchange, adding that beneficiaries are now being urged to lock their SNAP cards when not in use as officials attempt to combat increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.

Burzichelli pressed the commissioner on the impact to victims, noting that some recipients who discover their benefits have been stolen are effectively left without assistance until the following month.

“In the past, if a person found that their money was skimmed, that was replaced,” Burzichelli said. “Now the person is just told, ‘Look, you have to handle the card a different way,’ and you won’t see money till next month.”

“That’s correct,” Cha responded, adding that the state is required to comply with federal policy.

The discussion comes amid mounting complaints from SNAP recipients across New Jersey who say thieves drained their accounts through card-skimming schemes, often shortly after monthly benefits were deposited. According to reports, county welfare offices in ocean County and around the state have recently been inundated with complaints from residents discovering their balances had been wiped out before they could make purchases.

Cha also said the state is now moving toward implementing more secure SNAP chip cards in an effort to reduce fraud. Cha said only two states have successfully rolled out the technology so far, but New Jersey hopes to implement the cards before the end of the year.

“This is a very common-sense step forward in the face of ongoing fraud,” Cha said. “Once we’re on those new SNAP chip cards, I am confident that some of these fraud cases will be much, much harder.”

Cha noted that the transition requires not only state readiness, but also retailers to update systems capable of processing the new cards.

Although SNAP is federally funded, Cha said New Jersey is receiving federal matching funds to help cover the cost of transitioning to chip-enabled cards.

Still, he emphasized that even if additional state legislation addressing the thefts were enacted, New Jersey currently lacks the authority to replace stolen benefits under existing federal policy.

We have already learned, in the most painful way possible, what happens when a threat is dismissed in its early stages. During COVID-19, many in our kehilla ignored the guidelines given to us by the experts, and we paid for it in blood. Everyone knows someone who was niftar during that terrible time. And the question that remains from the pandemic is: Will we be willing to prevent the next one?

Today, that question is no longer theoretical. A rare, deadly virus called hantavirus is now spreading globally, including in the U.S. and Israel. And yet, we are seeing once again the same unwillingness to act, the same cowardly inability to “pull the trigger” on what has to be done.

You might be thinking that hantavirus is not COVID. You’d be right. Hantavirus is far, far worse than COVID. Certain forms of hantavirus carry mortality rates approaching 30 to 40 percent—far higher than anything we saw during the pandemic. While the World Health Organization currently insists the broader public risk is “low,” that kind of reassurance is exactly what we heard before the last crisis spiraled out of control. The question is not what the situation looks like today. The question is what it will look like if we wait.

Where are our leaders? Our elected officials are silent, afraid of backlash. But more troubling is the silence within our own kehilla. Where are the rabbonim and askanim demanding immediate action? Where is the urgency that pikuach nefesh demands? Leadership is not about waiting until action is easy. It is about acting when it is necessary.

We cannot afford to wait for official mandates. By the time those come, the opportunity to prevent tragedies may already be gone. The only responsible course of action is immediate, voluntary lockdown: closing our shuls and schools, limiting contact, wearing masks in all shared spaces, and practicing strict social distancing now, before we are forced into it later under worse circumstances.

My family is not waiting. We have already prepared. We have stocked food, water, and masks. Our storage area is filled with toilet paper. I have begun teaching my school-age children how to use hotlines for when schools go remote. We are ready to go into lockdown immediately. The question is whether the rest of our kehilla is prepared to do what is necessary, or whether we will once again hesitate until we are counting losses we could have prevented.

How many did we lose last time? How many more are we willing to sacrifice now, simply to avoid inconvenience? Those are not rhetorical questions. They are decisions. And if we do not make them ourselves, reality will make them for us.

Signed,

Fraidy Katz

The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review. 

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Handguns could be mailed through the United States Postal Service for the first time in nearly 100 years if a proposed rule under the Trump administration takes effect. Democratic attorneys general in two dozen states sent a letter this week in opposition.

In 1927, Congress passed a law barring the USPS from mailing concealable firearms unless they were from licensed dealers in an effort to curb crime. In January, the Department of Justice revisited the 1927 law, calling it unconstitutional and arguing that it violated the Second Amendment, and urged the postal service to change its regulations.

The Department of Justice said that as long as Congress chooses to run a parcel service, “the Second Amendment precludes it from refusing to ship constitutionally protected firearms to and from law-abiding citizens, even if they are not licensed manufacturers or dealers.”

Last month USPS proposed a new rule that would allow anyone to mail concealable firearms like pistols and revolvers. USPS currently allows some firearms like long-barreled rifles and shotguns to be mailed, however they must be unloaded and securely packaged. Similar protections would be in place for handguns, which have evolved since 1927. The USPS said in a statement that it is reviewing public comments — which were due Monday — before making final changes.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, a Democrat who is running for governor, said the rule change would undo the work states like Nevada have done to curb gun violence. Nevada experienced the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, when a gunman on Oct. 1, 2017 opened fire from the Mandalay Bay casino hotel in Las Vegas, killing 60 people. Following the shooting, Nevada passed a law requiring state-administered background checks on most private gun sales or transfers.

“Our state has suffered enough, and to suggest we make it easier for criminals and abusers to access firearms is a slap in the face to gun violence survivors and law enforcement,” Ford said in a statement.

Under the proposed rules, someone could sell and ship a gun to a person within state lines. The rules are tighter for mailing guns across state lines — people could only mail it to themselves in the care of another person and would be required to open it themselves. That’s designed to assist people who are traveling to another state where they might want to use a gun for recreation.

The Department of Justice argues the patchwork of state laws around guns makes it difficult to take them across state lines for lawful purposes like target shooting, hunting and self-defense. It said that in many cases, people have no ability to travel with a firearm, making mail the “only viable method of transportation.”

Ford and other attorneys general in around two dozen states sent a letter Monday urging the USPS to withdraw the proposed rule, saying it will make it easier for people who can’t legally possess guns, like people convicted of felonies or domestic violence, to access them. They also said it’ll make it more difficult to solve gun crimes. They said the executive branch does not have the authority to ignore a law Congress passed and the rule will override state gun laws.

State laws include requirements like firearms safety courses, background searches and mental health history checks, according to the attorneys general. Those requirements are regulated through state entities, which would be bypassed if the rule change would be implemented, they argued. There will be no way to guarantee that someone is following the rules and not shipping a handgun across state lines to another person, they argued.

Law enforcement will have to create a new tracking structure to account for firearms mailed through the postal service, which would place added burdens on state budgets, the attorneys general said.

Private companies like UPS and FedEx also restrict gun shipments to customers with federal firearms licenses, such as importers, manufacturers, dealers and collectors. FedEx requires shippers with a federal firearms license to work with a FedEx account executive to obtain approval, according to the company’s website.

Firearm advocacy groups applauded the proposed change, while gun safety organizations expressed their concern.

John Commerford, executive director of the lobbying arm of the National Rifle Association of America, called it a key victory for law-abiding gun owners.

“Thanks to President Trump and his administration, USPS will finally allow these firearms to be shipped under the same commonsense safety conditions as rifles and shotguns,” Commerford said in a Wednesday statement.

John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said the rule change will turn USPS into a “gun trafficking pipeline” for illegal weapons “while stripping law enforcement of the tools they need to prevent and investigate gun crime.”

New polling indicates shifting political momentum in Israel, with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu widening his advantage while the joint political effort of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid shows signs of weakening.

A Channel 12 News survey published Thursday night found that if elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud would be tied with the Bennett-Lapid “Together” party, with each receiving 25 seats. The figure represents a one-seat drop for the Bennett-Lapid alliance compared to the previous week’s poll.

The survey also showed a slight decline for Gadi Eisenkot, whose “Yisra!” party fell by one seat to 14. The broader opposition bloc dropped to 59 seats—down one from the previous poll—without counting Arab parties.

In contrast, Yair Golan’s Democrats party gained one seat, rising to 11. Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu held steady at 9 seats, as did Aryeh Deri’s Shas and Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit, each also at 9.

United Torah Judaism, led by Yitzchak Goldknopf, strengthened to 8 seats. Among Arab parties, Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am and the Hadash-Ta’al alliance were each projected to win 5 seats.

Several parties remained below the electoral threshold, including Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism (2.9%), Yoaz Hendel’s Reservists party (1.0%), Benny Gantz’s Blue and White (1.5%), and Sami Abu Shehadeh’s Balad (0.8%).

The poll also explored hypothetical political alliances. If Eisenkot’s party were to merge with Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, the joint list would become the largest faction with 25 seats, surpassing both Likud and the Bennett-Lapid alliance, each projected at 24. In that scenario, the opposition bloc would reach 60 seats—without Arab party support—while the coalition would fall to 50.

Another scenario examined a potential alliance between Hili Tropper and Hendel. In that case, Likud would drop slightly to 24 seats but still emerge as the largest party. The Bennett-Lapid list would decline to 23 seats, and Eisenkot’s party to 13. The new Tropper-Hendel list would cross the threshold with 5 seats.

When respondents were asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Netanyahu led in every matchup. Against Bennett, he received 39% support compared to Bennett’s 36%. The same margin held against Eisenkot, 39% to 36%. Against Lieberman, Netanyahu maintained 39%, while Lieberman trailed with 24%.

A separate poll conducted by Channel 14 and the NEXT DATA research firm painted an even stronger picture for Netanyahu. Based on a sample of 721 respondents, the survey showed the right-wing bloc maintaining a solid 65-seat majority—enough to form a stable government under Netanyahu’s leadership.

In that poll, Likud surged to 34 seats, making it the clear largest party. The Bennett-Lapid alliance dropped sharply to 16 seats—four fewer than it had received in the first poll following its formation. Eisenkot’s party climbed slightly to 13 seats.

Among other parties, Shas was projected at 10 seats and United Torah Judaism at 8. Otzma Yehudit, the Democrats, and Yisrael Beiteinu each received 8 seats, while Religious Zionism stood at 5.

The broader center-left bloc lagged far behind, totaling just 45 seats. Arab parties Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am each received 5 seats but were not seen as playing a decisive role in coalition-building. Balad (2.1%) and Blue and White (1.8%) remained below the threshold.

On the question of leadership, Netanyahu held a commanding lead, with 56% of respondents saying he is best suited to serve as prime minister. Eisenkot placed a distant second with 20%, followed by Bennett at 18%, Lieberman at 5%, and Gantz at just 1%.

The poll also measured public opinion on security issues. A majority of 59% said Israel should seize additional territory in Lebanon to eliminate the threat posed by Hezbollah, while 32% opposed such a move and 9% said they had no opinion.

Another question examined perceptions of coordination between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the campaign against Iran. A majority of 58% described the cooperation as “full and close,” while 33% said it was only partial, and 9% believed there was no coordination at all.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio performed the ultimate act of diplomatic dexterity — he rescued the relationship between the president and the pope.

Since the war with Iran broke out, the relationship between the White House and the Vatican turned turbulent when Pope Leo XIV called for an end to the war and President Donald Trump fired back, beginning a lengthy screed against the pontiff with the words, “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.”

Rubio met with the pope Thursday in an effort to smooth things over — and the talk with the pope appears to have accomplished its purpose.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives at the Vatican for a meeting with Pope Leo XIV.

“Marco Rubio’s been given the assignment to go to the Vatican and try to clean up relations,” former ambassador to the Holy See Joe Donnelly told POLITICO.

The diplomat posted briefly about the meeting on X.

“Met with [the] Pontifex to underscore our shared commitment to promoting peace and human dignity,” he wrote. “Pontifex” is the Latin word for “pope.”

The Vatican welcomed the reset in relations, saying in a statement that “the shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the United States of America was reaffirmed.”

Rubio and the pope exchange gifts.

The Holy See (the office of the pope) said that the pontiff and the secretary of state discussed “difficult humanitarian situations, as well as … the need to work tirelessly for peace.”

The two leaders exchanged gifts. Rubio presented the pope with a football paperweight, representing the spiritual leader’s fondness for football.

“What to get someone who has everything? I thought a crystal football,” Rubio told the pope as he presented him with the gift.

Rubio, a practicing Catholic, received in turn a pen made from olivewood — the pope took the opportunity to extend a literal olive branch, the universal symbol of peace, to the U.S.

Speaking to reporters, Rubio denied that the trip’s aim was to reset the relationship, saying, “It’s a trip we had planned from before.”

Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog met secretly with Yaakov Bardougo, a commentator and close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss options for ending the prime minister’s ongoing corruption trial — including a possible pardon — according to a report aired Thursday on Israel’s Channel 12.

The report comes as Herzog has effectively rejected the pardon, defying months of mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to grant Netanyahu immediate clemency.
Herzog has decided to shelve Netanyahu’s pardon request, preferring to press both sides toward a negotiated plea agreement that would end the case.

According to senior Israeli officials with direct knowledge of his thinking, Herzog believes there are options beyond the binary pardon-or-no-pardon choice, and that his primary role as president is to foster national unity.

For now, those officials said, he will not say yes or no to the pardon request.

The decision to hold off amounts to a direct rebuff of Trump, who has waged an unusually aggressive campaign to intervene in Israel’s domestic legal affairs. Trump told Axios in March that he speaks with Netanyahu every day about the war and wants the prime minister focused solely on the fighting against Iran. “I want the only pressure on Bibi to be the fighting against Iran,” Trump said, demanding that Herzog grant the pardon immediately and calling the Israeli president “a disgrace” for failing to act.

Trump dismissed the underlying charges — which involve allegations that Netanyahu received hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gifts from billionaires in exchange for political favors — saying Netanyahu “should not be on trial over wine and cigars” and that he is a wartime prime minister who “should not be in jail.”

As recently as last week, Trump told Axios that Netanyahu had raised his corruption trial during a phone call between the two leaders, telling him he would be back in court instead of focusing on Iran. “In the middle of a war? Give me a break,” Trump said.

Herzog has not budged. Both the Justice Ministry’s Pardons Department and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara have advised against granting the pardon on the basis of the current request. Proceeding against those legal recommendations would have risked intervention by the High Court of Justice and potential damage to the presidency as an institution.

The Pardons Department issued a detailed opinion in March stating there is no legal basis for a pardon without an admission of guilt or conviction — a condition Netanyahu, who insists he is the victim of a political witch hunt, has shown no willingness to meet.

It is against that backdrop that Thursday’s Channel 12 report takes on added significance. According to the report, the secret Shoham meeting was arranged only after weeks of sharp public attacks by Bardougo against Herzog.

Bardougo had called the president unfit for his office, accused him of harming state security by refusing to pardon Netanyahu, and suggested he was being manipulated by left-wing elements. Despite the acrimony, representatives of the president’s office moved to arrange the meeting, with mutual acquaintance Yoram Marciano serving as intermediary.

At the gathering — attended by Herzog, his director-general, and Bardougo — those present discussed the possibility of a pardon as well as other alternatives for concluding the prime minister’s legal proceedings.

According to the report, Herzog told Bardougo at the conclusion of the meeting that he intended to actively advance a plea agreement and offered to invite both sides to the president’s residence to reach a swift resolution. Roughly a month later, Herzog made a public call for plea negotiations — but without disclosing the prior understandings reached with Netanyahu’s associate, or the behind-the-scenes pressure that preceded it.

Herzog’s office pushed back firmly on the Channel 12 account, insisting the Shoham meeting was a routine background conversation with a journalist, of a kind the president holds periodically with media figures across the political spectrum. “The meeting in question was a general background conversation only, as part of meetings of this type, and no agreement, promise, or concrete discussion regarding a pardon took place,” the statement read.

“Contrary to the claims, the president did not reach any understandings with Bardougo — not on the matter of a pardon, and not on any other matter.”

The office added that Bardougo “was not involved directly or indirectly” in the president’s mediation efforts — efforts which, it noted, Bardougo is known to oppose. Herzog’s office has consistently maintained that the president will examine any pardon request “in accordance with the law, the best interests of the state, and his conscience, and without any influence from external or internal pressures of any kind.”

This past Tuesday, 13th Avenue in Boro Park was transformed into a powerful display of Yiddishe pride as thousands of children gathered for the Lag BaOmer Parade and Kinus celebrating the Hilula of Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai. With the streets filled with the voices of tinokos shel beis rabban, the event was a tremendous Kiddush Hashem and a moving demonstration of achdus, bringing together the entire community for a day centered around Torah, Tefillah, Tzedakah, and the joy of being part of Klal Yisroel.

The program featured an exciting and uplifting lineup that captivated children and adults alike. Highlights included a beautiful musical performance by Hershy Weinberger together with the Yingerlich Choir, accompanied by Avrumi Berko, an epic show by the Direnfeld Brothers, a dramatic live play performance, and a stunning sand art storytelling presentation. What was truly remarkable was how throughout the program, inspiring messages were woven into the entertainment, giving the children an experience that was not only memorable and exciting, but meaningful and spiritually uplifting.

The Kinus marked the largest gathering of Yiddishe kinder of its kind to date, showcasing the incredible strength, unity, and pride of the Boro Park community. Thousands of children joined together in song, tefillah, and celebration, creating a scene that will be remembered long after Lag BaOmer. 

There is still an opportunity to take part in this remarkable Kiddush Hashem and benefit from the tremendous Zechus of supporting an event that inspired thousands of precious Yiddishe children.

Link to donate: 

https://secure.givelively.org/donate/tzivos-hashem-bp/lag-baomer-parade

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The son of Hamas’ lead negotiator died after being wounded by an Israeli strike on Gaza, the group said Thursday, as another Israeli strike killed three Hamas security forces, according to local officials.

Israel meanwhile said it killed three Hezbollah militants in a strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut the day before.

Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya’s 32-year-old son, Azzam, was wounded by a strike in Gaza City on Wednesday that killed another person and wounded several others. The Israeli military has not commented on the strike. The older al-Hayya is based abroad.

Israel has continued to carry out regular strikes against what it says are militant targets — also killing civilians — since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire halted major military operations in October. That agreement also led to the release of the remaining hostages taken in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war.

Key stipulations of the agreement remain unmet, including the disarmament of Hamas, the deployment of an international stabilization force and Israel’s withdrawal from the half of the territory its troops still control. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of violations.

Israeli military police carried out coordinated overnight raids on the homes of yeshiva bochurim in several cities, including Herzliya, Tel Aviv, and Dimona, as part of a renewed wave of arrest attempts, though in each case the targeted individuals were not taken into custody.

The operation is part of a broader series of enforcement actions against yeshiva students reported over the past week.

The most dramatic incident occurred in Herzliya. At approximately 4 a.m., military police forces arrived at the home of a talmid from Yeshivas Chazon Mordechai, a mosad that has already seen one of its talmidim arrested earlier this week. According to reports, family members opened the door, after which officers entered the home and conducted what was described as a forceful and aggressive search.

A turning point came when the student’s mother managed to contact the Tzeva Shachor alert system, a network that assists yeshiva bochurim. Upon noticing the phone call, the commanding officer reportedly ordered his forces to withdraw immediately. The family was left shaken by the incident, but the student was not arrested.

Additional attempts were made elsewhere across the country.

In Tel Aviv, the operation focused on the residence of a student from Yeshivas Kiryat Malachi, who had previously been detained by authorities. When forces arrived, however, the student was not present, and officers left the scene without making an arrest.

At the same time, in the southern city of Dimona, military police raided the home of a married yeshiva student affiliated with the Gerer chassidus. In that case as well, a rapid alert through the Tzeva Shachor system led to members of the public arriving at the scene, prompting police to withdraw without detaining the suspect.

The overnight activity follows a series of recent arrests involving yeshiva students.

Last Sunday, a yeshiva student in Herzliya was reportedly taken into custody after receiving a phone call telling him a package was waiting outside his yeshiva. When he went to retrieve it, he encountered military police officers who arrested him and transported him to the Tel Hashomer base.

In another case, a yeshiva student was handed over to military police after being detained by Israeli police at a gas station near Ashdod.

{Matzav.com}

VENTURA, Calif. (AP) — A former Southern California college professor has pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and battery in the death of a Jewish counterprotester during demonstrations in 2023 over the Israel-Hamas war.

Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 53, was accused of striking Paul Kessler with a megaphone in November 2023 during a confrontation at an event that started as a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Thousand Oaks, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles.

Kessler was among a group of pro-Israel demonstrators who showed up at the event that was advertised as a peaceful gathering, officials said. After being struck, Kessler fell backward and struck his head on the pavement. He died the next day at a hospital. He was 69.

Involuntary manslaughter is the unintentional killing of another person.

Alnaji, a former professor of computer science at Moorpark College, at the time stayed at the scene and told deputies he had called 911.

He also admitted to a special allegation that he personally inflicted great bodily injury and to aggravating factors that he used a weapon and that the victim was particularly vulnerable, according to the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.

Alnaji’s lawyer, Ron Bamieh, said he and his client have both received multiple death threats and Alnaji feared coverage of the trial could endanger his family further. Alnaji has been out after posting $50,000 bail.

The court has told Alnaji to expect to spend time in jail and then be put on probation, Bamieh said. He would likely serve about six months with good behavior, he added. The maximum sentence for the charges is up to four years in prison.

Bamieh said the brief time in jail followed by probation has been the norm for cases in which the defendant was not the aggressor in a fight that led to death.

Prosecutors have objected to that.

“Alnaji should be sentenced to prison for his violent behavior, and our office strongly objects to any lesser sentence,” District Attorney Erik Nasarenko said in a statement. “While no amount of punishment will ever fully account for the Kessler family loss, a prison commitment underscores the severity of this crime and will deter others from committing similar acts of violence.”

Alnaji is scheduled to be sentenced on June 25.

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Susan Collins says she has a benign essential tremor, disclosing the longtime health condition for the first time in her decades-long political career as she seeks reelection in one of this year’s toughest Senate races.

Collins first confirmed the tremor to WCSH-TV in Maine on Wednesday after facing questions about her health from appearances in recent videos, including her campaign announcement video.

The condition causes trembling in Collins’ hands, head and voice, and she said she has had it for the entirety of her nearly three-decade Senate career. It affects millions of Americans over the age of 40 and “does not interfere” with work, Collins said in a Thursday statement to The Associated Press. She said it is not a neurodegenerative condition.

“The tremor is occasionally inconvenient, and sometimes the subject of cruel comments online, but it does not hinder my ability to work and, as I said, is something that I have lived with for decades,” the statement said.

Health issues and candidates’ ages have drawn increased scrutiny in high-profile elections following Democratic President Joe Biden’s decision not to seek reelection in 2024 at age 81. Those questions have only lingered with Republican President Donald Trump, who’s 79 and in recent months has been seen with bruising on the back of his hand, sometimes concealed with makeup. The White House acknowledged last year that Trump was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency.

Collins is up for reelection in a seat Democrats need to flip to have a chance to take back the Senate. Her likely opponent is Democrat Graham Platner, an oyster farmer and combat veteran, after Democratic Gov. Janet Mills suspended her campaign last week. Age has been an issue in the contest, with Collins, 73, and Mills, 78, more than three decades older than Platner, 41.

Platner acknowledged early in his campaign his own health problems. He has spoken openly about chronic pain in his shoulder and knees stemming from combat service, and he has said he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after serving at war. Platner has said he has a 100% disability rating from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs but continues to work as an oyster farmer.

“There are a lot of disabled combat veterans, or just disabled vets, at 100%, who still work,” Platner told WCSH last year. “It’s a very normal thing.”

Collins was first elected to the Senate in 1996 and said in her statement that she has had the condition for all of that time. Over the years, the condition has been noticeable in Collins’ debates and frequent public appearances.

As chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Collins has been at the forefront of the chamber’s many spending disputes this Congress, often leading the floor debate and providing the GOP’s closing arguments. She frequently engages with reporters in the hallways. Her streak of never missing a Senate vote is up to 9,966 and stands as the second-longest consecutive voting streak in the chamber’s history.

Tremors happen when nerves aren’t properly communicating with certain muscles. Essential tremor, sometimes called benign essential tremor, is one of the most common movement disorders, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The risk of developing it increases as people get older, but at least half of cases are inherited, meaning the tremor runs in the family, and those tend to begin at younger ages. It almost always involves shaky or trembling hands but also can affect the head, voice or lower limbs.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey on Thursday asked to cancel his upcoming court appearance in North Carolina, saying it was unnecessary because he already surrendered in Virginia and gone before a judge for allegedly threatening President Donald Trump. The Department of Justice is supporting the request.

Comey was charged in a two-count indictment last week with “knowingly and willfully” communicating a threat against Trump by posting an Instagram photo of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47.”

Prosecutors allege the photo constituted a threat against Trump, the 47th president. Comey has said he assumed the seashell arrangement, which he says he found on a beach, reflected a political message — not a call to violence — and that he removed the post once he saw that some people were interpreting it as a threat.

He is currently set to appear Monday in a federal court in Greenville, North Carolina, but his lawyers urged a judge on Thursday to cancel that appearance. They noted that he had surrendered and appeared before a judge in Virginia, where he lives, and that the Justice Department has consented to their request.

The case is the second against Comey, a longtime perceived adversary of the Republican president, brought by Trump’s Justice Department. An earlier unrelated prosecution accusing Comey of making a false statement to Congress was dismissed by a judge who concluded that the prosecutor who filed the case was illegally appointed.

Legal experts have questioned whether the Justice Department can meet the high legal standard of proving that Comey intended his Instagram post to be a threat. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche has said investigators have evidence beyond just the post itself. He has not elaborated.

Merriam-Webster, the dictionary used by The Associated Press, says 86 is slang meaning “to throw out,” “to get rid of” or “to refuse service to.” It notes: “Among the most recent senses adopted is a logical extension of the previous ones, with the meaning of ‘to kill.’ We do not enter this sense, due to its relative recency and sparseness of use.”

An Israeli was diagnosed with hantavirus at one of Israel’s medical centers, Maariv reported on Thursday, but the Health Ministry has since denied it.

The ministry noted that there has been a report of a patient who had traveled to Europe who was diagnosed with the virus in December 2025. However, there have been no recent cases.

Additionally, the virus on the cruise ship, MV Hondius, is New World Hantavirus, which can be transmitted between humans, whereas the case from several months ago in Israel was not transmittable between humans.

“It is a different virus altogether and more severe than the disease found in Europe,” Dr. Daniel Grupel of Hadassah Hospital said. “I think this is a really bad situation for the people on the cruise ship right now, but Hantavirus is probably not the next pandemic.”

Hantavirus cases in Israel are extremely rare, with only a handful of previously documented cases involving Israelis infected while traveling abroad — mainly in South America and the United States — as well as at least one documented case involving a visitor diagnosed in Israel after exposure overseas.

Meanwhile, the hantavirus ship affair continues to occupy health authorities around the world.

A deadly outbreak of the hantavirus unfolded over the course of weeks on a cruise ship that sailed from Argentina toward Antarctica and then across the Atlantic Ocean, stopping at or near remote islands on the way as passengers and crew members fell sick, according to information from the cruise operator, the World Health Organization and ship tracking data.

It shows nearly a month passed between when an elderly Dutch man fell sick and died in the South Atlantic and laboratory tests in South Africa — more than 3,500 kilometers (2,174 miles) away — first confirmed hantavirus infections.

Three passengers have died, one is in intensive care in a South African hospital, and three others were evacuated from the ship on Wednesday. Another man who left the ship earlier in the voyage tested positive in Switzerland.

More than 140 passengers and crew members were still on the MV Hondius ship as it departed the West African island nation of Cape Verde for Spain’s Canary Islands.

Tests on patients in South Africa and Switzerland showed it was a hantavirus found in South America, called the Andes virus, officials said.

Hantavirus usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings and can spread person-to-person, though that is rare, according to the WHO, whose top epidemic expert said the risk to the public is low.

As the number of confirmed infections increased to five, health authorities in three continents were investigating the source and tracing dozens of people who might have come in contact with passengers who left the ship earlier.

Oceanwide Expeditions, the Dutch company that operates the MV Hondius, offers “expedition cruises” that involve trips to the Antarctic and several islands in the South Atlantic to see some of the remotest places on Earth.

The cruises can last a month or more and cost between $6,000 and $25,000, depending on the cabin.

The Hondius set off from southern Argentina on April 1.

On April 6, the 70-year-old Dutch man fell ill with fever, headache and diarrhea, WHO said.

He died on board on April 11, after developing respiratory distress. The ship was between the British island territories of South Georgia and St. Helena in the middle of the South Atlantic, according to data from the ship tracking website MarineTraffic. The cause of death could not be determined, according to Oceanwide Expeditions.

The ship sailed on for nearly two weeks, stopping near the island of Tristan da Cunha before reaching St. Helena, where the Dutch man’s body was removed on April 24. His 69-year-old wife disembarked.

The woman, who already had symptoms, became sicker during an April 25 flight to South Africa and collapsed at an airport there. She died at a hospital on April 26, WHO said.

The patient in Switzerland also disembarked in St. Helena, according to Swiss authorities, though his movements after that are not clear.

Another passenger, a British man, became sick on the ship after it left St. Helena and sailed to tiny Ascension Island, some 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) north. He had a high fever, shortness of breath and signs of pneumonia, according to WHO, and was evacuated from Ascension Island to South Africa on April 27. He is in intensive care in South Africa.

The third fatality, a German woman, died on the ship on Saturday, again after it had set sail for a new destination — this time Cape Verde. She died four days after falling ill and also had signs of pneumonia, WHO said, which can be caused by hantavirus. Her body is still on the ship.

Health officials in South Africa tested the British man in intensive care for hantavirus after tests for other ailments were negative. They received a positive result for hantavirus on Saturday, 21 days after the first passenger died.

On Sunday, WHO announced it was investigating a suspected hantavirus outbreak on the ship, which had by that time reached Cape Verde waters.

The British man’s positive test prompted South African health authorities to test the Dutch woman’s body. That test came back positive on Monday.

Swiss authorities announced the positive test on the man there on Wednesday.

Contact tracing was underway.

After waiting off Cape Verde for three days, the ship headed to the Canary Islands, where Spain said it would accept it. People on board are from Britain, the United States, Spain, Netherlands, Germany and more than a dozen other countries.

Passengers and crew have been isolated in cabins with “physical distancing,” WHO said, in a lockdown reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

WHO says it is investigating how a virus that is relatively rare in people got aboard a cruise ship.

The Argentine government’s leading hypothesis is that the Dutch couple who died contracted the virus during a bird-watching outing in the city of Ushuaia before boarding, according to two investigators. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media, with the investigation ongoing.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem & AP)

TEHRAN (VINnews) – Iranian state-affiliated media on Wednesday accused Axios correspondent Barak Ravid of spreading false information aimed at manipulating global oil markets after he reported that the United States and Iran were nearing a deal to end their conflict.

Ravid’s report, published early Wednesday, cited U.S. officials as saying the White House believed it was close to a one-page “memorandum of understanding” with Iran. The agreement would reportedly end the war and establish a framework for further nuclear negotiations, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The story briefly sent oil prices sharply lower, reversing gains linked to the ongoing conflict in the region. Prices later recovered after Iranian officials denied the claims.

IRGC-affiliated media outlets dismissed the Axios report as unfounded, stating no new written messages had been exchanged between Iran and the U.S. They suggested the claims were “evaluated more in terms of influencing global markets, especially the decline in oil prices, than being based on field realities.”

The episode drew scrutiny over unusual trading activity. Reports indicated nearly $920 million in crude oil short positions were placed about 70 minutes before Ravid’s story appeared, leading to accusations of possible insider trading. Oil prices fell as much as 12% in the hours following the report.

Ravid rejected the allegations of market manipulation or coordination with traders, calling them “complete and utter bs” in a post on X.

Ravid, Axios’ Middle East correspondent who also reports for Israeli media, has frequently broken stories on U.S.-Iran and U.S.-Israel developments. Critics have questioned how he consistently gains access to sensitive information from the White House.

Neither the White House nor Axios immediately responded to requests for comment on the Iranian accusations. The back-and-forth comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, with indirect talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at de-escalating the conflict.

The IDF announced that it carried out a strike last Wednesday that killed Ibrahim Abu Tzakar, identifying him as a Hamas operative who posed as a paramedic while orchestrating multiple attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers.

According to findings based on intelligence assessments, the military said Abu Tzakar had crossed into Israeli territory during the October 7 massacre and took part in the kidnapping of Mia Schem from the Mefalsim area.

Schem had been seized on October 7 after attending the Nova music festival near Kibbutz Re’im and was later freed in November 2023 as part of a hostage release deal.

The IDF added that forces under the Southern Command remain positioned in line with the ceasefire arrangements and will persist in acting against any immediate dangers to both Israeli civilians and military personnel.

{Matzav.com}

The White House has released its 2026 Counterterrorism Strategy, outlining an aggressive approach to dismantling what officials describe as the principal threats facing the United States: Islamist terror organizations, left-wing extremists, and transnational criminal networks.

The strategy identifies five Islamist groups as primary targets for elimination based on their demonstrated capacity and intent to strike American targets: al-Qaeda, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, ISIS, ISIS-Khorasan, and the Muslim Brotherhood. The document asserts that the Brotherhood serves as the ideological foundation for contemporary jihadist movements.

“All modern Jihadi groups, from al-Qaeda to ISIS to Hamas, can trace their roots back to one organization: the Muslim Brotherhood,” the strategy states, adding that the group’s core objective centers on “recreating the Muslim Caliphate and killing or enslaving non-Muslims.”

The administration has designated the disruption of hemispheric cartel operations as its second major objective. The strategy castigates the previous administration’s immigration enforcement posture, contending that lax border controls allowed drug traffickers to flood the country with narcotics. According to the document, more Americans died from illicit drugs smuggled by cartels during a single 12-month period than the total number of U.S. combat deaths since 1945.

Federal agencies will employ Foreign Terror Organization designations to cripple cartel supply chains and remove cartel operatives who entered the country under prior administrations.

A third priority addresses what the strategy characterizes as “violent secular political groups” with anti-American and anarchist ideologies. The document specifically highlights politically motivated murders of Christians and conservatives, citing the assassination of activist Charlie Kirk as an example.

“We will use all the tools constitutionally available to us to map them at home, identify their membership, map their ties to international organizations like Antifa, and use law enforcement tools to cripple them operationally before they can maim or kill the innocent,” the strategy declares.

The strategy reserves special emphasis for preventing non-state actors from acquiring or deploying weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear or radiological devices, which it describes as “the most dangerous terrorist threat to America.”
The document also addresses emerging alliance structures among terror groups, including cooperation between far-left movements and Islamist organizations—a phenomenon officials refer to as the “Red-Green alliance”—as well as deepening coordination between established terror organizations and state sponsors.

President Trump’s foreword emphasizes what the administration calls its signature achievement: securing the release of 106 American hostages held abroad without ransom payments. The strategy warns foreign governments that wrongful detention of U.S. citizens will result in designation as State Sponsors of Wrongful Detention.

Trump highlighted two military campaigns—Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury—as having inflicted significant damage on what he termed “the world’s number one state sponsor of terror,” Iran, while declaring that the administration has prevented the regime from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“If you hurt Americans, or are planning to hurt Americans, ‘We Will Find You, and We Will Kill You,'” Trump wrote, restating language he deployed immediately after taking office.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Israeli forces killed Azzam al-Haya, son of prominent Hamas official Khalil al-Haya, in an airstrike on eastern Gaza, Hamas announced Thursday. The death was initially reported separately by Saudi media and Al Jazeera, with conflicting accounts about whether he was killed or severely wounded.

A military spokesperson denied that the younger al-Haya was the intended target of the operation. “Khalil al-Haya’s son is of no interest to us, and if he was harmed, it was because he was somewhere he should not have been,” the source stated.

The airstrike targeted a Hamas Nukhba Battalion operative in the Daraj Tuffah area of Gaza City. Azzam al-Haya, who was in the vicinity, was killed or wounded as collateral damage during the operation, according to the military account.

The IDF classified al-Haya as a supporter and facilitator of terrorist activities rather than an active member of the Nukhba Battalion, contradicting initial reports circulated following the strike.

The incident follows a previous Israeli attempt to eliminate Khalil al-Haya himself through a strike targeting a Hamas leadership meeting in Qatar. That operation failed to hit its intended targets. The Qatar meeting included multiple senior Hamas figures discussing a Trump administration proposal for resolving the conflict.

The developments coincide with Hamas conducting internal elections for its political leadership structure. Al-Araby reported that voting for a new Gaza-based political leader has concluded, though the selection has not been publicly announced.
The appointment would take effect if al-Haya is elevated to head Hamas’s overall political bureau, a position he currently holds in Gaza. The organization still must complete elections for its West Bank political leader and representatives among its international branches.

The race for overall political bureau chief pits al-Haya, a Gaza native with ties to Iran, against Khaled Mashaal, viewed as more aligned with Arab states and Turkey. An announcement is expected this week.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

My name is Chaya. And my son is Chaim Rafael — my whole world. 💔

Chaim Rafael was born with HLHS (Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome), one of the most complex congenital heart conditions.

It means the left side of his heart didn’t develop properly, and from his very first days, his life has been a fight.

He has already been through a long series of treatments and surgeries in Israel.

So many procedures. So many hospital rooms. So many nights I didn’t sleep. 😢

People tell me, “Be strong.”

But I’m a mother… and I’m scared. 😢

Because now the doctors told us clearly: Chaim Rafael needs another critical stage of treatment — and it must be done abroad. 💔

We were offered treatment in three different places: Vienna, Germany, and Boston.

And in all three places, the costs are extremely high.

And the truth is crushing: I don’t even have the ability to pay the deposit required to secure his treatment. 💔

That is why we are raising $300,000 — to cover the deposit, medical costs, specialist evaluations, travel, lodging near the hospital for an extended stay, medications, and the follow-up care he will need to recover.

Every day I look at my son and I try to smile for him… 😢

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If you can donate, please donate. 💔

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Despite heavy restrictions on access to Mount Meron due to the security situation in northern Israel, Rav Tzvi Meir Zilberberg traveled to the site for Lag BaOmer together with a group of followers, enduring an eight-hour journey marked by roadblocks and significant delays.

Rav Zilberberg, head of the Nachalas Yaakov chaburah, maintained his longstanding custom of attending the hilula of Rav Shimon bar Yochai. After lighting a bonfire in Yerushalayim, he set out with his chassidim by bus, hoping to arrive in time for the conclusion of Lag BaOmer so that he could immerse in a mobile mikveh prepared for him, as he does each year.

However, what was expected to be a routine trip turned into a prolonged and exhausting journey. The group encountered heavy traffic and numerous checkpoints along the way, significantly delaying their arrival.

Instead of reaching Meron in the early evening as planned, they arrived only around midnight after approximately eight hours on the road. The bonfire lighting began much later than scheduled—around midnight rather than the originally planned 8:00 p.m.

Despite the difficulties, fatigue, and setbacks, participants described an atmosphere of joy and spiritual elevation throughout the trip. Rav Zilberberg, as is his custom, offered words of encouragement and led singing along the way, while his followers viewed the challenging journey as a meaningful act of dedication and a privilege to reach the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, even under such circumstances.

{Matzav.com}

When more than 100 demonstrators gathered outside Park East Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side Tuesday evening, the scene quickly drew national attention: Hezbollah flags, chants of “intifada revolution,” and a Jewish preschool that closed early because administrators said they could not ensure a safe dismissal.

But the statement that drew perhaps the sharpest criticism did not come from the protesters. It came from Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Hours before the demonstration, a spokesperson for the mayor said he was “deeply opposed” to the real estate expo being held at the synagogue that evening, which included the promotion of property in Yehuda and Shomron. The mayor’s office added that it was committed to ensuring safe entry and exit from the building – but critics said leading with condemnation of the event inside, rather than concern for the people attending it, crossed a constitutional line.

“When a crowd targets a house of worship, the mayor’s job is not to explain why the crowd has a point,” wrote Rabbi Mark Goldfeder, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center and a law professor at Touro Law School, in a piece published Wednesday by National Review. “It is to protect the people inside.”

The event in question was an aliyah fair — a gathering where attendees could consult experts on relocating to Israel. Its website invited attendees to “listen to experts” on topics including aliyah, higher education in Israel and finances in Israel. Among the potential landing spots listed was Gush Etzion, a cluster of Israeli settlements.

The protest was organized by Pal-Awda, a hardline anti-Zionist group that supports Hamas, Hezbollah and other terror groups. Chants of “There is only one solution, intifada revolution,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “We don’t want a two-state, we want ’48” rose from the crowd; slogans that Jewish organizations have characterized as calls for violence and the elimination of Jewish presence in the region.

City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who had recently passed legislation compelling the NYPD to codify protocols for buffer zones around houses of worship, offered a pointed critique of both the protesters and the police response. “I’m deeply disturbed by the hateful rhetoric heard last night outside Park East Synagogue,” she said. “Calls for the destruction of Israel and the glorification of Hezbollah are horrific, intimidating, and only fuel the flames of antisemitism.”

Mamdani, by contrast, reiterated his criticism of the event on Wednesday and doubled-down on his position at a press conference. “I think that critique of the policies of a government is very much separate from bigotry towards a people of a specific religious faith, and there is no tolerance for anti-Semitism,” he said.

Goldfeder’s legal argument centers on what he describes as the constitutional significance of official condemnation. Citing Bantam Books v. Sullivan (1963) and last year’s unanimous Supreme Court ruling in NRA v. Vullo, he argues that a mayor’s statement can chill protected religious activity even without any formal government action.

He also invoked Masterpiece Cakeshop (2018), in which the Supreme Court held that official hostility toward religious motivation constitutes a constitutional violation regardless of whether formal enforcement follows.

Speaking with Belaaz, Goldfeder elaborated on the distinction he sees between permissible political speech and actionable government conduct. “A mayor is allowed to have foreign-policy opinions,” he said. “He is not allowed to use the authority of his office to single out a lawful Jewish religious event for condemnation while that event is being targeted. That is where political speech starts to look like viewpoint discrimination and unequal protection. The mayor is not just another commentator on X. He speaks for the city.”

Goldfeder explained that “If a pattern emerges in which Jewish institutions are treated as ideologically suspect when they need protection, that can become evidence of municipal policy or custom for purposes of civil-rights liability.”

Such a pattern, critics say, has already been demonstrated. Mamdani has previously deleted city statements about protecting Jewish New Yorkers, rescinded an order adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, reorganized the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes into a broader office and vetoed a bill requiring buffer zones for protestors at schools.

The Anti-Defamation League’s New York/New Jersey branch said the mayor “had a responsibility to de-escalate. He did the opposite.”

Goldfeder rejected that framing. Aliyah, he wrote, is not a detachable political position for most Jews – it is bound up with theology, history, and religious identity. Official condemnation of a Jewish gathering on those grounds, he argued, “tells Jewish institutions that protection may come with ideological conditions.

The preschool attached to the synagogue did not reopen for regular dismissal that afternoon. For Goldfeder, that was the central fact the mayor’s statement failed to acknowledge. “A Jewish preschool closed early,” he wrote, “and the mayor’s first move was to explain the grievance of the people outside.”

Several individuals were arrested in Lakewood over the last few days in an ongoing investigation by Lakewood Police Detective Bureau and Street Crimes Unit, Police confirmed to TLS.

It’s currently unclear if all the arrests are connected to one operation.

TLS has obtained footage from several of the arrests, though most are not being published upon request of investigators – for both security and privacy reasons.

Additional information about the arrestees and chares are expected to be released in the coming days.

BEVERLY HILLS (VINnews)- CNBC anchor Sara Eisen, a fixture at the annual Milken Institute Global Conference, is using her prominent platform to highlight the dramatic rise in antisemitism, drawing from her deep Jewish roots and a post-Oct. 7 wake-up call that has strengthened her commitment to speaking out.

Eisen, whose grandfather was a Holocaust survivor, told Jewish Insider during the exclusive gathering that antisemitism has become a frequent “sideline conversation” among billionaire investors, business executives and private equity leaders — both Jewish and non-Jewish.

“To a large extent, I reflect a lot of what the sources that I speak to [say],” Eisen said. “A lot of these people… talk to me about it. They know about my background. They know my perspective.”

Eisen has long maintained a strong Jewish identity, but the Hamas terror attacks on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, marked a turning point.

“I think for a lot of us, after Oct. 7, it was a wake-up call that we need to speak out more about these issues,” she said. “I try to use my platform to bring awareness and education to issues like antisemitism, because I care about it.”

Her recent on-air moments reflect that resolve. In a March appearance on “The View,” Eisen sharply criticized former Trump administration official Joe Kent for blaming Washington’s tensions with Iran on Israel.

“It is a very old-school, antisemitic trope to blame the Jews and to blame Israel. It’s as old as time,” Eisen said. “It is a classic case of quintessential antisemitism, and by the way it is a dangerous time to do that because the Jews are under attack, and we’re fortifying our synagogues and our schools.”

In April, Eisen pressed Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., during an interview over her support for Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, who had a Nazi symbol tattoo and had praised Hamas military tactics.

“I’m just curious why you think he’s your ‘kind of man,’” Eisen asked, referencing Warren’s praise of the candidate. When Warren defended Platner by citing his apology and focus on working-class issues, Eisen followed up on the Hamas praise and the party’s inclusivity claims.

Eisen, known for her no-nonsense style and expertise in finance and economics, said the world has changed, with a “raging outburst of antisemitism” now intersecting with economic, societal and geopolitical stories she covers.

As a journalist, she believes personal perspective has value.

“As journalists, we’re also people. We have families, we have religions, we have backgrounds, we have history,” Eisen said. “I try not to inject those opinions, but I do think perspective matters. Nobody wants to be interviewed by robots.”

She acknowledged facing increased antisemitic backlash on social media for her stance but said she accepts the risk.

“I feel the heat, and that’s definitely a calculated risk, and it’s unfortunate and it’s unpleasant,” Eisen said. “But I also feel like if we’re not asking these questions and we’re not speaking up about these issues, then nobody will. So we need to.”

Eisen’s comments at the Milken Conference highlight her role not only as a top financial journalist but as a voice rooted in Jewish values, unapologetically addressing antisemitism amid rising global tensions.