NEW YORK (VINnews/Post Guest – Chaim Kauffman) – They owe Ezra Friedlander an apology.

Not because he was right.

Because if he was wrong, then many of his critics have some explaining to do.

Back in 2015, when President Barack Obama pushed the Iran nuclear deal and Congressman Jerry Nadler supported it, parts of the Orthodox political world erupted.

Nadler was denounced.

Obama was portrayed as gambling with Israel’s future.

And Ezra Friedlander, who defended Nadler’s position, became one of the most visible targets.

The speeches were passionate.

The op-eds were relentless.

The radio shows sounded like emergency broadcasts.

Community leaders warned that the stakes could not be higher.

This was not politics, they told us.

This was not Democrat versus Republican.

This was not Obama versus Netanyahu.

This was Israel.

This was survival.

This was Iran.

Fine.

So where are those voices now?

Where are the men who insisted Iran could never be trusted?

Where are the activists who argued that no American president had the right to gamble with Israel’s security?

Where are the communal warriors who treated support for the Obama deal as a historic mistake?

Because today, as President Donald Trump explores possible negotiations with Tehran, many of those same voices have become remarkably restrained.

Suddenly there is a call for patience.

Suddenly there is a desire for context.

Suddenly there is a willingness to wait and see.

That is not what happened in 2015.

Nobody waited.

Nobody asked for nuance.

Nobody urged caution before speaking.

People made up their minds quickly and loudly.

They condemned.

They mobilized.

They demanded that everyone choose a side.

And that is why the contrast is impossible to ignore.

Whatever one thought of Obama’s agreement, it at least came with a framework.

Supporters pointed to inspections.

They pointed to international oversight.

They pointed to mechanisms designed to slow Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Critics rejected those arguments, but the arguments existed.

Today, we are not discussing Iran in 2015.

We are discussing Iran after years of regional aggression.

After Hezbollah.

After the Houthis.

After attacks throughout the Middle East.

After October 7 reminded Israel and the world what happens when dangerous enemies are underestimated.

If Iran could not be trusted then, why should anyone trust Iran now?

If the threat was existential then, why is the language suddenly softer today?

Those questions deserve answers.

The issue is not whether Trump is right or Obama was wrong.

The issue is consistency.

A principle that changes with the occupant of the White House is not much of a principle.

If Iran is dangerous, it remains dangerous regardless of which party controls Washington.

If negotiating with Tehran is reckless, it remains reckless regardless of who is conducting the negotiations.

A bad idea does not become a good idea because a different politician is promoting it.

That is why the silence matters.

Because the community remembers.

It remembers the rallies.

It remembers the speeches.

It remembers the pressure campaigns.

It remembers the certainty.

It remembers the way anyone who defended the Obama deal was treated.

Including Ezra Friedlander.

The question now is simple.

Were the Iran deal warriors opposed to Iran deals?

Or were they opposed to Obama’s Iran deal?

Were they defending Israel?

Or were they fighting a political battle through the language of national security?

Because if the principles were real, they should apply equally today.

If the warnings were sincere, they should be repeated now.

And if the dangers are as obvious as they once claimed, this should not be a moment for silence.

It should be a moment for consistency.

That is what credibility demands.

That is what leadership requires.

And that is what the Jewish community deserves.

Not selective outrage.

Not partisan loyalty dressed up as principle.

Just one standard.

Applied equally, no matter whose name is on the deal.

A new report by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman has found serious privacy concerns surrounding the use of municipal enforcement cameras, warning that local authorities collected and retained footage in ways that exposed members of the public to unnecessary surveillance.

The report examined the use of cameras by several municipalities, including Herzliya, Hadera, Ramat Gan, and Binyamina, which together issued approximately 120,000 traffic and parking citations worth roughly NIS 44 million.

According to the report, some municipalities retained high-quality footage that allowed inspectors to identify pedestrians and other bystanders, creating significant privacy concerns. In some cases, authorities continued recording public areas even after ceasing to use the cameras for parking enforcement.

The comptroller also found that municipalities failed to publish enforcement policies as required and, in certain cases, repurposed parking enforcement cameras for security-related uses despite unclear legal authority to do so.

The report follows a December 2025 court ruling and an April 2026 determination by Israel’s Privacy Protection Authority that prohibited the use of LPR cameras for enforcing standard parking violations without explicit legislative authorization.

Englman stressed that municipalities must use enforcement cameras “in a proportional and fair manner” and balance traffic enforcement needs with the public’s right to privacy.

A separate section of the report highlighted widespread failures in enforcing traffic violations in public transportation lanes, noting that only six of 38 local authorities actively enforce such offenses despite growing concerns over public safety and traffic congestion.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

As the FIFA World Cup gets underway across North America, most U.S. host cities are enjoying a surge in visitors. But one city is moving in the opposite direction.

According to flight-booking data from travel intelligence firm Sojern, Seattle is the only American World Cup host city where air travel bookings are running below last year’s levels during the tournament period.

The decline is significant. Seattle’s flight bookings are down approximately 21% from the same period a year ago, while nearly every other U.S. host city is seeing gains. Houston is up roughly 13%, Dallas-Fort Worth about 10%, while New York and Miami are each seeing increases of nearly 8%.

“Demand is real and positive, but it’s not evenly distributed across host cities,” said Jay Wardle, president of Sojern.

The drop is surprising because Seattle has fully embraced the tournament.

The city has organized large public watch parties, floating fan events, drone displays, and downtown celebrations centered around Lumen Field. Seattle is also hosting one of the tournament’s marquee early matches, with the United States Men’s National Team scheduled to face Australia on June 19.

Yet while the atmosphere is vibrant, many of the fans attending appear to be local residents or visitors arriving by car rather than by air.

Part of the explanation may be the sheer size of this year’s tournament.

The 2026 World Cup is the largest in history, featuring 48 national teams and 104 matches spread across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The United States alone is hosting 78 matches, creating far more inventory than previous tournaments.

With so many games taking place simultaneously across multiple cities, not every match has generated the same level of travel demand.

Industry analysts say lower-profile group-stage matches have generally been harder to fill, particularly when ticket prices remain elevated. Seattle is not entirely alone in experiencing softer travel demand. Several host cities in Mexico have also reported booking levels below expectations.

The broader concern is that the tourism boom many cities expected has not yet fully materialized.

An April report from the American Hotel & Lodging Association found that roughly 80% of hotels across the eleven U.S. host cities reported booking levels below earlier forecasts. Some hotel operators described the tournament’s impact as weaker than anticipated and pointed to visa challenges, international travel restrictions, and global economic uncertainty as factors limiting attendance.

Several hotel operators also expressed frustration after FIFA reduced or canceled previously reserved room blocks, leaving some properties scrambling to replace expected bookings.

International travel restrictions have likely played a role as well.

Fans from some countries face additional visa hurdles when traveling to the United States, while others face longer processing times or greater uncertainty. Those barriers can significantly affect international sporting events that traditionally rely on overseas visitors.

Still, travel companies believe the final numbers could improve.

Sojern notes that more than one-third of hotel bookings associated with major sporting events historically occur within the final week before arrival. That means many travelers may not have booked yet.

Major hospitality companies remain optimistic.

Marriott International says it is seeing healthy demand in both World Cup and non-World Cup markets and expects the tournament to provide a modest boost to revenue. Airbnb is even more bullish, projecting that the World Cup could become the largest event in the company’s history, surpassing the travel demand generated by the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Many World Cup visitors are choosing vacation rentals over hotels, particularly families and groups planning longer stays.

For local businesses, the lesson is that the tournament’s economic impact is proving uneven.

High-profile matches, host-nation games, and the championship match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, are still expected to generate strong visitor spending. Smaller group-stage matches have produced more mixed results.

That leaves Seattle in an unusual position.

The city is hosting one of the tournament’s most energetic fan celebrations and one of Team USA’s biggest early matches. Yet it remains the only American host city where fewer travelers are arriving by air than they did a year ago.

For hotels, restaurants, retailers, and tourism businesses hoping for a World Cup windfall, the excitement on the streets may not necessarily translate into the economic boost many expected.

JBizNews Desk
Seattle

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

Tensions between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu are escalating, and Israeli officials fear that US pressure for a ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon could develop into a dangerous security, political, and diplomatic crisis.

A Netanyahu associate has revealed what is happening behind the scenes. According to a report by Ben Caspit in Al-Monitor, Netanyahu has signaled to Washington that he will not yield to President Trump’s pressure to halt military operations in southern Lebanon. Nevertheless, by Friday afternoon, Washington announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah had gone into effect.

Netanyahu’s silence following the announcement underscored the difficult position he now faces—caught between growing pressure from the United States and mounting political pressure at home, a senior Israeli political source said.

Recent developments come against the backdrop of unprecedented tensions between Trump and Netanyahu. Both Trump and Vice President J. D. Vance publicly criticized the Israeli prime minister over the military operation in southern Lebanon and called on him to end it.

Even so, just hours before the latest escalation, Trump unexpectedly extended what appeared to be an olive branch to Netanyahu, saying he would “most likely” support the Israeli leader’s reelection bid, though he stopped short of offering unequivocal backing.

“I’d have to see who’s running, but I like Bibi very much,” Trump told Israel’s Kan News in a phone interview Thursday. “I’d most likely support him.”

For Netanyahu’s supporters, the comment provided little reassurance. They see it as further evidence that Trump has turned against the Israeli leader whom he joined in striking Iran less than three months ago.

“Trump is taking Netanyahu down,” one of Netanyahu’s aides told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “We are witnessing an unimaginable, hair-raising development.”

“Israeli public opinion could turn against Netanyahu just as Trump has,” the senior Israeli political source said. “Israelis are currently in shock, trying to absorb Trump’s U-turn and hoping it is only a temporary malfunction, but things will never be the same again.”

Hezbollah has been significantly weakened by Israeli strikes since October 8, 2023, when it joined Hamas in the conflict. In recent months, however, the organization has shifted to more lethal tactics, including the use of explosive drones against Israeli soldiers and border communities.

“Netanyahu knows that if Trump imposes another ceasefire and demands that Israel withdraw from Lebanon, he can say goodbye to the election,” the source said. “He won’t be able to defend such a move before his Likud base and right-wing voters on the eve of the election.”

The source acknowledged that a US ceasefire would likely cause a sharp drop in Netanyahu’s support in the polls, with elections expected to take place in Israel at the end of October.

“Before we know it, Trump will demand an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon,” the source said. “As far as Trump is concerned, the war is over. He feels he has been used too much for Israel’s security interests, and now it is time to think about America’s interests. We’ll pay the price for that, and it will be expensive.”

“Netanyahu has no assets left. He is bankrupt. He counted on total victory but ended up with surrender on all three fronts—Hezbollah, Hamas, and Iran. He also counted on Trump’s continued embrace, and that too is falling apart.”

“Going into an election without Trump is like going into battle without a bulletproof vest,” the source added. “In the end, Netanyahu may decide that a confrontation with Trump will restore his standing on the Israeli right as the only leader capable of saying ‘no’ to an American president.”

The source noted that in 2022, while serving as opposition leader, Netanyahu said that the most important quality of an Israeli prime minister is the ability to say “no” to an American president. Without that ability, he argued, it is impossible to lead the country.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

NEW YORK (AP) — A 51-year-old man fell to his death during a concert at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, police said.

Officers responding to a 911 call around 9:51 p.m. found the man unconscious and unresponsive with injuries indicating a fall from an “elevated position,” New York City Police said in a statement.

He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have not released his name.

The rock band “Goose” was performing. In a statement on Facebook, the band said it was “deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of the tragic event that occurred.”

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

Question:

Hi,
There was a very serious car accident on E 7th street near New York Avenue last week with severe injuries. Unfortunately this area has had numerous accidents over the last few years. This area of roadway consists of a curve which poses risk for drivers not slowing down when nearing the curve or during inclement weather. Curved, wet, and slick roads are very dangerous.

There used to be more speed signage in the area, as this is a school zone, as well as obvious speed bumps. During one road repair project, these bumps have been mostly eliminated. This may have something to do with the increase in accidents. I live in this area for many years and have noticed a sharp increase in car accidents recently.

Thank you for giving us this space to voice our concerns and hopefully protect our fellow travelers.

A long time E 7th street resident.

Response from Mayor Coles:

Thank you. I will discuss this with engineering and traffic and safety to see if hat we can do to make it safer

Thank you for writing

Ray

Question:

Dear Mayor Coles,

A traffic light was recently installed at the intersection of South Lake Drive and Hope Chapel Road, which has improved traffic flow and made left turns onto South Lake easier.

The light currently turns red a few seconds early for traffic traveling on Hope Chapel Road toward County Line Road, creating an opportunity for drivers to turn left onto South Lake. However, because there is no left-turn signal, drivers often do not realize immediately that oncoming traffic has been stopped, allowing only one or two vehicles to make the turn.

I would like to suggest adding a brief left-turn arrow during this interval. This would clearly indicate that left-turning vehicles have the right of way and would allow more cars to turn each cycle, further reducing congestion.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Devorah

Response from Mayor Coles:

Thank you.

I forwarded this to the county engineer and asked them to look at the timing as well as your suggestion.

Take care,

Ray

Question:

Hi Mayor Coles,

As a resident of the Pine street area, I drive down Pine towards MLK Dr. every morning. Recently, there are constantly cars parked across from Forest Park in areas clearly marked as “no parking”. The issue is that when there are cars there, it causes significant backups further down Pine as there are always cars or busses waiting to turn into Forest Park and cars are unable to go around them to get int the right turning lane or to go straight on Pine. Can this “no parking” area be strictly enforced to alleviate the Pine St traffic.

Thank you for all you do for our wonderful town,

A Pine Street resident

Response from Mayor Coles:

Hi Mayor Coles,

As a resident of the Pine street area, I drive down Pine towards MLK Dr. every morning. Recently, there are constantly cars parked across from Forest Park in areas clearly marked as “no parking”. The issue is that when there are cars there, it causes significant backups further down Pine as there are always cars or busses waiting to turn into Forest Park and cars are unable to go around them to get int the right turning lane or to go straight on Pine. Can this “no parking” area be strictly enforced to alleviate the Pine St traffic.

Thank you for all you do for our wonderful town,

A Pine Street resident

—————–

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

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

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Israel’s Shin Bet security agency said Sunday it thwarted dozens of Hamas terror plots in the West Bank over the past year that were allegedly directed by operatives based in Turkey.

The agency said Hamas members operating from Turkish territory recruited attackers, transferred funds and weapons, and coordinated plans targeting Israelis in both the West Bank and inside Israel.

Shin Bet identified several senior Hamas figures it said were involved in the efforts, including officials responsible for overseeing the group’s activities in the West Bank. The agency alleged that Hamas has used its presence in Turkey to direct and finance terror operations while remaining beyond the reach of Israeli security forces.

The announcement follows previous investigations that uncovered Hamas-linked networks in the West Bank allegedly managed by operatives based in Turkey. Several suspects have been arrested and indicted in connection with those cases.

Turkey hosts a number of Hamas officials, a longstanding source of tension between Ankara and Jerusalem. Israeli officials have repeatedly called on Turkey to curb the group’s activities within its borders.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Karim Khan, who is British, has been temporarily barred from practising law in England and Wales by the Bar Standards Board, which regulates the practice of law in those countries. A final decision hinges on the outcome of disciplinary hearings.

Last week, Khan was formally removed from his duties at the ICC, following a temporary suspension. A decision on his permanent status is still pending.

The Bar Standards Board issued a statement saying it would hold disciplinary hearings in four weeks but would not give the reason for Khan’s temporary disbarment. Khan’s lawyers said that the decision to disbar Khan was based on findings of serious misconduct by the ICC’s oversight body, the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties. However, they added that Khan “unequivocally denies all allegations of impropriety” and that they would be “taking all necessary steps to challenge the decision of the Bureau.”

Karim Khan was accused of sexual harassment of an employee two years ago, and he stepped down in May 2025 amid an investigation into his conduct.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (center, right) meets with International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan (center, left) in Ramallah on Dec. 2, 2023. (Photo by Palestinian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The executive committee of the ICC said it derived its findings from “the report of an investigation undertaken by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the underlying evidence, the advice of an ad hoc panel of judicial experts, and written submissions.”

Khan came under fire from the United States for issuing warrants for the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials, prompting House Speaker Mike Johnson to call for [sanctions](http://MUST WATCH: House Speaker Vows Sanctions on ICC Over Actions Against Israel- “We will Put the ICC’s Prosecutor Karim Khan Back in His Place” House Speaker Mike Johnson made a bold declaration this week, announcing that Congress will move forward with a bill to... By Eddy Boaz Jan 08, 2025) against the prosecutor. He has since been accused of issuing the warrants to deflect attention away from his personal troubles arising from allegations of sexual harassment as well as of being swayed by Qatar and private British intelligence agencies.

The ICC prosecutor denied Israel complementarity, part of the Rome Statute that says ICC proceedings are a last resort for countries that are willing and able to investigate their own actions and present their findings to the international community. In May 2024, shortly before issuing the warrants, Khan had been scheduled to visit Israel to examine the evidence for himself, but he canceled the trip and instead issued the arrest warrants, prompting scrutiny into his motives.

A melamed at a Talmud Torah in Bnei Brak has come under fire after admitting to striking two fifth-grade students but returning to the classroom after being suspended for just one day.

According to a report by Galatz Chareidi affairs correspondent Mordechai Halperin, the teacher acknowledged hitting the boys, explaining that they had been disrespectful and that he believed they needed to be “taught a lesson.”

Following the incident, the school’s administration held a disciplinary meeting with the teacher and decided to suspend him for one day before allowing him to resume teaching.

The mother of one of the students told Kikar Hashabbat that her son said the teacher pinched him forcefully and twisted his arm.

The principal said he made it clear to the teacher that such behavior is unacceptable and insisted that similar incidents would not happen again.

“This will not happen again,” the principal said. “I understood this was truly an exceptional incident that has no place here. I suspended him for one day. He tried to justify his actions, but I told him there are limits.”

The principal also indicated that the teacher’s future at the school remains uncertain, saying he is considering not rehiring him for the upcoming school year.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) – Miriam Adelson’s Israel Hayom newspaper published a blistering open letter to President Donald Trump, accusing him of betraying Israel and the United States by signing what it called a “surrender agreement” with Iran that endangers both nations’ interests and weakens resolve against the Tehran regime.

The strongly worded piece, written by journalist Danny Zaken and appearing in the Adelson family-owned daily — Israel’s most widely circulated newspaper — criticizes Trump for what it describes as a reversal of his long-standing tough stance toward Iran. It references a recent conversation between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was leaked by someone in the president’s inner circle.

In the letter, the author addresses Trump directly:

“Two weeks ago, one of the members of your inner circle did something that brought your controversial conversation with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, to the public’s attention. And I deliberately emphasize his full title. He is not ‘Bibi.’ He is the elected Prime Minister of the independent and sovereign State of Israel, just like any other person who holds that office.”

The piece expresses deep disappointment over the apparent policy shift:

“I have struggled in vain to understand what caused this empty and meaningless change of course, which contradicts everything you have said and done up to now. The midterm elections are a completely baseless excuse. You are in your second term, and a surrender agreement will do more harm than good to the Republicans.”

It continues:

“We feel betrayed nothing less — because despite all your mistakes, it seemed that your heart was in the right place. You acted otherwise. You have lost your patience, your moral compass, and your sense of leadership. Only if you reverse your decision and refrain from entering into a final agreement with Iran will there be any possibility of repairing the damage.”

The letter concludes with a pointed warning from “near Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people since the days of the kingdoms of David and Solomon”:

“You have made a grave mistake. You failed when you signed a surrender agreement with a murderous and ruthless terrorist regime. You have severely harmed America’s interests and the democratic and humanitarian values of the enlightened world, and you have set the hourglass running toward the next war — one that your successors will be forced to confront in the years ahead.”

The criticism comes amid the Trump administration’s recent memorandum of understanding with Iran, which aims to cement a ceasefire, including on the Lebanese front, and opens a 60-day window for further negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear program and sanctions relief. Trump has touted the agreement as a victory that ends hostilities.

Adelson, a major Republican donor and staunch supporter of Israel and Trump, has not personally authored or endorsed the letter, which reflects the views of the columnist in her newspaper. Israel Hayom was founded by her late husband, Sheldon Adelson.

The development highlights growing tensions within pro-Israel circles over the administration’s approach to Iran following recent military actions. VINnews will continue to monitor reactions from Israeli officials and the Jewish community.

Federal aviation authorities are investigating a serious near-collision involving two passenger aircraft at Boston Logan International Airport after a Delta Air Lines jet was forced to abort its landing when another aircraft began taking off on an intersecting runway.

The incident occurred at approximately 11:35 a.m. Saturday, when air traffic controllers mistakenly cleared an American Airlines Boeing 737 for takeoff directly into the path of a Delta Air Lines Airbus A319 that was moments away from touching down.

According to reports, the Delta aircraft, carrying 129 passengers and six crew members, was only yards from landing on Runway 33L when the pilots suddenly spotted the American Airlines jet accelerating down a crossing runway to their right.

Realizing the danger, the Delta crew immediately executed a go-around, aborting the landing and rapidly climbing thousands of feet within seconds to avoid a potential collision. A cockpit warning system also alerted the pilots to possible conflicting traffic.

Reports indicate the air traffic controller was apparently unaware of the dangerous error until after the Delta aircraft had already climbed away from the runway. The flight later returned and landed safely on its second approach.

A Delta spokesperson said safety remains the airline’s highest priority and confirmed that the crew of Flight 2351 followed established procedures in coordination with air traffic control while approaching Logan Airport.

The Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into the incident.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Samsung Electronics America became the latest major employer to leave New Jersey when it announced earlier this month that it will move its U.S. headquarters from Englewood Cliffs to Plano, Texas, by the end of 2026. The decision pulls roughly 1,000 jobs out of a state that charges the highest corporate tax rate in the country — 11.5% — and hands them to a state with no corporate income tax at all.

That gap sits at the center of the story. New Jersey’s top corporate rate stands at 11.5%, the steepest in the nation. Texas has no traditional corporate income tax and no personal state income tax. For a global company weighing where to put its leadership, its money, and its people, the math is hard to ignore — and New Jersey keeps landing on the wrong side of it.

Samsung framed the move as internal strategy rather than a tax revolt. “Samsung Electronics America Inc. is undergoing a business transformation designed to better position our organization for long-term growth and future success,” the company said in a statement, adding that it is “relocating our U.S. headquarters from New Jersey to our existing campus in Plano, Texas, building on our 30-year presence in the state.” But to the people who watch corporate departures for a living, the reason is plain.

A five-alarm fire

“This is a five-alarm fire wake-up call,” said John Boyd Jr., founder of the Princeton-based relocation firm The Boyd Company. He noted that New Jersey cannot keep swimming upstream with new tax hikes while a neighboring competitor like Pennsylvania is cutting its corporate rate.

Michele Siekerka, president and CEO of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association, called the news “not surprising, but no less sad,” pointing straight at the state’s tax and regulatory climate. She said New Jersey has dropped from 22 Fortune 500 companies in 2018 to 15 in 2025. Samsung’s exit, she warned, is the predictable result of policies that make staying expensive.

What it means for the workers

The timing made the blow sharper. Samsung had cut the ribbon on its new Englewood Cliffs campus just nine months ago, on September 22, 2025, at a ceremony attended by state and local officials who praised it as proof of the company’s commitment to New Jersey. The company had moved into the former Unilever building at 700 Sylvan Avenue after decades in nearby Ridgefield Park.

Now those workers face a choice. Samsung told staff on a Friday in late May that they would need to say within two weeks whether they were willing to relocate, with details on individual jobs to follow by the end of June. Most are expected to be offered a transfer to Plano, while a smaller group will stay behind to handle local operations. The company has not said how many positions will be eliminated outright, but it acknowledged that layoffs are coming, saying it will be “optimizing parts of the organization” and will support affected employees. For families in Bergen County, that means uprooting a household for Texas or risking no job at all.

Why Texas wins

Samsung is moving its leadership closer to where it already builds. The company has run a semiconductor plant near Austin since 1996 and is finishing an advanced chip factory in nearby Taylor, a project that has grown to roughly $37 billion and is due to start production by the end of 2026. Last summer, Samsung signed a $16.5 billion deal with Tesla to make automotive chips at the Taylor plant. Its Plano campus already houses the company’s mobile and network business. Low taxes are the other half of the draw.

A pattern New Jersey can’t shake

Samsung is not the first to go. Earlier this year, ExxonMobil completed its own move to Texas, ending a presence in New Jersey that ran more than 140 years. State Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filings show more than 7,600 job cuts announced in New Jersey this year, with Verizon, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, and Prudential Financial among the names trimming staff.

The short-term story is 1,000 jobs and a brand-new office about to sit empty. The longer story is whether New Jersey can keep the companies that built it while charging the highest corporate tax in America. Until that number changes, Trenton will keep hearing the same question every time a marquee employer packs up: how many more have to leave first.

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

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir launched a sharp attack Sunday against Israel’s decision to accept the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding and ceasefire arrangements in Lebanon, arguing that Israeli leaders should have resisted American pressure and continued military operations.

The comments mark one of the strongest public criticisms yet from within the coalition regarding the government’s handling of the post-war diplomatic process and its cooperation with the Trump administration’s regional strategy.

Speaking in a heated interview with Army Radio, Ben Gvir argued that Israel must be willing to reject American demands when vital national interests are at stake.

“One must know how to tell the President of the United States ‘no’ when it comes to the existential interests of the State of Israel,” Ben Gvir said. “It was a serious strategic mistake to stop the fighting at this point. With all due respect to friendship, President Trump will not go and comfort the families of soldiers during shivah.”

The minister contended that decisions regarding Israel’s security should be based solely on the country’s long-term strategic needs, regardless of pressure from allies abroad.

Ben Gvir also directed criticism toward ongoing diplomatic contacts between Israel and Lebanon, which have reportedly continued alongside the deployment of IDF forces in the security zone in southern Lebanon.

The minister said he strongly opposes any negotiations with Beirut while Hezbollah remains active and influential inside the country.

“There should be no negotiations whatsoever with the Lebanese government as long as the Hezbollah terrorist organization remains there and continues to wield influence,” he declared.

Warning against what he views as a repeat of past mistakes, Ben Gvir argued that failing to decisively defeat Hezbollah now could create even greater dangers in the future.

“If we compromise now and do not decisively defeat them, they will try to carry out another October 7 against us across the border in a few years,” he said. “We must not return to the conception.”

His remarks come as debate intensifies within Israel over the U.S.-Iran agreement, the ceasefire framework in Lebanon, and the broader question of how aggressively Israel should confront Hezbollah and other Iranian-backed forces in the region.

While supporters of the agreement argue that it provides an opportunity for stability and prevents a wider regional war, Ben Gvir and other critics contend that the current diplomatic track risks allowing Israel’s enemies to regroup and prepare for future attacks.

{Matzav.com}

The Gedolei Eretz Yisroel are sharing one urgent message: the Olam HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel is standing on a precipice, and every single one of us is needed to help save it.

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The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline fell to $3.99 on Thursday, dropping below $4 for the first time since March 30, AAA reported, marking a third straight week of declines just as the summer travel season gets going. AAA said drivers are getting a break at the pump as crude oil prices ease.

The relief is real but partial. Gas prices are up nearly 40% since late February, when the U.S. and Israel launched the war against Iran and global oil supply tightened. The national average sat near $2.98 in late February before climbing sharply, so even at $3.99 households are paying far more than they were at the start of the year.

Where you live still matters enormously. In five states — Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington — average prices are at or near $5 a gallon, and California is close to $6, the highest in the nation. Drivers in the middle of the country are paying the least.

Road trips are getting a closer look as a result. AAA forecast that 39.1 million people would drive at least 50 miles over the recent Memorial Day stretch, up just 0.1% from a year earlier — the weakest growth in a decade. The softness suggests some families are trimming plans even as headline pump prices ease.

Air travel is a tougher story. Jet fuel costs have nearly doubled since February, and the squeeze is showing up in fares. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, in its June Short-Term Energy Outlook, raised its 2026 jet fuel forecast by about $1.42 a gallon, to an average near $3.37, citing the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz as the main pressure on diesel and aviation fuel.

Travelers are feeling it at booking. Domestic round-trip airfares are averaging about $623, according to the Airlines Reporting Corporation, a 10% to 15% jump from last year, and fares have not been this high since May 2022. Airfare last reached these levels when carriers stumbled out of the pandemic to meet a wave of “revenge travel.”

Airlines say they are passing fuel costs along because they have little choice. American Airlines estimated its fuel bill will run about $4 billion higher this year than in 2025, and Delta said it would pay $2 billion more in the second quarter alone. The trade group Airlines for America reported that fuel made up 20% of airline operating expenses in 2025, with labor the only larger cost.

The fuel crunch has reshaped schedules well beyond the United States. Lufthansa has grounded some short-haul aircraft, and Cathay Pacific canceled about 2% of its passenger flights between mid-May and the end of June. Roughly 13,000 flights were canceled globally in May as carriers pulled back on thinner routes.

For consumers, the split picture means the math of a summer trip now depends heavily on how you travel. Driving has gotten modestly cheaper in recent weeks and may keep easing if crude stays below $100, while flying remains expensive and, in some markets, less reliable. The Transportation Security Administration expected to screen about 18.3 million people over a recent holiday travel window, roughly in line with last year, a sign that demand is holding even as prices bite.

The strain is hitting an industry already under stress. Higher fuel costs and softer demand have tested weaker carriers, and the broader travel market is absorbing the shock at the same time households are paying more for groceries, clothing, and housing.

The near-term outlook hinges on oil. If reports of progress toward easing the Iran conflict hold and crude keeps drifting lower, pump prices could fall further into the heart of the driving season. But jet fuel tends to be the last product to recover when refining capacity is tight, so airfare relief is likely to lag what drivers see at the gas station. For now, the cheapest summer trip for many families may be the one that stays on the road.

JBizNews Desk | New York & Washington

© 2026 JBizNews.com. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction, redistribution, republication, or retransmission of this content, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from JBizNews.com is strictly prohibited.

ENGLISHTOWN, N.J. (VINnews) – John Alite, a former Gambino crime family associate and admitted hit man who was elected to the Englishtown Borough Council in March 2025, was arrested Friday on charges including extortion, terroristic threats and usury, New Jersey authorities said.

Alite, 63, faces multiple counts of theft by extortion, corporate misconduct, making terroristic threats and usury — the lending of money at illegal interest rates, the state Attorney General’s Office announced. He was arrested alongside Stephen Locrotondo, 67.

Prosecutors allege the pair issued high-interest loans exceeding 50% annually through Alite’s company, Straightened-Out Entertainment, then used threats of violence to shake down victims for additional money and property. Alite made at least $75,000 through the alleged scheme, court documents said.

One victim was forced to turn over a residential property, according to the charges. Alite is accused of threatening to strike a victim in the head with a baseball bat and telling him he has “gut” people “like fish,” the documents state.

A search of Alite’s Englishtown home by New Jersey State Police uncovered numerous weapons, including two slapjacks, metal knuckles, an expandable baton, six baseball bats and approximately two dozen switchblade and other knives, court papers said.

Alite’s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.

“Our office is dedicated to ensuring that all businesses conduct themselves fairly and lawfully,” Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement. “The conduct alleged in this case was anything but, and we will work to hold those who cheat and steal accountable.”

Alite, who served time in federal prison for racketeering and admitted to at least two killings while working with John A. Gotti, was released in 2012 after cooperating with prosecutors. In a 2015 CBS News interview, he claimed involvement in 15 killings, up to 40 shootings and roughly 100 beatings with pipes and baseball bats.

In recent years, Alite sought to rebrand himself as a motivational speaker and community figure in Monmouth County. He was sworn in as a councilman last year and maintains a popular YouTube podcast with more than 110,000 subscribers and an Instagram account with over 520,000 followers.

On June 6, Alite posted an Instagram video set to Sia’s “Unstoppable,” showing him in handcuffs followed by footage of him in council chambers.

“I went from walking in handcuffs to walking into City Hall,” he wrote. “Not because I was lucky. Because I chose to change, and I never stopped working to become a better man.”

Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco said Saturday that Alite remains a member of the council, and any decision about his future in the position rests with Alite himself.

“John is an elected official chosen by the voters last year,” Francisco said in an email. “The decision to continue in the position rests solely on him. The borough and the council have no legal authority over his seat.”

Alite was previously arrested in Brazil in 2008 and pleaded guilty to federal racketeering charges, according to NJ.com.

As New Jersey residents gather with family and friends to celebrate the start of summer, New Jersey American Water is reminding customers to take simple steps to prevent plumbing problems and conserve water during the busy summer season.

The utility says summer cookouts often generate large amounts of fats, oils, and grease (FOG), which can cause significant plumbing issues when poured down household drains. As grease cools, it can stick to the inside of pipes, leading to clogs, sewer backups, and costly repairs.

“Summer should be about enjoying time with family and friends, not dealing with a backed-up sink or an unexpected repair bill,” said David Forcinito, Vice President of Operations for New Jersey American Water. “After a BBQ, it might be tempting to rinse everything down the drain, but that’s often what causes the problem. Toss grease in the trash, be mindful of your water use, and you can avoid headaches later while helping to protect our water resources.”

To help avoid plumbing issues, the company recommends:

• Allowing grease to cool and solidify before throwing it in the trash.
• Scraping food waste from plates and cookware before rinsing.
• Using sink strainers to prevent food scraps from entering drains.
• Avoiding reliance on garbage disposals, which do not prevent grease buildup.

The reminder comes as water conservation remains a priority across the state. The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued a drought warning and continues to urge residents to voluntarily reduce water consumption. New Jersey American Water’s Mandatory Conservation Notice also remains in effect.

The utility encourages customers to:

• Limit lawn watering to no more than twice per week and avoid watering during the hottest parts of the day.
• Turn off faucets when not actively using water while cooking, cleaning, or brushing teeth.
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks.

Officials say small changes in daily habits can help prevent plumbing emergencies, reduce water bills, and support reliable water service throughout the summer months.

Customers can monitor their water usage through their MyWater account and access additional conservation resources through New Jersey American Water and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

A sweeping U.S. Justice Department investigation is reportedly examining allegations that Iran’s Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, secretly built a vast international investment portfolio with exposure to some of the most powerful financial institutions on Wall Street, raising new questions about the Islamic Republic’s financial operations and potential sanctions violations.

According to reports, the investigation is part of a much broader inquiry into suspected corruption and money-laundering activities linked to entities allegedly controlled or overseen by Khamenei. American investigators are reportedly reviewing a complex web of transactions conducted through shell companies believed to have operated under his influence.

The probe is said to extend far beyond Tehran. U.S. authorities are reportedly scrutinizing the role played by major American financial institutions through which funds allegedly moved, including banking giants JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.

Sources familiar with the matter emphasized that the investigation is currently focused on Khamenei’s financial activities and that the existence of the inquiry does not necessarily mean criminal charges will ultimately be filed.

The reported investigation has sent shockwaves through both financial and political circles, given Khamenei’s central role in the Iranian regime and the potential implications of any findings involving major Western banks.

Mojtaba Khamenei assumed Iran’s highest leadership position following the death of his father, Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike during Operation Rising Lion.

As Supreme Leader, Khamenei now wields ultimate authority over the Islamic Republic’s most sensitive and consequential decisions, including foreign policy, national security matters, and oversight of Iran’s nuclear program.

The reported discovery of a financial network allegedly tied to Khamenei and operating within the Western financial system could provide Washington with a powerful new source of leverage at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran.

If the allegations are substantiated, the investigation could expose significant vulnerabilities within Iran’s leadership and potentially reshape the financial and diplomatic pressure campaign being waged against Tehran. For now, however, U.S. authorities continue to examine the evidence as part of what appears to be one of the most consequential financial investigations involving Iran in recent years.

{Matzav.com}

US President Trump said there were no limits to his power and that he believed the Memorandum of Understanding between Washington and Tehran constituted Iran’s unconditional surrender in an interview with Axios on Thursday. 

“It really probably is unconditional surrender. I think so,” Trump said when asked about the MoU.

Trump emphasized the damage the US had done to Iran’s military forces and senior officials, including Iran’s former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claiming that he had achieved regime change through killing the previous government officials. 

“And I sadly hurt the other ayatollah,” Trump added, speaking of Iran’s current Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, who Trump said “is different from the father.”

“He’s got a certain braveness because he was, he’s badly injured,” Trump said.

‘If it weren’t for Donald Trump, Israel would have been eviscerated’

Trump continued to describe Iran’s leadership as “primitive geniuses” and the American operations against Tehran as “an excursion to stop a very vile little group of people.” 

“I had to stop them because if they had a nuclear weapon, they would use it,” Trump asserted, reiterating a claim that if he did not act, Iran would have used a nuclear weapon against Israel.

“If it weren’t for Donald Trump, Israel would have been eviscerated,” Trump asserted.

He also claimed that Iran would have used nuclear weapons against Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

When asked about his relationship with Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said it is “good.” 

“They have a lot of respect for me, and they do as I say,” he explained, claiming that he will be able to prevent Israel from continuing actions against Iranian-backed terrorist proxy Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

Trump claims there are ‘no limits’ to his power

When asked if the war with Iran taught him anything about the limits of his power, Trump told Axios that “there are no limits.”

“I think that there are no limits. We have the most powerful military in the world, by far,” he stated.

Trump also disputed allegations that he “wasn’t tough enough” on the Iranian regime, asserting that the US’s Operation Epic Fury wiped out Iran’s military, air force, air defenses, and navy.

“The only way I can get tougher is if I go in there for another two or three weeks and continue to bomb the hell out of them,” he said, adding that there would be no benefit to making such a move.

The Strait of Hormuz, Trump explained, is where the consequences of continuing to strike Iran would immediately show. “

“The Hormuz Strait would be totally closed. You would have mines all over it,” he elaborated. “We wouldn’t have oil for months.”

“I have one primary wish as president in terms of people,” Trump told Axios. “ I never want to be the late, great Herbert Hoover. This is the kind of thing that could cause a worldwide depression.”

Now that the US-Iran MoU has been finalized and the Strait of Hormuz has reopened for commercial shipping, Trump said that the price of oil is “tumbling. The ships are roaring out of there… The stock market is way up, way, way up.” 

“Everybody is richer,” he claimed, touting the success of the deal.

This post was originally published on here.

Iran’s latest threat to close the Strait of Hormuz has underscored growing concerns in Washington that Tehran is using one of the world’s most critical oil shipping lanes as leverage in its negotiations with the United States.

On Shabbos, Iran announced it was closing the strategic waterway, claiming the move was in response to what it called American violations of this week’s memorandum of understanding, as well as Israel’s continued military operations in Lebanon.

According to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the agreement required a ceasefire “on all fronts,” and Tehran accused Washington of failing to force Israel to halt its operations against Hezbollah.

Despite the announcement, U.S. officials insisted that the strait remained fully operational.

Captain Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said Iran does not control the Strait of Hormuz and that commercial shipping continued uninterrupted. According to the Pentagon, 55 commercial vessels transited the strait on Shabbos, transporting more than 17 million barrels of oil to global markets.

The Iranian announcement came just hours before a high-level delegation departed for Switzerland to resume negotiations with American officials.

The Iranian team is led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and includes Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi along with senior officials from Iran’s defense establishment, central bank, and energy sector.

Iranian officials stressed they were not traveling to negotiate a permanent agreement but rather to demand that Washington fulfill what Tehran says are its commitments under the memorandum of understanding.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials sought to project confidence that diplomacy remains on track.

Vice President JD Vance said he has seen no evidence that the Strait of Hormuz has actually been closed and confirmed that U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are already in Switzerland preparing for renewed talks. Vance added that he expects to join the negotiations in the coming days.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The decision to include Lebanon in the US-Iran memorandum of understanding is a “Middle Eastern absurdity,” said Kan News’ Arab affairs analyst Roi Kais.

Kais emphasized that the move changes the balance of power in Lebanon, despite the fact that the Trump administration had been carrying out unprecedented direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in recent months.

Kais noted that the original purpose of the Israel–Lebanon talks was to strengthen the Lebanese government and shift influence away from Hezbollah and Iran toward Lebanon’s state institutions. Hezbollah opposed those talks, and Tehran viewed them as a direct threat to the influence it has spent years cultivating in Lebanon.

Now, however, the U.S.–Iran memorandum has brought the Lebanese front and the ceasefire back into the equation “through the front door.” The outcome is the opposite of what the original negotiations sought to achieve: Iran’s influence is strengthened, Hezbollah is empowered, and the Lebanese state has been weakened.

To illustrate the mood in Lebanon, Kais pointed to a political cartoon that recently went viral on Lebanese social media. The cartoon depicts longtime Shiite parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a close Hezbollah ally, smiling at the new deal, while President Joseph Aoun, a Christian, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, a Sunni—both associated with efforts to advance direct talks with Israel—appear dejected.

“What the Iranians got here,” Kais concluded, “is proxy terror on steroids.”

Kais emphasized that this is precisely the problem with the deal: instead of separating the Lebanese state from Hezbollah, the memorandum has placed Iran and Hezbollah squarely back at the center of Lebanon’s political arena.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A scion of a wealthy family that runs a raisins business in California was arrested last week in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles for allegedly terrorizing his neighbors in antisemitic acts.

Bruce Lion, whose family owns Lion Raisins, has been charged with one count of using threats or force because of someone’s beliefs and two counts of threatening “to commit a crime with intent to terrorize,” according to Los Angeles County Superior Court records. He is being held in custody on $225,000 bail and faces more than nine years in prison if convicted of all charges.

A video of his arrest shows the 64-year-old venting his hatred of Jews in a profanity-laced tirade.

LANGUAGE WARNING

Lion’s arraignment hearing, which was supposed to take place Wednesday, was delayed because he refused to come out of his cell. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf, and an assessment of his mental competence to stand trial is set to take place in July.

Lion holds a previous record for domestic violence and illegal gun possession.

The rabbi of Chabad, Rabbi Zushe Cunin, said he had never experienced “this level of intense expression of antisemitism” before Lion moved next door into a $3.5 mansion earlier this year. He said that Lion told his wife, “I hate you, Jews. You killed my lord and savior. Your husband killed my lord and savior.” He sprayed a Chabad member’s car with a water hose, and neighbors were calling the police almost every day to report harassment.

Rabbi Zushe Cunin. (Credit: Chabad Jewish Community Center of Pacific Palisades)

Cunin also said that members of Chabad wanted to change the location of the events that he hosts in his home, but that he has refused.

“I understand why many people would say just get out of here, but that’s not what we believe,” he said. “We don’t believe in allowing people like this to terrorize the community.”

Lion Raisins, which said that Lion’s behavior is “deeply troubling” but that he “does not actively participate” in the business, issued a statement condemning his behavior.

“We unequivocally condemn antisemitism, racism, and all forms of hate, discrimination, and intolerance,” the statement said.

Political turmoil erupted in Iran after a hardline member of parliament publicly read excerpts from what he claimed were highly classified communications from Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei during a live state television broadcast, alleging that the Iranian leader opposed negotiations with the United States. The program was abruptly cut off moments later.

Mahmoud Nabavian, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, claimed during the broadcast that Khamenei repeatedly objected to the ongoing negotiations with Washington and had established conditions that were ultimately omitted from the memorandum of understanding recently signed between Iran and the United States.

The comments came as Iran’s negotiating team traveled to Switzerland for another round of technical talks with American officials, days after Tehran and Washington signed an agreement intended to end the conflict between the two countries and pave the way for broader negotiations.

According to Nabavian, Khamenei privately expressed dissatisfaction with the direction of the talks and questioned why his demands had not been met.

“The Supreme Leader explicitly expresses his dissatisfaction,” Nabavian said during the program. “He asks, ‘Why were the conditions not met?’”

Nabavian further claimed that Khamenei wrote that Iran “is neither in a hurry nor under any pressure to negotiate or reach an agreement,” and insisted that any discussions should focus on ending the war and securing compensation rather than addressing Iran’s nuclear program.

He also alleged that Khamenei instructed negotiators not to discuss what he described as “the central issue,” an apparent reference to Tehran’s nuclear activities.

At one point, Nabavian told viewers he intended to reveal a portion of the alleged correspondence.

“I will read one sentence. There is no other choice,” he said before quoting what he claimed was a message from Khamenei: “What took shape in the negotiations with Pakistan is fundamentally different from what was supposed to happen and from what constituted the condition for the legitimacy of the negotiations.”

According to Nabavian, Khamenei subsequently called for negotiations to be halted.

The lawmaker further asserted that Khamenei repeated his position on multiple occasions throughout April, insisting that Iran must emerge victorious by forcing the United States to fully recognize Tehran’s right to enrich uranium or remove the nuclear issue from future negotiations permanently.

Nabavian also claimed that Khamenei views the Strait of Hormuz as one of Iran’s most powerful tools of leverage against Washington.

“Strait of Hormuz is a very important key,” Nabavian quoted him as saying. “If the Americans want to remove pressure from their throat, they must first implement prerequisites, foremost among them the payment of compensation and debts.”

He argued that none of those conditions were incorporated into the memorandum signed with the United States.

According to Nabavian, Khamenei insisted that control over the Strait of Hormuz must remain exclusively in Iranian hands and not be shared with Oman or any other country.

He further alleged that Khamenei outlined a system under which some ships would be completely barred from transit, others would be required to pay fees, and vessels belonging to Iran’s allies would be allowed to pass freely.

As Nabavian continued discussing the alleged documents, the state television broadcast was suddenly interrupted and brought to an abrupt end, according to reports from Iran International.

Iran’s state broadcaster later condemned the lawmaker’s actions, describing them as a legal violation that could warrant prosecution.

The network said Nabavian’s references to classified documents and confidential communications between senior officials violated Iranian law. Officials also announced that one senior executive had resigned following the incident and that disciplinary measures would be taken.

The episode quickly triggered criticism even among conservative circles in Iran, with some accusing Nabavian of selectively presenting portions of a much larger body of correspondence in order to support his political arguments.

“Why don’t you say that these selective excerpts of yours were taken from about 20 communications and, in fact, from the earliest ones?” wrote prominent Iranian media figure Hossein Soleimani in a public rebuke directed at Nabavian. “Since you exposed and published the secret and top-secret documents of the system, you should at least have revealed them correctly and accurately.”

Nabavian and other hardline figures have sharply criticized the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding in recent days, accusing President Masoud Pezeshkian, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi of making dangerous concessions to Washington during the negotiations.

{Matzav.com}

BOWIE, Md. (VINnews) — Three people were killed after a small plane crashed in a wooded area near a residential community in Bowie, Maryland, authorities said.

Maryland State Police said the single-engine aircraft went down late Saturday while traveling from Ocean City, New Jersey, to Montgomery County, Maryland. The wreckage was discovered early Sunday morning behind a townhouse complex and playground after emergency responders searched through the night.

Israeli media outlet Channel 14 reported that the three victims were Israeli citizens. Their identities have not been released.

Authorities said an automatic iPhone crash notification received shortly before 11:30 p.m. helped trigger the search. The pilot and two passengers were found dead at the scene.

Investigators believe the aircraft belonged to a Montgomery County flight school and was being used for a training flight. The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash.

Two Israeli citizens, both believed to be in their 40s, were killed overnight in a single-vehicle crash near Malibu in the Los Angeles area.

The identities of the victims have not yet been released pending notification of their families.

Following the tragedy, ZAKA’s International Unit immediately began working with local authorities in the United States, Israel’s Foreign Ministry, and the victims’ families to assist with identification procedures, documentation, and the arrangements necessary to return the niftarim to Eretz Yisroel for kevurah.

Chaim Weingarten, ZAKA’s Deputy Director of Operations, said the organization is working closely with American authorities while accompanying the families through every stage of the process.

“The International Unit of ZAKA is operating in cooperation with the local authorities in the United States and is assisting the families with everything they need,” Weingarten said. “We are helping with the identification process and advancing the procedures required for continued handling of the case.”

Misaskim of Los Angeles is also actively involved, working to ensure proper kavod hameis and assisting with the many logistical and halachic needs that arise following such tragedies.

The Foreign Ministry, ZAKA, and local authorities continue to coordinate efforts as arrangements are made to transport the niftarim to Israel for burial.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Fauda is about to enter territory even the hit Israeli series knows cannot be treated like another episode of television.

Ahead of two special season-five episodes based on Hamas’s October 7 massacre, yes issued an unusual warning to viewers, saying the episodes include scenes, sounds and images that may be difficult to watch. In a rare move, the company also made clear that anyone who feels the material is too heavy can skip the episodes and still continue with the season’s main plot afterward.

The warning applies to episodes 7 and 8, which are set to air back-to-back in Israel. yes said the chapters stand on their own and are not required to follow the rest of the season. “These episodes return to that terrible day,” the company said, acknowledging what many Israeli viewers already understand, this is not distant fiction.

The fifth season of Fauda was reshaped after the massacre and the war that followed. Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff had already been working on a different storyline, but after October 7, the old version was scrapped. The new season follows Doron and the team through a darker post-October 7 reality, with revenge, trauma and a dangerous hunt tied to a Nukhba terrorist who fled abroad.

Fauda has built its name on pushing viewers into Israel’s brutal security reality, from undercover operations to Hamas and Hezbollah terror networks. But this time, the show is not only asking viewers to watch. It is also telling them they are allowed to look away.

Members of the cast and crew were personally affected by the war, and the series itself has become one of Israel’s most visible cultural exports at a time when the story of October 7 is being distorted, minimized or forgotten abroad.

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On Thursday, Scott Patton, chief commercial officer of Aldi in the United States, told the Financial Times the discount chain is pressing ahead with a roughly $9 billion U.S. expansion and now sees a path to about 4,000 stores — enough to make it the nation’s largest grocer by store count. “We’re trying to take market share from anyone who sells groceries,” Patton said, adding that the company does not yet know where the ceiling is.

The timing is no accident. Years of rising food prices have stretched household budgets, and Patton framed that strain as an opening for a chain built on low prices and private-label brands. Food inflation, he said, gives shoppers a reason to rethink where they buy groceries — and Aldi wants to be the first stop.

Aldi already runs more than 2,600 U.S. stores, which places it third by store count behind Walmart and Kroger. The company plans to open more than 180 new stores in 2026 across 31 states, pushing its footprint toward 2,800 by year-end. That is part of a five-year, $9 billion plan to reach roughly 3,200 stores by the end of 2028, while the 4,000-store figure represents a longer reach beyond that.

The growth is spreading the chain into new territory. Aldi is entering Maine, its 40th state, with a store in Portland, and plans more than 50 stores in the Denver and Colorado Springs markets over the next five years. It will open 10 stores in the Phoenix area in 2026, aim for 40 there by 2030, and roughly double its Las Vegas count. Much of the Southeast push comes from converting former Southeastern Grocers locations, including Winn-Dixie stores, that Aldi acquired in 2024.

The pitch to shoppers is built around size and simplicity. A typical Aldi store runs about 10,000 square feet — a fraction of a Walmart supercenter’s average 178,000 square feet — and more than 90% of what it sells carries an Aldi store-brand label. “One in three U.S. households shopped at Aldi this past year,” said Atty McGrath, chief executive of Aldi U.S., who tied the expansion to keeping shelves stocked and upgrading the company’s website.

The customer numbers help explain the confidence. Aldi said 17 million new customers visited its stores in 2025, a year in which it opened about 200 locations. The company is also spending to support the growth, with new distribution centers planned in Florida, Arizona, and Colorado.

For rival grocers, the expansion raises the pressure on price. “Aldi’s influence on the market should not be underestimated,” said Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData, who noted the chain’s price leadership can force competitors to cut their own prices to keep up. That dynamic lands at a moment when traditional supermarkets are already feeling the squeeze.

The strain showed up the same day across the grocery aisle. Kroger chief executive Greg Foran said Thursday that the largest traditional U.S. supermarket chain saw sales rise just 1% last quarter, as high gas prices and reduced food-assistance benefits left customers shopping with care. Foran said the customer is under pressure and managing spending carefully — the exact behavior Aldi is betting it can capture.

Aldi is running a similar playbook abroad. Last year it launched a $2.2 billion plan to open 80 stores in the United Kingdom within two years, mirroring the value-first strategy it is now accelerating in the United States. The German-owned company has spent decades building a loyal following on the premise that a smaller, tightly edited store can beat a sprawling one on price.

Whether 4,000 stores is reachable will depend on real estate, supply-chain buildout, and how long shoppers keep trading down. But the direction is set: Aldi intends to keep opening stores at a fast clip while food costs stay high, and it is openly aiming at the top of the U.S. grocery business. For shoppers, the near-term result is more discount locations within driving distance — and more pressure on competitors to answer with lower prices of their own.

JBizNews Desk | New York & Washington

© 2026 JBizNews.com. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction, redistribution, republication, or retransmission of this content, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from JBizNews.com is strictly prohibited.

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NEW YORK (VINnews) — A member of Berlin’s Chabad community was assaulted and spat on along with his two young children while walking home from synagogue, police said.

Aviezer Kantor, 48, who serves as a supervisor at Berlin’s Chabad House, was attacked Saturday afternoon in the city’s Charlottenburg district. According to police, a 31-year-old man confronted Kantor on Olivaer Platz, blocking his path and shouting threats and insults.

The confrontation escalated when the suspect allegedly spat in the face of the rabbi and his two children. An Israeli bystander who witnessed the incident intervened and restrained the suspect until police arrived.

The suspect was arrested and taken into custody. Berlin’s State Criminal Investigation Office has opened an investigation into the attack, which authorities are treating as a possible antisemitic incident.

The assault comes amid growing concerns over antisemitism in Germany. A government-backed report released this week found that nearly 8,700 antisemitic incidents were recorded nationwide in 2025, many linked to tensions surrounding the war in Gaza. The report documented a rise in threats, harassment and violence targeting Jews across the country.

Among the incidents cited was the beating and robbery of an Orthodox rabbi in front of his children in the state of Hesse. The report also detailed online threats, including messages invoking Holocaust imagery, and several cases of extreme violence.

Jewish organizations have repeatedly warned that visibly Jewish individuals, particularly those wearing religious attire, have increasingly become targets of harassment and attacks in Germany’s major cities.

Damascus is relying on the Assad-era Decree 66 to detain activists like Hassan Akkad, sources told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday.

Human rights activist and award-winning documentarian Akkad was arrested in Damascus on Wednesday over social media posts in which he called on wealthy businessmen to fulfill financial pledges made to help rebuild Syria, according to associates of Akkad and Arab media reports.

The legislation penalizes slander, defamation, and publishing content deemed a “crime against the Constitution,” though critics claim it has often been used to silence journalists and activists who criticize the authorities.

“This is a case that explains to us how the new authority uses Assad regime laws to prosecute opponents who don’t agree with them under Decree 66,” an expert who asked to remain anonymous said. “There should be a judicial reform because we all know these kinds of laws were used as a tool to prosecute people from the regime…The Assad regime only wanted one narrative to be heard.”

Akkad, the founder of the ‘Give Us the Money That You Owe!’ campaign, was arrested after a complaint was filed by Syrian journalist and presenter Mousa al-Omar, Al Jazeera reported.

“I am sorry for what happened to Hassan as a result of his mistakes; I followed the legal path under the cybercrime law… Everything I pledged, amounting to $700,000 in projects and cash, was paid in the donations,” al-Omar told the Qatar-owned media site, adding that he instructed his lawyers to drop the legal complaint.

Earlier this month, Akkad alluded to issues that were ‘bigger than myself and Mousa al-Omar” on his Instagram account, promising to share more information when it became safe for him to do so.

Public Prosecutor Judge Hossam Khattab told Al Jazeera that the case against Akkad was dropped, but the Qatari media site reported the activist remained in detention.

Akkad is facing multiple legal cases

Witnesses claimed that plainclothes officers arrested him at a cafe in the capital while he was meeting with several journalists. Celine Kasem, one of the activists at the meeting, claimed the officers failed to provide any identification, an arrest warrant, or any documentation proving they could legally detain Akkad.

“Hassan was taken into custody. Today, his lawyers are with him as he faces multiple legal cases. The fact that we are still operating under the same legal framework inherited from the Assad regime is deeply disappointing,” she stated online. “It is unfair to the sacrifices made during our revolution & to the people who suffered under these laws & regulations. We all know that drafting a new constitution & reforming an entire legal system takes time. But until then, the law should not be abused.”

Akkad, who also enjoys British citizenship, was previously imprisoned by Assad’s regime for documenting anti-government protests. He fled Syria in 2015 after being physically assaulted by members of the regime, and went on to share his story in the Bafta-winning BBC documentary Exodus: Our Journey to Europe. He then went on to co-direct the Netflix documentary Convergence: Courage in a Crisis.

Yasser Abbas, the spokesperson for the Association for the Repeal of Decree 66, and Engineer Ibrahim Sheikh Al-Shabab, representative of the Mezzeh People’s Committees, were both also detained in early June under Decree 66, Alahmad shared. Authorities alleged the men carried out acts of “systematic incitement,” “defamation,” “spreading false news via the internet and satellite channels,” “undermining the reputation and prestige of a public administration,” and “inciting riots” over their criticism of the decree.

STJ alleged that the arrests were a message to those considering objecting to public policies, criticizing the governorate’s approach, or organizing to demand their rights, that they could be detained based on “vague legal texts.”

This post was originally published on here.

A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved Saks Global’s Chapter 11 reorganization plan on June 5, 2026, clearing the luxury retail company to emerge from bankruptcy with significantly less debt, fewer stores, and a smaller workforce. The ruling marks the latest chapter in the restructuring of the company created by the merger of Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, and Bergdorf Goodman, a deal that was once expected to reshape the luxury department store industry.

In a hearing before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston, Judge Alfredo Perez approved the company’s plan to cut its debt burden by nearly 75%, reducing total debt to approximately $1.2 billion while transferring ownership to senior lenders. During the hearing, Perez praised management’s efforts to stabilize operations following what he described as a difficult start to the bankruptcy process.

The approval concludes a restructuring that dramatically altered the company’s footprint. When Saks Global filed for Chapter 11 protection on January 13, 2026, it carried approximately $3.4 billion in debt and employed roughly 17,000 workers. Since then, management has closed stores, reduced staff, and worked to restore relationships with luxury brands and vendors that had been strained during the company’s financial struggles.

The workforce reductions occurred in two separate phases.

Earlier in the restructuring process, the company eliminated more than 1,200 store and distribution center positions tied to a series of store closures across multiple states. Later, in April 2026, Saks Global announced approximately 640 corporate layoffs, representing about 16% of its headquarters workforce but less than 4% of total company employment.

Company executives said the corporate cuts were designed to eliminate duplicate administrative functions created after the merger and streamline operations for a smaller organization.

The store portfolio has also been significantly reduced.

Under the approved restructuring plan, Saks Global will continue operating 49 luxury retail locations, consisting of 33 Neiman Marcus stores, 15 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, and Bergdorf Goodman in New York City. To reach that level, the company closed more than half of its Saks Fifth Avenue locations and exited the Saks Off 5th off-price business.

Saks Global was formed following Hudson’s Bay Company’s $2.7 billion acquisition of Neiman Marcus Group in 2024. Executives envisioned creating a dominant luxury retail platform capable of competing with global luxury brands and online retailers.

Instead, the combined company struggled under the weight of acquisition-related debt, vendor payment issues, inventory shortages, and weakening sales trends. Those pressures ultimately pushed the retailer into bankruptcy protection at the beginning of 2026.

Chief Executive Officer Geoffroy van Raemdonck said the restructuring reflects the company’s transition to a smaller and more focused operating model. He noted that recent sales and inventory performance have exceeded internal expectations, suggesting the business is beginning to stabilize.

Under the court-approved plan, senior lenders will assume control of the company after providing $1 billion in bankruptcy financing and committing an additional $500 million in funding once Saks Global exits Chapter 11.

Junior creditors, who are owed approximately $1.5 billion, supported the restructuring after the creation of a $20 million litigation trust designed to pursue potential claims and recover additional funds on their behalf.

Looking ahead, management has set ambitious long-term goals, including generating $9 billion in gross merchandise value and achieving double-digit adjusted EBITDA margins by fiscal 2030.

The company’s challenges reflect broader pressures facing the luxury retail industry.

According to the Business of Fashion–McKinsey State of Fashion 2026 report, 46% of fashion executives expect industry conditions to worsen in 2026, up from 39% a year earlier. Executives cited tariffs as the industry’s leading concern, while rising borrowing costs, expensive retail leases, and the growing trend of consumers purchasing directly from luxury brands continue to pressure traditional department stores.

Additional workforce reductions are still ahead.

In a filing submitted to the Texas Workforce Commission on June 12, 2026, under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act, Saks Global disclosed plans to lay off 67 employees when it permanently closes the historic Neiman Marcus flagship store in downtown Dallas on September 30, 2026.

The location has served as a landmark in downtown Dallas since opening in 1907.

According to the filing, submitted by Janet Lee, associate general counsel for Saks Global, all employees at the store will be separated from employment when the location closes. The filing also noted that the workers are not represented by a union.

The company said it expects many affected employees will receive transfer opportunities at the Neiman Marcus NorthPark Center location in Dallas, while those who are not offered transfers will receive severance packages.

Dallas city officials, who spent months attempting to preserve the flagship location, expressed disappointment over the closure and noted the store’s long-standing importance to the city’s central business district.

For the luxury retail sector, Saks Global’s emergence from bankruptcy represents both an ending and a new test. The company has reduced its debt burden and repaired key vendor relationships. Whether a leaner chain of 49 stores can successfully compete in a market where luxury shoppers increasingly buy directly from brands remains one of the industry’s biggest questions.

JBizNews Desk | Dallas

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

This post was originally published on this site.

There’s nothing quite like the sound of your newborn crying for hours, you’ve tried everything — rocking, feeding, walking the floors, swaddling — and you’re still left wondering why your baby seems so uncomfortable.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many babies go through a colic phase, and it can feel endless. One gentle method that’s been helping a lot of families is Craniosacral Therapy, or CST.

What Colic Really Feels Like

Colic isn’t just “a fussy baby.” It’s intense crying that can last for hours, often in the late afternoon and evening. Even when the baby has been fed, changed, and held, the crying continues. Many parents suspect something deeper is going on — and often, it has to do with tension in the baby’s nervous system or body from birth.

How Craniosacral Therapy Helps

Craniosacral Therapy is an extremely gentle, hands-on approach. The therapist uses a touch as light as the weight of a nickel to help release subtle restrictions in the baby’s head, neck, and spine. These restrictions can come from pregnancy or the birth process and may contribute to discomfort, fussiness, and poor sleep.

After working with many babies, I’ve seen how CST often brings noticeable relief. Parents commonly share that their babies:

• Cry less and for shorter periods
• Settle down and fall asleep more easily
• Seem more comfortable overall
• Have fewer episodes of arching and restlessness

Beyond colic, many families also notice improvements in reflux, feeding difficulties, torticollis (tight neck), and general sleep struggles.

What You Can Do at Home

While nothing replaces hands-on professional care, there are a few things you can do at home that can help:

• Hold your baby upright for 10–15 minutes after every feeding
• Try slow, rhythmic rocking or swaying
• Keep a calm, consistent bedtime routine
• Offer short, supervised tummy time during the day

These small steps can be soothing, but they work best alongside proper support when needed.

If your baby has been struggling with colic or just seems uncomfortable in their body, there is help available.

————-

Rachel Stein, OTR/L, CST

Experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist and Craniosacral Therapist in Jackson, NJ, specializing in babies.

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JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Delays and travel bans imposed on yeshiva students who have been classified as “draft evaders” in Israel are creating a deep crisis in the Hasidic matchmaking world, according to a Kikar Hashabbat report.

Rabbi Shlomo Weiss, a spokesman for the Vizhnitz Merkaz Hasidic community, described the situation as painful and chaotic:”Young men can’t fly to get engaged, families can’t attend weddings, and married yeshiva graduates are being arrested at the airport in front of their children.”

He added:”We are in complete chaos. There is no one to talk to.”

While debates over the draft law and related sanctions dominate headlines, Weiss argues that a deeper social crisis is unfolding beneath the surface, one that threatens the foundation of marriage and family life within the charedi community.

Many yeshiva students and avrechim who have unresolved military-status issues face restrictions on leaving or entering Israel. While some in the broader public may view this as merely preventing leisure travel, Weiss says the impact on the Hasidic community is far more severe.

According to him, many Hasidic groups maintain large communities abroad in places such as Boro Park, Williamsburg, London, Antwerp and Montreal. As a result, international matches within the same Hasidic communities are common.

“A typical case is a young man from Israel becoming engaged to a young woman from London. The groom is expected to travel to her community for the engagement and later for the wedding, which is usually held where the bride lives. Today he simply cannot leave the country.”

Even when community activists manage to resolve a case temporarily, other family members may still be unable to travel.

“The groom’s brothers, who are also yeshiva students, often cannot fly to attend the wedding. This creates a severe crisis and complete helplessness.”

Weiss says the problem extends beyond engagements and weddings.bYoung married men living abroad often hesitate to visit Israel:”A young scholar who wants to visit his parents, spend the holidays in Israel, or be with his Rebbe is afraid to land in Israel because he may be arrested as a draft evader the moment he passes through Ben Gurion Airport.”

Weiss recounted two recent incidents:”Just a week and a half ago, a young married man arriving in Israel with his one-year-old son was detained and arrested in front of his family.

“About two months ago, a married man arrived in Israel and was arrested early Thursday morning. There was serious concern that he would not be released before Shabbat. The arrest occurred shortly before his brother’s aufruf . After enormous efforts he was released only minutes before Shabbat began. Instead of joy, the family experienced anxiety and crisis.”

Asked whether there are efforts to coordinate with military authorities regarding special events such as weddings, Weiss replied: “We are in complete chaos. There is no one to talk to. You don’t know what tomorrow will bring.”

He noted that community activists and lawyers are trying to help individual cases but described the situation as only the beginning of a larger wave of difficulties.

Weiss also warned about broader effects during the upcoming Bein Hazmanim vacation period, when yeshiva students traditionally travel around Israel. “Many travel to the north, to Tiberias, and throughout the country to rest and regain strength before returning to study.”

His concern is that traffic checkpoints and police stops could lead to additional arrests: “That would become a widespread problem affecting everyone.”

Asked whether Vizhnitz might adopt a more pragmatic approach similar to that of some other Hasidic groups, Weiss said no.He described the position of the Vizhnitz Rebbe: “The Rebbe follows the approach of ‘Give me Yavne and its sages.’ We do not involve ourselves in the intricacies of the draft law, but he is deeply pained by the current situation.”

“The Rebbe says that the Torah world is the protection of the Jewish people with complete and absolute faith.”

Weiss rejected proposals to draft those who are not actively studying Torah: “The army today is simply not prepared or suited for the charedi public.”

He argued that military culture and values conflict with the community’s religious standards:”There are agendas and educational approaches that contradict everything we were raised on. When there is not even basic Sabbath observance and the minimum conditions for a Haredi Jew, there is no discussion to be had.”

According to Weiss, this issue differs from other disputes involving budgets, daycare subsidies, or housing benefits. “Those are technical and economic issues that people can somehow manage.”

By contrast, he says: This crisis harms the building of faithful Jewish homes in Israel. It strikes at the foundations of the Jewish people.”

He concluded: “We are standing here helpless. You cannot tell young couples, ‘Wait a month or two and the wave will pass.’ We are in a period of political instability. No one knows when elections will be held or what they will bring, and there is no responsible adult stopping this situation. Our political representatives have no answers, and this situation is going to continue.”

Three of the country’s biggest retailers have confirmed overlapping summer sales that begin the week of Monday, June 22, setting up the most crowded discount stretch in recent memory as inflation-weary shoppers hunt for value. Walmart, Amazon and Target each announced events landing within a day of one another, turning a single week into a head-to-head fight for the same dollars.

Walmart moved first on the calendar. Walmart Deals will run Monday, June 22 through Sunday, June 28 — a seven-day event the company pulled forward from its traditional July slot to line up directly against Amazon. The sale is open to everyone with no membership or code required, with discounts the retailer says reach up to 50% across fashion, beauty, home, electronics and toys. Walmart+ members get early access and a 24-hour window to lock in high-demand deals before inventory opens to all shoppers.

Amazon is going next and tighter. Amazon Prime Day 2026 will run Tuesday, June 23 through Friday, June 26, a four-day event that requires a Prime membership. It is the first time since 2021 that Amazon has held Prime Day in June rather than July, and the company is promising millions of deals across more than 35 categories. A Prime membership runs $14.99 a month or about $139 a year.

Target is matching Amazon’s dates. Target Circle Deal Days, the retailer’s summer version of Circle Week, will run Tuesday, June 23 through Friday, June 26, with early access for paid Target Circle 360 members starting Monday, June 22. Unlike Amazon, Target’s basic loyalty program is free to join. Best Buy is in the mix too, with a Tech Fest sale running June 22 through June 28.

The clustering is deliberate. By stacking their events, the retailers are competing for back-to-school spending and even early holiday shopping, while denying any single rival a clear window. The week of June 22 is shaping up as the single best buying stretch of the year for electronics, appliances and home goods, and each chain is fighting to get shoppers’ carts first.

Last year’s results show why the fight is intense. During the 2025 events, online spending at Walmart.com grew 24% year over year — about six times faster than Amazon Prime Day’s growth — according to card-transaction data from Bloomberg Second Measure. Walmart’s web traffic rose 14% while Amazon’s was flat, and Walmart’s app use jumped 22% against Amazon’s 3%, according to Similarweb. The numbers suggest Walmart’s push into a Prime Day-style event is paying off and pressuring Amazon’s lead.

The backdrop is a strained consumer. Shoppers are absorbing higher costs across groceries, housing and travel, and many are trading down to value-focused chains and store brands. Retailers are bringing promotions forward and cutting prices specifically to attract shoppers worn down by inflation. That pressure was visible the same week elsewhere in retail, as Kroger reported shoppers buying with tighter budgets and discount grocer Aldi detailed an aggressive U.S. expansion aimed at value-seeking customers.

For consumers, the overlap is a mixed blessing. The competition should mean deeper discounts and more price-matching, but the membership rules differ in ways that affect who gets the best access. Amazon’s strongest deals are locked behind Prime, while Walmart and Target keep their main events open to all and reserve perks — early access and item locks — for paying members. Shoppers willing to compare across all three stand to benefit most.

The business stakes go beyond a single week. These events drive membership sign-ups and feed the fast-growing retail advertising businesses that Amazon, Walmart and Target are each building. Winning the June window helps set momentum heading into the second half of the year, when back-to-school and holiday spending help determine how the season finishes.

The events kick off in days, and the early jockeying is already underway, with each retailer rolling out pre-sale discounts to capture shoppers before the official start. For households watching their budgets, the practical takeaway is simple: the biggest markdowns of the summer arrive the week of June 22, and the three largest players are all chasing the same cart at the same time.

JBizNews Desk | New York & Washington

© 2026 JBizNews.com. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction, redistribution, republication, or retransmission of this content, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from JBizNews.com is strictly prohibited.

photos: Issac Y.

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) Bnei Torah are now facing a challenge created by a triple-fronted Yetzer Harah.  On the one hand, there is the challenge to our very midos – which define who we are.  On the other hand, there is a challenge to the very concept of who we are as the Am Hashem. And on the third-hand, there is a challenge to our Mesorah – the Gedolim whose world-view were forged in the Mussar/iron furnaces of the great Yeshivos of Europe – the Mussar traditions Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l, Rav Simcha Zissel Ziv, of Kelm zt”l, the Alter of Slabodka zt”l, Rav Yeruchem Levovitz of Mir zt”l, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz of Mir zt”l, Rav Mordechai Gifter of Telse Yeshiva zt”l, Rav Nachum Partowitz of Mir Yerushalayim zt”l, Rav Shteinman zt”l, Rav Elyashivz t”l, and Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l.

The response must be three things that must be held at once, and the difficulty of this moment is so great that many find it nearly impossible to hold all. But to hold all three is what we must do.

The first is a real and important concern. A current within Zionism — from its early ideologues to many of its current voices — has sought to redefine the Jewish people as a nation like all the nations: a people defined by land, language, sovereignty, and army, explicitly in place of a people defined by Torah and by being the Am Hashem. Many even have a deep sinah for Bnei Torah and Torah. To the extent any movement tries to sever Klal Yisroel from that identity — to undo the mesorah and thousands of years of what Torah-based Yiddishkeit has always been — it must be opposed, and our gedolim across the spectrum opposed it. This response does not soften that truth in the slightest.

The second is equally a Torah obligation. No hashkafic dispute, however serious, may be permitted to corrode our midos, our gratitude, or our basic humanity toward members of Klal Yisroel who place their bodies between us and those who would murder us.  We must have an attitude of Kiruv, for nebach, these lost neshamos.

And the third is also a Torah obligation.  It is to hold on dearly to our Mesorah. Shma bni mussar avicha v’al titosh toras imecha.  To strongly hold to the worldview of our past Gedolim, who clearly spoke of the centrality of maintaining our Midos. 

The Challenge

HaGaon Rabbi Yisrael Bunim Schreiber shlit”a (born 5718/1958 in Bnei Brak) is the son of the dayan Rav Pinchas Schreiber zt”l, grandson of Rav Avraham Yitzchok Rothstein of the Diskin Orphanage, talmid of Ponovezh and Brisk, and son-in-law of Rav Yaakov Yehuda Braverman, He is the rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Meah Shearim, one of the roshei yeshiva of Yeshivas Nesiv HaDaas in Yerushalayim and rav of the “Bnei Pinchas” kehillah in Ashdod. He previously headed the Gerrer Yeshivas Ohr Simcha in Haifa and delivered Daf HaYomi b’iyun shiurim to ram”im and maggidei shiurim in Ramat Elchanan.  However, he is not representative of the traditions of our mainstream mussar Yeshivos. He does represent a stream of hashkafa that was held by a minority of our Gedolei Torah which ran counter to that of Agudah.  

A transcript of Rav Schreiber shlita’s remarks delivered shortly after October 7th at a gathering of bnei Torah, addressed his recommended attitude toward Israeli soldiers, toward the Jews murdered and taken captive on Simchas Torah of 5784, and toward the question of hakaras hatov toward soldiers. Because these remarks invoke Torah, they deserve a response rooted in Torah: written without rancor, faithful to the mesorah, and conceding what is true in them before answering what is not. 

The error running through the remarks is not that they raise the first concern mentioned above. It is that they allow the first to annihilate the second and third.

The remarks lean on the Chofetz Chaim’s parable: a man fell into a pit, another pulled him out and nursed him for months, and when praised, the rescuer admitted, “I dug the pit.” The hashkafic point — applied to the State as an ideological entity — has force.

But the parable says nothing about the individual Jew: the twenty-year-old murdered in his bed on Simchas Torah, or the soldier who fell shielding a Jewish town. He did not dig the pit.  He was thrown into it. Our grief and our hakaras hatov are owed to him — the person — not to the “entity.” The Brisker Rav, the Satmar Rav, and the fiercest opponents of Zionism were uncompromising in ideology, yet none taught that a Jew should feel nothing for murdered Jewish children. Chalilah. One may hold the hardest hashkafic line and still weep. Indeed, one must still weep.  And let’s not forget the author of the Lecha Dodi, Rav Shlomo Alkabetz, who was murdered by a descendant of Yishmael four centuries before the advent of modern Zionism.  He, certainly, did not dig the pit.

1. “The garbage collector” — gratitude and hishtadlus reframed as identical questions

“What is the correct attitude of gratitude and hishtadlus toward those who collect the garbage every morning? It is exactly the same question.”

It is not the same question, because the garbage collector does not collect garbage through mesiras nefesh — at the risk of his own life. Dovid HaMelech refused to drink the water that three warriors broke through enemy lines to bring him, pouring it out and declaring, “ha’dam ha’anashim ha’holchim b’nafshosam” — “it is the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives” (Shmuel II 23:17). Dovid did not treat self-endangering men as vendors. The Sefer HaChinuch (Mitzvah 33) teaches that one must “recognize and repay good and not be a kafuy tovah,” calling ingratitude “middah ra’ah u’meusah b’tachlis” — utterly base — and extends gratitude even to benefit conferred without intent. If gratitude is owed even where there is no risk and no intent, how much more where a man knowingly faces death.

The correct response:

“Dovid HaMelech poured out as a libation the water his men risked their lives to bring, calling it their very blood. The garbage collector does not place his own life at risk. Gratitude is owed even to a benefactor who never intended to help us — how much more to one who offered his life.”

2. “The Rock, His work is perfect” — it was aimed only at the living, not at the slain

“It was not aimed at those who were killed there, but at everyone whom it caused anxiety… It is not our business why they were killed. We are not supposed to be prosecutors or defenders of them.”

The premise — that “hatzur tamim pa’alo” (Devarim 32:4), Hashem’s justice is perfect, and that we do not sit in the “secretariat of Gehinnom” judging the slain — is true and even praiseworthy. Refraining from accusing the murdered dead is exactly right; the Gemara condemns those who “throw off the yoke” by blaming victims. But the conclusion drawn from it — that the dead are therefore none of our concern — does not follow. One can decline to judge a fallen Jew while still being obligated to mourn him. The Torah’s response to a single unexplained Jewish death is not detachment but communal trembling: the entire Mitzvah of eglah arufah (Devarim 21) forces the elders to declare “yadeinu lo shafchu” over one anonymous corpse. We do not judge the slain; we grieve them. The two are not the same act.

The correct response:

“Yes — we do not work in the secretariat of Gehinnom, and we do not accuse the murdered. But declining to judge a fallen Jew is not the same as feeling nothing for him. The Torah builds an entire parshah of trembling around one body in a field. We withhold judgment and we still mourn.”

3. “What is your connection to the casualties? Why relate to them at all?”

“The attitude toward the casualties — who said there needs to be any attitude? What is your connection to them? Why are you supposed to relate to them?”

This severs the central nerve of Knesses Yisroel. The Gemara (Shevuos 39a) states the foundation: “kol Yisroel areivim zeh ba’zeh” — all Jews are guarantors for one another. The Rambam (Hilchos Aveil 14:1) rules that sharing in a fellow Jew’s distress is included in “V’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha,” owed to every member of Klal Yisroel. Hillel teaches “al tifrosh min ha’tzibbur” (Avos 2:5), and the Rambam (Hilchos Teshuvah 3:11) classifies one who detaches from the suffering of the community — even while keeping every mitzvah — as having no portion in the World to Come. “What is your connection?” is, in the Torah’s own vocabulary, the wrong question. The connection is called being a Yid.

The correct response:

“Kol Yisroel areivim zeh ba’zeh. The Rambam rules that detaching from the pain of the tzibbur — even while keeping every mitzvah — forfeits one’s share in Olam Haba. Our connection to a fallen Jew is not optional; it is the connection of arvus, of one body that feels its own wound.”

4. “Is that so!?” — the denial that the slain are “our brothers”

“They are our brothers — ‘They are??’ … It is bobbe-maisos. It is not brothers and nothing of the sort. It is just fantasies!”

The Torah calls every Jew “achicha” — your brother — repeatedly and as a matter of law (e.g., Devarim 15:7, Vayikra 25:46, which forbids ruling over “achicha b’nei Yisroel” with harshness). The brotherhood of Jews is not a sentiment to be dismissed as bobbe-maisos; it is the basis of dozens of mitzvos. The argument offered — that we do not feel this brotherhood at every routine death, so it is fantasy here too — proves the repasuk of what it intends. That we have grown numb to the constant toll of achim lost to illness and accident is itself a deadening of feeling to be corrected, not a proof that brotherhood is imaginary. The cure for under-feeling one death is not to extinguish feeling for fifty.

The correct response:

“The Torah calls every Jew achicha — your brother — as a matter of law, not sentiment. If we have grown numb to the daily loss of our brothers, that numbness is the flaw to be healed, not the proof that brotherhood is fantasy. We do not cure indifference to one by erasing grief for fifty.”

5. “One killed or fifty — there is nothing real in it”

“What practical difference does it make whether one was killed or fifty? People get more worked up over it. But it’s not a real thing. There is nothing real in it.”

The Mishnah (Sanhedrin 4:5) is built on the opposite principle: “kol ha’me’abed nefesh achas… k’ilu ibed olam malei” — whoever destroys one soul is as though he destroyed an entire world. The Mishnah’s whole purpose is to teach that number does not diminish the infinite weight of each life. To call fifty murdered Jews “not a real thing” contradicts the Mishnah every Cheder yingel learns.

The correct response:

“Whoever destroys a single soul, it is as though he destroyed a whole world. Number does not shrink the infinite. Fifty murdered Jews are fifty worlds — that is the most real thing there is. If anything, we feel too little, not too much.”

6. “The cruelty of the Ishmaelites is no different from a car wheel”

“The people killed in a car accident look, after the accident, exactly like the people who acted there. The same cruelty. Only here the wheels did it, and there the Arab did it.”

Halacha draws the sharpest possible line between an accident and willful murder by the hand of an enemy. An ones — an accident — and retzichah b’yad — murder — are not interchangeable; the Torah devotes whole sections to distinguishing the inadvertent from the intentional (Bamidbar 35; Devarim 19). More to the point, blood spilled by an enemy who hates Jews as Jews engages the category of “sonei Yisroel” and the Torah’s own response to Amalek and to those who rise against us “l’chaloseinu”. A wheel has no malice. To equate the two is to erase the moral unipasuk the Torah is built to defend. Even the remarks concede the cruelty is “the nature of Ishmael” — which is precisely an admission that an intending agent acted, not a mechanism.

The correct response:

“The Torah devotes whole parshiyos to separating the accidental from the willful. A wheel has no malice; an enemy who murders Jews because they are Jews engages the category of sonei Yisroel. To call them the same is to flatten the very distinction the Torah exists to protect.”

7. “The Holy One is conveying a message — but it is not connected to them or to the war”

“Of course the Holy One is conveying a message… but it is not connected to them and not connected to the war. You need to learn from the story itself.”

That every event carries a message and demands teshuvah is true and is the Rambam’s explicit ruling (Hilchos Ta’aniyos 1:1–3): one who treats calamity as mere happenstance, “derech mikreh,” is guilty of achzarius — cruelty. So far, correct. But the claim that the message is detached from the specific event — that the slaughter and the war are incidental scenery — runs against the same Rambam, who roots the call to repent precisely in the nature of the calamity that struck. We are meant to read this tragedy, in its particulars, as the call.

The correct response:

“Yes — every event is a call to teshuvah, and to treat tragedy as mere happenstance is, in the Rambam’s word, cruelty. But the Rambam roots the call in the calamity itself. The message is not detached from the slaughter and the war; it is spoken through them.”

8. “1,200 killed is not tza’ar hatzibbur”

“The suffering of the community is not when one thousand two hundred people were killed. That is not more ‘suffering’ than a bus that overturned.”

The Rambam (Hilchos Ta’aniyos 1:1–2) defines a communal calamity as “eis tzarah she’titzar bah ha’tzibbur” and lists cherev — the sword, war — as the paradigm case obligating the entire nation to cry out, fast, and repent. A coordinated massacre of twelve hundred Jews, followed by a war that has emptied homes and shuls of fathers and sons across the land, is the textbook tzaras ha’tzibbur of the Rambam. It is difficult to name a clearer example in living memory.

The correct response:

“The Rambam lists the sword — war — as the paradigm of the communal calamity that obligates the whole nation to cry out and do tshuvaht. A massacre of twelve hundred Jews and a nationwide war is not a bus accident; it is the textbook tzaras hatzibbur of the Rambam.”

9. The Meron contrast — “there you feel connected because they are your people”

“The Meron disaster — l’havdil, l’havdil. There you feel connected because they are your friends, your family, your people… S’iz dayne! But those killed in the war — don’t tell me ‘brothers.’”

The kedoshim of Meron were precious and Klal Yisroel rightly mourned them. But the principle implied here — “I grieve for my people, the ones who look and daven like me, not for those others” — is the very parochialism the Torah forbids. “V’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha” (Vayikra 19:18) is not “l’re’acha she’domeh lecha” — your fellow who resembles you. Rabbi Akiva called this pasuk “klal gadol ba’Torah.” A Jew murdered al kiddush Hashem for the crime of being a Jew is dayne — yours — whether or not he wore your levush. The honest feeling of kinship the remarks acknowledge toward Meron is the correct feeling; it must simply be extended to every Jew, as the Torah commands.

The correct response:

“V’ahavta l’re’acha kamocha is not ‘love the one who resembles you.’ Rabbi Akiva called it the great principle of the whole Torah. A Jew slaughtered for being a Jew is yours — dayne — in your levush or out of it. The kinship felt toward Meron is right; it must reach every Jew.”

10. “Why do the hostages interest you more than the sick in the hospitals?”

“Is there a matter of ‘bearing the yoke’ with all those who lie sick in the hospitals? Why do the hostages interest you more?”

The Torah’s own ranking answers this directly. The Gemara (Bava Basra 8b) calls pidyon shevuyim “mitzvah rabbah” and explains that captivity is graver than all afflictions because “ha’shevi b’chlal kulhu” — the captive is subject to every affliction at once: starvation, the sword, and death. The Rambam (Hilchos Matnos Aniyim 8:10) rules: “Ein lecha mitzvah gedolah k’pidyon shevuyim,” and that delaying it needlessly is tantamount to bloodshed. So the hostages “interest us more” not by sentiment but by the Rambam’s psak. We carry the sick as well — both deserve our concern — but the Torah assigns to captivity a unique and superior urgency.

The correct response:

“The Rambam writes there is no mitzvah greater than pidyon shevuyim, because the captive faces every affliction at once. The hostages are not a sentiment we happen to feel — they are a din that ranks above almost all else. We carry the sick too, but the Torah itself places the captive first.”

11. “We sit here as parasites” — feelings of inferiority as the true source

“We have feelings of inferiority… as if they are doing while we sit here as parasites… All these feelings stem from a feeling of inferiority. There is nothing else to it.”

There is a genuine insight buried here: hakaras hatov must flow from clarity, not from guilt, and a bochur who learns should do so with conviction, not with a cringe. True. But the diagnosis that all feeling for the slain is merely disguised guilt is false and, worse, corrosive. The Torah commands “nosei b’ol im chaveiro” — bearing the burden with one’s fellow (Avos 6:6, among the 48 ways Torah is acquired). Moshe Rabbeinu “went out to his brothers and saw their burdens” (Shmos 2:11), and Rashi explains he set his eyes and heart to grieve with them — this is the conduct that made him fit to lead. Empathy for suffering Jews is not a neurosis to be explained away; it is a kinyan ha’Torah and the trait of the greatest of our leaders.

The correct response:

“Yes — our learning should rest on clarity, not guilt. But nosei b’ol im chaveiro is one of the forty-eight ways the Torah is acquired. Moshe went out and saw his brothers’ burdens and grieved with them — and that is what made him their leader. Empathy is not a neurosis to diagnose away; it is a kinyan of Torah itself.”

12. “My front is the Mir Yeshiva — woe to that disgrace”

“My front is the Mir Yeshiva. Woe to that shame and that disgrace! Should Torah be the front of the war?”

The instinct being mocked is, in fact, a Torah truth — when said with the right heart. “Torah magna u’matzla” — Torah shields and rescues (Sotah 21a). Chazal teach that Dovid’s warriors prevailed in the merit of those who sat and learned, and that Yoav’s sword succeeded only because of the beis medrash (Sanhedrin 49a). The yeshiva is a front. But — and this is the heart of the matter — a soldier on one front does not hold a soldier on another front in disdain. He honors him, because they defend the same nation from different positions. The Mishnah binds them as equals: “Im ein kemach ein Torah, im ein Torah ein kemach” (Avos 3:17) — without bread no Torah, without Torah no bread; mutually dependent, never ranked. The phrase is not a disgrace. The disgrace would be to say it with contempt for the Jew at the other front.

The correct response:

“Torah magna u’matzla — the yeshiva truly is a front. But a soldier at one front honors the soldier at another; he does not sneer at him. Im ein kemach ein Torah, im ein Torah ein kemach — the two are bound as equals, never ranked. We are the quiet scientists guarding a nation that cannot see our work; that is cause for humility and gratitude, never disdain.”

13. “Why don’t yeshiva students go to the army? — you have no answer”

“Why do yeshiva students not need to go to the army? — and you have no answer. Except for that foolish answer that you are ‘serving here.’”

There is a serious and time-honored answer, and it is precisely the one being dismissed — though it must be stated with humility rather than scorn. Chazal teach that “osek ba’Torah” carries protective and even existential weight for Klal Yisroel; the Rambam (end of Hilchos Shemittah v’Yovel 13:13) describes the one who devotes himself wholly to Hashem’s service as set apart “kodesh kodashim.” The position that the masmid is genuinely contributing to the nation’s defense is not “foolish”; it is the considered view of gedolei Yisroel. But the way to vindicate it is not by belittling the soldier — that undermines the claim, for it reveals contempt rather than the ahavas Yisroel that should animate the lamdan. The answer is real; the disdain is what discredits it.

The correct response:

“There is a real answer — that one who toils in Torah is kodesh kodashim and a genuine shield for the nation. But that answer is vindicated by deeper avodah and deeper ahavas Yisroel, never by belittling the soldier. Contempt does not strengthen the lamdan’s claim; it discredits it.”

14. “By King David there was an army — but here everything is contrary to law”

“By King David there was an army because he had a state kosher according to law… Here, everything is contrary to law! If we behaved according to law, we would not be in this situation today.”

The hashkafic premise — that a Torah polity is the ideal and that much of the present order departs from it — is a legitimate position with deep roots. But two qualifications are decisive. First, hishtadlus to defend Jewish life from murderers is not suspended because the surrounding political order is flawed; pikuach nefesh and the defense of Jews against those who come “l’horgecha” (Sanhedrin 72a, “haba l’horgecha hashkem l’horgo”) do not wait for an ideal state. Second, and more important here: even if one holds the entire enterprise is “contrary to law,” that is a claim about the entity — and we have already conceded the entity may be critiqued. It says nothing about the individual soldier, who did not legislate the state and did not dig the pit, but only stood between his people and slaughter.

The correct response:

“Whatever one holds about the polity, the defense of Jewish life from those who come to murder us is pikuach nefesh — haba l’horgecha hashkem l’horgo — and does not wait for an ideal state. And a critique of the entity is not a verdict on the individual soldier, who did not build the state and did not dig the pit.”

15. “Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz — unequivocally, no!”

“Rabbi Chaim Shmuelevitz writes in Sichos Mussar that they sacrifice their lives for our sake, so we are indebted… ‘Unequivocally, no! He did not hold that way.’”

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz zt”l, the Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, taught at length that hakaras hatov is not canceled by the benefactor’s motives. His famous mussar lesson: the Torah commanded that Moshe not strike the Nile (the plagues of blood and frogs came through Aharon) and not strike the dust (the plague of lice likewise), because the water had sheltered the infant Moshe and the sand had concealed the Egyptian he buried (Rashi, Shmos 7:19, 8:12).

If the Torah demands gratitude toward water and sand that felt nothing and intended nothing, the claim that one owes nothing to a living Jew who shielded one’s body cannot stand. To set aside Rav Chaim’s recorded words with “he did not hold that way” and “permit me to skip the answer” requires far more than an assertion. The Mesilas Yesharim (ch. 19) adds that blunting the sense of gratitude is a mark of coarseness, not of daas Torah.

The correct response:

“Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz built his Sichos Mussar on the very principle being denied: the Torah commanded Moshe not to strike the water and dust that once sheltered him — gratitude even to that which cannot feel. If we owe thanks to sand, we surely owe it to a Jew who stood before us with his body.”

16. “They were forced — so it is exactly like the Tnuva deliveryman”

“If there were no mandatory draft, no one would come… They come because they were forced. So it is exactly like the Tnuva deliveryman… like a doctor who was forced to heal — one does not say ‘thank you.’”

Let’s, for now, aside that the premise is factually shaky — a huge percentage of soldiers volunteer for combat, and Religious-Zionist youth volunteer far beyond their share. Even granting it, the halachic conclusion fails. The Gemara (Kiddushin 31a) teaches “gadol ha’metzuveh v’oseh” — one who acts under command is greater, not lesser, than the volunteer. Every Jew keeps Shabbos because he is metzuveh; compulsion does not empty an act of worth — in the Torah’s accounting it can elevate it. And the word “nebach” applied to a young man who died defending Jewish life is the wrong word. The Torah’s term for such a person is closer to “naaleh” — elevated — than to “nebach.” One who falls protecting Jewish lives dies “al kiddush Hashem.”

The correct response:

“Gadol ha’metzuveh v’oseh — one who acts under command is greater, not lesser. That a thing was commanded does not empty it of worth; it is the whole basis of our own avodah. A soldier who falls protecting Jewish lives is not a nebach — he is naaleh, and he dies al kiddush Hashem.”

It is possible — it is necessary — to hold both truths at once. One may believe with full conviction that a founding strain of Zionist ideology sought to remake the Jewish people into something other than the Am Hashem, and that this is a profound error against our mesorah. And one must, at that very same moment, feel grief in one’s bones for every murdered Jewish child, gratitude toward every Jew who stood with his body between us and our enemies, and the ache of arvus for every IDF soldier hurt. The Torah does not present these as a contradiction. Failing to hold them together is not a sign of hashkafic strength; it is a sign that the middah of hakaras hatov — which the Sefer HaChinuch calls the root of so much of the Torah — has been allowed to wither.

Let none of this be mistaken for a softening of the third obligation — the duty to hold fast to our Mesorah. The very gratitude, grief, and arvus demanded here are not innovations or concessions to the spirit of the age; they are the inheritance handed down through the Mussar furnaces of Kelm, Slabodka, Mir, and Telz. It was Rav Yisroel Salanter zt”l and the baalei mussar who built their entire avodah upon the refinement of the midos, upon nosei b’ol im chaveiro and hakaras hatov as the foundation of a Torah life. The Torah commands us to weep for a murdered Jew and to thank one who shields us. To abandon these midos in the name of hashkafic purity is not faithfulness to the Mesorah but a betrayal of it, for it discards the very toras imecha — “v’al titosh toras imecha” — that our Rabbeim transmitted as their life works.

Some will ask, but how can one disagree with Rav Schreiber shlita? The Ruach Chaim in Pirkei Avos 4:1 writes that it is forbidden for a talmid to refrain from disagreeing with his master when he has genuine questions on that position. I posed the same question to Rav Dovid Feinstein zt”l while driving him to a Moetzes meeting. He expressed this unequivocally regarding a psak of Rav Elyashivz t”l (which Rav Elyashiv later revised).  He, of course, added that it must be done with great respect and humility.

“Ha’kol kol Yaakov” — the voice is the voice of Yaakov. May the voice that emerges from our batei medrash always be a voice of rachamim, of hakaras hatov, and of love for every member of Klal Yisroel — guarding them, grieving for them, and thanking them, even those who cannot see what we are building, even as we daven for the day when all of Klal Yisroel will once again know itself, fully and consciously, as the Am Hashem.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

[Video below.] Late-night television host Bill Maher blasted President Donald Trump’s newly signed agreement with Iran on Friday, arguing that the administration gave away too much while receiving little in return as the United States enters a critical 60-day negotiation period with Tehran.

During his opening monologue, Maher mocked Trump’s reputation as a master negotiator and questioned the value of the recently signed 14-point memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran.

“Where is the big deal maker? What happened to the art of the deal?” Maher asked during his opening monologue on Friday evening, referencing the title of Trump’s 1987 book.

The memorandum launched a two-month diplomatic window designed to produce a broader agreement between the two countries. Among its provisions are measures intended to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes.

The agreement also includes a framework for lifting American sanctions on Iran and establishing a massive $300 billion reconstruction fund for the country, provisions that have already generated criticism from a number of Republican lawmakers.

Maher argued that the United States emerged from the agreement with little to show for its concessions.

“We didn’t get anything. I just hope we play Iran in the World Cup so we can beat them at something,” Maher said.

The administration quickly pushed back against criticism surrounding the reconstruction fund.

Appearing Saturday morning on Fox News, Vice President JD Vance insisted that American taxpayers would not finance the project and emphasized that any release of funds remains dependent on Iran meeting its obligations under the agreement.

According to Vance, a U.S. negotiating team led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner is currently in Switzerland conducting technical discussions aimed at implementing the accord.

The vice president expressed confidence that the ceasefire framework underpinning the agreement would remain intact despite ongoing regional tensions.

“There’s a fork in the road here,” Vance said, referring to the upcoming negotiations. “The United States wins either way, but I think that what ultimately happens from here is very much up to the Iranians.

“Do they want to behave better? If so, great,” he continued. “If they don’t want to behave better, the president of the United States still has a whole lot of options from here.”

Even as negotiations continue, the agreement faced an immediate challenge when Iranian military officials announced Saturday morning that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed.

Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said the move was a response to Israeli military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon, raising fresh concerns about the durability of the accord.

American military officials appeared to dispute Iran’s position and signaled that the United States still considers the agreement fully operational.

“U.S. forces remain present and vigilant to ensure all aspects of the agreement with Iran are adhered to, obeyed, and in full force and effect,” the military command said.

The conflicting messages highlighted the uncertainty surrounding the new agreement, as supporters argue it offers a pathway to long-term stability while critics contend it grants significant concessions to Tehran before securing meaningful guarantees in return.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich launched a scathing attack Sunday morning against the High Court amid its controversial hearing regarding the makeup of the Judicial Selection Committee, during which Justice Yitzchak Amit justified striking down a Basic Law.

His suggestion came despite the fact that the judges are in an extreme conflict of interest, overseeing a hearing that concerns the very committee that appointed them to their positions. Additionally, the hearing centered on petitions to annul a Basic Law, which, according to the High Court itself, has the status of a constitution, with the judges lacking any authority to knock such a law down.

“Right now, just beyond that hill, eleven detached people in black robes are sitting there and thinking they are allowed to strike down a Basic Law enacted by the Knesset,” Smotrich said.

“Democracy belongs to the people; they are sovereign. I say to the High Court justices: Don’t you dare. Under no circumstances will we normalize this abomination. You have no right and no authority to strike down the Knesset’s Basic Laws.”

“Take your hands off Israeli democracy. If you want to influence how judges are selected, take off your robes, establish a political party, run for the Knesset, and if you earn the people’s trust, you can become part of the game.”

Smotrich devoted a significant portion of his remarks to criticism of Justice Yitzchak Amit, following comments Amit made during the hearing about removing politicians from the committee.

“The audacity of Justice Amit is beyond comprehension,” Smotrich said. “The Knesset, which is sovereign, legislated and decided what the committee would look like, but he—who appointed himself the High Court president without authority—wants to remove the politicians from the committee. Maybe he should declare himself ruler of Israel and put an end to this charade of pretending we have a democracy.”

“If anyone should be removed from the committee, it’s the judges, who are the biggest politicians of all. They have none of the checks and balances of the ballot box through which democratic representatives are elected, yet they trample on it.

“The state belongs to the people. They are sovereign. Don’t you dare destroy Israeli democracy.”

The chairman of the Knesset’s Law Commitee, MK Simcha Rothman, also responded harshly, saying, “A judge who issues a ruling on how judges are appointed in a democratic country and on a Basic Law that was passed by a majority of 68 Knesset members is a criminal.”

Likud MK Ariel Kallner stated: “Today’s discussion in the High Court of Justice on the Judicial Selection Law is absolutely illegal—the discussion itself. It doesn’t matter at all what they decide.

“What is happening today is that the judges are deciding how judges will be appointed. They don’t recognize the authority of the legislative branch and the people to have a say in the matter. Such a thing does not exist in any democracy!

“If such a moderate Basic Law amendment, passed by the Knesset, providing complete parity between the coalition and the opposition and applying only from the next Knesset onward, can even be brought before the High Court, it demonstrates that every possible line has been crossed and sends a clear message to the public: ‘You have no authority. Your vote has no meaning. We will intervene in any law your representatives pass, and we will continue choosing ourselves according to the system we deem appropriate.’

“This is what tyranny looks like. And it is our duty to put an end to that tyranny. This is what the next election will be about. Only if we win and receive renewed public support for judicial reform will we be able to fight back and put an end to a tyranny that has already proven it will stop at nothing.

“If, chalila, we lose, we will wake up to a nightmare in which the tyranny of the High Court and its supporters ensures that any attempt at democratization is suppressed for the next 100 years.”

Likud MK Yoav Kisch responded, saying: “Extreme conflict of interest: Not ‘gatekeepers’ – guardians of power. What is happening today in the High Court is a built-in democratic absurdity. The judges are deliberating on the composition of the committee that appoints them. Those who benefit from the current situation are simply blocking the will of the people with their own bodies.

“Millions of citizens did not go to the polls so that a handful of judges could run the country for them. In a democracy, the sovereign is the people, not a disconnected system that tramples the decision of the voter with a heavy foot and invents for itself powers that do not exist in the law.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The IDF announced that on Saturday evening it carried out a strike in central Gaza and eliminated Ahmed Samir Mohammed Washah, a member of the military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization who served as a sniper.

At the same time as his work as an Al Jazeera cameraman in recent years, Washah was also active in Hamas’s military wing. Recently, he had been involved in promoting sniper operations and other terrorist activities against IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip.

Washah worked alongside his brother, Mohammed Samir Mohammed Washah, a senior operative in Hamas’s rocket and weapons production headquarters, who also allegedly operated under the cover of an Al Jazeera journalist and was eliminated in April.

Due to his recent military activity and the threat he posed to IDF forces operating in the area, Washah was eliminated in a precise airstrike.

In the same airstrike the IDF also eliminated Sabai Abu Hasna (whose home was targeted), a member of Hamas’s Shadow Unit, which is responsible for guarding and holding Israeli hostages.

According to the blogger Abu Ali Express, Abu Hasna was the Hamas terrorist whom former hostage survivor Omer Shem Tov was forced to kiss on the forehead during what was described as a humiliating hostage-release ceremony. The incident received significant public attention at the time.

Another Hamas terrorist, Abd al-Rahman Abu Gharqoud, was also reportedly killed.

As previously reported, during the release of Omer Wenkrat, Eliya Cohen, and Omer Shem Tov in February 2025, Hamas held a public “ceremony” as part of the hostages’ release. During that event, Omer Shem Tov was seen being compelled to kiss the forehead of one of the militants standing beside him, seemingly as a gesture of appreciation, a scene that drew widespread attention and criticism.

While much of the world is focused on the US-Iran agreement and the World Cup, a far more extraordinary milestone has quietly passed: Elon Musk has become the first trillionaire in history. Following the latest valuation of SpaceX and its artificial intelligence ventures, his holdings surpassed $1.1 trillion.

Not long ago, a millionaire was considered a member of a tiny global elite. Then America introduced the age of the billionaire, transforming economics, finance, and society.

Now we have entered the era of the trillionaire. In 2020, Musk was worth $28 billion and ranked 35th among the world’s richest people.

Six years later, his fortune has exploded to a level that defies ordinary economic logic. Whether I find that believable is irrelevant; the numbers speak for themselves.

Musk’s wealth now exceeds the entire economic output of more than 125 developing countries. It rivals the combined economic weight of Africa’s largest economies, and it dwarfs the GDP of countries such as Egypt.

Historically, great fortunes were built through manufacturing or finance. Today, technology dominates the summit of global wealth, with seven of the 10 richest people deriving their fortunes from the sector.

Yet Musk is not merely rich. He and a handful of technology magnates are reshaping the future itself. Space exploration was once the exclusive domain of governments; now, private entrepreneurs lead the charge. Musk is also pushing efforts to merge artificial intelligence with the human brain, placing some of humanity’s most consequential questions in private rather than public hands.

This is not simply business success – it is the privatization of the future. Admirers compare him to Edison or Einstein, perhaps with some exaggeration, but his influence is undeniable.

The obvious question is what any individual could possibly do with such wealth. Musk says half of it is intended to solve problems on Earth and the other half to build a self-sustaining city on Mars. Many find that answer unconvincing. They see fortunes of this scale as evidence of a profound moral imbalance in a world marked by extreme inequality.

Even if Musk earned every dollar legitimately, critics argue that economic and tax systems increasingly favor the wealthy and amplify their gains. As billions are spent pursuing life on Mars, millions of children still lack food, medicine, and opportunity.

Ancient philosophers taught that true wealth meant having enough. Looking around today, that idea feels more distant than ever.

– Abdallah Abdelsalam

Let’s remember who makes America great

Al-Ittihad, United Arab Emirates, June 14

National Immigrant Heritage Month, observed in the US during June, should be more than a celebration of cultural diversity; it should be a reminder of the complicated history that made America what it is today. At a moment when some seek to rewrite that history by emphasizing only national triumphs while erasing uncomfortable truths, it is worth remembering that the United States was built upon two original sins: slavery and the dispossession of indigenous peoples.

The wealth that powered the early republic came in large part from enslaved labor and from land taken from native communities.

Yet America’s story did not end there.

As the country expanded and industrialized, it depended on successive waves of immigrants to build railroads, dig canals, work mines, staff factories, and fuel economic growth. Chinese laborers laid rail lines, Irish workers dug canals, Eastern Europeans labored underground, and Italians, Greeks, Arabs, and countless others helped build modern America.

Ironically, each new wave of immigrants encountered suspicion, discrimination, and hostility from earlier arrivals who considered themselves the “real Americans.”

The same pattern is repeating itself today. Communities whose ancestors were once mocked for their language, culture, and customs now direct similar accusations toward newer immigrants, particularly those from Latin America.

What gets lost in this cycle is the lesson history repeatedly teaches us: America grows stronger because of those it welcomes, not despite them.

The country learned agricultural and political lessons from indigenous peoples, even while dismissing them as savages. Southern wealth depended on enslaved workers even while slaveholders demeaned them. The industrial economy depended on immigrants, even while many were treated as outsiders.

America’s food, music, literature, diplomacy, fashion, business culture, and civic life all bear the imprint of generations of newcomers.

What truly makes America great is not a mythologized past but its extraordinary ability to absorb different peoples and cultures, and transform them into a single society. The real danger lies in forgetting that truth and replacing history with comforting fiction.– James Zogby

Lebanon between ‘little oranim’ and ‘greater oranim’

An-Nahar, Lebanon, June 14

The battle unfolding in southern Lebanon is no longer about a hilltop, a valley, or a border village. It is increasingly a struggle over maps, spheres of influence, and the shape of the postwar South.

As negotiations in Washington continue to falter, there are mounting signs that Israel is no longer thinking in terms of returning to the status quo that existed before the war. Instead, it appears determined to translate military gains into a new security reality that extends well beyond Resolution 1701 and the Litani River.

Diplomatic sources involved in the Lebanese-Israeli talks say that a comprehensive ceasefire agreement has existed in draft form for weeks, but repeated efforts to implement it have failed.

Current efforts focus on a pilot arrangement near Beaufort Castle, which could serve as a model for future Israeli withdrawals. Success there might pave the way for broader agreements; failure could entrench new realities on the ground and bring cities such as Nabatieh into greater danger.

These concerns are reinforced by discussions within Israel itself, where military planners reportedly debate two strategic options known as “Little Oranim” and “Greater Oranim.” The first would consolidate existing gains and create a strengthened security belt along the border. The second would envision a much broader advance toward Nabatieh, Zahrani, Tyre, and Sidon, effectively redrawing southern Lebanon’s security geography.

Israeli evacuation warnings issued in areas around Tyre and Sidon have deepened fears that regions once considered beyond the immediate battlefield are now being incorporated into military planning. Meanwhile, operational control north of Wadi Saluki – a symbol of Israeli setbacks during the 2006 war – suggests that some of Hezbollah’s traditional defensive advantages are eroding.

Even more significant is the growing discussion of the Zahrani River as a future security line, replacing the Litani as the reference point for Israeli strategic thinking. Such a shift would bring Nabatieh, one of the political and logistical centers of Hezbollah’s support base, much closer to the heart of the conflict.

At the same time, Israeli officials increasingly describe drones, rather than rockets or tunnels, as the dominant threat, turning the war into a contest of technology and adaptation. Statements by Israeli commanders expressing readiness to advance as far as Beirut may be intended as psychological pressure rather than operational plans, but they reveal a broader reality: Israel wants allies and adversaries alike to understand that it no longer accepts the prewar balance.

The question is no longer where Israeli forces might stop. The question is what kind of southern Lebanon will remain if Israel succeeds in imposing its new security vision, and whether the peace that follows the war will be shaped by negotiation or by facts established on the battlefield.

– Fares Khachan

With Trump and against Trump

Al Mada, Iraq, June 15

A few months ago, Iraqi parliamentarian Youssef Al-Kalabi was demanding that Iraq stand up to America and calling for resistance against US President Donald Trump. Years earlier, he accused former prime minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi of serving American interests.

Then, just days ago, I watched the very same politician appear on television in an expensive suit, proudly informing viewers that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is a personal friend of Trump. Smiling broadly, he described al-Zaidi as a brave, intelligent businessman who enjoys a direct relationship with the American president and proudly repeated that “Trump calls him ‘my friend.’”

I do not enjoy revisiting the adventures of our politicians, but Iraq’s political theater leaves little choice. The contradictions are impossible to ignore.

We are constantly asked to participate in a never-ending performance called “with America and against America.” Many of the politicians who once praised American officials, presented gifts to Donald Rumsfeld, and sought the approval of Paul Bremer later discovered a passion for anti-American rhetoric and resistance. Our political class seems addicted to dramatic scenes, always searching for the next headline-grabbing statement while ordinary citizens continue waiting for prosperity, development, and competent governance.

Some may ask whether I am happy about Trump. The answer is simple: neither I nor millions of Iraqis elected him, congratulated him, or spent our days socializing with American diplomats.

What continues to amaze me is how Iraqi democracy has become a source of endless irony. For years, people have pointed to corruption, failure, and decay, yet the parties in power neither see nor hear. Instead, they reinvent themselves under new slogans about achievement, progress, awareness, and reform while producing little change.

Every morning, Iraqis are expected to laugh at the spectacle of politicians moving effortlessly from one position to its opposite.

After more than two decades, I struggle to recall a single Iraqi official who publicly objected to foreign powers speaking on Iraq’s behalf or interfering in its affairs. Perhaps that is the biggest joke of all.

– Ali Hussein 

Translated by Asaf Zilberfarb. All assertions, opinions, facts, and information presented in these articles are the sole responsibility of their respective authors and are not necessarily those of The Media Line, which assumes no responsibility for their content.

This post was originally published on here.

A growing rift between President Donald Trump and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni intensified over the weekend as Trump renewed his claim that the Italian leader repeatedly sought a photo opportunity with him during the recent G7 summit, further escalating a dispute that has strained what was once considered a strong political relationship.

The clash comes after the two leaders found themselves at odds over the conflict involving Iran. Both attended the Group of Seven summit in Évian-les-Bains, France, where world leaders met to discuss international security challenges, ongoing conflicts, and coordinated global initiatives.

In a Truth Social post on Shabbos, Trump repeated allegations he had made earlier in the week regarding his interactions with Meloni during the summit.

“Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni asked, over and over, for a picture with me during the G-7 meeting in France,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Shabbos, repeating his previous accusation about the Italian leader.

Trump also suggested that Meloni’s political standing at home has suffered because she refused to support his administration’s requests that European allies assist American military operations against Iran.

The president claimed the Italian leader was “doing poorly” in domestic polling “because she turned down” his administration’s calls for European allies to aid its military efforts against Iran.

Meloni has been among the European leaders expressing concern over aspects of the conflict, including reports involving an attack on an Iranian school. She also publicly defended criticism of the war voiced by the Vatican.

Trump argued that circumstances had changed after recent military developments involving Iran and suggested that Meloni was now seeking to repair relations with Washington.

“Now, after the United States defeated Iran militarily, she wants to be friends again in order to get her ‘numbers up.’ No thanks!!!” Trump wrote in the post.

Meloni responded forcefully on Friday, rejecting Trump’s account of events and accusing him of misrepresenting what occurred during the summit.

On social media, she described the president’s version of events as “completely fabricated” and said she was shocked by the accusations.

“I do not know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his allies — it is certainly not the first time this has happened,” Meloni said.

The Italian prime minister went on to criticize what she sees as a disparity between Trump’s treatment of allies and his approach toward America’s adversaries.

“I can only say it is regrettable that he does not show the same determination against the enemies of the West and the United States — against leaderships with whom he actually proves to be much more accommodating,” she continued.

The dispute has already begun producing diplomatic consequences.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani announced Friday that he was canceling a planned trip to the United States scheduled for next week in protest over the controversy.

In a social media statement, Tajani said the president’s “serious and offensive words” about the Italian leader “offend all of Italy.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s Ministry of Health has reported a second suspected case of Ebola in Israel after a man who returned to Israel from the Democratic Republic of the Congo two days ago sought medical treatment after developing a fever, headache, and diarrhea, Ynet reported.

He is currently being treated under isolation protocols for highly contagious diseases at Sheba Medical Center. The results of the tests he underwent are expected in the coming days.

This is the second suspected case reported in Israel within two days. On Friday, the Ministry of Health announced the first suspected case: a man who returned from Congo developed a fever and headache and was placed in full isolation at Rambam Hospital in Haifa. That case also remains unconfirmed, and test results have not yet been received.

In response, Israel’s Interior Ministry has temporarily barred the entry of foreign nationals from Congo, Uganda, and South Sudan.

The Ministry of Health emphasized that no confirmed Ebola cases have been diagnosed in Israel. Epidemiological investigations are underway in both cases to identify relevant contacts and determine whether there is any connection between them.

Once the investigations are completed, health authorities will contact any individuals deemed relevant based on risk assessments. Anyone who is not contacted directly by the Ministry of Health is not currently required to take any action.

Tal Brosh, director of the Infectious Diseases Unit at Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital and head of the Ministry of Health’s pandemic response team, explained that Ebola is caused by a virus originating in animals, most likely bats.

“It causes fever, flu-like aches, diarrhea, and vomiting, and in some patients leads to bleeding and multi-organ failure,” he said.

According to Brosh, Ebola remains a major concern for public health authorities worldwide because of its high mortality rate and its ability to spread from person to person and from patients to healthcare workers.

“The current outbreak is taking place in the eastern provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and is not under control because of the limited capabilities of local authorities in that region. The outlook for bringing the outbreak under control is currently bleak,” he told Ynet.

Brosh stressed that the risk to Israelis traveling to Africa remains extremely low.

“Ebola transmission requires close, direct contact with an infected person, and the disease is not airborne like measles or COVID-19.”

However, because of the serious implications of an Ebola case reaching Israel, authorities are taking a highly cautious approach.

“Anyone who has been in a country with Ebola cases during the past 21 days—currently Congo or Uganda—and develops any fever-related illness should remain isolated at home and notify the Ministry of Health,” Brosh said. “Suspected patients will be transported by specially protected Magen David Adom teams to a hospital for testing to confirm or rule out Ebola.”

He added: “There is no concern about an Ebola epidemic in Israel, only the possibility of isolated imported cases from Africa and limited transmission. Only those who have been in Congo or Uganda are at any meaningful risk. There is currently no risk to Israelis in Israel of contracting Ebola.”

Brosh emphasized that the outbreak has not spread beyond Africa. All confirmed cases have been linked to Congo, with a small number of cases in Uganda involving people infected by patients arriving from Congo.

“Someone who was in Congo but has no symptoms poses no risk to anyone,” he said.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A chapter in presidential aviation history came to a close this week when President Donald Trump became the final commander in chief to travel aboard one of the iconic Boeing 747-200 aircraft that have served as Air Force One for decades.

The aircraft completed what officials described as its final presidential mission when it transported Trump back to the United States following his trip to Europe earlier this week.

Members of the administration marked the occasion with tributes on social media, celebrating the retirement of one of the most recognizable aircraft in the world.

“Well done, good and faithful servant,” White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote early Thursday on the social platform X, sharing a picture of the plane. “The Last Ride.”

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino also honored the aircraft, posting a video and reflecting on his years traveling aboard the presidential jet.

“I have been fortunate to fly around the world on this iconic plane for 5 ½ years — of the 35 years it has been serving the U.S. Presidents…THANK YOU…,” he wrote.

Known within the Air Force as the VC-25A, the aircraft is one of two heavily modified Boeing 747-200s that have carried American presidents around the globe. The aircraft that completed its final mission bears tail number 29000, while a second aircraft, tail number 28000, remains part of the presidential fleet.

The first president to fly aboard aircraft 29000 was President George H.W. Bush in 1990, beginning more than three decades of service at the highest levels of government.

Its retirement comes as the Air Force moves forward with a new generation of presidential aircraft.

Three Boeing 747-800s are currently being prepared for executive transport duties. Among them is a luxury aircraft donated by the government of Qatar, which the Air Force has designated as a VC-25B and informally refers to as a “bridge” aircraft.

Military officials indicated earlier this year that the Qatari jet could enter service as a temporary Air Force One as soon as this summer after completing extensive modifications and testing.

According to defense officials, the aircraft is intended to help ease the burden on the aging presidential fleet while longer-term replacements continue to face delays.

The plane will be used to “relieve pressure on the aging VC-25A fleet,” said Gen. Dale White, the Department of Defense’s direct reporting portfolio manager for critical major weapons systems, in a May statement.

Despite the retirement of one aircraft, Air Force officials emphasized that the remaining VC-25A planes are not disappearing immediately.

An Air Force spokesperson told NBC News last week the “VC-25As will continue to serve in the executive fleet and could still be used by the president as Air Force One.”

The transition to the next generation of presidential aircraft has taken far longer than expected. The two primary replacement aircraft being built by Boeing were originally scheduled to enter service in 2024 but are now not expected to be delivered until sometime in mid-2028.

When the new aircraft eventually arrive, they will feature a dramatically different appearance from the traditional Air Force One design. The familiar light-blue color scheme used for decades will be replaced by a new red, white, gold, and navy-blue livery favored by Trump.

The change will mark not only the arrival of a new presidential fleet but also the end of one of the most recognizable symbols of American leadership in the modern era.

{Matzav.com}

A US source told Yisrael Hayom that a US demand for Israel to withdraw from southern Lebanon is only a matter of time.

Netanyahu has instructed the military to prepare in a way that protects IDF soldiers stationed in the area, but has made clear that abandoning southern Lebanon is a “red line.”

Five IDF soldiers were killed in Hezbollah attacks in southern Lebanon on Friday and Shabbos alone.

Meanwhile, the IDF has dramatically tightened rules of engagement, reducing attacks in southern Lebanon to almost zero as early as the beginning of last week.

A US demand to withdraw from southern Lebanon would place Israel—and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu—in an extremely difficult position.

Netanyahu’s associates describe the situation with the Americans as “definitely challenging,” given the shift in the Trump administration’s policy and the growing diplomatic pressure on Israel.

“The enemies are around our borders, not anyone else’s, and we will act against them,” an Israeli source said.

Meanwhile, Iran has closed the Strait of Hormuz and announced that it will not reopen it until the “violations of the ceasefire” between Israel and Lebanon end.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A painful accident during Shabbos in Ramat Beit Shemesh D left two young children injured after they reportedly crashed into a curb while riding a toy scooter.

Shabbos responders from Tzevet Hatzalah — paramedic Nati Ben Shimon and EMTs Chanuch Revach and Bentzi Tachover — said that upon arriving at the scene, they found two children suffering from injuries of varying severity. Together with additional MDA responders, they provided emergency medical treatment, including controlling bleeding, immobilization, and bandaging.

An 8-year-old boy who sustained a significant head injury was transported in moderate condition, while a 6-year-old boy was taken to the hospital in light condition. Both were transferred to an MDA intensive care ambulance and evacuated to the trauma unit at Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for further treatment.

Meanwhile, Tzevet Hatzalah issued a call to volunteers and the broader public to daven for Yosef Chaim ben Shirel, the son of one of the organization’s life-saving volunteers. The child underwent resuscitation efforts on Leil Shabbos and, b’chasdei Shamayim, regained full consciousness. However, he remains in need of Rachamei Shamayim and continued tefillos for a complete recovery.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing growing pressure over his leadership amid reports that he may announce plans to step down as early as Monday, though government sources insist he remains focused on governing and intends to continue in office.

According to reports in Britain’s Observer newspaper, Starmer has been consulting with family members and senior Labour figures as speculation intensifies over his future. The pressure on the prime minister increased significantly after political rival Andy Burnham secured a parliamentary seat, positioning him to launch a formal leadership challenge if he chooses to do so.

Despite the reports, government officials pointed to Starmer’s recent public comments in which he vowed to fight any attempt to remove him and urged Labour members to avoid internal divisions. Starmer led Labour to a landslide election victory in 2024, but his popularity has since declined amid a series of controversies and policy reversals that critics say have damaged public confidence in his leadership.

Should Starmer resign or be forced out, Britain would see its seventh prime minister in just over a decade, highlighting a period of sustained political instability. More than 100 Labour MPs have publicly called for Starmer to step aside or set a timetable for his departure, according to reports.

Many within Labour view Burnham, the longtime Mayor of Greater Manchester, as the leading contender to succeed Starmer. Burnham strengthened his position this week with a convincing electoral victory and used his post-election remarks to call for a new direction for the country. Allies of Burnham have reportedly urged Starmer to arrange an orderly transition of power.

Former Health Secretary Wes Streeting has also indicated he would consider entering a leadership contest should one take place.

For now, however, Starmer remains in Downing Street, and no formal announcement regarding his future has been made.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Investors are pulling billions of dollars from some of the nation’s largest private credit funds, creating the biggest test yet for an industry that has grown into a roughly $2 trillion market and become a major source of financing for American businesses.

According to new data from investment bank Robert A. Stanger & Co., investors in four major private credit funds, including vehicles managed by Blackstone and BlackRock, requested approximately $12 billion in withdrawals during the second quarter, compared with $7.7 billion in redemption requests during the previous quarter. The surge comes as fundraising across the sector slows sharply and redemption requests increasingly exceed new investor inflows.

The largest fund under pressure is the $79 billion Blackstone Private Credit Fund (BCRED). Investors sought to redeem roughly 10% of fund shares during the quarter, up from 7.9% in the first quarter. Because BCRED limits quarterly withdrawals to 5% of outstanding shares, the fund capped redemptions for the first time in its history.

The situation is even more pronounced at BlackRock’s HPS Corporate Lending Fund (HLEND). Investors requested withdrawals equal to 13.3% of shares, up from 9.3% in the prior quarter. Since the approximately $26 billion fund also limits quarterly repurchases to 5%, investors will receive only about 38 cents for every dollar they sought to withdraw.

Private credit funds have become increasingly popular among wealthy individuals seeking higher yields than traditional bond investments. Many operate as Business Development Companies (BDCs), lending to midsize companies that often have weaker credit profiles than firms able to borrow in public debt markets.

The model works well when money is flowing in. The challenge arises because the loans held by these funds are difficult to sell quickly, while investors expect periodic access to their capital. Most funds therefore limit withdrawals to roughly 5% per quarter, creating a potential bottleneck when redemption requests surge.

That mismatch is now being tested.

Investor concerns began growing late last year amid worries about rising defaults and weakening credit quality. Anxiety intensified this year as investors focused on potential losses tied to software and technology-sector borrowers. At the same time, fundraising has slowed dramatically.

Stanger data shows fundraising for non-listed BDCs fell 74% in April compared with a year earlier, reaching its lowest monthly level since May 2023. For the first time, quarterly redemption requests exceeded new investor inflows, marking a significant shift for an industry that had been accustomed to rapid growth.

If outflows continue accelerating, funds could face difficult choices. Managers may be forced to sell loans at discounted prices to raise cash or impose tighter withdrawal restrictions. Industry observers often refer to such measures as “gates,” which limit investors’ ability to access their money.

Similar situations have emerged elsewhere in private markets. A Starwood Capital real estate fund restricted investor withdrawals in 2024 after facing heavy redemption requests, highlighting how quickly liquidity concerns can emerge in assets that are difficult to sell.

The implications extend beyond individual investors. Private credit has become a critical source of financing for thousands of American companies, particularly those unable or unwilling to access traditional bank loans. A prolonged period of redemptions could reduce lending activity and tighten credit conditions across portions of the economy.

Major fund managers insist the sector remains healthy.

Blackstone says BCRED has more than $15 billion in available liquidity, with loan repayments continuing to exceed redemption obligations. Speaking at an industry conference this month, Blackstone President Jonathan Gray argued that concerns about widespread stress are overblown and said private credit continues to offer attractive returns compared with traditional fixed-income investments.

Not everyone is convinced.

Analysts at Barclays recently warned that outflows could continue to increase in coming quarters. Morningstar, meanwhile, has given positive ratings to only four of 18 semiliquid private funds it follows, citing concerns over fees, leverage, and borrowing costs.

Morningstar analyst Brian Moriarty said prolonged periods of maximum redemption requests may become the norm, shifting attention from whether outflows occur to whether funds have sufficient liquidity to manage them.

There are signs conditions may not be deteriorating everywhere. Analysts at Evercore described Blackstone’s redemption figures as better than many investors had feared, while at least one private credit fund managed by Oaktree Capital Management reported easing withdrawal requests during the quarter.

Investors will soon get a broader picture of the industry’s health as funds managed by Apollo Global Management, Ares Management, and Blue Owl Capital release their latest redemption figures.

For now, one trend remains clear: more investors are trying to leave private credit funds than enter them, creating the industry’s most significant liquidity test since its rise to prominence.

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

A teething toy that has been sold on Amazon for years is being recalled after at least three reports of choking, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The GOPO TOYS Pull String Teething Toys “violate the mandatory standard for toys because the silicone strings are smaller and longer than permitted,” the commission said in an alert. “The strings can reach the back of children’s throat and become lodged, posing a serious risk of respiratory distress and deadly choking hazard.”

The recall was issued on Thursday and includes more than 70,000 units of the product.

Consumers should immediately stop children from using the toy and contact GOPO Toys for a full refund, the commission said, adding that consumers will be asked to destroy it by cutting all the silicon strings and writing “DESTROYED” in permanent marker on the toy.

CHOKING EMERGENCY? HOW TO DO THE HEIMLICH MANEUVER — AND WHEN TO AVOID IT

A photo should be sent to [email protected] and the teething tooth thrown out.

The toys were sold on Amazon between August 2023 and March 2026 and were distributed from San Bernardino, California, and made in China.

500K PACKAGES OF MACARONI AND CHEESE SOLD AT ALDI RECALLED OVER UNDECLARED SOY LECITHIN

At least three children had the toy reach the back of their throat, “resulting in respiratory distress or choking,” the CPSC said.

Earlier this month, 40,000 reusable baby bottles sold at Walmart were recalled over a potential choking hazard.

And in January, the CPSC announced a recall of another teething toy that also had a choking risk after dozens of incidents.

Approximately 6,800 Yetonamr pull-string teething toys were recalled at the time due to violations of mandatory toy safety standards.

The Yetonamr toy is similar in design to the GOPO TOYS product.

This post was originally published on this site.

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The IDF was ordered on Motzei Shabbos to halt fire in southern Lebanon, pausing strikes north of the Yellow Line for now. At the same time, operations inside the line are continuing, with the village of Tebnine emerging as the focal point of the latest fighting in southern Lebanon.

At the heart of the operation is a major Hezbollah underground complex in the Ali Taher Ridge–Beaufort area, near the city of Natabtieh. Israeli security officials describe it as one of Hezbollah’s nerve centers, built with funding from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards—an extensive network of tunnels, subterranean rooms, living quarters, and command‑and‑control hubs. The center serves as a full underground military base, spanning several kilometers, with room for large trucks and other vehicles to enter. It also houses a field hospital and surgical wards.

Israeli security officials say that the site serves as the command center for combat operations in the southern sector, directing attacks, managing medium and long-range missile launches, and housing large stockpiles of weapons. Due to its depth and extensive fortifications, the compound cannot be effectively neutralized through airstrikes alone. Israel’s repeated attempts to destroy the complex with bunker-busting bombs have been unsuccessful.

“We must not withdraw from there,” a senior IDF official said. “This is a mission of moral significance with the goal of protecting the residents of the north.”

The official added that the IDF currently maintains operational control of the area, with dozens of Hezbollah terrorists trapped inside the compound and unable to escape. Israeli officials believe that Hezbollah’s recent escalation in attacks is partly driven by an effort to relieve pressure on its terrorists trapped in the site.

Additionally, Israeli security officials believe that the exposure of the complex—and the military pressure now being applied around it—is part of the backdrop to Iran’s intensified push for a ceasefire. Israel has emphasized that any cessation of fire does not apply to actions needed to neutralize immediate threats to its forces or dismantle terrorist infrastructure within the area where the IDF is operating.

Over the past day, IDF forces have been fighting both above and below ground as they close in on the remaining terrorists and work to prevent their escape.

Current estimates indicate that roughly 30 Hezbollah terrorists are trapped inside the underground complex.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Vice President JD Vance is shedding new light on President Donald Trump’s expectations for members of his administration, revealing a strict and decidedly old-school approach to professional appearance that extends all the way down to the color of a Cabinet member’s shoes.

Speaking on the “Hang Out with Sean Hannity” podcast, Vance said Trump believes public officials have a responsibility to show respect for the offices they hold, and that dressing appropriately is part of that obligation.

“The president has a certain sense that you ought to respect the place, you ought to respect the institution, respect the office. And one of the ways you do that is by dressing like a normal person,” Vance said in the episode released Thursday. “And I think that’s — it’s a very old-fashioned thing.”

According to Vance, Trump places a high value on professionalism and expects those around him to reflect that standard in their appearance. He contrasted the president’s preferences with what he sees as the more casual style adopted by many contemporary politicians.

Describing Trump’s own wardrobe formula, Vance said the president rarely strays from a familiar look.

“Well, I mean, he always has — it’s always a navy suit. It’s almost always a solid tie. It’s always black shoes,” Vance said. “Like, he’ll bust the chops of some of the Cabinet members if they’ve got brown shoes on.”

Trump’s attention to footwear apparently goes beyond criticism. Earlier this year, the president revealed that he has occasionally purchased shoes for administration officials.

“When they tell me they have a problem, I say, ‘Let me get you a pair of shoes,'” Trump told Kilmeade in March.

Vance said the president frequently notices and comments on the attire of people around him, including foreign leaders and even members of his own family.

Among the examples he cited was the now-famous “Zelensky moment,” when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced questions during an Oval Office meeting about why he was not wearing a suit.

Months later, when Zelenskyy appeared at a White House meeting dressed more formally than usual, one reporter complimented his appearance.

A reporter told Zelenskyy he looked “fabulous in that suit,” before Trump added, “I said the same thing.”

Reflecting on the earlier controversy, Vance suggested the incident had not gone particularly well for the Ukrainian leader.

“That was not a good moment for him,” Vance said of Zelenskyy, referring to the tense exchange between the Ukrainian president and U.S. officials. “And it’s funny because things kind of worked out. I think, you know, we were able to repair that relationship.”

Vance also recalled a lighter moment involving Donald Trump Jr. during a September 11 memorial event while on the 2024 campaign trail.

“They’re reading out the names. But there’s — at one point, the president turns around and looks at Don Jr. And Don has like, a spread collar on. And the president’s like, ‘Oh, that’s a pretty wide collar there, Don,’” Vance said.

The vice president said the comment was clearly intended as a playful jab and illustrated how closely Trump pays attention to appearance.

“And you can tell, like, it just was absolutely a dig. So I’ve always — navy suit, black shoes and a conventional collar,” he added.

Taken together, Vance’s stories paint a picture of a White House where traditional dress standards remain firmly in place and where even the smallest fashion choices may not escape the president’s notice.

{Matzav.com}

JERUSALEM (VINnews)-The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday cleared for publication the name of the fourth soldier killed in a Hezbollah attack on a tank in southern Lebanon early Friday morning: Staff Sgt. Nave Habshoosh,20.

Habshoosh was serving in the 52nd Battalion of the 401st Armored Brigade when a suspected drone or anti-tank missile struck the tank commanded by Lt. Col. ⁿDor Gedalia Ben Simhon, 32, killing the entire crew, the military said. The other two soldiers killed in the incident were identified earlier as Staff Sgt. Yoav Klein, 21, of Herzliya, and Staff Sgt. Liav Kababia, 20, of Hod Hasharon.

The attack occurred in the area of Kfar Tebnit near the strategic Ali Taher ridge as IDF forces operated to neutralize Hezbollah infrastructure. Hours later, a separate Hezbollah drone strike wounded additional troops in the same vicinity.

Ben Simhon, who had assumed command of the battalion just two months earlier, leaves behind a wife and two young daughters. He had a long history of service in the 401st Brigade.

Habshoosh, from the community of Adam, was remembered by his family in a poignant social media post by his father, Chaim Habshoosh. The family urged Israelis to continue living their lives fully. “This is what our Nevo was killed for — so that we can continue living in this land with security, happiness, and calm,” the father wrote.

The incident comes amid ongoing operations in southern Lebanon despite recent diplomatic efforts. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the tank ambush.

VINnews extends its deepest condolences to the Habshoosh family, the families of the other fallen soldiers, and all of Israel.

As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah drags on and the international community expresses outrage toward Israel, the Lebanese people are pointing the finger at a different culprit: the terror group that started the war in the first place and its sponsor, Iran.

In addition to President Joseph Aoun’s fiery speeches against Hezbollah, activists and media personalities are using their platforms to denounce the terrorist organization.

Lebanese writer and activist Imad Koumayha, whose home was destroyed, barely mentioned Israel in an interview in which he discussed how to assign blame, placing it squarely on Iran.

When the interviewer asked him, “Who uses the Shiites as cannon fodder today?” he answered, “The Iranian regime.”

“We thought there was unity with Iran, but in the blink of an eye, they ditched us and left,” Koumayha continued. “The Iranian regime is seen by the Shiites as disloyal and immoral.”

He also said that the Lebanese had been indoctrinated to believe that Israel wanted to conquer the Litani River for its water. But Israel has become the world’s leader in desalination technology, while Lebanon has turned the Litani into a “cesspool.”

In his most damning statement, he said that people who have lost children are forced to pretend that they sacrificed them willingly.

“They don’t want us to cry with pain in front of the enemy, so we do not appear weak … Even the parents of a martyr, who cannot sleep at night.”

In a similar vein, Lebanese MP Camille Chamoun pushed back against criticism of Israel for killing civilians, defending Israel’s evacuation orders.

“Imagine what would have happened if the Israeli army had not provided warnings to the places it was about to bomb?” he asked in a televised appearance. While conceding that there is nothing humane about war, he claimed that if not for Israel’s evacuation orders, 100,000 people would have been killed instead of 2,000.

“This means Israel is not trying to kill Shiite Lebanese,” he declared.

There is a dark joke making the rounds in the cafés and bazaars of Iran at the moment about how much Qatar must have paid US President Donald Trump to sign his new agreement with Tehran.

Nobody genuinely believes Doha is writing checks to the White House, but the gallows humor among many Iranians who oppose the Islamic Republic, shows the disbelief that after decades of sponsoring terrorism, threatening its neighbors, crushing dissent, and pursuing a nuclear program – and having been pounded by the US and Israeli militaries for six weeks, plus a further economic blockade – the regime appears poised to emerge from its latest confrontation with greater breathing room than before.

The Trump administration insists the opposite is true.

Speaking to The New York Times this past week, US Vice President JD Vance defended the memorandum of understanding signed between Washington and Tehran and dismissed criticism from Israeli ministers.

When Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir warned that the agreement risks empowering the regime, Vance responded with a challenge: “What is your exact proposal?”

It is a fair question. But it is also one that many Israelis would argue has an obvious answer.

Israelis watched Iran build network of terror proxies across region

For decades, Israel has watched Iran build a regional network of proxies stretching from Lebanon and Syria to Iraq, Yemen, and Gaza. Israelis have lived through the missile attacks, suicide bombings, rocket barrages, and proxy wars that followed.

They have seen international agreements come and go, sanctions imposed and lifted, redlines drawn and erased.

In short, Israelis know what they are talking about. And if Vance doesn’t listen to Israelis, perhaps voices from inside Iran also know what they are talking about.

“The general mood here is one of deep discouragement and depression,” a Tehran resident told The Jerusalem Post this past week. “Every new statement from Trump or Vance seems to create another wave of anger and a powerful sense of betrayal.”

That is why Vance’s dismissal of what he called a “weird panic” over the agreement has been met with such skepticism. The concern is not that Iran will suddenly become more dangerous tomorrow morning. The concern is that the agreement gives the regime the two resources it has always valued above all else: time and money.

Time allows the regime to breathe and regroup, rebuild and survive.

Money allows it to continue financing its proxies, especially Hezbollah, with Lebanon close to exploding over the continuous conflict in the south of the country.

Republican Sen. Tom Cotton voiced similar concerns this past week, warning that lifting sanctions on Iranian oil exports could provide Tehran with as much as $200 million every day.

As Cotton noted, the Islamic Republic is unlikely to spend those funds on schools, hospitals, or public services.

Even those who support diplomacy should acknowledge this reality. Every dollar flowing into the regime strengthens the institutions that keep it alive. The chants of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” will not suddenly disappear, and a new, peaceful partner will appear on the international scene.

Trump losing out on credit for weakening Iranian regime

The irony is that Trump deserved credit for weakening Iran. His maximum pressure campaign inflicted enormous economic damage on the regime, and Israeli security officials this past week pointed to imminent total economic collapse in Iran. That will not happen now.

Which makes the timing of this agreement all the more perplexing.

The Post’s Amichai Stein wrote this past week about the concerns about economic disruption, rising fuel prices, and the political consequences of a prolonged conflict playing a major role in Washington’s decision-making.

Trump himself acknowledged this past week that he wanted to avoid an economic catastrophe.

That may be understandable from a domestic political perspective with midterms on the horizon.

But history suggests that when dealing with the Islamic Republic, short-term economic calculations often create long-term strategic problems.

For many Israelis, and increasingly for many Iranians who oppose their own regime, what they see is an extremist government that has survived another crisis and may soon receive exactly what it needs most.

More time, more money, and another chance to outlast its opponents.

This post was originally published on here.

[Video below.] Conservative commentator Mark Levin delivered a fiery defense of Israel, sharply criticizing what he described as growing attacks on the Jewish state from figures within President Donald Trump’s orbit and warning against efforts to rehabilitate the image of Iran’s regime following the recent U.S.-Iran agreement.

Speaking during a passionate monologue, Levin expressed outrage over what he characterized as attempts to pressure Israel into accepting policies that could compromise its security, while simultaneously portraying Tehran as a more acceptable partner on the world stage.

“Stop trashing, smearing & bullying The Little State of Israel,” Levin declared, accusing critics of unfairly targeting one of America’s closest allies in the Middle East.

Levin reserved particular criticism for those advocating a softer approach toward Iran, arguing that recent diplomatic developments should not obscure the nature of the Islamic Republic or the threats it continues to pose.

“Stop cozying up to and telling us that the enemy regime in Iran is now more rational, more moderate, and a regime that we can deal with,” he said.

The longtime radio host and author rejected suggestions that Israel should be pressured to scale back its military posture or rely on international guarantees for its security. He argued that Israel’s history and unique geopolitical challenges require it to maintain the ability to defend itself independently.

“If people think they can bully a little country and people who’ve existed 4,000 years into surrendering their defense… they got another thing coming,” Levin declared. “I think it’s outrageous.”

Throughout his comments, Levin emphasized the decades-long strategic relationship between Washington and Israel, praising the close military and intelligence cooperation that has long defined the alliance.

He said he was “appalled” by the rhetoric being directed at Israel and expressed hope that the current disputes would soon come to an end.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Rav Yitzchak Yosef, the former Rishon LeTzion and nosi of the Moetzet Chachmei HaTorah of Shas, sharply criticized police conduct toward chareidi protesters during his weekly Motzoei Shabbos shiur at the Yazdim Shul in Yerushalayim, expressing anguish over reports of violence against bnei Torah and linking the treatment of yeshivah students to broader challenges facing Israel.

Addressing those gathered, Rav Yosef spoke emotionally about what he described as police mistreatment of bnei yeshivah, saying it becomes difficult to bring people closer to Torah when such hostility exists.

“It is very difficult to bring close police officers who have such hatred of Israel, who brutally beat bnei Torah, humiliate and degrade them, and tear their pants. It is very difficult to bring them close. It pains us because we want to bring people back to teshuvah. Someone showed me what they are doing, and it hurt me. Why did it hurt me? Because we want to bring them back to teshuvah.”

Rav Yosef said that outreach efforts among secular Israelis are often successful because many are searching for deeper meaning in life.

“We go to secular Jews and speak with them, and they listen. They want to return to teshuvah. They feel emptiness. All day long they pursue the desires of this world—eating, drinking, and all the pleasures of this world. They feel emptiness, and we want to bring them back to teshuvah. But when you see things like this, when people are beaten so severely, what do they want from us?”

Turning to the issue of yeshivah students and military service, Rav Yosef noted that bnei yeshivah had long received exemptions dating back to the era of Israel’s founding, emphasizing the spiritual protection provided by Torah study.

“These are yeshivah students who, from the time of Ben-Gurion, were exempted. They were exempt and engaged in Torah study. The Torah protects us. Did Trump suddenly turn against us for no reason? Why did he turn? Because of the decrees being carried out against bnei Torah. That is why he turned against us.”

The Rishon LeTzion also directed criticism toward Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, whom he referred to as “Jezebel,” suggesting that the policies being implemented against yeshivah students originate from her office.

“Instead of strengthening bnei Torah—what kind of logic is this? Instead of strengthening them, stop making arrests. This woman, the attorney general, this wicked Jezebel, is she the one giving these instructions? These police officers are unfortunate; they are in the category of a tinok shenishbah. What do they know? But it becomes difficult to bring them back to teshuvah. You see the hatred they have, tearing clothing, beating young children, injuring them. It is difficult to witness these things. May Hashem bring them back to teshuvah.”

At the same time, Rav Yosef stressed that his criticism was not directed at all police officers and cautioned against broad generalizations.

“But not all of Klal Yisroel is like that. How many police officers are like this? Not all police are the same. I used to speak frequently to police officers. They would occasionally organize gatherings, and I would come and speak. They listened respectfully. They do not all hate us. There is apparently some group—I do not know—that has been influenced by this Izevel, and they go out and beat yeshivah students. But Klal Yisroel is fundamentally good.”

{Matzav.com}

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that federal authorities had made “multiple arrests” of people he said were vandalizing the Reflecting Pool as he struggled to explain why the $14-million-plus rehabilitation project he launched for the nation’s 250th anniversary seemingly backfired.

Trump said his predecessors had let the pool turn an algae-stained green and that he’d line it with “American flag blue” so it better reflected the Washington Monument. But after the new pool was unveiled, its blue tinge quickly became a familiar green. Workers treated it with chemicals to kill the algae, but then the painted blue lining on the bottom began to peel.

On Friday night, Trump posted about the pool.

“We’ve had some real problems with Vandalism at the beautiful Reflecting Pool,” he posted on his social media site Friday night. “Just like three days ago, they destroyed the grass outside of the Pool, they’ve also done everything possible to hurt the inside surface that was just installed.”

He offered no details to substantiate his claim.

Agencies responsible for law enforcement and upkeep on the National Mall — the U.S. Park Police, National Park Service and Interior Department — did not respond to requests for comment. Trump on Saturday followed up by posting that Park Police “have arrested multiple individuals for vandalizing our Nations magnificent Reflecting Poll,” correcting his spelling to “Pool” later.

He went on: “Who would do such a thing? These are very serious crimes having to do with the destruction of National Monuments. Years in jail!”

One man arrested was David Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, who owned a company that made composite used to build watercraft. He said he stopped by the pool during his 64-mile bike ride Friday to see what was going on.

Hearn, a former Olympic canoe racer, told The Associated Press that he reached into the pool because he wanted to examine the peeling new coating. He said he briefly touched a chunk that was still attached to the side of the pool, then let go shortly after a park worker told him to.

But, Hearn said, he was then detained by National Guard troops and Park Police for five hours before being released Friday night.

“I’m a curious citizen,” Hearn said in a telephone interview. “I reached down to see what it felt like. It was very rubbery.”

The Washington Post first reported Hearn’s arrest, and he said he has a date to appear in court next month and is looking for legal help.

Even if someone pulled ribbons of paint from the side of the pool, it would not explain the clouds of algae in green water and swaths of loose blue paint detached from the bottom.

Trump insisted something nefarious has been going on at the scene. “No different than the chemicals that were used on the National Mall, they used something similar in the Reflecting Pool to try to destroy and demean our beautiful work,” he posted Friday evening.

That was an apparent reference to the discovery of large numbers etched in discolored grass on the National Mall the week before: “86 47.” Authorities said the numbers could have been meant as a threat to Trump, the 47th president. The number 86 can be slang for “getting rid of.” They are investigating.

Trump’s claims came after days of negative attention to the state of the pool, which has drawn television cameras and curious onlookers.

Sen. Cory Booker launched a blistering attack on President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu during a CNN interview, accusing both leaders of making disastrous decisions that have left their countries less secure and weakened the U.S.-Israel relationship.

Appearing on CNN’s Inside Politics with host Phil Mattingly, the New Jersey Democrat was asked about the recent conflict involving Iran and Israel and whether he agreed with criticism of Israeli actions voiced by Trump administration officials. Booker responded with some of his sharpest remarks yet against both leaders.

“The two of the worst administrations of all democratic governments on the planet Earth right now are the Netanyahu administration and the Trump administration, both led by criminals. Remember our president, first in history to have dozens of felony convictions. So we have two criminals leading — leading nations and acting in deeply immoral ways. And so this to me is the chickens coming home to roost. Israel is less safe and America is less safe, because of immoral leaders that made horrible decisions.”

Booker argued that the turmoil engulfing the Middle East is not simply the result of longstanding regional tensions but also stems from what he described as poor leadership decisions made in both Washington and Israel.

The New Jersey senator has become increasingly critical of Netanyahu in recent years, contending that the Israeli prime minister’s policies have harmed both Israel’s democratic institutions and its international standing. At the same time, Booker has repeatedly accused Trump of pursuing foreign policies that undermine American security and global influence.

During the CNN interview, Booker went even further, arguing that the consequences of decisions made by both governments are now becoming evident.

He later stated that “Bibi and Donald Trump are awful leaders that have ultimately come out not only making both of their nations weaker and more at risk as a result of this war in Iran, but in a cancerous way have eroded the U.S.-Israel relationship in a way that should make everyone concerned.”

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] Kamala Harris is facing renewed criticism after a lengthy answer she gave about the meaning of hope during an interview with Don Lemon went viral online, with critics branding the response a classic example of a political “word salad.”

During a Friday podcast appearance with Lemon, Harris was asked about hope and offered a philosophical reflection that centered on inner strength and personal resilience.

“I really, truly believe this,” Harris said. “We each have light inside of us. And we need to know that that is what inspires our hope as much as anything external to ourselves.”

The former vice president went on to encourage Americans not to allow political setbacks or personal disappointments to extinguish their optimism about the future.

“And when we feel that and and and not allow an election or an individual to dampen that light, and instead light, let that light kind of carry us in particular through moments of darkness, that that we not only act on that hope, but we inspire that hope in each other,” Harris added.

“And, in particular, at this moment, it is so important that we not only have hope, but that we understand that that should be a verb.”

The remarks quickly spread across social media platforms, where many users mocked the answer as overly complicated and difficult to follow.

“Good word salad answer that can be summed up in two words: stay positive,” one user wrote on X.

Another commenter joked, “When the teacher told you to write a 300 word essay but you could only think of 100 words.”

Other critics focused on Harris’s suggestion that hope should be viewed as a verb, noting that the word is commonly used as both a noun and a verb.

“It’s a noun: ‘I have hope that she never runs for any government office again,'” a user posted to X. “And it is a verb: ‘I hope she never runs for any government office again.'”

The interview also touched on Harris’s political future. Lemon asked whether she intends to seek the presidency again in 2028.

“I have not decided, to be honest with you,” Harris replied, leaving the door open to a possible campaign.

She said she has spent recent months traveling across the country and speaking with Americans about their concerns and expectations for political leadership.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time traveling the country [and] listening to folks,” she continued. “I think that people want a leader who is willing to take risks, as opposed to just doing what is popular.

“I think people want to know that they are being seen and heard, and that their leaders — whether they’re at the local, state, federal level or in the White House — are looking first at the people. You know, not looking at themselves in the mirror.”

While Harris did not commit to another White House bid, her comments ensured that speculation about her political future—and scrutiny of her public remarks—will likely continue.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Although President Donald Trump has declared the Strait of Hormuz reopened under the terms of the U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement, major obstacles continue to prevent a full return to normal commercial shipping, with naval mines, security concerns, and conflicting messages from Tehran still disrupting one of the world’s most vital maritime routes.

According to multiple reports, commercial traffic is unlikely to fully recover until Iranian naval mines scattered throughout key shipping corridors are located and removed. Maritime experts say the cleanup effort is expected to be lengthy, technically complex, and potentially dangerous.

The Guardian reported that approximately 80 naval mines remain in or near major transit lanes used by commercial vessels traveling through the strategic waterway.

Shipping and naval officials say clearing the mines will require specialized vessels and painstaking mine-sweeping operations before maritime traffic can safely resume at pre-war levels.

“The main route … through the middle of the Strait of Hormuz, that’s closed, that’s dangerous,” said Phil Belcher, marine director at Intertanko, the tanker owners’ association, according to the Guardian.

The publication also reported that nearly 600 vessels remain stranded in the Persian Gulf after spending months at anchor, creating a significant backlog that could take considerable time to clear even if conditions continue to improve.

Richard Meade, editor-in-chief at maritime intelligence provider Lloyd’s List, warned that the shipping industry is facing unprecedented uncertainty.

“We are in uncharted territory. I don’t think [shipping in the strait] is getting back to normal this year,” according to the Guardian report.

Complicating matters further are mixed signals coming from Iran regarding the status of the waterway.

While Iranian Foreign Ministry officials have insisted that the Strait of Hormuz remains open and that shipping is proceeding normally, statements from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have painted a far different picture, suggesting that access remains subject to strict conditions.

According to reports, an IRGC message broadcast over maritime radio channels warned vessels against entering the strait until Tehran’s demands are met.

“Since Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanon, the complete lifting of the naval blockade, and the withdrawal of American terrorist forces from the Persian Gulf and the region are among the main conditions of the agreement between Iran and the United States, the Strait of Hormuz will remain closed until these conditions are met,” that Revolutionary Guards statement said. “All ships are requested, for the sake of their security and safety, not to approach the Strait of Hormuz.

“Any vessel that defies this directive will be targeted.”

Those warnings stand in sharp contrast to the Trump administration’s public assessment of the situation.

Trump has repeatedly stated that the maritime passage has reopened under the ceasefire framework and that commercial energy shipments are once again moving through the region. Administration officials have similarly described shipping activity as resuming.

The president has characterized the waterway as “completely open” and “safe” for international commerce, arguing that the agreement has restored stability to a critical global trade route.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei also sought to reassure shipping companies and trading partners.

“Iran has taken the necessary measures to ensure the safe passage of merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz, in accordance with the memorandum of understanding on the end of the war, and maritime traffic continues on this route,” he said.

Despite those assurances, shipping activity remains far below normal levels.

Industry data show that vessel traffic has recovered somewhat from wartime lows, with roughly 25 ships now passing through the strait each day. However, that figure remains dramatically below the pre-crisis average of approximately 125 to 140 daily transits.

At the height of the disruption, traffic reportedly fell to only a handful of ships per day as insurers, shipping companies, and energy traders pulled back amid fears of naval mines, electronic interference, and broader regional conflict.

Even as traffic gradually rebounds, many major shipping firms remain cautious. Insurance costs continue to reflect elevated risks, while some operators are still rerouting vessels or delaying voyages until security conditions improve further.

The stakes remain enormous. The Strait of Hormuz serves as one of the most important energy chokepoints on earth, carrying roughly 20 percent of the world’s oil supply along with a significant portion of global liquefied natural gas exports. Until the remaining security threats are eliminated, industry leaders warn that a full return to normal operations remains far from certain.

{Matzav.com}