A rear cam capture the moment a child was apparently left inside a vehicle for a moment today while the parent ran inside to get something, and the child’s curiosity got to the better of him.

The child apparently climbed into the driver seat and managed to shift the car into gear, slamming into the truck in front of him.

The victim was sitting in his car at the time and immediately got out and moved the car back into its parking spot.

The child’s mother showed up moments later.

“Luckily my truck was in front of him or he could’ve run into traffic,” the victim told TLS. There were also pedestrians walking behind the vehicle.

MAJDAL SHAMS, GOLAN HEIGHTS (VINnews) — Two years after a rocket struck a soccer field in this Druze town, killing 12 children and teenagers, the father of one victim described the enduring grief that continues to define daily life for the families.

On July 27, 2024, a rocket fired from Lebanon exploded on the pitch in Majdal Shams during a youth soccer activity, killing 12 young people ages 10 to 16 from the Druze community and wounding dozens more. Israeli and U.S. officials attributed the attack to the Iran-backed group Hezbollah. It was among the deadliest single strikes on civilians in northern Israel since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack that sparked the ongoing regional conflict.

Among the dead was 11-year-old Alma Ayman Fakhr al-Din. In a recent conversation marking the anniversary, her father, Ayman Fakhr al-Din, was asked what he remembered most about his daughter.

“When she was alive or when I had to collect the pieces of her?” he responded.

Alma’s mother, overcome by grief, was unable to speak. The father led visitors through his daughter’s room, which remains unchanged since the day of the attack, a frozen snapshot of the life cut short.

The strike hit around 6:18 p.m. as children gathered for practice or a match. Most of the victims were local residents of the Arabic-speaking Druze town in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Families and community members have held memorials and tributes in the years since, including efforts to honor the victims’ memory through gardens and shared recollections of ordinary childhood joys interrupted by the violence.

The attack intensified cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah that had already been underway for months, contributing to a wider escalation that later drew in further regional fighting.

Russia appears to be positioning itself for a dramatic expansion of its war against Ukraine once September’s State Duma elections conclude, with new political messaging, legislative moves, and military preparations suggesting the Kremlin is preparing for a more intensive phase of the conflict, according to a new assessment by the Jamestown Foundation.

As those warnings mount, Ukrainian forces have continued carrying out deep strikes inside Russian territory. In a national address on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Moscow is getting ready to launch a large-scale mobilization campaign while also preparing to deploy tens of thousands of additional North Korean troops.

The assessment comes as Ukraine sustains one of its most extensive long-range attack campaigns since the war began.

Using drones and missiles, Ukrainian forces have repeatedly targeted oil refineries, military logistics hubs, and strategic infrastructure in and around Moscow, highlighting Kyiv’s expanding ability to strike well beyond the battlefield.

At the same time, analysts say the Kremlin has noticeably altered its public messaging.

According to the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov’s recent statement describing Russia’s campaign as “a real war” marks a significant shift from the language Moscow has used since launching its invasion in 2022.

Throughout the conflict, Russian officials had consistently referred to the fighting only as a “special military operation.”

Jamestown believes Peskov’s remarks may be designed to prepare the Russian public for a broader military call-up and a prolonged war effort rather than any serious move toward negotiations.

The report highlights four key developments that, taken together, suggest the Kremlin is laying the groundwork for escalation.

The first is reports from sources said to be close to President Vladimir Putin claiming he has “resolved to escalate” the war instead of pursuing a negotiated settlement, reinforcing previous assessments by Western intelligence that his objectives extend far beyond Ukraine.

The second involves growing expectations within Russia that Putin could announce a nationwide mobilization shortly after September’s parliamentary elections.

According to the report, while the elections themselves do not determine Putin’s political future, they provide an opportunity to demonstrate public and elite support before unveiling potentially unpopular military decisions. Jamestown suggests Peskov’s comments may have served as a test of public reaction.

A third warning sign is proposed legislation requiring Russian citizens to obtain exit visas before traveling abroad.

Although the measure is initially aimed at travel to countries Russia considers “unfriendly,” analysts believe it could also make it far more difficult for military-age men to flee the country if another draft is ordered, similar to the mass departures that followed Russia’s partial mobilization in 2022.

The fourth indicator cited by the report is the Kremlin’s continued expansion of its nationwide Cossack mobilization system.

Jamestown says Russia is building reserve formations expected to eventually number about 60,000 personnel while simultaneously creating specialized drone units, expanding reserve training exercises, and strengthening volunteer battalions already fighting in Ukraine.

The report also points to increasing military cooperation between Moscow and North Korea as another major concern.

Speaking Saturday, Zelenskyy said Russia has been preparing since June to receive an additional 30,000 North Korean troops in the Voronezh region.

Russia and North Korea signed a mutual defense agreement in 2024, and Pyongyang has already sent an estimated 12,000 to 15,000 personnel to support Russian military operations.

“Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea,” Zelenskyy said, warning that the partnership is allowing North Korea to gain valuable combat experience while advancing its military technology.

According to Politico, such a deployment would significantly deepen North Korea’s direct involvement in Europe’s largest ground war since World War II.

Zelenskyy also argued that Russia’s battlefield losses continue to exceed the pace of new recruitment.

He said Moscow has enlisted roughly 221,000 soldiers during 2026 while suffering approximately 225,500 casualties, including an estimated 131,000 troops killed.

Despite those losses, Ukrainian intelligence believes the Kremlin still intends to launch another mobilization campaign later this year.

The Institute for the Study of War similarly concluded that Putin is likely to wait until after the September elections before announcing another politically unpopular draft, while continuing to signal that Russia remains committed to achieving its maximum military objectives rather than freezing the conflict.

For Western officials, analysts say the combination of increasingly forceful Kremlin rhetoric, legal measures that could facilitate mobilization, the rapid expansion of reserve forces, and growing North Korean military involvement all point toward preparations for a significantly larger phase of the war as 2026 progresses.

Whether those moves ultimately lead to a nationwide mobilization or a major new offensive remains unclear.

Even so, analysts say the overall pattern increasingly suggests the Kremlin is preparing for escalation—not negotiations—as the next stage of the conflict.

Iran insisted Monday that the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed, rejecting what it described as U.S. attempts to dictate the terms for ending the conflict.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran has received messages from Washington through mediators but is not engaged in direct talks with the United States. He stressed that Iran will not allow the U.S. to determine the conditions for ending the war.

Baghaei also warned Ukraine over what he described as an attack on an Iranian vessel, calling the incident a violation of international law and vowing that it “will not go unanswered.” He cautioned Ukraine’s Western backers that they could also face consequences.

Addressing the recently signed U.S.-Saudi civilian nuclear agreement, Baghaei reiterated that Iran considers the peaceful use of nuclear energy to be a universal right. He argued that international pressure on Tehran has stemmed from Iran’s exercise of that right and said the world should judge the issue for itself.

The remarks come as tensions remain high across the region and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz continues to face major disruptions.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Traffic at Cracker Barrel locations is yet to fully recover from the backlash against its failed rebrand last year despite signs of improvement, company executives said on the restaurant chain’s most recent earnings call.

The company has been looking to put itself on a more solid financial footing after sales slumped in response to the unsuccessful rebrand that included the removal of the “old timer” from the company’s logo and changes to the restaurant chain’s interior layout, which has long featured a general store.

Cracker Barrel announced on Monday that CEO Julie Masino will step down from the role this summer, with David Deno set to take the helm of the company on Aug. 10. The move follows a slow recovery from the attempted rebrand.

The company noted in its third-quarter earnings last month that while traffic was improving relative to the recent trend, it remained lower than it was in the prior year.

Masino said that “Q3 results exceeded our expectations, driven by our operating and cost actions, while guest-facing metrics continue to improve, and position us for further traffic recovery.”

“Comparable store restaurant sales decreased 2.6%, which included a traffic decline of 6.7%,” said Cracker Barrel CFO Craig Pommells. “Although traffic remained negative, we are encouraged by the gradual improvement in the underlying trend.”

Pommells said that “controlling for the variability between last year’s third and fourth quarters and the resulting comparison in the current year, the underlying traffic trend continues to show gradual improvement.”

Cracker Barrel’s stock is down about 18% from a year ago, remaining well below its pre-rebrand levels.

However, it has made significant progress in getting back to those levels this year; the company’s stock is up 105% since the start of 2026.

The company has taken steps recently that aim to improve its financial performance.

Last week, Cracker Barrel announced that it will sell some of its restaurant properties as well as exiting its Maple Street Business Company business. It sold the Maple Street brand and 35 of its locations to Biscuit Belly LLC, with Cracker Barrel closing the remaining 16 Maple Street restaurants.

The company also completed a sale-leaseback deal involving 26 company-owned locations, which generated about $77 million in net proceeds that it planned to use to pay down debt, while continuing to operate the restaurants by leasing the properties from the new owner.

“A brand isn’t what management wants it to be,” said brand expert Bruce Turkel. “It’s what customers believe it is.”

FOX Business’ Sophia Compton contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump said the United States has temporarily suspended a broader military campaign against Iran to give diplomacy one more chance, but made clear that the pause will be short-lived if negotiations fail to produce results.

In an interview with Axios, Trump explained that he ordered a halt to expanded U.S. strikes so talks with Tehran could continue. He said the current discussions are centered on securing an agreement that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz while reviving negotiations on a wider nuclear accord.

“We are in very deep talks with Iran. If they don’t work out, we will go back to very strong military action,” the President said.

Pressed on how long he is willing to let diplomacy play out, Trump indicated that Iran has little time to act.

“Not much time. Either it goes fast or not at all,” he said.

Trump said he made the decision on Friday after countries helping mediate the negotiations urged him to hold off on further military action and give the diplomatic process another opportunity.

“All of the people that deal with Iran asked me: ‘Don’t fire,'” Trump said, adding that he believes Iran wants to reach an agreement.

Summing up his reasoning for pausing the strikes, Trump said, “Nothing gained, nothing lost.”

The President also pointed to the market reaction following the pause, noting that oil prices declined while stocks climbed after the decision to suspend additional military operations.

Trump is expected to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Tuesday, where Iran is expected to be a central topic of discussion.

“I am going to talk to Bibi about the fact that if I weren’t president, Iran would have had nuclear weapons by now and Israel would have been destroyed,” Trump said.

{Matzav.com}

Rising insurance premiums are becoming one of the fastest-growing expenses for small businesses, forcing many owners to raise prices, reduce coverage or delay expansion plans as property, liability and commercial auto policies become more expensive.

Insurers have been increasing premiums in response to higher repair costs, more frequent severe weather events, larger legal settlements and persistent inflation. For many restaurants, retailers, manufacturers and trucking companies, insurance is now growing faster than payroll or rent.

What was once considered a routine operating expense has become a major business challenge.

According to recent industry surveys, many small businesses are shopping for new carriers or increasing deductibles to keep costs under control. Others are investing in workplace safety, cybersecurity and risk management programs in hopes of qualifying for lower premiums.

Commercial property owners are feeling particular pressure in regions vulnerable to hurricanes, floods and wildfires, while businesses with vehicle fleets continue to face elevated commercial auto insurance costs due to expensive repairs and higher accident claims.

The pressure extends beyond business owners.

As operating costs climb, many companies eventually pass part of those increases on to customers through higher prices for goods and services. That means insurance costs are becoming another factor influencing inflation across the broader economy.

Looking ahead, business groups say insurers are unlikely to significantly reduce premiums unless claims moderate and inflation continues easing. Until then, companies are expected to focus on reducing risk, improving safety records and comparing policies more aggressively than ever before.

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

Brig. Gen. (res.) Dror Shalom, the former head of the IDF Military Intelligence Research Division and former director of the Defense Ministry’s Political-Military Bureau, sharply criticized Israel’s strategic position on Monday, saying that despite extraordinary operational achievements, the country has failed to secure a decisive outcome on any front.

“There have been exceptional achievements here; the facts speak for themselves,” Shalom said at the Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth National Security Conference, held in partnership with the Institute for National Security Studies. “But strategically, this has been a resounding failure on every front. Hamas is still standing, Hezbollah is far from disarming, and Iran is negotiating with the Americans over Hormuz, not over the nuclear issue.”

Shalom, who now serves as a senior adviser at JPMorgan and has rarely given interviews since leaving his position in 2020, said Israel could have brought home more hostages and done so earlier. He credited President Trump and public pressure from demonstrators with pushing the U.S. administration toward a decision on the hostage issue.

“Without that support, I doubt we would have gotten the hostages back,” he said. “It was possible to bring them home earlier and to bring back more of them. I believe earlier decisions could have been made regarding the timing of their return, but that is already water under the bridge.”

Looking ahead, Shalom said Israel must create a new order in Gaza, but argued that this is not happening because of a lack of strategy. He called for advancing President Trump’s 20-point plan, establishing a governing alternative to Hamas and eliminating Hamas officials operating abroad.

Addressing Iran, Shalom said the 2015 nuclear agreement was bad, but warned at the time that withdrawing from it without an alternative plan would lead Iran to begin violating the deal and bring the military option closer. He called for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry to examine years of discussions between Israel’s political, military and intelligence leadership regarding both Iran and the Palestinian issue.

Shalom also said Israel’s international standing has reached an unprecedented low and that relations with the United States are not at their best. “We invested a great deal of kinetic energy and received potential energy in return,” he said. “Contrary to the laws of physics, we are losing that energy, and that is unfortunate.”

He urged Israel to strengthen its relations with the United States, Egypt and Jordan, and to deepen the Abraham Accords into regional alliances. He also called for greater investment in education and academia alongside an increased defense budget, warning that Israel must prevent a brain drain.

“National security is something far more holistic,” Shalom concluded. “If we do not invest in the engineers and geniuses of the next generation, we will not succeed in making the quantum leap that is required.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A Trump administration official is touting the recently launched Trump Accounts as a means to boost young Americans’ financial literacy and appreciation for capitalism by giving them experience that draws them away from “poisonous ideologies” such as socialism.

Comptroller of the Currency Jonathan Gould spoke at a planning meeting for the Financial Literacy and Education Commission on Tuesday and said in remarks reviewed exclusively by FOX Business that Trump Accounts can help Americans understand how the financial system and markets work, showing the benefits of capitalism.

“When Americans understand how our financial system works, they are better equipped to save for the future, protect themselves from fraud, and fully participate in the greatest economy in the world,” he said. “For Americans to believe in capitalism, they need the opportunity to participate in it.”

“If financial illiteracy leads to socialism and other poisonous ideologies proliferating on college campuses and in certain cities, Trump Accounts can be the antidote, minting a generation of capitalists who believe in America, build wealth, invest in their communities, and own a share in our nation’s economic success,” Gould added.

NEW YORK CITY (VINnews)-Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday defended current Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s characterization of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal, telling Fox News anchors he “absolutely” holds that view because of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Appearing on “America’s Newsroom,” de Blasio said Mamdani “drew attention to the fact that Netanyahu is literally a war criminal.”

“This guy’s policies led to the deaths of tens of thousands of Palestinian children, and that defines a war crime to me and so many people around the world,” de Blasio said.

The exchange quickly grew heated. Co-anchor Dana Perino challenged de Blasio’s authority to make the designation and noted that the United States is not a party to the International Criminal Court, which has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu over alleged war crimes related to the Gaza conflict. De Blasio responded that the court “should mean something.”

Perino pressed him on whether Israel’s actions were a response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attack that killed about 1,200 people in Israel and took more than 250 hostages. De Blasio called the attack “horrible” but argued Israel’s response was disproportionate.

“You think if Hamas does something wrong, it means Netanyahu and Israel can do something worse?” he asked. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Co-anchor Bill Hemmer then interjected: “So you came on our show today to call Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal?”

“I didn’t come here to call him that. You asked me a question,” de Blasio replied.

“Do you, and you believe that to be the case?” Hemmer asked.

“I absolutely believe that,” de Blasio said.

Hemmer rejected the characterization, saying that if genocide were occurring, the population of Gaza would have been wiped out.

The comments came days after Mamdani, a democratic socialist, released a video labeling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and “the architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people.” Mamdani initially suggested New York City would seek to enforce an International Criminal Court warrant against the Israeli leader if he visited the city for the United Nations General Assembly. He later acknowledged that the city lacks independent legal authority to do so and urged the federal government to act instead, while stating Netanyahu is “not welcome in New York City.”

Israel and the United States have rejected the ICC warrant. Israel maintains its military operations in Gaza target Hamas militants responsible for the Oct. 7 massacre and that it takes steps to minimize civilian casualties amid Hamas’s practice of embedding among civilian populations.

De Blasio served as New York City mayor from 2014 to 2021.

A dangerous, wrong-way pursuit on Route 37 came to an end after several Toms River police officers placed themselves in harm’s way to stop a suspected drunk driver before anyone was seriously injured.

Officials said the incident occurred this past Saturday when Patrolman Eric Nelson observed a vehicle traveling eastbound in the westbound lanes of Route 37. Nelson attempted to get the driver’s attention while traveling in the eastbound lanes, but the motorist ignored his efforts and continued driving the wrong way.

Officials said the vehicle nearly struck multiple other vehicles, prompting Nelson to give chase. The driver allegedly continued attempting to elude police while remaining in the wrong lanes of travel.

As the pursuit unfolded, Patrolmen Robert King and Justin Barberi, who were returning from a special duty assignment, heard the pursuit over the radio and positioned their patrol vehicles to block the suspect vehicle head-on, bringing the pursuit to a safe end.

The driver was arrested and charged with DWI and second-degree eluding.

Officials commended the officers involved, saying they placed themselves at great personal risk to prevent innocent motorists from being injured during the incident.

Officials also noted that Patrolman Eric Nelson made six DWI arrests over the course of the weekend alone.

Lebanese authorities have significantly expanded efforts to dismantle Hezbollah’s financial and logistical networks, targeting the terrorist group’s influence over the country’s ports, airport, and border crossings, according to a report by Asharq Al-Awsat.

Since the election of President Joseph Aoun and the formation of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s government, Beirut has moved to strengthen oversight at key transportation hubs that security officials say had long been exploited by Hezbollah to smuggle weapons, cash, and other contraband.

Security sources told the newspaper the measures have dealt a major blow to Hezbollah’s logistical infrastructure by disrupting smuggling routes and financial channels operating through Syria, Beirut’s port, and Rafik Hariri International Airport.

According to the report, Hezbollah’s influence over these facilities has declined “to an unprecedented level” since the new government took office, directly affecting the terrorist group’s operational and financial capabilities.

In recent months, Lebanon has installed advanced scanning systems at Beirut Port, Rafik Hariri International Airport, and the Masnaa border crossing in an effort to detect smuggled goods, prohibited materials, and undeclared cash.

Officials also said illegal crossings along the Syrian border, long considered a vital supply route for Hezbollah, have been largely shut down due to increased enforcement on both sides of the frontier.

The report further claims authorities have sharply reduced the smuggling of cash, gold, Captagon, and hashish—activities that have long been linked to Hezbollah’s funding network. Lebanon’s decision to bar Iranian aircraft from landing in Beirut also reportedly closed another key route used to transfer money and supplies to the terrorist group.

Security officials said the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria further weakened Hezbollah by cutting off a major corridor used to move weapons and funding from Iran into Lebanon.

As part of the broader campaign, Lebanese authorities have reassigned or removed security and administrative personnel suspected of ties to Hezbollah and opened investigations into individuals accused of facilitating the transfer of money, goods, and valuables on the group’s behalf.

Officials described the effort as part of a broader attempt to restore state control over key institutions and reduce Hezbollah’s influence within the Lebanese government.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A financing arrangement now under discussion would place Nvidia’s balance sheet behind roughly $250 billion in obligations tied to a 10-gigawatt data center campus in southern Ohio — an arrangement that would rank among the largest private financing structures ever assembled in the technology sector, and one that pushes the chipmaker well past its traditional role as a supplier of hardware.

The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that Nvidia is in talks to provide a guarantee of about $250 billion to help OpenAI lease the planned campus, which is being developed by SoftBank’s energy subsidiary, according to people familiar with the discussions. Nvidia, OpenAI and SoftBank had not commented publicly as of press time.

What the guarantee actually covers

The structure is narrower than the headline number suggests, and the distinction matters. The proposed guarantee applies to the lease and construction financing — not to the purchase of the Nvidia processors that would fill the buildings. Separately, Nvidia is said to be discussing a financing arrangement covering OpenAI’s chip orders, which could run to roughly $350 billion.

The reason a chipmaker would guarantee someone else’s real estate obligations comes down to credit. Nvidia’s backing would let the developer raise debt on better terms by easing lender concerns about OpenAI’s lack of an investment-grade credit rating. OpenAI generates enormous revenue and enormous losses; lenders financing a multi-decade physical asset want a counterparty they can underwrite. Nvidia, sitting on one of the strongest balance sheets in corporate America, can supply that credit where OpenAI cannot.

The scale

The full project could ultimately cost more than $500 billion once the chips are included, with the first phase — roughly 800 megawatts — targeted for completion in 2028. SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son has previously put the total cost of the buildout near the same half-trillion-dollar mark.

Ten gigawatts is not an incremental expansion. It is generation capacity on the order of a mid-sized state’s peak residential load, dedicated to a single tenant’s computing needs. That has implications far beyond the parties named in the deal — for Ohio’s grid operators, for regional power pricing, for construction labor across the Ohio Valley, and for the utilities now being asked to plan around industrial customers whose demand curves look nothing like anything they have served before.

Why each side wants it

For OpenAI, an agreement would mark a first move toward controlling its own infrastructure rather than renting capacity from Microsoft, Amazon and Oracle. For Nvidia, it would lock in demand for its chips for years ahead.

That second point is where the arrangement starts drawing scrutiny. A supplier guaranteeing the financing that allows a customer to buy the supplier’s product is a structure with a long and uneven history in capital markets. Michael Burry and technology commentator Ed Zitron both raised objections over the weekend, framing the reported backstop as evidence of mounting bubble risk in AI infrastructure. Burry increased his short position against Nvidia on Friday.

The counterargument is straightforward: Nvidia is not lending OpenAI money to buy chips in the guarantee itself — that piece is carved out — and the underlying asset is a physical campus with power interconnection that has value to other tenants if the primary lease fails. Microsoft, Google and Anthropic have all reportedly expressed interest in the site.

Nothing is signed

Talks remain ongoing and terms have not been finalized, meaning the arrangement could still collapse. Deals of this magnitude are rarely announced in the shape they were first reported, and the gap between a discussed structure and executed documents is where most of the risk lives.

What business owners should watch

For companies outside the AI industry, the relevant question is not whether Nvidia and OpenAI reach terms. It is what happens to the cost and availability of electricity, industrial construction capacity, and skilled trades in regions absorbing this kind of load. Ohio has already become one of the most contested data center markets in the country. A 10-gigawatt anchor tenant changes the pricing environment for every manufacturer, cold-storage operator and commercial landlord drawing from the same grid.

That is the part of this story that will show up in operating budgets long before it shows up in anyone’s quarterly earnings call.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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

photos: D. H. Kerem, Issac G.

A Bronx mother who gave 12-year-old Jacob Freytes the bicycle he rode just one day before he was fatally struck by a stray bullet is blaming New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for allowing gang violence to spiral out of control in the neighborhood where the tragedy unfolded, the NY Post reports.

Jacob, the son of a retired NYPD sergeant, was riding his bicycle to Wanda Deli Grocery near the Grand Concourse shortly before 5 p.m. Shabbos when gunfire erupted. Investigators believe a suspected gang member opened fire at rivals, and one of the bullets struck the innocent boy, killing him.

Miledy Rosario, a mother of four whose own 12-year-old daughter was one of Jacob’s close friends, said city leaders have failed to address the persistent gang activity that has plagued the Mount Eden neighborhood for years.

“I feel that the mayor that’s celebrating in the parade right now should take better care of this block, because there’s a lot of gang members,” Rosario said, referring to Mamdani’s appearance in the Bronx Dominican Day Parade on Sunday.

She said violence at that intersection has become a recurring problem that city officials have failed to stop.

“There’s a lot of gang members. This is not the first time this thing happened here. This has been happening a lot of times. He [the mayor] should know that there is a lot of gangs on that block there, and they had to be a cleanup,” Rosario said.

Rosario argued that promises to combat crime have not translated into meaningful action and noted the apparent absence of police officers at the location on the day of the shooting.

“He’s talking about stopping violence. But it is still continuing. And so if they don’t clean that block there, we’re gonna continue to see the same thing,” she added. “Before there was police on that corner. But yesterday there was no one there.”

The grieving mother also recalled her final conversation with Jacob just one day before the shooting. After purchasing a new bicycle for her daughter, she offered Jacob the old one, an act of kindness that would take on heartbreaking significance less than 24 hours later.

“I bought a new bicycle for my daughter, and I asked him, ‘Hey, do you want [her’s]?’” she told The Post.

“He said, ‘Oh, thank you so much. 
I’m gonna talk to my mom.’ And they gave him permission to have the bicycle. … And, you know, he was really happy,” Rosario said.

Fighting back emotion, Rosario said the random nature of the killing has left her terrified for her own children.

“I’m a mom of four kids, and I’m really scared. This kid was just running around on a bicycle, and got shot. 
Jacob didn’t deserve this.”

Authorities say the Mount Eden neighborhood has long been contested by the violent Trinitarios and Sev Side Pinni street gangs, and investigators are examining whether members of those organizations were involved in the shooting.

Police arrested 45-year-old William Ferrer outside his residence on Sunday in connection with Jacob’s killing.

According to law enforcement sources, Ferrer has an extensive criminal history stretching back to 1999, including prior arrests involving drug possession, marijuana possession, driving while intoxicated, and possession of stolen property.

Following the shooting, Mamdani issued a statement expressing sympathy for Jacob’s family and the other victims.

“My heart breaks” for Jacob’s “family, friends and all those who loved him.”

“Their loss is unimaginable. I am praying for the speedy recovery of the other two victims of this shooting. I’m grateful for the hospital staff, and the NYPD for their work to find those responsible for this heinous act,” Mamdani said.

“Our children should be able to ride their bikes on a nice summer day in their neighborhood without fear of being shot. We cannot accept this violence as normal.”

Jacob’s father, Jesus Freytes, is a retired NYPD sergeant who previously served in the same Bronx precinct where his son was killed.

Rosario’s daughter, Marlyn, who had been friends with Jacob, struggled to comprehend the senseless loss, saying her classmate “was at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Daniel Rosario, Miledy’s husband, said the shooting has devastated not only his own family but many neighborhood children who regularly played with Jacob.

“My kids are traumatized. My daughter, who was just talking to you, was in tears yesterday. Crying all night. You see them running around the street now, but they are traumatized,” he said.

Remembering the simple moments the children shared together, he added, “[Jacob] put up a little hoop outside our apartment door, and he would play basketball. He had a little ball. And my son told me last night, ‘Dad, I won’t be able to play basketball no more.’ The kids are traumatized.”

{Matzav.com}

Negotiations between the United States and Iran have reached a “serious stage,” with proposals exchanged through mediators, according to a Trump administration official who spoke to Kan News.

The official said no agreements have yet been reached, but described the exchange of proposals as progress. The development comes ahead of President Trump’s meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington.

The White House is maintaining an unusually low media profile ahead of the meeting. No joint press conference or formal statements are expected, and access for reporters accompanying Netanyahu will be limited.

Trump said he and Netanyahu have “some differences” over Iran, but added that they remain “pretty close.” He said Iran sought to return to negotiations after suffering heavy blows.

“The only reason the Iranians want to talk is that they’re not in good shape,” Trump said. “There’s a chance something will happen in the talks, and if not, we’ll go back to what we were doing before.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

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New York — Moody’s Ratings has told clients that the capital being poured into artificial intelligence infrastructure is eroding free cash flow and increasing balance-sheet risk at the largest cloud providers, in terms strong enough to represent a shift in how the agency views a group long treated as among the safest corporate credits anywhere.

In a research note released Wednesday, Moody’s said the spending surge is forcing even the most cash-rich corporations, including Alphabet and Microsoft, to lean heavily on debt, stock sales and off-balance-sheet arrangements. The agency said these moves threaten credit quality across the six companies it tracks: Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Oracle and CoreWeave. Moody’s projects capital expenditures will reach $785 billion in 2026 and approximately $1 trillion in 2027.

The agency framed the underlying change as structural. Historically these companies operated asset-light models built around software, intellectual property and scalable cloud services requiring modest capital investment. Moving to an asset-heavy model, Moody’s wrote, requires unprecedented levels of investment and capital raising.

Generative AI demands a physical footprint that software never did — warehouses filled with expensive, energy-intensive servers and chips.

The leverage figures are the part worth reading closely. Direct debt across the six firms has reached $460 billion, while off-balance-sheet data center lease commitments have grown to $1.2 trillion. Alphabet announced an $85 billion stock sale last month. Moody’s noted that AI hardware and infrastructure require large upfront outlays while returns are realized over long periods, which pressures free cash flow across the sector, and that hyperscalers rely primarily on long-term off-balance-sheet financing structures to keep direct debt off their books.

Meta completed its first bond offering in years, and Alphabet, historically resistant to debt financing, has explored credit facilities to preserve cash flexibility.

Moody’s was careful to separate the strong from the exposed. The agency stressed that Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon and Meta remain among the strongest corporate borrowers globally, with substantial liquidity and resilient cash generation from mature cloud, advertising and enterprise software businesses, and said it does not see immediate pressure on their investment-grade ratings. The greater vulnerability sits with companies at the lower end of investment grade. Oracle, which has expanded AI infrastructure spending aggressively to compete with larger cloud providers, carries a Baa2 rating with a negative outlook — two notches above speculative grade. CoreWeave faces steeper financing challenges still.

The competitive structure is what makes the trajectory difficult to reverse. No single participant can easily pull back: Amazon Web Services cannot afford to fall behind on AI capability without risking its cloud position, and Google is defending its core search business against AI-driven alternatives. Retreating carries competitive cost; continuing carries balance sheet cost.

For the tri-state region, the report matters for reasons beyond equity exposure. Off-balance-sheet lease commitments of the scale Moody’s describes represent contracted, long-dated obligations to data center developers and their financing partners — a category of construction and real estate activity with meaningful presence in New Jersey and the broader Northeast corridor. Credit deterioration among tenants of that quality would change underwriting assumptions across that asset class.

Regional banks and credit funds with exposure to data center construction lending, power infrastructure, or specialty contractors serving that pipeline should note the distinction Moody’s draws. The investment-grade giants are not the risk. The risk sits with the tier of operators financing similar buildouts from weaker balance sheets, and with the contractors and suppliers whose receivables concentrate there.

Moody’s characterized the change in these companies’ balance sheets as material, and raised the question of whether the level of spending is sustainable relative to the revenue it eventually produces. That question gets a partial answer this week, when four of the six report quarterly results.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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

Since early June, Wall Street’s major stock indexes have all rallied to fresh record highs. While artificial intelligence (AI) is the trend behind this surge in stock valuations, it’s the “Magnificent Seven” that have done most of the heavy lifting.

These are some of Wall Street’s most influential businesses, and they’re all, to some degree or another, dependent on the AI revolution for their future growth prospects. They’re also companies with markedly different outlooks, based on their operating cash flow.

While the time-tested price-to-earnings ratio is the safety blanket for investors when quickly evaluating mature businesses, it doesn’t do justice to growth stocks (i.e., the Magnificent Seven). Given that these companies aggressively reinvest their cash flow into high-growth initiatives, future cash flow serves as a far better measure of value.

According to Wall Street’s consensus cash-flow-per-share estimates for next year, here’s how the Magnificent Seven rank from most (i.e., cheapest) to least attractive (as of July 23):

Based on future cash flow, neither electric-vehicle maker Tesla nor iPhone titan Apple are particularly attractive. On the other hand, Meta and Amazon stand out for all the right reasons amid a historically expensive stock market.

Meta Platforms is the cheapest Magnificent Seven stock, which likely reflects the immediate benefits it’s recognized by integrating generative AI into its social media advertising platforms. Companies having the ability to tailor static or video messages to users are improving click-through rates and enhancing Meta’s already stellar ad pricing power.

Meta’s predominantly ad-driven sales are also intricately tied to the health of the U.S. economy, which spends a disproportionate amount of time expanding. Advertising might not be a game-changing operating model, but businesses have demonstrated a willingness to pay a premium for Meta’s services.

Meanwhile, Amazon’s ancillary segments have become its shining star. Though its dominant online marketplace still accounts for a majority of its revenue, cloud infrastructure services platform Amazon Web Services (AWS) generates the bulk of its operating income.

Since AWS integrated generative AI and large language model solutions into its platform, sales growth for this considerably higher-margin operating segment has reaccelerated. When coupled with excellent subscription pricing power with Prime and sustained double-digit advertising sales growth, it’s easy to see why Wall Street analysts expect Amazon’s full-year operating cash flow to more than double between 2025 and 2028.

Although bargains are few and far between at the moment, Meta and Amazon fit the bill.

Sean Williams has positions in Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

BEIRUT (AP) — The United Nations’ human rights chief said Monday that Israel should withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon and stop demolishing homes, days before Lebanese and Israeli officials are scheduled to hold another round of direct talks.

Volker Türk spoke to The Associated Press at the end of a visit to Lebanon, where he met with government officials, civil society representatives and people displaced by the conflict between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

The visit comes ahead of talks expected next week in Rome between Lebanese and Israeli officials on implementing a framework agreement reached June 26. The agreement calls for the deployment of Lebanese military forces in southern Lebanon, the withdrawal of Israeli forces and the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has rejected the direct talks and says it will not disarm.

Türk said the demolition of homes in southern Lebanon raises concerns under international humanitarian law and should be investigated.

“Demolition of this type raises huge flags about compliance with international humanitarian law,” Türk said.

Israel has said its military operations target Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, accusing the group of operating from civilian areas. Israeli officials have said troops in southern Lebanon uncovered weapons caches and tunnel networks used by Hezbollah.

The latest conflict began after Hezbollah launched rockets toward Israel following U.S.-Israeli military strikes linked to escalating regional tensions involving Iran. Israel responded with an air campaign and a ground operation in Lebanon. Lebanese officials say more than 4,000 people were killed and about 1.2 million displaced during the fighting. Israeli forces remain deployed in parts of southern Lebanon.

Türk also met with investigators from his office examining attacks that occurred during the conflict.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who met with Türk on Monday, said Lebanon remains committed to the agreement but said Israel’s continued military presence and demolition of structures could complicate its implementation.

According to Aoun’s office, Lebanon “will not accept ongoing violations” of the agreement.

The framework agreement also includes a provision under which both sides would refrain from pursuing legal claims related to the conflict, a measure that has drawn criticism from some groups in Lebanon.

Türk also called for civilians displaced by the conflict to be able to return safely to their homes.

He said he had requested permission from Israeli authorities to conduct a similar visit to Israel but had not received a response. Israel was among the countries that voted against his reappointment to a second term at the United Nations General Assembly.

President Donald Trump on Monday highlighted a blistering social media post condemning Tucker Carlson after the commentator announced that he was leaving the Republican Party, sharing criticism that accused Carlson of abandoning conservative principles and becoming increasingly hostile toward Israel.

The post, authored by conservative media personality Wayne Allyn Root, cited a New York Post editorial attacking Carlson and claimed the former Fox News host had undergone a dramatic ideological transformation.

According to Root, Carlson “caught a case of ‘Jew Derangement Syndrome.'” Which “led him down a dark, destructive path. A conservative patriot hero who destroyed his life and committed career suicide. Never seen this before. Tragic.”

President Trump also shared a link directing readers to the New York Post editorial referenced in Root’s post.

In its editorial, the New York Post blasted Carlson’s decision to abandon the Republican Party, arguing that his departure should be welcomed rather than mourned.

The newspaper wrote that the “only sensible response is, ‘Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.'”

The editorial contended that Carlson has embraced what it characterized as an “eccentric, toxic agenda,” accusing him of becoming “mysteriously pro-Vladimir Putin,” “obsessively anti-Israel,” and “weirdly ashamed of America.”

It also rejected Carlson’s suggestion that large numbers of Republicans would follow him out of the party, describing the prediction as “bizarre,” while also criticizing his recent remarks directed at Vice President JD Vance.

The editorial concluded by arguing that Republicans “can happily cheer his exit” and added that it hopes Carlson “gets the professional help he so plainly needs.”

{Matzav.com}

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday that if he returns to office, he will formally declare Qatar an enemy state, accusing the Gulf nation of financing terrorist organizations and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Speaking at the Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth National Security Conference, Bennett said intelligence he received while serving as prime minister indicated that Qatar funded not only Hamas but also Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

“If I’m elected prime minister, I will immediately declare Qatar an enemy state, clearly and unequivocally,” Bennett said. He described Qatar as “a violent antisemitic cancer” that seeks to undermine Israel through an international influence campaign.

Rejecting arguments that Qatar is a complex diplomatic partner, Bennett said, “After October 7, nothing is complicated. Qatar is an enemy. It’s that simple.”

Bennett also alleged that Qatar has spent years building global influence by funding American universities and through the operations of the Al Jazeera media network. He further claimed Qatar transferred billions of dollars to Hamas and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was aware of intelligence indicating Doha also financed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Asked whether Netanyahu had seen the same intelligence, Bennett replied, “Absolutely.”

The former prime minister also reiterated his long-standing “Octopus Doctrine,” arguing that Israel should focus its efforts on confronting Tehran—the “head of the octopus”—rather than concentrating primarily on Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Previously unseen documentary footage reportedly shows the late Sen. Lindsey Graham aggressively lobbying President Donald Trump and foreign leaders to dramatically expand the military campaign against Iran during the final months of his life. The recordings include a striking exchange in which Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu reportedly cautioned Graham against widening the conflict, urging restraint over a proposed strike on Hezbollah.

The footage, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, comes from more than 400 hours of filming conducted over the last three years by British filmmaker Alex Holder for an upcoming documentary titled Lindsey’s Game. The project offers an inside look at the South Carolina senator’s influence on Trump’s second-term foreign policy in the weeks leading up to Graham’s unexpected death on July 11.

One of the documentary’s most notable moments reportedly took place on March 4, just days after the United States and Israel launched their current military campaign against Iran.

As Graham prepared to travel to Florida to persuade President Trump to expand the conflict by targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, he first discussed the proposal during a phone conversation with Netanyahu.

The Israeli prime minister, speaking on speakerphone, urged Graham not to pursue the idea.

“We’re concentrating right now on Iran,” Netanyahu said, according to the footage.

“If we tell Hezbollah that we’re going all the way, we threaten them, but if we actually do it, then they have no reason not to go all the way against us.”

After hearing Netanyahu’s reasoning, Graham abandoned the proposal, responding, “That’s actually good counsel.”

The documentary also reportedly captures Graham’s enthusiastic reaction to the opening phase of the campaign against Iran.

“Look what we’ve done here. I almost cried,” he told the filmmakers, according to Ynet’s account of the Wall Street Journal report. He also recounted a conversation with President Trump, saying, “I talked to Trump this morning, he’s jacked, he said, ‘Best thing I have ever done.’ He loves blowing stuff up.”

According to CNN, Graham went on to compare the wartime partnership between Trump and Netanyahu to that of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill.

In another scene, during a March phone conversation with former Biden National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Graham reportedly predicted that Iranian government forces would begin losing control of major cities within three to four weeks—a forecast that events on the ground ultimately did not bear out.

Holder followed Graham over several years, accompanying him on numerous overseas trips, including meetings with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman aimed at building international backing for the Iran campaign, as well as discussions with senior Israeli officials and members of the Mossad, according to reporting summarized by Political Wire.

The report notes that some individuals who spoke with Graham by telephone were apparently unaware their conversations were being recorded for the documentary.

The footage also reportedly reveals disagreements within President Trump’s foreign policy team.

According to The Times of Israel, Graham told Sullivan that Trump’s Middle East envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff were “too conflicted” to oversee diplomacy with Iran and argued that responsibility should instead rest with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Holder said the documentary’s final interview with Graham took place at a bagel shop in Columbia, South Carolina, just weeks before the senator’s death. In that conversation, Graham expressed disappointment after President Trump signed a preliminary agreement with Iran in June.

“He’s letting this thing slip away,” Graham said. “I got to go talk to him.”

Graham, 71, died on July 11 after suffering an aortic dissection following his return from a trip to Ukraine.

Holder is continuing to edit the hundreds of hours of recorded material and hopes to release Lindsey’s Game in the coming months.

Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, received Iran’s Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Yehuda Gerami, as part of a rabbinic delegation that visited Lusail Palace on Monday to offer condolences following the death of the emir’s father, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The delegation was led by Rabbi Mendy Chitrik, chairman of the Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic States and rabbi of Istanbul’s Ashkenazi Jewish community. He was accompanied by his son, Rabbi Eliyahu Chitrik, who has worked to provide Jewish religious services for visitors in Qatar.

The rabbis conveyed their condolences to the emir, Qatar’s ruling family and the Qatari people. The alliance said it serves Jewish communities across the Muslim world, including Jews visiting or residing in Qatar.

Qatar’s official news agency said the emir thanked Rabbi Chitrik and the delegation for their sincere sentiments and condolences. Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Khulaifi also attended the meeting.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani died on July 12 at the age of 74. He ruled Qatar for 18 years before transferring power to his son in 2013.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

A full commercial block along 13th Avenue between 48th and 49th Streets is now covered by sidewalk scaffolding, with all storefronts operating beneath the temporary structure as exterior work gets underway on the buildings. 

The scaffolding stretches the length of the block, creating a noticeably different look along one of Boro Park's busiest shopping corridors. While pedestrian access remains open and all businesses continue operating as usual, the sidewalk sheds now line the entire stretch in front of the stores. 

At this time, it is not yet clear what work is planned for the buildings or how extensive the upcoming construction will be. No official details have been announced regarding the scope or timeline of the project.

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Washington — The Federal Open Market Committee convenes for a two-day meeting beginning Tuesday, and for the first time in this cycle a meaningful share of the market is positioned for the central bank to move rates higher rather than lower.

The committee announces its decision Wednesday, July 29, at 2 p.m. Eastern, followed by a press conference at 2:30 p.m. led by Chair Kevin Warsh. Economists polled by FactSet expect rates to hold at 3.5% to 3.75%, which would mark the fifth consecutive meeting without a change.

Markets are assigning roughly a one-in-three chance to a July increase, while CME pricing puts the probability of no change at about 65% for July, with expectations for a September increase climbing to 82%.

The shift in tone within the committee has been sharp. The June dot plot showed nine of 18 policymakers expecting at least one increase during 2026 — a reversal from three months earlier, when none did. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan has said publicly that a moderate increase would better balance the Fed’s employment and price goals, and Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack has pointed to energy and AI-related costs as forces pushing inflation higher.

Governor Lisa Cook has flagged inflation running at 3.7%, well above the 2% target, while Vice Chair Philip Jefferson and Governor Christopher Waller have both warned that policy would be reconsidered if inflation does not cool.

Waller, speaking at a Bank of Italy event in Rome on July 6, said the balance of risks has tilted more toward high inflation than toward labor market weakness — a full reversal from the Fed’s stance a year earlier.

Energy is the variable driving the repricing. Rising oil prices have prompted investors to sharply increase bets on an increase later this year. At the start of 2026 many economists expected at least one cut; resurgent inflation tied to energy costs has pushed forecasters the other way. Energy prices have moved higher through most of July, and continued increases could prompt the committee to act sooner than markets currently expect.

Not everyone in the forecasting community agrees. Economists Christopher Hodge and Selin Aker at Natixis expect the Fed to hold at this meeting and through the remainder of 2026, arguing that data since the June meeting leaned dovish. They noted payrolls rose 57,000 in June, following gains averaging 164,000 over the preceding three months. They expect the labor market to remain stable without generating an inflationary impulse, and see the near-term case for holding resting on further subdued inflation readings.

Cooling June CPI and PPI figures form the counterargument to the hawks.

One complication for anyone trying to read the outcome: Warsh has stepped back from traditional forward guidance, and experts do not expect the press conference to reveal much about his outlook. This meeting also does not produce a Summary of Economic Projections, removing the dot plot as a source of signal.

At Warsh’s first meeting as chair, the committee held the rate steady by unanimous vote, following significant disagreement in April. The statement described economic activity as expanding at a solid pace with inflation elevated relative to the 2% goal, and attributed that elevation to supply shocks and energy constraints. The median federal funds forecast for 2026 rose, implying the potential for one increase before year-end, and PCE inflation expectations for 2026 were revised up sharply.

Futures markets are pricing a path that rises to roughly 3.8% by October and approaches 4% around year-end, holding near that level through mid-2027.

For regional borrowers, the practical takeaway is that the era of waiting for cheaper money appears to be over for the foreseeable term. Businesses with floating-rate facilities, commercial mortgages approaching reset, or planned capital expenditure financed on variable terms should be modeling a higher path rather than a flat one. Escalation in the U.S.–Iran conflict feeding through to energy prices is the specific channel most experts identify as capable of raising the probability of a move later in 2026.

JBizNews Desk | Washington

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

Rob Gronkowski, the card collector?

The New England Patriots legend said he has been in the “collecting game” since he was a kid and is diving back in as the hobby has surged in popularity once again.

“That’s when collecting trading cards was huge,” Gronkowski told FOX Business. “That was at its peak and then it kind of dipped a little bit, and now it’s at its super peak.”

“I collected baseball cards and NHL cards. Those were my two favorite hobbies to do.”

Before taking the stage at The National Sports Collectors Convention on Aug. 1, Gronkowski is teaming up with eBay Live to launch “Gronk Geeks Out.” The new series will follow the 37-year-old as he dives headfirst into the world of collecting and learns the ins and outs of the hobby.

One of Gronkowski’s friends made it a point to collect as many cards of the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end as possible during his playing days. 

“My buddy was a big collector throughout my career, and he was buying cards on eBay of myself,” Gronkowski said. “He did it for like 10 years straight. Then he finally told me, and he has like a hundred of my playing cards, and he said he bought them all off of eBay. He says they’re worth even more now. So he’s all pumped.”

As for Gronkowski, he said there is one player’s card that he would want to pull more than anything else. 

“If I ever pulled like a one-of-one, or even a number like a one-of-10 Michael Jordan card, that would be absolutely legendary,” Gronkowski said. “I don’t even know if it’s possible anymore or not, but a Michael Jordan pull, a numbered Michael Jordan would be my ideal pull.”

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

A Jewish community outside Paris was left reeling after thieves stole at least 12 Sifrei Torah during a carefully orchestrated overnight break-in at the Grand Synagogue of Levallois.

The shocking theft was discovered Monday morning by the shul’s Rav, Rav Chalom Lellouche, as he was preparing the shul for a bar mitzvah celebration, according to the French newspaper Le Parisien.

Authorities were immediately alerted, and police have launched an investigation into the burglary.

Despite the shul being equipped with security cameras and an extensive surveillance system, preliminary findings indicate that two suspects managed to break into the building and make off with the Sifrei Torah in what investigators believe was a meticulously planned operation.

Levallois Mayor Agnès Pottier-Dumas condemned the theft, saying the Jewish community had been attacked “at what is most sacred and precious to it.”

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former FBI Director James Comey urged a judge on Monday to throw out federal charges against him, arguing that a photo of seashells arranged on a beach he posted on social media was not a call to violence against President Donald Trump but protected political speech.

Comey’s lawyers argue the government cannot prove the Instagram photo of seashells in the numerical arrangement of “86 47″ constituted a “true threat” against the Republican president, who fired Comey in 2017 and has publicly called for his prosecution. The slogan — which has long meant to “get rid of” or “eject” — has been featured on thousands of items sold online and regularly displayed at protests, defense lawyers wrote.

“But the government now singles out Mr. Comey to prosecute one of the President’s most prominent critics for publishing another person’s statement of political opposition over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach,” his attorney’s wrote. “That attempt to suppress core political speech contravenes both the statutes at issue and the First Amendment.”

The seashells case against Comey was the second in months targeting the ex-FBI director, a long-running Trump foe whom the president over the years has called a “corrupt piece of garbage” and other pejorative names.

An earlier case in Virginia accusing Comey of lying to Congress was dismissed last November after a judge concluded that the prosecutor who charged him and another Trump adversary, New York Attorney General Letitia James, was illegally appointed to the job.

More broadly, the case is part of a retribution campaign by the Trump administration Justice Department, which has initiated investigations across the country into individuals the president does not like.

Comey was interviewed by the Secret Service last year over the post after Trump administration officials asserted that he was advocating the assassination of Trump, the 47th president.

The two-count indictment charges Comey with “knowingly and willfully” making a threat to “take the life of, and to inflict bodily harm upon” Trump and with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce. It does not provide evidence that Comey knowingly threatened Trump, especially since Comey has said the opposite, but suggested a “reasonable recipient who is familiar with the circumstances would interpret” the message as a threat.

The Justice Department has not elaborated on any evidence of intent the government has. But acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said earlier this year that prosecutors in every case prove intent with “witnesses, with documents, with the defendant himself to the extent it’s appropriate.”

“And that’s how we’ll prove intent in this case,” Blanche said in April, shortly after he was elevated to lead the department after Pam Bondi’s firing.

NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Monday that New York City’s five planned municipal grocery stores will sell a defined basket of everyday staples at 30% below typical retail prices, the first hard number the administration has attached to a campaign promise that has drawn sustained opposition from the city’s independent grocers and bodega owners.

Announcing the plan at a news conference in Brooklyn, the mayor said the discount will apply to a core set of goods and will be reset on a monthly cycle against average market-rate prices across the city. “No exceptions. No gimmicks,” he said of the pricing formula. The covered goods are to include all fresh produce, meat and seafood, along with roughly 20 additional essentials such as cheese, milk and bread. Everything else on the shelves will sell at ordinary market prices.

The details were first reported Monday by The New York Times in a story by public policy correspondent Emma G. Fitzsimmons, published hours before the mayor formally unveiled the program.

The city’s Economic Development Corporation estimates the discount could save a household about $90 a month, or roughly $1,000 a year. The stores will not carry hot food, a carve-out intended to keep them from competing directly with bodegas that rely heavily on prepared meals.

The city is simultaneously issuing a 44-page Request for Proposals (RFP) to select one private operator for each borough. According to the city’s proposal and details reported by The New York Times, New York City will build and own the stores, waive rent and property taxes, and provide operating support to finance the below-market pricing. Private operators will manage day-to-day operations while paying what the city describes as family-sustaining wages and benefits and agreeing to labor peace provisions.

The administration has not yet released detailed financial projections showing the long-term taxpayer cost of maintaining a permanent 30% price discount or how much ongoing operating support the stores may require after opening.

The first location is expected to open in the Bronx next year. A second, in East Harlem, is planned for 2029, while locations in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island remain under review. The city’s June budget agreement included $70 million in capital funding for construction.

Mayor Mamdani has also reshaped the leadership of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, appointing longtime city official Anthony E. Shorris as president and former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan as chair of the board. Shorris told The New York Times the initiative represents one of the administration’s highest priorities because it fulfills a direct campaign commitment.

The proposal immediately intensified an already growing conflict with New York’s independent grocery industry.

The strongest opposition continues to come from the Multicultural Business Coalition, an immigrant-led alliance representing more than 50 chambers of commerce serving Asian, African, Caribbean, Hispanic, Middle Eastern and Jewish-owned businesses throughout New York City.

The coalition is chaired by Frank Garcia. Duvi Honig, Founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, is a co-founder and serves as the coalition’s secretary.

Garcia, quoted Monday by The New York Times, said government-subsidized stores selling groceries 30% below market prices would “put our businesses out of business” and questioned how neighborhood supermarkets paying rent, property taxes and operating expenses could compete against city-backed stores that do not face the same costs. He said the coalition is prepared to file suit to stop the program.

Honig said the administration has yet to publicly release the economic analysis supporting the proposal.

“We ask the mayor to show us the numbers,” Honig said. “All good intentions don’t necessarily make sense, and they can hurt New York City jobs and business owners.”

Coalition leaders say the disagreement is not about making groceries more affordable. It is about whether government should compete directly against the neighborhood businesses already serving those communities.

Independent supermarkets, neighborhood grocers and bodegas employ thousands of New Yorkers and serve as economic anchors in many immigrant neighborhoods, making the debate about more than grocery prices alone. Coalition members argue the proposal also raises broader questions about small-business survival, local employment and the future of neighborhood commercial corridors.

That position is not new.

Garcia told Spectrum News in May that the coalition was already exploring legal action and has since helped organize a $1 million litigation fund aimed at challenging the program. Coalition leaders also say repeated efforts to engage City Hall have gone unanswered.

Rather than creating government-owned supermarkets, the coalition argues the city could lower food costs through tax relief, wholesale purchasing cooperatives, buying-power initiatives or direct consumer assistance that strengthens existing neighborhood stores instead of competing against them.

Store owners were further angered, Garcia told The New York Times, after Gustavo Gordillo, chair of the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America and a Mamdani ally, suggested during a Fox News appearance that businesses unable to survive a single publicly owned competitor may not have been financially viable to begin with. Coalition members viewed the remarks as dismissive of family-owned businesses that have served their communities for decades.

Supporters of the plan, including food insecurity advocates and City Council members representing neighborhoods slated for the first stores, point to the roughly one in four New Yorkers living in poverty and argue the initiative could provide meaningful relief from rising grocery costs.

Economists generally note that publicly subsidized retail operations can reduce consumer prices in the short term. The longer-term outcome, however, often depends on whether private competitors remain financially viable and whether governments can sustain operating subsidies over time.

The city has also not disclosed how it will measure the program’s long-term financial success or evaluate whether the stores can continue meeting affordability goals without additional taxpayer support.

The next phase will unfold simultaneously in City Hall and, potentially, in court.

As officials move forward with selecting operators for the five municipal grocery stores, the Multicultural Business Coalition says it is preparing legal action that could determine whether New York becomes one of the first major American cities in decades to compete directly with privately owned neighborhood supermarkets on this scale—and what that means for the future of small businesses across the five boroughs.

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JBizNews Desk | New York

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

(JNS) – Israel’s Hillel Yaffe Medical Center has introduced a new therapeutic tool intended to help parents of premature babies maintain a connection with their infants during the extended periods of physical separation that hospitalization requires, according to the medical center.

The tool, a small heart-shaped piece of flannel fabric exchanged daily between mother and baby, is part of an initiative called “Close to the Heart,” developed jointly by the hospital’s Occupational Therapy Service, Premature Birth Unit and Textile Division.

Premature babies frequently spend their first days or weeks in incubators connected to monitoring equipment, a period hospital staff describe as difficult for both infants and parents. The new project is designed to address that gap using smell, one of the senses that develops earliest in humans, according to the hospital.

Staff at the hospital in the northern city of Hadera said the concept was adapted from a similar project run at the neonatal and premature intensive care unit of Meir Hospital, led by occupational therapist Dr. Adi Freund Azaria.

The hospital cited research indicating that a mother’s scent can help premature infants stabilize physiological measures such as heart rate, breathing and oxygen saturation, and may reduce stress and pain.

“When mothers go home, the baby is left without the stimuli that are familiar to him. The hearts allow the mother’s scent to remain, which gives him security and calm. It is a simple but powerful tool that reminds the baby that he is not alone, and allows the mother to remain present and enveloping even from a distance,” said Shira Itzhaki Cohen and Noa Shiff, the occupational therapists at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center who are running the project.

According to Dr. Amit Hochberg, director of Hillel Yaffe’s Newborn and Premature Department, “Regular exposure to the mother’s scent acts as a natural painkiller for the premature baby and stabilizes physiological indicators. Closeness to the mother, whether physically or through an intermediary, allows the newborn to move from a survival state to a state of calm even when the parents are not physically present.”

He said the hospital’s staff believe the exchange also affects the mother. “The baby’s scent encourages the secretion of oxytocin, the love hormone, helps reduce anxiety, and even supports the production of breast milk, which is the best medicine and nutrition for premature babies,” said Hochberg. He called the project “small, but extremely important.”

Five months after launching a broad military campaign against Iran, President Donald Trump is facing a far more complicated conflict than many in his administration initially anticipated. Despite months of U.S. strikes, the Iranian regime remains in power, its nuclear program has not been fully dismantled, and the White House is weighing increasingly difficult options for ending the conflict.

When the campaign began on Feb. 28, the administration set two ambitious goals: eliminating Iran’s nuclear program and toppling the regime. But according to a New York Times report, those objectives have collided with soaring oil prices, disruptions to global shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and growing political resistance to deploying U.S. ground forces.

Pressure is also mounting within the Republican Party. House Speaker Mike Johnson recently said Americans want to see the war brought to an end, underscoring growing concerns over the conflict’s duration and cost.

Trump’s frustration has also been reflected in several recent policy decisions. After initially backing a landmark civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia, he later warned the deal would be canceled unless Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords and recognizes Israel. The president also announced new tariffs on Canadian imports and shifted much of his focus toward domestic election legislation.

According to the report, the administration is now weighing three primary options.

The first would involve expanding military operations with broader strikes on Iran’s missile infrastructure and electrical grid. While such a campaign could intensify pressure on Tehran, it also risks greater civilian casualties and could further strain U.S. missile defense stockpiles.

A second option would tighten sanctions and restore a stronger maritime blockade around the Strait of Hormuz. That approach would likely require a prolonged U.S. military presence in the region while leaving American forces vulnerable to continued attacks by Iran and its proxy groups.

The third option would be to declare victory and pursue a ceasefire. Supporters argue it would reduce the risk of a broader regional war, while critics warn it could leave key Iranian nuclear facilities intact and allow Tehran to maintain significant leverage over the Strait of Hormuz.

Public support for the conflict has also weakened. According to polling cited in the report, only 29% of Americans approve of Trump’s handling of the war, highlighting the growing political challenges facing the administration as it seeks a path forward.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad said Iran sold $11.5 billion worth of oil during the war and a further $6.5 billion during a ceasefire, when lower risks to tanker traffic helped increase exports and enabled the sale of part of around 100 million barrels of stored crude oil and gas condensate.

The sales generated more than 60% of the oil revenue forecast in Iran’s annual budget, Paknejad said.

Previously, The Wall Street Journal estimated that Iran exported roughly 70 million barrels of oil worth an estimated $5 billion to $6 billion during the month-long suspension of the US blockade, rapidly rebuilding a financial buffer before restrictions returned. 

Beginning in late June, about 20 Iranian tankers carrying oil arrived in waters off Malaysia’s east coast. The Diona was among the first vessels to reach the area, followed by the Hero II and the Sonia 1. The Stream arrived on July 13.

Analysts believe the shipments’ ultimate destination was China, which remains Iran’s principal market for sanctioned crude oil.

Oil shipments to China continue

Estimates compiled by United Against Nuclear Iran, a US-based advocacy group, and oil analysts indicated that Tehran moved about 70 million barrels during the window between mid-June and mid-July.

Some 50 million barrels left Iran during the second half of June alone, roughly equivalent to one month of prewar Iranian exports to China, according to the advocacy group. The shipments followed a temporary US-Iran agreement signed on June 17 that withdrew the blockade, allowing tankers loaded at Iran’s eastern port of Chabahar to sail toward Asia. Several Iranian tankers had already begun moving through the Strait of Hormuz as the earlier blockade neared its end.

This post was originally published on here.

Oil prices fell sharply Sunday after the United States and Iran paused military strikes, easing immediate fears of a disruption through the Strait of Hormuz even as neither government described the move as a formal ceasefire. The decline followed a week that had pushed crude above $100 a barrel, with traders quickly unwinding some of the geopolitical risk premium that had built into energy markets.

President Trump halted U.S. strikes over the weekend after 13 days of steadily escalating military exchanges. Tehran said it had also paused attacks, creating a fragile opening for diplomacy that markets welcomed almost immediately.

The drop in crude reflects relief, not resolution.

At this stage, the negotiations are centered less on uranium than on keeping oil and commercial shipping moving through the Strait of Hormuz.

The latest escalation began after Iran targeted vessels attempting to transit the strategic waterway, prompting nearly two weeks of U.S. strikes against Iranian coastal positions and military infrastructure. Iranian and Omani deputy foreign ministers have since met in Tehran to discuss restoring more predictable commercial shipping through the strait.

A regional official involved in the mediation said discussions are focused on Iran managing vessel traffic with fewer restrictions while preserving an interim framework that has temporarily reduced military activity.

For companies moving cargo—or consumers filling their gas tanks—that distinction matters enormously.

The interim arrangement, signed in mid-June, remains in effect for 60 days and is now well into its second half. While negotiators continue talking, the agreement has largely shifted away from resolving Iran’s nuclear program and toward preventing another disruption in one of the world’s most important energy corridors.

That leaves businesses with a narrow shipping understanding rather than a comprehensive political settlement. Commercial traffic may continue moving normally, but the underlying disputes remain unresolved and could reignite with little warning.

Neither government is willing to call the current situation a ceasefire.

Iran rejected reports suggesting it had accepted a 10-day ceasefire. Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran would never allow the United States to dictate the timing of war or peace and insisted current conditions could not be described as a ceasefire.

Washington has been equally cautious. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Sunday that the pause is intended to create space for negotiations while emphasizing that the U.S. military remains fully prepared should diplomacy fail. Speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press and later on Fox News Sunday, Waltz said discussions are continuing at multiple levels, from technical experts to senior officials.

The talks themselves remain indirect, with intermediaries carrying messages between Washington and Tehran following renewed diplomatic efforts led by regional partners.

The pause covers two governments. It does not cover the region.

That became clear over the weekend.

Saudi forces launched strikes against Iran-backed Houthi positions in Yemen following renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. Separately, Ukraine reportedly struck an Iranian commercial vessel in the Caspian Sea that Kyiv said was transporting military cargo destined for Russia, while Tehran condemned the attack as unlawful.

The result is that shipping concerns now extend beyond Hormuz.

The Bab al-Mandeb Strait at the southern entrance to the Red Sea has reemerged as another major risk for global commerce. While Gulf oil has few alternatives to Hormuz, cargo vessels traveling between Asia and Europe can reroute around Africa—but only at the cost of adding roughly two weeks to transit times along with significantly higher fuel and freight expenses.

Even if neither waterway officially closes, insurance premiums and shipping rates often rise simply because of elevated risk.

For American businesses and consumers, the immediate effect of falling crude is welcome. Lower oil prices reduce pressure on transportation costs, freight rates and eventually gasoline prices, easing one of the biggest inflation concerns facing households this summer.

The challenge is that markets have priced in a pause rather than a lasting peace.

Economists have warned that renewed fighting could quickly reverse oil’s decline, pushing transportation costs higher once again while increasing pressure on the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates elevated—or even consider additional increases later this year if energy-driven inflation returns.

Businesses preparing fourth-quarter budgets therefore face an unusual challenge. Fuel costs are now being determined by an arrangement neither side is willing to define, negotiated through intermediaries, operating under a 60-day framework that is already past its midpoint.

Oil traders have priced in a pause. Businesses still have to plan for the possibility that it ends without warning.

The shooting has stopped. Nothing else has been settled.

---

JBizNews Desk | New York

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

Dutch opposition leader Geert Wilders concluded his visit to Israel on Monday with falafel in Jerusalem alongside Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. Wilders, the leader of the Party for Freedom and a candidate for prime minister, used the trip to reiterate his support for Israel and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

Earlier Monday, Wilders met Defense Minister Israel Katz, with the two discussing Israel’s security challenges, the fight against terrorism and the importance of international alliances. Katz praised Wilders as a longtime supporter of Israel, saying, “Israel cherishes its true friends.” Wilders said Israel “is at the forefront of the free world’s fight against terrorism and radical Islam.”

Wilders also visited the family of Benayahu Melt HY”D during shiva at Chavat Gilad. Melt, a member of the local emergency response team, was killed in Friday’s shooting attack near the community. “Millions of people in Europe support you and feel your pain. You are not alone. The spirit can never be defeated,” Wilders told the family.

During the Samaria portion of the visit, Wilders toured Sa-Nur, a northern Samaria community evacuated and demolished during Israel’s 2005 disengagement and recently reestablished, alongside Dagan, and voiced strong support for renewed Jewish settlement in the area. “You are returning to resettle all of Samaria. This is the only way,” he said. The visit came shortly after the Dutch government moved against imports from Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria, placing Wilders in direct opposition to the policy.

Wilders also visited the Kotel, where he described himself as a friend of Israel. “I am proud to be a friend of Israel. Always have been and always will be,” he wrote. “So I come here not only in peacetime but also in times of terror and war.”

Gallery Includes: Kosov, Mate Efraim, Loyev Chernobile, Yoka, Tenka, Zmigrad, Zlozitz, Hivniv, Skver Boro Park Dayen, Dombrova, Mezhbizh, Brizdovitz, Beled, Bluzhev Ribatitch.

The IDF and Shin Bet announced Monday that they eliminated Wael Mousa Khaled Al-Lidawi, the commander of Hamas’ Internal Security apparatus in the central Gaza camps, during a strike Sunday in the Deir al-Balah area.

According to the IDF, Hamas’ Internal Security apparatus serves as one of the terrorist organization’s central covert branches. Under Al-Lidawi’s command, the unit gathered intelligence for senior Hamas terrorists, helping them make operational decisions and plan terror attacks against Israel.

The military said IDF forces under Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with current operational directives and will continue acting to eliminate any threat to Israel.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-Israeli troops dismantled an additional Hamas underground tunnel route stretching hundreds of meters in the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday.

Soldiers from the Northern Gaza Brigade and the Yahalom Unit, operating under the 99th Division, conducted the operation east of the Yellow Line as part of efforts to clear the area of terrorist infrastructure, the IDF said in a statement.

The military released footage of the tunnel route and said the work forms part of ongoing operations to dismantle Hamas’ network of underground passages in the region.

IDF forces under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue operating to eliminate any immediate threats, the statement added.

Saudi Arabia announced Monday that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraq that were targeting oil facilities in the kingdom’s Eastern Province and the capital, Riyadh.

In a statement, the Saudi Defense Ministry said the drones were launched by Iranian-backed terrorist militias operating from Iraqi territory. “These terrorist attacks originated from Iraq and were carried out by Iranian-backed militias,” the ministry said.

Saudi officials stressed that the kingdom “reserves the right to defend itself and its assets” and will respond “at the appropriate time and place.”

The incident comes amid a pause in hostilities between the United States and Iran, as the Trump administration continues diplomatic efforts aimed at reaching a renewed agreement with Tehran. The attempted attack is likely to heighten concerns that Iran’s regional proxies could undermine those efforts and trigger a broader escalation.

The drone attack also followed reports earlier Monday that the IDF intercepted two drones near the Jordanian border before they entered Israeli airspace. Jordan later said it had also intercepted two drones over its territory, though it remains unclear whether the incidents were connected.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

LONG ISLAND (VINnews)-JNS Senior Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Tobin told podcast host Alan Skorski that the truth remains the strongest weapon for supporters of Israel as Democratic leaders and some Jewish officials intensify criticism of the Jewish state.

The interview focused on what Skorski described as a decades-long Democratic campaign against Israel, highlighted by former Obama adviser and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s recent trip to the country. During the visit, Emanuel told Israeli audiences that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had isolated Israel and that the longstanding U.S.-Israel relationship had essentially run its course.

Skorski opened the discussion by reviewing earlier Democratic administrations. He recalled how President Bill Clinton pressed Israeli leaders to stay in the Oslo Accords despite Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat’s repeated violations and calls for violence that contributed to the first and second intifadas. Under President Barack Obama, Skorski said, the White House deliberately created “daylight” between the United States and Israel. Obama likened Palestinian suffering to the Holocaust, the group J Street rose to prominence, and delegates at the 2012 Democratic National Convention booed recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Skorski asked Tobin about the responsibility to challenge Jewish officials such as Emanuel and groups including Jewish Voice for Peace and Neturei Karta. He connected the issue to sinat chinam—baseless hatred among Jews—that Jewish tradition links to the destruction of the Second Temple. Tobin’s Tisha B’Av column, “Denial Inside the Modern Siege Lines,” argued that those who demonize Israel, rather than those who defend it, must internalize the holiday’s lessons. Tobin said those who confront such critics hold the moral high ground.

The conversation also addressed remarks by Caroline Glick at a recent JNS conference in Jerusalem, where she told the audience that “we still have the truth on our side.” When Skorski asked what that truth achieves, Tobin replied that it provides the moral authority to fight back and to mobilize Israel’s supporters around the world. He added that debate is pointless with those who traffic in blood libels, because their aim is Israel’s destruction rather than honest discussion.

Tobin warned of a further danger from a new generation of “activist journalism” whose mission, he said, is to reshape both the United States and Israel according to its own ideological goals.

The interview reinforced Tobin’s position that publicly challenging Jewish voices aligned against Israel is both legitimate and essential to defending the Jewish state’s security and legitimacy.

Shiva for Baily Sanders A”H.

A new radio panel has sparked debate within the Chareidi community over whether yeshiva bochurim should be visiting the Knesset during the ongoing military draft crisis. While the participants agreed that such visits are not inherently prohibited, they argued that, in the current political climate, they project the wrong image and could damage the public standing of the Torah world.

The discussion aired during the debut of a new segment, Bein HaSedorim, on Kol Chai Radio’s Seder Shlishi program, hosted by Yossi Chaim Maimon. Panelists Yanki Haas, Pinchas Ben Ziv, Pinchas Binder, and Nati Shulman weighed in after yeshiva bochurim were seen in the Knesset visitors’ gallery during debates directly affecting the Chareidi community.

Shulman acknowledged that there is nothing inherently wrong with visiting the Knesset but argued that the timing makes it a serious mistake from a public relations standpoint. “There’s nothing wrong with it—go ahead. Watch a soccer game at home, in your room, or in your office, but don’t go to the Knesset when every headline is attacking yeshiva students,” he said.

Binder agreed, saying that because the Chareidi public is currently under intense scrutiny, yeshiva bochurim should be especially mindful of how their actions are perceived. “Nobody sees the students who are actually learning because they’re in the yeshivos. Who do people see? The weaker students. There’s no need to poke anyone in the eye,” he said.

Haas emphasized that every yeshiva bochur represents the Torah world wherever he goes. He said students must think carefully about the place, the timing, and the manner in which they appear in public, particularly at a symbolic institution such as the Knesset.

Ben Ziv argued that journalists and media figures have no authority to determine who qualifies as a yeshiva bochur. Nevertheless, he said he believes such visits are inappropriate. “It’s obvious that it’s not appropriate for him to go there, just as it’s not appropriate for him to go to many other places,” he said.

The panel also noted that entry into the Knesset requires authorization from someone inside the building, suggesting that responsibility does not rest solely with the students themselves but also with those who facilitated their visit.

The discussion concluded with broad agreement that the Torah world should not feel obligated to apologize to critics who are determined to attack it regardless. At the same time, the participants stressed that bnei yeshivos have a responsibility to exercise good judgment, act with dignity, and promote Kiddush Hashem, particularly during a period when even a single photograph of a handful of yeshiva bochurim can be used to paint the entire Chareidi community in a negative light.

The United States is considering gradually expanding its target list in Iran to include bridges, major roads, supply lines, civilian infrastructure, electricity networks, energy stations and facilities vital to Iranian state institutions and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Lebanon’s Nidaa Al-Watan newspaper.

Washington is not seeking an all-out regional war or relying on a single decisive strike. Instead, the U.S. administration views time and sustained attrition as tools for weakening Iran’s military, economic and logistical capabilities and pushing the regime to accept American conditions.

The message was conveyed to Lebanon’s leadership during President Joseph Aoun’s visit to Washington and his meeting with President Trump. U.S. officials stressed that pressure on Tehran would continue and that the next stage could include a calculated escalation intended to reduce the Iranian leadership’s room to maneuver.

Washington believes the accumulation of damage would eventually make continuing the confrontation far more costly than accepting the proposed settlement. The pressure campaign could also accelerate internal divisions and instability within the Iranian regime.

Nidaa Al-Watan said American officials believe Iran is already entering a stage of exhaustion. The newspaper also cited uncertainty over Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei’s health and ability to control the centers of power, while emphasizing that no conclusive information confirms his death.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Yisroel R.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a major expansion of New York City’s Bureau of Coastal Resilience aimed at strengthening protections against storm surges, rising sea levels, and future coastal flooding.

The city is investing $43.2 million across its financial plan, including $10.6 million during the current fiscal year, to hire 69 additional employees for the bureau. The new positions will include engineers, city planners, field crews, inspectors, and other flooding experts. 

The Bureau of Coastal Resilience coordinates the planning, operation, and maintenance of the city’s growing network of coastal flood-protection projects. Until now, the bureau has operated with six permanent employees while relying on additional workers from other divisions within the Department of Environmental Protection.

The expanded bureau will oversee 15 active infrastructure projects, including the $1.45 billion East Side Coastal Resiliency project, which includes raised parkland, floodwalls, and 18 floodgates. The system is expected to begin operating next year and protect more than 110,000 residents on the Lower East Side. 

The funding will also support several long-term studies, including the development of a plan for protecting all 520 miles of New York City’s coastline. Other major coastal protection systems are expected to become operational during the next four years in Lower Manhattan, Red Hook, and other waterfront communities.

Mayor Mamdani said the expansion will provide the staff and expertise needed to operate the billions of dollars in flood-protection infrastructure being developed across the city and better prepare communities for increasingly severe storms.

For the past 23 years, YWN’s team of seasoned reporters and veteran editors have broken tens of thousands of news stories. Now, you can follow along in real-time as we bring you the latest updates from across the globe.

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3:13 pm

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LASER DEFENSE: Lockheed Says High-Energy Laser Weapons Could Enter U.S. Service Before 2030

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579564/laser-defense-lockheed-says-high-energy-laser-weapons-could-enter-u-s-service-before-2030.html)

High-energy laser weapons capable of destroying drones, cruise missiles, and other aerial threats are expected to become operational with the U.S. military before the end of the decade, a senior Lockheed Martin executive told Breaking Defense.

“They’re here, they’re effective, and they are working,” said Stephanie Hill, president of Lockheed Martin’s Rotary and Mission Systems division.

Hill said the systems could sharply reduce air-defense costs, since a sufficient power supply provides “basically an infinite magazine,” unlike expensive missile interceptors.

3:09 pm

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SENATE PUSH: Trump Urges Thune To Pass SAVE America Act Or End The Filibuster

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Trump on Senate Majority Leader John Thune: He’s just got to get his job done…you got to get the SAVE America Act passed, or better than that would be the filibuster.”

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3:08 pm

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IRAN DEBATE: Gen. Jack Keane Pushes Back On Booker’s Claim Iran Is Stronger After Operation Epic Fury

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579558/iran-debate-gen-jack-keane-pushes-back-on-bookers-claim-iran-is-stronger-after-operation-epic-fury.html)

Gen. Jack Keane pushes back on Sen. Cory Booker’s claim that Iran is now in a stronger position than before Operation Epic Fury began.

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3:07 pm

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IRAN ASSETS: Trump Says U.S. Will Use Iran’s Money To Pay For Damage It Caused

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579545/iran-assets-trump-says-u-s-will-use-irans-money-to-pay-for-damage-it-caused.html)

Trump: We’re going to use Iran’s money to pay for the damage they did.

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1:23 pm

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TURKEY F-35S: Trump Defends Potential Sale, Says “Israel Wouldn’t Survive Without Us”

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579507/turkey-f-35s-trump-defends-potential-sale-says-israel-wouldnt-survive-without-us.html)

TRUMP: “Israel Wouldn’t Survive Without Us”

President Trump defended the possible sale of F-35 fighter jets to Turkey despite Prime Minister Netanyahu’s opposition, saying, “Nobody tells me what we should be selling.”

“Turkey has been a great ally — for me,” Trump said, before adding, “You know who wouldn’t survive without us? Israel.” He also noted that Turkey is “not a big fan of Israel” or Netanyahu.

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1:22 pm

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RUSSIA ALLEGATIONS: Trump Says He’ll Ask Putin About Claim Moscow Gave Iran Satellite Intelligence

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579504/russia-allegations-trump-says-hell-ask-putin-about-claim-moscow-gave-iran-satellite-intelligence.html)

Q: Zelensky says Russia is giving Iran satellite imagery of US bases in the Gulf to help them target. What can you do about that?

TRUMP: We’ll find out if that’s true. I’ll ask Putin about it…

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1:21 pm

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WEAPONS STOCKPILES: Trump Says U.S. Needs More Advanced Munitions, Blames Biden For Depleted Supplies

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579500/weapons-stockpiles-trump-says-u-s-needs-more-advanced-munitions-blames-biden-for-depleted-supplies.html)

REPORTER: Are you concerned about the weapons stockpiles?

TRUMP: For some of the more sophisticated stuff, we’d certainly like to have more. Biden gave a lot of it away.

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1:20 pm

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IRAN TALKS: Trump Says He And Netanyahu Have “A Little Difference” But Are “Pretty Close”

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579485/iran-talks-trump-says-he-and-netanyahu-have-a-little-difference-but-are-pretty-close.html)

Q: Are you and Netanyahu on the same page on Iran?

TRUMP: We have a little difference, but pretty close.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

11:49 am

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TRUMP WARNS IRAN: “Very Powerful Military Action” If Talks Fail

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579482/trump-warns-iran-very-powerful-military-action-if-talks-fail-2.html)

President Trump told News 12 that the U.S. is holding “very deep talks” with Iran, but warned that Washington will return to “very powerful military action” if diplomacy fails.

Trump said he paused the strikes after mediators urged him to give negotiations another chance. Asked how much time he would allow, he replied: “Not much time. Either it moves quickly, or it will not happen at all.”

11:25 am

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NYC POLITICS: Bill de Blasio Backs Mamdani’s Remarks Calling Netanyahu A War Criminal

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579464/nyc-politics-bill-de-blasio-backs-mamdanis-remarks-calling-netanyahu-a-war-criminal.html)

In a shock to absolutely no one, former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he agrees with Mayor Zohran Mamdani that Prime Minister Netanyahu is a war criminal.

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11:24 am

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NYC MAYOR: Mamdani Defends Criticism Of Netanyahu, Calls Remarks “Objective Facts”

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579460/nyc-mayor-mamdani-defends-criticism-of-netanyahu-calls-remarks-objective-facts.html)

Netanyahu continues to live rent-free in Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s head.

Mamdani defended his criticism of the Israeli prime minister, claiming his comments were “objective facts” rather than personal assessments.

“When I make criticisms of Prime Minister Netanyahu, they are criticisms of Prime Minister Netanyahu,” Mamdani said, adding that New Yorkers must know their place in the city “is not conditional on how they feel about the mayor.”

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11:23 am

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9/11 RESPONSE: Mamdani Says He Will “Proudly Honor” Families, Survivors And First Responders At Memorial Services

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579449/9-11-response-mamdani-says-he-will-proudly-honor-families-survivors-and-first-responders-at-memorial-services.html)

Mamdani on people who don’t want him at 9/11 memorial services: I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them…

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10:53 am

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CRIMEA STRIKE: Ukraine Says It Destroyed Russian S-400 Launcher And Radar In Overnight Attack

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579440/crimea-strike-ukraine-says-it-destroyed-russian-s-400-launcher-and-radar-in-overnight-attack.html)

Ukraine’s military intelligence said it destroyed a launcher and a 96L6 radar belonging to a Russian S-400 air defense system in Crimea overnight between July 25 and 26.

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10:53 am

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IRAN WAR: Rep. Jack Bergman Says Conflict Dates Back “Thousands Of Years”

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579436/iran-war-rep-jack-bergman-says-conflict-dates-back-thousands-of-years.html)

Q: Where do you think things stand in terms of the war with Iran?

Rep. Jack Bergman: Boy, that’s a multi-thousand year old question…

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10:52 am

[

ELIMINATED: IDF Kills Hamas Internal Security Chief In Central Gaza

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579424/eliminated-idf-kills-hamas-internal-security-chief-in-central-gaza-2.html)

The IDF and Shin Bet on Sunday eliminated Wael Musa Khaled Ladawi, the head of Hamas’ Internal Security apparatus in central Gaza, in a strike in the Deir al-Balah area.

Under Ladawi’s command, the clandestine apparatus gathered intelligence for senior Hamas officials, supported their decision-making and helped facilitate the planning and execution of terrorist attacks against Israel.

10:21 am

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IRAN WARNING: Rep. Pat Fallon Says IRGC Willing To Rule “Over The Ashes” Of A Destroyed Iran

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579420/iran-warning-rep-pat-fallon-says-irgc-willing-to-rule-over-the-ashes-of-a-destroyed-iran.html)

Rep. Pat Fallon: What concerns me is the IRGC seems to be absolutely committed to watching their country disintegrate, and not caring at all so long as they get to rule over the ashes.

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10:19 am

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COALITION CLASH: Eisenkot Says Bennett Shouldn’t Seek Premiership With Projected 8–10 Seats

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579417/coalition-clash-eisenkot-says-bennett-shouldnt-seek-premiership-with-projected-8-10-seats.html)

Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot took a pointed shot at Naftali Bennett, saying: “A situation in which the leader of a party projected to win eight to ten seats demands to become prime minister is inappropriate.”

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10:18 am

[

BORDER BREACH: Two Israeli Activists Detained After Illegally Crossing Into Syria Near Mount Hermon

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579411/border-breach-two-israeli-activists-detained-after-illegally-crossing-into-syria-near-mount-hermon.html)

Two activists from the Bashan Pioneers illegally crossed from Israel into Syria near Mount Hermon today before being located by IDF troops and returned to Israeli territory.

The pair were detained and handed over to police. The group advocates establishing Jewish communities in southern Syria and has made several attempts to cross the border in recent weeks.

The IDF strongly condemned the incident, saying it disrupted operational activity and endangered troops operating in the area, and called on law enforcement authorities to prosecute those involved and prevent repeat offenses.

9:17 am

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URGENT PLEA FROM THE ROSH YESHIVA

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579346/urgent-plea-from-the-rosh-yeshiva-9.html)

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Receive the heartfelt brachos of Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel shlit”a, who blesses every donor with great yeshuos, both materially and spiritually, together with good health, long life, and abundant nachas from their children and grandchildren.

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9:15 am

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DRONES INTERCEPTED: Saudi Arabia Downs Iran-Backed Drones Targeting Oil Facilities, Vows Response

](https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/liveblogs/live-blog/2579343/drones-intercepted-saudi-arabia-downs-iran-backed-drones-targeting-oil-facilities-vows-response.html)

Saudi Arabia confirmed that its air defenses intercepted and destroyed several drones launched from Iraq that attempted to target oil facilities in Riyadh and the kingdom’s Eastern Region.

The Saudi Defense Ministry said the drones were launched by Iranian-backed terrorist militias, adding that the kingdom reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place.

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NEW YORK (VINnews) — Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the mayor acknowledged he lacks the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a planned visit to New York.

In a series of posts Sunday responding to a video posted by Mamdani on X, Kuzma, who has more than 1.3 million followers on the platform, accused the mayor of “cosplaying” as president and said he was more focused on appearances than governing.

“This is 2026. People cosplaying as things they don’t have the authority, the talent, or the track record to actually be. Just for content,” Kuzma wrote. He added, “A mayor playing president. … Everyone auditioning. Nobody building,” before concluding, “Don’t fall for distractions.”

Mamdani released the video last week calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” but acknowledged his administration had found no legal authority to arrest the Israeli leader during his expected visit to New York for the U.N. General Assembly in September, despite reviewing possible legal options.

The mayor’s comments came after President Donald Trump said Netanyahu would not be arrested while in the United States. The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 on allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Israel rejects the allegations, and neither the United States nor Israel recognizes the court’s jurisdiction.

This is 2026. People cosplaying as things they don’t have the authority, the talent, or the track record to actually be. Just for content.

A mayor playing president. A founder playing operator. A content creator playing one-on-one thinking he’s a pro. A 25yr old with a ring… https://t.co/e4aM17CzSC

— kuz (@kylekuzma) July 26, 2026

U.S. manufacturers are beginning to see signs of steadier demand after months of uneven ordering, as companies rebuild inventories and prepare for the fall production season. Recent factory surveys indicate new orders are gradually improving, particularly in technology equipment, industrial machinery and aerospace, even as businesses remain cautious about tariffs and global economic uncertainty.

Manufacturers say customers are placing orders more strategically, with less stockpiling than during the pandemic but greater confidence than earlier this year. Many companies are also reporting shorter delivery times, giving purchasing managers more flexibility in managing inventories.

Factory floors are becoming busier—but not because companies expect another supply-chain crisis.

The improvement reflects a shift toward normal purchasing patterns as businesses balance inventory levels with customer demand. While some sectors, including housing-related manufacturing, remain under pressure from higher borrowing costs, others tied to infrastructure, defense and artificial intelligence continue to expand.

For suppliers, transportation companies and equipment manufacturers, steadier factory activity could translate into stronger business during the second half of the year. Increased production also supports employment across logistics, warehousing and industrial services.

Business leaders are looking for consistency more than rapid growth.

Economists say the outlook will depend on inflation, interest rates and global trade policy. If demand continues to improve while supply chains remain stable, manufacturers could enter the final months of the year on firmer footing than many expected.

---

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Three women were stabbed Monday in northern Paris after a man attacked them on a public street, leaving two of the victims seriously wounded. French authorities said the suspect was quickly apprehended by an off-duty police officer with the assistance of bystanders.

The victims, ages 19, 24, and 36, were taken to a hospital. French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said one woman suffered a stab wound to the back and another was stabbed in the abdomen. Both remain in serious condition but are not believed to be in life-threatening danger.

According to investigators, the off-duty officer spotted the suspect after the attack, followed him, and—with help from civilians—restrained him until responding police arrived.

French authorities have not publicly identified the suspect or announced a motive. According to Le Parisien, a source close to the investigation said the suspect claimed that “Allah sent me to kill.” Despite the statement, investigators currently believe the suspect may be suffering from mental illness, and the case is not being investigated as a terrorist attack at this stage.

The stabbing comes just two days after a separate vehicle-ramming terrorist attack in the Paris area that killed one woman and injured 29 others.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

As thousands of yeshiva students face uncertainty over their military status, Israel’s Employment Service has clarified that Chareidim who have not resolved their draft status cannot be denied employment solely because of their military standing. The clarification comes in response to questions about whether such individuals may work at polling stations during the upcoming Knesset elections.

Following an inquiry  regarding the employment of young Chareidi men who have not regularized their status with the military authorities, the Employment Service said it does not examine the military status of job seekers. At the same time, it stressed that eligibility requirements for election-related positions are determined exclusively by the Central Elections Committee.

Earlier Sunday, the Central Elections Committee and the Employment Service announced a broad partnership to recruit thousands of workers for Israel’s 26th Knesset elections. The hiring campaign includes positions such as polling station attendants, logistics personnel, technical support staff, administrative employees, and other election-related roles.

In light of that announcement, the Employment Service was asked whether Chareidi draft evaders would be eligible to participate in the recruitment effort for Election Day jobs.

Responding to the inquiry, the Employment Service stated: “The Employment Service is obligated to operate in accordance with the principle prohibiting discrimination (Section 42 of the Employment Service Law) and to refer job seekers regardless of their military status, and there is an absolute prohibition against requesting or making use of a military profile.”

The agency added, however, that employees of the Central Elections Committee are subject to separate legal eligibility requirements.

“However, employees of the Central Elections Committee are subject to unique and stringent eligibility requirements established by law, including prohibitions relating to political affiliation or certain criminal convictions, and the Employment Service is not authorized to intervene in those requirements or in the employment relationship itself.”

Earlier in the day, the Central Elections Committee also addressed the question.

In its response, the committee said: “The Central Elections Committee attaches great importance to the participation of the entire population in the election operation, whether as polling committee secretaries and election integrity supervisors, committee members, or observers, all subject to the provisions of the law. The committee is responsible for conducting the elections, but, as is well known, it is not an authority with investigative or law enforcement powers.”

The committee further explained: “The eligibility requirements for these positions are established by law. Anyone who meets those requirements may be appointed to the position. In any event, the committee’s consistent position is that the polling station is neutral territory, and considerations unrelated to the proper conduct of the elections should not be introduced into it.”

The clarification comes as the Central Elections Committee and the Employment Service move forward with plans to recruit thousands of workers for the upcoming election. Under the initiative, the Employment Service will assist in filling polling station, logistics, technical support, administrative, and other positions through a dedicated recruitment website and direct outreach to job seekers across the country.

The announcement also follows an earlier decision by the Central Elections Committee that no enforcement operations targeting draft evaders will be conducted on Election Day, ensuring that all eligible voters can cast their ballots without fear of arrest.

At the same time, officials emphasized that employment for Election Day remains governed by the legal eligibility requirements established by the Central Elections Committee.

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) — President Trump called on Senate Majority Leader John Thune on Sunday not to allow the Senate to recess until lawmakers pass the Save America Act or eliminate the filibuster, warning that failure to act would amount to a major missed opportunity for Republicans.

In a statement, Trump said Thune “should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes The Save America Act or, far better still, TERMINATES THE FILIBUSTER, where Republicans can then quickly pass everything they ever dreamed of, including a full and deep throated SAVE AMERICA ACT, the Budget, and the ever looming Debt Ceiling disaster, 1929!”

Trump added that Democrats “will do it on day one, and can’t believe how lucky they got with this Senate leadership,” concluding, “Remember, stupidity always brings LOSING & DEATH!”

The Save America Act, also referred to as the SAVE Act, would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections and mandate photo identification at the polls. The House passed the measure earlier this year. Senate Republicans hold a 53-47 majority but face the 60-vote threshold imposed by the filibuster. Thune has resisted calls to change or eliminate the rule.

Several Republican senators, including Mike Lee, Rick Scott, Ashley Moody, Tommy Tuberville and Jim Banks, have objected to an August recess without action on the bill. The pressure comes as the Senate approaches its scheduled break and amid ongoing negotiations over government funding and the debt ceiling ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Trump has repeatedly pressed Senate Republicans to end the filibuster to advance priorities with simple majority votes, arguing Democrats would do the same if they regain control. Thune and other GOP leaders have so far maintained the procedural tradition.

The Trump administration’s new tariffs on nearly all U.S. imports took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday, yet Wall Street barely reacted. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative formally implemented the long-anticipated duties after weeks of signaling the policy, leaving investors largely unfazed. For consumers and businesses, however, the biggest effects may not become visible until higher-priced goods begin reaching store shelves later this year.

That stands in sharp contrast to April 2025, when the administration’s surprise “Liberation Day” tariffs triggered a broad market selloff. The policy is similar. The reaction is not.

Investors had months to prepare for Friday’s move. The administration previewed the framework in June, and importers had been racing to adjust supply chains before the previous temporary 10% tariff expired on July 24. By the time the new duties arrived, financial markets had already priced them in.

Markets respond to surprises. Businesses pay for reality.

That difference explains why a quiet trading day should not be mistaken for a painless policy change.

Analysts say this round of tariffs enters a far different economic environment than last year’s measures. Inflation has already reaccelerated following higher energy prices tied to the Iran conflict, leaving businesses with less flexibility to absorb additional costs.

The legal foundation has also changed. Rather than relying on the authority used for the 2025 tariffs, the administration is pursuing these duties under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, citing alleged forced labor practices among trading partners. Officials have indicated they intend for the new tariffs to remain in place for the long term, giving companies less reason to assume they can simply wait for them to disappear.

For importers, that changes planning decisions. Temporary tariffs can often be managed through delayed purchases or short-term sourcing adjustments. Permanent tariffs become part of every pricing calculation.

The impact reaches nearly every major supplier to the United States.

According to administration figures, the affected countries account for roughly 99.4% of U.S. imports. Most goods will face tariffs between 10% and 12.5%, depending on whether exporting countries have adopted or committed to specific labor standards.

That broad coverage is what makes this round different.

During earlier tariff disputes, companies often shifted production from one country to another to reduce costs. Manufacturers moved orders from China into Vietnam, Mexico or other lower-cost markets. This time, many of those same alternative suppliers—including Canada, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Taiwan and the European Union—are also covered.

With only a narrow difference between the two tariff levels, businesses have far fewer opportunities to avoid higher import costs simply by changing suppliers.

For consumers, the effects typically arrive weeks after the headlines disappear.

Tariffs are paid when imported goods clear customs, but retailers often pass those higher costs through gradually as existing inventory is sold and new shipments arrive. That means households may not immediately notice higher prices, even though businesses begin paying the additional costs right away.

The timing is particularly difficult because transportation expenses have already been climbing as higher fuel prices work their way through shipping contracts. As freight costs and tariffs converge over the coming months, businesses could face two cost increases arriving almost simultaneously.

More trade measures are also on the horizon. The administration recently imposed 25% tariffs on most Brazilian imports, while separate 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods are scheduled to begin next month. Because those actions arise from different legal authorities, some importers could face multiple tariff regimes depending on the products they bring into the United States.

For distributors, retailers and manufacturers, that means more complicated compliance requirements alongside higher costs.

The calm response on Wall Street reflects one simple fact: investors expected Friday’s announcement. Consumers, however, experience tariffs differently. They encounter them only after higher import costs move through factories, warehouses, transportation networks and retailers before finally reaching the checkout counter.

April 2025 demonstrated how tariffs can shake financial markets overnight. July 2026 may ultimately be remembered for something different: a tariff policy that barely moved Wall Street but steadily worked its way into household budgets across America.

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JBizNews Desk | New York

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Paramount Skydance’s planned takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery is moving into a prolonged court fight after California and 11 other states sued to block the $110 billion merger, arguing that combining two of Hollywood’s five remaining major studios would give the new company too much control over films, television programming and streaming content.

Filed July 13 in federal court in Northern California, the case reaches far beyond the two studios’ movie businesses. Paramount brings CBS, Showtime, Paramount+, Nickelodeon, MTV and Comedy Central, while Warner Bros. Discovery controls HBO, CNN, TNT, TBS, Discovery and one of the industry’s largest film and television libraries.

Bringing those assets together would create a company with extraordinary influence over what theaters show, what television distributors carry, what advertisers buy and how much rival streaming services pay to license popular programs.

State attorneys general contend that the transaction would reduce competition between studios for scripts, directors, actors and production workers while giving the combined company greater leverage over theaters and distributors. Fewer major buyers for creative work could also weaken bargaining power across an industry already dealing with layoffs, shrinking cable revenue and pressure to make streaming profitable.

Paramount and Warner Bros. agreed in February to a transaction valued at roughly $110 billion, including debt. The companies have presented the combination as a way to compete more effectively with larger technology-backed streaming platforms, where scale determines how much can be spent on programming, advertising and international expansion.

That argument now faces a different calculation in court. Becoming large enough to challenge Netflix, Amazon and Apple may strengthen the combined company, but regulators must decide whether the same scale would leave filmmakers, theaters, advertisers and viewers with fewer meaningful alternatives.

Uncertainty surrounding the deal is likely to stretch well beyond the courtroom. Integration plans cannot move forward normally while the merger remains contested, leaving employees unsure which divisions may be combined, sold or eliminated. Suppliers and production partners must also make decisions without knowing whether they will eventually negotiate with two studios or one.

Debt adds another layer of pressure. Large media mergers are often justified through cost savings, yet those savings typically depend on quickly combining operations and cutting duplication. A delayed closing postpones those benefits while financing commitments, legal expenses and strategic uncertainty continue to build.

For competitors, the pause creates an opening. Rival studios and streaming services can pursue talent, licensing agreements and advertising relationships while Paramount and Warner Bros. remain focused on winning approval.

No court has yet decided whether the transaction violates antitrust law, and the states still must prove that the merger would cause the competitive harm described in their complaint. What was initially presented as a scale-building answer to Hollywood’s financial pressures has nevertheless become a broader test of how much consolidation regulators will allow before the industry’s remaining major players become too powerful to combine.

JBizNews Desk | Wall Street

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(JNS) – Andy Slaughter, the United Kingdom’s new solicitor general, one of the first appointments of U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham, is facing criticism after photographs and reports resurfaced showing him meeting Hamas officials during visits to Jerusalem and Gaza in 2010.

Slaughter, who will advise the government on legal matters including terrorism-related prosecutions and proscription decisions, traveled to Jerusalem in November 2010 with then-Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn on a fact-finding visit sponsored by Friends of Al-Aqsa and Middle East Monitor (MEMO).

A since-deleted MEMO report said the delegation met representatives of both Fatah and Hamas. Photographs from the trip show Slaughter and Corbyn with Mohammed Totah, Ahmed Attoun and Khaled Abu-Arafeh, all of whom have documented Hamas affiliations, The Telegraph reported.

Records also show Slaughter met Hamas Justice Minister Faraj al-Ghoul and Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmed Yousef during a separate March 2010 visit to Gaza. Yousef was the right-hand man to Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, between 2006 and 2014. Al-Ghoul was a senior Hamas leader targeted and killed by Israel last year.

Following that trip, Slaughter wrote in The Guardian that negotiations should be carried out “with those who have a mandate and a willingness to achieve progress … that includes Hamas.”

Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy condemned Slaughter’s appointment, calling it an “absolute disgrace” and that it “beggars belief” that Labour had handed someone who has shown “sympathy for Hamas” control of the government’s legal department.

The Attorney General’s Office rejected the criticism, stating that appointments are carefully considered and that Slaughter will perform his duties impartially and in accordance with the rule of law. A spokesman added that Slaughter has consistently condemned Hamas’s actions and supports a two-state solution in which Israel and a Palestinian state live peacefully side by side.

The United Kingdom proscribed Hamas as a terrorist organization in 2021.

Brooklyn welcomes a new initiative, slated to improve local healthcare and strengthen the heimish community’s relationship with medical providers. Partners in Prevention is a unique collaboration that will focus on long-term health education, building a rapport with a dedicated primary care physician, and strengthening trust in the local medical community.

The campaign was launched as physicians, healthcare administrators, referral organizations, emergency medical leaders, and community advocates from across Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community gathered for a meeting with a shared mission: ensuring families have access to trusted, accurate medical information.

Organized by the Boro Park Jewish Community Council (BPJCC) through a CDC Foundation grant and in partnership with the NYC Health Department, representatives from virtually every healthcare organization serving the heimish community, participated in launching a coordinated campaign focused on broader healthcare communication and education about current medical concerns.

Among those participating were community healthcare leaders, including Dr. Alysa Frenkel of Kindercare Williamsburg; Dr. Shimshi Zimmerman, Medical Director of Chevra Hatzolah; Dr. Edwin Cohen Azarkian of Parcare Community Health; Dr. Israel Zyskind of Boro Park Pediatrics; Dr. Jeffery Teitelbaum of Ezra Medical Center; Dr. Robert Adler of Segulah Pediatrics; Dr. Jacqueline Benayoun of ODA; Dr. Sara Tarsis of Premium Health; Dr. Shaindel Ifrah Goldfeiz from JOWMA; Avi Greenstein, BPJCC CEO; Leah Horowitz of Chaim Aruchim; Rabbi Chaim Fleisher of Makdim; Rabbi Moshe Rottenberg of Chaim Medical Resources; and Rabbi Nuchem Schwartz of Refuah Helpline.

As he introduced the new initiative, Avi Greenstein reflected on its origins and the collaborative effort that brought Partners in Prevention to fruition. He noted that parents today are inundated with conflicting information online, much of which is amplified and shared throughout the community.

“There is an overload of information,” Greenstein said. “The goal of this initiative is not simply to provide more information but to help families identify trusted medical guidance and rebuild confidence in their own physicians.”

Throughout the evening, speakers returned to a common concern. Physicians are once again seeing vaccine-preventable illnesses that had become exceedingly rare. Many of the doctors shared heartbreaking stories of children who became critically ill because they did not receive the full protection of routine immunizations.

There was broad agreement that improved communication is essential. Dr. Shimshi Zimmerman of Chevra Hatzalah emphasized the need to unify all community organizations and medical providers to benefit the public.

Dr. Alysa Frenkel from Kindercare Pediatrics in Williamsburg presented real-world data on the latest vaccination statistics in the Boro Park and Williamsburg communities. She shared that vaccine hesitancy has become a significant challenge and that physicians struggle to persuade parents to vaccinate their children during brief office visits.

Dr. Adler also raised concerns about another growing trend: parents declining the routine Vitamin K injection given shortly after birth. He explained that Vitamin K helps protect newborns from potentially life-threatening bleeding.  The importance of Vitamin K was also stressed to reduce the risk of bleeding during a bris milah.

Physicians collaborated to discuss their concerns and vision, focusing on young children, vaccine hesitancy, and the need to reach future parents early enough to make a difference.

The broad coalition behind the Partners in Prevention campaign is significant because it ensures that every segment of the community is reached through the voices and channels they trust most.

Ruchie Scharf of TMG Media Group emphasized that the marketing campaign will serve as an ongoing communication platform for physicians, enabling healthcare professionals to raise important public health issues through trusted community channels. Local physicians’ concerns will now have a defined way to reach a broad swath of community members thereby helping to improve the level of healthcare throughout Brooklyn.

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(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

In a significant shakeup in Lakewood’s local election, Harriet Goldberg has withdrawn from the race for Township Committee, where she had been running alongside Lakewood Mayor Ray Coles, TLS has learned.

Instead, Goldberg has officially filed to seek reelection to the Lakewood Board of Education, where she is currently serving out the unexpired term of Moshe Raitzik.

Raitzik, meanwhile, is running for Township Committee on the Republican ticket alongside Committeewoman Deborah Fuentes.

With Goldberg’s withdrawal, only three candidates are currently running for the two available Township Committee seats in November.

Today is the filing deadline for candidates seeking seats on both the Lakewood Board of Education and the Board of Fire Commissioners. Goldberg officially filed today to remain on the Board of Education.

The Ocean County Democratic Organization now has until the end of August to select a replacement candidate to fill Goldberg’s vacant spot on the Township Committee ticket.

The general election takes place in November.

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I am absolutely boiling, and I know I can’t be the only one. Can somebody please explain to me when this became normal?

We pay $3,500 or more for HALF A SUMMER of camp. Half a summer! If you have a few children in camp, you’re talking about tens of thousands of dollars. Tens of thousands! We break ourselves all year to pay tuition. We borrow. We juggle credit cards. We cut back on family vacations because camp IS the vacation. We do whatever it takes because we want our children to have a wonderful summer.

And then comes Visiting Day. Then the next thing you know, you’re handing out envelopes. Tips for the counselors. Tips for the assistant counselors. Tips for the rebbeim. Tips for everybody.

Why? Somebody please explain it to me. Why am I paying your employees? Isn’t that what I already paid camp tuition for?

Yesterday I went to visit my children. Between all my kids, I spent almost $1,000 in tips. One thousand dollars! For what? Didn’t I already pay the camp? Wasn’t the tuition supposed to cover salaries? Or was that just the down payment?

If a counselor deserves more money—and many of them do—PAY HIM MORE. If a rebbe deserves a raise—and many of them do—PAY HIM MORE. That is the camp’s responsibility. Not mine.

Why are parents subsidizing camp payroll after already paying outrageous tuition?

Every year camp gets more expensive. Every year there are more fees. Transportation. Trips. Canteen. Laundry. This fee. That fee.

And now another thousand dollars because apparently the camp forgot to include employee salaries in the tuition bill. Enough already.

If the real cost of camp is another $300 per camper, then have the courage to charge another $300. At least be honest about it. Don’t smile at us all year and then quietly expect us to finance the payroll ourselves.

And before anybody says, “It’s hakaras hatov,” let me say something. Real hakaras hatov comes from the heart. When someone changes your child’s life, you’ll buy him a gift. You’ll write him a letter. You’ll show appreciation because you want to. The minute it becomes expected, the minute everyone is comparing envelopes and wondering what’s “normal,” it stops being hakaras hatov and becomes another invoice.

The camps should be ashamed that this has become the culture.

Parents are stretched to the limit. Every dollar matters. Yet somehow we’re expected to shell out hundreds and hundreds—and for many families, thousands—of extra dollars because camps won’t simply pay their own staff what they deserve.

Enough is enough.

Pay your own employees.

A Very Frustrated Parent

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Former IDF Military Intelligence chief Tamir Hayman warned that American public opinion is becoming increasingly hostile toward Israel, threatening the bipartisan support that has long protected the country from international isolation and sanctions. Speaking at the Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth National Security Conference, Hayman said anti-Israel positions have moved from the Democratic Party’s far-left fringes into its mainstream and are now also spreading through parts of the Republican Party.

Hayman, who now heads the Institute for National Security Studies, cited troubling attitudes among younger Americans. He said 86% of Democrats under 50 hold negative views of Israel, along with 56% of Republicans in that age group and more than half of young Evangelical Christians. He warned that these views will eventually be reflected among future lawmakers and senior officials in Washington.

While Israel remains highly regarded among senior U.S. military commanders, Hayman said its political position is far less secure. “In the White House, we are relying on one person,” he said, warning that Israelis betting the future of the relationship on Secretary of State Marco Rubio becoming president are taking “a very dangerous gamble.” He said Israel must rebuild ties with American Jewry, present a credible diplomatic vision and avoid abandoning its relationships in Europe.

Addressing Iran, Hayman said a major strike would be justified only if it could produce a significant change in reality. Another attack intended merely to inflict pain would not force Tehran to surrender or accept conditions it has previously rejected, he said, particularly when the potential cost and the availability of interceptor missiles are taken into account.

Hayman said Israel is watching two competing timelines: the possible collapse of the Iranian regime and Iran’s progress toward a nuclear weapon. He assessed that Israel would not tolerate Iran crossing a certain nuclear threshold, while warning that Tehran continues advancing its program in pursuit of what he called the ultimate insurance policy for an authoritarian regime—a nuclear bomb.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Cracker Barrel announced on Monday that CEO Julie Masino will step down, effective Aug. 10, and be replaced by David Deno.

Masino will remain with the company in an advisory capacity until Oct. 9.

“Following a robust and thoughtful search process, we are pleased to welcome David as Cracker Barrel’s next CEO,” independent Chairman of the Cracker Barrel Board, Carl Berquist, said in a statement. “He brings decades of experience across the restaurant and retail industries, with a strong track record of leading businesses through growth and a demonstrated commitment to operational excellence, guest experience, and team member engagement.” 

“We are confident David is the right leader to continue building on the Cracker Barrel legacy, drive further positive momentum operationally and financially, and create sustainable value for our shareholders,” Berquist continued.

Berquist also thanked Masino for “her leadership and commitment to Cracker Barrel,” adding that the company appreciates “her partnership to ensure a smooth leadership transition as we remain focused on the work underway to continue to serve our guests, support our employees, and execute our strategic priorities.”

Cracker Barrel’s announcement of the leadership turnover also included a statement from Deno who said that the chain is a “truly iconic American brand, defined by its unique combination of warm country hospitality, timeless appeal, and deep connection with guests across generations.”

Deno added that he looks forward to “unlocking the full potential of this remarkable brand,” which will include a focus on “delivering delicious food and exceptional experiences for our guests, while driving profitable growth.”

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

CAIRO (AP) — Mediators have achieved progress in efforts to get the United States and Iran back to negotiations and avert an all-out war in the Middle East, two regional officials said Monday, with a pause in attacks coming after a period of rapidly escalating tensions.

The comments came after neither the U.S. nor Iran reported carrying out any attacks for three straight days — a respite after about two weeks of sustained bombardments that had led to increasing fears of a return to all-out war.

However, Saudi Arabia said it had shot down drones fired by Iran-backed militias in Iraq that had targeted its petroleum facilities, underscoring the risk that tensions could reignite. The statement posted on social media by the Saudi Defense Ministry did not mention any casualties or damage.

The two regional officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive regional talks, said mediators led by Qatar and Pakistan were working to bridge the gap between Washington and Tehran to return to an interim ceasefire deal that had been largely undermined by recent exchanges of fire.

No strikes over weekend
The U.S. has paused attacks after targeting Iranian coastal areas and infrastructure in a nearly two-week escalation sparked by Iran’s firing at ships trying to transit the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial waterway for global oil shipments. The Pentagon did not respond to questions.

U.S. President Donald Trump is “giving talks some space. He’s giving it a little bit of room,” Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News.

Waltz dismissed the idea that the U.S. stockpile of interceptors crucial in defending against Iranian attacks is running low, but experts have questioned how long both the U.S. and Iran can afford to keep up attacks.

Since the U.S. has halted attacks for the past two nights, Iran has as well, its army spokesperson told Iran’s state TV on Sunday. Tehran in recent days has counterattacked against countries in the region hosting U.S. military forces, killing at least three service members at a base in Jordan and one in Iraq.

Regional officials cite progress in talks
One of the regional officials who spoke to AP Monday described the progress made in mediation efforts as “significant.” He said mediators were working with Iran and Oman on a mechanism for managing vessels’ transit through the Strait of Hormuz, the flashpoint for the latest strikes and counterstrikes.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said during a news conference in Tehran Monday that mediators were conveying messages but there were no direct negotiations.

“Mediators may convey messages to us from the American side regarding ongoing developments in the region. But at present, we have no negotiations with the American side,” Baghaei said.

He said Iran and Oman, which lies on the other side of the Strait of Hormuz, had already held talks on Friday and Saturday on how to manage ship traffic through the waterway.

“The objective is for Iran and Oman, as the two coastal states, to develop mechanisms to ensure safe navigation through the Strait of Hormuz while respecting the sovereign rights and sovereignty of both coastal states, as well as Iran’s security and national interests” Baghaei said. However, he stressed that the waterway remains closed.

Tehran has asserted that the interim deal with the U.S. allows it to manage shipping on the waterway for now, and it has objected to U.S. efforts to support a route that passes close to Oman instead. The strait was considered an international waterway before the war.

The U.S. military on Saturday said its recently reimposed naval blockade against Iran continued, with a dozen commercial ships redirected, two disabled and two boarded. U.S. forces “remain highly vigilant, focused, lethal, and ready,” it added.

The 60-day period established by the interim deal in mid-June is now well into its second half, and major issues that were meant to be negotiated — notably Iran’s nuclear program at the heart of tensions — remain set aside as mediators try to keep both sides talking.

Shipping traffic on the strait is at a 3-week low
Concerns continue about shipping through another crucial waterway in the region, the Bab al-Mandeb strait to the Red Sea. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last week threatened a blockade of Saudi shipping there, and fired on at least one Saudi tanker, setting it alight.

Global energy supplies and the economy remain in the balance as gasoline prices have risen again.

Commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz was at a three-week low, a maritime body overseen by the U.S. Navy said Sunday, adding that no new attacks had been confirmed in the past 72 hours. It said traffic remained steady through the Bab el-Mandeb.

Netanyahu says he ‘fully’ backs Trump’s efforts
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to travel to the United States and meet with Trump in Washington on Tuesday, his office has said. They last met in Washington in February, weeks before they launched the war on Iran that killed senior leaders including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired at Israel two days after the war began, and Israel responded with airstrikes and ground forces in southern Lebanon. Since then, the U.S. has supported landmark direct talks between Lebanon and Israel to try to calm that front and find a way to disarm Hezbollah.

Iran criticizes Ukraine for targeting ship in Caspian Sea
Separately, Baghaei slammed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after he said over the weekend that Ukraine had struck “vessels used in military cargo shipments involving Iran” in the Caspian Sea.

On Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Ukraine’s strike on an Iranian vessel had killed a sailor.

In a statement on X, Araghchi denounced the attack as a “blatant U.N. Charter violation done at Israel’s behest to drag Europe into its war.” He said he made it clear in calls with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov that the attack “can’t go unanswered.”

Iran is an ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine, helping Moscow build up its drone expertise.

Speaking during the news conference in Tehran Monday, Baghaei said that “all parties that consider themselves in some way supporters of the Ukrainian regime must be held accountable.”

He said Zelenskyy’s “behavior is reminiscent of the anarchists who, on the eve of World War I, carried out theatrical and highly dangerous actions whose repercussions engulfed all of Europe.”

ArtScroll’s 50th anniversary sale has entered its fourth week, and the new lineup includes some outstanding deals for both individuals and shuls looking to stock up.

Topping the list this week is the Full Size Stone Edition Chumash, now available at its lowest price ever, 50% off, for just $27.49. This is a rare opportunity for shuls and families alike to get a beloved classic at a price point that won’t be repeated.

Another standout is The Elkouby Family Edition of Schottenstein Mishnah Elucidated Pocket Size Set, now $179.99 after 50% off, also its lowest price ever. For anyone looking to add a complete, elucidated Mishnah set to their shelf, this is about as good as it gets.

Rounding out the highlights is the brand new Micro Peas Cookbook Bundle, 4 Volume Set, which includes the just released Meat Cookbook. It’s on sale for $29.99 after a 50% discount.

**Additional week 4 deals include:
**

• Uncle Moishy and The New Neighbors: $8.99
• Just Love Them for Children: $9.49
• The Taryag Kids and The Flood of The Fire: $9.99
• My Story: $12.49
• The Taryag Kids and the Underwater Adventure: $12.49
• Just Love Them: $15.49
• Food You Love: $18.99
• Pesach Secrets from Batya’s Kitchen: $19.99
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It is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the passing of Reb Yaakov Aharon Farber z”l, a prominent Belzer activist and one of the driving forces behind the Ma’alos Tzur military technology program, an initiative designed to enable Chareidim to serve in specially tailored IDF frameworks while maintaining a fully Chareidi lifestyle. He passed away Sunday night at Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center in Yerushalayim after a prolonged illness. He was 32.

Rabbi Farber had battled a serious illness over the past year, prompting widespread tefillos for his recovery. In recent days his condition deteriorated, and he passed away as family members and those gathered at his bedside.

In recent years, Rabbi Farber became widely known for establishing the Ma’alos Tzur program, a specialized technological track within the IDF created for Chareidi participants. The framework was designed to allow recruits to serve while preserving their Chareidi way of life, including regular tefillah, Torah study, and strict adherence to religious standards.

Friends and acquaintances described Rabbi Farber as a yerei Shamayim whose boundless energy and dedication were devoted to serving the broader community. They recalled his exceptional selflessness, refined character, and warm, welcoming demeanor toward everyone he encountered.

He is survived by his wife and five young children, the youngest of whom is just three months old.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc strengthened by one seat and now stands at 52 mandates, according to a Kan News poll published Sunday evening.

Likud rose to 22 seats, up from 21 in the previous poll. Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party fell to 21 from 22, while Naftali Bennett’s Beyachad dropped to 14 from 15.

The Democrats gained one seat following the party’s primaries and now stand at 10. Otzma Yehudit fell to nine, while Yisrael Beytenu remained at nine. Shas and United Torah Judaism each held steady at eight seats.

Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am each received five seats. The Reservists party led by Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel remained at four seats, clearing the electoral threshold for the second consecutive week.

In the race for prime minister, Netanyahu and Eisenkot were nearly tied. Netanyahu received 39% support, compared with 38% for Eisenkot. Bennett received 31%.

The poll also found that 47% of respondents believe Netanyahu is motivated by personal and political considerations when dealing with security issues. Forty-one percent said Israel should avoid entering another military campaign against Iran.

Iran and Judea and Samaria were tied as the areas causing the greatest concern, with 34% naming each. Only 6% said Gaza was their main concern.

Among opposition voters, 40% said Bennett and Yair Lapid should not have united, while 34% supported the merger.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

New York — A New York spice importer and a California watch retailer filed suit in the U.S. Court of International Trade on Friday, challenging the sweeping new tariffs the administration imposed on roughly 60 trading partners a day earlier.

Burlap & Barrel, a New York-based spice importer, and Collective Horology, a Ventura, California watch retailer, filed the complaint in the Manhattan-based trade court — the same court that has twice found the administration’s tariff programs unlawful. They are represented by the Liberty Justice Center, the group that prevailed at the Supreme Court against the earlier emergency-powers tariffs and also challenged the Section 122 round that followed.

The duties at issue were implemented under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, with the administration citing the failure of those countries to prevent imports produced through forced labor. The tariffs cover approximately 99% of U.S. imports.

The timing is the heart of the dispute. On March 12, 2026 — less than three weeks after the Supreme Court held that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not authorize presidential tariffs — the U.S. Trade Representative opened 60 investigations into whether the identified economies effectively prohibit forced-labor imports. On July 23, only hours before the new duties took effect, USTR imposed tariffs on products from all 60.

The Court of International Trade found the Section 122 tariff unlawful in May, though an appeals court left it in place through its July 24 expiration. USTR finalized the Section 301 forced-labor duties, which took effect that same day.

The legal argument is narrow and statutory. Jeffrey Schwab, an attorney at the Liberty Justice Center representing the businesses, said Section 301 contains no authority to tax substantially all imports from substantially all countries at preestablished rates. Schwab described the filing as the third instance in which the administration has attempted to implement a global tariff policy without observing statutory limits.

Sara Albrecht, chairman and CEO of the Liberty Justice Center, said forced labor is morally indefensible but that an important objective does not permit the government to disregard the law, adding that allowing one global tariff to expire and immediately replacing it under a different statute does not change what the law requires.

The plaintiffs contend the administration applied near-uniform duties of 10% or 12.5% across the roughly 60 economies at the direction of the president, without demonstrating how each country’s specific conduct burdens American commerce. The complaint also invokes the major questions doctrine, which requires Congress to speak clearly when authorizing decisions of significant economic and political consequence, and argues in the alternative that if Section 301 does grant that authority, the delegation itself is constitutionally defective.

A second, separate lawsuit was filed by other small businesses making similar arguments — that the government did not adequately establish its case against each economy or explain how the duties would eliminate the practice they were levied to address.

The remedy sought is substantial. The suit asks the court to strike the tariffs down, block their collection, and order refunds with interest for the plaintiffs and other importers. The Liberty Justice Center is seeking to represent a nationwide class covering every business that has paid or will pay the duties — potentially thousands of importers.

For regional importers, the class allegation is the operative detail. Businesses that continue paying the duties while litigation proceeds may preserve refund claims if the tariffs are ultimately invalidated, provided entry documentation is retained and duties paid are properly recorded. Importers should be filing and archiving entry summaries carefully rather than treating the payments as sunk cost.

The administration has rejected the characterization that the new duties are a workaround. A senior administration official told reporters that addressing forced labor has been a longstanding presidential focus, and said the timing of implementation was intended to avoid complexity.

Research from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Kiel Institute for the World Economy and the Yale Budget Lab has concluded that American consumers and businesses bear most of the cost of tariffs rather than foreign governments — a finding the White House disputes.

Burlap & Barrel’s involvement gives the case a local face. The company imports directly from smallholder farmers across dozens of countries, a sourcing model with little room to substitute origins in response to duty schedules.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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

photos: Avrumi Berger

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I wanted to share a new, completely free community initiative in case you feel it would be of interest to your readers.

Tosfos Shabbos (shabboshemeilizok.com) is a communal zechus board built around one simple idea: taking on a few extra minutes of Shabbos—a few minutes before Shabbos begins and a few minutes after it ends—as a zechus for a refuah or l’ilui nishmas.

Making a pledge takes about 30 seconds, and each commitment is added to a shared, growing total, allowing the entire kehillah’s additional Shabbos observance to become one collective zechus on behalf of every name listed on the board.

The site also automatically generates a Mi Shebeirach and Tehillim for each name, along with a printable “Names to Daven For” card that can be used at the Shabbos table.

The initiative was established l’ilui nishmas Yissachar Dov and Yossi Loriner.

There is nothing to purchase and nothing to install. The goal is simply to make it easy for anyone to increase kevod Shabbos and participate in a meaningful communal zechus.

Tizku l’mitzvos and thank you for your consideration.

Boruch Loriner
[email protected]
(248) 533-3845
shabboshemeilizok.com

To submit a letter to appear on Matzav.com, email [email protected]

DON’T MISS OUT! Join the Matzav Status by . Join the Matzav WhatsApp Groups by .

The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network.

NEW YORK(VINnews) — Three Israeli siblings who oppose compulsory military service because they believe they could be required to participate in military operations in Gaza have been granted the right to reapply for protection visas in Australia after a government tribunal found they have a well-founded fear of persecution if returned to Israel, The Guardian reported.

The decision by Australia’s Administrative Review Tribunal, first published in March, found the siblings could face imprisonment for refusing mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces because of their political beliefs.

The family, which moved to Australia about a decade ago on the father’s work visa, applied for protection visas in 2024 after their visas expired. Australian authorities initially rejected the application.

The tribunal rejected the family’s argument that they qualified for refugee protection because of the threat of attacks by Hamas, finding that any harm resulting from the conflict would not constitute persecution directed specifically at them.

However, the tribunal accepted testimony from the family’s three adult children that they had agreed to refuse compulsory military service because they believed they could be required to participate in actions that would violate international humanitarian law.

The tribunal found the siblings could face prison sentences of up to two years for refusing military service and concluded that such punishment would amount to persecution based on their political opinions.

The ruling cited international legal proceedings and reports alleging violations of international humanitarian law during Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, while noting it was not making any final determination on those allegations and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are entitled to the presumption of innocence in proceedings before the International Criminal Court.

The tribunal concluded the siblings met Australia’s obligations under the Refugee Convention because they faced a well-founded fear of persecution by the Israeli state for refusing compulsory military service and ordered the family’s protection visa application to be reconsidered.

Russia will keep its ban on gasoline exports in place through the end of 2026, extending a restriction that had been scheduled to expire this Friday and signaling that Moscow does not expect its refining capacity to recover this year.

Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said the extension applies to both producers and non-producers, and that the separate diesel export ban will be lifted as the market rebounds. He made the remarks to reporters in Omsk on Saturday, adding that diesel restrictions would be unwound in time to prevent refineries from accumulating a glut and being forced to cut processing volumes.

The original gasoline export ban took effect April 1 and had been set to run only until July 31. The diesel ban is newer, imposed July 8 as part of a package of emergency measures after sustained Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian refineries produced gasoline shortages and price spikes.

A production problem, not a policy choice

The export halt is a symptom rather than a strategy. By mid-June, Russia had lost roughly a quarter of its gasoline production compared with the same month a year earlier, after strikes shut down large refineries in the central part of the country. The government has attributed the disruptions to logistics changes, and now finds itself preparing to import diesel on top of gasoline — a reversal for a country that ranked among the world’s largest fuel exporters.

The domestic picture explains the urgency. Occupation authorities in Crimea suspended fuel sales to private individuals and businesses on June 21, restricting supply to state agencies responsible for essential services and security, with no timeline offered for restoration. Novorossiysk, Russia’s largest Black Sea oil export outlet, cut off gasoline sales to private motorists on July 3, issuing fuel cards for municipal use instead. Nearby Anapa capped purchases at 20 liters per car — enough for about a week, according to one resident quoted on local television — which trimmed station wait times from as long as four hours down to roughly half an hour.

By early July, Novaya Gazeta Europe estimated the shortage had reached at least 78 of Russia’s 83 internationally recognized regions, plus occupied Crimea and Sevastopol. Moscow has also signed a decree permitting certain refineries to drop output standards from Euro-5 to Euro-3 gasoline through the end of the year.

Why it matters outside Russia

Diesel is where the export ban lands hardest on global buyers. Russia is the world’s second-largest diesel exporter behind the United States, and outages at its refineries move global supply. The country accounted for roughly 11 percent of global diesel supply last year, according to figures compiled from analytics firm Vortexa.

Those volumes have already collapsed. Russian diesel and gasoil loadings ran at just 234,000 barrels per day over the first ten days of July, per Kpler data — down from 400,000 bpd in June and against a 2025 average near 817,000 bpd.

The timing compounded an existing squeeze. A fresh wave of U.S. strikes on Iran landed within hours of the diesel ban announcement, renewing concerns over vessel movements through the Strait of Hormuz and the damage already done to Middle Eastern exports. Global benchmark diesel prices jumped nearly 13 percent on the day of the announcement before retreating more than 3 percent the following morning.

The American exposure

U.S. inventories were thin heading into the disruption. Government data showed a draw of more than 4.5 million barrels in a single week, leaving diesel stocks at 97.8 million barrels as of July 3 — about 6 percent below the five-year seasonal average.

Diesel represents the largest share of global oil consumption, feeding industrial machinery, farm equipment, heavy freight and electricity generation, which is why price moves travel well beyond the pump. Western refinery closures and firm post-pandemic demand had already kept the market tight for years before this summer.

For tri-state businesses, the transmission runs through freight. Long-haul trucking and last-mile delivery costs move with distillate prices, and those costs reset into contracts on a lag — meaning shippers, grocers and distributors across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut may not feel the full effect until fall invoicing cycles.

Buyers who absorbed Russian diesel after Europe’s 2023 ban — Turkey, Brazil, and importers across Africa and the Middle East — face the sharpest near-term competition for replacement barrels, while Europe absorbs secondary pressure through elevated global benchmarks.

Novak gave no firm date for restoring diesel exports, tying it only to domestic market conditions.

JBizNews Desk | New York

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

With just 100 days remaining until the midterm elections, a new Decision Desk HQ forecast projects Democrats as the favorites to retake control of the House of Representatives, while Republicans remain slight favorites to hold the Senate in what is shaping up to be a closely contested election cycle.

Both parties are entering the final stretch facing significant political challenges that could reshape the landscape before voters head to the polls.

Republicans are grappling with renewed tensions involving Iran after hopes for a winding down of the conflict faded. The latest escalation has raised fears that the fighting could spread further, particularly as the Iran-backed Houthis threaten shipping through the Red Sea. The resulting increase in oil prices has added another layer of pressure to the Trump administration as economic concerns remain front and center for voters.

Democrats, meanwhile, are confronting growing internal divisions over the party’s future direction. Victories by democratic socialist and anti-establishment candidates in congressional primaries have fueled concerns among moderates that Republicans will portray the party as increasingly aligned with its progressive wing.

President Trump and Republican leaders have made that argument a central part of their campaign strategy, seeking to persuade voters that Democratic control of Congress would move the country too far to the left.

As a result, both parties enter the final 100 days with reasons for both optimism and concern.

“It’s a competitive situation in both the Senate and the House,” said Geoffrey Skelley, DDHQ’s chief elections analyst.

Democrats remain encouraged by the outlook in the House, where Republicans hold only a slim majority during a midterm election year—a political environment that has historically favored the party out of power. In the Senate, however, Democrats face a steeper climb, needing to flip several seats in states won by President Trump.

Decision Desk HQ currently projects Democrats winning a 225-210 House majority, giving them a 15-seat edge, while Republicans are forecast to maintain Senate control in a 50-50 chamber, with Vice President JD Vance casting any tie-breaking vote. As of late July, DDHQ gives Democrats a 60% chance of winning the House and Republicans a 60% chance of retaining the Senate.

The latest projection reflects a tightening House race compared to earlier this month, when the model suggested Democrats could gain as many as 25 seats.

Polling on the generic congressional ballot also indicates a narrowing advantage for Democrats.

According to DDHQ’s polling average, Democrats currently lead Republicans by four percentage points on the generic ballot. Recent surveys from YouGov/The Economist placed Democrats ahead by five points, while Morning Consult found a three-point advantage. Just a month ago, the Democratic lead averaged between six and seven points.

An Emerson College Polling survey offered a more favorable outlook for Democrats, giving them an 11-point lead on the generic ballot, although analysts caution it is too early to determine whether that represents a broader trend or simply an outlier.

Skelley said the Emerson findings “suggests a real range of opinions about what things are going to look like in the fall.”

Democrats hope dissatisfaction with President Trump and frustration over a Republican-controlled Congress will translate into electoral gains.

Much of that dissatisfaction has been driven by voter concerns about the economy, which continues to weigh on Trump’s approval ratings. Analysts expect economic issues to dominate the 2026 campaign, particularly as they intersect with developments in the conflict involving Iran.

“The big question is: will the Iranian conflict … will people being concerned about that ratcheting up, is that going to create reverberations in things like the generic ballot that signal ‘OK, Democrats’ advantage is growing again’?” Skelley said.

Earlier this year, Democrats’ lead on the generic ballot widened as tensions with Iran intensified and gasoline prices climbed. As energy costs eased during the spring, Republicans regained some ground in polling.

“The challenge for Republicans is the Iranian conflict is heating up again,” Skelley said, pointing to recent increases in gas prices as the conflict has escalated.

“This is politically very bad for the GOP. For them to try to make a case that Democrats are too extreme, it’s a lot easier to make that case if economic conditions are at least OK,” he said.

Polling conducted this month by The Economist/YouGov also highlighted voter skepticism about the conflict, with 57% saying the war was the wrong decision. While nearly 80% of self-identified MAGA Republicans supported the military campaign, only 51% of non-MAGA Republicans—a group representing roughly one-quarter of GOP respondents—expressed the same view.

Some Republican lawmakers have also voiced concern that Trump, who has dismissed affordability worries as a Democratic “hoax,” may be out of step with voters on economic issues.

“Given that President Trump was elected in part on the strength of how people viewed his handling of the economy during his first term … for polling to show sizable majorities disapproving of his handling of the economy or inflation or other things like that, it’s just very bad,” Skelley said.

Despite Republican concerns, Democrats face their own political hurdles.

Still searching for a clear national leader following their 2024 defeats and looking ahead to the 2028 presidential race, Democrats remain divided over whether the party should move toward the center or embrace its increasingly energized progressive base.

Candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America have scored several high-profile primary victories this cycle, while progressive challengers have defeated a number of longtime incumbents, signaling growing influence within the party.

President Trump has repeatedly attacked the democratic socialist movement, describing it as “communism” and “the biggest threat to our nation there is.”

Republicans “are going to be, from here until the fall, trying to sort of blanket the opposition with terms like ‘communists’ and ‘socialists,’” Skelley said.

One of the most closely watched races next month will take place in Michigan, where centrist Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens faces progressive challenger Abdul El-Sayed in a competitive Senate primary. The winner is expected to face presumed Republican nominee Mike Rogers in a race Cook Political Report rates as a toss-up, while DDHQ currently views it as leaning Democratic.

Some Democrats worry that if El-Sayed wins the Aug. 4 primary, Republicans could gain an advantage in the general election.

According to DDHQ, a Republican victory in Michigan would increase the party’s chances of holding the Senate to 86%.

“If Democrats are going to find a path to a majority, they cannot afford to lose Michigan,” Skelley said.

Even with Democrats positioned to make gains in the House, Skelley cautioned that the current political environment falls well short of the overwhelming Democratic momentum seen in 2018.

At this stage of the 2018 midterm campaign, Democrats held a seven- to eight-point lead on the generic congressional ballot—roughly double their current advantage, according to DDHQ.

With just over three months until Election Day, both parties are increasingly focused on a handful of closely contested races that are likely to determine control of Congress, making battleground states such as Michigan central to each side’s path to victory.

{Matzav.com}

A single morning could reset the outlook for interest rates, consumer spending and business growth when the government releases its first estimate of second-quarter GDP alongside the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure on Thursday.

Both reports are due at 8:30 a.m. Eastern, less than a day after the Fed announces its latest rate decision. That timing will give markets only a short window to absorb what policymakers say Wednesday before new figures reveal whether the economy continued expanding and how much price pressure remained as the quarter ended.

Growth entered the spring with momentum after GDP increased at a 2.1% annual rate during the first three months of the year. Investment, exports, government spending and consumer activity all contributed, although the headline was also shaped by changes in imports, which are subtracted when GDP is calculated.

Thursday’s estimate may carry similar complications. Businesses moved shipments and inventories around changing tariff deadlines during the quarter, creating swings that could make the economy appear stronger or weaker than the demand underneath it. Consumer spending and business investment will therefore matter as much as the overall number.

Released alongside GDP, June’s personal income and spending report will show whether households continued buying as energy, insurance, housing and borrowing costs competed for a larger share of their budgets. Spending rose 0.7% in May, but part of that increase reflected higher prices rather than families taking home more goods and services.

Inflation will determine how the Federal Reserve reads that demand. Another firm increase in the personal consumption expenditures price index could reinforce the case for keeping rates elevated or raising them later this year, while clearer cooling would give officials more room to wait.

For businesses, Thursday’s numbers will quickly reach beyond Wall Street. Treasury yields can move before banks change their published lending rates, affecting commercial mortgages, equipment financing, revolving credit and expansion plans even if the Fed leaves its benchmark unchanged Wednesday.

Retailers will be looking for signs that consumers are still purchasing discretionary goods rather than simply spending more on necessities. Manufacturers will focus on inventories and capital investment, while employers will compare income growth with labor expenses and hiring demand.

Neither report will provide a perfect reading, and the initial GDP estimate will be revised as additional information becomes available. Together, however, they will offer the clearest indication yet of whether the economy entered the second half of 2026 with enough strength to absorb higher tariffs, expensive credit and continued uncertainty over energy costs.

JBizNews Desk | Wall Street

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

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A rare 2,500-year-old coin minted in ancient Cyprus has been discovered on a beach in the Israeli city of Ashdod, marking the first known find of its kind in Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority said.

The coin was found about a month ago by Avi Chaprak, deputy director of Ashdod’s Beaches Department, while he was searching for personal belongings lost by beachgoers. Instead of jewelry or keys, Chaprak spotted what turned out to be an ancient coin and reported it to the antiquities authority, as required under Israeli law.

Experts identified the coin as a silver-plated “siglos” minted in the ancient city of Salamis on Cyprus’ eastern coast around the mid-5th century B.C., when the island was under Persian rule.

According to Yanniv David Levy, a researcher and curator in the authority’s Coin Department, the approximately 11-gram coin initially appeared to be solid silver but was found to be made of base metal coated with silver, a practice documented in Cypriot coinage of the period because of silver shortages on the island.

One side of the coin depicts a recumbent ram facing left. The reverse features a ram’s head inside a sunken square, alongside a laurel branch and three symbols believed to be written in the ancient Cypriot syllabic script.

Levy said Persian-era coins of this size are rare in the archaeological record because many were cut into smaller pieces for use in local trade. He said the discovery of a complete example along Israel’s Mediterranean coast is especially unusual and offers valuable insight into regional commerce.

Evangeline Markou, an expert on ancient Cypriot coinage at the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens, said Salamis coins circulated throughout the eastern Mediterranean, but discoveries with a well-documented origin are uncommon. She said the find could provide important evidence of trade and maritime connections between Cyprus and the Land of Israel during the 5th century B.C.

Levy said the documented circumstances of the discovery make the coin a reliable source for studying economic and maritime links in the eastern Mediterranean about 2,500 years ago.

Chaprak received a certificate of appreciation from the Israel Antiquities Authority for reporting and surrendering the coin.

“I am happy that I was privileged to be part of a discovery of historical value,” Chaprak said in a statement. “For me, it was clear that the coin belonged to our collective heritage, so I immediately delivered it to the Israel Antiquities Authority.”

We regret to inform you of the Petirah of Miri Krepel A”H, a young Lakewood girl who was Niftar following an illness.

Miri was a student at Shiras Devorah.

The Levaya is scheduled to take place at 1:30 PM at Lakewood Chapel, 613 Ramsey Street.

Kevurah will take place in Lakewood.

The family will be sitting Shiva at 36 Hope Hill Lane, Lakewood.

(Note: Though we obtained the Petirah information last night, we refrained from posting until this morning as not all of the family was notified.)

Baruch Dayan Ha’emes.

Israel has approved the legal framework to allow an international security force to enter Gaza as part of President Donald Trump’s proposed ceasefire and postwar plan, according to an Israeli official. The move comes just one day before Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu departs for Washington for high-level meetings with the president.

The Israeli official said Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet voted Sunday to authorize the legal mechanism needed for the deployment of the multinational force. Netanyahu is scheduled to leave for the United States on Monday and is expected to meet with President Trump on Tuesday.

According to the official, the mission—known as the International Stabilization Force—will consist of approximately 200 personnel drawn from what were described as “friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco.” The troops will operate only in areas outside direct Israeli control, and each participating country’s deployment will require Israel’s individual approval before entering Gaza.

The official did not indicate when the force is expected to begin operating inside the enclave.

Large portions of Gaza remain devastated following nearly two years of war that began after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Following the ceasefire agreement reached in October, President Trump unveiled a broader peace proposal for Gaza that called for a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance, governance by Palestinian civilian technocrats, Hamas to surrender its weapons, and a gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Implementation of that framework has largely stalled. The proposed civilian governing body, known as the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, has yet to establish a presence inside the territory.

Israel currently maintains effective control over roughly 64% of Gaza, while nearly all of the enclave’s approximately two million residents remain concentrated in a narrow coastal area still controlled by Hamas. Many continue to live in temporary tents or damaged buildings under difficult humanitarian conditions.

Hamas has continued to reject demands that it disarm, while Israel has announced plans to increase the territory under its control to approximately 70% of Gaza as military operations and near-daily strikes continue.

Trump’s proposal also envisions the creation of a Board of Peace that would serve as the international body responsible for overseeing implementation of the overall peace plan, including supervision of the International Stabilization Force.

Earlier this month, an official with the Board of Peace said the organization is preparing a pilot humanitarian zone inside Gaza in an effort to advance the president’s broader plan for the territory.

Nickolay Mladenov, President Trump’s envoy to Gaza for the Board of Peace, praised Israel’s decision to approve the multinational deployment.

“It is a critical part of the agreed framework for stabilizing Gaza, supporting demilitarization, and enabling the transition to effective Palestinian transitional administration under the @NCAG,” he wrote on X, referring to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

{Matzav.com}