On Wednesday, the Tzedek Association delivered the first in a series of air conditioning units to FCI Otisville, a medium-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp and detention center, located in Orange County, New York. The group plans to expand the initiative to additional facilities across the country.

The effort is the latest in a string of advocacy victories for Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, the group’s founder and president, who has spent more than a decade pressing the federal government on prison conditions and sentencing reform. Tzedek was among the organizations credited with helping push the First Step Act into law.

“For too long, many incarcerated individuals have suffered through unbearable heat conditions with little relief. We are thankful to work alongside leaders who understand that basic humanity and dignity must remain a priority,” Rabbi Moshe Margaretten told Belaaz.

The air conditioning donation comes as federal prisons face recurring scrutiny over summer heat conditions. Inmates in many facilities serve their sentences wearing 100 percent polyester uniforms that offer little relief in hot weather. With summer approaching, Tzedek argued that exposing incarcerated people to extreme heat in such conditions is a matter of basic human dignity.

The announcement comes amid what reform advocates describe as an unusually receptive moment inside the Bureau of Prisons. Last week, Rabbi Margaretten met in Washington with Deputy Director Joshua J. Smith and his team. Smith, who was sworn in last June, oversees 122 facilities and a workforce of 36,000, and is responsible for the care and custody of 156,000 federal inmates. He is the first formerly incarcerated person to serve at any level as a Bureau of Prisons employee — having been convicted in the late 1990s on drug conspiracy charges and later pardoned by President Trump.

Under the current BOP leadership, Tzedek said it has been advocating for expanded tablet access and video communication for inmates, significantly broadened furlough opportunities, and further implementation of the First Step Act.

Rabbi Margaretten also attended the White House’s Shabbat 250 celebration last week, a gathering honoring 250 years of American history, where he met with senior administration officials including Martin Marks, the White House Jewish Community Liaison.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued an unusually harsh rebuke Wednesday evening against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir following his filmed confrontation with activists from the pro-Hamas flotilla headed toward Gaza.

Huckabee sharply criticized Ben Gvir’s conduct and said senior Israeli leaders across the political spectrum had denounced the minister’s actions.

“Universal outrage & condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official, from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Sa’ar, Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and Ambassador Yechiel Leiter for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was a stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed the dignity of his nation,” Huckabee said.

Ben Gvir also faced public criticism earlier in the day from Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter, who accused the minister of damaging Israel’s diplomatic standing.

“As Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar have made clear, Itamar Ben Gvir’s reckless grandstanding is not representative of government policy. I am Israel’s top diplomat in the US, at the heart of our most important alliance. Ben Gvir’s antics take a sledgehammer to our diplomatic efforts while Israel’s enemies gleefully jump on every unfortunate nonsense to discredit and demonize. The provocateurs of the Flotilla charade were properly detained in accordance with international law and will be deported to their home countries. End of story,” Leiter wrote on X.

Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu also distanced himself from Ben Gvir’s handling of the situation, while reiterating Israel’s right to block flotillas attempting to reach Gaza.

“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible,” Netanyahu said.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar joined the criticism as well, accusing Ben Gvir of inflicting serious diplomatic damage on the country.

“You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display – and not for the first time,” Sa’ar wrote in response to the incident. “You have undone tremendous, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people – from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others. No, you are not the face of Israel.”

The controversy has already sparked international fallout. At least five countries have announced plans to summon Israeli ambassadors for formal reprimand meetings following Ben Gvir’s tour among the flotilla activists and the footage later released from the encounter.

Despite the widespread criticism, Ben Gvir remained defiant and signaled no regret over his actions.

“There are those in the government who still do not understand how supporters of terrorism should be treated. Israel’s foreign minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a punching bag. Anyone who comes into our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get hit – and we will not turn the other cheek,” Ben Gvir said.

{Matzav.com}

A Lakewood woman was arrested following an investigation into multiple package thefts from a residence on New Central Avenue, TLS has learned.

Police responded after the victim reported several packages had been taken from the property over the course of multiple days. Following a subsequent call from the homeowner, officers located and identified the suspect nearby.

Michelle Ricks, 66, of Lakewood, was charged with two counts of theft and later released pending a future court appearance.

Chief Gregory H. Meyer reminded residents to remain vigilant when expecting deliveries and encouraged the community to report suspicious activity immediately.

“Package thefts are often crimes of opportunity,” said Meyer. “We encourage residents to utilize security cameras when possible, retrieve deliveries promptly, and contact police right away if they observe suspicious behavior in their neighborhoods.”

The investigation was conducted by members of the Lakewood Police Department Patrol Division.

Wall Street banks are moving to clean up billions of dollars in debt tied to Warner Bros. Discovery as Paramount’s massive takeover of the company moves closer to completion.

For everyday consumers, the story is really about how expensive today’s media industry has become — and how streaming wars, mergers and rising interest rates are forcing entertainment giants to constantly refinance huge piles of debt just to keep growing.

JPMorgan Chase and a group of major banks launched a $6.2 billion loan sale Tuesday tied to Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of HBO, CNN, Discovery Channel and Warner Bros. studios.

The money will help refinance existing loans and prepare for Paramount Skydance’s planned acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that could create one of the largest entertainment companies in the world.

If completed, the merger would combine brands including:

• HBO
• CNN
• Warner Bros.
• DC Studios
• Paramount Pictures
• CBS
• Showtime
• Nickelodeon
• MTV

The combined company would instantly become one of the biggest competitors to Netflix and Disney in streaming and entertainment.

But the deal also comes with enormous debt.

Warner Bros. Discovery alone already carries roughly $33 billion in debt, much of it left over from the company’s earlier merger between Discovery and WarnerMedia in 2022.

That debt has weighed heavily on the company for years, forcing cost cuts, layoffs, canceled projects and aggressive spending reductions across parts of the media business.

The new financing effort is designed to spread out repayment obligations over a longer period and reduce short-term pressure ahead of the merger closing.

The timing is important because borrowing money has become much more expensive.

Interest rates have surged over the past two years as inflation and global economic uncertainty pushed bond yields sharply higher. On Tuesday, long-term U.S. Treasury yields briefly hit their highest levels in nearly two decades.

That means companies now pay far more to borrow than they did during the ultra-low-rate years when many media mergers were originally structured.

Banks appear eager to lock in financing now before conditions potentially worsen further.

The broader entertainment industry is still struggling to adjust after years of rapid streaming expansion.

Media companies spent enormous amounts of money launching streaming platforms to compete with Netflix, but many underestimated how difficult it would be to make those services profitable.

As a result, several major entertainment companies are now under pressure to consolidate, cut costs and reduce debt.

Supporters of the Paramount-Warner deal argue the merger could create enough scale to compete more effectively against tech giants and streaming leaders.

Critics worry combining so many major media assets could reduce competition and increase concentration across television, film production and streaming.

The Justice Department is still reviewing the merger for potential antitrust concerns.

Regulators are expected to focus heavily on how much power the combined company would hold across movies, cable television, sports rights and streaming content.

Meanwhile, investors are closely watching whether banks can successfully sell the new loans at attractive rates.

A strong investor response would signal confidence that large media companies can still manage their debt burdens despite higher rates and industry uncertainty.

A weaker response could raise concerns about how much appetite investors still have for heavily leveraged entertainment companies.

For consumers, the merger itself may eventually affect everything from streaming prices and content availability to which shows and sports rights remain on which platforms.

For now, though, the immediate challenge is financial: cleaning up billions of dollars in debt before one of the biggest media mergers in years can officially close.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

New York (VINNEWS/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) Dan Perry’s recent column in the Forward, warning that a cornered Benjamin Netanyahu may cancel Israel’s elections and place the country in “existential peril,” reads less like analysis than like the artificial projection of a particular political milieu onto an entire nation.

It is worth answering, because the column compresses into a few paragraphs nearly every misreading of the Netanyahu era that has become fashionable in certain precincts. The policy implications it gestures toward, dressed up as “concern for Israeli democracy”, would be genuinely dangerous if taken seriously.

Let’s begin with the central factual claim: that “none of our enemies have actually been vanquished,” that the wars have produced no “clear returns,” that Netanyahu has promised victory and delivered exhaustion.

Really? Is he serious?

Consider what the regional map looked like on October 6, 2023, and what it looks like today:

• Hamas’s military wing — the organization that perpetrated the worst massacre of Jews since the Shoah — has been operationally dismantled in Gaza.
• Yahya Sinwar is dead.
• Mohammed Deif is dead.
• The entire architect-tier of October 7 has been eliminated.
• Hezbollah, which for nearly two decades menaced northern Israel with what was widely considered the most heavily armed non-state force in the world, was decapitated in a series of operations whose audacity will be studied at staff colleges for generations. Hassan Nasrallah is dead.
• The pager operation alone reshaped public perception of Israeli capabilities across the Arab and Persian worlds. Hezbollah’s senior command was gutted, and the organization was forced into a ceasefire that pushed it north of the Litani — the long-standing northern-front objective that eluded Israeli governments for forty years.
• Then there is the matter of the Assad regime, which collapsed in December 2024, severing the Iranian land bridge through Syria.
• And then, of course, the twelve-day war with Iran in June 2025, which struck Iranian nuclear facilities directly, neutralized much of Iran’s strategic air defense, and demonstrated Israeli air superiority over Tehran. None of this had ever been done before. Much of it was previously considered impossible.

To describe this record as “none of our enemies have actually been vanquished” is not analysis. It is a refusal to look.

Perry concedes, in passing, that Israel’s foes are “certainly bruised.” This is the rhetorical equivalent of describing the Wehrmacht in May 1945 as having had a difficult spring. Bruised is not the word. Shattered is closer.

The prophet Yeshayahu, speaking of a future Israel, declared: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn” (Yeshayahu 54:17). The verse contains two clauses, and the second is not incidental. The military weapons of Israel’s enemies have been broken to a degree few imagined possible three years ago. The rhetorical weapons aimed at Israel, on the other hand, from sympathetic platforms in the West have not yet been broken. They have, if anything, sharpened. The Forward column is a small piece of that second front.

Now to the column’s second move: the suggestion that Netanyahu, facing electoral difficulty, will “ignite an external front” or fabricate an emergency to suspend elections. This is presented as the considered opinion of “serious observers,” though the actual citation is to a Haaretz columnist whose Netanyahu derangement is well documented and who, in the passage quoted, simply asserts the worst possible motive without evidence.

Set aside the question of whether such a maneuver would even be possible — Perry himself acknowledges the Supreme Court would almost certainly strike it down, and that Israeli civil society would resist massively. To accuse a sitting prime minister, without proof, of plotting to manufacture war in order to cancel an election is not a small charge. It is the gravest accusation that can be leveled against a democratic leader. The Forward would never permit such a charge to be made, on equivalent evidence, against an Israeli politician its editors found congenial. The asymmetry is itself revealing.

Netanyahu’s political difficulties are real, but they are the ordinary difficulties of a long-serving leader presiding over a long war. Ariel Sharon was deeply unpopular before Operation Defensive Shield. Menachem Begin’s coalition was written off repeatedly. David Ben-Gurion lost elections. Israeli polling is volatile precisely because Israeli reality is volatile, and the seat counts in May tell observers very little about the seat counts in October — particularly in a country where roughly a third of voters reliably make up their minds in the final fortnight.

Perry’s proposed “uncomfortable bargain” — that Netanyahu plead guilty to a reduced charge, accept a pardon from President Herzog, and exit public life — is presented as magnanimous. In fact, it is patronizing in the extreme. Israeli voters, not Forward columnists, decide who leads Israel.

The corruption cases against Netanyahu, whatever one’s view of them, have proceeded for years under exactly the judicial system the column elsewhere praises as the bulwark against tyranny. If that system reaches an outcome, it will reach one. The notion that a sitting prime minister should be pressured to confess and retire because his removal would be tidier for his opponents is not a defense of democracy. It is a subversion of it.

What, then, are the genuine paths forward?

First, finish the work. The Gaza file is not closed. Hamas’s residual networks still need to be uprooted, and the question of post-war governance in Gaza — the question successive Israeli and American governments have ducked since 2005 — must finally be answered. Netanyahu has earned the standing to lead this conversation. So have his eventual successors, whoever they may be.

Second, complete the Iran file. The June 2025 campaign degraded Iran’s nuclear infrastructure but did not end the program. The Trump administration’s posture creates an opening that has not existed in two decades for a definitive resolution — whether through diplomacy backed by credible force or through further military action. Netanyahu, who has warned about Iranian nuclear ambitions when warning was unfashionable, is uniquely positioned to bring this to closure.

Third, expand the Abraham Accords. The Saudi file remains open. Quiet contacts with additional Gulf states, with Indonesia, and with North African capitals have continued through the war years. A Saudi normalization agreement — which once seemed within reach and was disrupted by October 7 — is again being discussed. This is not the agenda of a leader without horizon. It is an agenda larger than any single election cycle.

Fourth, go to the voters. The election that must be held by October will be held. Netanyahu will make his case. His opponents will make theirs. Israelis will decide. This is what democracies do.

Rav Yitzchok Hutner zt”l, Rosh Yeshiva of Chaim Berlin, developed across several ma’amarim in Pachad Yitzchak on Chanukah a reading of the verse “הֵמָּה כָּרְעוּ וְנָפָלוּ וַאֲנַחְנוּ קַמְנוּ וַנִּתְעוֹדָד” (Tehillim 20:9). The conventional reading takes “they fell” and “we rose” as two sequential events — first the enemies collapsed, then Klal Yisrael stood firm.

The Rosh Yeshiva read the verse otherwise.

The falling and the rising are not two events but one process. The Chashmona’im did not emerge despite the persecution of Yavan; they emerged through it. The very pressure of Greek imperial power generated the spiritual concentration that produced the Chashmona’im. Without the threat there would have been no answer to the threat. Apply this to the matter at hand. What Dan Perry diagnoses as exhaustion may be, read more carefully, the very pressure under which the most consequential strategic transformation in Israel’s modern history has been generated. The fatigue is not the opposite of the achievement. It is the medium of it.

The Forward’s columnist would prefer that Israelis be saved from themselves — that the man they have elected six times be coaxed out of public life through a plea bargain, lest they be tempted to elect him a seventh. There is a word for the disposition that distrusts voters this thoroughly.

The word is not democratic.

Netanyahu’s record is not beyond criticism. No leader’s is. But the case against him being made in the Forward and its echo chambers bears little resemblance to the case an actual Israeli voter must weigh: the destruction of Hamas’s military capacity, the decapitation of Hezbollah, the collapse of Assad, the strike on Iran, the survival of Israel’s economy under unprecedented strain, the Abraham Accords, the continuing relationship with the Trump administration, and the still-open possibility of historic Saudi normalization.

Those are not the achievements of a leader in “existential peril.” They are the achievements of a leader who, whatever his flaws, has done more to reshape the Middle East in Israel’s favor than any prime minister since Begin.  Many Israelis will recognize what he has done and will undoubtedly, express their hakarat haTov.

These voters will judge in October. And whatever they decidem they are perfectly capable of doing without instruction from abroad.

The author can be reached at [email protected]

The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee renewed discussions Wednesday on the controversial Draft Law and legislation extending mandatory military service, following instructions from Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu amid growing political tensions surrounding the issue.

The renewed talks came shortly after MKs from the Degel Hatorah faction announced that they plan to support dissolving the Knesset during the preliminary vote scheduled for later Wednesday.

During the committee session, Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, who heads the IDF’s Planning and Manpower Administration Division, presented stark figures regarding the army’s manpower crisis.

“We have not yet received a new draft of the law. There is a need for 12,000 soldiers, and at the beginning of the year this will rise to 17,000 when soldiers are discharged after 30 months.”

According to Tayeb, the military is already facing an urgent shortage of between 6,000 and 7,000 combat troops.

He added that enlistment numbers have increased in part due to enforcement measures and penalties already being implemented, but cautioned that the broader situation remains alarming.

“there are already 30,000 draft dodgers now, and another 50,000 on the way to becoming draft dodgers.”

Tayeb also noted that the burden on reservists has grown far beyond earlier projections. While the army had originally hoped to limit reserve duty to approximately 55 days annually, he said the reality is far harsher.

“today we are at 80-100 days of reserve duty.”

Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth addressed the prolonged legislative deadlock as well as the public uproar over the punishment handed to a soldier who wore a “Moshiach” patch.

“Today we are resuming the discussion on the Draft Law after many long weeks, and at the instruction of the Prime Minister, out of a genuine and sincere intention to complete the legislation of the law that is so necessary at this time for the IDF, for the cohesion of the people, and out of the need to ensure that brothers do not turn to each other as enemies – certainly not during wartime,” Bismuth said.

Later in the discussion, Bismuth argued that efforts to increase chareidi enlistment cannot simultaneously reject outward expressions of religious identity and faith.

“You cannot want more chareidim in the IDF and at the same time be alarmed by every expression of faith or Jewish spirit that they bring with them.”

“If we want more chareidim in the IDF, we must understand that they will not arrive as secular people wearing a kippah; they will arrive with their value system, with faith, with symbols, and with a spirit that will integrate into a single Israeli partnership.”

Bereaved father Yehoshua Shani also addressed the committee and appealed directly to MKs Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz, both of whom oppose the current legislation.

“Show responsibility and support the Draft Law. This is the only law that will expand the enlistment of chareidim and prevent the rift from deepening.”

{Matzav.com}

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Wednesday defended his company’s decision to back a Melania Trump documentary, saying he had no involvement in the deal and rejecting claims it was intended to curry favor with President Donald Trump.

Speaking with CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin, the tech billionaire dismissed reports suggesting he personally pushed Amazon to acquire the film.

“The ‘Melania’ thing is a falsehood that will not die,” Bezos said. “I see it reported all the time that somehow I was involved in this … It’s not true. We have denied it. Melania’s office has denied it. It’s not true.”

Even so, Bezos said the “Melania” documentary appeared to have been a smart investment.

“It appears it was a good business decision. You know, it did very well in theaters, it’s done very well on streaming. People are very curious about Melania,” Bezos said. “Even though I had nothing to do with it, it appeared that the Amazon team made a very wise business decision.”

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Bezos added that Amazon routinely makes major decisions without his direct input, citing the company’s successful adaptation of “Project Hail Mary” as another example.

“I also had nothing to do with ‘Project Hail Mary,’ which I regret because it’s an incredible success. I wish I had greenlit that, but I didn’t,” Bezos told CNBC. “… Amazon’s a big company, it makes a lot of decisions, but no, this idea that somehow that is a way of buying influence is just not correct.”

JEFF BEZOS AND LAUREN SÁNCHEZ ENJOY ROMANTIC DINNER DATE AT UPSCALE MIAMI BEACH RESTAURANT

The “Melania” documentary follows 20 days in Melania Trump’s life just ahead of President Donald Trump‘s second term in office.

Amazon MGM Studios reportedly spent $40 million to acquire “Melania,” which debuted in theaters nationwide in February. The film earned $16.6 million at the global box office, according to The Hill.

In March, Democratic lawmakers — including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Hank Johnson, Dan Goldman and Ben Ray Luján — sent a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy questioning the reportedly “extraordinary” price tag and raising concerns the investment could resemble a pay-to-play arrangement with the Trump administration, the outlet reported.

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Bezos also addressed criticism surrounding his influence over The Washington Post.

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“By the way, the same thing at The Post, I want the opinion section right to stand for free markets, kind of what I’ve been talking to you about today, free markets and individual personal liberties,” Bezos said. “I think that those are [the] founding pillars of America. It’s one of the reasons that America has been so successful.”

Amazon and Bezos could not immediately be reached for comment.

NEW YORK CITY (VINnews) – Elon Musk’s SpaceX has submitted its S-1 registration statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission, accelerating plans for what could become the largest initial public offering in history.

The rocket and satellite company aims to list Class A shares on the Nasdaq as early as June 12 under the ticker symbol SPCX, with pricing potentially set for June 11 and a roadshow beginning around June 4, according to people familiar with the matter. The accelerated timeline follows a faster-than-expected SEC review.

SpaceX is targeting a valuation between $1.75 trillion and more than $2 trillion and hopes to raise up to $75 billion, sources said. Musk would retain about 42% equity but maintain dominant voting control of roughly 79-85% through a dual-class share structure. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and other firms are expected to serve as underwriters.

Q1 Financial Highlights

In the first quarter, SpaceX reported $4.69 billion in revenue, with Starlink connectivity contributing approximately $3.26 billion. The company posted an operating loss of $1.94 billion. Additional revenue included about $818 million from AI-related activities and $619 million from space operations.

Starlink remains the primary growth engine, generating high-margin recurring revenue amid heavy investments in rockets, infrastructure and artificial intelligence.

Orbital AI Ambitions

The filing outlines plans for modular orbital AI compute shells by the end of the decade. These space-based data centers would leverage Starlink’s network and SpaceX’s launch capabilities to deliver AI software and computing power, positioning the company as a major player in aerospace, connectivity and AI.

The IPO would provide public investors direct exposure to SpaceX’s expanding Starlink constellation, reusable rocket operations, multi-planetary goals and emerging AI initiatives. A prospectus is expected to be made public soon.

SpaceX confidentially filed its draft S-1 in early April. The company has not commented publicly on the timeline.

This story is developing. VINnews will provide updates as more details from the prospectus become available.

The Knesset plenum convened Wednesday afternoon for a high-stakes debate and preliminary vote on a coalition-backed proposal to dissolve the 25th Knesset, as political tensions surrounding the Draft Law continue to shake the government.

The proposal passed overwhelmingly, with all 110 MKs present voting in favor and no lawmakers opposing or abstaining.

The initiative is being pushed by the chareidi parties after the coalition failed to move forward with legislation addressing military draft exemptions through the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Under political agreements reached between coalition factions, a separate bill submitted by the Blue and White party calling for the dissolution of the Knesset is also expected to pass its preliminary reading in the plenum.

Despite Wednesday’s dramatic vote, the Knesset will not immediately dissolve. Under parliamentary procedure, the legislation must first move to the Knesset Committee for additional deliberations and final drafting.

Once committee discussions are completed, the bills will return to the plenum for a first-reading vote. If approved at that stage, they will once again be sent back to committee for further preparation before being brought for final approval in second and third readings.

Only after a bill passes its third reading will the Knesset officially dissolve and a date for new national elections be set.

According to the explanatory notes attached to the coalition’s proposal, “It is proposed to determine, in accordance with Sections 34 and 35 of Basic Law: The Knesset, that the 25th Knesset will disperse before the end of its term, and that the elections for the 26th Knesset will be held on a date to be determined by law, as proposed by the Knesset Committee as part of the legislative process.”

{Matzav.com}

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s push to tax luxury second homes is drawing reactions from some of the country’s wealthiest business leaders, with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos saying Wednesday that the New York City mayor’s pied-à-terre tax proposal is “fine” while rejecting broader “tax-the-rich” arguments.

Speaking during CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” Bezos weighed in on Mamdani’s proposal to raise taxes on second homes worth more than $5 million — a plan backed by Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul as part of a broader affordability push.

“I think that the pied-à-terre tax is a fine thing for New York to do,” Bezos said.

But Bezos pushed back on Mamdani’s recent tactic of publicly targeting wealthy business figures, including Citadel CEO Ken Griffin.

NYC MAYOR ZOHRAN MAMDANI SAYS HE’S TRIED TO MEET WITH BILLIONAIRE CEO AFTER ‘TAX THE RICH’ VIDEO BACKLASH

“This is an annual fee on luxury properties …. like for this penthouse, which hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin bought for $238 million,” Mamdani said in a recent social media video outside Griffin’s Manhattan residence.

“Ken Griffin isn’t a villain. He hasn’t hurt anybody; he’s not hurting New York. In fact, quite the opposite,” Bezos said Wednesday.

The exchange marks the latest sign that Mamdani’s tax proposals targeting wealthy business leaders are becoming a broader national political flashpoint, drawing attention from Wall Street executives, billionaires and President Donald Trump.

Bezos also used the interview to argue that lower-income Americans should pay no federal income taxes, saying the current tax structure unfairly burdens struggling workers while generating relatively little government revenue.

MAMDANI TAX BREAK PROPOSAL SPARKS FEARS AS BUSINESS LEADERS WARN OF ‘FRAGILE’ NYC ECONOMY

“When people are starting out, and they’re struggling, stop taxing them. We don’t need it. We live in the wealthiest country in the world,” Bezos said.

“We shouldn’t be asking this nurse in Queens to send money to Washington,” Bezos added. “They should be sending her an apology. It really makes no sense.”

The billionaire said the top 1% of taxpayers currently pay roughly 40% of federal income taxes while the bottom half contribute about 3%, citing figures consistent with Tax Foundation and IRS analysis.

Still, Bezos argued that simply raising taxes on billionaires would not materially improve conditions for working-class Americans.

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“You could double the taxes I pay, and it’s not going to help that teacher in Queens. I promise you,” Bezos said.

A representative for Bezos did not immediately respond to FOX Business’ request for comment.

By Duvi Honig

At a time when Americans are being squeezed from every direction — higher interest rates, rising insurance costs, expensive groceries, elevated energy prices, and mounting housing costs — policymakers nationally should pay close attention to what happened in the Sunshine State under Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla.

America’s 27th state (admitted March 3, 1845) is setting new modern standards for economic growth.

For years, conventional political thinking insisted that governments needed to continuously raise taxes and expand revenue collection to fund growth.

Florida challenged that model in its entirety.

Rather than focus on how much more government could take from residents and businesses, the state focused on how attractive it could become for entrepreneurs, families, retirees, developers, and investors.

The results speak for themselves.

Before Ron DeSantis took office as governor, Florida’s economy stood around the $1 trillion mark annually.

Today, it’s approaching $2 trillion. Florida maintained no state income tax, became one of the fastest-growing economic hubs in America, and is now even discussing ways to further reduce the burden on residents through potential property-tax reforms.

Rather than looking at citizens as a source of endless new revenue, the broader philosophy has been to create an environment where people feel confident investing, relocating, building businesses, and expanding economically.

Meanwhile, in places like New York City, the conversation increasingly revolves around raising taxes further — including proposals targeting second homes and additional wealth-based taxation approaches championed by progressive leaders such as Gotham Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

The contrast between the two models could not be clearer.

One model is rooted in the belief that growth comes from attracting investment and easing burdens on consumers and businesses.

The other increasingly believes growth comes from taking more from productive sectors of the economy.

Florida’s population growth exploded under DeSantis.

Businesses relocated in waves.

Real estate development accelerated.

Tourism expanded.

Capital flowed in from around the country.

The state transformed itself into one of America’s dominant economic engines while maintaining one of the country’s most business-friendly tax environments.

That’s not an accident.

That’s leadership with foresight.

One would think that eliminating or avoiding certain taxes would weaken a state financially.

Instead, Florida demonstrated that when governments stop overburdening people, economic activity itself can expand enough to strengthen the broader economy organically.

That’s the lesson America urgently needs to understand right now.

Through years of work in economic development and public-private partnerships, this writer has witnessed firsthand how business confidence and consumer optimism often determine whether regions grow or stagnate.

Many of the initiatives I have worked on with government leaders and agencies were built around one core principle: when you create an environment where businesses and families feel supported rather than squeezed, economic activity expands naturally.

The economy is not only about spreadsheets and formulas.

It’s about psychology, confidence, and whether consumers and businesses feel optimistic enough to spend, invest, expand, hire, and build for the future.

When governments continuously increase costs on residents and businesses, eventually they choke the very growth they are trying to protect.

Consumers pull back.

Businesses freeze expansion.

Developers delay projects.

Employers stop hiring.

Investors look elsewhere.

At some point, excessive pressure on the productive side of the economy backfires.

That is why simply raising rates or increasing taxes cannot always be the default answer to every economic challenge.

Yes, balance matters.

Inflation must be controlled responsibly.

Fiscal discipline matters.

However, there is also a breaking point where higher borrowing costs combined with rising taxes, insurance, fuel prices, labor costs, and regulatory pressure begin suffocating economic momentum altogether.

The Federal Reserve now faces exactly that challenge.

As Kevin Warsh takes over as chairman of the Federal Reserve, policymakers are confronting an economy already under enormous strain from elevated interest rates and the inflationary pressures tied to global instability and energy markets.

On paper, continuing aggressive tightening may appear prudent.

But in the real economy, small businesses, commercial real estate owners, homebuyers, developers, and working families are already feeling squeezed from every angle.

The danger is that policymakers become so focused on fighting inflation mathematically that they unintentionally weaken the broader economic engine itself.

There comes a point where consumers can’t absorb more pressure.

There comes a point where businesses stop taking risks.

There comes a point where the housing market freezes because financing becomes unaffordable.

That’s why America needs fresh thinking and out-of-the-box leadership.

Florida’s success under DeSantis proves that long-term prosperity is not built by constantly taking more from people.

It’s built by creating an environment where people are confident enough to grow.

Instead of continuously raising burdens, policymakers should be discussing how to cap pressures on working families and businesses, how to create more certainty, how to lower barriers to investment, and how to encourage expansion rather than discourage it.

When people keep more of what they earn, they spend more. They open businesses. They hire workers. They invest in communities. They purchase homes. They stimulate the economy naturally.

That is sustainable growth.

And importantly, Florida’s transformation did not just reshape its economy — it reshaped its political landscape as well.

Gov. DeSantis went against enormous skepticism and established himself as one of the most influential economic leaders in America precisely because he challenged conventional thinking.

One can’t argue with results.

Florida’s rise offers a powerful reminder that when government empowers people instead of overburdening them, growth follows.

That is the lesson policymakers — and the Federal Reserve — should be learning as America enters its next economic chapter.

Initially posted on Newsmax here

The British government is quietly exploring a new “invite-only” visa program aimed at attracting wealthy foreigners willing to invest at least £5 million — roughly $6.7 million — into the UK economy, as officials try to reverse a growing exodus of millionaires and global investors from London.

For everyday readers, the proposal highlights a growing reality facing governments worldwide: countries are increasingly competing for wealthy individuals, entrepreneurs and investment dollars as economic growth slows and public finances tighten.

Under the plan being discussed, wealthy foreigners who invest £5 million into approved British businesses or priority industries could receive residency rights and potentially qualify for permanent settlement after three years.

Unlike Britain’s old “golden visa” system, the new version would reportedly be far more selective.

Officials are considering an “invite-only” model where the government actively approaches approved investors through wealth advisers and family offices rather than opening applications broadly to anyone with enough money.

The proposal is still under discussion, but the shift marks a major reversal from Britain’s previous stance.

The UK shut down its earlier investor visa program in 2022 amid concerns that it allowed questionable foreign money — particularly from Russian oligarchs — to flow into British assets with limited oversight.

Now, however, British officials are increasingly worried about something else: wealthy people leaving the country.

The pressure intensified after the government abolished the UK’s long-standing “non-dom” tax system, which had allowed many wealthy foreign residents to shield overseas income from British taxes for years.

Since those tax changes took effect, advisers say many affluent individuals and business owners have relocated assets and residences to places like Dubai, Switzerland, Italy, Singapore and Portugal.

That outflow has raised concerns inside government about losing investment, spending, tax revenue and global talent.

The proposed investor visa appears designed to slow that trend while avoiding some of the political backlash tied to the earlier program.

Property purchases would reportedly not qualify under the new system, meaning investors would need to place money into businesses, infrastructure or other targeted sectors instead of simply buying luxury London real estate.

That distinction is important because soaring housing prices became one of the biggest criticisms of “golden visa” programs across Europe.

Several countries — including Spain, Portugal and Ireland — have recently scaled back or eliminated similar residency-by-investment programs after public anger over housing affordability and concerns about wealthy foreigners buying access to residency.

Britain’s proposed £5 million threshold would also rank among the highest in the world.

For comparison:

• The U.S. EB-5 investor visa requires roughly $1 million.
• Portugal’s program starts around €500,000.
• Greece ranges from roughly €250,000 to €800,000.

At £5 million, Britain would clearly target ultra-high-net-worth individuals rather than a broader investor market.

Supporters argue the UK still holds major advantages for wealthy global investors, including London’s financial system, elite schools, strong legal protections and extensive international business connections.

Critics, however, say offering special residency paths to the ultra-wealthy while tightening immigration rules for everyone else could become politically explosive.

The UK has simultaneously moved toward stricter immigration requirements for many workers and migrants, including tougher language rules and longer timelines for permanent residency.

That contrast could make the proposed investor visa highly controversial if formally introduced.

Still, economic pressures may be pushing policymakers toward compromise.

Britain’s economy has struggled with slower growth, rising debt pressures and weaker business investment in recent years. Officials increasingly fear that losing wealthy residents and entrepreneurs to competing countries could worsen those problems.

For now, the investor visa remains under review, and no final legislation has been introduced.

But the discussions themselves signal how aggressively governments are now competing for global wealth — especially as mobile millionaires gain increasing leverage over where they choose to live, invest and pay taxes.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara announced on Tuesday afternoon that she has decided to file an indictment against Likud MK Tally Gotliv for exposing the identity of a Shin Bet officer, the partner of Shikma Bressler, one of the leading anti-government protest figures.

The indictment accuses Gotliv, a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, of unlawfully revealing and publishing classified information without authorization, in violation of the Shin Bet Law. It also states that the prosecution submitted a formal notice that it may seek an actual prison sentence if Gotliv is convicted.

A statement published by Baharav-Miara said: “It was decided to indict MK Tally Gotliv for the offense of disclosing and publishing classified information in violation of the Shin Bet Law.”

In a post on X, Gotliv wrote: “A big round of applause for Miara. She just announced the filing of an indictment against me following Yisrael Katz’s signing of a confidentiality order. As I have already made clear, I intend to convince the members of Knesset that revealing Bresler’s partner was done as part of — and for the purpose of — fulfilling my duties. As you know, I am not easily intimidated.”

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi responded: “Tally, you are a true fighter. Neither Baharav-Miara nor any member of the ‘gang of law enforcement rule’ can intimidate you, and we all know it.”

“The only one who should receive an indictment for all her actions — and eventually will — is the one who herself should be removed from office. ‘כׇּל כְּלִי יוּצַר עָלַיִךְ לֹא יִצְלָח וְכׇל לָשׁוֹן תָּקוּם אִתָּךְ לַמִּשְׁפָּט – תַּרְשִׁיעִי'”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said: “The time has come for Yariv Levin and my colleagues in the Likud to overcome their fear of the Attorney General — reform now!”

Prior to the filing of the indictment, MK Gotliv was summoned twice for police questioning but did not appear. Deputy State Adv. Alon Altman clarified in a letter that the immunity law does not allow her to avoid appearing for a criminal investigation, meaning that her failure to appear would be considered either a waiver of her right to provide her version of events or an exercise of her right to remain silent.

Earlier this month, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz signed the required confidentiality order, paving the way for the Attorney General to file the indictment in the case.

The legal battle is now expected to shift to the political arena. Gotliv will be able to claim parliamentary immunity, and the decision will be made by the Knesset Committee. Given the coalition’s majority on the committee, there is a reasonable possibility that her immunity will be preserved and the criminal proceedings halted.

Channel 12 journalist Amit Segal commented on the case, saying that he believes that the indictment is indeed warranted against Gotliv, but the picture is more complex.

“In terms of substance, Tally Gotliv definitely deserves to get hit with an indictment,” Segal wrote. “She published the name of a senior Shin Bet official, along with false accusations about a connection between him and Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, although that part is his matter to pursue in a civil lawsuit.”

“In a perfect world, Knesset members would not publish classified information, would not lie about security services, and would not get entangled in such incidents.”

“In a similarly perfect world, the Attorney General  would also not deliberately drag out an investigation against opposition MK Gilad Kariv over leaking a classified protocol from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.”

“The problem, as usual, is the feeling that justice is only being carried out against one side. In summary: Gotliv earned the indictment fair and square, and Baharav-Miara earned the public’s suspicion just as fully,” Segal concluded.

The story behind Kariv’s leak began in December 2023, when reports were published in Maariv and Walla that included quotes from a protocol of a meeting of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in June 2023. The reports claimed that the quotes proved that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was aware of the danger of a Hamas attack on Israel.

Following the reports, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana asked the Knesset Officer to investigate the leak. The week-long investigation, which involved accessing security cameras and other evidence, revealed that the only person who reviewed the leaked protocol in the six months from the meeting until the reports were published was Labor MK Gilad Kariv. Kariv reviewed the protocol twice, shortly before the quotes appeared in the media.

Ohana immediately sent the findings to Baharav-Miara, asking her to launch a criminal investigation into the leak, but no action was taken.

The Lavi Civil Rights organization subsequently filed a complaint to the High Court against Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman, stating that the accusations against Kariv of espionage and unauthorized disclosure of classified information during wartime are extremely serious, warranting an immediate criminal investigation. The complaint emphasized that the offenses that Kariv allegedly committed are far more serious than those allegedly committed by Eli Feldstein and Ari Rosenfeld in the PMO’s office leak case, but the prosecution has yet to even order an investigation.

It was only in January 2025, after the High Court held a hearing on the Lavi organization’s claim, that the State Prosecution responded to the Court that a preliminary investigation had been opened against Kariv, “but a final decision has not yet been reached regarding launching a criminal investigation.”

In other words, the legal clerks Baharav-Miara and Aisman completely ignored the request to investigate Kariv, perhaps because they are too busy persecuting lomdei Torah, ensuring that Nukhba terrorists are treated humanely in Israeli jails, and attempting to thwart every appointment made by the democratically elected government.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Submitted by a local relative of this Choleh: A chashuva family was suddenly struck with an unimaginable tragedy. The mother was just diagnosed with a severe medical illness. The family was thrust into a mess of medical emergencies and lots of emotional upheaval.

The family is in turmoil. The parents can not work and insurance refuses to cover the medical expenses. The children are not home because the parents are in the hospital for the majority of the time.

Funds are urgently needed to help pay for aids, medical expenses and to keep the family afloat since there is no income.

At this point, the only thing we can really help with is easing the financial burden a bit so the family doesn’t have to be concerned about the financial aspect of the ordeal.

Please have her mind in your tefillos as well. Her name is Shulamis bas Nechama Bracha

https://thechesedfund.com/aff/100k

The IDF stated Wednesday that a soldier who petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice over his prison sentence was not punished for wearing a “Moshiach patch,” but rather for what the military described as a disciplinary infraction.

In a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the military said the case involved conduct that harmed military discipline and was unrelated to uniform appearance regulations.

“The soldier was tried for an offense of harming discipline, and not for a violation related to appearance and dress code. According to the military disciplinary regulations, a senior judicial officer holding the rank of colonel is authorized to impose up to 30 days of military imprisonment for such an offense. The IDF responded directly to the appeal submitted yesterday afternoon by the soldier’s legal representative,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.

The clarification came after the soldier submitted an emergency petition to the High Court against IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the Military Advocate General. The filing was made one day after the soldier’s sentence was reduced by ten days by his regional commander, leaving a remaining sentence of 20 days in military prison.

Through his attorney, Ran Cohen-Rochberger, the soldier argued in the petition that his imprisonment is unlawful and exceeds the authority granted under existing military regulations.

According to the defense, the commander of the Nachal Brigade did not possess the legal authority to impose such a severe sentence on a combat soldier for what they characterized as a first-time disciplinary matter connected only to “appearance and dress.”

Meanwhile, parents of soldiers serving in the Nachal Brigade announced plans to intensify protests in response to what they described as indifference and insensitivity on the part of senior military leadership.

The parents said demonstrations in the coming days would expand and be directed toward the homes and offices of senior IDF officials and decision-makers.

“We will not be silent and we will not rest. The system is abandoning its soldiers and harming the spearhead of the IDF because of ego and pettiness. We demand immediate intervention – release the soldier from prison immediately!” the parents’ protest headquarters said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}

NEWARK, N.J. (VINnews) — A New Jersey man has been charged with making interstate threats against a Jewish nonprofit organization in New York, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.

According to the Justice Department, 34-year-old Cameron Patterson of Newark allegedly sent three threatening emails to the organization on Oct. 6, 2024, warning of physical harm. Recipients reported the messages to law enforcement after fearing for their safety.

Investigators later searched Patterson’s iCloud account and allegedly found multiple images depicting or referencing violence, threats and mass shootings, prosecutors said.

Patterson was indicted May 18 on one count of transmitting interstate threats to injure another person. He was previously charged by complaint and released pending further proceedings. An arraignment date has not yet been set.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The FBI’s Newark Field Office investigated the case. Federal prosecutors stressed that an indictment is an allegation and that Patterson is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

This Tribute is dedicated le’iluy nishmas Ha’Isha ha’ Chashuva Rebbetzin Rivka Weiss A”H from Manchester- Bnei Brak.

Federal Reserve policymakers were concerned about high energy prices contributing to inflationary pressures in the economy when they held interest rates steady last month, the minutes from the meeting show.

The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Fed panel responsible for monetary policy decisions, released the minutes of policymakers’ April meeting on Wednesday which showed inflation driven by energy prices and tariffs when they kept the benchmark federal funds rate unchanged at a range of 3.5% to 3.75%.

The minutes indicated that the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index, the Fed’s preferred inflation gauge, was estimated at 3.5% in March. That’s well above the Fed’s 2% inflation target and jumped from 2.8% in February as the Iran war disrupted energy supplies from the Middle East.

“Almost all participants noted that there was a risk that the conflict in the Middle East could persist for an extended period or that, even after the conflict ended, the prices of oil and other commodities could remain elevated for longer than expected,” the minutes explained.

GAS PRICE SURGE HITTING LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS HARDEST, FED STUDY FINDS

“In such scenarios, these participants expected continued upward pressure on inflation arising from supply chain disruptions, high energy prices, or the pass-through of higher input costs to other prices,” the FOMC continued.

“The vast majority of participants noted an increased risk that inflation would take longer to return to the Committee’s 2% objective than they had previously expected,” the minutes said.

Policymakers anticipated that high energy prices will continue to put upward pressure on inflation in the near term, while tariff-induced inflation is expected to diminish this year unless tariff rates rise above their current levels.

FEDERAL RESERVE LEAVES INTEREST RATES UNCHANGED AS POWELL’S CHAIRMANSHIP NEARS END

Oil prices have hovered around or above the $100 per barrel range after trading closer to $70 a barrel before the Iran war. Meanwhile, gas prices have surged over 43% year over year to an average of $4.55 a gallon as of Wednesday, according to AAA data.

Concerns that persistently high oil and gas prices may continue to push inflation higher and contribute to an uptick in inflation for other goods due to transportation costs weighed on the outlook for interest rate cuts.

The Fed’s April policy meeting included a dissent from three FOMC members – Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari and Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan – who opposed the inclusion of language they felt showed a bias toward easing interest rates. 

FED’S FAVORED INFLATION GAUGE REMAINED ELEVATED IN MARCH

“A majority of participants highlighted, however, that some policy firming would likely become appropriate if inflation were to continue to run persistently above 2%,” the minutes explained. 

“To address this possibility, many participants indicated that they would have preferred removing the language from the post-meeting statement that suggested an easing bias regarding the likely direction of the Committee’s future interest rate decisions.”

The market’s view of the interest rate outlook has shifted to signal possible interest rate hikes before the end of the year, as the CME FedWatch tool shows a 51% probability that rates will remain at their current level of 3.5% to 3.75% through the Fed’s December meeting. 

It also shows just a 1.6% chance of a 25-basis-point cut by December, compared to a 36.7% probability of a 25-basis-point hike, a 9.5% chance that rates rise by 50-basis-points by December, and a 1.1% chance of 75-basis-points worth of rate hikes.

“Incoming Fed Chair Kevin Warsh faces a challenging backdrop as steady labor market conditions alongside rising inflation risks increase the odds of a rate hike as the next policy move,” said EY-Parthenon chief economist Gregory Daco. “Our expectation remains that the Fed will stay on hold throughout the rest of the year, and we expect more two-sided dissents at upcoming meetings, including from the Fed chair.”

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Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said, “Fed leaders were already talking about the possibility of potential rate hikes in April. It’s inevitable the Fed will shift to a neutral policy stance at the June meeting and will probably hike at some point later this year.”

“There’s no end in sight to the war in Iran, and bond investors are becoming freaked out about inflation risks. New Fed Chair Kevin Warsh must show that he’s committed to keeping inflation in check, no matter what the White House says,” Long added.

Officials from the New Jersey Department of Human Services recently toured CHEMED to learn more about the organization’s integrated approach to healthcare and community support services.

CHEMED welcomed Dr. Stephen Cha, Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, along with Deputy Commissioner Valerie Mielke and Deputy Commissioner Michael J. Wilson, for a visit and discussion focused on expanding access to comprehensive, whole-person care throughout New Jersey.

During the tour, CHEMED leadership highlighted how the organization combines medical care, behavioral health services, and social support programs to better serve the needs of the community.

Dr. Dovid Friedman, CEO of CHEMED, thanked the commissioners for their visit, engagement, and interest in the organization’s work. He also emphasized CHEMED’s commitment to continued collaboration aimed at strengthening healthcare access and improving patient outcomes across the state.

Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka said that his nation will stand with Israel and do everything it can to block European Union sanctions against Israel while speaking at a press conference during Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s solidarity visit to Prague on Wednesday.

“The Czech Republic will stand by Israel from this moment on; we will not allow any more trade sanctions, even if we have to block it as a single country,” Macinka asserted at the joint press conference held with Sa’ar. 

He added that the Czech Republic “will certainly not allow any suspension or freezing of Israel’s association agreement with the European Union, either in full or in any part of it.”

The Czech position on any potential suspension of EU-Israel ties is a clear “no,” Macinka continued. “We will also look for groups on issues where voting requires a qualified majority, so that no further aggressive steps by the European Union will harm the State of Israel.”

Sa’ar decries left-wing governments forcing the EU to take ‘radical anti-Israeli stance’

Sa’ar also addressed the sanctions and attempts to sever ties with Israel, describing them as “an attempt by certain left-wing governments in Europe to drag the EU into a radical anti-Israeli stance.”

I thank my friend Czech Deputy PM and FM @petr_macinka for hosting me in Prague, our third mutual visit since January.
I arrived with the largest Israeli business-economic delegation since I became FM.
We agreed to soon convene our joint commission to further strengthen… pic.twitter.com/aY940JifEd

— Gideon Sa’ar | גדעון סער (@gidonsaar) May 20, 2026

“In their radical campaign, these governments are breaking all the rules and working against Europe’s consensus-based policy,” Sa’ar continued, accusing anti-Israel EU members of doing so “in order to win applause from the most radical and terrorist states in our region.”

The same hostile governments, Sa’ar stated, are also harming the EU’s relationship with the US, prompting him to ask if Europe’s allies include the Islamic regime in Iran, radical Islam, and Palestinian terrorism.

“I know that this is not the policy of the Czech Republic,” he asserted.

He praised the Czech Republic and some other European governments for maintaining a friendly relationship with Israel, highlighting how important it is for them to understand that “strategic relations with Israel directly benefit Europe – in security, economy, technology, and more.”

Sa’ar called on Israel’s remaining allies in the EU to prevent the organization from being dragged into radical anti-Israel positions that may work against Europe’s interests. 

This post was originally published on here.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has long kept his past tax returns shielded from public scrutiny, something he insisted was necessary because of ongoing IRS audits.

But he says that could change now after his legal team forged a deal with the Justice Department this week that includes permanently dropping tax claims against the president, his family and associates.

“I may even release my current returns,” the president told reporters Wednesday.

If Trump makes good on that suggestion, it would end years-long speculation over how much the Republican president owes the federal government. But Trump has made dozens of promises in years past to release his returns, as other presidents routinely have done, only to renege on that commitment.

This week, the Justice Department said the government is “forever barred and precluded” from pursuing or prosecuting current tax examinations of Trump, his sons and the Trump Organization — part of the settlement deal meant to resolve Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over a leak of his tax returns.

The Justice Department has said the settlement refers only to existing audits, not future examinations.

The move came after the Justice Department announced, as part of the lawsuit settlement, the creation of a $1.776 billion fund to compensate Trump allies who believe they have been unjustly investigated and prosecuted. Democrats and government watchdogs have called the arrangement “corrupt” and unconstitutional.

With the settlement putting an end to any ongoing examinations of the president’s finances, the question arises about whether Trump will in fact release his returns. The White House referred The Associated Press to Trump’s comments when asked when his returns may become available.

Trump has said on numerous occasions over the years that he would release his tax returns. In May 2017, Trump said in an interview that he “might” release his tax returns after he stepped down as president.

During his first presidential campaign, he made a commitment to release his tax returns once they were not under audit.

In 2022, after Trump had left office, Democrats in Congress released thousands of pages of his tax returns for the years covering 2015-2020, showing how Trump used the tax code to lower his tax obligation and revealing details about foreign accounts, charitable contributions and the performance of some of his highest-profile business ventures.

NEW YORK (VINnews) — Operations at were disrupted Wednesday after airport crews discovered a sinkhole near one of the facility’s runways, forcing officials to temporarily shut it down and reroute all flights to the airport’s remaining active runway.

The hole was detected during a routine inspection near Runway 4/22, prompting an immediate closure as repair crews and engineers moved in to assess the damage and determine the cause.

Construction and emergency vehicles were seen working around the affected area as airport officials warned travelers to prepare for significant delays and possible flight cancellations.

With only one runway available for takeoffs and landings, air traffic congestion quickly began building at the busy New York airport. Officials also warned that forecast thunderstorms later in the day could worsen disruptions.

Passengers were advised to monitor flight updates directly through their airlines as repair efforts continued. Authorities did not provide an estimated timeline for reopening the runway.

A reportedly difficult phone conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu exposed sharp disagreements over a developing proposal aimed at ending the fighting with Iran and opening a new round of negotiations, according to a report Wednesday night by Barak Ravid on Channel 12 News.

At the center of the discussion was a new draft framework being advanced by several Arab and Muslim countries in an effort to broker a compromise formula between the United States and Iran that could prevent the war from reigniting. Three sources familiar with the conversation provided details of the exchange.

According to the report, Trump told Netanyahu that mediators are working on what he described as a “letter of intent” that both the United States and Iran would sign.

An American source familiar with the details of the call told Channel 12 that the proposed document could pave the way for ending the war and launching an additional 30 days of negotiations over issues including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing Iran’s nuclear program.

Netanyahu, however, reportedly expressed deep skepticism about the initiative and argued that the United States should continue applying military pressure on Iran in order to further weaken the regime.

Two Israeli sources familiar with the contents of the call said the conversation was tense and that Trump and Netanyahu sharply disagreed over how to proceed regarding Iran.

The American source added that Israel’s ambassador in Washington later updated several members of Congress and indicated that Netanyahu emerged from the conversation deeply concerned about the developing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Another senior American source who is also uneasy about the talks remarked, “Bibi’s hair went up in flames after that conversation with Trump.”

When Trump was asked Wednesday about his conversation with Netanyahu, he responded, “Netanyahu will do whatever I tell him to do regarding Iran.”

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy denied that Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told American lawmakers that Netanyahu had come away worried from the call. The White House also declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Qatar, along with mediators including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, is continuing efforts to formulate an agreement between the United States and Iran.

According to two Arab officials and one Israeli source, Qatar recently presented both Washington and Tehran with a revised draft proposal intended to end the conflict.

A fourth source claimed the document was not an entirely separate Qatari initiative, but rather a Pakistani draft that the Qataris modified.

One Arab official said Qatar dispatched a delegation to Tehran in recent days to discuss the proposal, while Pakistan also reportedly sent representatives to the Iranian capital.

The goal of the initiative is said to be securing concessions from Iran on its nuclear program while creating a framework for the gradual release of frozen Iranian assets held overseas.

All three sources cautioned that it remains far from certain that Iran will agree to the proposal, raising questions about whether Netanyahu’s concerns are ultimately justified.

A senior Qatari official responded to the report by saying, “Qatar supports the mediation efforts being led by Pakistan. We continue to consistently support efforts to reduce escalation for the sake of the region and its people.”

Iran warned Wednesday that it will carry the war beyond the Middle East and strike targets “in places you cannot imagine” if President Trump follows through on his threat to deliver another “big hit” against the Islamic Republic.

“If aggression against Iran is repeated, the promised regional war will extend beyond the region this time,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in a statement aired on state media, vowing “crushing blows” against the United States and Israel should fighting resume.

The Guards added that they had not yet used their full military capability in earlier exchanges with American and Israeli forces, and dismissed Trump’s public warnings as posturing. “We are men of war, and you will witness our power on the battlefield, not in hollow statements or on social media pages,” the statement said.

Iran has previously vowed only to strike American bases in neighboring Gulf countries.

Tehran did not specify what locations it considered fair game beyond the Middle East, nor what weapons it would use to reach them. Iran has demonstrated long-range ballistic missile capabilities in past conflicts and maintains a network of proxy forces and operatives across multiple continents.

The warning followed Trump’s disclosure Tuesday that he had come within an hour of ordering a fresh round of strikes before pulling back at the urging of Persian Gulf allies who told him a diplomatic breakthrough was still possible.

“I was an hour away from making the decision to go today,” Trump told reporters. “We may have to give them another big hit. I’m not sure yet. You’ll know very soon.”

The president has set Iran’s renunciation of nuclear weapons as the central condition for ending the war, which has been frozen in an uneasy six-week cease-fire. Iranian negotiators have so far refused that demand, instead pressing for sovereign control of the Strait of Hormuz and the withdrawal of American forces from neighboring countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has publicly questioned the reliability of the Trump administration as a negotiating partner, and Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, traveled to Tehran on Wednesday to continue acting as a back-channel intermediary, Iranian state media reported.

The cease-fire has held, but barely. The Senate this week advanced a symbolic war powers resolution that would bar further military operations against Iran without congressional authorization, a measure Trump is expected to reject if it reaches his desk. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning the earlier American and Israeli strikes on Iran as illegal and calling for a comprehensive halt to hostilities.

Inside Tehran, the regime has leaned into a posture of public defiance. Revolutionary Guard members have begun staging open-air demonstrations on city streets, training civilians to handle Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. Military parades through the capital now routinely feature pickup trucks mounted with belt-fed Soviet-era machine guns, the kind of imagery long associated with the regime’s proxy militias rather than its uniformed forces.

Iran’s nationwide internet blackout, imposed in the war’s opening days, entered its 82nd consecutive day Wednesday, according to the monitoring service NetBlocks. The country has now been cut off from the global internet for more than 1,900 hours.

US Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper told the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that the war has effectively foreclosed any near-term possibility of an Oct. 7-style attack on Israel from the Iranian axis. He also confirmed that the Pentagon is still investigating a first-day strike on what American officials described as a missile facility but Iran has insisted was a girls’ elementary school. More than 165 people were killed in the strike. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Wednesday called the American account “a baseless fabrication.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

(AP) – Democratic leaders are trying to prevent Maureen Galindo, a candidate who has repeatedly expressed antisemitic views, from winning their party’s nomination in next week’s Texas runoff, and they’ve accused Republicans of propping up her campaign.

Galindo faces Johnny Garcia in the runoff for the Democratic nomination in the state’s 35th Congressional District, which is located in the San Antonio area. The district was redrawn by Texas Republicans to boost their party’s chances of holding onto the seat in this year’s midterms.

Democrats have become alarmed since Galindo received the most votes in the March 3 primary. She earned 29% while Garcia had 27%. They believe the seat could remain competitive, despite redistricting, if their party has a strong year politically, and they’re eager to avoid being saddled with a candidate’s inflammatory rhetoric.

The runoff comes at a moment of heightened concern about the spread of antisemitism across the political spectrum and questions about how to handle candidates with extreme beliefs.

Galindo’s comments included calls for imprisoning “American Zionists,” and transforming a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility into a jail for that purpose.

“She’ll turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking,” Galindo’s campaign Instagram account said. It added: “(It will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles, which will probably be most of the Zionists).”

Galindo is supported by a political action committee called Lead Left PAC that bills itself as opposed to President Donald Trump. However, Democrats argue that the group is funded by Republicans, and the New York Times reported evidence of potential links.

“House Republican leadership must immediately cease propping up this antisemitic candidacy,” Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Suzan DelBene said in a statement.

The National Republican Congressional Committee did not address Democrats’ claims about supporting the Lead Left PAC, but criticized the Democratic candidates for “embarrassing fundraising numbers, zero grassroots energy, and no real support from Texans.”

In an email, Galindo said her statement was “NEVER for Jewish Zionists — it’s for BILLIONAIRE Zionists.” She said national Democrats sought to inflame her comments.

Democrats have disavowed Galindo’s language. In addition to DelBene and Jeffries’ statement, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, called it “disgusting” and said it shouldn’t be near “our politics.”

Garcia said in a video posted on social media that the comments have no place in the race.

“We should be bringing people together, not spreading hate, division or dangerous rhetoric,” he said.

Lead Left PAC did not respond to requests for comment.

Jensen Huang Calls AI Buildout “Largest Infrastructure Expansion in Human History” as Nvidia Extends Dominance Across Global AI Market

NEW YORK — Nvidia Corp. delivered another massive earnings beat Wednesday after the closing bell, reporting fiscal first-quarter revenue of $81.62 billion and forecasting second-quarter sales of approximately $91 billion, well ahead of Wall Street expectations as demand for artificial-intelligence infrastructure continued accelerating across the global economy.

The results reinforced Nvidia’s position at the center of the AI investment boom now reshaping technology, cloud computing, enterprise software, and global infrastructure spending.

According to the company’s quarterly earnings release issued Wednesday afternoon, revenue surged 85% year-over-year from $44.06 billion, topping analyst expectations near $79 billion.

Adjusted earnings came in at approximately $1.87 per share, above Wall Street estimates that had generally clustered between $1.77 and $1.78 per share.

The company’s all-important Data Center division generated $75.2 billion in revenue, significantly exceeding analyst forecasts and continuing to confirm extraordinary demand for Nvidia’s AI chips, networking systems, and rack-scale computing infrastructure.

Nvidia also announced an additional $80 billion share repurchase authorization and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.25 per share, signaling growing confidence from management that the current AI spending cycle remains in its early stages.

The biggest headline for Wall Street, however, was Nvidia’s forward guidance.

The company projected second-quarter revenue of approximately $91 billion, plus or minus 2%, far above consensus forecasts that had settled near $87 billion.

Even some of the market’s most bullish projections had struggled to reach the $91 billion level, making the guidance one of the strongest signals yet that AI infrastructure spending continues accelerating faster than many investors expected.

“The buildout of AI factories — the largest infrastructure expansion in human history — is accelerating at extraordinary speed,” said Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s founder and chief executive officer.

“Agentic AI has arrived, doing productive work, generating real value and scaling rapidly across companies and industries,” Huang added.

The results answered one of Wall Street’s biggest questions surrounding the AI trade: whether the enormous capital expenditures announced by major technology companies are fully translating into real revenue growth for Nvidia.

The answer appears to be yes.

Major cloud providers including Microsoft Corp., Amazon.com Inc., Alphabet Inc., and Meta Platforms Inc. are collectively expected to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure, chips, networking, and data-center expansion over the coming years.

Wednesday’s report strongly suggested that spending wave is not slowing.

One particularly strong area inside the earnings report was Nvidia’s networking business.

Networking revenue surged to approximately $14.8 billion, significantly above analyst expectations, reflecting soaring demand for Nvidia’s NVLink systems and AI networking infrastructure used to connect massive GPU clusters powering generative AI systems.

The report also showed Nvidia increasingly evolving beyond simply selling chips.

Wall Street analysts have increasingly viewed Nvidia as an end-to-end AI infrastructure company supplying complete AI computing systems, networking fabrics, rack-scale architectures, and software ecosystems rather than only GPUs.

That broader positioning continues strengthening Nvidia’s competitive advantage across the AI industry.

The company’s commentary surrounding its upcoming Vera Rubin platform also drew major investor attention.

Huang has repeatedly emphasized that demand for Nvidia’s next-generation AI systems continues building rapidly as corporations, governments, and cloud providers race to expand AI capabilities.

At Nvidia’s GTC conference earlier this year, Huang projected combined demand across Nvidia’s Blackwell and Vera Rubin product cycles could eventually reach roughly $1 trillion over multiple years — one of the most aggressive infrastructure forecasts ever issued by a major technology executive.

China remained one of the few unresolved areas inside the report.

Nvidia continues facing restrictions tied to advanced AI-chip exports into China following U.S. government export controls, and the company said current guidance still assumes minimal contribution from the Chinese data-center market.

Any future loosening of export restrictions could provide additional upside beyond current forecasts.

Despite the strong report, Nvidia shares initially traded lower in after-hours trading before stabilizing as investors absorbed the guidance, buyback announcement, and margin outlook.

The temporary volatility reflected growing investor expectations surrounding Nvidia earnings after the company repeatedly exceeded Wall Street forecasts throughout the AI boom.

The broader implications extend far beyond Nvidia itself.

Suppliers including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Micron Technology, SK Hynix, and Broadcom Inc. stand to benefit directly from continued AI infrastructure demand, while utilities, data-center developers, construction firms, fiber providers, and power-equipment companies are also increasingly tied to the AI expansion cycle.

The spending boom is also beginning to affect the broader labor market and real economy.

Construction of AI data centers across states including Texas, Virginia, and Arizona is driving demand for electricians, HVAC specialists, fiber installers, engineers, security personnel, and skilled construction workers as companies race to build the physical infrastructure required to support next-generation AI systems.

At the same time, rising power consumption tied to AI infrastructure is beginning to place additional strain on utility grids and long-term energy planning across multiple regions.

For investors, Wednesday’s earnings report reinforced the central market narrative driving much of the current technology rally: the global AI infrastructure cycle not only remains intact, but may still be accelerating.

The next major focus for Wall Street now shifts toward Nvidia’s conference call commentary surrounding production capacity, Blackwell rollout timing, enterprise AI demand, networking growth, and any potential developments tied to China export policy.

JBizNews Desk

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NEW YORK (AP) — Promising a commitment to “ambitious journalism and agenda-setting conversations,” media scion James Murdoch has struck a deal with the Vox Media digital company to acquire New York magazine, the Vox Media Podcast Network and the Vox editorial brand.

The deal with Vox, widely seen as liberal-leaning, represents a major move toward his own media empire for the 53-year-old younger son of Rupert Murdoch, who himself owned New York Magazine from 1976 until 1991. And it comes less than a year after the Murdoch family reached a deal on control of the 95-year-old mogul’s media empire after his death, ensuring no change in direction at Fox News, the most popular network for conservatives, under Rupert’s chosen heir, Lachlan Murdoch.

Under the new deal, expected to close within weeks, Lupa Systems, James Murdoch’s media company, acquires the three divisions — about half of Vox Media. Neither Vox Media nor Lupa was disclosing the sum. The New York Times cited people familiar with the matter saying it was more than $300 million. The acquired divisions will operate, according to a statement, as a subsidiary of Lupa — called Vox Media.

Lots included and some excluded
Not included in the deal are the Vox brands Eater, Popsugar, SB Nation, The Dodo, and The Verge. But the deal does include, along with New York magazine, its verticals The Cut, Vulture, Intelligencer, The Strategist, Curbed, and Grub Street.

It also includes the Vox Media Podcast Network. which features wildly popular shows like “Criminal” and “Pivot” with Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway. The network “has been the fastest growing business within Vox Media and will immediately put Lupa at the top of the podcast field,” said the Vox statement.

James Murdoch, a former CEO of 21st Century Fox who resigned from the board of News Corporation in 2020 over differences about content and direction, is known to hold less conservative views than his father. In the deal reached last year, James and his two older sisters. Prudence MacLeod and Elisabeth Murdoch, gave up any claims to control of Fox in exchange for stock valued at the time at $3.3 billion.

That deal created a trust establishing control of the Fox Corp. for Lachlan Murdoch, along with his younger sisters, Grace and Chloe.

In his own remarks about the Vox deal, James Murdoch said the acquisition “aligns well with our existing holdings and investments and reflects both our interest in the forward edge of culture and our deep commitment to ambitious journalism and agenda-setting conversations.

It will allow us to apply new tools across the businesses we are building, adding substantial production, distribution, and editorial capability to our group,” Murdoch said.

Continuity in leadership expected
Current Vox chairman and CEO Jim Bankoff will lead the new Vox Media, becoming CEO of the new company upon closing.

“We are incredibly proud to have built and scaled several of the leading media properties of this generation,” Bankoff said. “Together under Lupa’s stewardship we are primed to be the best home for talent and the most dynamic media company of this new era.”

David Haskell, New York magazine’s editor-in-chief, noted in an email to subscribers that Lupa now becomes the magazine’s sixth owner since 1968.

Haskell promised that the magazine would continue with “the fearless, independent journalism that you expect from us.”

“We will continue to create news cycles, start conversations, contribute to the most important debates in politics and society, identify and explore what’s most interesting in contemporary culture, and always do our best to challenge our readers, surprise them, and help them make sense of the modern world,” Haskell said.

NEW YORK (VINnews) – Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday sharply criticized Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his decision to skip this year’s Israel Day parade in Manhattan, accusing him of showing hostility toward the Jewish community.

The annual parade, scheduled for May 30 along Fifth Avenue, has been held since 1964 and is considered one of the city’s largest celebrations of support for Israel.

“Mamdani’s decision to snub the Israeli Day Parade demonstrates his deep disdain and hatred of the Jewish community,” Giuliani told the New York Post.

Giuliani also cited Mamdani’s absence from the investiture ceremony for the city’s new Catholic archbishop, saying it reflected “a pattern” of behavior.

Mamdani, who has been outspoken in his criticism of Israel and supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, is believed to be the first New York City mayor not to attend the parade.

In prior comments to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mamdani said his absence should not be interpreted as a lack of support for the Jewish community or for public safety surrounding the event.

“While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety,” Mamdani said. “I believe in equal rights for all people — everywhere.”

Bruce Blakeman, a Republican candidate for governor, also criticized Mamdani and said he would participate in the parade.

The dispute comes amid heightened tensions in New York over the war in Gaza and rising concerns about antisemitism and anti-Israel protests across the city.

Stocks Rally, Oil Slides as Iran Talks Advance and Markets Brace for Nvidia Earnings After the Bell

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks rallied sharply Wednesday while oil prices fell as investors reacted to signs of progress in negotiations with Iran, easing fears of prolonged energy-market disruption and shifting Wall Street’s focus toward Nvidia Corp.’s closely watched earnings report due after the closing bell.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged more than 645 points, or 1.31%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.08% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed 1.54%, according to market data Wednesday afternoon. The broad rally snapped a recent stretch of market weakness driven by surging Treasury yields, geopolitical uncertainty, and concerns over the Federal Reserve’s policy outlook.

Oil prices posted one of their sharpest declines in recent weeks as traders grew more optimistic that tensions surrounding shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz could ease if diplomatic negotiations continue progressing.

West Texas Intermediate crude fell 5.66% to settle near $98.26 per barrel, while Brent crude dropped 5.63% to approximately $105.02 per barrel.

The move marked a sharp reversal from earlier this week, when fears surrounding the Iran conflict and shipping disruptions pushed energy prices higher and added renewed inflation concerns across global markets.

Treasury yields also eased Wednesday after climbing earlier in the week to some of their highest levels in months. The benchmark 10-year Treasury yield pulled back after recently pushing above 4.13%, helping stabilize broader equity sentiment.

Wall Street’s attention now shifts almost entirely to Nvidia Corp., one of the world’s most valuable companies and the central driver of the artificial-intelligence investment boom that has powered markets over the past two years.

Nvidia is scheduled to report fiscal first-quarter earnings after the closing bell, with investors closely watching both revenue growth and forward guidance tied to AI infrastructure spending.

Options markets are implying one of the largest post-earnings swings in corporate history, with traders pricing in hundreds of billions of dollars in potential market-value movement following the report.

Analysts expect Nvidia to report approximately $78.8 billion in revenue alongside adjusted earnings of roughly $1.77 per share, driven primarily by continued explosive demand for AI chips and data-center infrastructure.

Wall Street remains focused on the company’s Blackwell architecture and future Vera Rubin platform, both viewed as critical to the next phase of enterprise AI expansion.

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s founder and chief executive officer, has repeatedly emphasized that demand for AI infrastructure continues significantly outpacing supply as corporations, governments, and cloud providers race to expand computing capacity.

Shares of Nvidia rose roughly 2% during Wednesday’s regular trading session ahead of the report.

The retail sector also helped support market sentiment.

Lowe’s Cos. reported quarterly results ahead of Wall Street expectations, posting first-quarter revenue of approximately $23.1 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $3.03, topping analyst forecasts.

“Strong spring execution and continued momentum in Pro, Appliances, Online, and Home Services supported a solid start to the year,” said Marvin R. Ellison, Lowe’s chairman, president and CEO.

Comparable sales rose modestly while online sales jumped more than 15%, signaling continued resilience in consumer spending despite elevated borrowing costs and inflation pressure.

Target Corp. also exceeded expectations, reporting stronger-than-expected quarterly earnings and raising portions of its full-year outlook, adding to optimism surrounding consumer demand.

The strong retail earnings helped counter concerns that elevated energy prices and higher interest rates were severely weakening household spending.

Meanwhile, Federal Reserve policy remained a major focus for investors throughout the session.

Minutes released Wednesday from the Federal Open Market Committee’s April meeting showed several policymakers discussing the possibility that additional interest-rate increases could become necessary if inflation remains persistently above the Fed’s 2% target.

The minutes revealed growing divisions inside the central bank, with some officials favoring a more hawkish policy posture due to elevated energy prices, tariffs, and inflation risks tied to geopolitical instability.

Markets have increasingly scaled back expectations for near-term rate cuts as inflation remains stubbornly above target and labor-market conditions continue holding relatively firm.

Several Wall Street firms have recently revised forecasts, now expecting the Federal Reserve to maintain restrictive policy for longer than previously anticipated.

Cross-asset trading reflected the broader shift in sentiment Wednesday.

The U.S. dollar remained firm following the Fed minutes, while gold continued attracting safe-haven demand despite the broader equity rally. Bitcoin traded relatively stable as risk appetite improved across financial markets.

For consumers and businesses, Wednesday’s market action delivered mixed but important signals.

Falling oil prices could eventually provide some relief at the gasoline pump if geopolitical tensions continue easing and global shipping routes stabilize. At the same time, the Federal Reserve’s increasingly hawkish tone suggests borrowing costs for mortgages, credit cards, auto loans, and business financing are unlikely to decline meaningfully in the near future.

The next major test for markets now rests almost entirely on Nvidia’s earnings report and forward guidance.

A strong beat-and-raise from Nvidia could reinforce investor confidence in the broader artificial-intelligence trade and potentially drive another leg higher in technology stocks. A weaker-than-expected outlook, however, could test a market already navigating elevated interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty, and increasingly cautious Federal Reserve messaging.

JBizNews Desk

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The Yarchei Kallah in Yerushalayim ahead of Chag Matan Torah, initiated by the “Torasi V’Umanusi” foundation headed by the Chevron Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon HaRav Yosef Chevroni shlit”a and under the nesius and hadracha of Maran the Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a, concluded with a chashuve massa from Maran HaGaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a. The event, which brought together hundreds of _anshei maaseh_, baalebatim, and kovei itim from all over Eretz Yisrael who were invited to the event, were zoche to a day that was Kulo Torah, Amal, and spiritual hachana for zman matan toraseinu.

The event, hosted by the Yirmiyahu 33 hotel in Yerushalayim, started early morning hours, with the hundreds of participants filling the halls with a great atmosphere of shkius in learning, ritcha d’oraysa, and a special hisromemus ahead of Shavuos. Alongside the many participants on-site, hundreds more connected throughout the day to the live stream of the event, which was broadcasted on various platforms in Eretz Yisroel and Chutz La’Aretz.

Throughout the day, Gedolei Yisroel, Roshei Yeshivos, and Marbitzei Torah shlit”a gave shiurim and shmuses around the sugya of Birchos HaTorah b’iyun, halacha l’maaseh, drush, and mussar, with geshmake Q&A’s in divrei Torah and chizuk among the oilam.

Among the participants and speakers at the event: Rabbeinu HaGadol Maran Rosh HaYeshiva HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a, HaGaon HaGadol HaRav Shaul Alter shlit”a, Maran Rosh Yeshivas Chevron HaGaon HaRav Dovid Cohen shlit”a, HaGaon HaGadol HaRav Yehoshua Eichenstein shlit”a, HaGaon HaTzaddik Rav Shimon Galai shlit”a, Chevron Rosh Yeshiva HaGaon HaRav Yosef Chevroni shlit”a, HaGaon HaRav Elimelech Kornfeld and HaGaon HaRav Daniel Rabin from the Rabbonim of ‘Chelki B’Kehilasi’, HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Mordechai HaCohen Rubin shlit”a, HaGaon HaRav Yehuda Aryeh Dunner shlit”a, HaGaon HaRav Yisrael Landau shlit”a, HaRav Dovid Braverman shlit”a, and other choshuve Rabbonim.

The central speech of the event was delivered by Rabbeinu HaGadol Maran Rosh HaYeshiva HaGaon HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlit”a, who spoke about the chashivus to give a chizuk to the olam ha’Torah among the working tzibbur, and the tremendous need to strengthen Yiras Shamayim and keep a kavua mussar seder, even just a seder of 5 or 6 minutes: “It’s a muchrach for every Yid to have a mussar seder, and this doesn’t just belong to a yeshiva bochur or a kollel yungerman. It doesn’t make a nafka mina if a person is a balebos or a ben yeshiva; without limud mussar, a person can forget his tachlis in his day-to-day life. A Yid needs to know that to hold onto Yiras Shamayim, he is mechuyav to learn mussar.”

Maran the Rosh Yeshiva added that the koach of a kavua limud mussar is that it changes a person’s whole hashkafa on life: “A person who learns mussar will suddenly see that things he was sure were a muchrach for him, are not a muchrach at all. And like Reb Yisroel Salanter says, if a person learns a quarter-hour of mussar, he will find out he has a whole hour to learn.”

The seder hayom that the askanim put together for the Yarchei Kallah day, as well as the divrei hisorerus of Maran the Rosh Yeshiva, left a powerful influence among the oilam, creating a special hachana with kabalos l’maaseh to strengthen kviyus itim and limud mussar ahead of the chag of Matan Toraseinu.

Alongside the divrei chizuk and hachana for Kabalas HaTorah from HaGaon HaGadol Rav Shaul Alter shlit”a and HaGaon HaTzaddik Rav Shimon Galai shlit”a, the participants were zoche to have a Q&A session with them on inyanim that are nogea to the tzibbur of kovei itim l’Torah in chayei hamaaseh, with specific reference to their nisyonos, setting up sidrei limud, and keeping a ruchniyusdige seder hayom amidst the tirdos of parnassa and everyday life.

The ‘Shivti’ organization Lehagdil Torah u’leha’adira and Keren ‘Torasi V’Umanusi’, pointed out at the end of the event that given the gevaldige hatzlacha, the massive response, and the big demand, there are expected to be more maamadei Torah and events for the tzibbur of bnei Torah kovei itim throughout the entire year.

The evet was dedicated l’ilui nishmas HaRav Uri Lupolianski zt”l, founder of the ‘Yad Sarah’ organization, who was niftar this past year and was poel his whole life to be marbe chesed and zechuyos in Klal Yisroel.

In two undercover operations carried out within less than 12 hours on Wednesday, soldiers from the Duvdevan Unit arrested two wanted terrorists in Qabatiya and Shechem (Nablus).

During one operation, the unit’s troops arrested a suspect in the village of Qabatiya, in the Menashe Brigade’s area of responsibility. The suspect had allegedly been working to advance terrorist operations and was planning to carry out a terror attack in the immediate timeframe.

In a separate operation, forces arrested another suspect in Shechem, in the Samaria Brigade’s area of responsibility, for allegedly advancing terrorist activity.

The detainees were transferred to the Shin Bet for interrogation.

{Matzav.com}

The High Court of Justice has rejected a petition filed by AIDA, an umbrella organization representing 19 international non-governmental aid organizations operating in Gaza and the West Bank, against government NGO registration requirements.

The petition followed Israel’s request that the organizations provide lists of their local employees, as required under Israel’s NGO registration and security screening procedures. The organizations refused and filed a petition challenging the registration framework.

Many of the NGOs, such as Doctors Without Borders, have expressed concerns that sharing staff information could jeopardize staff safety, referencing the number of aid worker deaths in Gaza.

The Israeli government has stated that the framework is a security-driven regulatory system designed to ensure humanitarian aid is delivered safely, transparently, and without exploitation by terrorist organizations. It was based on the fear that some Gaza-based NGOs have operational overlap with Hamas or other terror groups.

The procedure prohibits the operation of organizations linked to terrorism, incitement, delegitimization campaigns against Israel, Holocaust denial, or denial of the October 7 massacre.

As of March 2026, 129 registration applications had been submitted to the inter-ministerial team. Of those, 30 were approved, 19 were denied, 47 remain under review, and 34 organizations have yet to begin the registration process.

‘Israel won’t allow terrorism to operate under the guise of humanitarian aid’

On Tuesday, Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit dismissed the petition and granted the organizations a final 30-day period to submit the required documentation, including the employee lists.

Organizations that comply will have their applications reviewed under the registration procedure. Organizations that fail to submit the required materials will be required to cease operations in Gaza and the West Bank immediately.

The Court ruled that the state’s requirement to receive information regarding local employees, including Palestinian staff members, constitutes a legitimate and proportionate security measure.

“The information requirement… is a limited and proportionate measure, deriving from the state’s fundamental duty to protect its security and the security of its residents, while enabling the continued humanitarian activity of international aid organizations,” the Court stated.

The justices further emphasized that security screening “falls within the core sovereign powers of the state.”

Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli welcomed the ruling: “The rejection of the petition sends a clear and unequivocal message – the State of Israel will not allow terrorist activity to operate under the guise of humanitarian aid.”

“We will continue acting decisively to ensure that only legitimate and transparent organizations are permitted to participate in humanitarian operations in the region,” added Director General of the Ministry Avi Cohen-Scali.

This post was originally published on here.

The Pentagon is rapidly shifting toward a new kind of warfare: cheaper, AI-powered attack drones that can overwhelm enemies in large numbers instead of relying only on billion-dollar weapons systems.

The Defense Department announced Tuesday that it selected defense startup Shield AI to provide the autonomous software for a new low-cost drone program designed around swarms of expendable attack drones that can operate together with limited human control.

For everyday Americans, the story highlights how modern wars are changing — and why the U.S. military is increasingly investing in artificial intelligence and lower-cost weapons after seeing how devastating cheap drones have become in the Iran conflict.

The new Pentagon system, called LUCAS, is built around small one-way attack drones costing roughly $35,000 each. That is dramatically cheaper than traditional American missiles, some of which cost more than $1 million per shot.

Shield AI’s software, known as Hivemind, acts like an “AI pilot,” allowing groups of drones to coordinate attacks, avoid threats and continue missions even if communications are jammed or disrupted.

“It’s cheaper to destroy a target, but it’s also keeping our war fighters safer,” Shield AI co-founder Brandon Tseng said in an interview with CNBC.

The push comes after the Iran war exposed a major military reality: inexpensive drones can inflict enormous damage against far more expensive systems.

Iran’s Shahed drones — low-cost exploding drones used heavily throughout the conflict — have successfully struck military installations, infrastructure and energy facilities across the Middle East. Some attacks caused billions of dollars in damage using weapons that cost only a tiny fraction of the targets they hit.

That has forced Pentagon planners to rethink decades of military strategy.

Instead of depending mostly on advanced fighter jets, destroyers and high-end missiles, the military is increasingly preparing for future conflicts where thousands of smaller autonomous systems flood battlefields simultaneously.

The Pentagon reportedly moved unusually fast on the LUCAS program, taking it from development to combat deployment in less than a year — far quicker than traditional military procurement timelines that often take many years.

The shift is also transforming the defense industry itself.

For decades, giant contractors like Lockheed Martin, RTX and Northrop Grumman dominated Pentagon spending. Now venture-backed technology startups like Shield AI and Anduril are rapidly gaining ground by focusing on AI software, autonomous drones and lower-cost weapons.

Shield AI recently reached a valuation of roughly $12.7 billion as investor interest in military AI companies surged following the Iran conflict.

The Pentagon has also announced additional contracts tied to low-cost missile and drone systems as military leaders race to expand production capacity.

Analysts say the economic logic behind the shift is difficult to ignore.

A swarm of cheap autonomous drones can potentially overwhelm air defenses and destroy targets at a fraction of the cost required to stop them. That creates a dangerous imbalance where defending against attacks may become far more expensive than launching them.

The U.S. military now appears determined to build that capability for itself rather than risk falling behind adversaries already deploying large numbers of autonomous systems.

The Trump administration has strongly backed the effort, including through expanded missile defense and drone initiatives designed to speed up weapons development and manufacturing.

Supporters argue AI-powered systems could reduce risks to American troops while allowing the military to respond faster and more cheaply during future conflicts.

Critics, however, continue warning about the growing role of artificial intelligence in warfare, especially systems capable of making battlefield decisions with reduced human oversight.

Still, momentum inside the Pentagon is clearly accelerating.

Defense experts say the battlefield lessons from Iran, Ukraine and other recent conflicts have convinced military planners that autonomous drone warfare is no longer experimental technology — it is becoming the future of combat.

And for companies like Shield AI, the war-driven demand surge is rapidly turning Silicon Valley defense startups into some of the most important new players in the global arms industry.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Amid the growing threat of explosive drones from Lebanon and the lack of early warning systems, residents of Kibbutz Sasa in the Upper Galil have begun installing protective netting above kindergarten courtyards, daycares, and kibbutz playgrounds in an effort to shield children from potential attacks, Walla News reported.

The initiative was launched independently by members of the kibbutz, located near Israel’s northern border, as concerns continue to mount over Hezbollah’s explosive drones.

“We’re reinforcing the courtyards now so the children can still spend at least some time outside,” Yehuda Livne, a member of the community’s emergency response team, told Walla. “The children will be inside, under a roof, or outside, under these nets. We’re trying to create physical protection from a threat that suddenly appears from the sky without any warning.”

The decision followed a serious security incident earlier this week, when an explosive drone fired by Hezbollah detonated in an orchard near the kibbutz, roughly 50 meters from workers who were pruning trees nearby. At the time, many families and children were present in public areas of the kibbutz, and the explosion occurred without any siren or prior warning from Israeli defense systems or the Home Front Command.

“It’s a small, quiet ‘toy’ that you can’t see or hear,” Livne said. “Until it explodes, you don’t even know it’s there.”

Because of the minimal advance warning available, communities located close to the border — currently classified as “yellow zones” — remain under strict Home Front Command protection guidelines.

Under the current directives, children in kindergartens and daycare facilities may only use outdoor areas in groups of up to six children at a time, accompanied by two staff members, and for no longer than 20 minutes per session. In schools, outdoor groups are limited to 35 students.

Daily activity is otherwise restricted to reinforced or protected structures, while gatherings are limited to 200 people outdoors and 600 indoors.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Stocks may still have room to climb even if the Federal Reserve raises interest rates again — at least according to one closely watched market technician who says the AI-driven rally has not yet broken down.

Todd Gordon, founder of Inside Edge Capital and longtime CNBC market analyst, said Tuesday that the stock market’s biggest risk right now is not necessarily a small Fed rate hike itself, but whether inflation expectations spiral higher because of the Iran war and rising oil prices.

For everyday investors, the message is important: Wall Street is debating whether the current AI boom can continue even in a higher-interest-rate environment.

Markets have become increasingly nervous in recent weeks as Treasury yields surged sharply higher. The 30-year Treasury yield briefly climbed above 5.19% Tuesday — its highest level in nearly two decades — while investors have largely abandoned hopes for Fed rate cuts this year.

Higher yields matter because they increase borrowing costs throughout the economy, including mortgages, credit cards, business loans and corporate financing. They also tend to pressure high-growth technology stocks, whose valuations often rely on expectations of future earnings.

Despite that, Gordon believes the broader bull market remains intact for now.

His analysis focuses heavily on inflation expectations, especially a market measure known as the two-year breakeven inflation rate. According to Gordon, the critical line is roughly 2.98%.

If inflation expectations stay below that level, he believes the market can likely handle modest additional tightening from the Federal Reserve without collapsing the AI-driven rally.

“If expected inflation remains contained, I see little reason to expect the growth trade to break down,” Gordon wrote in a note for CNBC Pro.

Much of the debate centers on oil prices and the Iran conflict.

Since the war began earlier this year, crude oil prices have remained elevated, fueling concerns that inflation could reaccelerate just as the Federal Reserve hoped price pressures were cooling.

If tensions ease and oil prices fall back toward more normal levels, analysts believe inflation fears could fade and allow stocks — especially AI and technology companies — to continue climbing.

But if the conflict escalates further and oil prices spike again, investors worry the Fed could be forced into a tougher stance that would hurt markets more broadly.

Gordon’s bullish case also rests on a major technical chart pattern involving the Nasdaq and S&P 500.

He noted that the Nasdaq-to-S&P ratio is testing a key resistance level that has only appeared twice before in modern market history — once during the dot-com bubble in 2000 and again before the 2022 tech selloff.

Technical analysts often view repeated tests of major market levels as signals that a powerful breakout could eventually occur.

Gordon believes the current setup could potentially resolve upward if inflation pressures stabilize.

Still, there are warning signs.

Some growth indicators are no longer rising as strongly as major AI stocks themselves, suggesting parts of the rally may be narrowing beneath the surface. Analysts say that can sometimes happen late in strong bull markets.

Meanwhile, other economists argue the real danger may not come directly from the Fed, but from growing stress inside the bond market itself.

Foreign governments including Japan and China recently reduced their holdings of U.S. Treasurys as they defended their own currencies against rising energy costs tied to the war. Weak demand at several recent Treasury auctions has also pushed yields higher.

That creates a separate challenge for markets because borrowing costs can continue rising even without direct Fed action.

Some analysts now warn the Fed risks losing control of inflation expectations if it appears too slow to respond to higher energy-driven inflation.

For investors, the next major test arrives this week with Nvidia’s earnings report, one of the most closely watched events in global markets because Nvidia has become the centerpiece of the AI boom driving much of the stock market’s gains.

Strong results could reinforce the bullish AI narrative and help stocks recover despite rising rates. Weak guidance, however, could increase fears that the market has become too dependent on a handful of technology giants.

For now, Wall Street remains caught between two powerful forces: surging enthusiasm around artificial intelligence and growing fears that inflation and higher interest rates may eventually slow the rally down.

— JBizNews Desk

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(AP) – The Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade have been among Edmunds’ favorite three-row SUVs for many years now. They boast roomy seating, classy designs, a generous number of features, and pricing that can potentially undercut the competition by thousands of dollars. But the “Telluride or Palisade?” decision can be tricky because the SUVs are mechanically related and share many similarities. It’s gotten even trickier now that both SUVs have received full redesigns.

Hyundai gave its 2026 Palisade a big makeover, complete with new styling, new technology features, and a newly available hybrid powertrain for mpg in the mid-30s. Kia has done much of the same for its just-released 2027 Telluride. But there are subtle differences between these two SUVs that you’ll want to know about. Edmunds’ auto experts have tested and compared the Telluride and Palisade to help you decide which one is the better SUV for your needs.

Interior space and conveniences
The Palisade and Telluride share the same general exterior dimensions but differ inside. The Palisade offers more front legroom, enough that you can order an optional front passenger seat with deep reclining angles and a footrest that mimics the functionality of your living room lounge chair. These lounge-style seats are also available as second-row captain’s chairs. The Telluride is certainly roomy and nice inside, but it doesn’t quite match the Palisade’s potential for royal poshness for its front and second-row passengers.

On paper, the Telluride offers more cargo space behind the third row. But in Edmunds’ testing, we found it couldn’t handle our hard-sided luggage without obstructing the liftgate. Here, the Palisade’s available power-sliding and reclining third row gave it an advantage, moving the seats forward enough to fit our suitcases.

Interior quality and ambience are evenly matched. The Telluride’s interior design has a linear and angular theme. The Palisade, meanwhile, looks to the past with soft curves and rounded edges that recall midcentury modern design. Both offer standard synthetic leather and available high-end leather upholstery. You’ll undoubtedly have your favorite, but we think the Palisade has a slight edge here for its superior daily utility and no-compromises luxury.

This photo provided by Hyundai shows the 2026 Palisade three-row SUV. Fully redesigned, the latest Palisade stands out with its classy interior, updated tech and premium seating. (Courtesy of Hyundai Motor America via AP)

Winner: Palisade

Power and mpg
The Telluride comes standard with a 274-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine, while the Palisade starts with a 287-horsepower V6. The V6’s added power looks good on the spec sheet, but we’ve found in our testing that the four-cylinder Telluride actually feels stronger and quicker for urgent highway merging and passing. At the Edmunds test track, the Palisade needed 8.8 seconds to accelerate from zero to 60 mph. The Telluride was quicker with its 8.1-second sprint.

Both models also offer an optional hybrid powertrain that combines a turbocharged four-cylinder and hybrid componentry to produce 329 horsepower and superior fuel economy. The front-wheel drive Telluride Hybrid is capable of an EPA-estimated 35 mpg combined, and the Palisade Hybrid is just a bit behind at 34 mpg. Notably, the hybrid versions are quick, too. Both hybrids accelerated from zero to 60 mph in around 7 seconds in Edmunds’ testing.

Winner: Telluride

Technology features
The Telluride and Palisade both nod to the future with a tour de force of displays, charging and connectivity. Both feature adjacent dual 12.3-inch displays, one for digital gauges and one for touchscreen infotainment and cabin controls. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone connectivity comes standard in both, but the Telluride offers the benefit of two standard wireless phone chargers, making it more convenient for you and the front passenger to charge at the same time.

Driver assistance and safety tech is nearly identical. Both models come with standard blind-spot alert, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, and lane centering for relaxed highway cruising or crawling in heavy traffic. The driver still needs to keep hands on the wheel, but these SUVs can easily make highway driving less fatiguing.

Winner: tie

Price and value
The Hyundai Palisade starts at $41,035, including the destination fee. The hybrid costs an additional $4,725. The Telluride starts at $40,735 including destination, with a $7,300 premium to get into the hybrid. While the regular Telluride is slightly more affordable than its rival, the price gap between the entry-level hybrid trims is significant.

The Palisade Hybrid costs less and comes with standard second-row captain’s chairs, with optional bench seats for eight-passenger seating. The Telluride Hybrid is limited to seven passengers with its standard captain’s chairs. Both SUVs are backed by a five-year bumper-to-bumper warranty and an eight-year powertrain warranty.

Winner: Palisade

Edmunds says
Bold styling, great value and available hybrid mpg contribute to the Palisade and Telluride both being excellent picks for a family-friendly three-row SUV. But as you’re likely buying just one or the other, we think the Palisade’s richer luxury feel and more affordable hybrid give it a slight edge.

Police arrested a suspect Wednesday evening following a large-scale manhunt after a 52-year-old yungerman was fatally stabbed inside Kollel Chazon Ish on Rechov HaAri in Bnei Brak.

The victim, Rabbi Yishai Por זצ”ל, was attacked during the afternoon hours inside the kollel. According to police, the suspect fled the scene immediately after the stabbing, while emergency medical personnel evacuated the victim to a hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Following the attack, Dan District Commander Elad Klein conducted a special situational assessment at the scene, and the investigation was handed over to the district’s major crimes unit.

Initial findings indicate that the incident was criminal in nature and that the suspect — a 52-year-old homeless man — was previously acquainted with the victim. Police said there had been no prior complaints filed by the victim against the suspect.

After the suspect escaped, police launched an extensive search operation. A short while later, officers from the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan station, working together with police in Beit Shemesh, located and arrested the suspect in Beit Shemesh. He was taken in for questioning.

In an unusual move aimed at allowing the victim to be buried later Wednesday night, the forensic institute in Abu Kabir reopened specially after hours in order to process the body and avoid delaying the levayah.

According to information published by Chadashot HaPargod and attributed to avreichim who were present in the kollel and witnessed the events firsthand, the background to the shocking attack stemmed from a strange dispute that had developed over the past week.

A troubled individual known in the area had reportedly confronted the victim repeatedly regarding the study of the writings of the Rambam.

According to witnesses, the suspect claimed that it was forbidden to study the Rambam’s works. Rabbi Por, described as a righteous and upright avreich known for his tremendous diligence in learning, reportedly continued his regular sedorim and immersed himself in Torah without responding to the provocations.

Witnesses said that on Tuesday night, the suspect approached the victim and ominously warned him that because he continued studying the Rambam’s writings, “he sees that he will not complete his year.”

On Wednesday, that threat tragically became reality.

According to reports, the suspect entered the bais medrash during learning hours armed with a weapon, approached Rabbi Por’s shtender, and stabbed him to death in a brutal attack.

One of the most heartbreaking details of the tragedy is that the murder reportedly took place in front of the victim’s 13-year-old son, who had been sitting beside his father during the sacred moments of Torah study and witnessed the horrifying attack unfold.

Iranian Revolutionary Guard members now regularly show the public in Tehran how to handle Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. Parades through the capital feature military vehicles mounted with belt-fed Soviet-era machine guns. And at one mass wedding, a ballistic missile, like the one that rained down cluster munitions on Israel, adorned the stage.

Weapons are now regularly brandished in Tehran, an increasing show of defiance as U.S. President Donald Trump threatens he could restart the war with Iran should negotiations break down and the Islamic Republic refuses to release its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.

The weapons displays reflect the genuine threat Iran faces: Trump has suggested American forces could seize Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium by force and previously said that he sent arms to Kurdish fighters to pass onto anti-government protesters.

But they also offer reassurance and motivation to hard-liners and provide rare entertainment at a time of great uncertainty, when Iranians are facing mass layoffs, business closures and spiraling prices for food, medicine and other goods. Suggesting more hard-liners will be armed could also help suppress any new demonstrations against Iran’s theocracy, which violently put down nationwide protests in January in a crackdown that activists say killed over 7,000 people and saw tens of thousands detained.

“This is necessary for all our people to get trained because we are in a war situation these days,” said Ali Mofidi, a 47-year-old Tehran resident at a weapons training Tuesday night. “If necessary, everyone should be available and know how to use a gun.”

Iran has repeatedly sought to project strength during the war

For months, state television and government-sponsored text messages have bombarded the public with calls to join the “Janfada,” or the “ones who sacrifice their lives.” At one point, hard-liners encouraged families with boys as young as 12 to send them to the Revolutionary Guard to work checkpoints — which Amnesty International denounced as a war crime.

Government officials say more than 30 million people in Iran — home to a population of some 90 million — have volunteered via an online form or at public gatherings to lay down their lives for Iran’s theocracy. There is no way to confirm that figure and there’s been no sign of a mass mobilization yet, like the one that Ukraine underwent in the days before Russia’s full-scale 2022 invasion, in which officials handed out rifles and people banded together to make gasoline bombs.

But there have been several public announcements and presenters have appeared armed during live programs on state TV, as part of efforts to feed the fervor.

“Looking back at the moment I registered my name, I realize I wasn’t truly contemplating the dangers of fighting on the front lines. In that moment, like everyone else, my thoughts were solely on Iran,” wrote journalist Soheila Zarfam in a column for the state-owned Tehran Times newspaper. “My life might end, but Iran would endure, and that was all that truly mattered.”

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has criticized the public weapons demonstrations, particularly footage of young boys handling assault rifles, saying: “Scenes like these are reminiscent of child hostage-taking and arming by groups such as Boko Haram in Nigeria, and militias in Sudan and Congo.”

Weapons training, once unusual, becomes a norm

A recent government-organized demonstration by nomads in Iran saw them carrying everything from bolt-action Lee–Enfield rifles of the British Empire to a blunderbuss, a predecessor of the shotgun more familiar to the age of pirates on the high seas.

But during weeks of an unsteady ceasefire, most of the weapon demonstrations appear focused on Tehran, not the rural areas where there is a tradition of keeping rifles and shotguns at home.

At a demonstration Tuesday night in Tehran, male and female participants divided into separate classes. Hadi Khoosheh, a member of the Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force and trainer, demonstrated how to handle a folding-stock Kalashnikov-style assault rifle.

“At the end of the training those who completed the course will receive a card titled ‘Janfada,’ proving they have received basic and preliminary training for this type of gun and they are able to use it if, God forbid, something happens to our country,” Khoosheh said.

However, the weapons training was rudimentary at best for the young boys and older men gathered. One struggled to insert the rifle’s magazine and inadvertently pointed the barrel of the unloaded weapon at others — a major safety breach that people are taught to avoid in basic firearms training.

“Definitely we will stand against (the Americans) and won’t give up even an inch of our soil,” said Mofidi, the man at the training. “No matter if they come from the sea or land, we will stand by our flag.”

(AP)

The Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge remained elevated in December as price pressures continued to pose a challenge for consumers.

The Commerce Department on Friday reported that the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) index rose 0.4% in December on a monthly basis and is up 2.9% from a year ago. Those figures were both slightly hotter than the estimate of LSEG economists, who predicted 0.3% and 2.8%, respectively.

Core PCE, which excludes volatile measurements of food and energy prices, was up 0.4% on a monthly basis and rose 3% year over year. Both figures were hotter than the expectations of economists polled by LSEG, who estimated the gauges would rise 0.3% and 2.9%, respectively.

Federal Reserve policymakers are focusing on the PCE headline figure as they try to bring inflation back to their long-run target of 2%, though they view core data as a better indicator of inflation.

FED DISSENT GROWS AS SOME OFFICIALS WEIGH RETURN TO INTEREST RATE HIKES AMID STUBBORN INFLATION

Headline PCE has trended up to 2.9% after readings of 2.8% in November and 2.7% in October. Core PCE readings were 2.8% or 2.9% dating back to May before it reached 3% in December.

Prices for goods were up 1.7% in December on an annual basis, up from 1.5% in November. Goods price growth was even lower last summer, when the index posted annual gains of 0.6% in June and July and a 0.9% gain in August.

Durable goods prices jumped 2.1% year over year in December after readings were close to 1% dating back to June. Nondurable goods rose 1.6% on an annual basis in December, slightly lower than the 1.7% reading in November.

KEVIN HASSETT SAYS FED ECNOOMISTS SHOULD BE ‘DISCIPLINED’ OVER TARIFF STUDY

Services prices were up 3.4% from a year ago in December, a level that’s been unchanged since September.

The personal savings rate as a percentage of disposable personal income was 3.6% in December, down from readings of 3.7% in October and November. That continues a steady decline from last May’s 4.9% reading.

“PCE inflation ticking up is a reminder that Fed officials won’t just be watching the labor market in 2026,” said Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union. 

“Core PCE inflation rose to 3%, the highest since February 2025, and headline PCE inflation hit the highest since March 2024. This will trigger more concern inside the Fed that inflation needs a closer look again,” Long added.

Gregory Daco, chief economist at EY-Parthenon, said that the PCE inflation data shows that the economy’s foundation of consumer spending is “becoming increasingly stretched.”

“Consumer activity is being propelled by affluent households while middle- and lower-income consumers are heavily relying on savings and borrowing to make ends meet. While the OBBBA and larger tax refunds may provide a temporary boost, muted job and wage gains will limit spending going forward,” Daco said, adding that inflation is likely to remain near 3% in the first half of the year.

US ECONOMY GREW SLOWER THAN EXPECTED IN FOURTH QUARTER

Chris Zacarelli, chief investment officer at Northlight Asset Management, said that his firm thinks that the “Fed will continue to support the labor market with 3 or more rate cuts this year and will be patient as the inflation numbers come down (albeit at a slow pace) and although the AI debate will rage on, the stock market should eventually hit all-time highs again as the economy remains resilient and the central bank continues to be accommodative.”

The hotter-than-expected December PCE inflation reading reduced the likelihood that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates when it meets next month.

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The CME FedWatch tool shows a 96% probability that the Fed will leave rates unchanged, up from 90.8% a week ago and 78% a month ago.

The federal government is projected to run a budget deficit of at least $2 trillion this fiscal year, according to an estimate by the Treasury Department and bond market participants.

Earlier this month, the Treasury released its quarterly refunding documents for the second quarter of the calendar year, which included estimates of needed borrowing over the next two quarters of fiscal year 2026 as of April.

It showed that the White House is anticipating a roughly $2.1 trillion deficit in FY2026 based on the president’s budget, while participants in the bond market expect the deficit to be about $2 trillion.

Both figures are up from the estimate of more than $1.8 trillion that was produced by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in February based on legislation passed by Congress as of mid-January. The U.S. ran a deficit of just over $1.8 trillion in the last fiscal year.

US NATIONAL DEBT SURPASSES SIZE OF ECONOMY FOR FIRST TIME SINCE WORLD WAR II

“Both the Treasury and the markets agree we’re on course to borrow $2 trillion this year, up from the $1.8 trillion deficit we logged last year. $2 trillion deficits used to be unheard of, and then they only occurred during major recessions – it’s beyond scary that $2 trillion deficits are now the norm,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB).

A federal deficit of $2 trillion or more in fiscal year 2026 would rank as one of the largest in U.S. history, coming in at third on the all-time list.

The two largest budget deficits in U.S. history were both incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the biggest totaling $3.1 trillion in fiscal year 2020 and the next-largest reaching nearly $2.8 trillion the following year amid a surge of stimulus spending to support the economy.

US NATIONAL DEBT BREACHES $39 TRILLION MILESTONE FOR FIRST TIME AMID SPENDING SURGE

MacGuineas said that the latest deficit projection is “yet another data point – along with debt passing 100% of the economy in March and interest spending on track to top more than $1 trillion this year – showing the need for us to get our fiscal situation under control.”

“Markets will only tolerate our unsustainable borrowing for so long; the risk of fiscal crisis gets higher as the days pass. We need deficit reduction urgently,” she added.

US DEBT SET TO CRUSH WORLD WAR II RECORD AS ANNUAL DEFICITS EXPLODE TO $3T WITHIN DECADE

Data from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis showed that the U.S. national debt surpassed the size of the economy in April for the first time since the World War II era. 

The highest recorded ratio of public debt to GDP was recorded in 1946, when it reached 106% of GDP as the U.S. was in the process of demobilization after the end of the war. 

The CBO estimated earlier this year that the U.S. will break that record in 2030, with it expected to rise to 108% that year.

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Federal debt has surged in recent years amid rising spending on entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare as America’s population ages, as well as mounting interest costs incurred amid a growing debt and elevated interest rates.

photos: Avrumi Blum

Nearly 200 lawmakers, congressional aides, Jewish organizational leaders, and invited guests gathered Wednesday morning at the US Capitol for an event recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month.

The breakfast gathering was organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Jewish Federations of North America in partnership with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.

Among the featured speakers was Sam Salz, identified as the first Orthodox Jew to play Division I college football. Members of both parties from the House and Senate also addressed attendees.

Lawmakers who delivered remarks included Reps. David Kustoff, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Virginia Foxx, Timothy Kennedy, Haley Stevens, Don Bacon, Brad Schneider, Randy Weber, Mark Harris, and Randy Fine, along with Sens. Bernie Moreno and Dave McCormick.

Additional members of Congress in attendance included Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Wesley Bell, Madeline Dean, Kim Schrier, Jim Jordan, and Dan Goldman.

Much of the discussion centered on antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks and the broader role of Jewish Americans in US history and public life.

Rep. David Kustoff addressed the rise in antisemitism globally since October 7.

“How do we combat it? That is the magic question. We know that antisemitism has been around as long as the Jews have. There’s no easy, push-button answer. What each of us has to do is continue to call it out and show it exists all over. I’ll do that, and I’m proud that so many of my Republican and Democratic colleagues continue to do that. Let’s keep working. Let’s keep fighting.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz focused on education and public awareness during her remarks.

“It’s essential to seize this opportunity in the month of May to build awareness of the role Jewish Americans play in our country’s success. The best tool in the toolbox to counter baseless conspiracy theories, ignorance, and bigotry is education and sunlight. The mission of JAHM is clear — to educate our neighbors, to build broad, cross-community coalitions, and be embraced and celebrated, rather than tolerated. It’s essential, it’s achievable, and it’s fundamentally American.”

Other speakers included CAM President of US Affairs Alyza Lewin, Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut, Conference of Presidents CEO William Daroff, and Weitzman Museum Chairman Emeritus Phil Darivoff.

Lewin said antisemitism cannot be addressed without understanding Jewish identity and Jewish history.

“Antisemitism is skyrocketing, and to address antisemitism effectively, you have to not only understand how it manifests and its patterns, but you need to understand Jewishness. You need to understand what it means for Jews to be Jewish, and you need to recognize and appreciate how the values of Judaism and Judeo-Christian ethics form the basis of this country.”

She added, “It is important that we come together to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month and celebrate what Jews in America have contributed over the last 250 years to this country. That’s what we’re here for today.”

Fingerhut described the United States as historically unique for Jewish life in the Diaspora.

“We are so proud of this great country that has been so open and so welcoming to the Jewish people. This is the greatest, most open, and freest society for the Jewish Diaspora in the 4,000-year history of the Jewish people. On this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we affirm our commitment to helping this country continue to be a strong, open, and vibrant beacon of freedom for peoples of all faiths from all over the world.”

Daroff said Jewish American history is intertwined with the broader American story.

“Jewish American Heritage Month reminds us that the Jewish story in America does not stand apart from the American story, but forms part of the fabric of our nation’s history, character, and democratic ideals.”

Darivoff said Jewish American Heritage Month serves as an opportunity to educate the public about Jewish history and identity.

“American Jewish values are central to the founding of this country and our political thought. Jewish American Heritage Month is an important moment for us to teach all Americans about who Jews are. It’s a huge task and we have a long way to go.”

In keynote remarks, Salz reflected on becoming the first Orthodox Jewish player in Division I football despite not having played football in high school.

“The fact you can have the child of an immigrant from Latvia and an immigrant from Uzbekistan come to this beautiful country and be the first Orthodox Jew to play Division I football is the epitome of the American dream,” he said. “I’m proud to stand on the shoulders of all the great Jewish Americans who came before me and helped shape the foundation of this country.”

Congress passed a bipartisan resolution in 2006 encouraging presidents to annually recognize Jewish American Heritage Month, after which President George W. Bush officially proclaimed May as the observance month.

Since then, presidents from both parties have issued annual proclamations marking the occasion, including President Donald Trump earlier this month.

Last week, the House unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and condemning antisemitism. CAM was among the organizations backing the measure.

In every community, elected officials have an obligation to balance neighborhood concerns with fairness, practicality, and the long-term realities facing modern families. That is why Howell’s proposed garage ordinance raises serious concerns not simply because of what it says on paper, but because of the message it sends and the broader consequences it could create for residents across the township.

The governing body is understandably trying to address issues such as overcrowding, parking, and neighborhood character. Those are legitimate concerns that deserve thoughtful discussion. But good planning policy cannot be driven by fear, assumptions, or the perception that one particular community is being targeted. When local government begins crafting ordinances in reaction to demographic shifts rather than objective planning standards, the township risks creating regulations that are not only divisive, but potentially discriminatory.

The ordinance requiring garages for detached single-family homes, while also prohibiting many garage conversions to living space, fails to recognize the economic and social realities families are facing today. Across New Jersey and throughout the country adult children are remaining at home longer due to rising housing costs, inflation, student debt, and a lack of affordable housing options. At the same time, seniors are aging out of their homes and increasingly moving in with children to reduce financial strain and receive family support rather than institutional care.

These are not isolated situations tied to one community or one culture. They are national trends affecting working families, middle class homeowners, and seniors across every demographic. Municipal ordinances should evolve to accommodate these realities, not create additional obstacles for families trying to adapt responsibly.

A garage is no longer just a place to park a car. For many residents, it has become flexible space used for caregiving, accessibility accommodations, storage, home offices, home gyms, or future family needs. Preventing homeowners from responsibly utilizing their own property without first demonstrating a substantial public harm reflects an outdated approach to land use planning.

More concerning is the growing perception that these ordinances are not truly about garages, parking, or neighborhood aesthetics at all. The public discussion surrounding these measures has increasingly centered on the fear of a particular religious community moving into Howell and increasing in population. Whether intentional or not, that perception matters.

When a municipality begins consulting RLUIPA attorneys, seeking outside legal guidance from the Department of Justice, and engaging with the Attorney General’s Office regarding potential legal exposure tied to these ordinances, it raises an obvious question: if these regulations are truly neutral planning tools, why is there concern about religious discrimination implications in the first place?

Government must be extremely careful not to adopt policies that appear designed to limit or discourage certain populations from living in the community. Courts have repeatedly held that ordinances cannot be crafted in a way that disproportionately burdens religious practices, extended family living arrangements, or cultural lifestyles under the guise of zoning regulation. Even the appearance of targeting a protected class damages public trust and exposes taxpayers to unnecessary legal and financial risk.

Equally troubling is the speed at which these policies appear to be advancing. Land use regulations should be developed through comprehensive planning, objective data, and broad public engagement, not rushed reactions to changing demographics or political pressure. Good planning looks decades ahead. It does not legislate based on who happens to be moving into town today.

If Howell is experiencing legitimate parking and overcrowding concerns, then the township should pursue real planning solutions:

stronger property maintenance enforcement,

better parking management strategies,

infrastructure investments,

thoughtful housing policy,

clearer occupancy standards consistent with state law,

and collaborative community dialogue involving all residents.

Those approaches address actual impacts without singling out lifestyles, family structures, or religious communities.

Howell has always been a diverse and evolving township. Growth and demographic change are natural parts of every successful community. The answer is not to create restrictive ordinances that divide neighbors or make residents feel unwelcome. The answer is to govern fairly, carefully, and constitutionally.

Residents should expect their elected officials to slow this process down, engage in meaningful public discussion, and ensure that any ordinance adopted is rooted in sound planning principles rather than fear or perception. Once public trust is lost, rebuilding it becomes far more difficult than solving a parking issue.

This township can address quality of life concerns without crossing the line into exclusionary policymaking. Howell should choose thoughtful planning over reactionary regulation and unity over division.

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

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States is prepared to give Iran a final opportunity to reach an agreement that would lead to the immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, while insisting he is not rushing toward a broader conflict.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said the administration stands ready to respond if necessary, but emphasized that he is deliberately avoiding hasty action despite political pressure and mounting tensions in the region.

Trump explained that any agreement with Tehran would require the reopening of the critical shipping route, saying, “we’d have to open the strait. That would open immediately. So we’re going to give this one shot.”

The president dismissed suggestions that domestic political considerations were pushing him toward a faster timetable, remarking, “I’m in no hurry. [People say] due to the midterms, I’m in a hurry. I’m in no hurry.”

Trump also stressed that his preference is to avoid a large-scale military confrontation if possible, stating, “I just, ideally, I’d like to see a few people killed as opposed to a lot. We can do it either way, but I’d like to see few people killed.”

During the remarks, Trump pointed to what he described as growing frustration and instability inside Iran, arguing that worsening living conditions and dissatisfaction with the regime could shape future developments in the country.

The president questioned whether Iran’s leadership was prioritizing the welfare of its citizens, saying that “some of the things they’re doing to me means they don’t have the good of the people [in mind], and they have to have the good of the people.”

Trump further claimed that public anger inside Iran has intensified significantly in recent months.

“There’s a lot of anger now in Iran because people are living so badly. There’s a lot of foment that we haven’t seen before so much, and we’ll see what happens.”

{Matzav.com}

U.S. efforts to crack down on Iran’s growing use of cryptocurrency are intensifying as officials work to cut off financial channels tied to the regime as tensions rise in the Middle East.

BESSENT SAYS US SEIZED NEARLY $500M IN IRANIAN CRYPTO AS OPERATION ECONOMIC FURY SENDS REGIME INTO ‘CRISIS’

FOX Business’ Darren Botelho joined FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” to report on the Trump administration’s efforts to track and freeze cryptocurrency linked to Iran as the regime reportedly increases its use of Bitcoin-based transactions to help move money outside the traditional banking system.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Treasury Department has frozen nearly $500 million in cryptocurrency connected to the Iranian regime, including $344 million last month alone. Botelho also cited new estimates from a threat-detection data firm showing Tehran controls roughly $7.7 billion in digital assets.

The report comes as Iran reportedly launched a new digital insurance platform for cargo ships operating through the Strait of Hormuz, with payments reportedly being settled entirely in Bitcoin.

SAUDI ARAMCO CEO WARNS OIL MARKETS MAY NOT RECOVER UNTIL 2027 DUE TO HORMUZ DISRUPTIONS

Industry experts say cryptocurrency can still leave a trail for investigators despite being viewed by some foreign adversaries as a way to evade sanctions.

“We found over and over again that they’re actually a much better asset for U.S. law enforcement and other agencies to track because you leave a lot of breadcrumbs,” 250 Digital Asset Management CEO Chris Perkins said.

GEN JACK KEANE WARNS RETURN TO COMBAT ‘INEVITABLE’ AFTER IRAN CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS

Botelho also reported that industry insiders believe Washington could increase pressure by threatening to cut off crypto exchanges from the American banking system.

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Sporting brand powerhouse Fanatics and American Express announced Wednesday a partnership that will allow Amex users to tap into their sports fandom.

The bank holding company is now the Official Payments Partner across select Fanatics online and retail locations worldwide and a presenting sponsor at Fanatics Fest, one of the world’s premier sports fan festivals held annually in New York City. 

“Nearly 80% of U.S. American Express Consumer Card Members identify as sports fans and this partnership with Fanatics will deliver unforgettable fan experiences and expanded access at some of the world’s most popular sporting events,” said Elizabeth Rutledge, chief marketing officer at American Express.

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“By combining the scale of the American Express Network with Fanatics’ ecosystem of more than 100 million fans, we’re delivering the new Fanatics American Express Card and experiences that make fandom more rewarding – from everyday purchases to once in a lifetime moments.”

Fanatics’ chief strategy and growth officer, Tucker Kain, added, “We’re constantly looking for new ways to celebrate and support fans for their passions and enhance the everyday fan experience.

This new partnership combines the power of American Express’ global payments network and expertise in membership, loyalty, and experiences with the scale and reach of Fanatics’ sports ecosystem, creating new opportunities to recognize and reward fans throughout every stage of their sports journey.

FIFA, FANATICS JOIN FORCES IN MAJOR PARTNERSHIP FOR OFFICIAL TRADING CARDS, COLLECTIBLES

The deal features a new Fanatics Amex Card, where users can earn FanCash, Fanatics’ digital reward currency, which can be redeemed for authentic apparel, tickets, trading cards, collectibles, and other experiences across the Fanatics platform.

Fanatics Cardholders will gain exclusive benefits and elevated tier status within the Fanatics ONE loyalty program and will have access to unique offers, benefits, experiences, and protections through the trusted American Express Network.

“Partnering with American Express allows us to scale these ambitions in a meaningful way, expanding our payments, loyalty and advertising capabilities, while creating truly differentiated products, including the Fanatics American Express Card, which we believe will become the Card that sports fans reach for,” Kain said.

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The deal with Amex is similar to Fanatics’ brand partnership with AT&T that became official last month in that AT&T customers get enhanced status with Fanatics ONE, have additional opportunities to earn FanCash, access to experiences and unforgettable events, and more.

One of the top-tier golf simulator companies in the country has stepped it up a notch.

Five Iron Golf, which has spread from its roots in New York City to over 50 locations worldwide, has launched Five Iron Tournaments, a real-money indoor golf tournament platform that turns Five Iron’s national venue network into an always-on competitive golf ecosystem.

The platform, expected to be fully rolled out by the end of this summer, allows players to enter tournaments on demand, compete on live leaderboards and play for real prize money across formats including stroke play, scramble and closest to the pin.

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“Before Five Iron, I was a professional poker player, and I’ve always been fascinated by what happens when games build a true digital presence. We’ve seen that in poker, chess and other competitive formats, and that was part of the inspiration for bringing a more dynamic, gamified competition model to golf,” Five Iron CEO Jared Solomon told FOX Business.

As golf’s popularity continues to skyrocket, Solomon wanted to tap into what has not been done before in the world of the sport.

“We talk a lot about off-course golf and where the sport is going, but we don’t always talk enough about the different ways people can play or consume golf. With Five Iron Tournaments, we’re excited to create a new format that brings competition, flexibility and gamification into the experience,” Solomon said.

Golfers are able to obtain their own Five Iron Handicap based on their performances at courses. Five Iron’s technology gives players the ability not only to play PGA championship courses, but also some of their local country clubs.

JUSTIN THOMAS, KEEGAN BRADLEY GET HEATED WITH OFFICIAL OVER PACE OF PLAY AT PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

Other formats include scrambles (recently won by this author), fourball, closest-to-the-pin contests, and numerous others. A June closest-to-the-pin event will feature 20 tournaments on iconic courses with $20,000 in guaranteed prize pools.

“The idea is to give players many different ways to compete. There can be hourly, daily, weekly or month-long tournaments, with different formats, whether that’s four holes, nine holes, 18 holes, winner-takes-all or other payout structures,” Solomon said.

And while Five Iron is perhaps best known for its bar vibe, Solomon saw that players still have the competitive edge when they head to the simulator. Since the beta launch in October 2025, more than 1,000 players have logged nearly 20,000 tournament entries.

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“A lot of this came directly from our own customers,” he said. “They want to compete more, they want more games and they want more variety in how they engage with golf. Five Iron Tournaments give them another way to do that.”

Standard Chartered CEO Bill Winters on Wednesday walked back comments he made at an investor event Tuesday when he said the bank plans to cut thousands of jobs as it replaces what he called “lower-value human capital” with tech powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

Winters wrote a memo to the bank’s employees on Wednesday in which he sought to address concerns that arose following his comments on Tuesday, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

“Many of you will have seen media coverage following the investor event in Hong Kong, particularly the reporting around automation, AI, and workforce changes,” Winters wrote. “I know this may be unsettling when reduced to simple headlines or a quote out of context.”

“Where roles do fall away, it reflects changes in the work, not the value of our people,” he added in an effort to clarify his comments.

EXPERT SAYS MASSIVE AI INVESTMENT IS ‘LAYING THE GROUNDWORK’ FOR AMERICA’S FUTURE

The walk-back comes after Winters’ comments on Tuesday made headlines for appearing to dismiss job cuts affecting workers whose work in their roles amounted to “lower-value human capital.”

Winters spoke at an event in Hong Kong about Standard Chartered’s plan to reduce support staff by at least 15% between now and 2030, which amounts to 7,800 jobs or more.

“It’s not cost-cutting. It’s replacing in some cases lower-value human capital with the financial capital and the investment we’re putting in,” Winters told journalists ahead of the presentation.

FOX Business reached out to Standard Chartered for comment.

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The Journal reported that Winters’ presentation gave investors details regarding Standard Chartered’s plans for AI implementation, such as reducing the amount of false positives flagged in analyzing transactions to find financial crimes. 

The firm also said AI can reduce manual work needed to ensure compliance with evolving financial regulations.

Winters previously shed light on his plans for the use of AI at Standard Chartered in an earlier memo to the company’s workforce, in which he explained that, “Some roles will reduce, others will grow, and new ones will emerge.”

ERIC SCHMIDT MET WITH BOOS DURING UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COMMENCEMENT OVER AI FEARS

He added in his previous memo that the firm would make an effort to redeploy and retrain workers and would also handle job losses “with respect and care.”

Standard Chartered had about 81,000 employees at the end of 2025, as well as 17,000 contract workers. 

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WASHINGTON D.C (VINnews) – The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved bipartisan legislation Wednesday aimed at addressing the nation’s housing affordability crisis by increasing supply, reforming regulations and limiting purchases by large institutional investors.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R. 6644) passed by a vote of 396-13. It now returns to the Senate for reconciliation with that chamber’s version, which passed 89-10 in March. The measure could soon head to President Trump’s desk for signature.

The bill bars entities controlling 350 or more single-family homes from purchasing additional single-family properties of up to two units. The restriction seeks to preserve housing inventory for individual buyers and families. The House version eliminated a Senate provision that would have required certain build-to-rent properties to be offered for sale to individuals after seven years.

Violators face civil penalties of up to $1 million.

Beyond investor limits, the legislation streamlines permitting and zoning processes, modernizes the HOME Investment Partnerships Program for affordable housing, and expands the use of manufactured housing. It also includes targeted reforms for rural housing, veterans’ housing, Opportunity Zones and community development initiatives.

Lawmakers from both parties described the package as a significant step toward tackling high housing costs by addressing supply constraints and regulatory barriers that have hampered new construction.

New Corporate-Only Leadership Program Aims to Help Businesses Deploy AI Across Communication, Workflow, Sales, Research and Operations Before They Fall Behind Competitors

EATONTOWN, N.J. — As businesses across corporate America race to integrate artificial intelligence into daily operations, JBiz announced the launch of the JBiz Leadership AI Operations Summit, a new executive-level training program designed to help companies deploy AI platforms across communication, workflow management, research, sales, marketing, administration, and operational systems.

The two-day summit, scheduled for July 13–14, 2026 at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel in New Jersey, comes amid growing concern among executives that businesses failing to properly train employees on artificial intelligence risk falling behind competitors already using AI to accelerate productivity, reduce operational costs, strengthen communication, and streamline workflow.

Organizers said the summit is intentionally not open to the general public and was specifically crafted for active companies, corporations, business owners, executive teams, entrepreneurs, and organizational leadership seeking practical AI implementation strategies for existing employees and internal operations.

Companies are strongly encouraged to send multiple employees and leadership teams together in order to help empower their current workforce, strengthen internal operational capabilities, and better position their organizations for the rapidly evolving AI-driven economy.

For decades, corporations operated around a familiar workforce structure: senior leadership at the top, experienced managers beneath them, and large pools of junior employees handling research, spreadsheets, presentations, communication, scheduling, customer responses, formatting, and administrative work.

Artificial intelligence is now rapidly reshaping that model.

Increasingly, companies are discovering that a properly trained employee using multiple AI systems simultaneously can now perform work that previously required several assistants, analysts, coordinators, researchers, or support staff. Employees using platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Grok, and Perplexity are increasingly functioning as orchestrators of multiple virtual assistants at once — drafting emails, conducting research, analyzing data, preparing reports, organizing workflow, refining proposals, summarizing meetings, and accelerating execution across departments.

Inside corporate America, executives increasingly describe AI systems as personalized virtual assistants for employees — tools that allow one trained worker to complete tasks that once required interns, assistants, analysts, or even entire support teams.

One of the clearest examples came recently from Citadel Founder and CEO Ken Griffin, who said at the Stanford Leadership Forum that modern “agentic AI” systems are now performing work inside Citadel that previously required teams of finance professionals with advanced degrees, completing in hours or days what once took weeks or months.

The economic implications are becoming increasingly difficult for employers to ignore.

A recent Oliver Wyman Forum-New York Stock Exchange CEO survey found that 43% of CEOs now plan to deprioritize hiring for junior roles while increasingly prioritizing experienced employees capable of effectively using AI systems operationally.

Research from Stanford University, MIT, and Boston Consulting Group has also found workers using generative AI complete more tasks, work significantly faster, and produce higher-quality output compared with employees not using AI systems.

Meanwhile, the McKinsey Global Institute estimates generative AI could create between $2.6 trillion and $4.4 trillion in annual global economic value across customer service, workflow management, research, operations, software development, communication, and marketing.

“We are watching one of the biggest operational shifts in modern business history,” said Duvi Honig, Founder of JBiz. “The companies adapting early are gaining enormous advantages, while many businesses still feel overwhelmed and do not know where to begin. This summit was created to provide practical implementation strategies businesses can immediately use.”

Honig said the program reflects a broader effort by JBiz to proactively help strengthen business productivity, competitiveness, workforce readiness, and long-term economic growth as artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the workplace.

“We want businesses and their employees to remain empowered, competitive, productive, and operationally prepared for the new AI era,” Honig said. “Time is not on the side of companies waiting to adapt.”

The new summit expands from the broader JBiz Expo and Leadership Summit platform, with JBiz recognized for convening executives, entrepreneurs, policymakers, innovators, investors, and business leaders around major economic, workforce, and technological trends while developing practical leadership and business training initiatives focused on real-world implementation and growth.

Organizers said the summit was intentionally designed as a lean, implementation-focused “2-Day Intensive Experience” aimed at simplifying what often takes months of fragmented online learning, consulting, and experimentation into a highly practical executive operational masterclass.

Courses are tailored specifically for real business environments and taught by industry professionals with direct operational experience using AI systems across communication, workflow, research, sales, administration, marketing, and management functions.

The summit will focus on practical deployment and operational integration of leading AI platforms including:

• ChatGPT — communication, writing, workflow support, strategy, presentations, and operational assistance
• Claude — long-form analysis, contracts, operational planning, and document review
• Gemini — Google Workspace integration, productivity, collaboration, and research
• Microsoft Copilot — Excel, Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, and enterprise workflow systems
• Grok — live information analysis and business trend monitoring
• Perplexity AI — real-time research, sourcing, and market intelligence
• Meta AI, Mistral AI, and additional platforms — content creation, automation, operational support, and workflow assistance

Participants will receive hands-on instruction on how AI can be applied across:

• Communication
• Operations
• Documents and worksheets
• Research and development
• Sales
• Marketing
• Reporting and presentations
• Administration and workflow systems

According to summit materials, attendees will leave with:

• A clearer understanding of the AI landscape and how to strategically use multiple platforms together
• A framework for selecting the right AI tools for specific business functions
• Ready-to-use templates and AI-powered workflows
• Immediate strategies to save time, reduce costs, and improve operational performance
• The ability to deploy AI as a scalable “virtual workforce” across business operations

Organizers estimate companies effectively implementing AI systems can save employees between 5–15 hours per week, generate approximately $25–$75 in productive value per hour, and potentially create between $12,000 and $54,000 in annual operational value per employee, depending on role and implementation depth.

For teams of 10 employees, summit materials estimate potential operational productivity gains ranging from roughly $120,000 to more than $540,000 annually through workflow acceleration, communication efficiency, reduced administrative burden, and operational optimization.

Estimated productivity gains, operational savings, and value creation figures may vary by company and could be higher or lower depending on industry, implementation, workforce adoption, and operational structure.

The summit will include live demonstrations, implementation frameworks, operational templates, workflow systems, executive networking opportunities, and hands-on business training designed specifically for real-world corporate environments.

For corporate inquiries, team registrations, group packages, and reservations:
[email protected]
212-659-5270 x104
www.OJChamber.com

Saks Global, the company that owns Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman, says it expects to emerge from bankruptcy next month after slashing stores, cutting jobs and securing new financing aimed at stabilizing one of America’s largest luxury retail groups.

For everyday shoppers, the story is less about Wall Street restructuring and more about what it means for the future of luxury department stores in the U.S.

The company plans to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late June with roughly $700 million in available liquidity and a much smaller retail footprint, according to CEO Geoffroy van Raemdonck.

Saks Global filed for bankruptcy in January after mounting debt problems and inventory shortages left stores struggling to keep merchandise on shelves. Vendors had stopped shipping products because they feared the company would not be able to pay its bills.

Now the company says most major luxury brands have resumed shipments, helping stores refill inventory ahead of a critical second half of the year.

Nearly 720 brands are once again shipping products to Saks Global, including luxury labels tied to Gucci owner Kering, Chanel and LVMH.

The turnaround comes with major downsizing.

Saks Global is shutting down 20 Saks Fifth Avenue stores, four Neiman Marcus locations and most Saks Off 5th discount stores. More than 1,800 jobs have been eliminated across stores, warehouses and corporate offices.

Bergdorf Goodman’s flagship Manhattan stores will remain open.

The company says the goal is to focus on fewer, more profitable luxury locations instead of trying to operate a massive nationwide footprint.

“What the business plan will show is that we have a plan of action to drive sales, to grow from a smaller footprint, and to be significantly more profitable,” van Raemdonck said in a recent interview with Women’s Wear Daily.

The restructuring marks a dramatic reversal for what was supposed to become a dominant American luxury retail empire.

In 2024, former Hudson’s Bay Chairman Richard Baker combined Saks and Neiman Marcus into a single luxury giant in a deal valued at roughly $2.7 billion. The strategy was designed to help U.S. department stores compete against increasingly powerful European luxury brands and online shopping trends.

But slowing luxury demand, heavy debt and weakening consumer spending quickly overwhelmed the company.

By early 2025, suppliers had frozen shipments, inventory dried up and bankruptcy became unavoidable.

The restructured Saks Global now hopes to rebuild around full-price luxury shopping instead of heavy discounting and outlet-style retail.

That shift reflects broader changes happening across the luxury industry. Many high-end fashion brands increasingly prefer selling directly to wealthy consumers through their own stores and websites rather than relying heavily on department stores that frequently discount merchandise.

The company’s long-term financial goals remain ambitious.

Court filings project Saks Global could eventually reach roughly $9 billion in annual merchandise sales and return to profitability within several years if the restructuring succeeds.

Still, the environment remains difficult.

Luxury retailers are facing slowing global demand, rising import costs and growing economic uncertainty. While wealthier consumers have generally remained more resilient than middle-income shoppers, analysts say luxury spending often weakens later in economic downturns.

The company is also betting that affluent customers will continue shopping in physical stores despite years of consumer migration toward online retail.

For now, the immediate focus is survival.

If Saks Global successfully exits bankruptcy in June, it would mark one of the fastest major retail restructurings in recent years and give the company a chance to rebuild before the critical holiday shopping season later this year.

Whether shoppers fully return — and whether luxury brands maintain confidence in the company long term — will likely determine whether the Saks-Neiman Marcus combination ultimately becomes a successful turnaround story or another cautionary tale in the changing American retail landscape.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Following the tragic crash earlier this month that claimed the life of 9-year-old Yoel Jacobowitz, senior members of the NYPD met with leaders of Williamsburg Shomrim and Hatzolah to discuss ways to improve traffic and pedestrian safety in the neighborhood.

NYPD Chief of Transportation Olufunmilola F. Obe and NYPD Highway Division Commanding Officer Conor Wynne visited the intersection of Lee Avenue and Wallabout Street, where the fatal accident occurred, to review traffic conditions and examine possible safety improvements for the area.

Following the site visit, the officials continued discussions during a meeting at Williamsburg Shomrim headquarters, focusing on strategies aimed at preventing future tragedies and enhancing street safety throughout the neighborhood.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Passengers traveling with doctor-prescribed marijuana are now officially permitted to bring it aboard commercial flights under a revised policy quietly updated by the Transportation Safety Administration last month.

The move marks a major shift in federal air-travel policy, given that while medical cannabis has been legalized in 40 states and Washington, D.C., marijuana has continued to remain illegal under federal law, which governs airports and aviation security nationwide.

The policy update follows an order signed by President Trump reclassifying marijuana as a Schedule III substance, a change that formally recognizes accepted medical uses for cannabis and opens the door for expanded federally approved research.

According to the TSA’s updated guidance, medical marijuana may now be transported in both checked luggage and carry-on bags. The agency emphasized that its primary concern remains aviation security rather than searching for personal drug possession.

“TSA’s screening procedures are focused on security and are designed to detect potential threats to aviation and passengers,” the policy revised April 27 spells out.

“Accordingly, TSA security officers do not search for illegal drugs, but if any illegal substance or evidence of criminal activity is discovered during security screening, TSA will refer the matter to a law enforcement officer.”

The agency also made clear that the TSA officer stationed at the checkpoint retains discretion over whether any particular item is ultimately allowed through security.

Attorneys interviewed by SFGATE said that travelers carrying small amounts of marijuana are seldom targeted for prosecution by airport authorities, though they cautioned that larger quantities could still lead to legal trouble.

In some cases, authorities continue to crack down aggressively on passengers carrying substantial amounts of cannabis. In March, for example, a 23-year-old Texas man was arrested at Miami International Airport after officials allegedly discovered 75 pounds of marijuana packed inside his luggage. He was later charged with drug trafficking.

{Matzav.com}

Traffic police transferred a Chareidi avreich from Ofakim to the military police after he was detained by officers at a gas station near Netivot in a continuation of the persecution of limud Torah on Erev Shavuos, the Yom Tov commemorating Kabbalas HaTorah.

The Notnim Gav organization, which is aiding the avreich, issued a statement saying, “The avreich is on his way to Ir HaBahadim (a complex of military bases in the Negev) for further processing and punishment for the crime of limmud Torah. The case is being handled and reviewed by professional officials and attorneys on behalf of the Notnim Gav organization. Please daven for the swift release of Tzuriel ben Simcha.”

This is the first case of a ben yeshivah being transferred to military police since Police Chief Danny Levy’s decision earlier this week to transfer every draft evader encountered by officers to the military police

Shas chairman Aryeh Drei responded to Levy’s decision by stating: “At a time when violence and crime are surging, and murderers roam freely in the streets, instead of the police properly handling national security, it is choosing to direct resources toward persecuting precious Lomdei Torah as though they were the worst criminals. It is a disgrace and a shame that this is happening in the Jewish state. Mr. Commissioner, do not fall into the political trap being led by the Attorney General and her staff, whose entire goal is to topple the government. Do not raise your hand against yeshiva bochurim and avreichim.”

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

MIAMI (AP) — Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against former Cuban President Raúl Castro in the 1996 downing of civilian planes operated by Miami-based exiles as the Trump administration escalated pressure on the socialist government.

The indictment was related to Castro’s alleged role in the shootdown of two small planes operated by the exile group Brothers to the Rescue. Castro, now 94, was Cuba’s defense minister at the time. The charges included murder and destruction of an airplane.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and other top Justice Department officials made the announcement in Miami at a ceremony to honor those killed in the shootdown.

President Donald Trump has been threatening military action in Cuba ever since U.S. forces captured the Cuban government’s longtime patron, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. After ousting Maduro, the White House ordered a blockade that choked off fuel shipments to Cuba, leading to severe blackouts, food shortages and an economic collapse across the island.

Since Maduro’s capture, Trump has ratcheted up talk of regime change in Cuba after pledging earlier this year to conduct a “friendly takeover” of the country if its leadership did not open its economy to American investment and kick out U.S. adversaries.

Trump’s first administration indicted Maduro on drug-trafficking charges and used that to justify removing him from power during a surprise military raid in January that whisked the Venezuelan leader to New York to face trial.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged the Cuban people to demand a free-market economy with new leadership that he said will chart a new course in relations with the U.S.

“In the U.S., we are ready to open a new chapter in the relationship between our people,” Rubio, the son of Cuban immigrants, said in a Spanish-language video message. “Currently, the only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.”

Cuba’s deputy foreign minister, Carlos F. de Cossío lashed out at Rubio on X, saying he “lies so repeatedly and unscrupulously about Cuba and tries to justify the aggression he inflicts on the Cuban people.” Rubio “knows full well that there is no excuse for such cruel and ruthless aggression.”

Raúl Castro believed to wield power behind the scenes
There’s no indication Castro will be taken into U.S. custody anytime soon.

He took over as president from his ailing older brother Fidel Castro in 2006 before handing power to a trusted loyalist, Díaz-Canel, in 2018.

While he retired in 2021 as head of the Cuban Communist Party, he is widely believed to wield power behind the scenes, underscored by the prominence of his grandson, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, who previously met secretly with Rubio.

Last week, CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana for meetings with Cuban officials, including Castro’s grandson. Two other senior State Department officials met with the grandson in April.

“The symbolic nature is absolutely crucial,” said Lindsey Lazopoulos Friedman, a former prosecutor at the U.S. attorney’s office in Miami who handled national security cases and crimes involving Cubans.

“Even though Raúl Castro will likely stay and die in Cuba, you can use the indictment as a pressure point, a tactical advantage, to extract other concessions like the release of prisoners or to keep Russia out,” she added.

The investigation into Castro stretches back to the 1990s
Starting in 1995, planes flown by members of Brothers to the Rescue, a group founded by Cuban exiles, buzzed over Havana dropping leaflets urging Cubans to rise up against the Castro government.

The Cubans protested to the U.S. government, warning that they would defend their airspace. Federal Aviation Administration officials also opened an investigation and met with the group’s leaders to urge them to ground the flights, according to declassified government records obtained by George Washington University’s National Security Archive.

“This latest overflight can only be seen as further taunting of the Cuban Government,” an FAA official wrote in an email to her superiors after one intrusion in January 1996. “Worst case scenario is that one of these days the Cubans will shoot down one of these planes.”

But those calls went unheeded and on Feb. 24, 1996, missiles fired by Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets downed two unarmed civilian Cessna planes a short distance north of Havana just beyond Cuba’s airspace. All four men aboard were killed.

Raúl Castro faced earlier indictment
Guy Lewis, who was a federal prosecutor, uncovered evidence linking senior Cuban military officials to cocaine trafficking by Colombia’s Medellin cartel. Following the shootdown, the investigation expanded, and prosecutors pursued charges against Raúl Castro for leading a vast racketeering conspiracy by Cuba’s armed forces.

“The evidence was strong,” Lewis said in an interview.

In the end, the Clinton administration indicted four individuals, including the MiG pilots, the head of the Cuban air force and the head of a Cuban spy network in Miami — the only one to see the inside of a U.S. prison — for providing valuable intelligence about the flights.

The incident led the U.S. to harden its position against Cuba, even though the Cold War had ended and the Castros’ support for revolution across Latin America was a fading memory.

But Castro himself was spared as the Clinton administration — which had quietly sought to expand relations with Cuba prior to the incident — raised foreign policy concerns about such a high-profile indictment.

“Raúl was definitely one who slipped through the noose,” Lewis said. “The crime is notorious. Three U.S. citizens and one legal permanent resident were killed in a premeditated orchestrated murder. That should never be forgotten.”

Elon Musk said this week that Tesla’s driverless ride-hailing service will be “widespread in the U.S. by the end of this year,” reviving one of the company’s most ambitious — and repeatedly delayed — promises. But the traders risking real money on those timelines are increasingly betting against him.

Prediction markets tracking Tesla’s autonomy rollout continue pricing low odds that the company can deliver fully unsupervised robotaxi service at meaningful scale within the timeframes Musk publicly describes.

On Polymarket, one of the largest prediction platforms, traders currently assign Tesla roughly a 13% chance of launching unsupervised robotaxi operations in California by June 30. Another contract tied to a nationwide unsupervised Full Self-Driving rollout by the same deadline has generated more than $1 million in trading volume, with bettors sharply divided over whether Tesla can achieve the milestone.

The divide reflects a growing disconnect between Musk’s public optimism and the regulatory, technical, and operational hurdles still facing Tesla’s autonomous-driving ambitions.

At the center of the skepticism is California.

Tesla has not yet filed for the autonomous deployment permits required by the California Department of Motor Vehicles for fully driverless commercial ride-hailing operations. Under current state rules, companies must complete tens of thousands of supervised autonomous testing miles before qualifying for broader deployment approval.

Public records currently show no such qualifying Tesla miles reported under California’s driverless permitting system.

Tesla’s limited Bay Area transportation service launched earlier this year operates under a Transportation Charter Permit — the same regulatory category used for traditional human-driven car services — rather than a driverless autonomous permit.

California regulators are also tightening oversight beginning July 1, when new rules allowing police officers to directly cite autonomous vehicles for violations take effect.

That combination of regulatory delay and operational complexity has fueled growing skepticism among investors and industry analysts about how quickly Tesla can scale.

Even Tesla’s own filings have become more cautious.

The company’s first-quarter shareholder materials quietly softened earlier promises regarding robotaxi expansion. Several cities previously expected to launch autonomous operations during the first half of 2026 — including Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas — were shifted into a broader “preparations underway” category rather than firm rollout deadlines.

Only Dallas and Houston currently operate limited unsupervised Tesla robotaxi service.

And even there, scale remains relatively small.

Public tracking estimates suggest Tesla currently operates fewer than 40 unsupervised robotaxis across Austin, Dallas, and Houston combined, up from fewer than 10 vehicles at the start of April.

The growth trajectory is notable, but still far below what most investors would consider a nationwide rollout.

By comparison, Waymo, the autonomous-driving company backed by Alphabet, already operates fully driverless commercial ride services across multiple major U.S. cities, including Phoenix, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, and Austin.

Tesla executives themselves have acknowledged that major scaling may depend on future software generations that are not yet available.

During the company’s latest earnings call, Musk pointed investors toward the next-generation Full Self-Driving platform, known internally as version 15, as a critical milestone for broader robotaxi deployment. He suggested the software could become available by early 2027.

Chief Financial Officer Vaibhav Taneja also tempered expectations, warning investors that robotaxi revenue would likely remain immaterial through much of 2026 while capital expenditures continue rising sharply.

Tesla expects to spend more than $25 billion this year while continuing to generate negative free cash flow.

Insider trading activity has also reflected a more cautious posture than Musk’s public messaging.

Tesla director Kathleen Wilson-Thompson sold shares during multiple periods since February, while Taneja also sold stock earlier this year near recent highs.

The financial stakes surrounding autonomy are enormous.

Tesla’s valuation increasingly depends less on its traditional vehicle business and more on investor belief that the company can dominate autonomous transportation and robotics.

Shares recently traded near $428, leaving Tesla with valuation multiples far above nearly every major automaker globally. Analysts estimate that a large portion of Tesla’s current market capitalization reflects expectations tied specifically to robotaxis and the company’s Optimus humanoid robotics program rather than its existing automotive operations alone.

That dynamic helps explain why autonomy timelines matter so much to investors.

If Tesla successfully scales driverless transportation nationally, the financial upside could be massive. Morgan Stanley estimates the broader autonomous vehicle economy could eventually generate trillions of dollars in annual revenue globally.

But the market for commercial robotaxis remains extremely early and highly uncertain.

The widening gap between Musk’s timelines and prediction-market odds has become so common inside Silicon Valley that it has earned its own nickname: “Elon Time.”

Musk himself has acknowledged the criticism before, once describing himself as “pathologically optimistic with time.”

The pattern stretches back years.

In 2019, Musk told investors he was “very confident” Tesla would deploy fully autonomous vehicles by 2020. Similar timelines were repeated repeatedly through 2025 before Tesla’s first limited robotaxi rollout eventually arrived in Austin last year under far more restricted conditions than initially promised.

Many prediction-market traders appear increasingly unwilling to take Musk’s deadlines at face value.

Last year, bettors reportedly lost millions wagering on earlier Tesla autonomy timelines after Musk publicly encouraged confidence in the company’s progress.

This time, many appear to be betting against him instead.

Tesla did not respond to requests for comment regarding the prediction-market skepticism or its broader rollout timeline.

The company’s next major test with investors will likely arrive alongside second-quarter delivery results, where analysts remain closely focused on slowing EV demand, shrinking margins, rising competition, and whether Tesla can continue convincing Wall Street that its future ultimately lies not in cars — but in autonomy.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Council Speaker Julie Menin is preparing to move forward with a revised bill establishing protest buffer zones around schools after Mayor Zohran Mamdani rejected an earlier version of the legislation, The Post has learned.

The updated proposal makes narrower changes to the original measure by specifically limiting the restricted protest areas to schools. Sources familiar with the matter said the legislation is expected to pass the full City Council within weeks by a commanding margin, likely preventing another showdown with the mayor.

Under the revised School Safe Access bill, the protest-free zones would apply only to educational institutions that serve students. Insiders said the adjustment is relatively modest but could help win over lawmakers who had hesitated to support the previous version.

The changes were also welcomed by members of the Jewish community, many of whom strongly criticized Mamdani after he vetoed the original proposal.

“We commend Speaker Menin for consistently advocating for the safety and well-being of Jewish families,” the UJA-Federation of New York said in a statement. “At a time when too few elected officials in New York City are willing to take meaningful action against antisemitism and hate, Speaker Menin has shown real courage and moral clarity.”

Moshe Spern of United Jewish Teachers also praised the revisions to the bill.

“By clarifying and refining the bill’s language, she helped keep the focus where it belongs: protecting students and ensuring safe access to schools while bringing more stakeholders together behind that goal,” he said.

Mamdani had vetoed the earlier version of the legislation, sponsored by Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx), after it failed to secure enough votes for a veto-proof majority. The mayor argued the wording was overly broad and could potentially limit demonstrations at universities, museums, and teaching hospitals.

“This could impact workers protesting ICE, or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demonstrating in support of Palestinian rights,” he said last month.

Supporters of the revised legislation believe the amendments directly address those concerns.

The school-focused measure closely mirrored another proposal that sought to establish protest-free zones outside houses of worship.

Mamdani also opposed the religious institutions bill, though that legislation ultimately passed with enough support to override a veto.

The shooters at the Islamic Center of San Diego who killed three people Monday before turning their fire on themselves left behind a manifesto that investigators believe is authentic.

Caleb Vasquez, 18, and Cain Clark, 17, called their 75- page manifesto “The New Crusade: Sons of Tarrant,” a reference to Brenton Tarrant, the mass murderer who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, seven years ago.

The teens jotted down antisemitic and racist ideas and lauded mass murderers of Jews, such as Adolf Hitler and Robert Bowers, the Tree of Life synagogue shooter. They said they wanted to “kick start the race war,” riding the “momentum” they believed Tarrant started.

The killers livestreamed their attack. (From a post on X)

“What’s the plan? Blitzkrieg,” the document states. “Cause as much death and destruction to the system and the invaders as efficiently and quickly as possible with a diverse selection of targets.”

The text outlined a plot to target three locations, kill as many people as possible, spread their ideology and die in the attacks. They hoped to target Jews, Muslims, blacks and immigrants and blamed Jews for all the ills of the world.

Reporters ask questions about the shooting at a press conference. (From a post on X)

“It’s the Jews,” they wrote in all capital letters under a section entitled “The Universal Enemy.” “For any sane man seeing all this, the only logical solution would be to just kill them all.”

They also called for the assassination of President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.

“Yes, I am inciting violence from the left, because as an accelerationist I know that it takes all sides opening fire to cause that much desired societal collapse,” they wrote regarding attacks on the White House administration.

The attack is being investigated as a hate crime.

By Y.M. Lowy

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, together with the Department of City Planning (DCP), has announced a new neighborhood planning effort that includes parts of Brooklyn just south of Prospect Park, near the Boro Park border along Coney Island Avenue and McDonald Avenue.

The focus is to look at how these neighborhoods can grow in the coming years, especially in areas where old zoning rules have limited new housing. Many of the streets in the area are currently made up of smaller buildings and shops, with very little new housing being built.

As part of the plan, the Department of City Planning will lead community engagement over the coming months. Residents and business owners will be invited to share feedback before any zoning changes or development ideas are finalized.

The proposal is expected to explore ways to add more housing, including affordable housing, and allow for a better mix of residential and commercial space in the same areas.

The plan is still in the early stages and no final decisions have been made. The process will continue through public meetings and outreach before any formal changes are considered.

Airbnb is pushing far beyond home rentals, rolling out airport pickups, grocery delivery, luggage storage, car rentals, boutique hotels and exclusive travel experiences as it expands deeper into travel services.

The company announced Wednesday that travelers can now book grocery delivery through Instacart in more than 25 U.S. cities, airport rides through Welcome Pickups in over 160 cities worldwide and luggage storage through Bounce at more than 15,000 locations globally. 

Airbnb also plans to launch in-app car rentals later this summer.

“We want to bring a little bit of magic to every trip you’re on,” Airbnb Chief Business Officer Dave Stephenson told FOX Business.

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At the same time, Airbnb is adding boutique and independent hotels in major cities including New York, Paris, London, Rome and Singapore, alongside new AI-powered features like review summaries, listing comparisons and smarter customer support tools.

The expansion builds on Airbnb’s broader push into travel services and experiences beyond traditional home stays.

“[When COVID-19] hit, we had to retrench and focus on the core, and then we did that for a number of years and really worked on and perfected the kind of core business,” Stephenson said. “But then a couple of years ago, part of me coming into this new role was to get us ready to expand into services [and] experiences, which we did May of last year.”

Airbnb now offers more than 3,000 curated experiences worldwide, including tours tied to landmarks such as the Tower of London, Tokyo Skytree and the Taj Mahal.

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The company is also leaning into FIFA World Cup 2026 travel with exclusive fan events and athlete-led experiences.

Stephenson said Airbnb expects World Cup demand to outpace the surge it saw during the Paris Olympics, when more than 700,000 guests stayed in Airbnb properties.

“The average homeowner is going to earn about $3,000 from sharing their place,” he said.

Airbnb is also adding new social and group-planning tools. A revamped Trips tab will show reservations alongside nearby restaurants, attractions and experiences, letting users save spots and build shared itineraries.

Later this summer, Airbnb will launch a new travel map and “connections” feature, allowing users to see where friends have stayed, browse their reviews and bookings, and message them directly for travel tips.

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“These group itineraries — I think it’s going to be a really cool new feature that people will find really valuable, because when you travel in Airbnb, you tend to travel with family and friends,” Stephenson said.

The new services and hotel offerings are available now in select markets, while car rentals and additional app features are expected to roll out later this summer.

Google is changing the internet’s most famous search bar.

At its annual developer conference Tuesday, the company unveiled the biggest redesign of Google Search in years, transforming the simple search box millions use every day into something much closer to an AI assistant that can answer questions, complete tasks and even work on projects for users automatically.

For everyday consumers, the shift signals a major change in how people may use the internet going forward — and how aggressively Google is trying to compete with ChatGPT, Claude and other AI tools that are rapidly changing online behavior.

Instead of typing a few keywords and getting a list of blue links, users will increasingly interact with Google more like they chat with an AI assistant.

The new search experience allows people to ask longer, conversational questions, create AI “agents” that track tasks over time and even delegate ongoing work directly through Google.

The overhaul is powered by Google’s newest AI model, Gemini 3.5 Flash, which is becoming the core engine behind the company’s expanding AI features.

Google executives framed the redesign as the next evolution of search itself.

The company is betting that people increasingly want answers and completed tasks — not just links to websites.

Some examples of what the new AI-powered Google can do:

• Monitor topics over time
• Summarize emails and documents
• Create to-do lists
• Research products
• Track recurring tasks
• Work across Gmail, Google Docs and Slides
• Continue working even after users close their devices

Google is also introducing a feature called “Spark,” which acts more like a persistent digital assistant capable of operating in the background over extended periods.

The changes reflect how quickly the AI race has intensified.

For the first time in its history, Google faces a serious threat to its core search business from AI competitors.

OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude and AI-native search startups like Perplexity have increasingly pulled users away from traditional Google searches, especially for research, coding and information-heavy questions.

That has created enormous pressure inside Google to reinvent search before competitors redefine how people access information online.

Despite those threats, Google says overall search activity continues growing.

Still, the company clearly recognizes that the format of search is changing rapidly.

For decades, Google made money by showing users links alongside advertisements. AI-generated answers could disrupt that model because users may no longer need to click through to websites as often.

That creates a delicate balancing act for Alphabet, Google’s parent company:

• Push aggressively into AI
• While protecting the advertising business that generates most of its profits

The company also faces another challenge: trust.

AI assistants remain imperfect and can still make mistakes, misunderstand requests or provide incorrect information.

Even Google executives acknowledged the technology is not yet fully reliable enough for users to completely trust autonomous AI agents with important tasks.

Still, the industry is moving rapidly in this direction.

OpenAI, Google, Anthropic and Microsoft are all racing to create AI systems that function more like full digital assistants rather than standalone chatbots.

The companies increasingly envision a future where AI continuously helps manage schedules, communications, research, shopping and everyday work in the background.

For consumers, that could eventually make computers and phones feel less like tools people manually operate — and more like systems actively helping them complete tasks automatically.

The speed of competition has become extreme.

Google executives said some internal AI teams now release updates nearly every day to keep pace with rivals.

The pressure is especially intense because whoever becomes the dominant AI assistant platform could control the next generation of internet behavior — much like Google Search dominated the last one.

The rollout of Google’s new AI search features will happen gradually over the coming months, with some advanced capabilities initially limited to paying subscribers.

But Tuesday’s announcement makes one thing clear:
the simple Google search bar that defined the internet for nearly 30 years is rapidly evolving into something very different.

And the battle over what replaces it is becoming the biggest fight in technology.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Submitted: During this morning’s commute in Lakewood.

Barney Frank, the longtime liberal Democratic lawmaker from Massachusetts who helped shape one of the most sweeping financial reform laws in modern American history, died Tuesday night after suffering from congestive heart failure. He was 86.

“He was, above all else, a wonderful brother,” Frank’s sister, Doris Breay, told NBC10 Boston Wednesday morning in confirming her sibling’s passing. “I was lucky to be his sister.”

Born in 1940 in Bayonne, New Jersey, Frank built a political career that spanned more than three decades in Congress, becoming one of the nation’s most recognizable liberal voices on issues ranging from abortion rights and environmental policy to banking oversight and economic regulation.

After the financial collapse of 2007 and 2008, Frank partnered with then-Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut to develop the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the far-reaching legislation designed to curb abuses in the financial sector and strengthen protections for consumers.

The law introduced several major structural changes to the American financial system. It established the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, created the Financial Stability Oversight Council to monitor systemic threats to the economy, and put procedures in place intended to prevent future taxpayer-funded rescues of failing financial giants through the Orderly Liquidation Authority.

Another key provision of the legislation was the Volcker Rule, which barred major banks from using depositor money for speculative trading and imposed stricter Federal Reserve supervision over the nation’s largest financial institutions.

President Barack Obama signed the legislation into law in 2010.

Frank’s years in public office also included personal and political scandals.

President Trump openly criticized Frank over the years and once mocked his appearance in a post on X after Frank delivered remarks on the House floor in 2011 while wearing a blue crew-neck shirt with a jacket draped over his shoulders.

“Barney Frank looked disgusting … in his blue shirt before Congress. Very very disrespectful,” Trump wrote in a post.

Only weeks before his passing, Frank spoke candidly with Politico about his declining health and his acceptance of death.

“At 86, I’ve made it longer than I thought. At some point, my heart’s just going to give out, and it’s reaching that stage. So I’m taking it easy at home and dealing with it by relaxing.”

Frank’s final book, “The Hard Path to Unity: Why We Must Reform the Left to Rescue Democracy,” is scheduled for release on Sept. 15. In it, he sharply criticized elements of the progressive movement, arguing that Democrats damaged themselves politically by shifting attention away from economic inequality toward social and cultural positions that many voters reject.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Ferries, cargo ships and tankers cut through choppy waters in the San Francisco Bay Tuesday as a whale surfaced nearby, its spout barely visible against the white caps. Until now, whales could easily go unnoticed by mariners, but an AI-powered detection network launched this week is designed to track them day and night.

The system, called WhaleSpotter, scans the bay around the clock for whale blows and heat signatures up to 2 nautical miles away, alerting mariners to slow down or reroute when whales are nearby.

“They’ll be able to make adjustments way before they get anywhere close,” said Thomas Hall, director of operations for San Francisco Bay Ferry. “It will also allow us to track data over time and see where the whales are camping out so we can adjust our routes during whale season to avoid those areas completely.”

The effort comes amid an alarming rise in gray whale deaths in the bay. Last year, 21 dead gray whales were found in the wider Bay Area — the highest number in 25 years, according to The Marine Mammal Center — with at least 40% killed by ship strikes. At least 10 more have died in the Bay Area so far this year.

Scientists say those figures likely underestimate the true toll as many whale carcasses sink or are swept back out to sea before they are ever found or reported.

Gray whales have long migrated along the California coast on their roughly 12,000-mile (19,300-kilometer) journey between breeding lagoons in Mexico and feeding grounds in the Arctic.

But instead of simply passing offshore, increasing numbers are now diverting into San Francisco Bay and lingering for days or even weeks inside the crowded estuary — a shift scientists increasingly link to climate change. Warming temperatures and shifts in sea ice in the Arctic are disrupting the food web gray whales rely on during summer feeding months, according to a 2023 study in Science, leaving many malnourished during migration.

Many whales now concentrate in a high traffic corridor between Angel Island, Alcatraz and Treasure Island, directly overlapping with ferry routes and shipping lanes.

“It’s the worst place possible in terms of all the ship traffic,” said Rachel Rhodes, a project scientist at the Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory who led the initiative. There have been so many collisions that “the teams responding to strandings said they ran out of places to even land dead whales.”

The eastern North Pacific gray whale population was once hailed as a conservation success story after rebounding from commercial whaling and being removed from the Endangered Species Act in 1994. But numbers have since plummeted, decreasing by half over the last 10 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Just 13,000 remain.

“They may not be getting the quality or quantity of food they’re used to in the Arctic,” Rhodes said. “That means they’re starting this incredibly long migration at a disadvantage.”

The thermal camera system provides real time alerts to mariners
Artificial intelligence automatically flags potential whale sightings, which are then verified by trained marine mammal observers before alerts are sent via radio to ferry operators, vessel traffic controllers and posted publicly on the Whale Safe website.

WhaleSpotter systems are already used on vessels and fixed installations such as lighthouses and coastal towers in the United States, Canada and Australia. But researchers say the San Francisco Bay network is the first to directly integrate land-based and vessel-mounted detections with official mariner alerts, allowing whale sightings to be relayed in near-real time to ships navigating the bay.

The first hours of testing produced an immediate flood of detections.

“Suddenly to have a full sense of how much whale activity is in this space honestly put me a little bit on edge,” said Douglas McCauley, director of the Benioff lab. “But we’re going to use that data and we’re going to be smart about how we use that space and share it with the whales.”

Researchers say the system’s biggest advantage is constant monitoring. Unlike human observers, thermal cameras can operate through the night and in many foggy conditions common in the bay.

One camera was installed on Angel Island and a second will soon be fixed aboard a ferry traveling between downtown San Francisco and Vallejo to create what Rhodes described as a “moving data collection platform.” Scientists hope additional cameras on the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz could eventually expand coverage across the bay.

Warming oceans are also threatening humpbacks
A severe marine heat wave lingering off the California coast is shrinking the band of cold, nutrient-rich water where krill, anchovies and sardines thrive. As offshore waters warm, humpback whales are increasingly following that prey closer to shore, where California’s Dungeness crab fishery operates.

The fishery uses tens of thousands of vertical lines that connect traps on the seafloor to surface buoys, creating entanglement hazards for whales migrating and feeding along the coast.

This spring, regulators again closed parts of the fishery off central California to conventional gear, a measure that has become increasingly common in recent years as warming waters increase whale overlap with crab fishing seasons.

While grey whales are also at risk, humpbacks are most vulnerable.

“Humpbacks are curious and they’ll scratch their backs on the gear,” said Kathi George, director of cetacean conservation biology at The Marine Mammal Center. “If they get a line caught on their body, they’ll breach and they’ll roll and end up entangling themselves.”

Whales can drag heavy gear for months, unable to dive or feed properly, leading to starvation, infection and drowning.

Thirty-six whales were confirmed entangled off the West Coast in 2024 — the highest number since 2018, according to NOAA — though scientists caution most cases go undocumented.

California approved commercial use of ropeless pop-up crab fishing gear for the first time this spring, which will allow fishermen to continue harvesting through the end of the season.

Instead of floating surface buoys tethered to traps, the system stores ropes and buoys on the seafloor until fishermen return and trigger an acoustic release that brings the gear to the surface.

Supporters say the technology allows fishermen to continue harvesting crab while dramatically reducing the risk to whales.

As climate change reshapes ocean conditions and whale migration patterns, scientists expect the overlap between whales, ships and fishing gear to persist.

“We will have to continue to be adaptive and science driven in terms of our management to reduce wildlife risk and keep fishermen on the water,” said Caitlynn Birch, Oceana’s Pacific campaign manager and a marine scientist. “California has been a national leader in developing whale-safe fishing technologies and we hope that model can help guide other fisheries on the West Coast and nationally.”

Dozens of Talmidim from Shavei Hebron Yeshiva on Wednesday moved into a residential building in Chevron’s Old City market district, known as the Casbah, marking the first permanent Jewish residential presence there since the 1929 Chevron massacre.

Jews lived in Chevron for centuries until Arab rioters murdered 67 Jews during the 1929 massacre and the British evacuated the surviving Jewish community from the city. After Israel took control of Chevron in 1967, Jews returned to several limited, heavily secured parts of the city, but not to the Casbah, the dense Palestinian market and residential area in Chevron’s Old City.

The students moved into Beit Valero, a building inside one of the most sensitive parts of the city. Chevron is one of Judaism’s holiest cities and is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, where Jewish tradition says Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov are buried. Today, the city is home to both a large Palestinian population and a small Jewish community living under heavy Israeli military protection.

The yeshiva said the move became possible only after it completed a complex legal purchase of the property, followed by months of renovations, security upgrades and coordination with Israeli authorities. Jewish groups cannot simply move into the Casbah. Property purchases in the area require willing sellers, extensive legal documentation, military security planning and government coordination, and they are often politically explosive and can take years to complete or approve.

Rabbis, public officials and residents gathered at the site for a mezuzah ceremony as students officially entered the building. Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Chananel Etrog said: “We are entering Beit Valero, and it is impossible not to see King David returning to his city, Chevron.”

The IDF said forces would secure the building and surrounding area on an ongoing basis because of the site’s high security sensitivity.

[Communicated]

For many years, the subject of Har Habayis was viewed in much of the yeshivah world as a closed discussion. The prevailing attitude was simple: the area is overwhelmingly forbidden to enter, the dangers of כרת are severe, and the matter was not something the average frum Jew involved himself with.

But quietly, beneath the surface, something appears to be changing.

Over the last few years, increasing numbers of visibly Chareidi Jews have been seen ascending Har Habayis in accordance with carefully mapped halachic guidelines established by rabbanim and researchers who maintain that certain peripheral areas may be entered after proper preparation. Organized groups, shiurim, and halachic discussions surrounding the topic have become far more common than they once were — even within circles where the subject was rarely spoken about at all.

Now, a recently circulated video featuring Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz has added another layer to that ongoing conversation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXI9G_m6GDQ 

See around minute 32:00 in the video

In the video, Rabbi Breitowitz discusses the complexity of the sugya and acknowledges that, according to many shitos, there are areas on Har Habayis that are not part of the מקום המקדש itself and may be permissible to enter under specific halachic conditions. While emphasizing the seriousness and sensitivity of the issue, his comments were widely viewed by listeners as reflecting a more nuanced approach than many in the frum world may have previously assumed.

To be clear, many Gedolim and major poskim over the decades strongly opposed ascending Har Habayis, citing both halachic concerns and the fear that public ascent could lead to confusion regarding prohibited areas. Those concerns remain significant and continue to shape the views of large segments of the Torah world.

At the same time, however, there is a growing sense among some Bnei Torah that the topic itself may deserve more serious examination than it has traditionally received. Much of the newer discussion focuses on the distinction between the areas universally understood to be forbidden and other sections which some authorities argue were never included within the boundaries of the Azarah or Makom Hamikdash.

Perhaps most striking is not necessarily the halachic debate itself, but the fact that the discussion is increasingly taking place openly and respectfully within Torah circles.

For decades, many frum Jews associated any discussion of Har Habayis with political activism or ideological agendas far removed from the עולם הישיבות. Today, however, the conversation is increasingly being framed around the halachic sugya itself: the geography of the Har, the locations of the original boundaries, the requirements of taharah, and the broader question of how Jews should relate to the site of the Beis Hamikdash in our generation.

Whether this shift remains limited or eventually grows into something broader remains to be seen. But one thing is becoming harder to ignore:

A discussion once considered entirely outside the mainstream of the frum world is no longer being dismissed quite so automatically.

by Rabbi Eliezer Sandler

The concept of the Yissachar-Zevulun Torah Learning Pact goes back well over 3,500 years, to the time of Yaakov Avinu and his sons. It is named for the Torah pact between two of his sons – Yissachar the scholar and Zevulun the merchant. Not only was it an equal pact but, Chazal explained, the deed of Zevulun/the Sponsor is considered even greater than that of Yissachar, because without the support of Zevulun, Yissachar would not have had the wherewithal to study Torah undisturbed.”

It is well-known that when it comes to learning Torah, people who sponsor the learning, often do so, not just as a donation. By financially supporting specific Torah scholars, they enter into a binding, written, signed and sealed learning partnership pact whereby the Sponsor (the Zevulun) is deemed by Halacha as if he personally studied the Torah completed by the Scholar (the Yissachar). (See below.)

Thus, those who support the Talmidei Chachomim at Shas Yiden via a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact merit a portion in every daf of the entire Talmud Bavli and associated texts that they study, and complete the entire cycle in the space of ONE year. Some of the Sponsors opt to continue sponsoring repeat cycles of Shas which accrue to them.

Sar Hatorah, Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden, emphasized: The most mehudar Yissachar-Zevulun pact to support in our times is that offered by Shas Yiden – it comprises the entire Shas, Rashi and Tosfos – all in just one year!

Rav Chaim explained why this pact with Shas Yiden is the most mehudar. Chazal say that the highest level of learning is when one understands what he is learning b’iyun u’ve’amkus. However, even higher than that is when one remembers b’al peh all what he has learned. I have farhered the Shas Yiden avreichim geonim many times and can attest ZEI KENNEN SHAS (they know Shas)!

YES! YOU CAN MAKE

your OWN SIYUM on the ENTIRE

Shas, Rashi & Tosfos

IN JUST ONE YEAR!

The Yissachar-Zevulun Pact in Halacha

The Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh De’ah Chapter 246 regarding the efficacy of the Yissachar-Zevulun Sponsorship Pact for the Zevulun (the Sponsor) states clearly:  It is deemed as if he (the one sponsoring the learning) himself learned all the Torah studied under the pact.

All the learning under the Shas Yiden Yissachar-Zevulun Pact is yours בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in both This World and the World to Come)! Concerning this, the Netziv of Volozhin comments that in Olam Habah, the Zevulun sponsor will sit together with the Gedolei Torah of the past and merit to participate in their discussions and pilpulim on all the Torah learned.

Achieve Almost 7 million Mitzvos in One Year

The Vilna Gaon in Shnos Eliyahu Pe’ah 41 states that one should hold precious every word of Torah that he learns because each word is considered a mitzvah of its own.

Thus, since in Talmud Bavli, Rashi and Tosfos there are 6,608,891 words, that translates into almost 7 million mitzvos accruing through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden.

Official Shtar from Shas Yiden

Each Yissachar-Zevulun pact is confirmed by an official contract (shtar) from Shas Yiden specifying the learning of the entire Shas, and is witnessed by talmidei chachomim.

All who wish to enter into a Yissachar-Zevulun Pact for the entire Shas during ONE year should contact Shas Yiden to make arrangements: 718-702-1528.

The opportunity to complete the entire Shas has been a cherished way to honor family members and others as a prized achievement. It has also proven to be a source of comfort for mourners to obtain such a zechus for their dear ones during the year of mourning – a siyum of the entire Shas can be completed on the yahrzeit!

Yissachar-Zevulun Pact –

Beyond the Grave

The legendary visionary and “Father of Yeshivos”, Reb Chaim of Volozhin, was the founder of the famous yeshiva in the town of Volozhin and the beloved talmid of the Vilna Gaon. 

Reb Chaim had an ongoing Yissachar-Zevulun pact with a local shoemaker – a man who was not learned but who dearly valued Torah learning. They had a ‘deal’ whereby the shoemaker would pay the monthly financial support needed for Reb Chaim and his family. For this financial support, the shoemaker would have an equal share in all Reb Chaim’s daily Torah study – both in the mitzvah of Torah study בעוה”ז and that the knowledge of the Torah learned would continue to be his בעוה”ב (in the World to Come).

One day the shoemaker passed away suddenly. During the shiva period, Reb Chaim was facing a perplexing halachic question and researched high and low for a solution. That night the shoemaker appeared to him in a dream and gave him the full solution that he sought. Reb Chaim was amazed and commented, “Azoi gich, Azoi Gich – So quickly, so quickly has he acquired the zchus and knowledge of the Torah that I have studied!”

In the words of Gedolei Torah:

Maran Hagaon Harav Chaim Kanievsky, zt”l, Nasi Shas Yiden:

“In just ONE year, through Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden, you can be zoche to the entire Shas forever – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב (in olam hazeh and olam habah).

“Moreover, whoever supports Shas Yiden is zocheh to fulfill both Yissachar-Zevulun and support of aniyei (the poor of) Eretz Yisroel in the fullest sense of the word.

“Those who support Shas Yiden will be saved from chevlei (the travails of) Moshiach – spiritually and materially, and will be zoche to have ehrlicher bonim u’vanos yir’eishomayim ”

Maran Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva, Slabodka:

“Who compares to the Shas Yiden? Incredible talmidei chachomim geonim who raised the bar in limud Hashas b’iyun u’v’amkus. Blessed are those who enter a Yissachar-Zevulun pact with them.”

Hamashpia Hagadol Reb Meilech Biederman, shlit”a:

 “Yissachar-Zevulun at Shas Yiden – best possible deal, and in just 1 year! 100% partnership! 100% Shas x 5 times! 100% Shisha Sidrei Mishna – בעוה”ז ובעוה”ב”

Sanzer Rebbe, shlit”a:

“A first in 2000 years of Jewish history! Until Shas Yiden, never a Torah institution where ALL the avreichim metzuyonim v’geonim know the entire Shas by heart”

Harav Yaakov Hillel, shlit”a:

“Therefore, the great mitzvah to support the efforts [of the Talmidei Chachomim] with generous donations in order that they should continue diligently with their studies to enhance the greatness of the Torah and its glory.

ShasYiden.com

A Jewish woman testified to the Australian Royal Commission into Antisemitism, led by Virginia Bell, that she was asked to change her name at work.

She said that her manager raised concerns about the particular “sensitivities” of an external stakeholder regarding Israel, asking her to change her name so as not to ruin the company’s prospects of a commercial partnership.

He said that her “identifiably Jewish name could potentially add some complexity to the relationship and to that partnership, and it could, in turn, potentially have negative commercial outcomes,” she explained to the commission.

When she escalated that up the chain of command, the CEO concurred with her manager and requested that she change her name as well.

The Royal Commission, which is Australia’s highest investigative body, was tasked with investigating the rise in antisemitism that has rocked the Australian Jewish community, particularly following the massacre at Bondi Beach during a Chanukah celebration that claimed 15 lives and injured dozens more.

The commission has since learned that in the first year following the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Jews in Australia endured 2,062 antisemitic incidents and that Jewish parents feared sending their children to school.

An unique spiritual undertaking is unfolding this week at Yeshivas Ateres Yisroel in Modi’in Illit, where hundreds of bochurim have accepted upon themselves an extraordinary commitment in preparation for Zman Matan Toraseinu.

The initiative, launched under the leadership of Rav Yoel Shapira, began with the Shloshes Yemei Hagbollah leading into Shavuos.

As part of the program, large numbers of bochurim formally committed themselves to a  taanis dibbur, refraining from mundane speech every day from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. — thirteen consecutive hours of absolute silence combined with uninterrupted Torah learning.

The bochurim undertook not to utter a single word unrelated to Torah learning during the entire period.

According to the new yeshiva schedule established by Rav Shapira and the hanhalah, the regular afternoon rest period has been completely eliminated during these days. Bochurim leave the bais medrash only for tefillah and quick meals before immediately returning to their Gemoros.

Yeshiva officials described the initiative as an enormous physical and mental undertaking designed to elevate speech and thought in preparation for Kabolas HaTorah on Shavuos.

The hanhalah noted with satisfaction that more than 60 percent of the yeshiva’s bochurim have already officially joined the historic commitment.

Particularly striking is the fact that the initiative is also being promoted within the yeshiva as a powerful and time-tested segulah for older bochurim seeking their shidduchim.

According to the belief expressed by the roshei yeshiva, the intense continuity in learning together with the prolonged silence inside the yeshiva’s bais medrash has the power to “open the gates of Heaven” and bring long-awaited yeshuos in shidduchim even before Yom Tov.

{Matzav.com}

(AP) – There aren’t many lawmakers like Thomas Massie left in Congress.

The renegade Republican who rose to prominence as an idiosyncratic and stubborn outlier in his party, popular in the Kentucky district that repeatedly sent him to the House, lost his primary bid for reelection Tuesday after a vicious and costly attack by President Donald Trump.

The stunning outcome caps a career like few others and shows the extent of the president’s ability to badger, badmouth and eventually boot out his political adversaries — and that no lawmaker is apparently safe. Massie’s defeat comes after the Trump-led ouster of Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana over the weekend and the president’s endorsement Tuesday of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in his challenge to Sen. John Cornyn, which sent chills through the Senate.

Trump had reserved his fiercest attacks for Massie, a quirky conservative who had become among the most powerful rank-and-file Republicans in the House because of his willingness to vote as he pleased, rather than as the party demanded. And now he’s been toppled like so many other Republicans who crossed the president.

Massie was undaunted after losing to Ed Gallrein, a former Navy SEAL handpicked by Trump.

“If the legislative branch always votes with the president, we do have a king,” Massie told cheering supporters Tuesday night. But if lawmakers follow the Constitution, he said, “we have a republic.”

Massie also teased that his political career may not be over quite yet during the closing moments of his concession speech, as a raucous crowd broke into chants of “2028!” and “President!”

“You’ve made a compelling argument,” he replied. “We’ll talk about it later.”

Trump said of Massie’s defeat: “He deserves to lose.”

Massie’s rise from backbench to prominence to defeat
Massie rose from the House Republican backbench, charting his own path and showing again and again he was willing to buck his party and the president.

He voted against Trump’s big tax cuts bill last year, worried the several trillion-dollar costs would add to the nation’s deficits.

He rejected Trump’s military forays against Iran and Venezuela, opposed to U.S. intervention overseas, and he routinely voted against U.S. foreign aid, including to Israel, drawing millions of dollars against him from pro-Israel interest groups.

And perhaps most remarkably, Massie, in partnership with Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna of California, persisted in a long-shot effort to force the Justice Department’s release of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

It was his work on the Epstein files, perhaps more than any of his repeated votes against spending bills and other party priorities, that elevated Massie’s profile.

Khanna said on X Tuesday that Massie “lost because he had the guts to stand up to the Epstein class and against the war.”

Trump lashed out at the “lowlife” Massie as the congressman pushed the issue last year, prolonging a political headache for the White House.

Off the grid and into Congress
First elected in 2012, at the tail end of the GOP tea party wave before Trump’s Make America Great Again movement burst onto the scene, Massie stood out from the start.

An engineer by training, Massie designed several patents — some on display in his office — as well as a debt calculator that blinks in flashing red numerals as the nation’s deficits pile up. He often wears a miniature version of the debt calculator as a lapel pin.

He married his high school sweetheart, Rhonda, and joined her at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They raised their four children living largely off the grid in a solar-power home he designed himself, making him something of a legend among a generation of do-it-yourselfers. He raised cattle, drove an early Tesla and drank raw milk.

Inspired by fellow Kentuckian Rand Paul after having put up lawn signs for the senator’s election, the libertarian-leaning Massie ran for office himself.

Once he won his own House seat, Massie declined to join the newly forming Freedom Caucus, his own far-right views not fully aligning with the conservative coalition.

Trump attacked Massie early and often
Trump set his sights on Massie in 2020 during his first presidential term, when the congressman dared to object to a $2.2 trillion aid package to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

At the time, Massie refused to allow the COVID-19 package to be approved without a formal roll call, forcing hundreds of lawmakers back to the Capitol. Trump called him a “third rate Grandstander.”

Trump did not let up his criticisms, even after Massie’s wife died in 2024. Massie announced in 2025 that he had remarried, after proposing to Carolyn Grace Moffa, a former Paul staffer, on the steps of the Library of Congress. He said they planned to live on the farm.

The president suggested that Massie got remarried too quickly, writing on social media that “his wife will soon find out that she’s stuck with a LOSER!”

This now-famous picture of Rabbi Abadi Z”L, which was taken by a TLS photographer, was made into a painting by local artist Mrs. Tzippy Braude.

Copies are available for purchase, with partial proceeds to Minyan Shelanu.

For more information you can WhatsApp here: wa.link/pzndlh

Or text: 7327490564

Toll Brothers, the country’s largest luxury-home builder, says wealthy Americans are still buying expensive homes despite high mortgage rates and growing worries about the housing market.

The company reported Tuesday that orders for new homes reached their highest level in two years, helping push shares higher after earnings topped Wall Street expectations.

For everyday consumers, the results highlight a growing split in the U.S. housing market: middle-class buyers are struggling with high monthly payments, while wealthier buyers continue purchasing million-dollar homes with far less pressure from interest rates.

Toll Brothers signed contracts for 2,834 homes during its latest quarter, up 7% from a year ago. The average selling price topped $1 million per home.

CEO Douglas Yearley Jr. said the company continued to perform well despite what he called a “challenging market,” adding that demand at the high end of the housing market remains strong.

The results stand out because much of the broader housing market has slowed sharply.

Mortgage rates remain near their highest levels in years, with the average 30-year fixed mortgage climbing close to 6.7%. Higher Treasury yields — which heavily influence mortgage rates — have continued rising amid inflation fears tied to the Iran war and energy prices.

For many Americans, that has made buying a home increasingly unaffordable.

Monthly mortgage payments on a typical U.S. home are now hundreds of dollars higher than they were just a few years ago. Many homeowners who locked in low 3% mortgage rates during the pandemic are also refusing to sell, creating a shortage of homes on the market.

But Toll Brothers operates in a very different part of the market.

Its customers are typically wealthier buyers who often make larger down payments, carry smaller mortgages relative to home values, or pay cash entirely. That makes them less sensitive to rising interest rates compared with first-time or middle-income buyers.

The company said many of its luxury communities are still raising prices, showing that demand at the top end of the market remains healthy even as entry-level housing slows.

Toll Brothers also raised its forecast for the rest of the year, signaling confidence that wealthy buyers will continue spending despite economic uncertainty.

The company ended the quarter with more than $1 billion in cash and continued buying back its own stock while increasing its dividend to shareholders.

The strong earnings report adds to growing evidence that the U.S. economy is increasingly splitting into two different realities.

Higher-income Americans have continued benefiting from strong stock markets, rising asset values and accumulated wealth from recent years. Many can still comfortably afford luxury homes even with elevated interest rates.

Meanwhile, many middle-class families are finding it harder to qualify for mortgages or afford monthly payments at current prices.

Housing analysts say that divide has become one of the defining trends of today’s real estate market.

Existing home sales across the country remain near multi-decade lows, while builders targeting first-time buyers have increasingly relied on incentives and mortgage-rate discounts to attract customers.

Luxury builders like Toll Brothers, however, continue seeing stronger demand than much of the industry.

For now, the company’s latest results suggest wealthy buyers are still willing to spend — even as much of the rest of the housing market remains under pressure.

— JBizNews Desk

© JBizNews.com. All rights reserved. This article is original reporting by JBizNews Desk. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution is strictly prohibited.

Two months after being stabbed on his way from a shelter to his home in Ramat Gan, Rabbi Gedaliahu Ben-Shimon met for the first time with the Hatzalah volunteers who saved his life. 

At the Hatzalah organization’s recognition evening, Ben Shimon described how everything happened in seconds, immediately after returning from the shelter following a siren.

“Exactly two months ago, as I tried to return home from the shelter after a siren, right at the entrance to the religious council in the city center, an Arab terrorist attacked me, shouted ‘Allahu akbar,’ and stabbed me. I shouted ‘Shema Yisrael.’ That’s how it was: he shouted ‘Allahu akbar,’ and I shouted ‘Shema Yisrael, help help.’”

With a choked voice, he described the terrifying moments he’s experienced since that evening. “I wouldn’t wish anyone to look that fear in the eyes. Suddenly, when I need it most, I’m on the floor, and everything goes black. He’s right above me, shouting that I’m surrendering. I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe, until I truly meet the angels.”

At the scene, critical minutes were spent fighting for his life. Volunteer Bentzi Forgas, an ICU nurse at Ichilov Hospital, immediately contacted the hospital from the field, alerting the surgical team to prepare for Ben-Shimon’s arrival, including blood units. Hatzalah said the rapid response of the volunteers was decisive in the first minutes following the stabbing.

Rabbi’s wife thanks volunteers’ wives

The rabbi’s wife also attended the emotional event, distributing bouquets to the volunteers’ wives in recognition of the support they give their spouses during rescue operations. She additionally presented special thank-you bouquets to the wives of the two volunteers who saved her husband’s life.

Hatzalah CEO Rabbi Yaakov Yosef said during the evening, “This evening is dedicated to the women who enable volunteers to be available for any call, at any hour. Gedaliahu Ben Shimon’s story illustrates just how critical every second is and how the dedication of volunteers and their families actually saves lives.”

Chairman Rabbi Asher Shlomovitz added, “Seeing a person who was saved come specifically to thank those who rescued him is the strongest reminder of the meaning of Hatzalah. Behind every call response is an entire family mobilized to save lives, and this evening is a salute to them.”

Israel is considering closing its historic Istanbul consulate, months after the building was targeted in a shooting and after Israeli diplomats were evacuated from Turkey following Oct. 7, AFP reported today.

Israel’s embassy in Ankara would remain open, but both the embassy and Istanbul consulate have been staffed by local Turkish personnel since Israeli diplomats were pulled from the country.

An Israeli source said no decision had been made, but the vacant Istanbul property is costing Israel money and was slated for demolition under earthquake-preparation plans

A growing storm is brewing within the chareidi community over Israeli Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s proposed media reform, with educators and public figures warning that the initiative could expose thousands of yeshiva bochurim to unrestricted television and secular media content.

While much of the criticism surrounding Karhi’s reform has centered on political and regulatory concerns, many in the chareidi world say the far greater issue is the potential spiritual danger posed by dramatically expanded access to television programming.

According to details revealed Tuesday, part of the reform would make Israeli television channels and news broadcasts available through a single free state-sponsored application accessible to every citizen.

Under the proposal, viewers would no longer need subscriptions to television providers, special streaming services, or complicated browser access. Instead, anyone could simply open the app and immediately watch television content.

Critics say the result could be unprecedented exposure to secular media among young chareidim.

A source involved in discussions surrounding the reform warned that the proposal could cause serious spiritual damage to the chareidi public.

“If this reform passes, it is going to be a disaster for the chareidi public and particularly for yeshiva bochurim,” the source said. “I heard a senior official in the Communications Ministry say: ‘Our interest is to make television accessible in Israel to populations that are not exposed today’ — meaning the chareidi and Arab public. Now you understand how dangerous this reform is?!”

Chinuch leaders also voiced strong opposition to the plan, arguing that it would place unrestricted television access just one click away from yeshiva students.

“This is a dangerous move that the representatives in the Knesset must fight against,” education officials warned. “It will be a disaster if every bochur has all television networks available at the push of a button, without protection or filtering on the content, leaving them directly connected to secular media culture.”

Political sources within the chareidi parties are likewise expressing concern that some lawmakers may not fully appreciate the broader consequences of the legislation.

“I very much hope that Shas will not make deals with Karhi in order to pass the law,” one chareidi political source said. “Perhaps they do not fully understand the implications of the reform and the amount of damage it could cause to young bochurim.”

The source stressed that the legislation likely cannot pass without support from the chareidi parties.

“It must be understood that without the chareidim, this law has no chance of passing,” the source said. “That is why pressure and public outcry are necessary to ensure they do not mistakenly support it.”

{Matzav.com}